Hurricane: Desperate Flood (5) (Part 1/4)

Writers: Devin, Clancey, Dana, Emma, Jane, Paula, Roxanne, Vix
Date Posted: 25th May 2007

Characters: I'lan, D'ren, J'darin, Br'nick, C'lor, Traelyn
Description: The Hatching Grounds begin to flood requiring drastic measures.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 3, day 19 of Turn 4

J'darin

- Beginnings -

Nyith's frantic creel was making Hasaarth mad with worry and fear, and J'darin had his hands full trying to keep his bronze from leaping into the air to do battle with the storm itself that so threatened their eggs.

The pair were still crouched in the Hatching Grounds, waiting while Nyith communicated with the gold at Dragonsfall, hopefully not demanding - hopefully asking as polite as she was able - to use their Hatching Grounds. J'darin hoped Traelyn could stay in control of Nyith, because the next candlemark was going to be very difficult for them all.

A short time of silence, broken only by lightning strikes and the sounds of the hungry floodwaters breaking against the sandbags, seemed interminable to J'darin, but finally Traelyn looked over to him. She looked tired and stretched, and was probably exerting every ounce of control she possessed over her golden queen.

"They agreed to let us use their Hatching Grounds, J'darin. They say they are totally clear at the moment."

J'darin swallowed thickly, agony in his chiseled features. "Very well. I don't want to move them, but we must... " Hopefully Nyith's tentative agreement to let only bronzes touch her eggs would overwhelm her protective instincts and she would not attack any of the dragons that were about to come to the rescue of an entire Clutch.

Closing his eyes, he broke through Hasaarth's mental worry long enough to explain what they wanted to do.

**Every fully mature bronze and his rider, Hasaarth. EVERY one. Even the ones not old enough for the Wings. I don't care if their riders are tired or helping with the lower caverns. I need them all. Now.
His bronze's roar echoed through the cavern for long moments before he received an answer that they were all coming, at a run.

When they arrived - riders only, coming through the interior corridors
- J'darin moved to face the small group. Would they be enough?

They had to be.

"All of you have seen for yourselves the damage this storm is causing to our Weyr. The Lower Caverns flooded a half candlemark ago. The Hatching Grounds are going to flood any time now. The sandbags are weakening." He half turned to where Nyith huddled protectively around her eggs toward the back of the large caverns - large enough for 3 Clutches of the current size or larger - and then turned back to the riders.

"Those eggs are only 2 days old." His voice was cold, hard, and emotionless as he tired to hold back the horror that gripped him every time he thought of what could happen if they lost these eggs. "They are still soft. Our job .. and we have very little time to do it -
is to take all 42 of those eggs to the Hatching Grounds at Dragonsfall Weyr."

He waited a moment as reactions echoed from the riders. When silence reigned again, he went on.

Now his voice was almost clinical, ticking off one thing after another as if he was addressing his wingriders on a drill.

"Each of you will take two eggs. You will go /between/ from inside this cavern directly to the Hatching Grounds at Dragonsfall. Nyith has the image, so have your bronzes get it from her or Hasaarth. You will go fast. As fast as dragons are able. You will come back again and again until all of the eggs are safe. Every. Last. One."

He paused. "You will be tired and it will be dangerous. But it _Must_ be done. Hasaarth and I will begin while the rest of you ready your dragons." J'darin was glad the caverns were so large or else none of the bronzes would ever be able to take wing inside. But it would work.

It had to.

"Go quickly. Our queen and our Weyr are depending on us." And he turned from them, trusting that they would disperse themselves without further interference from him, and readied Hasaarth for the first trip.

-D'ren-

D'ren took a deep breath and checked to make sure the eggs were secure. **Okay, let's go!** The image of the Dragonsfall Hatching Ground was sharp in his mind.

Picking up on his rider's nervousness as well as that of the other dragons and the Queen herself, Menanth stated firmly, }:We will do well. We will keep them safe!:{ The bronze lifted off and made sure he had a few feet of clearance from the ground before going /between/.

When the Dragonsfall Hatching Ground appeared around them, D'ren remembered to breathe again. On this side, it was nearly as chaotic as it had been at Dolphin Cove. Menanth quickly moved aside to make more room and D'ren hurriedly, but carefully, unstrapped the eggs. Someone came up to receive them and he handed them off. **Be safe, little ones,** he thought at the eggs.

Menanth was shifting from foot to foot, eyes whirling with distress.
}:Nyith says we must hurry! Hurry!:{ As soon as there was room enough for them to take off, Menanth got them into the air and D'ren held the image of their home Hatching Ground. Coming out of /between/, Menanth nearly collided with another bronze and he dropped the last few feet to the Sands and skidded hard.
His rider was jarred and barely missed having his head hit Menanth's neck. **Are you alright?!**

The bronze got his feet firmly under him. }:I think I have scrapes, but I am fine. We must save the eggs!:{ The Queen's worry was impossible to ignore.

D'ren patted his dragon, feeling his heart hammering in his chest.
"We'll save them. We'll save _all_ of them!"

- I'lan -

The young bronzerider was more than just nervous as he surveys the scene before him. Fall was one thing, you could build yourself up for it, but having to take eggs elsewhere. It seemed almost unheard of.
But dragonriders did their duty.

}:We will be fine,:{ reassured Naath. }:We can follow these others.
Hasaarth's wouldn't have asked us to help if he didn't think that we could.:{ As always, the dragon made sense. With those words, the dragon scooped up two of the smaller eggs, cradling them gently in his forearms.

**Are we clear to go?** asked I'lan as riders seemed to rather disconcertingly blink in and out of /between/ all around them.

}:Not yet, we need to make sure that there is space for us at Dragonsfall.:{ Naath might be on the small side for a bronze, but he was still a fair size.

}:Now! Now we go!:{ Scant time later, the hatching caverns of Dolphin Cove were replaced by the much less familiar ones of Dragonsfall Weyr. The scene here was similar, many people, dragons, and eggs being tenderly settled to the ground, just as Naath was doing with his precious burden.

**Let's go home now,**

Last updated on the May 25th 2007

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Hurricane: Desperate Flood (5) (Part 1/4)