Libertas Weyr

[Hockey]

Thread, Sanni! Sanni!

Devil dove at Sanni's face, who sat up suddenly. The red flitter quickly popped out of her way, not interested in getting hit with her human's head. What? That's not possible, Kelsyth. It just fell yesterday. She swatted at Devil, who had resumed her diving. And now you've upset Devil.

It is not impossible. Thread is falling right now over the cotholds, and if you don't get out of bed right now, Jath's will have both our hides.

"Shit." Sanni jumped out of bed, grabbing her wherhide gear out of her chest. "This doesn't make any sense," she muttered as she threw on her clothes. She pulled a comb roughly through her hair before braiding it tightly. Her gloves and helmet dropped to the floor as she threw on Kelsyth's harness. She had it cinched and buckled in no time at all. Stuffing her gloves into her belt and putting on her helmet, she climbed up Kelsyth's leg, and before she had a chance to get strapped in (which she need to do yet anyway), he dove off the ledge, landing seconds later in the Weyrbowl.

Right, here you go. She caught the first bag of 'stone thrown to her and began feeding it into Kelysth's mouth. As soon as he was ready, she strapped on the remaining bags and got herself secure. Now that she didn't need the same level of dexterity, she pulled on her gloves and gave Kelsyth the signal.

Let's go.

-------

"Oh for the love of..." D'stan's voice trailed off as he rolled quickly out of bed. "That doesn't make any sense."

Sensible or no, Thread is falling. Stop your complaining and get your gear on.

D'stan grumbled and pulled on his gear. As soon as Minuoth was harnessed, he climbed on and they headed for the 'Bowl. Hurry up, she complained as he grabbed a bag of firestone from a worried looking weyrling. She chewed the stone carefully but quickly as D'stan strapped the bags to her harness.

We're ready, he said, attaching the straps to his belt. Let's do this.

Minuoth launched herself into the air. They joined their wing in formation, ready to go between.

[Keeley]

Renata! Trianeth's curt voice startled her rider from her sleep and the woman's eyes flew open in surprise, her body tensing in alarm. Thread is falling. Hurry. Renata groaned, running a hand through her dark tangled hair as she sat up and forced herself out of bed. It was too early for thread to fall. It should have had the decency to at least wait until she and the other riders were awake. Not, of course, that she wasn't wide awake now. The word "thread" had done the job and she dressed in her gear as quickly as she could, braiding her hair back as she moved toward Trianeth.

Unlike some riders that morning, Renata didn't seem too flustered. Though, she never seemed flustered. She moved quickly and effieciently, but didn't rush or stumble through the process. She had done this too many times to do something stupid now. This was no time for stumbling or stupidity, after all. Classic Renata. Trianeth, too, seemed fairly calm - or as calm as one could be with thread falling. The only signs of agitation she showed were the impatient flexing her forepaws and the flicking her tail.

As soon as the midnight dragoness was ready, Renata climbed onto her back and they headed for the weyrbowl. She reached impatiently for the first bag of firestone she saw, glaring at the weyrling. "Hurry up!" The black chewed the stone Ren offered her quickly and soon the dark haired rider was strapping on the remaining bags.

Ready, Mine? Trianeth asked.

As always, my heart. Let's go. And with that that pair rose, soaring to join their wing.

[Mellody]

To arms! Mayhem dragons and riders, strapped and bagged immediately! Thread falls!

With this grand announcement, Mysaoth stood out on his ledge and roared with all his strength, doing his part to effectively wake the Weyr. Then he carefully grabbed his straps in his jaws and jumped down to the Bowl floor, where R'nianon ran to meet him, pulling on his jacket but entirely without his normal riding leathers. The straps were in place in record time, and he jumped on Mysaoth's back as the dragon took him back to their weyr to pick up the remaining supplies they needed. R'nianon took time enough only to pick up his goggles and the firestone sacks he kept ready for thread, before he went back out to join formation.

Mysaoth turned to accept the stone R'nianon threw to him, and ate quickly as the rest of the wing stumbled out. When at last a trickle of flame leaked from Mysaoth's teeth, he turned and prepared to take off. When the signal was given, they rose with the rest, and betweened to face the fall, and they all came upon a startling closeness of thread that had already started to eat the earth.

And the dragons fought thread.

[Mellody]

I'd like to take a moment to say that the following was entirely random, from who was hit to the severity of the attack. Blame fate, not me. But before you do, remember that there is only more to come.

A silver rain met the dragons as soon as they appeared from between, and they had barely time to take a breath before the first of the clumps were upon them. And as the first flames started to go, it was discovered that this fall was to be like the others. The thread was not willing to die as it had been. There would be heavy losses today.

A clump of thread fell unerringly over the red-green, uncaring of her color. It wasn't a very large clump, but it did not all fall easily to the flame as it should have. A strand made it through the firestorm and laced over D'stan's shoulder in a quick flash, leaving a shallow cut through the flesh from collar to shoulder blade before it continued to fall past the dragon pair.

Next to draw blood was Mysaoth. As the thread he flamed withered in the semblance of obedience, two rogue strands fell from elsewhere on their own, one lacing over the dragon's right shoulder, and the other skirting around the right side of his tail a third of the way down it's length. Both scores had time to approach depth before the dragon could escape between.

A smaller section of thread fell over Kelsyth, and this thread proved apt to the flame. Or mostly. Several slipped past to fall on to the lower wings, but one slipped by to brush over the dragon's left foreleg, leaving a small token on the red hide.

But the ride was not over yet. Thread fell on Trianeth, too, and as the dragon escaped harm, Renata was not so fortunate. Three small strands fell back toward the rider, one sneaking over her side, leaving a shallow row along the lower half of her chest on the left, doing very little damage. Another snaked around her right arm, leaving a crescent-shaped minor score on its side and up toward her shoulder. The third fell harmlessly below.

[kusuri]

G'lisu was jarred suddenly from his reading by a deep throated roar. An enormous pink-no,red head with a dark splotch-like marking, shoved into his weyr.Normally placid blue eyes raged orange and Makath brayed.

To the skies! Thread! Thread is falling!

What!? But its not time yet-

The wing leader calls! Get my harness and lets go! Our wingmates need us!

Gar scrambled to comply, grabbing the well oiled leather and slapping it on his enormous dragon. The amber eyed man snapped his goggled on and Makath was off, plummeting towards the 'stone stores. The Weyrlings were understaffed, so Gar had leap off his mount to grab bags and tie them on, then Makath launched.

They blinked out of Between in formation just as the wave hit. The brown sized Red was doing admirable. Not a scorch or score yet. But he could see his wing mates were not faring as well. With another great roar, the Red's long, bright flame seared a path.