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Post by sorelle on Jul 26, 2010 15:46:32 GMT -5
Sorelle made sure he was comfortable, then exited the cave. There was a sound of scuffling around, a few under the breath curses, and a hurried flurry of golden curly hair as she passed by the cave front now and then. She dug a small cavity in the sand at the cave entrance, and lined the bottom and sides with some flat stones. Disappearing from view, she reappeared, pushing a large rock with her back against it, using her legs for leverage. This rock she placed behind the fire to reflect the heat back into the cave.
After gathering kindling and wood, she plopped down cross-legged next to the pit and felt around in her pockets until she produced a small object, which she used to light the fire. "Haven't lost my touch," she said as she watched it blaze into an inferno before dying down to a reasonable size.
Exhausted, she returned to the cave and sat down next to J'lor, pulling her small body tight against his. Seconds later, she was asleep. Sivarith took in a deep sigh and followed suit, the feelings of contentedness from Sorelle helping her to forget the trauma of the past. Her large tail fell lightly over the back of the brown.
Tag J'lor
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Post by J'lor and Tonuth on Jul 26, 2010 22:28:36 GMT -5
He heard grunts and all sorts of scuffling but didn't open his eyes at first. When he finally saw the glow against his eyelids and felt a gentle waft of heat. He opened his eyes to the falling dusk and the image of Sorelle sitting near a fire she'd clearly prepared.
Obviously she was chilled and he felt badly for not being able to provide for her and instead she was taking care of him. His head was throbbing from the earlier effort but he didn’t have any fellis or other way to treat it. Oh, what he wouldn't do for a healer.
"Sivarith says there are healers at the Weyr, and more people and dragons." Tonuth kept telling him about things at the Weyr but he wasn't getting a clear picture of the location in order to take them there. Somehow he needed for Sorelle to come around to thinking about help.
She'd made sure he was as comfortable as he could be and as the darkness descended he laid down as best he could the area they had was fairly small with the two dragons in there with them.
Of course it also meant that nothing would come at them and dare the wrath of the two dragons there with them.
Sorelle came in from the fire and he could tell she was fading fast. She sat up against him and fell asleep.
He put and arm around her pulling her into a bit more comfortable position against his chest then spooned around her and drifted off to the soft breathing of the beautiful woman in his arms.
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Post by sorelle on Jul 27, 2010 9:56:32 GMT -5
Sivarith was the first to wake. Her jaws opened wide, stretching the muscles and curling her tongue upward, exposing her fearsome teeth. The great dragon carefully swung her neck around and she prodded Tonuth with the tip of her wedge-shaped head. "Hungry."
Sorelle's eyes fluttered open at the sound of the thought in her head. "Me, too, dear," she thought. J'lor's arm was still around her and she smiled, bringing his hand up to her heart where she held it for a few minutes, content to just lie there and feel his chest rise and fall against her back.
"Hungry," Sivarith repeated, this time with a tinge of agitation in her 'voice'.
Sorelle sighed and turned around until she was facing J'lor. "Give me a few more minutes," she thought to the Gold. Sivarith smacked her tail in frustration, forgetting it was draped over Tonuth. Sorelle ignored her. The dragon had eaten just yesterday at the lake. Besides, the ex-weyrwoman had other things on her mind. She tilted her head up and began kissing J'lor softly.
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Post by J'lor and Tonuth on Jul 27, 2010 12:13:14 GMT -5
He felt more than heard Tonuth's protest at the prodding of the queen and then he knew the big brown was hungry. It brought him toward the surface of consciousness.
Sivarith is hungry
"Oh go hunt then and let me sleep" he said sleepily not wanting to open his eyes. "Make sure you fill up this time. Once a week is enough bathing and oiling for you"
Half aware he knew there was warm woman in his arms and he just wanted to stay where he was. His head was pounding and for a few moments he didn't remember why.
J'lor and Tonuth had been wingseconds at High Reaches and much sought after by several Green's and their riders. He enjoyed a healthy private life as most riders did and while he'd had temporary weyrmates on occasion nothing really stuck for long. Though the brown had been successful at chasing greens their riders never seemed to fill the bill in the long term.
Tonuth jerked and woke him up a little more… "Hey" he said to the brown.
Just then a pair of soft lips touched his and he half smiled as he kissed her back. His arms tightened pulling her against him. He felt the big brown move out of the cave.
He renewed his assault on the warm lips his hands moving on her back. He nibbled on her bottom lip and his hand dove into the curls of her long hair. He opened an eye and the curls were golden and…
"Sorelle" he said a bit breathless and tried to disengage gently. He hadn't intended to take any advantage of her and felt like a heel he'd be half way to... "Sorry" he murmured and tried to sit up.
Tag Sorelle
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Post by sorelle on Jul 27, 2010 13:50:46 GMT -5
His strong hands made her feel safe, and as he moved them across her, she began to feel more than that.
"Sorelle..."
"Mmm," she muttered, but then he pulled away.
"Sorry."
Confused and a bit hurt, she frowned at him as she also sat up. "What's the matter," she asked.
"Maybe Tonuth's is hungry, too," Sivarith offered, a bit snidely.
Sorelle ran a hand through her tossled hair, then helped J'lor right himself properly into a sitting position. "Go," she told Sivarith, "but stay out of the water."
Grumbling, the Gold extracted herself past Tonuth with a grace that belied her size.
"I don't know what's wrong with her," Sorelle said, watching the dragon leave, "she's always hungry lately." She shrugged at J'lor. He obviously wasn't in the mood, which was fine. She could deal with that. He was, after all, injured.
"I'll go round up breakfast."
She soon found herself thigh-deep in the surf, minus her riding leathers, pulling up large sheets of seaweed. Carrying her clothes and the seaweed back to the fire, she placed a flat stone over the still-hot embers and let it heat up, then laid out the seaweed sheets flat across it. It sizzled on contact and soon became dried. Sorelle gathered the now-crisp sheets and brought them into the cave. "It's not much, but it should give you some energy." She sat down next to him, her arms and legs, and the ends of her hair, still wet from the surf.
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Post by J'lor and Tonuth on Jul 28, 2010 14:19:23 GMT -5
"What's the matter,"
He repeated the 'sorry' he felt a poor excuse for responding and then pulling back but she didn't know it was J'lor holding her and not her love N'lon. His heart broke for the sorrow that had caused the once incredibly strong Weyrwoman to crack this way.
He still needed to grieve for his lost brother himself and for everyone else that was gone with the destruction waged by the red star against Pern.
He could see the hurt and confusion in her eyes but couldn't give her what she wanted when it would be a lie. N'lon was gone as was Brath his magnificent Bronze lifemate. He wanted her, oh yes, that much was certain but not like this. He wanted to be certain she saw J'lor and not his brother N'lon.
"I don't know what's wrong with her," Sorelle said, watching the dragon leave, "she's always hungry lately. I'll go round up breakfast."
He wanted to say that Sivarith was behaving oddly because Sorelle was behaving oddly. Instead, he nodded then squinted against the inevitable pain that resulted. He sat there where she'd propped him with his head in his hands. The brightness of the rising sun didn't help and he squinted against the glare.
"I'll go round up breakfast."
She left and he felt his head again gingerly he was hoping it was only a bruise but the nausea and occasional double vision were putting the lie to that. He was no healer but had sustained enough injuries in his life that he knew when he needed one, if only for the pain relief.
We must go to the new Weyr J'lormine. He could feel the reflection of his own pain and Tonuth's concern in the statement. "I know" he replied wordlessly. Now just to convince Sorelle to give them an accurate picture.
He smelled the cooking and his stomach rumbled. Sorelle brought him what she'd gathered and he chuckled at himself at his reaction to the wet and half dressed Weyrwoman. She was NOT making this easy.
He accepted the crisped seaweed, he'd eaten it in other foods as an ingredient but not by itself. It wasn't unpleasant and it filled him up so that his stomach stopped grumbling.
"When are we going to the Weyr?" he asked "I think I need a healer."
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Post by sorelle on Jul 28, 2010 17:56:35 GMT -5
"When are we going to the Weyr? I think I need a healer."
Sorelle stopped gnawing on the seaweed. "The Weyr? It's gone. I told you it was. There is no--" Then she remembered the lake. "Oh," she said in a very small voice. Her eyes went to his head where the blood was drying and sand fleas kept trying to congregate. Without another word, she stood and ran out of the cave and across the dunes to the hard-packed beach sand where she had better footing. Her speed picked up and she just ran and ran.
Sivarith picked up on her emotions and rose like a golden flame from the tall grasses where she had killed her breakfast. In just three short flaps of her wings, she caught up to Sorelle and landed in front of her, kicking up a dust storm in the process. Sorelle coughed and came to a halt. "Get out of my way." Sivarith brought her head down and pressed her forehead against Sorelle's body. "Sorellemine can't do this on her own," the dragon urged, "We should join the others."
"There are no others," Sorelle screamed, her voice carrying on the wind. She balled her hands into fists and slammed them against the mighty head. Sivarith held her ground. "Remember the herdbeast." Sorelle blinked. "You would remember something that had to do with food." The large dragon chuckled. Sorelle rubbed the dragon's eye ridge. "I'm sorry. You know I love you." Sivarith gave her a slight nudge. "If you love me, we'll find the others."
Sorelle reappeared at the mouth of the cave, her body outlined in silhouette by the rising sun. "Let's go," she said simply.
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Post by J'lor and Tonuth on Jul 28, 2010 23:55:20 GMT -5
"The Weyr? It's gone. I told you it was. There is no-- Oh,"
The last was in a very small voice her eyes flying to his forehead he wanted to grab her but she moved out of range too quickly and his hand closed on thin air.
“Sorelle” he called after as she bolted away. He crawled toward the mouth of the cave but didn’t make it very far before he lost his breakfast. Once his body stopped trying to bring up his toes he moved away from the mess and lay on his side watching the entrance.
The sunrise was streaming through the entrance of the cave and he had to squint against the light. She’d come back, she had to come back.
Jlormine? he saw the big head of the brown and his eye swirling as he peered into the cave. “Is she coming back?” he asked. Not yet but Sivarith has gone to get her.
He lost track of the time as he lay there and then she was in the entrance surrounded by a nimbus of golden light. He held up his hand against the glare and her hair glowed with filtered light. He couldn’t make out her features as they were thrown into the shadows.
"Let's go," she said.
He looked beyond her to where Tonuth had crouched down still with his riding straps still in place.
“ok” he said and resumed his crawl toward the entrance. This time there was no retching and he made it to the side to push himself upright. If he did this a little at a time he knew he could make it.
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Post by sorelle on Jul 29, 2010 0:39:49 GMT -5
For a few moments, she just watched him crawl. She didn't care, she didn't move. She hated him for making her see and for pushing her in one way and pulling her in another. As he passed her, his movements sprayed grains of sand against her bare ankles and she looked down at her feet, not quite sure how they had brought her there. His hands scratched against the cave walls. She slowly turned her head and stared, unblinking, at his attempt to rise.
She remembered her own Rise, the glory of the Gold, the feelings of elation, love, and lust as her body and soul rose with Sivarith, her movements with N'lon mimicking the Queen's dance with Brath.
It was all gone.
A movement outside tore her from her thoughts and she saw Sivarith next to a Brown. A Brown. Not a Bronze. Her eyes blazed as she turned back to J'lor and she stepped up to him quickly, raising her hand. With all of her might, she struck him full on the face, causing him to lose his grip on the wall, falling at her feet. As the sand settled around him, her face turned pale and she dropped next to him. Tears fell from her eyes as she kissed his neck, face, and lips. "What have I done," she said rapidly, "my love, what have I done? I'm so sorry."
She ran out of the cave again and Sivarith knelt down. Sorelle climbed up and took her place, then sent an image to the Gold. The great dragon's muscles visibly tensed. "Mine wants to go to Benden Hold." Sivarith stomped a clawed foot. "What's wrong with you," Sorelle shouted. "He needs a healer!" "Get yours in the air," Sivarith ordered Tonuth. The gold dragon rose up, hovering above the ground so Sorelle could not dismount. Earlier, when Sorelle had thought of the herdbeast, Sivarith got a clear image of the lake. All that was needed was for J'lor to fight through the pain.
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Post by J'lor and Tonuth on Jul 29, 2010 8:46:47 GMT -5
Pain exploded in his head and he fell with a guttural cry. His body tensed and writhed on the ground as he fought for control.
"What have I done," she said rapidly, "my love, what have I done? I'm so sorry."
He feebly tried to push her away as she rained kisses on him with her apology. He hadn’t tried to deceive her yet in her moment of clarity she despised him. She was back to thinking him his lost brother.
“Well at least she won’t strike me again” his shoulder dug painfully into the sand as he struggled back onto his hands and knees. He spit sand and felt his cheek burning. She’d caught him completely unprepared. He wiped his face and watched her run to mount the big gold.
Tonuth’s head dipped toward him and his leg extended to try and help him aboard. All that weyrlings practice came into play as the injured rider slowly climbed into his seat. It took every bit of strength he had to get there and then another effort to buckle himself into the harness.
We will save you mine, said the worried voice in his head before everything went black.
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Post by sorelle on Jul 29, 2010 11:52:26 GMT -5
"Will you let me down," Sorelle screamed the thought to the Gold, who was keeping unusually silent. They remained aloft. "He needs my help," she said more calmly, changing tactics. "Tonuth will help his," the dragon finally replied.
Sivarith saw Tonuth's rider climb aboard and she sent the image of the lake to the Brown. Sorelle cried out as J'lor slumped against the dragon's neck. "Hurry," she said to Sivarith, then jabbed the side of the golden neck with her foot, again sending the mental flight plan of Benden Hold. Sivarith let out a grunt and brought the lake back into her mind. If Sorelle kept changing what Sivarith was preparing for, the dragon would end up confused and they'd become caught between.
As soon as the Brown appeared ready, Sivarith began to fly and then she and Sorelle disappeared...
End Sorelle and J'lor (with permission, since he's out cold), Continued at the Infirmary
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