Threadfall Day

Writers: Aaron, Avery, Devin, Estelle, Len, Paula
Date Posted: 27th May 2018

Characters: R'fal, Dessa, Sh'del, T'lin, V'rel, K'don
Description: The Weyrlings carry out their duties during Threadfall
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 4, day 2 of Turn 9

T'lin

K'don

Today was a Threadfall day, and even though for now the sky was clear
and the sun beat down on the Weyr, R'fal could feel the tension in the
air. He remembered such feelings from his hold life, too, but here it
was more intense. Perhaps it was Marlath, sensing the anticipation of
the grown dragons who'd be fighting today and sharing those emotions
with his rider.

** We'll be doing that one day, ** he reassured the brown as he watched
the wingriders assembling and felt his lifemate's longing to join them.
** But for now, we can help them. ** With that, he hurried over to join
the other weyrlings who were assembling outside the barracks to await
orders.

K'don had never quite come to a place of comfort with Threadfall. It had
become routine, maybe, but it was certainly never comfortable. Every
Fall could be the one where his father or another family member did not
come home. Or came home irreparably harmed. Every Fall, he was all but
holding his breath, waiting to see whether they all came down from the
sky whole.

It was harder in some ways now that he had Maciath and in others,
easier. He would not have to wait to know if a loved one died. Maciath
would know when their dragons died with them. But now he also had to
feel the keen of every death. Not just the ones he dreaded most. And now
he had the certainty of knowing that he would be up there, too, someday.

"You OK?" K'don asked R'fal as he lined up beside him. He wondered if it
might have gotten easier for R'fal to make it through Fall. Now, at
least, he got to feel like he was helping in a more direct way than
maybe burning burrows that made it to the ground.

**Is that not a truly straightforward way to help, burning the
straggling burrows?** asked Maciath.

}:I suppose you're right, of course,:{ agreed K'don. But not everyone at
the holds served on ground crews like that, and he was not sure whether
R'fal had. K'don shielded his eyes from the sun and looked up.

"I think so. It's still a bit strange," R'fal admitted. "I'm used to
waiting indoors for Fall to be over." He'd also never seen what Thread
could do to a person - or a dragon - until he came to the Weyr. Even
helping the ground crews, the few times there had been a burrow the
adults hadn't let him get close until it was burned to ashes. "Marlath
is excited, though. He wants to fly with the others."

Santhiath had been on the edge whole day, swirls of red visible in her
eyes. Dessa was learning to know her dragonet and knew this mood
couldn't be changed. It would pass only after the Thread Fall was
over.
The gold hatchling stood aloof, separate from her clutchmates and
growled if someone got too close to her.
"Sorry about that," Dessa murmured to a green's rider when one of the
greens got the ire of the gold. The green had only tried to cheer her
up. "Better just leave her alone."

Threadfall preparation was the same and yet very different for T'lin.
Due to his technician training, he always spent time checking over the
flamethrowers to make sure the tanks were full and everything was in
working order. That part had the familiarity of Turns.

What made it different was that now he had Calaroth, and the young
dragon was keenly aware Thread was coming. Some of his clutchmates
were eager to fight, but Calaroth understood that he was too young
yet. He couldn't fly, so he couldn't rise to meet Threadfall. But he
still had the edge of hatred burning in him for his ancient enemy and
it took T'lin some effort to block that out so he could work.

Dessa got her assignment. Not surprisingly, she was put to assist the
flamethrower grew. Made sense since she was going to be using them.
So she walked over to T'lin. "Hi, I'm told to help you. So, where you
want me?" she asked, trusting him to know better. Her technical skills
were woefully inadequate unless it was related to music.

T'lin smiled. "Ah, I suppose you'll get very familiar with these soon.
You can fill the tanks on the ones we've confirmed are working. Let me
show you how."

"Thank you, T'lin," Dessa replied.

R'fal was assigned to help the beastcrafters and herders bring the
flocks in to safety in the barns. He hoped he hadn't forgotten how to do
it since coming to the Weyr, and that he wouldn't look like an idiot in
front of K'don, who was a real crafter.

}: Can I help? :{

** I think the animals might be afraid of you, ** the brown weyrling
replied hastily. If Marlath got in with the flocks, he'd cause chaos
even if he wasn't old enough to hunt yet. ** You should listen to
Nikornath and the other Weyrlingmasters' dragons. They might want to
tell me to do something else, later on, and you'll need to pass on the
message. **

V'rel's assignment was to loading firestone sacks so that they could
be transported. Unlike some of the other weyrlings, who had crafts
that suited them to certain types of tasks - assisting Healers,
working with the beasts, operating flame-throwers - his Weavercraft
wasn't of much use. So he followed a few other weyrlings to the stone
piles and began his work.

Sh'del kept a close eye on all his weyrlings. Each and every one was
doing both what they were assigned to and were doing it well. **This
is one of our best classes** His mind's voice was tinged with the same
pride as a father would feel.

}:Indeed it is,:{ Loranth agreed. The dark brown crooned a reassurance
to a nervous green who wanted to help her lifemate and cast an amused
eye on young Marlath. }:Your time will come, young one:{

Santhiath had started to pace and Dessa kept glancing to her direction
while she filled the flamethrower tanks. I didn't help her
concentration and she needed all her concentration. You didn't want to
spill the agenothree.

Loranth noticed the distraction and crooned comfort to Santhiath.
}:Young queen, yours is okay. Please settle close to me, yours is
strong and is doing a fine job.:{

It wasn't actually her rider Santhiath was worried about. :} I want to
be up there, :{ she looked at the sky. }: I need to be there, :{ she
sighed and snuggled close to the brown.

}:I, too,:{ said Maciath to Marlath, }:would like to help. K'don says
that while we could truly well bring the beasts' fear of us to bear in
gathering them up, it would not do well for us to put such fright into
them. They may scurry.:{

K'don had explained it in great length to Maciath, as it took several
repetitions of the explanation with varied wording for him to grasp
exactly why it would be bad to panic the animals.

}:I told him that with Thread on the skyline, they ought to be afraid.
But he says fear is not always helpful as a driver.:{

Now that he was more familiar with the context of cross-disciplinary
work, K'don tried to be cognizant of the fact that not everyone had the
training he was fortunate to have, and he did his best to watch and help
discreetly should R'fal or any of the others need it. If they all were
used to helping each other that way, he could be sure he could rely on
them when he was the less familiar.

Fortunately for R'fal, he'd not forgotten all that he'd learned in his
time working with his father's ovines, and though he was less familiar
with the larger herdbeasts, most of that work was done by the crafters
and more experienced herders, with the weyrlings following their
directions. Once the beasts were all safely under cover, Marlath told
him he should join the others filling firestone sacks. As he did so, he
glanced at the sky for signs of silver clouds of Thread. The high cliffs
of the Weyr blocked the view on most sides, so he wouldn't see anything
until it was almost on top of them, but still he couldn't help looking.

}:I will tell you when it comes,:{ Marlath reassured him.

**I know, and the Weyrlingmasters will make sure we're safe.** Still, it
was a strange feeling. He'd never been outdoors this close to Fall when
he'd been back home...but he supposed he was going to have to get used
to it.

Dessa was grateful that Loranth was keeping her lifemate distracted.
Pushing everything else out of her mind, she just concentrated to the
task at hand. Fill the tank without spilling any of the acid liquid.

Last updated on the August 26th 2018

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Threadfall Day