Call to action [[Attn: Halcyon Wing]]

Zemarith, Cymrioth, Orandoth.  Keadilanth, Ilmattoth, Serenth.  Tasunath.  Solieth.  Meet in the bowl with supplies for first aid and rope.  We are needed at Ista.  Taroth will tell us when it is safe to go.  Remegath's message was short and to the point as he summoned his wingriders.  The bronze spared no time for niceties, and his mental tone implied that the other dragons and their riders should arrive in the bowl as soon as possible.

K'thane, meanwhile, was hurrying back to his weyr from the meeting with Karene, creating a mental checklist of the items he intended to bring with.  Most he had in some supply in the packs attached to Remegath's harness, but he needed to run past the infirmary stores to grab some extra large bandages.

It wouldn't take him long, though it was longer than he wished.  Every second counted right now, even though they were still waiting to receive the all clear from Taroth.  Once his message reached them, they would need to leave immediately in order to do the most good.  Safety was of the utmost importance, though, and he was going to have each of his wingriders triple check their harnesses before they even left, to minimize the likelihood of breakage once they arrived at Ista.  It certainly wouldn't do for the rescue and clean up teams to become those in need of saving.

If you are in need of klah, get it now.  We have long hours ahead of us.

Lost in his own thoughts when K'thane's call came, the Bronzerider had been busy treating all of his leather riding gear to keep it in prime condition. His thoughts had danced between the upcoming hatching, wondering if either Indylari or Veyani would Impress, and the fact that there'd been some unusual stir about the Weyr that day already. Though S'jiro was no great empath like the Blues who conducted the Weyr's searches, there was a deep and foreboding sense deep inside his gut that something was wrong.

S'jiro however, had discounted that feeling and replaced it with thoughts about who he thought might Impress. Usually when it was about time for a clutch to hatch, S'jiro liked to challenge himself to make guesses as to who would walk away with a baby dragon at his side and who wouldn't. It was a game for him, that he thought might test that inherent empathetic ability that all dragonriders were supposed to possess to some greater or lesser extent. Of course, the Bronzerider wasn't always right -in fact, depending on the size of the clutch and how many candidates there were, he only guessed right about half the time. Still, that wasn't a terrible track record. 

With regards to Indylari though, he felt as though his opinions were already too biased to make a good guess as to the outcome of her standing. Though he'd hardly even had the guts to admit it to Zemarith, let alone anyone else, S'jiro dared to ponder the possibility that if Indylari happened to Impress, would it be possible to break off their engagement while still keeping their respective families happy? If Indy impressed a Gold, then there was no need for them to be together anymore. And if there was no need for them to be together anymore...

Shaking his head to dismiss the thought before it could continue, the Bronzerider reminded himself that he had dedicated himself wholly to that relationship with Indylari, and that things had already been ended between he and Veyani. Even if Indylari herself came out saying that she would not marry him, there was no going back to what had once been between he and Veyani. He had said and done too many terrible things to her, and had made it clear that there was no future between the two of them. 

Steeling his resolve again, on that account, S'jiro ran his hands along the length of the next riding strap, looking for any imperfections in the leather. 

He was about to lend himself to a little monologue in which Zemarith might decide to participate, but he was already familiar with the dragon's opinions on his female-related troubles, so it was probably for the best that at just that time, Zemarith interrupted him with Remegath's command.

Remegath calls for us. We're to meet everyone at the bowl with plenty of first aid supplies. And rope. He said we should be ready for long hours. Do you want to get some Klah, first?

S'jiro looked to his bonded when the great dragon lifted his head from where he'd been relaxed, sunning himself on their ledge, when Zemarith informed him of these things. S'jiro's attention hung for a moment on the lilt of the Bronzes voice when asking if he'd prefer to get klah first, wondering what would have prompted that. Likely something that Remegath had relayed -something about long hours. But S'jiro wasn't a big klah drinker. For him it was more of a social drink, like alcohol. 

If they were going to need to haul medical supplies to Ista, the rope would be for securing supplies for the journey. Would they need so many supplies that they would need to rely on cargo nets and crates of first aid, instead?

Zem, see if you can find out exactly what happened? Are we looking at armloads of first aid here, or crates? And do we need to have passenger harnesses ready to transport healers with us? If the situation was dire enough to request that Fort bring such a significant amount of first aid, maybe there was a need for additional healers to administer it.

As Zemarith went about relaying his rider's questions through Remegath then, S'jiro slipped his feet back into his boots and laced them back up, grabbing what other supplies they might need from their personal weyr before heading out. Soon, Zemarith was saddled up and S'jiro let the dragon make his way to the bowl to wait for him there. The Bronzerider would go through the weyr's inner corridors to make a stop by the infirmary. Hopefully he'd have more details about what supplies -or how many- would be required by then.







Something has happened. Remegath says we're needed. You'll need to collect some healing supplies -and rope- before going to meet the wing at the Bowl. He says you may get some klah first, if you like, because we're going to Ista to help them, and may be working longer than normal.

One thing for certain, was that Nova didn't need to rely on klah to keep his energy up while working overtime. The Bluerider was generally energetic enough without it that it might be detrimental to his health, or the (mental) health of others, were he to partake of it. So, without heeding Remegath's last words, the Bluerider acted immediately on his Wingleader's orders, hopping up from the place he'd been seated with some of the kitchen staff, sneaking a few nibbles on a bubbly pie left over from the previous night's dinner. His fork hit the plate though, without another bite, and through already half-full mouth, waved his goodbye to the drudge he'd been visiting with. "Later Erissy. Wing Lead's calling."

No more explanation than that, and Nova was out the door at a jog in the direction of the store rooms used by the Weyr's Healers. Erissy started to call out for him, wondering at his urgency, but he'd skipped out before she could say more.

You don't know what happened then? I guess we'll get a briefing when we get to the bowl. Do we just bring as much supplies as we can carry? Nova stopped to think about that one. As many supplies as he himself could haul in an armload, or as many as Ilmattoth thought that he could ferry? Of course, there was no telling just exactly what a dragon's limits were. Dragons seemed to have their own idea of just how much they could ferry, so humans themselves had put some "safe" limitation on it.

The Bluerider pushed through a crowd in the hall, eliciting a few shouts from those he'd shoved past, hardly taking time to hesitate as he hollered an apology on the run.

Skidding up to the store room, the door was open, but no one seemed to be within. So, Nova entered the storeroom to help himself. As long as it was with K'thane's permission, surely his grabbing whatever they needed wouldn't be a problem.

Sh’nar and Cymrioth did not have long to wait after the meeting for the call from Remegath. Directly after leaving the Weyrwoman, his mind was on one thing and one thing only. Belisse. She was permanently leaving Fort and there was no indication that he would also be leaving to remain at Ista. In fact it seemed to him there was little chance he would be transferred. More disturbing to him though was Belisse didn’t seem to care they would be separated, perhaps forever. She should want him to be there with her, as her weyrleader. It seemed to him that anyone would do to fill that position and she had only been relying on his support while at Fort.

It made him angry more than anything. However he was determined to put his energy into the rescue efforts as were discussed in the meeting. Halcyon had the more important task of searching for those who were injured in the more remote areas of Ista. Yes, he would focus his energies on that and push this whole issue with Belisse to the back of his mind. On his way back to his weyr, he too stopped to get some supplies.  Like all dragonriders, he had been given lessons in first aid as a weyrling. Therefore he knew what supplies he should pack for this mission.  

The Infirmary was chaotic right now, so no one would notice that there were riders gathering supplies. He took what he thought he would need, but not overly much of any one thing in particular. (to be expanded on)

Cymrioth was loaded up with supplies, his well polished harness glistening from his ledge. The Bronze was ready. Listening intently to his rider’s instruction. More than anything he wanted to prove his worth to the Weyrleadership. They would make a good Wingleader pair someday. If Sh’nar would stop pissing people off. Then again, Sh’nar was good at pissing people off, if his dragon was any judge. Maybe then Belisse and Jeneveth wouldn’t be in such a hurry to leave.

Ready? The Bronze asked, also not focusing too much on the females in their life at this moment. Later when he was alone on his ledge, things might be a little different. The dragon lifted his foreleg in order to give Sh’nar a lift. The Bronzerider even with so much on his mind, automatically mounted the dragon. Within seconds they were in the air, meeting with the rest of Halcyon Wing in the Bowl.

Sh’nar sat on Cymrioth, waiting for K’thane’s next orders.



Raelestriata graduated a few short months ago. As such she wasn’t quite as prepared for what was going to happen. She was aware, like they all were, of the tragedy at Ista Island. It wasn’t like her to be unprepared. Raelestriata was always one of those people who prepared herself for the best and the worst in life. She was practical and realistic that way. However, she had not imagined the devastation of losing two Gold dragons in one disaster. Her green, Solieth had been as upset as the other dragons at the deaths of the dragons in Ista. There were likely more human losses, but Raelestriata figured, there were less dragons than humans in general and even far less Gold dragons. Not that she would have wanted a Gold herself. She always knew she wanted to Impress a fighting dragon and not a breeder.

Solieth was easy enough to prepare but she wasn’t sure what she should be packing necessarily. Other than maybe first aid materials. She made her way to the Infirmary, not to witness chaos as Sh’nar had thought it was, but to see several people preparing small first aid packs. She watched a couple other people grab one and followed suit. No one could say she wasn’t bright enough to catch on to what other people were doing. Her pack was light, she managed though to also stop quickly to fill a skin with water, the contents of skins were usually wines but she felt considering how cold Between was, it might be the safest way to transport water with her.

She didn’t take too long though and by the time she got back to her weyr and had everything packed, all she could do was wait. And wait she did. It seemed like eons passed in the span of candlemarks. Unable to really focus on one thing, she took to pacing her weyr. Solieth was ready and harnessed. There was nothing more she could do to prepare now.

When Remegath called to Halcyon Wing, she was ready to go. Raelestriata mounted Solieth and met her wingmates in the Bowl.  Solieth landed next to her clutchmate and friend Illmatoth where they waited for the next command from their Wingleader, K’thane.



Q’rijn was a capable, if quiet person. He knew what it meant to be in a situation like this and he was one of the few who could be patient about the unfolding of events. His brown, Keadilanth, was equally calm. The clear headed dragon agreed with his rider’s choice to check with the Infirmary and see if they could use any help in the candlemarks following the Ista disaster. The brownrider was quite capable and helpful, perhaps in spite of his distant nature. He didn’t stay long, but helped the healers set up some supplies in packs that could fit on dragon harnesses. He felt helpful and not in the way. He had to be busy though. He didn’t want to wait in his weyr pacing, feeling useless like some of the others.

Keadilanth let him know the instant they were called on by Remegath. They would report to the bowl. Taking a pack of the supplies he had made for the healers, he ventured to his own weyr, where his brown waited.  Like most things mechanical, Q’rijn made putting a harness on a dragon look extremely effortless. He was done quickly and wasted next to no time strapping the small pack to his brown. Halcyon had been given a mission. He was curious to see what it would be.

Joining his Wing, in the Bowl, he awaited instruction.



Orandoth grumbled, loudly. How can you be sleeping at a time like this!

J'ace smiled in response, gently untangling himself from the woman in his bed. When one had time to relax, one should take advantage of it. And he had. Why shouldn't he?

Because there are people out there who need our help.

Relax. We'll help everyone who needs to be helped once we are called to do so. He certainly wasn't going to waste his time worrying over something that couldn't be changed. Speaking of changing... he couldn't go gallivanting around Ista without certain body parts covered. Or at least that was what they told him. Personally, he thought there would be some very appreciative holders if he were to walk around without a piece of clothing on.

Stretching out his muscular arms, he went in search of something clean to wear beneath his leathers. This took him the better part of five minutes, since he had effectively made his weyr a disaster over the course of the last few candlemarks. If he was going to work for who knew how many candlemarks straight, he should be allowed his fun in the meantime. It wasn't as if he had any desire to lead anyone.

Orandoth, by comparison, was agitated. Not so much by J'ace, whose behavior he was used to by now but by the loss of the two Golds. It made him on edge. Especially with the eggs on the Sands. He was rested though which perhaps would be better than being stressed. Maybe J'ace's behavior was what people should do. He was going into all of this with a rested, sated, calm and cool demeanor.

The bronzer was washing up quickly in order to be refreshed before throwing his undergarments on. Followed quickly by well-oiled leathers and boots. His jacket fitting him perfectly to accentuate the muscled torso beneath. While Orandoth concerned himself over dragon safety, J'ace had already thought far enough ahead that he need not worry at all. They were prepared, even if he didn't seem to have done so.

He had his own personal first aid pack which he had paid some young drudge  or Weyrbrat to deliver to him earlier. Better that than have to deal with the chaos himself and he assumed he would either be carrying supplies or people or something and any task would require basic healing kits.

Remegath summons us to the Bowl
With an almost wry smile, he harnessed the dragon, attached the pack and some provisions which he kept in his weyr for himself. He looked back that the pretty thing he left in his bed and took a deep breath before launching onto his Bronze's back. Ahh, it was good to be a dragonrider.

He wasn't the first to arrive in the Bowl, nor was he the very last but he had never cared too much about punctuality.

V'nius stared at Tasunath when she relayed Remegath's orders.  It took a moment for his brain to shift  gears, the sadness that had rolled over him at his green's keening not easily shaken off.

Dragons were dead?  With no Threadfall?  And not during weyrling training?

But… how?

It didn't quite make sense.  Or at least to his currently frozen brain, it didn't make sense.  Dragons could and did die of old age and he'd learned of injuries during practice, or fights during queen flights, but none of those things happened often.  Or at least they hadn't since he'd become a dragonrider, and now…

V'nius, we are needed at Ista, with bandages and rope.  Remegath calls us.

Shaking his head as he realized his green had now repeated the message a third time, Vinnie finally started to move.  Almost frantically, he turned towards the entry to his weyr, then spun back towards his gear, then again turned to the door, and next on to Tasunath, his mind trying to process the request.

V'nius.  It was only his name, but the wave of love and calm that came with it helped to center the young greenrider.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  Another.  And his mind cleared enough that he was able to think.

Bandages and rope.  Bandages and rope.

Tasunath watched him, figuring she would just correct the specifics once he actually got to the infirmary to collect supplies.  For now, it was enough that he was grabbing his own gear, and hers, checking her straps.

The green nuzzled lightly at her rider as he tightened a buckle near her neck, one that put him in easy reach.  We go to help.  They will not lose any more.

Whether it was true or not, V'nius told himself it would be.  Because the other option wasn't one he wanted to consider.  I know.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Having grabbed a few blankets and an extra coil of rope along with the bandages he'd originally gone for, K'thane was back in the bowl before most of his riders.  Remegath was waiting for him in their usual spot, instinctive as it was to find after so many turns together.

As he packed the additional supplies, he noted which of his riders was present, mentally checking them off as they arrived.  "Triple check your straps!" he called out, relaying the message as many times as necessary to catch them all, making sure Remegath reinforced it with those who seemed to be paying more attention to their dragons anyway.  "Make sure those buckles are tight!  We may be heading into still-heavy winds and rain from the storm."  

D'nier, of course, wouldn't send them in to help if it was too dangerous.  He'd wait until the storm had died down enough to make it as safe as possible.  But conditions at Ista might still be more intense than anything he'd taken his wing to practice in, and forewarned was always fore-armed in such situations.

"V'nius!  Check your saddle bags!"

Making sure the greenrider followed the order despite his heated face, K'thane then finished his own third round of checks.  Remegath's straps were sound, as they should be.  Barring any debris that somehow managed to cut through the leather (likely harming him in the process), they would hold even in rough winds.

It was too bad they had nothing that would truly keep out pelting rain, though.  One of the joys of being a dragonrider.

And not one the wingleader was going to worry about.  When D'nier's instructions finally came, K'thane was certain each of his riders was ready to go.  "We'll be looking for survivors on the west side of the island.  Any injured will be relayed back to the Weyr proper to be tended."  Of course, it went without saying that they may have to provide some triage aid in case of emergencies.  The bronzerider spared no thought for any of his wingriders who might be squeamish.  They were dragonriders-- they would deal with it.  "We'll split into rescue formation pairs once we reach Ista."

They'd practiced such maneuvers on occasion, so it should be of no surprise to any of them which other wing rider was his or her partner.  Bronze typically went with green, brown with blue, to keep a better balance of strength and agility in most cases.  The age-old buddy system also kept them safer and more vigilant, as it did when they rode sweeps.

When it was clear they were ready, and that D'nier had no further instructions for him and his wing, K'thane gave the signal to launch, sent his wingriders the visual via Remegath, and shortly after, took them all between.

((OOC: In my head, K'thane's a savvy enough wingleader that he knows who _not_ to pair up, so while Cymrioth and Tasunath would indeed be quite amusing and torturous (for at least Vinnie), I doubt he'd have paired them  So, I figure this is how they're split up, though let me know if anyone wants to switch for plot reasons or if someone really wants to just play off their own character… lol

Zemarith + Solieth
Orandoth + Tasunath
Keadilanth + Ilmattoth
Cymrioth + Serenth
Remegath + NPC))

Nova

The keening of dragons was enough to make Nova stop and peer skyward, as though he could see the clouds from there. As he started forward again to finish gathering up the supplies that were needed, the usually energetic young man had noticeably sobered, his eyes reflecting the same sorrow that the rest of the Weyr would have felt at such a time as this.

It'll be okay, Ilmattoth. We can mourn the ones that died, later; once we have helped those who need our help.

He was already hurrying back to secure supplies to the blue's back when he nearly ran into Qr'jin as the larger man was going about his own tasks. 

"Ohp! Sorry!" N'var could hardly see over the bulky box in his arms, and certainly couldn't see his feet, so as soon as he swiveled around so as not to offend his wingmate, the Bluerider hadn't seen what was right next to his feet, which were more boxed supplies. Picking up a foot, his shin managed to strike the corner of one of the wooden crates, causing him to cry out. 

"Whooaoaaaoohh!"

Nearly toppling forward off balance, N'var barely save his own armload of things from spilling across the floor. Watching the way his feet danced to keep himself upright, having spun another turn and nearly tripped over a second thing, it was a miracle that he wasn't sprawled flat on his back at that point. But somehow, he was still on his feet after all that, and continuing in the direction of his life-mate, the Bluerider chuckled, thinking it funny what had just happened. All until he looked back over his shoulder to see if Qr'jin had seen his near-brush with certain demise-by-crate, and in that time, ran smack dab into S'jiro.

Forward progress halted suddenly, Nova brought his attention back around, only to find him face to face with the generally temperamental Bronzerider.




S'jiro


For once, S'jiro hadn't meant to collide with anyone -and it wasn't his fist that had collided with Nova either. Instead, the Bluerider had negligently run directly into him; though S'jiro stood his ground. He was a little heavier than the younger man, and he wasn't the type to budge for a lowborn, anyway.

"Don't go walking around like an dimglow? Come on, watch where you're going. It'll be an inconvenience if you get hurt before we even make it to Ista, and we're already one man down for the help." Couldn't N'var just get that much done right? Just get to Ista safely without incident? He was always in the middle of some kind of mischief. 

The Bronzerider's brow furrowed as he pushed past Nova, sharing both his irritation and concern -which may not have seemed like much concern for the Bluerider, but his concern went further in his own Wing than it ever extended to those outside of it. 

After doing so, he returned to Zemarith where the Bronze was already loaded up and ready to go, waiting on further orders. Swinging himself astride the great Bronze, S'jiro situated himself, readying for takeoff as soon as N'kyr signaled them.



Later, Nova was probably one of the last riders in their wing to make ready, but after clearing the hazards of the road along his way, was quick to catch up with everyone else.





[ooc:  jess, i think we can add Nemmy's character Aztlatli to this thread to fly in a pair with Remegath? She was going to be tagging along to help find the eggs and such and kate and i were brainstorming some where she could come in, and Azt could be helping with the rescue efforts with some riders from Telgar or something. I'm sure they could have gotten word to Telgar quickly to round up some extra hands. We could suggest in passing, in the thread, that Telgar contributed some riders to the effort early, and then would be rounding up more help a little later in the day -maybe to relieve Fort for a while, since it's an ongoing effort and fort riders will need rest too, at some point. What do you guys think?]

Look at that, we are forgotten again. Well lets go before they truely forget about us. L'mar looked over to the bronze that was laying on his ledge and he nodded. L'mar placed the half cleaned straps on the table in front of him and he sighed lightly. I kind of wish I could just clean these thoroughly one day. Where are we headed anyways? He grabbed the clean set of straps that he had and he started to strap the bronze. Rhodrolth rumbled a sort of dragon chuckle before he answered. To Ista, they are in some sort of help. So grab rope and supplies, both regular and healing. We need to be to the bowl quickly.

The male nodded and he started to pack his back. Once the rope and supplies were there, he and the bronze were making the quick flight to the bowl. Once there, Rhodrolth landed and L'mar slide from the back of the bronze and he looked at the others as they gathered and he saw that he was probably one of the last ones, which was not a proper thing for him to be doing. But he ignored it for now, the bronze would reprimand him later. L'mar placed his bag on the ground next to the bronze and he waited for the briefing to begin. He was curious as to what was actually going on that they needed to do something.

Then the briefing came, they were needed to save others. That was why he was taken from the straps that he had been cleaning. L'mar kept his thoughts to himself and he waited. He knew that he had been seen, and frankly, he wanted to help as many people as he could, just so that they could keep them all safe, and well, get back home. L'mar checked on Rhodrolth's straps to eb sure that they were sturdy and safe, and when he was satisfied with that, he climbed back to the back of the bronze and he waited to see who his partner would be.

But after that was done, it was time for them to take off. L'mar climbed upon Rhodorlth's back and they went between with the rest of the wing.

Raelestriata was prepared to follow orders but seeing Nova finally make it distracted her for a brief second. Normally she might have smiled and waved to him but under the current circumstances, she just watched to make sure he seemed settled on Illmatoth before Solieth went Between as ordered. Personally, she didn’t have much experience with S’jiro, so she didn’t have any concern with being paired up with the Bronzerider, even if she had more trust for her clutchmates in the wing than the others.

When they came out over the island of Ista, she felt the fluttering wind. The storm had passed but the remnants of the weather were still lingering. She shivered in spite of herself. Then had Solieth contact S’jiro’s Zemarith. What are our orders Zemarith? Where are we to patrol?

---

The dark, blue gray of the storm clouds remained with the fluttering wind. It was eerily beautiful. Cymrioth followed formation as he came out from Between above Ista. They had followed the coordinates given to them by K’thane’s Remegath. Sh’nar didn’t really concern himself with whom he was paired with. The greenrider would follow his orders and that would be that. Send her the coordinates. Sh’nar said to Cymrioth who passed the area they would be searching on to the green.

--

While J’ace may not have seemed all that serious earlier in the day, he knew to behave with a fair amount of seriousness.  He wasn’t immune to the sadness and devastation that had befallen Ista but he did know that focusing on the negative wasn’t good for anyone. Orandoth had them coming from Between above Ista without issue. He heard whom would be pairing off with him and he had his Bronze contact the green.

Tasunath, follow me. We’re going to search toward the southern part of the island.

The Bronze broke off from the Wing and headed in a southerly direction, anticipating that Tasunath would follow as instructed. J’ace would have them move to lower positions once they were in their Search area. The rescue of any people who were injured sounded like a fun mission to him. Some good could come out of it for him...like impressing pretty young women. Hold women, to be exact.

--

The brown and his rider were a little surprised that they were paired with Nova and Ilmattoth. Being from the same clutch, it was a bit difficult to determine which of them should be making decisions. Q’rijn wasn’t one to assume anything but he did think that Nova and he could easily discuss and agree on anything.

Ready Ilmattoth? The brown asked the blue dragon. Not at all concerned about anything but the mission at hand.  Much like Q’rijn usually was, he was focused and determined. When they reached the area they were to search, he would ask Nova where he wanted to start. They should be able to sweep the area as trained and though he knew N’var was a bit of a jokester, he was pretty sure the bluerider would take this situation seriously.

Since other riders were covering the Weyr itself, it wasn't necessary for Halcyon wing to do so.  Instead, they would start closer to the ocean, and work their way inland.  Fan out along the beach.  We start here and work our way in.  Report to me as soon as you find anything.  No sign of life should be ignored, and K'thane counted on his riders to understand that was the case.  Better to be overly cautious than to miss a person, livestock animal, or dragon among any wreckage.

Turning his attention to his own partner, K'thane signaled for L'mar to follow.

Rhodrolth had actually been paired with Remegath both because they were the odd bronzes out, but also because two bronzes could lift heavier things than any of the other pairs.  It made sense to have at least one group fully able to dig through heavy rubble or lift an injured dragon if necessary, in the absence of golds.  K'thane was hoping such a feat wouldn't be necessary, but there was no telling what they would find after the hurricane.

Stay close and keep your eyes open.  We investigate any sign of life, Remegath told his younger partner.

The wind was still heavy enough the bronze had to keep a close eye on the currents, even as he watched the ground.  So far, all he was able to see was plant life that was washing up onto the sand after having been tossed willy nilly by the winds.  But he continued on further down the beach, past all of his wingriders, allowing them to take spaces closer to Ista Weyr.  They would reach a cothold sooner than the others this way, and provide any assistance if needed.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Tasunath did her best to follow Orandoth, though her path was a little more erratic than the much larger bronze's.  Orandoth instructs us to follow him south, she told her rider, in case V'nius wondered where they were headed.

Ducking low, as if by keeping himself closer to his green's neck he could help her aerodynamics, V'nius tried to watch the ground below them as best he could.

Trees had been uprooted.  Waves had clearly risen high along the beach, leaving muddy puddles in their wake.  Fish had been thrown everywhere.

V'nius was truly unsure how they'd spot anything living among the debris.  But try they would.

Even so, would their small numbers be enough to find every person and beast in a timely manner?

We will be enough if that is all we have, Tasunath reassured him.

How do you know?

Because we will keep looking until we are done.

Vinnie wasn't entirely convinced, but far be it for him to counter his dragon's beliefs.

Aztlatli carefully removed a block from the tower in front of her and sucked in a breath as the tower wobbled, waiting for the By Faranth! thing to calm down... knowing the stakes were high between herself and E'den. The cursed thing tilted to the left, balanced rather precariously in a few spots on a singular block, but settled down. Aztlatli let go of the air she'd been holding in her lungs and wiped a bead of sweat off of her face.

"I've got you this time E'den," she said, slowly placing the block on top of the stack. Fort Weyr asked Telgar to send Challenger wing to aid in disaster relief at Ista. We are needed. Aztlatli jumped, knocking the stack over in the process, from the abruptness of her dragon's call. Niefryth had been sleeping for the past hour, quite without interjecting her thoughts into Azt's head so she could concentrate on the game at hand. She looked on at the ruined tower with dismay... there'd be hell to pay for that loss after this.

She sighed in defeat and rolled her eyes at E'den's victory dance before grabbing his ear and dragging him toward the ledges where their dragons waited. "You can dance after we go help Ista, E'den." Aztlatli pulled her riding jacket out from Nie's harness and threw it on as she climbed up the rings to her dragon's saddle, strapping her legs in and rolling her shoulders. Deftly, she twirled her hair into a tight bun, unhooked her helmet and secured it over her head.

Challenger wing didn't take much time to organize, and within the next few minutes, the wingriders took off and popped between and out over Ista. Aztlatli's eyes scanned over the devastation as her dragon keened at the loss beneath her. This saddens me. Niefryth said with a somber air after she relayed the commands from their wing leader. All the more reason to help them. What if this was our weyr? All around lay broken things. Uprooted trees obscured frightened animals, cotholds blown to twigs, and dead fish.

Aztlatli deeply wished they had been their sooner. One of their wing seconds flew next to the green pair and called over to Aztlatli. "We need you to pair up with one of the lone bronzes, your eyes will help spot things that they can help with. Are you two okay with that?" Aztlatli saluted.

"If you think it will help, sir, we're on it." She scanned the other weyr's wings for stand-alone bronzes and pointed one out mentally to Niefryth who banked and flew up next to him. "I'm Aztlatli from Telgar's Challenger wing. I'll pair with you for the day," she called over to the man.

{ooc: She's pulling up by.. L'mar? yeah... L'mar...}

S'jiro

The Bronzerider had no qualms either, being paired with Raelestriata. He too, had little experience pairing with her directly. Then again, she was a Greenrider, so how much could he really expect from the girl if her dragon's color were any reflection on her own person. If she were anything special she should have impressed a Gold.

That though stopped him for a moment, thinking about Veyani then. She too, had impressed a Green and though his liking of her broke all the rules and conventions he'd lived by up until that point in his life, she always stood out as an acceptable exception.

Had been acceptable. For a short fling, he corrected himself. There was nothing more that he could have expected from that relationship either; just like now, being paired with another young green. But still, S'jiro could act with civility so long as Raeelestriata didn't act beyond acceptable norms of conduct. As long as she respected him...



Zemarith communicated the green's question to his Rider, causing S'jiro's eyes to skirt the surrounding area, watching other pairs veer off in their own directions, fanning out well enough to cover the area.

Let her know that we will head Northeast from here. A little more inland. It looks like the other teams have the beaches covered, so we'll start searching farmland.

Grain grew well on the island and besides the obvious fishing industry in the area, there was fertile land enough for crops to be grown as well. S'jiro hadn't looked at the maps in a while because the last time he'd needed to familiarize himself with someplace as distant from Fort as Ista, was during his turns at home when his father had been preparing him for a future as a holder. The Bronzerrider vaguely recalled images of Northern Continent maps with a significant swathe of farmland in this direction, he just couldn't recall exactly how far from their current position that was. 

Anyway, hopefully they'd run across it soon and be able to help some people out. Expecting the girl to fall into formation with him quickly, in response to the order relayed, S'jiro directed his ruddy bronze mount Northeasterly and with eyes focused on the terrain below them, the pair picked up a little speed.




Nova


The situation they were in was too urgent to take time to argue with the Bronzerider, but Nova still stopped to sneer in response as S'jiro moved past him. Whether or not S'jiro saw it was unknown to him, but either way, the Bronzerider didn't stop to question the expression. 

The Bluerider was boarding his mount moments after, thinking nothing more of it since his mind was soon trained on the mission they were about to take on. Though he and Ilmattoth flew regular patrols over routine areas outlined for the wings to rotate through, Nova didn't think that he remembered ever receiving a real exciting mission like this. Just thinking about it, filled him with adrenaline. He felt ready to save the world.

When they were in the skies and had appeared over the island of Ista, the Bluerider looked over at Q'rjin just as Ilmattoth bespoke the Brownrider.

Wee're ready when you are. Which way are we headed? We'll follow you.

To be honest, Nova didn't think much of whether or not one of them took the lead over the other. He was just used to never being called on for that kind of responsibility with much frequency, so it didn't bother him. Anyway, if either of them ever Ranked, it would be Q'rjin, not him. No one took him seriously enough; but that had been partially his own fault. He was too goofy, focused on fun all the time, and that detracted form the 'qualities' that most people thought necessary in a leader. Though, he had the charismatic socialite part down, just to give himself a little credit. People may not take him too seriously most of the time, but it was hard to not like him.




E'den


After a morning of keening dragons, things had gotten a little quiet, though there was still a stir about Telgar Weyr, so it was obvious something was going on.  The sky had been filled with messengers popping in and out from Between as the Weyrs communicated to try to coordinate a few efforts. After a while, an official announcement was released as to what all was happening. Many of Telgar's wings would be given assignments to fly south and give their aid to the southern Weyr of Ista, and Challenger wing would be part of that effort.

In specific, Challenger would be picking up injured folk to take them back to Ista Weyr where they could be cared for. There were already apparently efforts to expand the infirmary there. Though, even as news reached he and his wingmate, both Riders were leaned in, over the table before them, where their game played out. E'den watched intently where Aztlatli was preparing to remove her next piece from the tottering tower of blocks between them.

The silence was suddenly shattered by the toppling of the jenga tower, and pieces were sent sliding across the table, some onto the floor, but they were left there as E'den, like Azt, were up out of their chairs and on the move in the next moment.

E'den could scramble to threadfall readiness in a matter of a few short minutes, going through a quick flight check to make sure that everything was safely prepared, so it didn't take long for him to be dressed in flight gear and supplies loaded onto the back of his dragon. 

Haru, let's get our passenger and get out of here. It didn't seem as though they'd be the last ones ready for take off, so at least they weren't keeping the rest of the wing waiting.

As E'den climbed aboard the Brown's back, he gave Haru a message to pass on to Niefryth. The dragon's voice was as smug as his rider's would have been. E'den wants to know if Yours is ready for a sevenday of cleaning our weyr. Tell Latli that he won fair and square.


Appearing in the air over Ista only a couple of minutes later, E'den was surprised to notice his clutchmate veering off in another direction soon after they arrived.

Where was Aztlatli going? Of course, the Brownrider hadn't heard her order to break off and join another wing to even up the dragon-rider pairs, but he'd seen the wing from Fort in the distance when they arrived out from Between. And well, he hadn't received any order to break formation, so he watched her go, uncertain yet of what the purpose of her leaving the wing was. Though, momentarily after, he and Haruseth received their own orders.

K'thane was ready to have Remegath bespeak the new arrival when the green pair flew up alongside them, but the bronze distracted him.

I see something below.  There, under the trees.

Where?

Scanning the wreckage below them, the bronzerider attempted to find what his dragon had seen.  The image super imposed itself over his own vision, and then he spotted it-- something, or someone, buried beneath several large tree trunks that had been tossed about as if they were mere twigs.  Whatever it was sparkled just slightly differently in the residual wind and rain, clearly not the same color as the dark limbs surrounding it.  Judging the size, and their current distance... it was more than likely a dragon.

Inwardly wincing and hoping they'd find the beast still alive, K'thane sent his new instructions through Remegath.

We appreciate the help, he first told Niefryth, then continued.  But we need another of your wingmates, since they are currently closest.  Including Rhodrolth in the conversation, the bronze went on. There is a dragon trapped below us.  We will have to lift trees and likely provide aid back to Ista.  

Presuming there was enough life left in the trapped beast, K'thane thought grimly as they spiraled down.  He just hoped there wasn't a rider pinned beneath it...

J’ace who was by nature, an easy going sort, wasn’t at all worried about what they might or might not find. His thoughts, as usual, were rather more on the good of what could come of their involvement. Orandoth was scanning below, just as Tasunath was. He made certain to fly low enough to see but not so low that a tree might scathe his underside. Neither of them were aware of the concerns Vinnie was dealing with. Neither of them ever doubted that they could make a difference.

They were not the only Weyr that would come to aid Ista, of this J’ace was certain. Merely the first responders, so he felt no overwhelming pressure to find EVERYONE himself. He allowed Orandoth to glide in close toward the shore line. The Bronze making sure that Tasunath did not fall behind. Communicating was key of course on these missions. When he thought he saw something that looked like the wreckage of a ship, he spoke with Tasunath.

We will land close to the wreckage and see if there are any people who need assistance. When the Bronze had done that, another message was reported in to K’thane’s Remegath.

Remegath, we’re on the southern shoreline and have found some wreckage. We are going to land and see if we can find anyone. The Bronze sent to his Wingleader and then made two narrowing circles before landing on the sandy beach.

J’ace dismounted the beast and began to walk toward the wreckage. It was not easy for many people to deal with this level of destruction. He wasn’t sure how V’nius would handle seeing death but he had a feeling that even if one person survived this there would be many more who did not.  The Bronzerider began to move some of the wood off of what he perceived might be a body.

“Over here V’nius…”

---

Solieth gave her rider the orders as told to her by Zemarith. The greenrider and her dragon kept their eyes peeled for any signs of life. Admittedly she didn’t know much at all about Ista island. All she knew was that there was a lot of fisher craft here. So she was more than willing to defer to the judgement of the Bronzerider.

She wasn’t surprised there was farm land because the people had to feed themselves and living on fish wouldn’t be enough. Though she wondered if being more inland meant perhaps less destruction. Would anyone have been silly enough to be out in the storm or would it have been worse to know that some of the buildings had crumbled under the sheer force of the winds causing the people within them to die.

Would it be better to search every building?

Might be best to keep such thoughts to herself. The greenrider sighed, this would have been so much better if she had been lucky enough to get paired with a friend like Nova had. Raelestriata knew better than to say anything that might make S’jiro question her as a rider. It was like dealing with a mood ridden, angsty teenager. Something she had little patience for but given the circumstances would put up with. She’d take Nova’s goofy, clumsy behavior over S’jiro’s haughty, moodiness any day.

--

Receiving the reply from blue Illmatoth, Q’rijn nodded. Alright. Follow us. The Brown and his rider tended to use fewer words. They were fellows of action and contemplation but not really big on communicating. Hopefully the others wouldn’t mind if they weren’t all that vocal though. The sturdy pair made their way westward.

If you think you see wreckage we can land and explore it. Until then we fly low and scan. Keadilanth spoke in a calm and even tone. There was little emotion there. Of course the brown wasn’t known to be very emotive. they were on a mission and fulfilling the mission was all he was focused on.

S'JIRO had been nice to the girl. There was no reason for them not to get along thus far and he was glad that she was keeping it that way. There always seemed to be something about greenriders and stubbornness... Just like Veyani. Anyway, the Bronzerider didn't have time to think about those kinds of things anymore. They were approaching a number of dwellings which seemed to include a sort of minor hold. Very minor, but a rightful hold by the looks of it.

There. Tell Solieth and Raelestriata that we're going to land down there. It looks like some buildings have suffered damage. Let's check on the people. We'll land near the main hold so i can inform the holder here of our intentions. I'm sure they won't be able to argue. Make sure they keep an eye out for casualties that we may need to help tend to.

Though their intentions were good, a holder could still refuse their aid, even in such a desperate time of need, and the Weyr would not be able to intervene. He didn't remember the holders of Ista being particularly against friendly relationships between Hold and Weyr, but had no real good idea the current politics in the region. His only real knowledge of Ista had come from the past, before he'd become a rider. It was hard to imagine though, that anyone would refuse help if someone was able to give it -or if their people were in need. But, there was always the chance of running across someone stubborn enough...

As they approached, though the worst of the floods had not reached this far inland, the high winds had obviously been enough to cause some significant damage. And regardless of however entitled S'jiro thought himself, he had been raised with the anticipation that he would have to care for a hold of his own one day, and that meant knowing how to facilitate the care of a person if need be. Such as in times like these -though, looking around him, no matter what preparations one made, was there really any being 'prepared' for something like this kind of disaster? Facing it and preparing for it were certainly two different things.



Descending from the clouds, S'jiro brought them to land where there was a clearing enough in the debris-covered streets for two dragons to fit. Though.. there wouldn't be landing in any specific formation. It was a little precarious with the close proximity of some eof the surrounding buildings and collapsed walls.

S'jiro swung down from Zemarith's back, immediately scanning any of the desolate and frightened faces around them for one that might be 'in charge'. But there were none right away. Most people skittered away, back into nearby buildings that were probably still unsafe to seek shelter in.


Averting his eyes from the common folk, S'jiro started into what appeared to be a small courtyard leading up to the Hold, hoping to be greeted by someone appropriately. There was no watchwher, from what he could tell, though perhaps the hold wasn't large enough to think it could afford itself one. Or perhaps being on an island they felt no need for a Watch. There was no guard to be seen, either. At least none here at the courtyard. It was possible though that they'd been dispatched to help in the streets where people would need them most.

Without hesitating then, or waiting for a greeting, S'jiro moved to open the door to the small hold, its bronze doors groaning on their hinges in protest.

From inside, he heard a scuffle, and a man appeared, slightly hunched in the back and appearing too-early withered with age. His eyes did not seem old, to the Bronzerider.

"Who goes there? You cannot enter here." The man's voice, too, seemed less aged than the rest of him; though his clothes were well enough tailored and suited for him. It was easy to recognize though, that the man was not a holder.

"I am Bronzerider S'jiro of Zemarith, hailing from Fort. With me is my partner, Raelestriata of Green Solieth." Assuming that she'd followed him, "The Weyrleader of Forth Weyr has sent us to ask if the resident Holder would accept our aid. We have patrols flying over the area to find injured people and tend to them. It seems as though this hold too, has seen its share of damages,so if there is anything we can do..."

The hunched man spoke abruptly then, before he could continue, "How could you barge in here unannounced? Is this how Riders of Fort conduct themselves?"

S'jiro glowered, utterly unimpressed, and off-put by the fact that they'd been greeted in poor fashion. "What is your name and rank, sir? I demand to know."

"I owe you no answers, Dragonman. Unless you've come here to steal our women, because that is all dragonmen do, then be gone. We are capable of caring for our own, here. Everything i-"

The man's words were cut short when S'jiro grabbed him by the collar, and seeming how scrawny the man was, S'jiro could have probably hoisted him right off his feet. Which the Bronzerider nearly did, as he pressed their greeter up against a wall.

"I don't care about whatever grudge you have against Dragonriders. Bring me your Holder. I am done speaking to you."

The man's eyes grew wide, obviously startled, but then met the Bronzerider's hard stare with one of his own -if only it held the kind of authority to move him."

"Bronzerider, my Holder is presently indisposed. He will not come to you."

"People are suffering outside these doors. This hold is in disrepair and we came offering aid. You are obligated to take word to your holder that he has diplomatic guests offering their support. I won't take any more snide commentary from someone without name or rank."

Though S'jiro had released his grasp on the man's shirt, he still stood over the man with assertiveness. Not the kind that would lead to physical violence, but the kind of assertiveness that demanded respect and looked down on others. As though S'jiro viewed him as a lesser. Which he probably did.

The hunched man growled, "You have no right to-"

"I am the eldest son of Holder Kodan of High Hill Hold at Fort, not distantly related to The Lord Holder of Fort Hold itself, and if you hope not to hear from either of them you will at least send word that an emissary is here. We will accept proper greeting from your master."

Just for not offering his name and rank, S'jiro wanted to kick him in the rear as the man reacted to what could have possibly been a bluff. It was not unsatisfactory to the Bronzerider though, seeing the man turn to scurry out of the main hall when he the thought occurred to him that he may invoke the wrath of a higher power -whether that be a holder at Fort or his own master should he be the cause of any unnecessary upset. It would not do to have another holder writing letters of displeasure at how their Blood had been mistreated.

Whether or not S'jiro could or would invoke the action of his father on his behalf was unknown, but he had chosen his words to make sure that the scrawny man feared that possibility. And indeed, he received the kind of or reaction he'd hoped for. And really, that's all that mattered.


[Sorry if that was a lot !! the musey just came out like that so i had to roll with it. I figured with Rae not wanting to overstep her bounds and upset the peace between them, she might not intervene or anything, but if i'm wrong or if you want to put something else in there for the scene, i can backtrack a little >D S'ijro just got mad that he was being disrespected and had to remind the guy who was looking down on who >D]





NOVA nodded and confirmed that they'd let the Brown pair know if they saw anything unusual. Honestly, he hoped they didn't come across any dragons that were dead or injured. He wasn't sure how he'd handle something like that. Their eyes were still peeled for anything suspicious below them though -that was until a frantic chattering greeted their ears.

What was this?!

In front of them, a dragon appeared from between, but its size was much too small even to be a normal hatchling. Darting in the air around them, the little green was obviously upset, and telling them all about it. Or maybe she was asking for help? Or maybe she was scared, after the storm. There was no telling.

Ilmattoth. Can you make sense of what she's saying? I can't understand her. Everything seems jumbled.

Nova was glancing over to his partner with incredulous stare, wondering if Q'rjin was seeing what he was seeing.

Tasunath was quick to land beside Orandoth, letting her rider dismount before she moved slowly up the beach a short distance, looking for more lumps among the driftwood like the one J'ace had found.

V'nius tripped over something in the sand as he headed towards the bronzerider, flailing his arms slightly as he stumbled.  Turning to look at what it was, he couldn't deny he was relieved when it turned out to be a stick and nothing more.

Not that he should have been afraid of whatever they'd find, but the air surrounding him held an ominous tone to it.  Remnants of the storm, no doubt, but he hadn't really noticed it in the air.

Truthfully, he had to resist the urge to shiver at the eerie feeling that crept up his spine as he realized how quiet everything was.  The wind was still blowing, water still rushing in to shore, but there was nothing else… as if every other living thing in the area was… dead.

V'nius certainly hoped not.

But he was trying hard not to think of what he and J'ace were going to find buried under the wood the bronzerider had called him over to help with…

>>>>>>>>>>>>

K'thane had Remegath set down close to the trapped dragon, eyeing the pile of downed trees and what looked to be a small boat.  Or part of one-- a good half of it was missing, likely part of the wreckage on the surrounding part of the beach.  If there had been people aboard, he wasn't sure where they were, though he was guessing the dragon had attempted to save the skiff.

See anything besides the brown under there?

Nothing is moving.

That didn't necessarily mean there weren't other lifeforms, though.  "Go slowly, then, just in case," the bronzerider cautioned aloud, for any of the others who were close enough to hear and begin to help.  Slow and steady might lose them the chance to save the dragon or anyone else trapped with it, but it would also be less likely to hurt them further, if they were able to hang on this long.

That in mind, K'thane set to work moving bits of wood so he could get closer to the boat and determine if it was safe to move, Remegath already removing a couple of logs from the pile that were simply resting on top.

The green did what Zemarith asked. She landed where she was directed to. It might not make things interesting to have an obedient partner but the green pair was not going to challenge authority when out on a mission of this importance. In fact, it went against their better judgement to argue with those who outranked them.

Raelestriata wasn't sure what to do or say other than to follow orders. She was a good rider in that aspect of her personality. She knew she wasn't a Bronzerider, she knew her place. It must be something to do with her weyr upbringing. As much as she might not care for S'jiro's haughtiness, she would never ever even think of saying anything or doing anything that would go against an order or his own judgment.

The Holders were acting like brutes. She remained a silent companion as S'jiro dealt wtih them. Because they were not being helpful and he had to tell them their place, she stood in such a way as to support the Bronzerider. She had no use for people who scoffed at the Weyr and its riders. She had too much pride in her own profession and those others who served for the betterment of Pern, whether the Pernese thought they needed dragonriders or not.

Crossing her arms, she added, "I wouldn't keep Wingsecond S'jiro waiting much longer if I were you." Her voice, while not threatening necessarily, held an edge to it that suggested she wasn't just there to look pretty. Her hand was resting where her weapon was attached to her belt.

--

Q'rijn, who had never seen a firelizard, at first was taken by surprise as much as Nova was. He didn't react though, not for a few minutes. Then the brown dragon intervened, There are many lost firelizards taken by the storm. Especially Golds and Bronzes who would not leave their nests. The others are afraid.

Raising a brow, he had the brown bespeak Ilmattoth, We are going to tell the others too but there were many clutch bearers lost to the flits and they are afraid. There may be clutches still on the beaches that could be rescued. I will communicate with Remegath so he is aware.

Keadilanth wasted no time in telling the Bronze what they had gleaned from the frantic firelizard. We have reason to believe many Golds and Bronzes were lost in the storm trying to save their clutches. There may be firelizard clutches scattered along the beaches. Should we also search them out? Q'rijn wonders if they might prove useful?
---

He waited, patiently and not at all rudely for the other rider to come over. As always when something looked grim, J'ace decided to be as calm as possible. The last thing anyone needed was a reactive leader.

"On the count of three, okay V'nius?" J'ace said in about a serious a voice as he ever seemed to have. There was still a reassuring calm about the Bronzerider, as if he knew how nervous the greenrider was. J'ace was not concerned that he might be lifting more than the other young man. He was used to being a little more brawn on top than some of the other riders.

As they lifted the wreckage of a small skiff like boat, likely meant for fishing, he saw tattered pieces of cloth but no human life. Underneath the wrecked boat was something more...odd? Moving the boat to the side with V'nius' help, he waited to get a closer look until he was sure the other rider had set his side down.

"Is that what I think it is?" There was a definite nest of eggs there. Remegath, we have found something. Eggs. Little ones. J'ace thinks they are Firelizards.

((To those who have been pmed about finding flits, this is not the only nest so continue your search with your characters))

S'jiro


The more time that the Bronzerider was paired with Raelestriata, the more he thought he could like her. She was a good rider during drills, from what he'd seen, but he'd never really worked very closely with herself or any of the younger, recently graduated class. Needless to say, as long as things kept on like this, they might just get along quite well.

Amused by her emphasis of his own point, he wasn't quite sure her insinuation about not being afraid to resort to weapons was completely necessary, but because she was a girl, and young at that, he couldn't blame her. For all he knew, Raelestriata was used to not being taken seriously by men unless she threatened to take such measures. They had to get the signal somehow.


Their greeter had paused just before having turned himself all the way about, turning indignant again when the Greenrider spoke.

"What are you suggesting, young lady? That you would rather have me call the Guard first, to dea-"

"I think the young lady is suggesting that you hurry; lest the people out there suffering were to die while we stand here arguing. There is no time for this." S'jiro had quickly stepped between his wingrider and the man, in case he decided to do something rash. He wanted for the man to forget everything else and do what needed to be done. The longer they waited here, the more people would suffer, if there was help that they could offer. Whether or not Raelestriata could defend herself was another thing entirely.

Sure, S'jiro didn't want to underestimate his wingmate. He tended to think highly of his wingmates in the overall scheme of things, regardless of whether or not they were common; but they were his wingmates nonetheless, and that had to count for something. He and Raelestriata held the same dragonrider's pride that could only be offended at great risk, so he wasn't about to let this dimglow act like he outranked them -even in a place like this.

The other man grumbled something inaudibly, but was obviously less willing to stand up to S'jiro than the girl.

Though he looked past S'jiro for a moment, still eyeing Raelestriata, the Bronzerider reminded him, "Don't think you'll get past me. Go." None of this was worth the upset that the man was trying to make over it. And if the man wanted to be upset, well.. S'jiro might be a formidable bully at times, but he didn't act that way without warrant, and he had more reason to protect the Greenrider from unnecessary outbursts than reason to allow it. Especially if the person getting angry at her was this dimglow.




Nova/ N'var


The Bluerider was astonished at the news when Ilmattoth relayed the news from Keadilanth. It all made sense, but he was still stunned to actually be seeing a firelizard before his very own eyes. They really did exist!

Nova felt his heart ache for the little one though, when finally understanding what the minature dragon was so frantic about. There were eggs down there, and they were in danger! Nova knew how tragic the loss of an egg on the hatching sands was at the Weyr and it must be similar in the case of firelizards. In all good conscience, they simply could not let them perish. Not without doing something to try to save them!

Naturally though, the young man was torn about what to do. Did they rescue firelizards or continue looking for human survivors? They'd yet to pass anything that made him think there were people nearby, which was likely why the firelizards felt safe building their nests out here. If there were no humans in this area, their nests would remain undisturbed. But now... now, the firelizards needed humans to help them.

Ill, ask Q'rjin what he wants to do. We haven't seen any signs of people around here. Shouldn't we just go help the firelizards? We should empty out one of our supply crates and fill it with hot sand so that we can try to save some of them. If there are any eggs left undamaged, we'll have to keep them warm or they'll die.

Aztlatli nodded and had Niefryth bespeak Haruseth for help as they dropped toward the ground. We can help them better if you don't have my added weight. Let me jump off, FrythThe green hovered for a moment so Aztlatli could unstrap and as soon as her rider unceremoniously dropped down into a roll, she shoved the air under her wings and took hold of the log on top of the brown.

"She may not look like much, but the more power we have lifting the log, the better. The brown looks to be breathing, but it's labored." Any sign of the rider? Aztlatli pulled branches away from the brown as fast as she could, throwing logs out of the way. "No sign of the rider, perhaps he was thrown from his dragon?" She looked up and around trying to spot the man who may be around but found the landscape to be rather lacking. Niefryth, can you get high enough to see if there's anyone in the ocean? She heard her green rumble the agreement as soon as Niefryth pulled a dragonlength log off of the brown's wing.

Over there! I will retrieve them. She took off quickly, plucking several bodies out of the water and setting them gently on the sands. I have called for the healers. One thing could be said about the green and her rider, they were an efficient team. Aztlatli went to pull back a branch when something glinted in the sunlight. Flecks of gold glinted on a shell to her left. Is that. "Are there firelizards on this beach" she called out to the group. "If so... I just found a nest." And quieter, to the eggs she asked "did you survive this?"

K'thane was wrapped up enough in his concentration on the trapped dragon that he didn't quite comprehend his dragon's right away.  Golds and bronzes?  Yes, they knew dragons had been lost, but trying to save their clutches?  What--

Not dragons, Remegath scoffed at his rider's misunderstanding.  No dragon would leave her clutch so unprotected.

True enough, the bronzerider thought, as it finally dawned on him that what his wingriders were seeing had to be firelizards.  Legendary as they were, they apparently weren't extinct.  He idly wondered that Ista hadn't passed on what they knew of them, though, considering he was suddenly getting multiple reports-- several clutches all on the same beach surely meant someone at the Weyr had to know of their existence…

That was a topic for another time, though, and K'thane looked up as Niefryth removed one of the heavier logs, to reveal the rise and fall of the trapped brown's chest.  At least he was alive for the moment-- hopefully help from the Weyr would come in time to determine if they would be able to save him before he went between due to his own or his rider's injuries.

Nodding towards the bodies the green had just deposited on the sand without stopping what he was doing, the bronzerider asked, "Are they alive?  Do any of the people look to be this one's rider?"  

A few moments more and Remegath had the brown almost completely uncovered, revealing the extent to which one wing at least was damaged.  It would be some time before the other dragon was able to fly, if he survived.

Grimly K'thane surveyed the damage, before he too caught sight of what Azlatli had seen.  "More eggs?"  Crouching down, he saw that several were broken open, but some of them might still be viable.  "Several other pairs are reporting nests as well.  And no sign of the golds who may have laid them."  

Surely they'd have come back by now, if they were able.  Was it possible this brown was also squashing…?

If would be truly unfortunate if that were the case.  But perhaps they could still save the eggs, if any of them remained intact.

"We'll move these off to the side so they won't be damaged by anyone trying to get to the brown.  He and the people over there are our priority, but once they're taken care of, we can try to take any eggs that look viable back with us, in case they might hatch."

Remegath relayed similar instructions to his wingriders ranged out along the coast and further inland, and passed information on the nests along to the wing from Telgar, so they could also be on the lookout.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Vinnie was definitely glad there were no bodies beneath the boat when he and J'ace moved it out of the way.  He breathed a sigh of relief, releasing the air he'd been unconsciously holding in.  His side of the boat might have risen slightly in reaction, if the bronzerider happened to notice.

"What?" the greenrider asked with a frown, glancing around to make sure they hadn't missed something else that belonged to the boat.  Seeing J'ace leaning closer to the ground where the boat had been, he moved closer and then gasped in surprise.

"Eggs!" he breathed, crouching down beside them but not daring to touch.  "They're so small, though… are they from whers, do you think?"  Surely not this far away from anything…  And surely not this tiny?

Excited as he was at the discovery, he didn't immediately think of firelizards as J'ace had.

The greenrider didn't say much after the man became belligerent toward her. She remained in her stance and stayed where she was. S'jiro as her higher up was taking charge of the situation once more so there really was no need for her to do anything. However, if the man should attack her, Raelestriata was more than capable of making sure he landed on his ass.

Despite being perfectly capable of standing up for herself, given the situation, it was probably better if he handled things. She had his back though if anything were to happen. It was a mix of dragonrider pride and duty. She wanted to help people, she didn't want to be treated like eggshells for doing the right thing. Sometimes people did not want to be saved it seemed.

(sorry wasn't sure where you wanted to go from there?)

--
"Firelizards." He said kindly. Not pointing out that size would indicate something infinitely smaller than a Wher. "We can't leave them here unprotected, in the cold..."

Caught off guard by his own decision, J'ace hadn't thought of what to do with them until then. "Yes, we'll need them to be warm for the trip."  He could see the glimmer of Gold with the nest. "That one probably needs extra protection..." He pointed the Golden hued shell out to V'nius.

"If you transport her and a couple of the smaller ones, I can probably get the rest in my pack. We can use the cloths we were going to use to help the injured to wrap them in."

---

The brownrider was not to keen on giving up searching for people in favor of looking for firelizard eggs. Tell Ilmattoth we continue to scan. IF we and only if there is a reason to land, then we will. Now is not the time to search for Firelizard nests when there could be injured humans or dragons out there.

However if the other pair happened to see something, they would of course land. The firelizard had not been forthcoming as far as location was concerned.  So for now they would continue forward.


((short and sweet. Hopefully leaves things so we can close if need be))

V'nius' eyes widened.  "Firelizards?" he breathed, almost not wanting to dare speaking the term for the creatures that were all but legendary.  "Here?"

Unable to come up with anything more intelligible than that, he simply nodded in response to J'ace's thoughts on leaving the eggs in the cold.  Where were their parents?  Surely they wouldn't have left them here-- the queen dragons never left their eggs.  Wouldn't gold firelizards take care of their unhatched young, too?

But he spotted none anywhere in the vicinity.  And Tasunath didn't see any, either.  So had they been left here, all alone?

"We can get warm sand from the Hatching Grounds, maybe, once we get back." the greenrider finally said.  "But wouldn't they be safer wrapped up and put inside our jackets, instead of just in our packs?"

J'ace, much like his partner, had no idea how they should be transferred. "Whatever you think would be best for them. I've never transported eggs before either." He said with a smile. It was all a lot to take in really. He began to wrap them in cloth from his pack and bundle them together in there. He didn't think he could ride his dragon efficiently while carrying them in his jacket.


----

(Close)


((Those of you awaiting Firelizard Eggs, we will be posting information about them as well as Pming those of you who are supposed to be getting one over the course of the next couple of days. Thank you. Anyone with questions please PM any of the admin team and we will get back to you.))