Vimiath nosed at her rider, her mouth hanging open as she panted with such stress as she’d never felt before. Her dearest was somewhere far away, as if she had Faded, yet she was asleep… but also not asleep. And when the Beast attacked that girl… Vimiath had been there, in that distant place with Talela, wherever she was, in that moment.
When she heard Corymth’s voice, she clung to it, letting it ground her in the here. She is here, but she can’t hear me. She is not sleeping. I don’t understand.
All around her, she could feel the thoughts of her children. They were so precious, both to her and to Talela. As the Healers worked on the aged woman, Vimiath slowly backed away, unable to take her eyes off of the prone form of her dearest. She lay with her eggs, gathering them closely to her. She would let no more harm come to them.
Quote:
Just giving permission for the Healers to do their duties in whatever way seems appropriate – up to and including removing Tally from the sands/RP, as she is incapacitated for the time being. She may have bronchitis or even pneumonia, and possibly broken bones/ribs at this point.
tatterpixie
Posted: Thu Nov 09, 2017 8:00 pm
Shells, but R'mor couldn't believe what he was hearing. While some Touchings were a bit wild, and some Queen's cold be aggressive and intimidating, he'd never heard of one losing it quite so severely. His brows knit, and without thinking, he shrugged off his wherhide jacket, and draped it around the girl bundled in A'ral's arms. It wasn't a blanket, but it would have to suffice for now, and might at least provide some warmth, and perhaps, the sensation of security.
Junenth quietly informed his rider that Wrenth's was here. "We won't have to get far to get some help. Kutar," he half-turned, hoping to catch the woman's eye and summon her forward. His eyes drifted over Talela, who was still own, but with Vimiath returning to her eggs, it was clear she was at least stable. More Healers were streaming into the Hatching Grounds, which might make Vimiath uncomfortable.
I will ensure all are safe. The bronze spoke quietly, but firmly.
"This Canddate's in shock. There was an incident, and I think you're gong to do more good than we can right now. We can get her comfortable in the infirmary, but I think she'll nee your expertise." A glance at A'ral, and at the last Candidates retreating from the Sands. He doubted she' be the only one shaken by this experience -- had Vimiath really gone so far? Thank Faranth sh'd controlled herself -- or thank Faranth Talela had, even if it was at the last moment.
"A'ral, I'll take care of the rest here. Get the girl settled with Kutar, and take care of your Candidates. Junenth will keep Zinath informed if something else is needed."
Yours will be well, Vimiath. The Healers will help her. Junenth crooned encouragement at the gold, sending the queen comfort and assurance. While the bronze did not know what would happen, having a rider down could upset a dragon. A clutching queen could be even more unstable -- and potentially affect her unhatched children.
- - - -
Gr'del had almost moved to where one brat lingered by an egg, but thankfully, some girl had sense enough to drag the boy off. If he scowled at them as they passed, it couldn't be helped. Thankfully, none of the Candidates seemed to be misbehaving.
He did catch sight of a boy, half-stumbling on his way out. Striding over, he offered his support, so the stumbling man didn't have to go on alone. "You okay? I'm sure there are healers to spare out there. Best to get you there without breaking or bruising anything further."
He glanced back at he Sands, certain that the last of them were well on their way out.
Mine would like yours outside. He has a duty to help return ours back to the Weyr -- though there may be a few moments to calm nerves, and ensure none of ours are in need of immediate care. The brown dragon sent assurance to the other dragon. As sympathetic as he might be, they still had a job to do, and that was to bring theirs home. See if you can get him to come. Otherwise, Mine will return to fetch him. Siriath encouraged. Gr'del would make sure all of their people were herded back to the Weyr, together... and if that meant physically picking up a fellow brown rider, than so be it.
Aislin sighed heavily in relief when she felt the slow beat of the woman's pulse, conveying the same to the others there. She had a tendency to hone in on things when she was focusing, to the exclusion of all else, so if they had ordered the candidates off of the sands, honestly, she didn't even hear it. Not that she would have left even if she had.. at least not until she was directly ordered to by A'ral or a senior healer told her she could leave.
She nodded to Haukai when the older healer arrived, shifting over to the woman's side. She waited for her signal then turned her over with the others help. Now that there were several journeymen present, she leaned back on her heels, looking around for the first time as she waited for further instruction. The other candidates were clearing out of the sands and it occurred to her that she might be in trouble if she didn't leave with them. Still, she didn't want to leave if they might still need her help.
Posted: Thu Nov 09, 2017 8:49 pm
Jagmund
Jagmund lay in the hot sand, hurting. The physical pain of being battered by Vimiath's tail was one thing, but seeing Talela lying there - oh, thoughts of her when he was a small boy flickered through his mind - was more painful yet. Jagmund had never experienced loss in his life, so this feeling of something being ripped away from him hurt so much more than he would have expected.
His mind was vaguely aware of the Candidatemasters yelling for them to get off the sands, feet trampling around him, dragons and healers... But it wasn't until a blue fire lizard burst from between and shrieked did he make the effort to move. He gasped and scrambled gracelessly in the sand to his feet and grabbed the fire lizard in his arms, then jogged off the sands. And kept jogging for a while still, until he had almost reached the barracks. Then, he stopped, still holding his pet, and let out a quiet, vulnerable sob.
Kieza blinked through her pain as she walked with the rest of the Candidates, but paused when she noted one falter and stop, shoulders rising and falling in what she knew was emotional strife. Stroking Bug the flit softly on it's small head, she wandered toward the man - was he a man? He was older than she with flaming hair. A saddened frown pulled at her lips.
An ache caused her to pause for a second before finally coming up behind Jagmund. She reached out lightly with her hand and gently placed it on his arm, giving it a light squeeze so as to hopefully not startle him. "Do you know the Queenrider?" She murmured, her voice soft. She knew of Talela, but had never formally met her - to her own dismay. "The Healers are amazingly skilled, I am certain." She found her own green eyes tearing up a bit at watching another's emotion run from them.
Bug - her flit - took it upon herself to disengage from her hold on Kieza to wander up the girl's arm to rest lightly upon the man's shoulder, careful as to not upset the blue flit which rested in the man's arms. She let out a soft kreel, a small paw reaching out to touch the man's ear, as if to mimic Kieza's gesture of setting her hand upon the man's arm.
ChaosTheories
Posted: Fri Nov 10, 2017 6:38 am
Sinders Path
Though some of the eggs were nice, the touching had not exactly been as fun as she was hoping. Mostly it was scary and stressful and upsetting. The eggs were mean, or sad, or screaming at them. She already felt like a frayed nerve before the gold tried to eat someone. When the candidates were ordered off the sands, she didn't need to be told twice.
She walked out to where the riders are waiting to take them back to High Reaches. Going up to one of them, she fell wordlessly against L'rel's chest, wrapping her arms around his back with her face buried. She missed Vitre... She missed her dad... And dragons in Western tried to kill people. This was a mistake. "Can we go home?" she whispered.
L'rel stood outside with the rest of the high reaches riders, tense and expectant. The green rider now realized he had been incredibly foolish to think that the transport of candidates would be a simple matter. Even without the palpable tension that pulsed between high reaches and Western.
Devith his ever faithful green was beside herself, she had been reaching out to any and every dragon nearby that could provide her with information and reporting it back to L'rel. L'rel fund it hard to believe that a queen had attacked a candidate with such killing intent. But dragons didn't lie. And now the weyrwomen had collapsed. It booded ill for the hatching. L'rel's face was a etching of concern as he watched the candidates start to stream off the sands in various stages of distress, while above healers and dragons flew in.
Devith extended herself as far as she dared towards the sands, crooning a rich comforting sound at the youngsters and trying to admit as much warmth and comfort as she could manage to the ones most in need of it. Her eyes swirled, the comforting green and blues battling against the more alarmist yellow and grey. L'rel was quite sure it was the greens motherly invitations that drew a sudden candidate to them. He stiffened at the unexpected contact. But he was not a monster and he offered a soft, akward pat to her back. "Yes, " He replied simply. "I'll take you home now. And Devith says she won't anything else happen to you now."
The green curled her great head around as her rider spoke, bumping a soft gentle nose against the girls shoulder as she cooed contiuely and chuffed hot blasts of breath across her form.
Posted: Fri Nov 10, 2017 4:17 pm
~Phayton~
Before Phayton could go over to the fallen Talela, A'ral barked out the order for all Western Candidates to return to the barracks. "C'mon, Jailla," he sighed, taking her by the hand. It was then he realized that he had been hit pretty darn hard by Vimiath's tail; his side hurt when he took a deep breath, and he kind of ached all over. "Ooof."
Trudging as fast as he could manage over the sands, he joined the line of Candidates heading out of the Hatching Grounds. He spared one last look back at Vimiath and Tally, who was now surrounded by healers. Hopefully they would be able to make things right; he shuddered to think of what could happen if they didn't.
(Phayton out!)
*********
~Haukai~
Mine will take good care of her, Corymth said to Vimiath. Mine has handled many cases like this. She will help Yours get well.
Smoothing the sand off Talela's face, Haukai checked her pupils. Reactive bilaterally; that was a good sign. She then checked the goldrider's ribs from the front. "Might have a broken rib or two," she muttered. "Let's get her off the sands and to the Infirmary."
She poked Nora with her elbow. "You take her front, I'll get her lower half. We'll put her on Corymth, he's used to this." Standing, she moved to Talela's feet. "On my mark... One, two, three."
Andranis
tatterpixie
Tipsy Codger
Online
Shaddaling
Wrathful Shapeshifter
Offline
Posted: Fri Nov 10, 2017 4:27 pm
Masterharper
Rylyrr looked a bit blurry at Gr’del and thankfully took the offer support. “Bruised and slightly winded but mainly okay.” He wasn’t dead and nothing was broke… well he didn’t think it was broke. It just hurt. A lot. Short shallow breaths at the moment. “Probably, but ehh, think they are going to be busy.” He said slowly, pacing himself to keep from having to take a deep breath. This had been the most exciting and insane touching ever.
‘Of course,’ Ihiannsith responded and turned to his rider, relaying the information as he stretched and finally left the perch, winging of to the others. ‘He is coming.’ He twisted and landed a bit heavily besides the other riders and their dragons and huffed settling into the sands. ‘We wait, yes? Is everyone okay?’ He asked the fellow dragons nearby.
Aly’on hurried from the stands to the entrance, a flare of hair and limbs and quite muttering and slight huff of breath and perhaps a few less then proper words mixed in. He tossed up his hands, frustrated and reached the sands and the rest of the riders at the entrance. He moved forward, looking over the candidates and trying to figure out where his brother was.
Posted: Fri Nov 10, 2017 5:55 pm
Secure in the Candidatemaster's arms, Akaris' sobbing gradually lessened (or at least gave way to silent tears and intermittent shivers), while her face stayed firmly hidden for the comfort of blocking out reality, which for the moment was too much for the young woman to deal with. Words about her and all the rest of the mess were half-heard, not strictly paid attention to but a familiar, human white noise. The added weight and warmth draped about her was another tiny element of safety to latch on to.
Had she had any presence of mind, she'd have been horrified by any number of things, from the holes in her clothes, now covered by the Weyrleader's jacket, to the fact that so very many people had witnessed what had happened, and by the time dinner was done, rumor of what she'd done would spread and grow and change. But for now, she clung to the sound of real, human voices and the beat of a heart near her ear to drown out the raging snarl that echoed in her mind; and the weight of the wherhide jacket and the sensation of being gently rocked to push away the lingering press of fangs against her skin.
Mx Cherie
Masterharper
Meepfur Crew
Offline
Cheri
Vice Captain
Interstellar Pirate
Offline
Posted: Fri Nov 10, 2017 6:27 pm
A'ral walked across the sands, and like a wave breaking over the shore, calm followed in his wake. There is another frightened child, Junenth. We will need... fresh clothes. Warm clothes. Please have Nasath's sent to A'ral's office when we are finished acquiring those, and settling the Candidates. While Zinath had pity for Serfie's plight, A'iel had made a wrong choice, and he would face the consequences of that choice. The Candidatemaster had a lot to think about, and he expected that his orders would be obeyed. Wrenth, please have yours accompany mine back to the barracks. This one will need help. We will put her in the day bed in the guest room.
All remaining Candidates are to proceed out of the Hatching Grounds and return to either the barracks or the waiting High Reaches riders. Immediately.
Holding Akaris in the safety and warmth of his arms, A'ral let her nestle against him. His hold was a protective one, and it was certain that if anyone dared to speak ill of her they would have the Candidatemaster to answer to. But of course they knew how he felt about such behavior. Each Candidate's mistakes were their own. He did not care for the sort of snippy remarks that some tended to make when, especially given that none of his children had behaved perfectly. Clearly they needed to have a conversation about what making an example in front of High Reaches meant.
Masterharper
Meepfur
-_Wish of Tevarae_-
Posted: Fri Nov 10, 2017 6:27 pm
He was still a good distance away when the mayhem began, first the mental screaming, then the near Candidate bisection, and finally Talela falling to the sand like a sack of rocks. Oerlen pat at the Ghoul's shell when it leaned into him, his attention divided five different ways for a second or two while he tried to remain calm.
"Everything's okay. Everyone's going to be fine," he said, voice low. "I have to go, but I would stay if I could." He was fairly sure there would be no hiding from A'ral, and for once he didn't want to draw notice at all. "I'll see you at the hatching?" He hated how anxious he sounded, but he supposed now was not the time to give into vanity.
With last looks at each of the eggs he had touched and a glance for the woman he knew he hadn't the skill to help, Oer quickly made his way to the relative safety of the barracks.
The only answer to Akaris' words from Blundarth was a sad whine. He didn't understand this person and he was aware of that. Still, his first priority was his child and so he wrapped Mummy in a mental embrace in an attempt to soothe the young mind inside. The bronze wasn't one for retribution or payback, so once the threat to Mummy was lessened in his mind it didn't matter to him what became of Akaris. That would be the Candidatemaster's job he imagined.
It seemed though that not everyone saw the same. When Vimiath lunged Blundarth moved into a crouch. His tail curled wide around the eggs as a few rested under his body. Vimiath was so angry and she was doing what she had told Blundarth not to do. Confusion swirled in his mind as he pressed himself into the sand, he knew that Vimiath would never mean to hurt their eggs, but Talela was lying in the sand and he didn't know what to do. K'tor was rushing by, casting nervous glances at the fallen rider as he hurried to lay his hands on Blundarth's face. He caressed the unmarred side of the bronzes face silently. Their minds entwining together to provide support and stability. Talela was hurt, but there was nothing they could do. People were rushing, collapsing, leaving. Vimiath was now with her rider, but Blundarth still maintained his protective stance. He didn't think it was a good idea for the candidates to be here anymore, but that wasn't his call to make. He reached out to each egg in turn, gently wrapping the young mind up in a comforting embrace made of warm and love. Everything would be okay, little ones, it would become right.
His protective stance remained as people came and people went. It seemed to be in hand and Blundarth slowly felt the tension ease out of him. Nobody would intentionally hurt the eggs, he knew that, but the bronze wanted to be prepared should something unexpected happen again. Meanwhile he maintained contact with the clutch, working to ensure they all felt safe and loved as so many tumultuous minds filled the cavern. One egg in particular called back to him and Blundarth turned his head to cast and eye over Banshee. Oh no, no, sweet one. She wasn't gone. That much was true. From the logical part of their shared mind came that information. Talela was alive, even if she was injured, she was alive. Blundarth stretched out his snout, brushing against the egg and breathing warm air over Banshee. All would be well soon, little one, do not fear.
Vimiath was backing away, Blundarth moved as the gold gathered their eggs to her. He rumbled softly, lifting his head away from K'tor's hands. He slowly moved to her side, curling around both dragon and clutch, reaching out to the mother of the eggs with the same soothing warmth he had provided to them. He carefully arranged himself so that he was lying in a protective ring, his wings curved around Vimiath and their eggs. Nobody else would cause them upset today. The bronze broadcast the feeling of safety and security, attempting to lull the eggs into a slumber. The young minds had experienced so much, it would be best for them to sleep. A soft, faintly rhythmic, rumbled came from deep in his chest as he focused on the eggs.
Meepfur
Teiha
Posted: Sat Nov 11, 2017 7:54 pm
Mx Cherie
His hand slipped from Cesare's elbow as he nodded stoically. He looked to where the large dragon was huddled by her rider and his hand tightened on his arm again briefly before he let it go. That was close. His heart was still racing, his chest rising and falling from the speed at which he crossed the sands. He'd blocked numerous attempts on their lives over the turns, from assassins to kidnappers to common thugs. But he didn't think he'd ever let someone get as close to doing him harm as that gold could have been. If she had the means, or the mind.. How would he even have stopped her?
The clear answer was that he wouldn't, but already his mind was at work pondering similar situations and what he could do in the future. "I wasn't expecting that." he confessed. He wasn't beating himself up over it, however, just stating a fact. "Next time I'll be faster."
He was a little too shell shocked himself to think much beyond the fact that his friend was safe, so he was grateful for Cesare's leading hand guiding them away from the sands to where the candidatemaster had ordered them. "There are some characters among them to be sure." he said of the eggs, a bemused smile returning to his face. The prospect of their candidatemaster's wrath hardly phased him. Compared to what he'd been trained to face through the assassin hall, it couldn't possibly. "I'm curious to see them hatch." He had to recalibrate his thoughts on it somewhat, after today's demonstration, but already knew that hatchlings could be violent. He was already prepared to deal with that, if the need arose. Though after this touching, he'd started to think that the need would almost certainly arise.
Nebbi nodded against the man's chest, comforted by the hand on her back and the dragon's soothing presence. She wasn't going to cry, she was tougher than that (granted, she'd cried in front of a rider just six months previous, but she wasn't counting that one!), but she wasn't ready to pretend like everything was fine yet either.
Within her vast rumor mill, she'd heard stories about the politics between the two Weyrs, the ones that painted Western as something strange and unnatural, and the ones that painted High Reaches as the villains trying oppress them. She wasn't sure yet what she believed... All she knew was that, to her, High Reaches represented safety. They were the ones that protected her home and her family from falls. They were the people that saved their continent when thread returned. And she'd never met a High Reaches dragon she didn't like.
"I think I might have failed the Touching.." she said, not really comprehending that that wasn't how it worked. "Maybe I shouldn't come back?"
