Blooding

Writers: Emma, Paula
Date Posted: 8th August 2008

Characters: N'mor, Oria
Description: N'mor is Blooded, literally.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 10, day 23 of Turn 4

Oria

It was Blooding time. The senior weyrlings were facing the Thread in real for the first time.
Their job was to deliver firestone sacks to the Fighting wings.

N'mor and Kedvencth had safely delivered their sacks of firestone and turned back to return to the Weyr. Excitement and fear coursed thru the young boy's veins but so far everything had gone smoothly. Just like they had practised it.
They both saw it, clump of Thread, falling towards them. Glittering silvery in sun light, falling towards them in what felt like slow motion. N'mor felt his brains froze and he didn't know what to do.
**So pretty, ** was only coherent thought he could form. He couldn't move, couldn't remember what he was supposed to do.

}: N'mor! :{ the young bronze's frightened voice started him out of his frozen state and the training kicked in. He commanded him to /between/. But too late.

N'mor felt it brush against his upper arm and then it landed on Ked's back, just next to his leg. He felt the dragon's pain in his head and then they were surrounded by the black, cold of /between/. He kept the image of the Weyrbowl firmly in his mind and let out a breath of relief, when they re-appeared from the /between/, just above the weyr.
Kedvencth trumpeted in pain and it brought tears to N'mor's eyes. His own arm hurt too, like cold fire was burning it, but somehow that sensation was lost under the dragon's pain. His dragon was suffering and it was his fault, the thought pounded inside his skull when he guided Ked to land near the dragon infirmary.

The bronze made a clumsy landing, the clumsiest since their very first flight. Suddenly Ember was there, the brown firelizard was spinning around them and chirping in worried tone. N'mor fumbled with the straps. His fingers didn't seem to obey him.

"Here, let me help you," a gentle voice suggested. N'mor lifted his gaze from the straps and met the gentle eyes of a dragonhealer. He had climbed up to help when he noticed his problems. The dragonhealer quickly opened the buckles. "Fetch a healer, this one is in shock!" he called when he helped N'mor, noticing the paleness of his face. He practically carried him down, the boys legs didn't seem to be able to carry his weight.

"Ked." N'mor whimpered.
"Don't worry, lad, we take good care of him," the dragon healer assured him.

N'mor's eyes suddenly rolled over and he just fainted on the man's arms. ** Egilth! Make sure the young bronze doesn't panic. His rider just went unconscious,** The dragonhealer told his dragon.
}: On at it :{ the blue replied, speaking firmly to Kedvencth who had reared up on his hindlegs when he lost the contact with his lifemate.

***
N'mor came around again. A healer, young woman, was dapping his arm with redworth.

**Keddy?**

}: Oh! You're back! :{ the bronze's voice was full of relief.

"Eh, hi," N'mor said to the healer-woman, so she would notice he was back to conciousness.

Oria paused for a moment, smiling with relief. "You had me worried for a moment or two, but you're going to be just fine now."

"Ked's hurt, is it bad?" N'mor asked.

"I don't know, but I can find out for you if you'd like?" she offered.

"Thank's, it would be kind of you." He stared at the ceiling for a moment. "It's all my fault," he murmured.

"No, it isn't," replied the healer after a moment. "Thread can catch anybody unaware." Oria waved over another apprentice, asking the lad to go and ask the dragonhealers for a report on the bronze.

"But I froze, I didn't know what to do!" N'mor felt scared when he remembered that glittering filament of Thread.

"I felt like that the first time, and I bet a lot of riders did. It isn't unusual."

"We got literally Blooded," N'mor said with voice that was half laughing and half bitter.

"Trust me, you won't do it again. You'll know now," Oria said softly. There had been a greenrider in her class that hadn't come back after blooding.
She'd been lucky so far, a minor score that hadn't kept her out of action but some suffered terribly.

N'mor barely heard her, he was staring the infirmary ceiling. "I'm supposed to be the big brave bronzerider, not to froze in fear in the first sight of Thread."

"You'll be surprised how many bronzeriders feel like that, speak to the Weyrlingmaster about it," she advised.

Perhaps he should talk with someone, someone with a bronze.

"In the meantime, I need to get the Journeyman over to have a look at this, I think you'll be able to see your bronze soon," said Oria.

Last updated on the August 16th 2008

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Blooding