A Bit of Harmful Fun...

[PhazonDragon]

[ooc: Tag Wesku for Gregory]

This weyr wasn't like home.

Not at all. Z'volm was getting used to the place, sure, but he preferred his home weyr of Ista. It was rather cold up in this weyr, and Earth was an odd planet with odd customs and odd people (the irony being that the Pernese people were from Earth originally--but did this greenrider know that?). In fact, it was the layout of the weyr that was similar, and kept Z'volm from going crazy. That, and the new residents that Z'volm had come to meet. The prospect of new victims made the greenrider grin in delight. No weyrwoman here with an ingrained hatred of him.

I don't her and her gold either, Crucith mentally rasped. Z'volm felt her distain as she shifted with annoyance in her new weyr. I do no see what is so bad about teaching that bronze a lesson. He was new and needed an instructor. Crucith's dislike of the bronze and the gold came flooding back with the emotional remembrance. She snorted.

The rider chuckled at the green's attitude. He completely agreed. Yes my dear, he did need a good mentor, or he would have been able to avoid that thread.. It's a good thing you decided to teach him a lesson. Z'volm halted in his walking down the hallway, offering an immature chuckle to however wanted to listen in to the crazed rider. Too bad most of the brats here are weyrlings, and not old enough for sustained flight yet. And too bad there's no thread here... Z'volm shook his head and continued his aimless walk through the hallway.

Crucith rumbled. They will have to watch out when they get into the air then. Especially when they are Chasing or Rising... I will not let those young beasts near my males... the green snarled.

Oh Crucith, would you really want one of those defective dragons though? Z'volm asked, mentally soothing the green. Crucith didn't say anything in return, but the rider thought he caught a soft murmur of "my males" before she went silent. "Crucith," Z'volm muttered with a half-smile.

[Wesku]

Gregory paced the hallway. He was sure he had come this way already. If only he had had enough time to properly study the Weyr were he Impressed. There should have been enough similarities to get him by the first couple of days until he did know his way around. Did he study his old Weyr though, no, he had been to busy sulking because the Weyrleaders wouldn't give Jadavath a chance. People were born without limbs all the time, and some of them had gone on to be successful. Why couldn't Jadavath be the same way?

If only there were someone I could ask for directions from. Maybe then I could finally get where I'm going.

Jadavath sent a wave of comfort from her position outside in the sun.

Do not fret Beloved. I am sure you will find someone to aid you.

Gregory snorted.

This place is huge, and most everyone is elusive at the best of times. If only this place came with a map like an amusement park.

Jadavath had nothing to say to that and allowed her rider to begin his sulk anew.

Just as Gregory was seriously considering shouting for help, he saw a tall older man. Excited at the prospect of rescue, Gregory called out and picked up his pace.

[PhazonDragon]

Z'volm heard footsteps ahead of him, but ignored them. It was probably some lost weyrling or someone who wouldn't be fun to play around with. He rolled his eyes and kept walking, but something stopped him. Some lost weyrling... Well, Z'volm didn't exactly have a plan for himself as he wandered through the hallway, but that phrase clicked in his mind. A lost weyrling, or anyone lost for that matter. Perfect. The rider grunted smugly as he turned around on his heels to find out where this lost person was--or where that person in general was. Anyone would be fun to screw around with.

Might I join you? Crucith asked with a low, chuckling hiss.

This time, my love, this one is mine... I think you've had enough fun. Now it's my turn. Z'volm was about to turn a corner when he heard someone yell behind him. He raised an eyebrow and looked over his shoulder to see a very pale man approaching him. Oh, this wasn't someone he knew, but all the more fun. "Afternoon," Z'volm said, concealing his evil grin behind a friendly mask. "Do you need something?"

Who is it?

No one we know, lovely Crucith. Z'volm turned around to face the man who looked to be around his age, despite his distinctively colored hair and appearance.

[Wesku]

Gregory smiled back at the man. He seemed kind enough, and looked like he would be willing to help. Gregory had never met this man, and thought it would be rude not to introduce himself, especially since this man was the answers to his prayers.

"Good afternoon, my name is Gregory. Usually I wouldn't bother you like this, but I'm kinda lost. I was wondering if you would be kind enough to help me out."

Jadavath stirred briefly in Gregory's mind.

It would appear that you have found an aid. I am glad. I was worrying your sulking would go on forever.

Gregory chuckled mentally at his dragon.

I would have been rescued eventually. I'm just lucky that this nice man was here to help me out earlier than eventually. I might actually make it to the Main Hall to get dinner before it's all gone!

[PhazonDragon]

Nodding, Z'volm said, "Gregory, huh? Ah, you must be new to Rocky." And new to the ways of dragonriders... Z'volm silently added, taking note of the man's odd name and lack of honorific. This'll be fun. "Needing a little help around Rocky, I see... Well, what do you need help with? I know that you're lost, but where are you trying to go?" As the greenrider said this, he was already drawing up a map of the weyr in his mind, and trying to figure out the routes that would take Gregory in circles. And hopefully on some precarious path through the mountains.

Don't forget that one small tunnel that leads to a small ledge, Crucith jumped in, using the same map that Z'volm was creating across their mental bond. Or that very dark hallway on a lower level.

My dear, it depends on where this man would like to go, or do, if he's so lost he doesn't even know where to go to feed his own dragon. "Well?" the rider impatiently asked, crossing his arms and waiting for an answer from the weyrling.

[Wesku]

Gregory cocked his head in confusion. The man had seemed nice a second ago, but now he seemed gruff. His eyes had glazed over, an obvious sign he was conversing with his dragon.

Maybe they got in a quarrel. That would make me a little abrasive.

Glad that he had come to a conclusion, Gregory went on undeterred.

"I was hoping you could help me find the Main Hall. I was told dinner was going to start soon, and I wanted to get there early."

[PhazonDragon]

"Mmm. The Main Hall," Z'volm repeated, both out loud, as if he was responding to Gregory, but in truth the rider was sending this message to his dragon. "Now, what would be the best way to get there...?" Z'volm rubbed his chin, looking up at the ceiling in thought. Crucith? Which route would you suggest? He is new here, so shouldn't we go a little easy on him? The greenrider, if he was with his dragon at the moment, would surely be giving Crucith a pair of puppy-dog eyes.

The green snorted. Z'volm, you better not be going soft, or have an interest in that man. You don't even know what kind of dragon he has. I won't tolerate a weak and timid male Chasing me.

Yes, I know. He doesn't look like the type who would be able to last one of your rough Flight, either.. "You know, I'm sure if you followed that hallway there, you should reach the main hall in a good amount of time." Z'volm pointed down the hallway opposite of where he was originally going to turn. That way wasn't even close to where the Main Hall was. It consisted of secondary passages that could return Gregory back to where he started.

[Wesku]

Gregory watched as the man came up with the best route for him to take. It didn't take long and soon the man had given him a few directions. Gregory listened intently and nodded to show that he had understood. He was excited. He was going to manage to eat dinner at a reasonable hour tonight.

Turning to head in the direction that the other rider had indicated, Gregory realized something. He turned back to look at the other rider an action that caused his hair to fall into his face. Gregory flicked it impatiently.

"Sir, you never told me your name."

[PhazonDragon]

As Gregory listened intently to Z'volm's description of directions, Z'volm inwardly smirked. Oh, he was brilliant. Even Crucith couldn’t compete with this. He was sending this weyrling into an endless circle of searching for the Main Hall! Or at least a good couple of minutes. He might up end late for dinner, or he could figure it out before he missed dinner… Either way Z’volm was rather interested in seeing his expression when he figured it out. He also secretly hoped that he would find one of those doors that led to outside the weyr.

Gregory began to leave, and Z’volm saw him off with a nod. He watched for a second or two before deciding he wouldn’t see the man again for a couple of minutes. He had just enough time to get out of the hallway, and leave the man hopelessly lost in the maze. However, he didn’t get one step forward before he was stopped by an inquisitive comment by Gregory.

"Sir, you never told me your name."

Oh that’s right. It was a custom or some polite necessity. “My name is Z’volm. I ride Green Crucith,” he stated, half-turning around again. It wouldn’t hurt to give out his name--plus there were so few weyrlings and riders here, compared to his home, that it would be easy to find out who he truly was if he used an alias.. And where was the fun in that? “Good luck finding the Main Hall, though it shouldn’t be too hard..”

[Wesku]

Gregory would have liked to talk to the man more, but Z'volm, as he introduced himself, seemed eager to head in the other direction. The man was a Green rider like him. Gregory wanted to ask him so much, but knew it would be rude to call Z'volm back. The best thing to do was to turn all the way around and try and make it to the Main Hall. Z'volm had said it wouldn't be to hard.

Setting off on a brisk pace, Gregory made sure to follow the hall and go straight. He didn't make any turns or stops. Gregory was pleased with how simple things were. At least he was until he reached a fork in the hall. Z'volm hadn't told him which corridor to take, and Gregory didn't know which one to choose. Had he come to far? Had he already missed the Main Hall?

Closing his eyes and pointing, Gregory finally decided to take the left passageway. If he turned out to be wrong, he could just turn around and come back the way he had come. At least he was headed in the general direction.

---

After a few twists and turns, Gregory figured out that he most certainly not headed in the right direction. Rocky Weyr may have been confusing and illogical, but even they wouldn't put a Main Hall outside. He wasn't sure how it had happened. One moment he was trying to remember all the different turns he had taken, the next he was walking out doorway with an incredibly short ledge.

This would have been fine if he hadn't fallen over said ledge and into a snowbank a few feet below. He was unharmed except for a few scratches and bruises, but the ledge would be impossible to scale. Already there were patches of ice on the rock that looked to slippery to even attempt to climb up.

Gregory huffed. His hair was mussed up thoroughly, and his hair band had snapped so he couldn't even put it back up. Nibbling on his bottom lip, Gregory planned out his next course of action. If he kept going, he might find the lake or the path that led to the lake, but he didn't know which way to go. If he went in the wrong direction, he could just end up lost in the woods.

Jadavath was asleep in their weyr, and Gregory refused to wake her. He had gotten himself in this mess, he would get himself out. Turning to look at the rocky climb to the ledge once more, Gregory steeled himself. An aimless walk in one direction out of many hoping to find a way back was a useless and fruitless endeavor. No Gregory was going to have to climb back up.

[PhazonDragon]

"Yes, good luck indeed..." Z'volm murmured as he turned around to follow his original path around the corner. Gregory had eagerly listened into his directions and now was heading in the direction that Z'volm had pointed. He flung a hand over his shoulder in dismissal of the weyrling. Well he seemed cheery enough, the greenrider thought with smug distain. I kinda want to know where he'll end up. Z'volm frowned at this, but there was one person who could try to keep an eye out for the weyrling--or one dragon anyway.

Crucith burbled in amusement. If I see him, I'll keep an eye out for him. I'll let you know what happens. The green stirred from her weyr, standing up and walking out to the ledge of her room, nosing aside the protective curtain. The air outside was cold, nipping at the green's hide. About where would he be? Crucith intruded on Z'volm's mind, looking for the last location of Her.

Please, Crucith. Just ask, no need to be so pushy, Z'volm teased, but let the green know where he was. I sent him back, towards the weyrs... Rather far from the Main Hall, wouldn't you say? Keep an eye on the outside. As the greenrider made his way through the hallways, he had to chuckle to himself, which earned him an odd look from a passing resident. Eh, whatever. He was having a good day now.

With a low growl, Crucith left the weyr, dropping off the ledge into a dive, and snapped her wings open to catch the wind. Rising up into the sky, Crucith pumped her wings up and down to circle around the large expanse of the weyr, keeping her red-swirling eyes trained on the ground to spot a lone figure. What does he look like, love? I need to know who I'm looking for... The green angled her wings to start into a slow turn, drifting around a mountain peak. Is that him? She sent Her a mental image of a boy with darkly-streaked blond hair.

Yes, that is him, Z'volm assured his green, pleased to see that he was outside the weyr, though it was a shame that he looked well enough to still be walking on his own accord. Want to start an avalanche or something, my green? Z'volm asked, feeling the green wing around to land on one of the mountains.

[Wesku]

Gregory gripped the handhold he had managed to secure as tightly as possible. Below him his feet scrabbled for purchase only to slip on the slick and unyielding ice. The wind had picked up and tossed his hair continuously into his face. Blind and desperate, Gregory reached out with his free hand. He was a little past half way now, if only he could make it up a little further. He just might make it back up on the ledge. His fingers curled around a small relatively secure hold, and Gregory let out a sound of joy.

His joy was short-lived. A strong gust of wind forcefully slammed into the Green rider and sent him hurtling off the rock face. The fall seemed longer than the climb, but eventually Gregory slammed into the ground. All the air was knocked out of his lungs and blinding pain shot through his body.

Gregory didn't cry out. He had a high tolerance for pain and an unique ability to ignore what pain he did feel. He attempted to stand up, but his right ankle crumpled under his weight. Reflexively, Gregory threw out his hands to catch himself. As the force of his body transferred into his extremities, Gregory winced. His right wrist snapped with a sickening sound, and his left shoulder throbbed.

Great, my ankle is either sprained or broken. Not sure about my wrist, but I'd say broken. My shoulder just feels dislocated or disjointed, but I'm no doctor.

Jadavath stirred in her sleep, but Gregory had managed to sever all emotions and feeling that were transferred through the bond. He had gotten himself into this mess. He was going to be the one to get himself out. If he couldn't do that, then he was unworthy of his precious Jadavath.

Managing to pull himself up into a standing position, Gregory turned in the direction he thought the path would most likely be. Since he knew he couldn't make it up the ledge in this condition, he had little choice but to try and find his way through the woods.

---

It was so dark. Gregory couldn't help but notice that as he limped and pulled himself along. The cold had long since numbed the worst of the pain as well as everything else. Gregory hadn't been dressed for the outside weather when he began this excursion, and it had only gotten colder as the sun continued to descend beyond the horizon. Gregory was trembling like a leaf, but he refused to stop. His mother had always said, "Son, you have to be tough to make it in the army." Gregory chuckled at the thought of his mother. He wondered if she had sent her daily e-mail.

Another cold blast of wind brought him to the present. He had walked and stumbled for at least a mile. There should have been at least a hint of a landmark. Why did everything remain so foreign? Why wasn't any of this familiar?

Finally succumbing to the cold and pain, not to mention the fully developed concussion Gregory had obtained by tripping and whacking his head against a stupid tree on top of falling off a ledge. His body crumpled slowly, as if there was still a part of him fighting to stand upright. Slowly or not, it wasn't long until his body lay prone on the ground. One last thought entered his mind as he lost consciousness.

The snow in front of me seems a little more red than it's supposed to.

[Samari]

Dylan had been in the woods with Dylansk that evening. His blue was feeling better this evening. Dylansk nudged HisDylan's leg and whined.




"Blood.Someone Hurt. Save!"[/color]



Dylan looked down at his blue and watched him dash off towards the bloodsmell. He ran after the young wher and gasped when he saw a man bleeding in the snow.



"Oh my god! We have to help him! Dylansk, kneel so I can put him on your back."


Dylansk nodded and kneeled beside the injured man. Dylan hoisted him up on the wher's back. The pair made their way quickly towards the weyr.

[PhazonDragon]

With the chilly air pressing at her back, Crucith perched hawk-like on a ledge high above where the weyrling had fallen. The green hunkered down, folding her wings tightly against her back. She peered down the mountainside at the weyrling, Gregory was his name, according to Z'volm. Snorting lightly, Crucith gently paced the ledge, snow crunching under her feet and claws. An avalanche, you said? Can do. The green grumbled deep in her chest, now making a spectacle of pushing snow and ice off the edge of the cliff.

Crucith made a point of telling Hers about this, and Z'volm rolled his eyes. You can do better than that, my dear. Come on... The rider was still stalking the hallways, but with the prospect of dinner ahead, there wasn't anyone around anymore, save for those rushing to or from dinner. No victims for Z'volm to bother at this time. Instead he would have to live through Crucith for the time being. You're a strong, healthy green. Show them what you're made of.

Responding to Z'vom's demand with vigor, Crucith's tail thrashed as she paced the ledge. Her tail knocked into the mountain just behind the green, stirring the snow and ice. When a loose piece fell off and hit the green's back, she paused. Rather than pushing the snow off this ledge, she would have to disturb the rock of the mountain, and thusly the snow packed onto it. I will show them what I am made of-- Crucith repeated, turning around to headbutt the mountain directly. A few loose flakes of snow floated off, but the real damage came when Crucith rammed into the mountain a fourth time.

The green felt the mountain groan as the weight of the snow was forcefully knocked off. Not wanting to get stuck in the massive snowdrift that was sure to form, Crucith launched herself off the ledge and into the sky, where she climbed for her own safety. Once reaching a satisfactory height, she wheeled around to inspect her handiwork. A deep rumbling noise greeted the green as she caught sight of the avalanche that she had started. Unfortunately, a blue wher wanted to get in on the action too, Crucith noticed. She hissed in anger at the interference of her lesser cousin, and let out a dull roar, which blended into the roaring of the avalanche.

I think you'll be pleased to know that the weyrling has a broken wrist, Crucith reported to Z'volm, who in turn was now hanging out against a wall in the hallway. The green dipped lower down so that she could get a better look at the weyrling strew across the back of the all-too-helpful wher. Despite the fact that the pesky blue was butting in, Crucith crooned in pleasure at the sight of Gregory's injured wrist.

[Wesku]

Jadavath jerked upright and roared. Her voice echoed off the walls of her weyr, and magnified the sound to dizzying degrees. Then she dragged herself to the weyr ledge, to enraged to manage to pull herself upright, and launched herself out into the night. She hadn't felt anything from Gregory in a while, and suddenly she is bombarded with Gregory's pain. Then there was nothing at all. It was as if Gregory had ceased all feeling and thought. He was not dead, but she did not feel him. Her wings beat furiously as she gazed intently at the portions of the ground she could see.

Then she spotted him. Gregory was lying unconscious draped across a Blue wher's back. Snarling at the presumptuous actions of the Blue, Jadavath dove. How dare the thing harm her bonded.

Jadavath never made it to the wher because she suddenly heard the roar of an avalanche beginning. She was able to tell that the wher and Gregory were to far away to be effected, but that didn't soothe her. Something must have started that avalanche, and she bet that whatever it was had been the one to hurt Her Gregory. Twirling midair, Jadavath changed course and headed for the source of the trouble.

If you want to kill a weed, get its roots.

[Samari]

Dylan looked up at the mighty green dragon above. She had started for them, but turned to chase some other thing. He saw and heard the avalanche, and guided his Wher even faster towards the main section of the Weyr.




"Come on Dylansk, we have to get this guy inside. Tell the green we are trying to help."





Dylansk looked up at the green and spoke.



"Dylansk help. Dylansk save. Bleedyman fall in snow."[/color]

[Wesku]

Jadavath heard the Blue say that her Gregory would be saved, and she sent a reassuring wave of gratitude down at the creature.

The quick exchange didn't divert her from her course once however. She flew fast with her wings folded and her body bullet like for most of the dangerous and cutting turns she was employing. Jadavath would have never tried these maneuvers on a good day, only the desperation and intense anger motivated her now to pull off such stunts. As she was pulling away sharply from a section of the cliff face, Jadavath spotted another Green. This Green seemed smugly intent on following and watching Gregory.

With a shriek that pierced the air and would have shattered a human eardrum, Jadavath swept up above the cocky Green and dove. Her wings billowed out, and she extended her sharply clawed back feet. Jadavath wasn't aiming to kill, but to maim. She was targeting the wings.

I will hurt you as you have hurt MY Gregory. I will rip your wings off. I will teach you humility!

[PhazonDragon]

The angered and agitated roar of another dragon only served to disgruntle Crucith more. Was there another dragon that wanted to steal her thunder? Crucith answered with a growl, folding her wings to drop down further, but still circling around the mountainous weyr. Through all of her hard work, the green was dissatisfied to see that her disturbance of the snow didn't reach the weyrling or the wher and his handler that wanted to intrude. The blue wher had carried the injured Gregory away from the moving mound of snow.

Crucith wasn't worried about the green now, at least, not at the moment. Z'volm felt it in the mental link. With the excitement, time flew by like a speeding dragon, and dark had to have fallen by now. Be careful, dear. Dragons don't see well at night. You know that the rider cautioned. He leaned against a wall down a hallway to the side. It was a passage that was hardly used, so he wouldn't be disturbed now, not even at this hour. Be wary of that green you mentioned.

It's not me you should be worried about, Z'volm. I can hold my own, Crucith retorted sourly. She turned around on a wingtip, circling in the darkened sky. She seethed at the blue wher, angry that he was taking away her fun. The green considered going after the blue as well, but his handler was there, and that would not do, getting caught like that. However, an ear-splitting screech made its way to Crucith, and she blindly looked around for the source of the noise.

A gust of wind alerted the green to another aerial beast, this one climbing in front of her. Instinctively, Crucith fell into a dive, and the mind voice of another dragon entered her mind. Now assured that her attacker was going to teach her "humility," Crucith banked sharply, effortlessly gliding out of the way of the younger green's outstretched talons. In the dark, they both were at a disadvantage. Surely, the only thing that Crucith held over the green's head was her experience.

You will teach me? Let me show you a little something, youngling! Crucith hissed her anger, and flexed her wing muscles, willing herself to stay aloft for a few moments longer. Would you like me to rip your wings off?

[Samari]

Dylan urged his wher to move faster as they approached the entrance of the Weyr. His blue trotted over to a nearby bench and stood near it. Dylan picked up the injured man and laid him gently on the bench. He took off his parka and placed it over Gregory.


"There. Thanks Dylansk."




"Problem not. Happy help! Dylansk save!"[/color]

[Wesku]

Jadavath stopped moving. Only her slow, silent wing beats served as an indication that she was there. Her scales were darker than the other Green's. The olive drab color, that had caused many ignorant people to believe that Jadavath was ugly, was really a blessing in disguise. The color was a natural camouflage that resulted as a body's mechanism to make up for her lack of front legs. Nature might take one thing away, but it usually gave another.

Jadavath knew her eyes were practically useless and had begun scenting the air more heavily. She also felt for minute changes in wind pressure. This Green may be older, but Gregory had drilled into Jadavath a hundred different fight scenarios and strategies. Sure those had been history lessons on Gregory's favorite war heroes, but that didn't change the fact that many could be used. The thoughts of Gregory enraged Jadavath further. How dare this Green harm her rider.

Spotting an advantage, Jadavath silently curled her wings around her body and dropped like lead. Then when she had fallen far enough, Jadavath slowed her decent and waited for the Green to fly over her. The moment she spotted soft underbelly, Jadavath lunged with fangs bared. Her wings were folded at her side. She would strike and drop before the other Green could strike back.

[PhazonDragon]

The sudden absence of noises in the dark, save for those provided by the forest nearby alerted Crucith to the pause in the younger green's movement. Crucith growled quietly in distain. Was this green going to hide from her? How shameful, hiding from a problem. One should face it head-on. As the older green wheeled around, she went into a wide circle in the area, drifting lazily, trying not to make a sound. She inhaled deeply, taking in the odd scent of the world of the mountains and the forest.

There was an unfamiliar scent in the air, but this hardly helped the elder green since Earth was still new to her. Not to mention that she didn't know what this younger green smelled like. She hissed lowly, still turning in a circle. Her red-orange eyes were scanning the darkness in a futile attempt to find the other green. Her annoyance spread across the link that Crucith and Hers shared.

My dear, why are you so agitated? Z'volm had to asked, confused as to the array of emotions coming from his green. As Crucith sent him a darkened image of the opposing green, along with a comment on how the green was going to "rip her wings off," Z'volm had to chuckle. Oh yes, you better be careful of that fledgeling green... he said dryly.

I think she better watch out for me, Crucith hissed with venom in her voice. She would have said more, but experience told her that she had to be wary of something. Too bad she couldn't decipher what. A shift in the air below her made Crucith instinctively roll to the side--she was fast enough to escape major injuries, but not fast enough to avoid the scratch.

As the younger green shot up from below Crucith, the elder dragon tilted her wings and rolled. A sharp pain on her underside made Crucith growl. She didn't have time to check her wound. Instead, Crucith focused on taking the offensive, instead now turning on the other green with a deep roar escaping her throat. You better watch your back, Green.

[Wesku]

Jadavath pulled up from her dive and rolled away from the older Green. Something told her that she didn't want to be caught in a dive hurtling towards the earth when the other Green attacked. Instead Jadavath now hovered in an upright position, waiting for the other Green to get close enough for her to try and flip above the other Green and try and attack her flank before she could turn around.

The other Green's charge was to fast though, and Jadavath had to content herself with merely dodging. Jadavath managed to escape most of the first frontal attack but not all of it. A long, yet shallow gash slowly dripped ichor from her left shoulder down to her breast-plate.

Snarling, Jadavath executed a pin-point turn that allowed her to flip above her opponent. Gregory had told her that the high ground always had the advantage. Jadavath took his words to heart and dove at the other Green's back in hopes of incapacitating her elder.

---

Gregory groaned softly. His eyelids were so heavy that he didn't think he could lift them. The feeling of extreme lethargy pressed down on him as he tried to asses what had happened to him. He no longer felt so cold. In fact he felt a little warm. Shifting slightly, Gregory was able to tell that he was lying on something hard, and that there was something warm draped over him. He couldn't tell what it was, but it felt good.

Cracking his eyes open, Gregory was bombarded the light of the Weyr. It may have been a soft light, but Gregory's pounding headache made it feel worse than the harshest light he had ever experienced before. There was a shadow in the light. No, it was a man or an outline of one.

Opening his eyes a little wider, even as his head screamed at him in protest, Gregory tried to get a look at his savior.

[Samari]

Dylan let out a sigh of relief when the man opened his eyes. Dylansk had shut his eyes tightly until he'd made his way into a dark, unoccupied closet. The wherling smiled softly.



"Hey. I was almost afraid we didn't find you in time."

[PhazonDragon]

Crucith let out triumphant snarl as she managed to clip the green's shoulder with her advance, though annoyed at the green for dodging the full brunt of it. All she wanted to do was knock her out of the sky--not kill. Where was the fun in inflicting pain if the beast was dead? The older green snorted forcefully out of her nostrils, breathing deeply to put oxygen back into her lungs and system. Don't hide from me... Crucith muttered as the other green turned away and behind.

With the younger green now above her, Crucith was at the mercy of the green. She wasn't going to be bested by a green barely out of the shell though--Crucith beat her wings faster, leveling out her angered dive into a perpendicular beeline for the mountains. Her rider's soothing yet egging on feelings entered her mind. Yes, she did want to see this dragon fall to the ground, with wing membranes shredded and tattered.

The green was above her, that much Crucith knew, and she employed a quick tactic in an attempt to scare the green away. Before, Crucith had been propelling herself forward with powerful wings, but as she began to tire, a different tactic than speed was needed. She snapped her wings shut, immediately turning to drop like a stone to the faceless mountainside below her. Going to follow me down here? Crucith thought to herself, as she tightened her wings against her back. She felt the other green on her tail, and could barely see the mountain in front of her, but that didn't stop Crucith from the death-challenging dive.

[Wesku]

Jadavath folded he wings and dropped behind the Green. Her lack of front limbs made her more streamline and swift. She was gaining on the older Green. She was so close to catching her opponent. All she had to do was snap the tail, bat at it, disrupt it in anyway. At the speeds they were flying at, a disruption of the dragon's 'rudder' would prove almost fatal and at the very least highly dangerous. Reaching her open maw out, Jadavath prepared to end things.

Jadavath, stop.

Flinging her wings open, Jadavath pulled up from her suicide chase and took off towards the Weyr. Gregory had given her a direct order, and after everything that had happened, Jadavath wasn't about to disobey. Even if she hated it.

---

Gregory smiled back. He probably looked like death warmed over, but that didn't mean he wasn't thankful. The Green rider watched the wher retreat from the light and fondly thought of Jadavath.

Suddenly a dark fury overwhelmed him. Gregory could feel Jadavath's potent anger and rage. She was fighting with the intent to maim and hurt another dragon. Gregory had to wrestle Jadavath's dark emotions to the side in order to force his will upon her.

Jadavath, stop.

He felt his Green beauty pull away from the fight and rush to his location.

Gregory, Mine, are you alright? Are you well? Why did you stop me?

Sighing in relief at Jadavath's instant compliance, Gregory explained.

We fight for the preservation of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. My life is no longer in danger. There is a nice man here taking care of me. My freedom was never in question. And having you with me unharmed would make me happier than any revenge you may extract from her.

Jadavath snorted her understanding as she landed. Her eyes returning to their usual blue but retaining hints of stressed orange.

Gregory then turned back to the other man and offered another smile for ignoring him for so long.

"I owe you my life. My name is Gregory. You?"