Inattention During Fall
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Avery
Date Posted: 3rd November 2017
Characters: Riveenata, Kapera, Ikara, Jevila
Description: Riveenata's attention isn't perfect during 'Fall.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 2, day 2 of Turn 9
Shards, but Riveenata *hated* being in the second wave of greens.
Flying the second half of Fall meant that she usually worked with the
Healers at the beginning, and then got pulled away from that when it was
time for the greens switch. It was a harder mental change in perspective
to go from healing to fighting. She much preferred flying the first half
of Threadfall, and then landing and letting Savith rest while she assisted
the Healers with their work.
She'd helped with two cases during this Fall, and had started offering to
help with an injured bluerider, but the Healer waved her off. "It'll be
changeover soon," the woman said. And she was right, she didn't want to be
elbows-deep in redwort and blood when the wing called for her.
So she'd gone and strapped Savith up, and now they sat with the other
greens in the Queen's Wing, waiting for their turn to be called into
Threadfall. She was thinking about the injured rider she'd seen earlier,
and how Cacira might lose her leg, and struggling to switch her mind back
into Threadfall duty.
}:Second wave, get ready,:{ Riyanth ordered the greens that were lined up.
}:We are going soon,:{ Savith told her rider. }:I need stone.:{
**Right. Focus,** Riveenata told herself. She took two deep breaths. Then
she began throwing firestone chunks into Savith's waiting mouth. Through
their bond she could feel the green's satisfaction as she chomped away at
the stone, pulverizing it to swallow to her flaming stomach and get ready
to let flame go.
}:Second wave, arrive now! Inverted V,:{ Riyanth told them, sending an
image of the formation pattern and the wing's location in the sky above
Topaz Seahold. The green dragons all rose off of the ground together, and
then blinked /between/ to the specified coordinates.
Savith arrived above the greenrider she was replacing and waited until
that green ducked down to fall out of position in the wing, then slipped
into position. Riyanth must have called the wing switch at a quiet time,
or perhaps the upper wings were doing an outstanding job, as there wasn't
any Thread to immediately react to.
But soon enough Thread trickled down that they had to fight it. The next
candlemark was full of flaming anything that fell into their range and
dodging any they couldn't get to twist. And eventually Riveenata noticed
the hand was hitting the bottom of the bag of firestone to resupply Savith
with. **Tell the weyrlingmasters we need a stone delivery!** she said.
Savith called it in and received back the notice they'd be getting stone
from Gulbeth. She was able to flame two more clumps, but the green felt
her flame reserves getting low.
}:Here,:{ Gulbeth told Savith, as her rider Jevila called out at the same
time.
Riveenata quickly looked up and to the sides to make sure that there was
no Thread in the way. When she had checked it was clear, she gave the hand
sign indicating she was ready for a catch.
But whether it was her and Savith not being in position for the pass, or
if the weyrling's throw wasn't strong enough, the first pass failed. The
sack fell short by half a dragonlength and plummeted past them towards the
beach below. The weyrling threw a second sack. This time the throw was too
strong, and the sack sailed clear over Savith's back without Riveenata
being able to get it.
**Shards,** Riveenata thought. They really needed that stone, Savith was
insistent on needing it now. She nudged Savith to shift herself out of
position and closer to the weyrling. Then she signaled for her to throw
again.
Fortunately, the third throw was better, and Riveenata caught it in her
right hand, bringing it around to secure it to Savith's straps. "And the
next," she called, knowing they needed two.
In her impatience for stone, she didn't look around to make sure the coast
was still clear, so she missed that there was a large clump above them
that had been missed by the mid-altitude wing, and it was heading directly
for the pair of green dragons.
Fortunately, the pair next to them spotted it in time. }:Gulbeth, Savith,
Thread above!:{ Narith called over to them, adjusting her position so she
could get it.
}:I have it,:{ Savith responded confidently to the other two greens. She
surged forward and up to flame the clump above them. But she'd run out of
enough firestone to make a solid flame, and while she spouted enough of it
for a tongue to reach the bottom of the tangle, it guttered before it
could burn the bulk of it, and the tangle continued to fall downwards.
Savith immediately flapped her wings to move backwards and up to get out
of the way of the falling mass. Narith swept in from the side, ready to
flame it as soon as the other dragons were clear.
But Gulbeth was also in its path, and the weyrling green and her rider
didn't have the reflexive habit of /between/ quite drilled into her. The
tangle fell squarely onto her back half. Both green and rider screamed in
pain, and Gulbeth disappeared /between/.
Riveenata had expected the other green to be able to avoid it, was frozen
in shock, hands out to catch the second sack that wasn't coming. **We
should have had that! Gulbeth shouldn't have been hit!** she thought.
It wasn't until a few heartbeats had passed, when no keening came, and she
realized that Gulbeth must have made it back to the Weyr safely - well, as
safely as they could have been, with a hit like that - that she could
breathe again.
In the moments when they were paralyzed, more Thread had fallen to their
spot. Narith had surged forward and flamed the next tangle that was in
their way, but that had taken her out of position for her own spot.
}:Savith, get back into position, chew your stone, flame!:{ Riyanth's
order was snapped into both the green and her rider's mind.
Riveenata began throwing stone into Savith's waiting mouth. The green
crunched it and soon she had flame to begin covering her spot again. The
shock had crystallized her mind and focus. Now they flamed their way
through the rest of the Threadfall without drifting out of position.
And they were busy enough with it that she didn't have time to worry about
Gulbeth and her rider - the pair _she'd_ been responsible for getting
Last updated on the November 7th 2017