Strange Arrival

Writers: AL, Ames, Miriah, Suzee
Date Posted: 27th June 2013

Characters: C'jex, J'ackt, Tavia, Vandor
Description: C'jex finds something strange on a sweepride
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 1, day 7 of Turn 7

J'ackt

Tavia

Vandor

C'jex was out on one of his usual sweeprides. It was his job to check that
all was well in the area and no Thread had gotten missed during the last
battle. All was well. In fact, this particular route was
typical calm and rather boring.

His favorite part was the brook, however. He and Ohoneth liked to stop
there and drink from the fresh water when they had time. Today,
however, he was already running behind. He had had to stop to check on a
strange clump of dead grass awhile back. Nothing out of the
ordinary, but it had put him behind schedule. He wasn't sure they
would have time to stop at the brook today.

As they neared it, he could smell the fresh water and hear the soft sounds
as it burbled over the rocks.

**Let's keep going Ohoneth. I'd like to get back at a reasonable time. We
can stop tomorrow,** C'jex told his rider. The blue grumbled a bit, liking
when they stopped.

Just as they were flying over, Ohoneth's head darted to the right. His
body tensed.

}:There is something down there. Someone.:{ C'jex leaned over the side of
the blue, trying to see what he could not.

**You're sure?** When Ohoneth affirmed it, C'jex ordered him to fly lower.
It could just be a passerby, but he had to make sure. They
circled back and flew a lower path._That_ was when his eyes spotted what
looked like a clump of clothes. And they weren't moving.

**Take us down,_NOW_,** he ordered and the blue obeyed immediately.
Ohoneth barely had time to land before C'jex was unbuckling himself and
sliding off. Pulling his knife from his belt just in case, he
approached the prone form.

"Hey, you okay?" He yelled out from a distance, glancing around to make
sure there weren't others who might mean him or Ohoneth harm.

There was no movement from the figure who lay in the mound and no
sound from the surrounding area except for the babbling of the little brook.

When he got no answer, C'jex moved forward cautiously. By the time he
stood over the man, for now he knew it was a man, he sensed no danger. His
knife was slid back into his belt and he knelt beside the figure. Reaching
out a hand, he felt heat emanating off the man's body.

**Shard it, he's ill,** C'jex thought. When the man still offered no
response C'jex gently turned him over and checked that he was actually
still breathing.

Jenackt flopped to his back, face crusted with drying mud, but he did not
wake. He was filthy; his clothing was torn and there were
scratches on his face and arms. Despite his fever, the visible skin was
pale and his breathing shallow.

Once he knew the man was alive and breathing, though clearly not well,
C'jex reached out to his blue, **Ohoneth, he needs medical care. Help me
get him on your back.** In a matter of moments Ohoneth had moved closer
and with his help C'jex got the figure buckled into the saddle with him.
He wrapped his arm around him and held tight. He could feel the intense
heat from the fever he clearly had even though some of his riding gear.

**Let's get him back, then we can finish our sweep,** and with that the
trio was in the air and heading as quickly as possible back to Dolphin
Cove.

When Ohoneth arrived, he quickly bugled a greeting and transmitted a
message that a healer was needed immediately. By the time they landed,
people had begun to gather to find out what was happening and to offer
whatever help they could.

It didn't take long for Vandor to receive the message that a healer was
needed. Word traveled fast in a Weyr, especially when a dragon was the
one that put others on alert. Someone rushed into the
infirmary and breathlessly gave Vandor a very vague idea of what was
happening. Since he didn't know what to expect, he grabbed a basic kit in
case he needed to stabilize the person before getting back to the
infirmary.

Tavia came running from the direction of her weyr when Sawauth
transmitted the message from Ohoneth. She saw Vandor ahead of her and
followed him toward the blue. She reached up to help support the young man
they pulled from Ohoneth's back as two apprentices arrived with the
stretcher. This kind of drill was all too familiar but this time it wasn't
a Threadscored rider they were pulling off the blue. "Where did you find
him," she asked C'jex.

"He was lying by the brook a few clicks away. I thought he was dead. He's
definitely feverish. I hope it's not contagious," C'jex had
allowed that thought to cross his mind, but he hadn't allowed it to stop
him from helping the man.

"He's not in a good way," C'jex added as he watched the healers start to
tend to the man.

Vandor took the man's pulse and then pried open his eyes to look into
them. "Yes, he does have a fever." Not that such a diagnosis was
difficult to make, one merely had to touch the man. "Has he been
unconscious the entire time or has he been awake at all? Has he said
anything?"

"Nope, he's not woken up at all," C'jex replied.

Tavia moved around the other side of the man on the stretcher as they
carried him toward the infirmary. With all the muck covering him it was
hard to tell his condition but she saw some badly tied cloth
around one thigh and when she tried to remove it the most horrible stench
arose. "Vandor," she said. "Badly infected thigh wound."

"Let's get him to the infirmary." Vandor gave his thanks to the
dragonrider and then motioned to the other healers who had caught up to
him and Tavia with a stretcher. The man was placed upon it and the
assistants began to quickly carry Janackt toward the infirmary with Vandor
close behind.

The jostling finally jarred Jenackt to open his eyes, but they were out of
focus; he immediately began to give weak struggles, his words incoherent
as his head lolled to the side.

C'jex had followed the others, offering help as he could. When the injured
man began to struggle, he placed a hand on his shoulder to try and help
keep him still.

Tavia walked next to the cot and tried to soothe the injured man when he
became conscious. "Hey hey, it's ok," she said in a calming tone. "You're
at the Weyr and we're going to fix you up. One of our riders found you and
brought you to the infirmary. You're going to be fine," she said smoothing
hair back with a gentle hand. They'd finally
reached the treatment room and with the help of the others got him on the
table.

"Alright folks," she said with a nurse's authority. "Let Vandor tend to
him." She opened her arms as if to sweep them back out the door.

C'jex did as Tavia asked, moving out of the way. His own gear was
covered in some of the blood that had seeped from the man's wounds. With a
final glance he made his way back to Ohoneth. They had a sweep ride to
finish, then he could tend to cleaning his gear and check on the status of
the man he'd found.

Vandor trusted Tavia. She would handle the people and then come back to
assist him. He, however, concentrated on the injured man. He would need
to tend to the worst wound first then worry about the others.

Jenackt didn't respond verbally to the words; his face betrayed a
fevered panic and his vague eyes were wild. But the pain and the fever
got the best of him and in short order, his eyes rolled back in his
head and he went still with a shudder.

Last updated on the July 1st 2013

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Strange Arrival