First Threadfall!!! Calling all Riders!!!

[Nick]

Strath wasn't concerned for Nayarath, it was a graze. Crith....that was another issue. Crith won't fly again for a while. A swerve and a char, then it was time for more fire-stone.

D'lis happily obliged his dragon for more fire-stone. They were doing well...but now was not the time to get distracted. Crith was the example for that.

Another spindle of Thread got charred as Strath flew past.

**********************

Alduth stretched his head back for more fire-stone for a second time. Thread had been falling for a good twenty to thirty minutes...maybe forty-five. Y'xem was getting caught up in the moment of charring Thread.

Nayarath! She's been hurt!

A slight distraction, nothing to worry about as Alduth continued to flame the menace.

SHARDS! Y'xem had been hit! Alduth roared and quickly blinked between and back.

How bad is it Mine? Not enough to be out of Threadfall, keep going.[/i] Y'xem shuddered at the pain and looked at his right shoulder. The score was bad...but not big. Infirmary after Threadfall.

**********************

C'it fed Roluth more stone. The Weyrleader has just been scored in the shoulder. I don't think he can last the rest of Fall. Still more than an hour left Mine.

Yeah, but let's worry about us. To the right! Roluth swerved the clump and flamed another. The silver strands were picking up a little, but C'it hoped that Roluth could last all Fall.

Only if he paced himself. Another to the left Roluth, flame that one.

[Sparrow]

Nayarath grunted with surprise when Alduth suddenly roared. Y'xem has been hit, she informed Kora.

The Weyrwoman wiped her brow and aimed the flamethrower at another clump. How badly?

Alduth is still flying, apparently not too badly. She swerved after another clump, and Kora didn't ask more.

~~~~

Another charred clump drifted downwards as Amirinth turned her head back for more firestone. Crith is down, I hope she'll be alright... At least Nayarath's score wasn't bad, and had Y'xem been hit too? Alduth was still flying at least. Thread would still be falling for quite a while...

Thread to your right, K'laon warned. Amirinth flicked between, having not quite finished her firestone enough to get that bit. Hopefully someone else would.

~~~~

Clump just above you, Ekirith, J'ran warned and the Brown turned his muzzle upwards to belch flame at the clump before quickly swerving sideways to avoid the ashes getting to his rider.

Some have already sustained bad scores, Ekirith commented as he exhaled flame at another mass of Thread. Hopefully he wouldn't get-

Over your left wing! J'ran interrupted the Brown's thoughts. Ekirith jumped between quickly enough to only feel a slight sting as a tip of one of the strands of Thread touched him. That was nothing bad at all. He came out into the comparative warmth again and went after another clump.

[Jenth]

L'han threw some more stone into his dragon's mouth, dread building up. He knew something like this was going to happen, the weyrleader getting hurt but it was still yet to be seen weither or not he would retreat from Fall. As Wuith chewed they closed the gap between them and the Weyrleader, if he chose to bail out that meant a 19 Turn old boy and his Tan dragon were going to lead the rest of the Fall...

[Nick]

Y'xem was sweating now. An hour and fifteen minutes into Fall, just forty-five minutes left. He could stand the pain just a little longer. This was the first Threadfall that he was leading and he would not be left on the sidelines for any of it!

Alduth was still going strong, fire-stone was needed now. Y'xem handed the Bronze more. That's the last bit Alduth, We're going to have to go back to the Weyr for another sack.

Alduth flames another clump and popped between to the Weyr. With people scrambling around, no one seemed to notice the Weyrleader was hurt and just handed him a new sack of fire-stone.

As soon as the pair had their new sack of stone, Alduth took off and then went between to come out back into the action. Curving to miss a clump that there was no time to char, Alduth flamed another clump.

********************

C'it cringed when he saw the Weyrleader go between, but was relieved when the pair came back. At least he's not out.

Roluth flamed two close together clumps and turned. Neither are we, yet. Don't get distracted.

Roluth flamed another clump, then ducked around the char and reached back for more fire-stone...C'it quickly gave him more as they ducked around more Thread.

********************

Strath was getting rather bored with the whole stone, flame, duck, stone, flame, duck routine. He was ready to mix it up a bit, they were being way too careful and he was dangerously close to just going back to the Weyr and going to sleep. Hang on D'lis!

Wha...SHARDS! Strath suddenly spiraled around and charred a few Thread spindles in the spiral. Not as careful as he had been...but it was keeping him awake. D'lis cursed and hung on tight. What was Strath thinking!?

Strath then ducked between and came out to flame three Thread clumps in one breath.

More stone please Mine.

[Sparrow]

Nayarath watched the skies nervously when Alduth disappeared, but breathed a sigh of relief when the Bronze returned. Kora was still, luckily, not as distracted as her Gold and had continued to watch out, flame Thread, and give commands in the short time Nayarath's head was completely not in her job. The Gold chewed no firestone, and perhaps that made her feel less duty to keep track of the Thread. Kora didn't like it though.

~~~~

Ekirith snorted at his Wingsecond's antics. Do you want to be scored? He asked accusingly. Stupid dragon. There were still forty-five minutes of Fall, and this dragon was not making his Wing look good doing something so risky.

Pay attention to yourself, J'ran chuckled and motioned towards Thread that had just fallen to flaming range. Ekirith obediently scorched it and then turned his head back for more firestone.

~~~

Amirinth was tired, but not about to quit. She could fly this whole Threadfall, it wasn't a long one. She would just... hurt from it tomorrow. Maybe. For now, there was still Thread to char. K'laon gave her directions, and using her small size to dodge what she couldn't get rather than between, Amirinth could save energy. Blinking from here to there seemed much more taxing than just ducking out of the way.

Not much longer bug, and Thread just to your right! Amirinth noticed it just as K'laon spoke and swiveled to belch flame.

We're nearly out of firestone, K'laonMine... she reminded him worriedly as she shot after another clump.

We can replenish soon. There's another clump not far behind that one,

I see it. Amirinth breathed another quick flame. There wasn't much left, she could make it...

[Missa]

A zippy here, and a zappy there, and a little twist here- Truth's voice was bright, chirpy and definately playful. It was a combination of these that made F'ynch very uncomfortable and wary of his own dragon. Truth was never in this good a mood. Ever.
Truth, what in the-? If anything, it was F'ynch who was aware of the lesser amounts of firestone, and it was F'ynch who realised just how tired Truth was.

I'm just in a good mood- Truth began, not even glancing at Amirinth, instead swining away as she flamed near him.
Truth, I know you. You're exhausted and refusing to show it. Stop being stupid, tell Amirinth you're tired. Truth, however, merely shook his head before darting to the side to flame again.
No. I'm not giving in before Amirinth. I'm her 'second. Blues are supposed to be stronger than greens. F'ynch didn't reply, though secretly, he felt that the rule only applied to blues that were actually larger than their green sisters.

*

Laukarth too, was tired, but her strong frame and habit for training made her much less tired than any other green her size would have been. It didn't matter that her wings were burning, it didn't matter than her rider was getting a sore backside, as long as she kept twisting out of the way, she'd be fine. Completely fine. As always when it came to situations like this: Flights, training, Thread, Laukarth was happy for her strength. And her ability to call as loud as any bronze, but that had yet to be used.

Laurie, you okay? D'nor whispered mentally, tossing her another piece of firestone, the green nodded eagerly as she chewed, watching for any sign of Thread, then swerving and flaming before D'nor had even managed to see it. She was clever, he'd give her that.
I'm finefine MineMine. She was fine, she was worried about those that had been scored bad enough to have to leave, worried that her rider would get hurt, which she didn't want to happen, and worried that something else bad would happen, like another bad scoring...

[Nick]

The pain was intense, it was almost blinding. Y'xem had enough time to wipe his forehead before Alduth reached his head back for more fire-stone.

Y'xem gave his dragon a few good pieces and looked forward. The ocean was in view! Only a few minutes left of Fall now, and then Alduth could take him to the Infirmary. His right arm was virtually useless...all it did was keep him anchored to his riding saddle.

The last few minutes seem to drag on forever, but as Alduth flamed a good portion of the Thread that was in front of him Y'xem gave a sigh of relief. That's it Alduth, we are over the ocean now. Tell Kora to check with the ground crews please. This wound needs to be looked at.

Alduth turned back to face the rest of the dragons so that Y'xem could give the signal that Thread was over.

Kora, Y'xem asks that you check with the ground crews so that he can go to the Infirmary. Take a few others with you if you like. Alduth spoke to Kora and Nayarath before going between to the Weyr Bowl.

*******************************

Roluth was tired. That was for sure. He was dodging more Thread now than he charred. But he was still not tired enough to leave Fall in the last few minutes!

Look Mine! We are done! Now we can go rest unless the Weyrleaders need us to help with the ground crew check ups. C'it felt the Blue's tiredness.

At least they were done this time, and they could go rest soon. Roluth would sleep near half a day and then go eat. C'it probably would too. There's the signal, just be ready to go at any time dear heart.

*******************************

Strath was a little upset. He had just started making Threadfall fun! He had even made Ekirith mad, that was fun.

The Brown flamed a few more clumps of Thread to finish off the fire-stone he had ingested and took position again, ready to do as commanded. He could go check up on the silly ground crews, he wasn't that tired. It was up to Weyrwoman Kora though since Y'xem had been hit...or that was D'lis' thoughts on the matter.

Come on, Come on, Come on....I'm getting bored again! This really makes me sleepy just hovering on the spot. Let's do something!

Just calm down Strath, it won't be that bad. Think about something else. D'lis chuckled, though he was more tired than his dragon. All the adrenaline took a lot out of a person.

[Jenth]

Wuith gently dipped a wing, swinging the tan around but his eyes stayed on the sky. Thread was over but both rider and dragon were still a little on edge. The ground looked clear but they knew it to be much worse on closer inspection. They had taken some heavy injuries amounst the fighting wings, the weyrleader already gone to tend to his threadsores. Nayarath herself was injured and an upset queen, expecially their senior queen, could cause the weyr distress.

Lovely Nayarath, would you like mine to handle the sweep while you tend to your wounds?