The Darkness of /Between/

Writers: Ames, Chelle, Heather, Suzee
Date Posted: 5th August 2013

Characters: Rhosyn, Y'gel, B'sil, V'lor
Description: V'lor makes a fatal error during Threadfall
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 2, day 14 of Turn 7

Y'gel

**Quedaneth duck right,** V'lor instructed as he held tightly into the
saddle before him. A patch of Thread drifted past them and the green
just missed being scored. Another dragon swooped in and caught the
patch before any could fall lower.

**Good move,** he told her, patting her hide. Then she turned and
opened her jaws. V'lor grabbed more firestone and tossed it into her
gaping maw. They moved towards a patch of Thread.

**Down! Can't let that get through!** He instructed. Quedaneth flamed
the Thread and they turned back into position.

More Thread continued to Fall. They continued to battle it, alongside
their fellow riders. At one point, V'lor and Quedaneth got a minor
score and darted into /between/ to rid themselves of the Thread before
it ate through their skin. In an instant they were back into the
fighting throng.

As they re-emerged, V'lor could have sworn he caught sight of Jaydruth
above them. He blinked, disoriented for a moment, and thinking they
had emerged in the wrong place. Had all the thoughts he'd been having
about his weyrmate caused him to end up with the wrong wing?

}: What is Quedaneth doing this far up?:{ Jaydruth's question rattled
through B'sil's mind.

**What?** B'sil frowned as he broke from his concentration to see the
retreating figure of his weyrmate.

He looked to the side and turned Quedaneth to the right, hoping to fly
back where he belonged. He wasn't paying enough attention to what was
going on right in front of him. The pair flew straight into a patch of
rather thick and nasty Thread.

"Ah!" V'lor cried out as the menace began to eat at his flesh instantly.

}:Hurt!:{ Quedaneth declared. She pushed forward to get V'lor out of
the Thread, but ended up catching her entire back half in that clump

and another that fell nearby.

V'lor couldn't think. His mind was clouded with pain. Quedaneth was
suffering immensely. He was hurting.

**Home. Get us home, Quedaneth,** It took every ounce of his
concentration to force that thought to her with an image of the Weyr.
She blinked into /between/ just as the other dragons approached and
flamed the Thread that had attacked them.

}: Quedaneth!:{ Jaydruth called after his injured mate.

B'sil's teeth were clenched so tightly he could hear them grinding together.
**FOCUS!** He snarled. His insides were twisted with worry for V'lor
but Turns of dragonriding had taught him that distractions led to
injuries. Until his Wingleader relieved him he could not turn back to
the Weyr to check on his weyrmate.

They burst into the air high above the Weyr. V'lor was dizzy, in pain,
and losing blood rapidly. He tried to cling to consciousness, but
everything faded to black and he slumped against Quedaneth's hide.

Quedaneth, meanwhile was flying erratically. Her circles were
lopsided, she was badly scored almost from neck to tail. Her wings had
taken a direct hit. Her body burned and blistered. Her mind whirled in
pain. _Then_ she lost contact with V'lor. Her fear and agitation
increased a hundred fold. She could not hear her rider. He was badly
hurt.

She landed on her chest in the middle of the Weyr with a thump.
Something cracked on impact. Quedaneth roared in discomfort and pain.
Her body so bruised and broken she didn't know if she'd ever fly
again.

People started running towards the pair immediately. Quedaneth had a

wild look in her eyes. She couldn't feel her body, yet she ached at
the same time. At first she tried to back away from the healers who
came towards her, but she couldn't breathe. That stilled her a bit but
not enough for them to get V'lor off her back. She continued to paw at
the ground and snap at anyone who got close.

Even though there were eggs on the Sands, Orlaith would leave them
during Threadfall when she was needed. Rhosyn herself was assisting
the dragonhealers as she usually did when she was grounded. So the
Weyrwoman heard the commotion and saw the green. **Oh no, she's
a bad case**

Orlaith caught her thoughts and brought herself to the entrance of the
Cavern. Seeing Quedaneth, she immediately realized what was happening.
}:Green one, you need to stop moving. They have to help you and your rider.
You hurt you rider when you move.:{ Putting the full force of a senior gold
behind it as well as her own heavy will, Orlaith expected the green to calm.

As her rider, knowing no dragon in the Weyr would hurt her, Rhosyn alone
advanced when no one else would. "Quedaneth, I need to see V'lor please.
Let me come closer."

Quedaneth was in pain. Her mind was whirling. She wanted to take
flight again. The only thing that had held her here until now had been
V'lor. He'd kept her on path to return to the Weyr. Now, though, she
couldn't hear him. She was losing him. Her mind whirled in panic.
Then, however, Oralith's voice and authority drew her attention. Her
whirling eyes turned towards the gold standing in the entryway of the
cavern.

There were no thoughts. No words. Only feeling now. Quedaneth wanted
to refuse. Wanted to take flight. Her head whirled back and forth in
agitation and pain. Her eyes focused on the woman approaching.
Oralith's words calmed her some. She allowed Rhosyn near. V'lor. V'lor
needed his kind. No. he needed _her_. They needed to leave. Now. She
moved to take Flight, but felt the queen's presence pressing on her
mind once again. Quedaneth calmed. She allowed Rhosyn to approach.

V'lor, badly scored, lay slumped over the saddle. He was still
breathing, but not well. They were broken; the pair of them. Hope
seemed small in that moment of time that seemed to elapse before
helping hands could reach V'lor.

"Rhosyn," Y'gel said urgently. "No closer. X'git and I will get him."
He could tell the green was close to losing control but while Orlaith
held her in control, everything would fail tragically if her rider
were endangered by the wild eyed green. The Weyr couldn't afford to
lose their Senior queen because her rider was too brave.

He put his hands on her shoulders. "Stay," he said then turned toward
the green. "We're coming to get yours so we can help him come back to
you. The healers will help him," By the time he'd finished his
sentence he was close enough to begin unbuckling straps. X'git next to
him helped and they finally got the unconscious rider off the green's
neck.

V'lor was quickly carted off to be treated by the healers. His wounds
were grave, but with help he _could_ survive.

Quedaneth was hurting and badly. She'd allowed them to come. She'd
allowed them to take _hers_ from her. She tried to reach her neck out
to V'lor, as though to go with him, but the movement caused her pain.
She let out a groaning sound and pulled her body closer, hoping it
would shield the pain. Every movement hurt. Quedaneth whimpered.

"She's fine. Orlaith has her. Now that V'lor is being tended-she needs our
help." Rhosyn could feel the green's pain since Orlaith was in fact trying
to lessen it as much as she could. "Numbweed." A dragonhealer in her own
right, she started to look at the green's injuries from where she
stood. "Quedaneth, lay down please."

The green tried to obey, but she hurt so badly that movement wasn't
easy for her.

Y'gel tried to approach the green but he didn't like what he saw. He
didn't like this one bit but there was only so much he could do and
right now he needed to be between the Weyrwoman and the injured
dragon.

V'lor, meanwhile having been carried off by the healers was also not
doing well. For a moment, they thought they would lose him completely.
In that moment, Quedaneth felt what little life left in him all but
drain away. With an anguished cry at what she assumed was the loss of
her rider, she managed one final burst of energy.

Pushing off the ground with a cry, and pumping her badly damaged
wings, she managed to get airborne enough. Her pain and anguish at the
thought of losing V'lor was too much. Just barely far enough above the
ground, she managed a short flight and then blinked into /between/
never to return again.

V'lor, however, had not passed away, but was still clinging to life
himself. When Quedaneth went /between/ his eyes actually popped open
in fright, loss, and despair. He managed a strangled gurgling cry
before he slumped onto the bed where he had just been placed. His life
forever changed in that moment.

"Shardit," Y'gel cursed but turned back to his next patient. His eyes
shifted to Rhosyn while the dragons keened their loss. He had to do
something about that woman she was getting heavier as she progressed
in her pregnancy and he was not sharding going to let her lose the
baby on his watch.

Joining the rest of the dragons left in the Weyr in a low keen, Orlaith said
goodbye to Quedaneth. Rhosyn felt the grief roll over her but she had to keep
working. There were others that needed help. Still, it never got any easier when
she saw one leave like that.

Last updated on the August 8th 2013

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The Darkness of /Between/