Thunder Thread

Writers: Devin, Emma, Heather, Miriah, Suzee
Date Posted: 15th January 2014

Characters: D'hol, Pierka, R'enh, K'deren, Saibra, Jeyme, Z'ku, L'cor, Cyradis
Description: Thread Falls on Dolphin Cove
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 4, day 13 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentioned Meledei

D'hol

Tightening his straps, D'hol glanced over his shoulder at his wing and
nodded at K'deren as he shifted his weight slightly on Yumath. Waiting for
the signal to take flight, he looked up into the horizon and frowned; the
darkening clouds and rumble of distant thunder didn't bode well. The scent
and stillness of the morning air told him that the storm was incoming, but
not if it would pass them over, erupt and drown the Thread, or just make
flying the Fall more difficult. He hid a grimace and remained calm, exhaling
slowly.

K'deren's gloved hand patted Donneth's shoulder ridge as the pair went
through their pre-fall metal checklist. He had to admit the storm did worry
him slightly. Part of him was hoping that the rain would come and drown most
of the thread, leaving most of the work for the ground crews to mop it up,
but he strongly suspected that the winds would get up, and push the clouds
away, leaving the rain to fall over the sea.

While the Queen's wing assembled under Saibra's leadership, Pierka
glanced nervously at the sky. It had been a day just like this one
when she and Liddith had been scored and fallen from the sky. To this
day she was still very apprehensive on storm days. Taking a deep
breath she blew it out slowly. She was almost at the end of her safe
period before she would be grounded until the baby's birth.

Saibra had flown Thread in some precarious circumstances before and
she did not like the looks of the sky for today's Fall. Still it was
their duty to fight no matter what. **Tell everyone no heroics today,
just concentrate on what they have to do and get back to the Weyr.**
Chioneth relayed the message to those members of the Queens Wing.

Jeyme was on the ground with the other Weyrlings, strapping up and
preparing to ferry Firestone sacks out to the fighting wings during
Fall. It would be Jeyme's first time back in the air with the
Weyrlings since her miscarriage.

Z'ku didn't like the look of the sky. If the rain came soon, it would
be a relief and they would be able to go home. If the winds came
first, they could have a hard time of it.

}:We will fly well,:{ Xemroth assured him, eyes red as he waited for
his ancient enemy. }:We will flame well.:{

The moment he got the signal from the lead wing, D'hol gave his own to
Cyclone wing and Yumath rose leapt into the air. }: Stay in tight formation.
Xemroth, come to my other flank as Third for this flight. Vicarth, behind
him just as we have drilled it. Greens and blues, steady. The wing is
picking up. Do not strain. The Queens wing will catch what we do not. :{

Thunder cracked and a sudden burst of of lightning arced through the dark
clouds, highlighting silvery Thread that fell in sinuous, hisses as rain
began to patter and flick against the thread and dragon hide.

>From their own position in the air K'deren and Donneth could see how the
weather was worsening. Even as the winds got up, it became harder and harder
to keep in formation. **Tell Dorath and hers to try and gain a little more
height,** he told Donneth, as he glanced back at a struggling green.

The green and her rider were inexperienced enough without the complication
of flying fall in stormy weather, thought K'deren, making a mental note to
keep an eye on the pair for a few moments longer, even as he himself reached
into the sack strapped to Donneth to feed the brown more stone.

As Volcano wing rose to the proper tier below the other wings Pierka
and Liddith tucked into their assigned spot. Liddith's fierce need to
battle the deadly menace falling from the sky made the rest of her
apprehension fade into the background and she tossed stone into her
lifemate's gaping maw.

Above and ahead R'enh could see the edge of the fall. Mnoranth
bellowed flame and only char fell below as they caught the first of
it. Gusts lashed at them and he could just make out the storm front
that would take care of the majority of this Fall but they had to
manage for at least an hour before they'd be relieved. The commands
came sure and strong and the wing settled into business.

The winds buffeted the large bronze and D'hol gritted his teeth as he
tossed another stone into the waiting jaw of Yumath. The big bronze
had already received a mild wingtip score, and the wild winds were
whipping the thread into a frenzy. Hearing a shriek behind him, D'hol
turned to watch a struggling green's wing get covered in a tangled
mass of thread. He cursed as the green blinked /between/ but emerged,
tumbling though the air as the green flailed in panic. D'hol cursed
volubly as Yumath twisted in the air, appearing beneath the green in
an effort to catch her.

What the pair couldn't expect and would have never anticipated was the
sudden flash of blinding light as a bolt of lightning struck past
them. The main bolt crackled wildly, booming in his ears as the smell
of ozone flared in his nose and before D'hol could even think of
/betweening/ away from the danger, a secondary bolt flared from the
main, striking out and crackling along Yumath's side. Every muscle in
both dragon and man seized, any cry of pain caught in throats as an
unbelievable pain surged through them both. As the light faded, the
green hit the stunned bronze, sending both pairs tumbling downward in
wild spirals. Limp and being tossed about, D'hol didn't respond as the
charred leather of his straps gave from the strain and he fell away
from the big bronze.

The massive lightning strike flared in everyones eyes and fairly
blinded them. }:Rider falls!:{ Liddith cried and without conscious
thought the pair of them dove for the falling rider. Winds buffeted
them but through a maneuver Pierka was at a loss to describe, they
were suddenly underneath the body as it landed heavily on the green's
back. Pierka twisted and lashed him to her straps with a quick loop.
**Got him, tell Chioneth's we have the bronzerider.** Muffled as he
was she couldn't identify him and Liddith hadn't told her...

}:Yumath's, we have Yumath's:{ she cried to the rest of the flight.

Chioneth received the message but was in the midst of great concentration as
she watched the large figure of Yumath free falling through the skies. There
was no other dragon in the sky as large as the queen and she was moving
quickly, weaving through other dragons to reach the falling bronze.

**Come on, come on.** Saibra thought as she pushed the flamethrower to the
ground and moved closer to Chioneth's neck.

}:Yumath!:{ Chioneth's voice was filled with alarm, and Saibra found herself
clenching her jaw. Just in time the Weyrwoman's Second slid beneath the
hurtling bronze. }:Got him!:{

**Where's D'hol?!** Saibra asked in a panic.

}:Liddith has him.:{ Chioneth reported, sending relief coursing through
Saibra's veins.

Meanwhile K'deren and Donneth were trying to keep the rest of the wing in
order. An accident to any rider was bad enough, but to happen to the
wingleader... Still, that was what the pair had trained for. **Tell
Chioneth's that we have the wing,** he asked of Donneth. **Then, tell all
our wing to follow us and switch to our second choice formation. Tell them
to do it now,** he urged even as he mentally began to rearrange the wing to
cover.

The brown also reached out of his own accord after following his rider's
instructions. }:Panitath,:{ he called, }:my rider is not hurt, you should
make sure your's knows that.:{

Jeyme had just been out in the air ferrying some firestone to the
fighting Wings when Quinneth gave her the startling report, }:Yumath
and his rider are down. Struck by lightning.:{ The green's voice was
grim as they dodged the flame of a nearby dragon.

The greenrider's heart was instantly in her throat, **Are they...?**
Tears came unbidden to her eyes.

}:Chioneth has Yumath, and the Wingleader was caught by Liddith's
rider. They are being taken back to the Weyr.:{ Quinneth replied,
}:And now we too must return. The second wave is about to come in.:{

L'cor had just tossed a sack of stone to a nearby rider when he saw
the green reappear and then the blinding flash of lightning. He and
Tonuth were off balance from the throw and took a moment to right
themselves. With the strike and resulting confusion he shook his head
to clear it looking at the floundering green. **She's almost got it,**
he told himself as the little green tried valiantly to regain control.
}:Broken,{: was all he heard before they dodged /between/ and Tonuth
caught the green and her rider with little room to spare.

"I think her wing has broken," a whitefaced young man called.
"Thanks," he said a moment later and leaned forward to wrap his arms
around the green neck.

}:She hurts:{ Tonuth relayed to L'cor. "Well let's get them to the
healers," he said and they banked carefully before heading directly
back to the Weyr

As the dragons returned Panitath relayed the messages to Cyradis who
ran from her weyr and across the sands. Her heart pounded heavily at
the reports of injury. **Donnath's?** }:His is well and leads the
wing.:{ She fell to her knees in the sand for a moment to regain her
composure. Then she stood and walked more sedately toward the healers.

Saibra and Yumath left the Queen's Wing with Meledei as they took
Yumath in to the Weyr. Their Turns of dragon healing experience kicked
in as soon as Chioneth touched down onto the ground. The gold
carefully maneuvered the bronze dragon into the dragon infirmary.
Saibra dismounted quickly, ripping the helmet from her head and
tossing it aside as she moved around to full inspect Yumath.

The bronze lay limply, breathing shallow with his inner lids half
closed over his eyes. There was no indication that he was fully aware
of where or what was going on around him. Instead, there was only soft
whimpers of pain emerging from his throat. And no wonder, for along
his left side the hide was jaggedly charred and blistered from flank
to neck. His wing and forelimb twitched periodically as well; the
after affects of such a sudden jolt had his muscles still spasming.

D'hol, still strapped to Liddith, was faring worse. Of smaller frame
than his dragon, the secondary bolt had rocked him harder. Though he
didn't have the burn that Yumath bore, the electricity that had
traveled from his dragon to him had done its own damage. His heart
struggled to maintain its rhythm as his breathing ceased and his lips
took on a blue tinge.

Pierka screamed for the healers as she landed and they came running,
pulling the bronze rider from Liddith's back, They didn't bother
trying to take him into the infirmary first but performed
resuscitation until they got him breathing again. Then they put him on
a stretcher and carried him out of her sight into the bowels of the
infirmary. She slumped against Liddith's neck and shook as the
adrenaline began to leave her bloodstream and reaction set in.

Last updated on the January 19th 2014

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Thunder Thread