Hearing News During Fall

Writers: Suzee, Devin
Date Posted: 4th January 2025

Characters: Talryne, Ciara, Cyradis, N'vanik
Description: Dolphin Cove's riders receive news of the tragedy at Barrier Lake just as they begin fighting Thread.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 2, day 8 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned: Kapera, A'kades, M'trel
Occurs at the same time as the events of "A Night to Remember" in Barrier Lake's late night D7.

Talryne

Ciara

Cyradis

N'vanik

Early morning Fall meant getting up before the sun. Faranth's first
egg, N'vanik hated getting up so sharding early. He was looking
forward to a long nap after lunch as Dolphin Cove's fighting Wings
made their final preparations in the Bowl.

}:We are ready,:{ Loseth reported. N'vanik gave the signal to take off
and the air echoed with the beat of hundreds of wings as dragons of
every color rose in the early morning light. Once everyone was in
position, he directed them to go /between/. They came out ahead of the
leading edge, N'vanik and his bronze tense with anticipation as they
waited for the arrival of that ancient enemy. Keen dragon eyes saw it
first.

}:Thread comes.:{ A moment later he was rising to meet the first
strands of deadly silver rain. The Weyr followed, dragons flying in
neat formation as flame seared Thread from the sky.

But it was only a short time into Fall when Loseth shuddered and a
wave of grief washed over N'vanik. }:Riyanth is gone!:{

**What?** N'vanik's stomach dropped. There was no Fall at Barrier Lake
today . . . they were having a celebration party. How could their
Senior Queen, how could his _friend_, be dead?

Ripples of shock went through the Wings.

Cyradis gripped her flamethrower to keep it from falling to dangle
from its straps. She reeled in reaction to the grief and cries from
others above and beside her.

}:Riyanth!:{ Panitath keened her grief.

**We must finish this 'fall. Then there will be time to grieve.** She
sent and her lifemate broadcast it to all the wings. Determination
seemed to spread out around her.

}:I must protect Panitath!:{ Loseth angled downward, preparing to dive.

**_No_!** N'vanik's hands clenched on the riding straps. **Protect her
from _here_. Keep Thread from reaching her, that's how we keep her
safe.**

Other dragons were drifting out of position, one young bronze actually
had dropped away from his Wing toward the golden Queen far below.
**Tell everyone to get back in formation _now_!** Even as he watched,
a green got hit with a tangle of Thread and ducked /between/. N'vanik
had no time for his own grief and confusion, he had to keep the Weyr
from panic.

Ellianith screamed and blinked /between/ as she was hit on her flank.

Ciara cried out even though she couldn't hear herself in the blackness
of /between/ **My leg.**

}:Back In your formations!:{ Panitath echoed Loseth as dragon's popped
in or dived to surround her. Cyradis began to fire her flamethrower at
clumps falling through the gaps in the upper wings.

The worst of it only lasted a few minutes, but N'vanik had to keep
fighting for control through the rest of Fall. Dragons and riders kept
getting distracted, and the injuries stacked up. He had a bad feeling
Thread was getting through and the ground crews would have extra work
to do. When it was finally over, he brought the weary Wings back home.

He asked Loseth for an update, hoping to get some answers of what
happened at Barrier Lake. }:Riyanth's rider still lives.:{ The news
felt like ice in his chest. Would she soon follow her dragon, or would
she choose to stay?

Loseth landed close to Panitath and nuzzled his mate, crooning comfort
and assuring her he would protect her. "Kapera is still alive,"
N'vanik told Cyradis.

"Thank you," she said with feeling. "That was one difficult 'fall,"
she added as she handed off her agnothree tank to the weyrling who
came to grab it. "We're going to have to make sure everyone is
alright and then head to Barrier Lake."

N'vanik knew he should stay. He was Weyrleader, he needed to be
responsible. But his friend's dragon, a Senior Queen, was dead and he
needed answers. "I'll hand the ground crews to A'kades, have M'trel
handle the injury reports. I need to --"

}:Talryne comes.:{

"What?" He was so distracted he asked it aloud.

}:I told her. She says she's coming.:{

N'vanik closed his eyes, wondering how she was feeling to hear that
Kapera was clinging to life after losing her dragon. He remembered how
fragile she had been, like the faintest breeze or a single wrong word
would blow her away.

}:She won't break.:{ Loseth said with gentle assurance.

Then N'vanik saw her, jogging down the stairs toward the Bowl. Turning
to Cyradis, he said, "I need to . . . I just need a minute." Loseth
was already lowering himself and N'vanik hastily unfastened his riding
straps with shaking fingers. Within seconds he was running to meet
her. He pulled Talryne into his arms and she gripped him tight.

"Kapera," she said against his neck. Another name echoed in her mind:
_Ysanth_. The other half of her, forever gone.

"I know."

For a long moment they simply held each other as around them the Weyr
reeled from the combination of the terrible news and the bad Fall.
Talryne pulled back first and said, "I'm coming with you."

"What?"

"When you go to Barrier Lake," she said firmly, "I want to see her.
Talk to her, if she's awake." When N'vanik opened his mouth to protest
she gripped his arm. "She needs someone who understands."

He could see how determined she was, and Loseth was right, she
wouldn't break. His fierce, brave weyrmate. "Okay."

He started arranging things through Loseth as he walked with her
toward the bronze. When he was close enough he called to Cyradis, "I
want to get there as soon as we can."

"Yes," she nodded with half a smile and a concerned expression. "She's
not awake yet but J'nus is with her. She's in the infirmary for now."
Her own insides shuddered at the thought of losing Panitath.

}:I will not leave you mine.:{ the warm voice if the gold spoke into her mind.

N'vanik and Talryne strapped in as the Weyrleader continued to relay
orders and information. "We should give her the best chance," N'vanik
told Cyradis. He kept his eyes on his Weyrwoman as he reached back to
squeeze Talryne's arm. She put her other arm around his waist, holding
him tight. "If she . . . if she wants to stay," N'vanik said in a
rough voice. "Let me know when you're ready to go."

She felt the pain coming off the pair in waves. "Just give me a few
minutes to wash the crack dust off my face." She trotted up the steps
to her weyr and did a quick wash of her face before putting her gear
back on and heading back down the stair to the bowl. "Ready," She said
and asked Panitath to take their direction from Loseth.

The bronze launched into the clear midday sky, his normally bright
hide dulled with crackdust and grief. Loseth passed the image to his
mate, Barrier Lake Weyr in the deep darkness of early morning before
the dawn. N'vanik and Talryne held each other through the even deeper
darkness of /between/, a wordless promise between them: **I will
stay**.

Last updated on the January 11th 2025

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Hearing News During Fall