Blooded

Writers: Heather, Yvonne
Date Posted: 30th April 2025

Characters: Ketlyn, K'lvin, Teigan, Rasme
Description: Ketlyn and Varinth face Thread.
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 5, day 8 of Turn 12

Teigan

Rasme

Varinth's wings sliced through the crackdust-laden air as they surged up through the Wing formations toward Skybroom Wing. **Fifth Nine, Third Trio,** she thought, searching through the falling dust for the dragons she was looking for. A brown and two greens. Deliver the firestone, go /between/ back to the Weyr for more. Next trio. Do it again.

}:I see them.:{ Varinth tilted her wings as she adjusted course, throwing Ketlyn against her riding straps.

The firestone bags were heavy in her arms and sat awkwardly where they were attached to Varinth's straps. Ketlyn ducked as burning embers showered around them and knocked harmlessly against her flight leathers. The roar of dragonflame sounded a bit like the sea.

Her ears popped. It was so cold up here, and she was _terrified_.

Varinth tucked her wings and rolled to avoid a large, half-charred clump of Thread as it passed near enough to them that Ketlyn could see it writhing. Bile rose in her throat--

}:Give me rock!:{ Varinth twisted her head toward her rider, her eyes whirling red with hatred and a primeval need to _destroy_. }:NOW!:{

**No! No flaming-- we need to get to the Eighth Nine, Third Trio--**

Varinth screamed. Pain sizzled along Ketlyn's skin and her back arched and they were /between/--

**VARINTH!**

}:I am here!:{ Varinth's mindvoice was as panicked as Ketlyn's. }:It _bit_ me!:{

Her mind flailed, trying to remember if she'd _remembered_ the Star Stones, had she thought of them before they'd gone /between/ or after? Was this three heartbeats or longer? Were they lost? They were LOST--

Light blinded her and Ketlyn sucked in a breath as she was thrown against her riding straps. Light glinted off water, the cliffside, bronze wings-- Varinth was wailing. They were falling.

Training took over. Ketlyn grabbed her straps and steadied her seat, shoving her terror behind mental walls to deal with later. **Varinth, open your wings!**

And-- Varinth snapped them open. Ketlyn's face met Varinth's neckridge and pain blew stars across her vision. She thrust it down, behind that mental wall. Took Varinth's pain too, and her dragon's terror. She could deal with that. **Varinth, fly!**

}:I am hurt!:{ Varinth's screeching was impossibly loud.

**Land first, then we will deal with it,** Ketlyn snapped. Behind her mental walls the terror grew. Varinth was hit by Thread, she was injured, she was going to bleed out and die--

The ground rushed to meet them. Varinth managed to get her feet beneath her as they landed, but the velocity of their fall made her stumble. Ketlyn was thrown like a rag-doll against her straps-- but Varinth didn't roll. She lay panting in the dirt as another dragon landed beside them. Xmrenth.

The weyrling groaned, tasting blood. She twisted in her seat and saw ichor across Varinth's flanks. **It's fine, you'll be fine--**

}:I _hurt_,:{ Varinth's mindvoice was raw-edged as she lifted her head to peer at her body. She folded her wings awkwardly and managed to get her legs beneath her.

**I know. We're safe. We're safe, Xmrenth and K'lvin are here, the dragonhealers will come soon--** Ketlyn tried to unbuckle her straps but her fingers were shaking too much. Red splattered across the sleeve of her riding jacket. **I'm bleeding.**

Someone was at her side, their hands dealing with the buckles that had foiled her. K'lvin. Ketlyn fumbled with the ones on her other thigh and let him help her from Varinth's back. Her legs hurt where the straps had bitten into her skin. Her face hurt. Faranth, _everything_ hurt.

"Easy, easy," K'lvin coaxed as he hauled himself partially onto Varinth so he could reach Ketlyln's straps. "I got you," he said, supporting her weight as he brought her down. There was so much blood smeared on her face that he couldn't tell at a glance where it was all coming from.

Another dragon landed daintily beside Varinth. }:I'll help you into the infirmary,:{ Piketh told the green, her head snaking around as she surveyed Varinth's body for injury. }:Scoring on the back,:{ she relayed to Rasme, who was jogging from the infirmary, wiping ichor smeared hands on her apron.

"Let me get you to the infirmary. Rasme and Piketh will see to Varinth," K'lvin said to Ketlyn.

"Sir, Varinth was-was Threadscored on her-- her back I think..." The world tilted. Ketlyn thought about puking, and it all went black.

}:She's okay,:{ Piketh soothed, her presencing oozing stability for the young green dragon.

K'lvin caught Ketlyn, sweeping her easily into his arms. "Rasme?"

"I've got Varinth. Go on," Rasme called, her one eye remained solely focused on the green as Piketh helped moved Varinth into the dragon infirmary.

The Weyrlingmaster half jogged, Ketlyn lolling against him as his boots tapped a sharp rhythm on the polished infirmary floor. "Teigan!"

The Master Healer left a patient he'd been attending to the journeywoman on hand as he heard his brother's voice. Seeing the unconscious girl in K'lvin's arms, Teigan gestured to one of the small trauma rooms, "Bring her here. This should bring her around," he said, waving a tiny vial beneath her nose. As she began to rouse, he began washing the blood from her face to assess the cause.

"No... Varinth-- no!" Ketlyn abruptly sat upright, flailing her arms as imaginary Thread tore her limb from limb. Her heart beat like a v-tol's wings and her mouth tasted of blood.

"Ketlyn," K'lvin called, trying to calm her down, even as he and Teigan both grabbed an arm to keep her from hurting herself.

"Your dragon is fine. Reach out to her and see," Teigan coaxed, even as he tried to make quick physical assessments.

Ketlyn's mind scrabbled toward Varinth's and they met and clung together, her vision blurring nauseatingly as both girl and dragon tried to see out to two sets of eyes simultaneously. She--they-- were safe, on the ground, there was no Thread-- relief her joints turned to water as pain hammered at her head and through Varinth's hide. Ketlyn gagged, then threw up on the healer before belatedly turning to puke over the side of the cot onto K'lvin's boots in a misguided attempt to avoid making a mess.

For Teigan, this was far from the first time he'd been puked up. "Ketlyn, I'm going to give you a dose of fellis and something for the nausea. It'll make you sleep for a little bit until they're done working with Varinth."

"Piketh and Xmrenth are with her," K'lvin assured the Weyrling. "She'll be fine and when you wake up things won't be so disorienting."

Teigan glanced at his older brother and smirked a little. "You look a little green around the gills there, Weyrlingmaster."

"Shuddup," K'lvin gritted out. Blood? No problem. Oozing boils? Sure. But vomit? Ugh.

A journeywoman appeared at Teigan's elbow with the requested fellis and lavender tea.

"Here we go. Fellis to help you sleep, and lavender to help with the vomiting." Teigan held the small wooden cup toward Ketlyn's mouth.

She took the cup with shaking hands and sipped, hoping that it wouldn't come up again. "I'm sorry I failed."

"You didn't fail," K'lvin assured her. "You survived."

Last updated on the May 1st 2025

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Blooded