A Glowing Interruption

Writers: Avery, Suzee
Date Posted: 13th October 2014

Characters: Cyradis, Kapera, Ikalis
Description: A routine meeting is interrupted by a goldflight.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 9, day 18 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentioned: N'vanik, Meledei, J'nus

Cyradis

Kapera

Cyradis had a weekly meeting scheduled with her 'second and expected
Kapera any time. But today, she had plans to discuss her return to
leading the wing. Kapera had done a good job at a stressful time and
Cyradis had high hopes for the younger woman.

Kapera held the door for Ikalis as the caverns worker brought the tray
in. Ikalis set a little table and poured drinks for the goldriders,
then retreated partway down the corridor, trusting that a dragon would
reach Wavecrest if they needed her.

"How are you feeling today?" Kapera asked after drinking from her klah.

"Very well actually," Cyradis replied and took a small pastry from the
tray Ikalis had brought. "Is it fair to say I'm feeling cooped up?"
For an active person the enforced rest had not been a picnic.

"I understand that," Kapera said, a strong undercurrent of sympathy in
her voice. She'd hated it. She imagined Cyradis must have as well.
"Especially with the bedrest, that must have made it worse. Have the
healers cleared you to fly on Panitath?"

"Limited," she said. "I'm not supposed to be swinging a flamethrower
yet, but at least I can groom her and put on my own straps."

"Are you looking forward to flying again?" She was torn between
empathy for that desire and a sudden feeling of wanting to keep
leading the wing, just for a little bit longer. Funny, that, when
she'd been so afraid the first time that she was going to ruin it.

Outside on her own weyr ledge, Riyanth's tailtip twitched once.

"I am," she smiled. "It's been awhile since I've had the wind in my
hair." Panitath grumbled from the heights where she normally watched
her Weyr.

"Will you want to go back to leading drills immediately?" Kapera knew
sometimes flying in them before jumping back to leadership was preferred,
while other riders - usually stupid bronzers, she thought with a quick
flash - wanted to be right back in the thick of it.

"No not immediately," Cyradis shook her head. "I would need to work
back up and learn anything you've taught them while you've been
leading the wing. They're a smart bunch but with all the injuries and
trade outs, we need consistency." She smiled. "you know what I mean."

A surprisingly large part of Kapera felt pleased by that, possessive even.
Flying at the head of her wing had felt right. She shook her head
slightly, questioning that - it wasn't her wing...

"You've done an excellent job with them," she demurred. "I'm impressed by
some of the formation patterns in place, I think it accounts for the
injured better. The only thing I've done is tried to reduce the demands
made of greens because so many of those are in because of pregnancies.
The blues are still agile enough to make up the slack. Wish we could
poach a few from the higher wings, maybe at the weyrling graduation?"

"Perhaps I can talk N'vanik into giving us first pick," Cyradis smiled.

"I think that would be nice," she said with a conspiratorial return smile.

"Whatever is that ruckus?" Cyradis stood and walked toward the
weyrbowl entrance.

Kapera didn't answer for a moment. It felt warm in here... "I don't know,"
she said after a moment.

}:But they're mine!:{ Panitath screeched on the heights.

Cyradis looked out to see several bronzes blooding kills. Shading her
eyes she looked up at her lifemates perpetual perch and saw the flared
and defiant wings. **Get down here this instant,** she commanded in a
tone not to be ignored at the gold's peril.

"Kapera?" She whirled to look at the other gold rider. "Is..."

She'd wanted so much for her gold to rise, and imagined it, and hoped that
it would happen. J'nus had given her some hope for it. But now as the
sudden swamp of feelings rushed through her, she felt paralyzed by shock.
Now, so soon? She hadn't felt proddy, but there was

"I think Riyanth's rising," she said after a moment. The screech of the
senior gold and the rough response of a bronze was unmistakable. "You
have to go. I have to get her." She shivered suddenly, trying to remember
her training when it had been so long.

Cyradis saw the uncertainty and took a moment to put her hands on the
younger woman's shoulders. "You've got this," intense black eyes
burned into Kaperas. "Alright, " she patted one shoulder. "I'll go
warn Meledei, you keep her from gorging. She'll fly nice and high and
choose well."

Cyradis dodged around her and then down the hall til she saw Ikalis.
"Tell Meledei she has to get out of here. Riyanth's rising. You'll
have to go back and watch Kendran. I've got to go too." She ran back
toward her weyr.

The touch of the older goldrider brought confidence back to Kapera, who
nodded and straightened her shoulders. She could handle this. She'd have
an amazing flight and show everyone a solidly size clutch. She backed out
of the office and headed for the bowl so she could see her gold.

Ikalis had expected a bit longer of a wait before being called and so was
leaning against the wall idly when Cyradis showed up and told her what was
going on. A gold was rising, and the others still here?

"I'll watch him until you get back," the caverns worker promised Cyradis.

Privately, Ikalis thought that the dragons waiting outside were making
enough noise that Meledei should know by now, but she
nevertheless scribbled "GO" on a piece of hide and attached it to
Wavecrest. She concentrated and sent him the image of Meledei and a burst
of urgency. The blue's eyes where whirling in acknowledgement of the
feelings in the air, so his departure /between/ was rapid.

Then Ikalis headed off to watch the baby. It wasn't a bad chore, really...
she'd just have to cope with the flight feelings in her own way.

Cyradis ran to her ledge, quickly throwing on her jacket, the minimal
straps and scrambling up into her seat while Panitath fretted. "Up!"
She shouted and they rose out of the bowl of Dolphin Cove. }:But
they're my bronzes,:{ the angry queen squealed in protest. Cyradis
clamped down on her with all the force of her will and pictured the
beauty of Emerald Falls. **Not today! Go now,** she commanded. They
vanished from the late afternoon sunlight of the Weyr.

Kapera arrived outside in time to see the other gold spiral to the sky and
leave. She heaved a sigh of relief at that - nobody wanted a queen fight -
and looked at Riyanth on the weyr ledge. The gold lay as though still
asleep, but she could feel that she would wake any second.

Last updated on the November 16th 2014

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A Glowing Interruption