He’s dead!! Katzeth wailed, bespeaking the entire room in his desperation. No!! Bring him back!! The bronze weyrling was wailing and thrashing about the room. Considering the room was about 40 or 50 feet long and the weyrling was a healthy 25, this was causing many problems. Rider-mine!!! Katzeth bugled loudly, sharing his grief with the Weyr.
A’dric was lying motionless in a bed in the healer’s room, with three people huddled over him. The Weyr Healer was trying to assess the weyrling bronzerider. Weyrlingmaster Roki was trying to protect A’dric from the various objects that were being violently displaced by Katzeth. Weyrleader M’slin was swearing fluently and attempting to figure out what the hell was going on. "Is he alive?" M’slin had phrased the question more appropriately once or twice, but as the Weyr Healer couldn’t hear him over the dragon, the Weyrleader figured a more vocal request was required.
The Weyr Healer looked up and nodded, knowing that her softer voice would be completely drowned out by Katzeth.
M’slin turned to Roki and put a hand on her arm. "Shut that thing up!!"
The Weyrling Master nodded and, with the help of her lifemate, managed to keep Katzeth’s wailing to telepathic murmurs and the occasional whimper. Despite her urgings, the weyrling refused to leave the cavern. Roki sighed, rolled her eyes and shrugged.
M’slin, now no longer in fear of his life, turned his attention back to the Weyr Healer. "What’s wrong with him?"
In the short period of time his attention had been diverted, the Weyr Healer had managed to strip A’dric to his waist and apply some awful smelling ointment to his obviously bruised chest. She was busy examining his head when the question was asked. "He’s got a rather bad bruise on his chest, broke two ribs, and I’m pretty sure he has a concussion, though I’ll have to get some of this hair out of the way to be sure."
"He’ll live?" M’slin glared at the weyrling bronze as Katzeth seemed inclined to begin his wailing again.
"Definitely. Just got a bad knock. What happened to him?" The Weyr Healer got a pair of scissors and began to clip away most of A’dric’s beautiful, long red hair. M’slin couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for the young man. He didn’t know the weyrling rider personally, but he knew he’d be pissed if he woke up scalped.
Roki had Eyotath explain to Katzeth that A’dric would be fine as she explained what had happened to the Weyr Healer and Weyrleader. "We were practising the firestone toss, and I told them to see if they could speed it up a bit." Roki paused attempting to think of a tactful way to phrase the next sentence. "They couldn’t. He smacked his head off the ground." She cringed, remembering the sound of his skull smacking the rock. "It sounded like he broke his neck." Katzeth squealed and the three conscious occupants of the room cringed. "Sounded like!!! Sounded like!! Believe me Katzeth he didn’t!!"
"He does have a concussion." The Weyr Healer shook her head as she probed the area. "I have no idea how long he’ll be out."
He’s never going to wake up!! I’m too young to be left alone!!! I’m... Katzeth proved that he did possess some desire for self-preservation as wisely trailed off when he saw the look on the Weyrleader’s face.
Roki smiled. She’d heard it rumoured that M’slin’s temper rivalled an angry dragon’s, but know she had proof. "I’ll round up somebody to take care of Katzeth if he’s planning on taking an extended nap. Other then that, I think our job here is done." She looked to the Weyr Healer for confirmation.
"I’ll send word if his condition changes." She was wrapping the weyrling’s head with gauze. "He’s a tough young man. He’ll probably be up and about in a few hours."
M’slin examined the young rider’s face again. He looked familiar, but then again M’slin had met all the candidates at one point in time, he just didn’t remember them. With a shrug, he left the healer to her business.
* * * "Magika!!"
At the sound of her name, the Weyrwoman cringed. Media’s voice thundered in her ears, louder than any dragon roar. She put her hands over her ears and shut her eyes, praying that whatever problem the Headwoman had could be resolved without her. Unfortunately, Magika’s luck was running thin.
"Weyrwoman!! Where are you?" Media was getting closer and closer to Magika’s ‘office’, and the Weyrwoman was considering a mad dash out the window to her weyr when the Headwoman appeared in the doorway. "There you are!! I’ve got news!" The elder woman bustled in, eager to share her gossip.
Magika gave the woman a look that told her exactly what would happen if this didn’t have a very good point.
Media clucked her tongue when she saw her leader’s face. "You look awful!" The Headwoman probably could have phrased her statement more tactfully, but definitely not more truthfully.
Magika moaned and put her head down again. Her hair was unwashed and uncombed, her eyes were red from lack of sleep, and one of them was beginning to turn a multitude of shades of blue and black. Media safely assumed she’d spent whatever part of the night she’d actually been asleep in her chair at her desk as the woman was obviously stiff. The half-grumpy, half-pathetic look on her face didn’t help either.
Media clucked her tongue again. "You’re hung over, aren’t you?"
Magika rolled her eyes. "I wish." Magika stared at the ceiling, uttering the closest thing to a prayer that ever escaped her list. "God I wish!"
Media placed her hand on her hips and waited for the explanation. She wasn’t amazingly surprised that Magika was injured after returning from Mystic’s Warren, Magika’s sole purpose when she visited her friend seemed to be getting herself either drunk or dead. "Friend or foe?"
Magika just collapsed back in the chair. "Unknown. Kiara’s got to get a bouncer." Magika sighed. "You had news."
Media quickly dropped the subject, the pleasure of conveying her message returned and she manoeuvred herself through the mess to the Weyrwoman. "Mala just heard from Seiryuu Weyr, and she told me to tell you..."
Magika began to tune out the Headwoman’s introductory speech. Getting any news from Media, one first had to sit through the list of people who already knew and the list of people who should know shortly. Touching her sore eye tenderly, praying it wasn’t going to swell anymore, Magika waited for Media to get to the actual news.
"And so of course Mala would hear first, as her and A’dric were so close. That’s who it’s about you know, that young artist whose ‘cat’ is still terrorizing the Weyr. You know he impressed bronze, he’ll make a good addition to our wings if he decides to come back, and he will because you know he’s still in love with Mala. I’ve been telling her that ever since she left and have even convinced her to visit him once or twice, but not too much or he won’t miss Adanuk enough to come back, just enough so he keeps up his interest in our Assistant Headwoman. Such a darling couple." Media actually paused in her rant to sigh. If there was one thing the Headwoman liked more than gossip, it was getting to interfere with young lovers.
Magika was beginning to think Media would never get to any relevant information, and tried her best to look interested. She leaned back in her chair, groaning as she straightened her back.
Media, caught up in her story didn’t even notice. "It’s really too bad he’s dead."
Magika fell backwards off the chair, sending a pile of books toppling off her desk to land scattered on the floor. "What?!?" Magika pulled herself to her feet using the desk, she’d now twisted her ankle to boot.
"Well, not dead." Media felt a twinge of guilt for causing the injured woman more pain, but all in all was pleased with the effect her words had. "Look, you’ve hurt yourself worse now. I’m taking you to Celeste right now." Media entered mothering mode quickly and forced Magika to lean on her. "Not too quickly now, don’t put any pressure on it."
"Ah!" Magika gasped in pain. In her struggle to free herself she’d knocked her sore ankle against the fallen chair. She wisely realised it would be much quicker, and less painful, if she just let the Headwoman win. "Is he dead or not?" She asked as Media started them off towards the healing weyr.
"Not dead. Sorry to scare you like that. But he’s dying." Media shook her head sadly. "It’s really too bad for Mala."
Magika sighed heavily, momentarily forgetting her pain in pity. "Weryling bronzerider." She shook her head as she limped down the hall. "Too bad for everyone."
* * * "He’s perfectly stable!" The Weyr Healer at Seiryuu was getting a little frustrated with the inquires after A’dric’s health. If she ever found out who started the rumour that he was dying she’d make sure they regretted it. The thought quickly left her mind as she realized his original condition had been broadcast to the entire Weyr by the distressed Katzeth. She knew where the fault lie and couldn’t blame the dragon for being upset. "He’s just unconscious, not dead, not dying. It’ll just take time for his body to heal and then he’ll wake up."
Mala exhaled a breath she felt like she’d been holding since the flit from Weyrleader M’slin had arrived. He had finally remembered where he’s seen A’dric before, a giant feline isn’t something you forget easily. He’d sent word to Adanuk, in case they’d been planning on sending the giant cat to visit it’s master any time soon. As Mala was taking care of Sarusur, the letter went to her. She closed her eyes and took another deep breath, exhaling slowly, trying to still her rapidly beating heart. She placed her hand on Sarusar’s head, letting the big cat, who’d picked up on Mala’s panic and had been nervous and skittery ever since they arrived at Seiryuu, know that everything was going to be alright. M’slin, who was giving the giant feline a wide berth, wasn’t finding the irony that his letter asking the cat not to come was the reason the cat was here very amusing. Quachir hid a grin when she heard, but left the situation in M’slin’s hands. After all, he knew these people better than she did.
"May we see him?" Mala kept her hand on Sarusur’s head, letting the Healer know what she meant by ‘we’.
The healer looked to M’slin, who threw his hands in the air in defeat. "Why not?"
Mala almost smiled, but the gravity of the situation prevented it. "Thank you." She entered the room with a shiver. Now that she knew he was alive, she wasn’t sure if she should be here. He might think her a foolish lovesick girl. In fact she hadn’t planned on visiting, but Media was oddly persistent that she go. No one stood up to Media’s pestering for long.
Mala’s breath caught in her throat when she saw A’dric lying in the bed. He seemed to be thinner than he was before, if that was possible, and he was as white as the sheets around him. He had been unconscious long enough for his ribs to heal, and the bandages were off his torso. The bandages were still around his head, strictly because he was unconscious. There was nothing physically wrong with him anymore, at least nothing the Healer could see. She assumed it was internal, perhaps in the brain, and figured it would best be left to heal itself. The bandages were therefore probably not needed, but they didn’t hurt either.
"Ser." Mala’s voice caught in her throat as she approached him. "Ser..." She hung her head for a moment, wondering what would be appropriate to say, or even if anything was appropriate to say. Her hand slipped from Sarusur’s head to hang limply at her side. "Ser."
M’slin, feeling a little uncomfortable to witness this reunion, touched the healer’s arm and motioned that they should leave. She nodded and they turned to go.
"SAR!!!" With Mala’s desperate scream, they whirled around. "NO!"
Seeing his master at last, the big cat was only too happy to greet him.
* * * A’dric was drowning. Somehow he knew it would always end this way. From the first time the sea had tried to claim him, he knew that eventually it would claim him. He thought he’d come to terms with the water, but obviously it hadn’t come to terms with him. And here it was, at the end, dragging him down, keeping him under. He had to breathe, his lungs burned, but if he inhaled he’d get no air, no prolonging of life, just water. Dark, deep, water. He felt himself losing consciousness, he felt himself dying. Mentally he called for Katzeth, for Sarusar, for Mala, for anyone. But no one answered, no one was near. He was drowning alone. In the dark he prepared to die.
"Thread take you Aseradric!!! Breathe!!"
Whether it was the words, or just the shock of hearing Mala’s voice, A’dric never knew. He did know that whatever the cause, he inhaled quickly.....and then exhaled coughing. Amazed that he could seemingly now breathe water, he inhaled again....and again. Apparently he wasn’t dying. Moaning he opened his eyes, wondering what was going on.
"Ser!" Mala threw her arms around him, overjoyed to see him awake. "You’re alive."
Still a little groggy and a lot confused, A’dric only nodded. Katzeth? He couldn’t see his lifemate, in fact he couldn’t see anything but Mala’s hair, but he could feel the dragon near by. What’s going on?
The bronze weryling dragon bugled loudly, alerting everyone that everything was okay now. His eyes were whirling a deep blue so fast that it made anyone who looked at him dizzy. You’re alive!!
I gathered that.... A’dric tried to figure out what the last thing he remembered was, but it had been knocked out of his mind by the terror of drowning.
I was so worried!! I am so glad!!! Come see me now!! I’m too big to fit in the room anymore! Katzeth was debated attempting the tight squeeze anyways.
Not sure why Katzeth wouldn’t fit in the room, considering last time he’d seen his lifemate he would have been fine if he’d sat still, A’dric untangled himself from Mala and a strange woman he assumed was a Healer. He attempted to get to his feet, but he was weaker than he remembered as Mala easily over-powered him.
She acknowledged this fact with a smile. "Stay. Don’t move to quickly. You’ve got to let the healer take care of you."
A’dric attempted to avoid the healer’s hands, but was unsuccessful. "I’m fine!" At these first words, the healer momentarily stopped, pleasantly surprised that he did indeed seem fine. "I’m out of the water now!"
At this odd utterance the two woman looked at each other and then back at him. "What?" Mala finally asked.
"I was drowning." He clarified. Seeing the looks he was getting he suddenly lost his confidence. "Wasn’t I?"
No. You were just asleep. You’ve been asleep for a long time. Come see me!! The bronze weyrling was rapidly losing what little patience he possessed.
"You were never in water Ser." Mala was beginning to worry that his mind had been damaged by the prolonged rest.
"But I couldn’t breathe!!" A’dric prayed he wasn’t going crazy. "You told me I had to breathe and I did!"
Mala grinned. "You heard that?"
A’dric sighed in relief. "I’m just glad you actually said it."
Mala was positively glowing. "Well you weren’t inhaling."
"So I was drowning?" A’dric was slowly discovering that his sanity mattered less and less as long as Mala kept smiling.
"Only in slobber." The healer finished her check up and stepped back, altogether pleased with her work.
"Slobber?" A’dric managed to turn his attention to the healer, although the answer came from Mala.
"Sarusar was happy to see you. He leapt onto the bed, onto you. He knocked the wind out of you, and you didn’t start breathing again." Mala smiled. "He was licking your face, that’s why it’s wet."
For once the water had nothing to do with your misfortune and you still blamed it! Katzeth found that fact amusing.....for all of about thirty seconds. COME SEE ME!!
"Okay!" A’dric began to rise again, despite the healer’s stern look. "If I don’t go see Katzeth this very instant, he’s planning on coming through the wall."
Realising full well that the bronze was probably telling the truth, the healer permitted A’dric to leave accompanied by Mala. She definitely wouldn’t have considered it a wise move if she’d known that Katzeth was planning on giving A’dric the same welcome Sarusar had.
A’dric! A huge bronze mass A’dric could only assume was his lifemate came charging at him.
"WHOA!" He held his hands up in front of him, pathetically aware that there was no hope of him fending off the almost fully grown dragon.
Katzeth, aware that killing his master with joy at seeing him not dead was rather ironic and halted his charge. He settled for nuzzling A’dric, still almost knocking him off his feet. You came to see me!
A’dric smiled. "Of course." He hugged the bronze head. "You’ve gotten so big." A’dric began to realize he’d been unconscious for a while. "How much have I missed?"
Mala had stepped back when Katzeth approached. After discovering that Katzeth was not going to knock A’dric senseless, she stepped closer again. "Not -that- much. I don’t think. Although you may have the Weyrling Master to yourself...."
A’dric sighed, then smiled. "Oh well. Guess it beats being dead."
Mala knocked him playfully in the arm. "Don’t even joke about it. I would have hated having to kill Sarusar for killing you."
"Where is Sar anyways?" A’dric began scratching Katzeth’s eyeridges as it became apparent the bronze wasn’t going to move his head.
Mala smiled. "Unconscious."
"What?" A’dric was shocked. "He’s not...."
"No!" Mala quickly answered, not wanting him to worry. "He’s fine, barely got hit."
"Barely got hit by what?"
"M’slin." Mala grinned. "Tackled Sar right off you chest. Turns out he is more ferocious than a raging dragon."
And Katzeth keeps growing...
* * *
A’dric impressed Katzeth at Seiryuu Weyr.
Background is from Myrror Images.
