Discovery Again

[Eralynn and Liirith]

The Northern continent was not suitable for life- especially that of a life form the size of a dragon. In fact, her size was probably the reason why Liirith was still alive. Even while the green was on the larger side of the spectrum for her color, it was not doubtful that anything larger than any sized brown- or even the larger blues- would have already starved by now. The once forest-green and emerald-hued beauty was a shell of her former self. Her color had faded to a drab olive-green, and her eyes were constantly whirling from the red hue of hunger, the deep purple of worry, and the lavender shade expressing stress. The months had taken a large toll on her, but it was nothing that a few days of consecutive meals and a few good baths and oiling sessions would not fix. But that was what she was worried about: what if they never got out of this Hell? She would die here with Hers on this barren wasteland- all because those fiends couldn’t find the time to turn around to help when she had been forced to land due to a large tear in her wing.

Liirith hissed her displeasure as that last thought crossed her mind. Most of the dragons that had come with them to escape the Hell that was their current prison were half her age! The 17-turn-old dragon was an ancient compared to those hatchlings that hadn’t even seen their 10th!

What she would give to see the golden silhouette of her mother, Sivarith, or gleaming metallic bronze of her father, Brath, break through the haze as they bellowed their joy at finding her. But that was not going to happen: it was all up to her to save Hers from this dusty grey fate of a slow, pain-filled death.

The currently olive-green dragon was curled up in her bed scratched out of the ash, her wing draped protectively over Hers- who was nestled gently between her arm and her side. Liirith could sense that Era’s forearm had finally healed- just as her own torn wing was finally mended again. That was good. It meant that they could finally put their energy towards escape. And her greatest fear was that she would not find the others before Hers succumbed to the weakness. But she would not allow that. She would see to it that Hers was safe.

______________________


Hours later, Eralynn woke up, her first view a palette of green as she was still being shielded by her beautiful and valiant Liirith.

“You are awake. Good. How are you feeling today, Mine? My wing is finally useable again.” Liirith demonstrated by painlessly folding back the wing that had been sheltering Eralynn, giving her the view of the still-grey world. Era furrowed her brow in response to Liirith’s question; how was her arm? Tentatively, the woman sat upright and began to take her makeshift splint off of the wounded arm. Once free, and realizing that there was no characteristic lightening-strike of agony, she slowly extended the arm, moving it back and forth at the elbow.

“It doesn’t hurt, my love!” Era exclaimed as a slight expression of joy spread gradually across her face. For the first time since that terrible day that they were caught in the turmoil…there was no pain in her left forearm. “And how good it is to know that you’re alright, Liirith! We’re okay!” Liirith made her pleasure known by allowing a low bugle to escape her throat, pleased that they were both alright. But there was no more food here to be found, and Hers was getting weaker by the hour.

“Mine, come. Get on my back- it is time to go from this place. Now that we are able, we need to leave.”

Looking up at Liirith, Era nodded her head slowly. She knew her dragon was right. Slowly rising to her feet, the woman made her way over to Liirith’s head and giving her soul-mate a fierce hug. They had to get through this. Eralynn then wearily climbed up onto her worn leather saddle-straps, carefully strapping herself in, knowing she was frail and could possibly lose consciousness.

With a quick look back to ensure Hers was secured, Liirith lept into the sky, wings beating eagerly as she carried them Eastward in hopes of finding the others.

_______________


However, a few candelmarks later of flying…and Liirith was dismayed at what she saw before her. As far as her sharp dragon eyes could see was water. Vast, unending water that was not possible to cross without knowing what was on the other side to between to. Eralynn was beside herself; the only thing she could do to comfort Liirith was to silently stroke her neck as she choked back tears of desperation.

Liirth did all she could do: land, emitting a mixture of angry bellows and depressed keening, furious once more at the Benden dragons who had forsaken her and Hers while beside herself- not knowing what else to do.

“How DARE you!!” was her only thought she screamed telepathically, broadcasting as loud and far as was possible for any dragon.

[Dragon Admin]

Dawn Strider Patrol

T’fon and Raarinth, Orla and Beth

The Weyrleader had sent them out on patrol towards Benden this time to take a look at their escape route and see if they could discover any survivors.

They had found the occasional holder or crafter attempting to survive but the last few weeks those had been few and far between. Therefore it was quite the surprise to Raarinth and Beth when they burst out of /between/ to hear the scream of a dragon mind.

Raarinth called out Where are you Liirith? We come. Then he informed his rider and began the steady strokes that would take him toward the beach. Beth and hers followed on their wing. Soon they were spiraling down toward the beach of the great sea.

The once beautiful green Raarinth remembered from their days at Benden was a shadow of her former self and an unflattering shade of green.

He crooned as he landed and approached. T’fon knew the presence of the dragon meant the rider was still living and he practically jumped from his seat when they touched the ground.

He and Orla ran toward the green pair but half way there T’fon told Orla to go back and get help. “Bring food and a healer” he said.

Orla immediately called Beth and ran back they way she’d come to launch into the air. She snapped /between/ and back to Dragon Weyr.

We have found Liirith and hers but they are not in good shape. We need help. She broadcast to the entire Weyr.

Meanwhile T’fon had reached the green and her rider. “Era,” he yelled frantically as he scrambled to her. “Era, oh shards Era! I can’t believe we found you after all this time.”

Tag Any

[Eralynn and Liirith]

Their last hope had been finding the others. And now it appeared that Maram’s group of survivors had been gone from this continent since that day well over four months ago. What had she expected? For them to have established a post in this forsaken land? No. Eralynn should have known better. Warm tears left lines of vastly contrasting pink skin compared to the rest of her dusty self as she caved in for the first time in her life. It had not been enough in life to have never had the joy of having a child of her own….no, now life was going to abandon her and her darling Liirith.

Now fully sobbing, Era shakily dismounted, nearly tripping if it had not been for Liirith propping her up with the tip of her tail. Once on the ground, she collapsed into a small mound, not knowing what else to do as her knees sank into the once lovely sands that were now mostly composed of ash. Looking out to the sea, Era quieted. It was half due to the fact that she didn’t have the strength to make any more noise, and half because a feeling of numbness had washed over her; leaving her feeling as if she was a ghost- not really here yet looking down on the situation from above.

Liirith was too distressed to hear Raarinth’s response, with all her attention focused on Hers. Keening, Liirith repeatedly tried to gently nudge Era out of her stupor with gentle touches from her head, but it was to no avail. The woman’s last reserves of strength had been used up, and she was now wasting away.

“Eramine! Look at me! Come back!” was the desperate cry of Liirith as Eralynn stared blankly out to sea, right before the woman passed out, her body shutting down all unnecessary functions to prolong life.

And that was when Liirith noticed the other two dragons, right as the other green blinked between back to the Weyr. As the Blue’s rider approached, Liirith recognized him as T’fon from Benden…which meant that the blue was Raarinth! Multifaceted eyes whirling to a multitude of colors at once, Liirith did something she had never done in all 17 turns of her life: she bespoke T’fon, deciding that she would not entrust Raarinth with what she had to say.

“T’fon, Mine needs to be back where the rest of the people have went. She needs to be there now, so why do you wait??? The short time between will be much better for her than this!” By the time she finished her words, her drab olive-green head was inches from his face- not in aggression, but in insistence. Hers needed attention, and she would always ensure she got that. Turning her attention to Raarinth, however, she was not so kind.

Hissing, she let out her rage on the unsuspecting male “YOU! You and all those who were with us so long ago should be ASHAMED!!! Look at Mine!! Do you see what this has done to her??? No one could have been bothered to come back for me with a ripped wing? Was I not worth the risk??? You should have at least gotten MINE!!!!! She deserved nothing of this, eating the putrid remains of ash-covered plants for this long!"

"If I were strong enough, I would have your hide! But I won’t because; of all bad luck- I NEED your help once again to get Eramine back. Will you at least redeem yourself and take her?” her words were sharp and scathing: full of all the rage she felt at all those that had done her and Hers wrong. Finished, she waited for both the Blue’s and his rider’s response, her eyes shifting to and fro.


Tag All, Anyone has permission to transport Era where they see fit.

[sorelle]

We have found Liirith and hers but they are not in good shape. We need help.

Sivarith's head jerked up, away from the playful scratch Sorelle was giving her and causing the woman to jump backwards.

"Liirith!" Sivarith unfurled her wings, but not before Sorelle climbed up onto her golden neck. "Not this time," Sorelle shouted. "This time you take me, too!" Sivarith grunted and focused on the image necessary to go /between/ to her daughter.

As they burst from /between/, Sorelle was shouting at Sivarith, who was already giving an odd mix of bugling and keening. The dragon was behaving erratically, and Sorelle then realized what the other riders had described when Sivarith had gone to rescue her other daughter.

Like a projectile, they dropped down from the sky to where a small gathering had collected. Even from their height, Sorelle could tell Liirith was undernourished. Landing nearby, Sivarith shook her massive head and snaked it forward toward her distraught daughter. The Queen had heard the words of her child as they had come from the cold world of /between/, the words of condemnation, disdain. "Hush, eggspawn," Sivarith commanded.

Sorelle ran over to Eralynn's prostrate form. Her nimble fingers felt over Era's face, feeling for life and finding it. "She needs a Healer," she said. Lifting her eyes to T'fon, she said, "take her. We will tend to the green." She smoothed some hair from Era's face, then turned as a rather disgusting sound filled the air.

Sivarith, in her mother's wisdom, had regurgitated a large beast, partially digested, in front of Liirith. "Eat, daughter," she ordered, "yours will need your strength when she is well."

Tag Era/Any

[Dragon Admin]

T’fon and Raarinth

“T’fon, Mine needs to be back where the rest of the people have went. She needs to be there now, so why do you wait??? The short time between will be much better for her than this!”

Beyond stunned by the female dragon speaking to him directly T'fon froze until she looked away.

She is very angry Tfonmine said Raarinth. "Yeah I got that." he said.

He got his arm around Era and was beginning to lift when suddenly Sivarith roared his lifemate.

He looked up to see a golden arrow coming at them faster than he could think.

Sorelle ran toward them and examined the green rider. "She needs a Healer," she said. Lifting her eyes to T'fon, she said, "take her. We will tend to the green."

He nodded "Yes Ma'am" he said, and scooped Era into his arms and ran as quickly as he could toward his Raarinth who crouched to help him mount.

He strapped himself in and Eva to himself befor they launched. The soared quickly to a medium height and he held the green rider to him as best as he could.

We'll get her to the healer. You come soon for yours Liirith. Bugled the blue before he snapped /between/.

Popping out over the weyrbowl three long breaths later, he bugled again and received an answering call from half a hundred dragon throats. Then he dropped toward the infirmary.

Orla was running out with the Master Healer when the touched down and trotted up. The blue crouched and many hands reached up to ease her down and carry her into the infirmary.

Watching the master healer he knew she was in good hands.

Tag Any

[Eralynn and Liirith]

Just as Liirith finished her tirade, a golden spark glimmered in the corner of her eye; and then she heard the mixture of joyous bugling and heartbroken keening. It was Sivarith! She had come to save her!

“Hush eggspawn”

The Queen was more beautiful in the contrasting bleak landscape, and seeing her mother, the once furious green quickly quieted, bowing her head in response and respect.

“I’m worried about Mine…” was all that she dared say to the commanding presence of the Gold that was nearly twice her size. Silently, she looked on as Sorelle gently examined Eralynn, waiting to see what the other humans would do.

She was relieved to see Hers get carried over to Raarinth- it meant that she would soon get the help she was denied for so long. Right before the blue went Between she heard his last words.

“We'll get her to the healer. You come soon for yours Liirith.”

“Thank you.” Was the only thing she could muster.

She sadly turned her head back to her mother, not knowing how to cope with hers being so far away for the first time in her life, when she was startled by Sivarith, as the gold made a noise she had not heard come from a healthy dragon before. Did the queen get sick from being on this bad continent already? However, that was fortunately not the case.

“Eat, daughter. Yours will need your strength when she is well.”

Liirith had been so preoccupied with Hers all these months that she had forgotten to realize how famished she was. How had she just flown for all those candlemarks in a row earlier today? She didn’t think twice about quickly eating what was offered. Once finished, she bowed again to her mother. “Thank you for that. When do I get to join Mine?”

Tag Sorelle/Sivarith

[sorelle]

Sorelle watched with morbid fascination as Liirith ate the partially digested beast. It was not something most had ever witnessed and Sorelle knew she needed to tell R'enh about it. "Nice trick," she said to Sivarith, who just gave her a smug look in return.

The green was obviously hungry and made short work of the animal. Sorelle just stood off to the side and watched, noting what parts the dragon favored and what parts she saved for last.

"This is the only time I'll not admonish you for overeating," she thought to the Queen.

“Thank you for that. When do I get to join Mine?”

"Examine Liirith's wing," Sivarith commanded Sorelle, who jumped to the task gladly. With a tentative hand, she ran her fingers over the wing. "It doesn't look broken," she reassured both. Stepping over a disembodied hoof, she climbed back onto Sivarith. "We will get you airborne and then quickly /between/." Sivarith rose up, ready to help the green stay aloft. "Be brave, daughter," she soothed, "you will soon be with yours."

Tag Liirith/End Sorelle/Sivarith

[Eralynn and Liirith]

As Sorelle readily hurried over to Liirith's left wing, the Green gladly stretched her malnourished olive-green wing out; allowing the Goldrider to trace her hands along the new flesh. The rip had been bad, but it had also been very long ago. 13 sevendays. The unluckiest sevendays of both her and Hers life. Now the rip was nothing more than a 3-foot span of shiny-smooth new tissue, but it was new tissue that had healed well and had left her pain-free.

However, no matter how well she had healed; she still needed help taking off. Her wing had been long out of use and the small bit of strength that she had had was drained during the long flight getting her Era to the coast. As her mother helped her to the sky, she allowed a bugle of joy to escape her throat. She would now be reunited with Hers.

And then, they vanished between, leaving her hellish prison behind for good.


End Era and Liirith- Moving to the Infirmary