Plagued Dreams

Writers: Avery
Date Posted: 29th July 2014

Characters: Kapera
Description: Kapera has a nightmare about the accident that grounded them.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 8, day 3 of Turn 7
Notes: Also written for the nightmare challenge on the forums!

Kapera

Kapera tossed and turned in bed, whimpering slightly as her dream
turned terrifying.

- - -

**How much longer is this Fall going to be?** Halfway through and
Kapera felt tired already. Sweat trickled from under her riding cap
down into her eyes. It stung and she blinked rapidly to clear it out.

She couldn't spare a moment to wipe it away. Her hands were too busy
adjusting her flamethrower. That last spray had been a bit too broad
for comfort. This Fall was particularly awful - it was raining enough
to be annoying, but not enough to drown the Thread. The worst part was
the high winds, and the greens and blues were being tossed around and
tiring too quickly.

}:Esvyth goes back,:{ Riyanth said.

That made three in the queen's wing who had to go back already. Kapera
knew the queen's wing was for the less able riders, but she still felt
a surge of annoyance. They shouldn't be down this many already!

**Who replaces?**

}:Serelth. In a few.:{ the gold added with a note of displeasure.

In a few? She looked over where the disappearing blue had been. There
was a gap in the formation all right. As long as the upper wings kept
most of the Thread from here, it would be fine. But if there was
enough falling to the queen's level, they'd regret not having someone
there.

**What about Anarth?**

Riyanth checked. }:Kerilith says at changeover.:{

So rather then get a replacement now, they'd just have to make do
without until changeover. And when was that?

Kapera wished she knew what the Weyrwoman's Second - who was the wingleader of
the queens for this fall - was thinking. She found it hard to get a
read on the woman. Ever since she'd come back here to recover, nobody
had told her anything of real import.
Everything was 'are you sure you're ready to fly Fall again' dear?'
and 'Kapera, handle the dragonhealers for this one'.

It was like she was a weyrling queen, not someone who had led a wing
into Fall for a Turn! Even though she'd been flying for a few months
now, they still looked past her like -

Her fit of recalled pique was interrupted by a scream of draconic pain
above them. She looked up and saw dragons scattering to make way.

**Who - ** she thought.

}:Dekrith,:{ the gold responded.

Not good! P'lerin was a well-regarded man and his bronze led the
mid-altitude wing. Whatever must have happened to score them - wasn't
relevant right now, she realized as she put her flamethrower away to
free up her hands.

}:We will catch!:{ Riyanth called to the others in the queen's wing,
beginning to climb rapidly.

**We need backup - ** Kapera thought, wildly scanning the skies to see
who was in a position to assist. As she looked down, she saw there
wasn't time. The other golds were center and right. None were close
enough to reach.

Fear rose in her as she saw the plummeting shape, falling far too fast
and obviously unable to stabilize himself. It looked like more than
half his wing was gone...

Everything happened too fast.

Dekrith was continuing to flap his undamaged wing. They maneuvered
under him. He slammed heavily into Riyanth's back. A sensation of
quick pain across Riyanth's upper back as the claws scraped. The gold
rocked under the impact and listed sideways.

The bronze panicked as he began to slip off. His limbs kicked for
purchase. Rider and gold felt stabbing pain as his scrabbling claws
found purchase in gold hide and dug in. It stopped his slide. Riyanth
bellowed in her own pain. She couldn't maintain altitude with the
uncooperative weight. The four of them, both dragons and both riders,
began to fall.

There was no way they could safely fall a long distance. Riyanth's
pain was awful and distracting. Kapera fought through it, imagining
the weyrbowl. Not up high by the star stones, where it was safe. Lower
down where the dragonhealers were.

**Now!**

They blinked /between/ and emerged dangerously close to the ground.
Riyanth didn't
land so much as fall. They impacted on an unoccupied patch of stones. Kapera
felt the thump jar through her.

}:We're coming for you.:{ The reassuring voice of one of the older golds.

There was a cry of pain from the bronze on her back. She twisted in
her straps to try to see what was going on behind her. P'lerin - how
was he -

She didn't have a chance to see his face. He was slumped in the saddle
and not moving. But wait, his body looked wrong, and -

Dekrith flailed. She felt something strike her. And then...

Everything went black.

- - -

As she sat up, Kapera's heart was pounding and her mouth tasted foul.
She didn't recognize the room. So it wasn't Windswept. It wasn't
Dragonsfall. It was Dolphin Cove...and that had been a Turn ago.

She wiped her forehead and knew she wasn't getting back to sleep.

Last updated on the August 1st 2014

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Plagued Dreams