Unexpected Arrival

[Deleted]

During White Sands' Thread fall...

---

The rush of cold air heralded the unexpected arrival. A screaming brown appeared above the waters of the ‘Lake, his tail and left flank torn open by a now-deceased Thread clump. Ice crystals from the freezing nothing of between formed briefly around the extensive injuries and melted just as quickly. Now ichor spilled over the ruined flesh, several layers of silvery muscle exposed from the disastrous injury. Despite his accurate jump, he appeared closer to the water than was safe, his lagging tail dragged through the water as he lost air.

Continuing forward enough to get himself and his rider safely to the shore, the brown dragon rumbled in anguish and plowed rather unexpectedly into the sandy bank. They slid leaving a runnel of sand and dirt in their wake as their momentum finally decreased enough for the brown to stop. His snout ran up against a pile of boulders, bruising it and momentarily knocking the wind out of him.

In his anguish and confusion, the brown rider projected the wrong Weyr, and wound up at Great Cliffs instead of his intended target. He stumbled and shook his head, pulling his rider’s helmet off as he did, revealing dark hair and a face familiar to any who had been in the Weyr two Turns before. A cut above his eye bled several gashes on his cheek and neck. However, for the most part he was unharmed by the crash. He coughed, shaking his head and looked around, his eyes full of confusion, the spell of memories still heavy upon him.

[Ampara]

Miranda and Neridath were often found at the lake when the weather was fair and their time free. The dragon loved the water, and her rider often joked that she was more suited to be a shipfish than a dragon. That day had been no exception to the rule, neither had it started off as anything exceptional until the unexpected arrival of injured dragon and rider.

She felt a strange shiver run up her spine the moment before they appeared, and once they had the only thing she could do is clap her hands over her ears and freeze, watching. Everything seemed to happen in a painful flash as her mind struggled to take in all that she saw. Neridath wailed in distress, but Miranda hushed her, telling her to get out of the lake, and got to her feet, feeling the slight impact tremors from the ground. This galvanized her, and she ran over praying that they were going to be okay. The rider at least was on his feet.

Neridath get...get... Her mind was flustered, and Miranda herself was a little shaky. She wasn't used to this kind of thing not at all.

Baizynth! She called, knowing who and what her rider meant though surely the whole weyr was up in arms already. He is very hurt. Neridath sat on the shore, watching her rider, still dripping.

It's going to be okay. She momentarily soothed Neridath, feeling her dragon's acute distress from the pain and anguish of the other dragon. They'd get things sorted out.

Miranda reached the rider slightly out of breath, noticing he seemed confused. She didn't know what to say. There were so many absurd things that she just wanted to blurt out, and he was bleeding.

"Just hang on. Help is on the way. I'm Miranda and you're at Great Cliffs Weyr." She dug in her pockets for a scrap of cloth or a handkerchief, but she didn't have anything handy to press against the wounds. He was standing though, but his dragon was in the worse shape.

She hadn't ever seen threadscore before, and so she had no idea what had happened. Miranda could guess of course, but she was too busy wringing her hands, waiting for other help to arrive.

"Just stay calm. Your dragon is really hurt, and if you panic he's going to be even more upset." She added, hoping to keep the rider's attention so he wouldn't freak out.

[ricci]

The pure luck it required for Kelynes to NOT be in the middle of Candidate or Apprentice duties was actually quite astounding. He had been enjoying his leisure time, somewhat absently wondering about the hubbub all about the Weyr. Clearly news of the unexpected Threadfall had reached his home from White Sands, as news travels quickly on Pern, but he knew it had little to do with him. Perhaps when there was Thread at Great Cliffs he would be of more use, though he was absently drilling himself on how to treat Threadscore, how to keep a dragon from losing too much ichor.

And then the screaming of a dragon burst overhead as Kelynes dipped his toes into the lake water.

Kelynes' head shot up as he looked to the sky in time to see the brown from the opposite side as Miranda would have. Already trained to an extent as both Healer and Dragon Healer, he was off in a sprint to reach the brown and his rider. Agile and quick, Kelyne's quickly arrived, ripping off his shirt and digging into his belt-pouch. "Miranda!" Kelynes called as he skidded to a stop. "I don't have enough for the dragon," he said, looking at the brown's injuries as he handed a jar of numbweed to the Weyrling. "For the rider!"

He turned to the rider briefly, "I am Kelynes, Apprentice Dragon Healer," he explained, hoping that would be enough. He still didn't have the bedside manners down to pat, and he likely would never be a well-liked Healer of any sort as he wadded up his shirt to use as a staunch for the dragon's massive injuries.

Without saying anything more, he was at the dragon's side, trying to remember his lessons. Oh Faranth, he hadn't gotten this far in his lessons! How to treat scoring on a dragon! He knew how to on a human, but so would Miranda, and the brownrider's injuries were absolutely minimal compared to the brown. At least he was on his feet. The best Kelynes could do was do his best to hold back the ichor that was spilling out.

"Call K'ivan!" Kelynes called back to Miranda belatedly, already after Neridath had done just that. He pressed the cloth of his shirt against the brown's wounds. "You'll be alright," he tried to tell the brown, but he just sounded more anxious than reassuring. Too cold to cheer anybody up. He had the brief thought that he could certainly get hurt trying to treat the dragon, but... what if he bled out before K'ivan and Baizynth arrived? Kelynes blinked at the enormity of the scoring, and tried not to panic.

[K'ivan]

In the middle of a nap and not actually at Great Cliffs, the bronze was unaware anything unusual happened until he heard his name shrieked at him by the young green. He snorted and shook his head, the intensity of the call ringing through his mind. I am here. He responded. Then the second phrase she said sunk into his mind. Who is hurt? Where are you? His eyes flashed red with alarm and he opened his wings, the last vestiges of sleep falling away as he sensed the rising panic in the young mind. Tell me where you are and who is injured or we cannot help. Surely if they were calling him a dragon was in danger.

K'iv-mine, there is a dragon that needs us.... Neridath says he is very hurt. Drawing his pale brows together into a scowl, K'ivan looked up from the conversation he was having. Who is it? I do not know. I asked Neridath. Hmm... we should get back to the Weyr. Get ready to leave Bai. Baizynth did not need words to acknowledge his rider. He merely sent his readiness and stood up. Languidly stretching, he shook out his hind quarters and arched his back like a great feline. His tail rose slightly, the truncated end flipping upward. Despite the urgency of the situation it would take K'ivan a few minutes to get to Baizynth.

Meanwhile, K'ivan turned to the person he was speaking with, the precious time they had managed to spend together and inclined his head as he stood up. "I have to go. Bai says a dragon needs our assistance at Great Cliffs." Aridron chirped a question.

The other looked at him, scowl matching K'ivan's. "Do you need help?" Skilled in the art of healing, his companion's Craft could prove useful. However, going to the Weyr might mean exposure.

K'ivan considered the matter then shook his head, giving the other a way. "No, we should be fine. If we need help, I'll call you." He scratched his fire-lizard's head and looked at the yellowish messenger in the eyes. "Listen to me Ari. Go find Kelynes. Remember him?" K'ivan gave the fire-lizard an image of Kelynes. Aridron chirped again, bobbing his head as he mimicked his rider's nod. Then he leaped off his perch and dropped into the air. As soon as he was air-borne, he vanished.

Giving a nod, the Healer reached a hand toward K'ivan. "Be safe."

K'ivan clasped wrists with his companion. "I will. Talk to you soon." They released their brief hand shake and K'ivan turned away. He jogged through the corridors toward the surface. When he emerged from the cave, he squinted in the brightness of the day's light. Finding himself in the early afternoon, a few hours after he had initially arrived there, he chided himself for staying so long. He turned right, jogging along the narrow path to reach the large ledge where Baizynth was pacing with nervous tension.

"All right, lets go." K'ivan said as he reached his dragon. Grasping on to Baizynth's riding straps, he pulled himself into the saddle. As he was getting the rest of his gear on, the bronze reached out to Neridath again. Neridath. Who is it that is injured? Where are you? Talk to the dragon and keep him... or her ... calm. Tell yours-not-mine to talk to the rider until we are there. K'iv-mine has sent for his apprentice. There will be someone with numbweed to help. Have yours-not-mine talk to the Rider and find a Healer. Since she had the presence of mind to call for him, Baizynth was by his words putting Neridath unofficially in charge of the situation until he got there. It was the only thing he could do because she was the only one who had contacted him.

Although K'ivan considered alerting Ampara, he wanted to find out what the situation was first. If it was just a minor injury and the young dragon was panicking then there was no reason to disturb the Weyrwoman. If it was something more serious, he could always have Baizynth contact Dysmeth.

[Deleted]

Even as Miranda and Kelynes rushed into the scene they would recognize the dark haired rider as one of those who had transferred as Candidates to White Sands, and stayed when they Impressed. This was Tejozel... now T'jozel.... in the confusion of his dragon's anguish he had brought them to his first home. As though to further prove his identity when Miranda came over, he turned toward the sound of her footsteps to reveal the shoulder with his riders' knots that held his riders' knots and it was easy to see by emblem and colors he was from White Sands.

There were noises he recognized, and smells that caught his attention. Then someone was talking to him but her voice was blurry and seemed in a hallway. How he had managed to regain his feet he wasn't sure. His leg hurt and so did his backside and his tail. "No, that's not right..." He murmured, only half aware of what was being said. The name of the Weyr finally sunk in. "Great.... Cliffs?" He said, a little uncertain.

Kelynes had the better view of the dragon's injuries. Even with a quick glance it was easy to see they were deep, the bared muscle making that obvious. The dragon wasn't moving but he was breathing as the heaving sides of his chest clearly indicated. In the crash he had sustained a few more scratches but they were minimal compared to the gaping wound in his left leg and the base of his tail. His shirt and quick thinking were enough to staunch the majority of the bleeding in the brown's leg although his tail still flowed freely as it was too high for Kelynes to reach easily.

Finally the rider registered another name that was called and he swung his head toward the caller's voice. The world was becoming more clear now, and the scene revealed itself to him as his vision shook off the last of the motes caused by the impact of the crash. He was still dizzy but managed to said. It was sheer fortunate for everyone involved that the rider wound up on the side opposite his dragon's injuries. As it was he could feel the unconscious state and intense pain of his dragon as his own as well as his own injuries.

Not being able to see the source of the second voice, he turned back toward the first. His hand went to the blood on his face. As he took a step toward her, the pain in his leg was too much, and it gave out. He stumbled forward but managed to catch him half by his own accord and half by reaching out to grab her. Hopefully she didn't move because surely that would cause him to crash into the ground. Finally regaining his balance. "Miranda? You... how'd we get here? What's wrong with Oriekanth? Ori...?" For the moment there was no panic in his voice, it was merely laced with confusion and a significant amount of distress.

[Ampara]

"Right," Miranda half-mumbled in response, fumbling with the jar and nearly dropping it. She briefly wondered if she was qualified to deal with this, but it wasn't as if she had much choice. The jar shook a little as her hands trembled, but she steadied herself gripping it perhaps a little too tightly.

"He's been called."

A brown dragon at the weyrlake. He came from between and crashed into the shore, but there is something much worse wrong with him. The rider is on his feet.[/color] Neridath answered, shuffling anxiously on the shore, wishing she could help more.

It took Miranda a few moments to recognize her former fellow candidate in his banged up condition, and he'd come from White Sands. Threadfall...were they due for thread? She wasn't sure.

"Yeah, Great Cliffs, the weyrlakes." Miranda said slowly, waiting for T'jozel to catch up with himself.

They are from White Sands. The dragon is Oriekanth. We will take care of them until you come, and we will try and find a healer.[/color] Neridath continued to feed Baizynth information as it came to her, and then she turned her attention to her fellow dragonkind as she'd been instructed.

Oriekanth? I am Neridath. You are hurt, try not to move. Help is coming, everything will be okay. Your rider is okay, and mine is speaking to him now.[/color]

Miranda didn't move, and reached out to steady him, letting go once he'd regained his balance. She kept an eye on him, fearing he'd give out all together.

"You came out of between over the weyrlakes and crashed." She licked her lips, not wanting to ask him if it was threadscore, fearing it would send him over the edge since he was confused and distressed.

"Listen," she looked him in the eye, hoping he was mostly together for the moment, "Oriekanth is really hurt, but it's really important that you stay calm. He's kind of out of it right now I think, but any minute he could be really in pain and really upset. You just have to stay with me here, and keep a level head. There's another dragonhealer on his way, and we're going to get Oriekanth sorted out."

Miranda tried her best to keep him calm and reassure him even though her own stomach was in knots. She didn't know what she was going to do if Oriekanth freaked out, and she didn't know if she could keep Neridath calm too if he did. Still lacking alternatives she ripped off part of the sleeve of her shirt to use to clear away the blood from T'jozel's face.

"Here, let me clean you up a bit until while the healer gets here." She reached out to dab at the cuts though he might not choose to hold still, or might prefer to do it himself.

"I have numbweed too."

[ricci]

It was terribly distressing to try and treat a creature that was so much larger than he was that he couldn't reach every injury. Kelynes had the pure luck, perhaps, that he did not know T'jozel and Oreikanth, having only arrived at the Weyr shortly before the most recent Weyrlings Impressed, for then he would truly be in a panic. Instead, the Apprentice — because an Apprentice before a Candidate in times like these — was beginning to calm down. He was settling into the rhythm of Healing, something he had watched his mother and his father do since he was an infant. There was a reason why if he had not switched Craft focus he would have likely Walked the tables early. Very early. He had been in training for fifteen turns already.

He wished he were taller as he pressed the cloth of his ruined shirt against the exposed muscle, but at least he was able to do this much. He didn't have the supplies to properly take care of this dragon. From diagrams he had seen, he could see clearly that this was not just any injury, this was the bite of Thread. He wasn't updated on the Thread schedule Pern-wide, so he wasn't aware that it had caught White Sands Weyr perhaps unprepared... though White Sands fighters were always ready to jump into a battle, it seemed.

"Stay with us," Kelynes muttered, looking to the air in hopes of seeing Baizynth with his ever-long tail appear overhead, and to appear quickly. If K'ivan arrived that second, he felt, the Master Dragon Healer would not arrive soon enough. This, he realized somewhere through the din of the shock of seeing a dragon so grievously injured, this was excellent training. But to be trained, he needed his Master... or else he would only fudge it up. With a situation like this, the Apprentice could not afford to make a mistake, so he just kept holding the cloth over the dragon's leg. There simply wasn't much else he could do.

One day, Kelynes would Impress a dragon, and then Kelynes would be able to drag around equipment everywhere, he thought as he looked to the sky again. As it was, Kelynes had his small belt pouch, which contained minimal amounts of numbweed and other extremely basic first aid pharmaceuticals. Very inconvenient, and for the most part, utterly useless.

[K'ivan]

If we cannot find a Healer we will summon the one from Crashing Seas. Baizynth responded to Neridath, impressed with her calm voice in such a situation. Perhaps she drew from her rider who never seemed phased by anything, she did hear all the dragons after all, and once she was used to that surely anything was possible. They were airborne now, Baizynth focusing on the coordinates of the Weyr. He envisioned them just as he received Neridath’s second message.

White Sands? That was unexpected. The name did not register in Baizynth’s mind. Though Great Cliffs had been apprised of those Candidates from their Weyr that had Impressed, and their dragon’s names and colors, K’ivan had not memorized them so neither of them recognized the brown’s name as anything but a White Sands dragonrider who had inexplicably arrived at their Weyr. You said something else is wrong with the dragon… with Oriekanth. What is it?

As though Kelynes looking up summoned them, dragon and rider appeared overhead. They were too far above for the blast of cold air that came with them from between to be felt. K’ivan coughed and shook his head as they paused to orient themselves. Baizynth jumped again. This time he appeared above the weyrlakes.

Thank you Neridath, you are being most helpful. Baizynth back winged and shifted his weight backward as he stretched out his legs to make the landing. Once he was on the ground, he folded his wings and shook himself. He kept clear of the injured dragon, once awakened the brown might begin to thrash if he was confused and Baizynth wanted to be well clear of that. Be sure to stay clear of Oriekanth, in case he awakens in a panic. He warned Neridath.

Oriekanth? Can you hear me? I am Baizynth, Great Cliffs’ healer. He considered himself a healer as much as his rider was, and since it made no sense for him to say he was a dragon-healer, when obviously he was a dragon and humans didn’t say they were human-healers, he simply introduced himself as a healer.

Surveying the situation briefly, K'ivan grimaced as he noted the copious ichor still oozing off the open wound. Though he saw the rider, Miranda had that well in hand. If she needed him, he'd be at the dragon and she knew that well enough. Once she had the rider settled, then K'ivan could enlist her aid as well. K’ivan slung his ever-present satchel over his shoulder as he hit the ground, and without missing a step he jogged over to Kelynes. The apprentice was not the only one who saw this as a learning and training opportunity. “Kelynes. Report. What happened here? What have you seen?” Though he was listening to Kelynes, his dark eyes scanned the dragon for other injuries aside from the obvious ones, perhaps one that was more grievous but harder to see, something Kelynes might not have noticed. The main problem was the dragon’s unconsciousness. It was unusual for a dragon, and K’ivan hoped he was only stunned. He tossed his satchel at Keylnes' feet. "There's more numbweed in there, clean clothes and other things. Get the numbweed and clothes out, leave the rest for now."

Assuming Kelynes was either going to follow him or just talk from where he was, K’ivan went up to examine Oriekanth’s head. The dragon’s hide was pale and grey-ish but that could easily be from the entire affair or the Threadscore. He was not bleeding from his head that was a good sign. K’ivan half-turned and looked to Kelynes to make eye contact with his apprentice as Kelynes made his report.

[Deleted]

Things were slowly being pieced together and the fugue of the flashback began to fade, leaving him with the reality that was the weyrlakes in Great Cliffs. He was unsure why he had come here, but was grateful they were alive. Except… his tail and back leg hurt again and he grimaced, trying to focus on the girl’s words and block out the pain. His training in these situations came to him, and T’jozel tried hard to remember what to do. Oh yes, don’t panic, stay focused on what others will say to help you and your dragon.

He looked up at Miranda, and a small smile threaded across his mouth as he recognized her. The cloth on his injuries helped him focus on the present again. He realized he didn’t remember actually giving the command to come here.

“Hi…Miranda” He said, somewhat awkwardly since she was in the middle of explaining what just happened. “Ori? Is he?” Turning his head, and breaking the eye contact, he looked to Oriekanth. Miranda’s words were distant but not completely inaudible. Stay calm… His breathing increased as he realized his dragon wasn’t moving. His dragon wasn’t moving… but he was still there. T’jozel could feel him. Oriekanth!

There were many calling his name. Many here and many elsewhere. He heard them call his name and slowly he drew himself out of the darkness that he had fallen into when he hit his head on the boulders. His head hurt, but it was hard so there was no damage, only scratches. It was his leg and tail that hurt. How they hurt! They hurt!

Every dragon who had called his name, from those at White Sands to those at Great Cliffs that were seeking to make sure Oriekanth was all right received the same reply. It hurts! He opened his eyes, revealing the yellow of anguish etched across the faceted depths and he lifted his head, raising his wings and tried to escape the pain. The unwary standing nearby might get showered with dirt, or worst hit with one of his wings as he spread them. One set of front claws reached out and dug into the ground as though he meant to rise to his feet. His tail lashed to one side, causing what Kelynes had managed to staunch to bleed freely again.

Foggy still though he was between his own recollections and Miranda’s gentle reminder, T’jozel forced himself to stay calm, well at least calm enough to try to get Oriekanth to calm down. As the power of his brown’s injury flooded his mind, he reached blindly out toward Miranda, pushing the cloth away, and gasped. Ori you have to be calm! Calm down or you can’t get any help… calm down… c’mon Ori… calm down. But T’jozel was barely holding it together himself, his words were simply not enough to console his dragon. “I… I’m trying, but he’s so…it hurts so much.”

The thrashing tired him out and Oriekanth collapsed back on the ground. However, he shot a warning growl toward K'ivan and Kelynes, the yellow intermingled with red as he dug his claws further into the ground.

[Ampara]

You are welcome, and I will be careful. She was in fact keeping a careful distance. The sight of Oriekanth was distressing to the young green, but hers was calm so she remained calm. All would be well if hers said so.

Miranda offered him a small encouraging smile, but it faded as T'jozel turned his head taking stock of the situation.

"He's going to be okay. He's hurt, but they're helping him." She told him quickly, thinking that it was going to be any moment when the enormity of the situation settled in on him. Miranda hoped he would be able to keep it together.

Though as Oriekanth's cry passed through her mind it almost took her breath away. She had been shutting out the pain, but that had caught her unawares. Miranda took a deep breath. It wouldn't do any good to let herself get caught up in the crisis either, unless of course she had to intercede.

She let him grab a hold of her, and she moved in to help him stay on his feet. The last thing she wanted was for him to pass out and take a hard fall. It would be best if they could keep him together for his dragon's sake. Maybe if she could get through to the brown then they'd be able to take care of each other.

"I know it does. Just stay with me T'jozel. I'm going to try and help, but just keep talking to me okay? Tell me about White Sands, do you know my brother Cl'fey?"

Alright Neridath help me talk to Oriekanth, but don't be frightened or upset. Let him know we're his friends.

Neridath drew herself up, having something to do made her feel a bit better.
Hello Oriekanth I'm Neridath. Mine wishes to speak to you. We are your friends and we want to help you.[/color] Miranda thought that was a good a start as any.

She took a deep breath, wiping her palm on her leggings as she psyched herself up, trying to go for soft yet firm in tone.
Oriekanth I need you to listen to me. I'm Miranda, and I know it hurts. It hurts a lot doesn't it? K'ivan and Kelynes... She paused, sending him a mental projection of the two people he was looking at. They can make the pain go away. You'll feel much better, and your rider hurts too. He'd feel better if you felt better.

Miranda wasn't entirely sure that Oriekanth would listen to her, but she was hoping that he would.

[ricci]

((Grrr, I wrote a post, but because it was before my turn, I saved it for later editing to include Miranda... I thought. -.- It's gone!))


What a relief! He had not immediately caught K'ivan's arrival, having looked away right before, but a moment later he'd looked up again, and from seemingly nowhere, Baizynth, with his tell-tale tail was overhead. As Baizynth landed, Kelynes was once again reminded that he should not be so close to Oriekanth, but with the terrible bleeding the dragon was experiencing, Kelynes could not justify backing away for his own sake.

Kelynes checked the bleeding as K'ivan came near. It was slowing, thickening it seemed, but the ichor still flowed some. And then, K'ivan welcomed Kelynes back into his area of expertise: the exercise of his mouth and mind, instead of his hands. That skill would be developed as Kelynes continued through the Craft, certainly, but as it was, Kelynes was very nearly useless, except that he was perhaps recklessly brave by his attempt to help Oriekanth.

"The brown appeared from between over the lake, crashing into it. He managed to drag himself and his rider to shore, but that likely used the remainder of his energy, and he may have hit his head, though I could not see from where I was. His injuries have the typical appearance of Threadscore, no traces remain, however. The rider has White Sands Weyr knot colours..." Kelynes paused to reach into the bag for Numbweed and the cloths. "I've been keeping the brown's leg-injury covered and have been applying pressure, I have not had the chance to look over the rest of him," Kelynes added as he followed K'ivan towards Oriekanth's head.

"His crash was violent, he may or may not have sustained additional injuries, I would expect broken bones in the wings, as well as potential internal bleeding caused from the excessive trauma he's experienced," Kelynes said. "I gave Miranda my jar of Numbweed for the rider, his injuries seem less extensive... He's still standing," Kelynes justified, though he sounded guilty for not having paid more mind to the brownrider. Still, Kelynes was a Dragonhealer now, not a human healer.

He backed up abruptly as the brown began to thrash. "Shards!" he managed, back-pedaling quickly, eyes immediately falling on the brown's hip area, where his tail was still bleeding, and where his leg had become worse once again. While before he had not been so concerned with his own safety, Oriekanth's low growl and the presence of angry fighting red in his many-faceted eyes made Kelynes not so sure this time.

He would follow his Master's lead, he decided, holding Numbweed and cloths at ready for use. He glanced over Oriekanth's neck at Miranda. It was the worst kept secret in the Weyr that Miranda could hear dragons — all of them. He could only hope that maybe with her gifts, that between Oriekanth's rider, Baizynth, Miranda's green (he couldn't remember her name for the life of him) and Miranda, that they would be able to calm Oriekanth into a treatable state of mind again.

[K'ivan]

((haha!! You asked about Cl'fey hahaha!! -coughs, dies- Ok, will post here soon. Its just really funny that you asked about Cl'fey. I mean, I know why you did, but eh, you'll see why or maybe you remember XD. Will post here soon! =) This is lots of fun ^^ Go apprentice power yay!))

[Ampara]

((Lol!! I totally forgot about that. Oh my...how awkward...well at least Miranda will have his mind off of his dragon, XD ))

[Zhaymaius / Rivos]

When the injured foreign dragon had made its crash landing at Great Cliffs, Zhaymaius had been practically all alone (sure, there were a couple of on-duty human Healers, but he was the only dragonhealer present at the cavern, which made the lad a little nervous). He was taking the time to reorganize the medicinal shelves for about the fifth time that sevenday (these caverns weren't a tranquil place, after all, and things got shuffled about quite frequently). He was beginning to see the payoffs of his Master's literacy lessons, as now the task of sorting was becoming easier since he could actually read most of the labels, and put a word to the name he knew. He picked up a vial, and read the label on it to himself in his mind: R.. ruh.. redwuh.. redwort! Obviously, there were still improvements to be made with his reading ability, but considering that, just mere sevendays and months ago, he was a teenager who had absolutely no ability to read or write!


The redwort went in its proper place, just in time for the young Dragonhealer apprentice to be swooped in on by his two firelizards, who seemed rather panicked, their eyes flaring with intense yellows! Zhaymaius jumped backwards, and quickly offered the chattering firelizards a place to roost on his arm; he winced as they dug their claws in. He was surprised by the vague images he received from them, but soon everything was making sense in the simplest of forms - there was an injured dragon, there, by the 'lakes.

Zhaymaius dismissed the firelizards as quickly as possible, before trying to figure out what to do next. Even if a fully stocked K'ivan and every one of his other apprentices were there, there probably wouldn't be enough stuff to help a dragon that was injured badly enough; better safe than sorry! The mute apprentice began gathering as many of the helpful supplies as he possibly could, trying to sort through what was good and what was not from what he remembered from his literacy lessons and his herbalism lessons.

By the time he was running out towards the scene, Zhaymaius looked like he had put on about a stone of weight because of all of the supplies he was carrying in bags, held tightly underneath his arms, or tied around his waist and shoulders. He slowed down as soon as he got within sight of the dragon, since he wasn't sure if he would be received well if he just ran up at full speed, especially by the patient.

As he arrived, he exhaustedly bowed to K'ivan, practically out of breath, but still ready to be put into action wherever he was needed.

[ricci]

((Yayyy supplies! :: cheers :: ))