(plot) Perfect gift

[dragon]

They would have been perfect. If the timing had been better. There were three of them. All smooth, shiny, and well made. They could have been better, but ... meh. To get better he would have needed a forge. Considering he did it all with a hammer and no heat, C'oar figured he did a pretty good job on the three shiny air-insulated lidded pails sitting before him.

It just had taken him too long to make them. Between chores, and lessons, and everything else that had been going on ... he got them done, there was that. But ... it had taken too long. By now, the dragons hardly needed them. Soon, they'd be hunting all on thier own. The saying went, better late than never. But in some cases? That just didn't cut it.

The three new pails - large as they were - were a far cry different for the rude, crude, raggedy-edged contraption he had slapped together for Frosstyth when the dragonet was a baby. He'd put extra effort into making them safe and nice. All the folded seams were sealed quite tightly: these pails would not leak.

Well ... maybe he ought to hand them over, anyway. If nothing else, they could be passed on to the next batch of weyrlings that rolled through the barracks. Even though there were only three. Picking the large insulated pails up, C'oar carried them out of the little glen he'd been working on them in, all the way to the weyrling barracks. There, he left one pail each for Raylin and Saeo, in thier room, and then carried the third one off to another room and left it there, for Ke'rin. C'oar really didn't know the lad, but carting a bronze dragon around and having to feed the monster had to be a chore. So he'd made one for him, too.

That done, he headed off to the main hall, to find something to eat. He was tired, but he was also hungry. Staying up all night to hurry up and finish those pails ... morning had snuck up on him in a hurry. Frosstyth was still sleeping, and probably would for another hour or so ... long enough for C'oar to get something to eat, before he had to feed his brown again. After that, he could hit the sack. And hopefully stay there a while before someone found him and rousted him from it for chores.

So, with that plan in mind, C'oar headed off. He got himself a meal, not knowing that it was tainted, and ate. He was a big fellow ... making him a hard one to bring down in that fashion. But, on the flip side, he also tended to consume a considerable amount, too.

Feeling sated on the hunger side, C'oar rubbed his face, and frowned slightly. Shards, he was tired. It was hard to keep his eyes open at all... it was so tempting to just ... snooze. Right there on the table.

Well ... he had a few minutes. Then he'd have to go feed Frosstyth. Sleep was a good idea ... yeah ...

~~~

Frosstyth exploded out of C'oar's room, screaming like he'd been blooded by a banshee. The muscular brown barreled past, through, and over anyone or anything that got in his way as he went howling toward the main hall, trying desperately to rouse C'oar through thier link.

Having been sleeping soundly on Frosstyth's back, Storm was flung into the wall first, and then the sleepy flitter was nearly trampled by his pet's mind mate. Screeching indignantly, Storm came awake a little on the pissed off side. And then he noted that his pet was ... fuzzy, at best. Storm took wing, and promptly vanished between, to reappear over C'oar.

The bronze flitter divebombed the burly lad, and smacked into his head, screeching up a storm as he tugged on his ear, his hair, his face, anything he could grab, trying to keep C'oar awake.

"Blast you, Storm, go away!" C'oar grumped, waving a limp arm at the stressing flitter. He wanted to sleep, nothing more. Just a few minutes of shut eye, was that too much to ask? Every time he was roused away from sleep a little, Storm would calm some, but then C'oar would go right back to trying to snooze. And that would send Storm into new hysterics, trying to wake him back up again. Storm was determined to keep C'oar from slipping past that veil.

Finally, Frosstyth made it up the narrow stairs ... at least they seemed rather narrow to him! And started clawing at the door, wanting to get in to his. His wouldn't leave him, would he?! The brown was far to distressed to be coherent in the slightest, but the emotions he was pouring into the mental bandwidths were enough to get anyone who wasn't dragon deaf's attention.

[Rowana]

Wynmuri was on her way back from checking the herd beasts. With all this talk of tainted food, she had been concerned that some disease might have infected the herd, but they all seemed just as healthy as always. Checking them all was hard work though, and by now she was ravenous and ready for a hearty breakfast. She was halfway to the Main Hall when she picked up on a commotion up ahead. Something was very wrong. Jarcith? she inquired urgently.

The old green was tense and alert. One of the young ones is upset and trying to enter the Hall she replied with a growl of anger. Whoever was harming the children had better be careful. If Jarcith found them, she would rip them to pieces. I believe His may be inside. Shards! Wyn cursed. She broke into a run, taking the long way around to another entrance. Alert the Healers! she ordered quickly. And get that weyrling to calm down before he hurts himself!

Wyn darted around several corners and finally managed to slip into the Main Hall from the kitchen entrance. Jarcith was right. One of the young boys from the last hatching was nearly passed out on a table. A bronze fire lizard was desperately trying to keep him awake. Probably a good thing, since he would be much harder to treat unconscious. Wyn ran to him and jerked him up right. "Stay with me, lad," she ordered fiercely. "Help is comin'."

Healers to the Main Hall at once! Jarcith shouted to any dragon who could listen. They didn't have time to waste on looking for anyone specific. Anyone close enough would do. That done, she turned all her attention on Frosstyth. Stop, young one! she ordered sharply. Her voice was firm, but held a hint of sympathy. You must calm down! Mine is with Yours and Healers are coming.

[dragon]

C'oar grunted. Why was everyone bothering him? He wasn't feeling good... he was tired, he was sleepy, his guts were upset ... he really really needed some sleep!! First his own flitter was driving him crazy, and then some strange woman ran up and slammed him upright so fast his head spun. And he almost yarked all over her. He was feeling decidedly ill. Who would have thought what a lack of sleep would do to a body?

And who in the world was hammering on the door like that? What was going on? Reconstruction? Demolitions?! Each bang sounded louder in his head... and he really didn't feel good.

Oh, that did it. C'oar doubled over, and blarked all over the woman's front with almost fully half the contents of his stuffed stomach. For a moment, he felt a little better for it. And then he felt worse, hoping to keep from throwing up again. That ... wasn't a nice feeling, stomach acid coating the insides of his throat and mouth. He was feeling too badly for it to even occur to him how the woman might feel about her body getting soaked in it.

Frosstyth wailed one last time, and then turned around on the railing, breaking a chunk of it off with his hip and sending it spiraling down toward the ground. He looked down over the edge at Jarcith, and cried again, softer this time. Mine! Mine hurts! Mine is fuzzy! Mine ... I can't get to mine! Will mine be okay? I hope mine will be okay. Storm is in there, but I can't get in! The door won't open!! he stressed. The young brown wobbled on the walk for a moment, wings flaring breifly to keep him balanced on the ledge, now that his weight didn't have a rail to rest against and keep him up there where dragons weren't supposed to be.

[Rowana]

Wyn jerked back as the boy lost most of his breakfast, but unfortunately wasn't quick enough. Her face screwed with disgust as most of her front were covered with half digested food. Ugh! She was going to have a very long bath after this! Keeping her hand on the boy to keep him steady, she fumbled on the table for a pitcher and a glass. She was pretty sure the water wasn't poisened or they would all be dead by now. She pour a glass a glass and brought it to his lips. "Drink," she encouraged.

Shard it all! What else could she do? The banging was making it increasingly hard to think and where in Pern were those Healers! Oh, she would have a thing or two to tell them about wasting precious time! Jarcith! she snapped urgently. What's keepin' those shardin' Healers?! I do not know, the green answered tersely. She was having difficulties of her own. Short of calming down, Frosstyth seemed to be growing even more panicked. At least he had stopped banging on the door, but Jarcith was quickly loosing patience with him.

ENOUGH!! she bellowed forcefully. Her eyes flashed dangerously and she rose and flared her wings as she glared down at the young dragon. True, he would be a large brown before long, but for now he was still smaller than she. You do Yours no good behaving this way! she scolded, her voice lowering slightly. You MUST calm down! If you block the way for the Healers to come, you will NOT help Yours! Jarcith lowered herself back down and spoke more kindly. Yours is hurt. But Mine is with him. He will live. You must stay strong for him.

[nightingale]

Frosstyth, please get back! Cherilith keened a high note as he cantered up the stairs, worry staining his eyes a vibrant shade of yellow. He came to a stop behind his clutchbrother, nuzzling his hindquarters gently. Mine has gone around the other way. She has medicine, so you must not be afraid. Come and sit with me for a while now.

This couldn’t be happening. Not this soon. Not with G’tor still in the infirmary. Unfortunately, it took more than a vivid imagination to convince yourself that all was well when the world around you was screaming just the opposite. Slamming herself against the side of a doorway to shift her momentum forward after taking a turn too quickly, Saeo winced and brushed against her dragon’s mind to learn if he had found out who was sick. Mine, I am with Frosstyth and a rider’s green. I believe that His is the one who is unwell.

Any semblance of calm the girl might have retained in a situation such as this vanished abruptly.

“I’m sorry!” Were the first choked words that left her mouth as she stumbled into the Main Hall, unpainted grey eyes quickly locking onto Wynmuri and setting her on course for the greenrider’s side. “The infirmary is completely swamped and I don’t know if they can send...b-but I brought charcoal. E’rro told me that it’ll help, we just have to mix it with water...oh shells, please tell me he’s still awake...”

Taking the glass of water from the greenrider in a slow, polite gesture that might have belied her panic had her hands not been shaking so violently, the girl set it on the nearest empty patch of table and pulled open the small bag of charcoal she had brought with her from the infirmary. She made it a point to bite down hard on her lower lip, and avoid glancing toward C’oar as the charcoal dissolved into an opaque, greyish-black mess under the assault of a pilfered teaspoon.
She knew that if she looked at him she’d start crying.
She couldn’t afford to start crying.

“Here, get him to drink this.” She murmured numbly, offering the unappetizing beverage to Wynmuri as the woman seemed to be in the best position to administer the medicine. She stepped back a pace and gave Cherilith a mental nudge, not so different from a canine nudging it’s owner’s hand in search of affection. It will be alright my Saeo. He assured her with practiced calm. Raylin got better, G’tor got better and C’oar will get better as well. Sharding right he will. She agreed fervently, as much to herself as to her dragon as she stared hard at the vomit-strewn floor.

But shards she was scared.

[Rei]

Ebolath gave a distressed keen as she cantered onto the scene, carrying hers. Raylin slid off her green and pushed her towards Frosstyth, as she made her way into the building. Ebolath snorted and obeyed giving reassuring croons and radiating calm at her clutch brother. It is ok clutchbrothermine. There are people to help. Mine is here as well. Yours will be fine. They will let you see him very soon. Relax or yours will be upset when he awakens.

Raylin limped into the dining room and stopped short as the scene met her eyes. C’oar…Oh no not him. She saw Saeo and walked up to the other girl. “It’s ok Saeo. He will be ok after they get the charcoal into him. We will take him to the infirmary after she gets him to drink.” She spoke with a calmness she didn’t feel. They didn’t need Saeo freaking out right now. Raylin threw her arms around the other girl and squeezed her lightly.

Vega popped out from between and settled on Saeo’s shoulder. He crooned and nuzzled her neck gently. Raylin watched the green rider administer the medicine. Shards please let him be ok. Saeo was going to totally freak if he wasn’t. The green weyrling had a sneaking suspicion that she was sweet on C’oar. She was willing to bet that Saeo would fall apart if he died.

[dragon]

Frosstyth fluttered for a moment more, and then turned around on the stairs one more time, returning the nuzzling that Cherilith gave him. He whimpered once, still quite scared for his. His was in trouble, and he couldn't even get to him!!! It was a rather stressful situation. And getting roared at wasn't helping his state of mind any at all. But the appearance of two of his clutchsiblings and thier supporting touches.

Seeing no way down past Cherilith, Frosstyth contemplated jumping off the ruined ledge. But the ground looked an awful long ways down. And since he wasn't sure his wings were up to the task just yet, he decided -wisely- against it. So he looked over at Cherilith again. Down? He hinted, rather bluntly.

~~~

C'oar groaned, his head feeling like it was going to split in two from all the racket. At least the demolition crew had stopped, but Storm was putting his astoundingly peircing voice to use again, flying around and around the room like a crazed wherry.

And then someone was shoving a glass of ... something ... at him. He didn't want that! He wanted some sleep! Some sleep, that was all. Just some rest. He was tired, shardit! Just ... sleep. Ah, there. The glass vanished again. His dark vision and blurred hearing picked up on someone else entering and saying something ....

Sounded frighteningly familiar, that voice. But who it was, he couldn't guess. His brain wasn't working that well. Not well at all. And then the glass was shoved in front of him again, as if they really expected him to drink it. He wasn't thirsty!! He shoved at the glass to get it away from him, heedless of whether or not it splashed. C'oar just didn't care. His body, his mind ... it was all in pain, and he just wanted left alone!!

The glass looked suspiciously murky now, too. Not a very appetizing thing to perceive, esp in his current state. He groaned again, barely audible; the only warning anyone around him had before he leaned sideways, and puked again.

[Rowana]

Wynmuri nodded gratefully at the two girls who had come. Weyrlings from his class, she guessed. Finally some people with some sense! They might not be healers, but at least they knew what to do. Unlike the the boy, who was being extremely stubborn. He refused the water Wyn offered and even more so when Saeo added medicine too it. Though she couldn't blame him for the later, the water certainly didn't look appetizing now.

Wyn had just enough warning to back up before the poor boy threw up a second time. Not that it matter, she was already half covered in it. Unfortunately, Wyn was starting to lose patience and when she did, she got cranky. Shard it! This boy was going to take his medicine and like it! "Help me hold him," she ordered the girls. "We may have to force feed him."

Trusting the girls to stop him from hurting himself or any of them, Wyn began her plan of attack. She didn't know a thing about Healing people, but she did know a thing our two about force feeding stubborn animals. With her free hand, she clamped down on C'oar's nose and titled his head back. She used enough force to hold him still, but not enough to cause serious harm. She brought the glass close, ready to tip the whole lot down his throat when he opened his mouth to breath.

Outside, Jarcith relaxed back on all fours. The young brown finally seemed to have calmed down. Possibly because of what she had said, but more likely by the arrival of his clutch siblings. She probably shouldn't have lost her temper like that, but she couldn't stand dragons who panicked in a crisis. It helped no one, especially their bonded. She watched the three in protective silence.

[nightingale]

Saeo winced as she first felt her roommate’s arms close around her, but kept still as her warmth and living scent worked to help numb the fear. Her trembling hands groped for something to cling to, and latched mercilessly onto Raylin’s arm when they found it. She didn’t speak, knowing that her voice would shatter to pieces her if she tried to use it. She just stared at the floorboards, trying to hold herself together.

The girl’s eyes flicked upward of their own accord as Wynmuri’s command reached her. She hesitated, breath catching in her throat, then all at once she had pulled free of Raylin’s embrace and latched onto C’oar’s arm. She didn’t fool herself into thinking that they could hold him down even working together, but she was quite certain that having over two hundred pounds of resistance attached to him would disable him considerably.

“Cloar! Just drink it or you’re going to kill yourself!”

She demanded hoarsely, honorifics momentarily forgotten as she focused all her energy into becoming a human vice-grip. As if sensing that their assault would go unhindered, the tears she had been fighting back burned their way down her cheeks, pooling where her cheek pressed against the boy’s shoulder. It would seem that Raylin’s suspicions were more accurate than she realized. Saeo was falling apart just watching him suffer. If the worst really did come to pass, she might loose a few pieces and never be able to put herself together again.

[Rei]

Raylin flinched as Saeo clung to her but offered no protest. If it comforted the girl she was willing to endure a little pain. She was realized just as quickly when the green rider asked for help. The green weyrling nodded and wrapped her arms around C’oar’s other arm. She stayed silent and concentrated on keeping C‘oar as still as she could. The boy had to make it, he just had to.

Ebolath let Aonith know what is going on and tell her we are trying to get some charcoal in him. He will still need to be taken to the infirmary as soon as possible. Above all try to keep Frosstyth calm. Raylin heard the affirmative from her dragon and scanned the room glaring at any rider she happened to cross eyes with. Couldn’t they see that the three woman were having trouble? So much for rider loyalty.

Ebolath quickly relayed the message to Aonith and then pressed her body against Frosstyth. It is ok clutch brother mine. Yours will be fine. Will him to stay and he will. Believe me. She put as much encouragement into her tone as possible and lay her head against his back. The green looked over at her blue clutch brother and motioned for him to assist her.

[dragon]

Frosstyth was starting to get worked up again, because of the strange thoughts and such rolling through his' person. But he was trying really hard to be good ... everyone said to calm down, be nice ... so he would try. Though Cherilith apparently completely missed the broad hint to get out of the way so they could all get off the rickity walking way that they were sitting on still. Frosstyth really didn't want to try and jump off.

So he just sat there and vibrated with worry, every now and then that would translate into a low, worried hum. His eyes spun quickly in yellows and oranges, but he contained himself otherwise. Just sitting there, haunches still blocking the door quite effectively now that he was sandwiched between siblings. He loved having them there. They were there, they were calm. Thiers were helping his ... everything would be alright, right??

~~~

Inside, however, was a different matter altogether. C'oar didn't have a clue what was going on. Now he was getting attacked! Someone had attacked his face, and was trying to suffocate him, and two others were hanging on his arms!!! Naturally, as almost as soon as his nostrils were closed, he instinctively opened his mouth. He was already having problems breathing!!

And then something fluid was poured in his mouth... C'oar coughed and gagged, having breathed it rather than swallowed it. Only a very little bit had been swallowed at all. He clapped his mouth shut promptly, more or less ejecting the charcoal water back out, all over who ever happened to be in the way ... not to mention himself. But he wasn't concerned about that.

He had greater concerns: someone was trying to kill him!!

This revelation had ramifications that swung both directions. His adrenaline was moving now, as he struggled to free himself. That broke him out of the willingness to just lay down and sleep (and die). But it also got his blood moving faster, and that spread the toxin to his extremities faster than before.

C'oar was weaker than usual, from many different sides. Not only had he had a full day and then a full night of hard work, but he'd also promptly been poisoned. Which rendered him far from his usual strength. Which was good for the girls hanging onto him. However, with the sudden adrenaline rush and fear of being slain at the dinner table, he also became somewhat stronger than he technically should have been.

Being faced with the perception of being murdered tended to do that to people, after all.

He bucked and heaved under them, his arms bunching and straining under the weight put on them. He intended to fight off the one trying to drown him, but first he had to fight free of the feinds holding him down. He managed to lift both girls off the ground for a half second, but after that was forced into dropping them back to thier feet again, as he was starting to run out of air.

His nose was still shut, and he refused to open his mouth. Which meant he was suffocating quickly ... but at least he wasn't drowning anymore. He thrashed one last time, this time using all of his remaining strength, and all of his avaliable limbs: in the process he overbalanced the chair he was in, and between his own overbalanced weight and that of the girls hanging onto him, he crashed backwards away from Wynmuri and onto the floor.

Everyone crashed to the floor with a terrific thud, and C'oar's head bounced off the floor with a sickening crack, and he went completely unconcious and limp. But he was definitely still alive.

~~~

At that moment, Frosstyth let out a pained, high scream, and launched himself off the balcony stair, spreading his wings as wide as they would go. But, right as everyone watching expected to see him vanish, instead he just crashed completely without any bit of grace on the ground below, and started wallowing around on the ground, crying. He rubbed his head on everything, wings dragging limply as he howled and howled and howled some more.

[Rowana]

Wynmuri cursed as C'oar fought free and toppled backwards in a heap. Stubborn boy! She had hoped he would swallow the medicine, not breath it in and then cough it out. All this moving around could not be helping either. Of course, now he wasn't moving at all and that was worse. Shard it! They needed a proper Healer, she knew she wasn't experienced enough to handle this. But they were running out of time.

Wyn knew better than to try and get liquid down an unconscious throat. If the healers weren't coming, then they would have to go to them. Wyn bent down to loop her arms under C'oar's shoulders and ease him off the ground. "Help me carry him," she instructed. "Quickly! We have to get him to the infirmary before the poison spreads further!"

Jarcith was shocked by Frosstyth's sudden leap, but relieved that he only fell and did not jump between. She leaned down to assess how much he had hurt himself. Her hind legs shifted. Comforting words were not this green's strong suite. She felt she must say something, but what could she say? She was sure she would not be easily consoled if Wyn were hurt. In the end, she said nothing, and just nuzzled the brown's back, crooning sadly.