Hurricane: Darkening Day (2)

Writers: Dana, Clancey
Date Posted: 21st April 2007

Characters: Traelyn, J'darin
Description: J'darin and Traelyn deal with the reality of a hurricane in their Weyr and what to do about it.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 3, day 19 of Turn 4

J'darin

"Its going to be bad, isn't it?" He said quietly to his Weyrwoman, both of them looking tousled and mussed but awake.

His eyes were not on her, but instead on the sky outside.

Traelyn shuddered. "Yes." Her tone was low, emotionless. "The dragons are restless, J'darin. They know it too."

He nodded silently in agreement. Even inside his office, they could hear the muted bugles and whines and snarls of temper as the dragons of all colors tried to deal with the way the weather was making them feel.

"See if Nyith can calm them a bit, Trae? Before she gets too distracted herself?"

He turned toward her as he was speaking, folding himself into a chair beside his desk and the piles of hides he'd dug out for planning. It had been a few Turns since a hurricane this bad had hit Dolphin Cove right on, or at least as bad as the dolphins feared.

He pulled a list of Wingriders from the nearest pile and a second list of wounded, children, and lower caverns inhabitants, waiting for Traelyn to finish talking with Nyith.

Her small smile was weary when her dark eyes finally focused back on him.
"There's a reason why they call the queens the mothers of us all," she murmured, more to herself than to him. Mothers of all species protected their young, and watched over them. Soothed them, and kept them grounded during the best and worst of times. Traelyn hoped that the calm stillness Nyith was projecting to the rest of the Weyr would keep them all grounded throughout the storm.

Sitting up straighter, she leaned her forearms on the desk and dropped her eyes to the hides laid out before them both.

J'darin smiled warmly at her as she came back to him, pride in his eyes at her statement. "Your gold is doing a fabulous job, Traelyn. Hasaarth has gone to support her and help if need be." For a moment he forgot about all the upcoming struggles in the wake of realizing that between the four of them -Nyith and Hasaarth, J'darin and Traelyn - they would get through it all, and bring the Weyr with them.

A lightning strike broke his calm moment, though, and he hurriedly showed her the Wingrider listing. "I'm going to ground the Wings. No one flies in or out of Dolphin Cove until Hasaarth says its alright. Hopefully, that will save more of them than not..." His voice faltered.

"After all, this time it's dragonriders that need rescuing, not dragonriders going _to_ the rescue."

The second hide he pulled out showed several drawings of the Weyr, including some heights and distances. "Do you think we should do something to protect the lower caverns folk and the space?"

Traelyn studied one of the maps for a long moment, nodding as her eyes traveled from measurement to measurement. "Yes. We've got to prepare for the storm surge, J'darin."

"Storm surge.... yes, Mosler promised it would be large wouldn't it? It's been turns since a hurricane hit Dolphin Cove head-on, and I can't remember living through any at Dragonsfall, since they aren't on the coast."

He was quiet for a moment, in thought.

"We should be able to use firestone sacks, but fill them with sand to provide a kind of barrier or something, do you think? That should protect the people."

"There will have to be many of them if they're going to hold up against all of that water." Shards.... She looked up at him. "You could assign the Weyrlings to the task?"

J'darin considered this for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, that will keep them out of trouble! I don't want anyone flying in this weather, never mind barely tried Weyrlings. I'll get to Y'sani and send him to Ylisahn. Again. He'll love _that_..." He joked for a moment, remembering the last time he'd sent the Weyrlingmaster to the Headwoman.

What he wouldn't give if _that_ was his reason again!

"What about the food and the herdbeasts? Do we need to do something with them?
Ylisahn is going to have her hands full, as will we all, it seems."

"The food could be moved to the upper levels of the Weyr." Traelyn tapped her nail against one of the drawings. "And the herdbeasts should be moved out of the Weyrbowl to higher ground." She was quiet for a moment, and when she looked back up at him, her dark eyes were stark with the anxiety she finally voiced, "And the eggs, J'darin. The Hatching Grounds have to be protected."

J'darin gasped out loud as that reality struck him. The eggs they'd been so proud of just TWO days before - they wouldn't be hardened yet!

"Oh Shards, Trae! The Eggs! We've got to put up some kind of barricade and lots and lots of sandbags." In his mind, he was already reaching out to Hasaarth to make sure he had woken up every dragon and their rider, and that they got the weyrlings going on sandbags right away.

** Wake up Luthinath in a hurry, Hasaarth, and tell him to get started filling sandbags!**

He tried to swallow his worry and fear; surely the water wouldn't flood all the way to the Hatching Grounds? Surely not.

"Maybe get Jyramikah to help you with Ylisahn and the food storage? The weyrcrafters and weyrbrats can help move whatever food they can manage to move, if there's time for it."

"There should be plenty of people to help with that," Traelyn nodded, but her mind was still on Nyith and her large clutch...and that huge, arching entrance to the Hatching Grounds. An emotion she couldn't name began pushing inside of her--but she quelled it, forcing her thoughts in a different direction. There was no need to feel that emotion! The Sands would not flood. They would not!

J'darin met Traelyn's eyes, fighting down some of the same worry that she felt and he reached out to take her hands and hold them tightly.

"We will protect the eggs, Traelyn. I swear on Hasaarth's shell."

She gripped his fingers, needing the contact--needing that tangible promise of his strength, both as a man and as her Weyrleader. Taking a deep breath, Traelyn blew it out, concentrating on achieving that stillness inside of herself. It was time to get things done. "I will go meet with Jyramikah and Ylisahn."

He kissed her cheek and her forehead lightly. "Call if you need me for anything at all Trae. We'll get through this, together."

He poured certainity into the words, even while he looked outside at the weather, not yet raging as he knew it would be soon enough, and hoped he was right.

Last updated on the June 26th 2007

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Hurricane: Darkening Day (2)