Welcome to Gaia! ::

Diligently shifting through the rubble, Kellon focused on little else as she shifted rock and soil to the side. Though she tried to be mindful of what exactly she was doing, not wanting to cause anymore damage, her task was made more difficult by the lack of light. Around her, others had come to help, and the small group was working quite a ways into the mound of rock.

It was with some excitement, then, when Kellon’s fingers brushed what felt like leather. Motioning a glowbasket holder over, she was excited to find the edge of a boot poking through the rubble. Ignoring the fact that the boot, nor the appendage it was attached to, was not moving, the girl began to dig into the debris with fresh valor. What if she was actually going to save someone? She’d never even so much as saved a cake from burning, and her mother would be so proud…

It didn’t take much more digging, however, to discover that Kellon had simply saved the corpse of the Wingleader from an undignified burial. The body remained still even after she had unearthed a mound from atop it, and it was obvious it would forever remain still. He was dead, definitely. She felt a lump form in her throat, and her voice cracked as she called for help: “Um. I found a dead guy. I don’t know who he is, but…but, he’s dead.”

What was she supposed to do? Just leave him here for now and move on to search for other survivors? She didn’t know, and for the moment the girl waited to see if someone would help her deal with the body.

And there are still more of my children down here, in case you haven't noticed! Prigdith seethed back at Ialluth, standing up. Surely they had done enough to where they could get out now. Surely. Prigdith wasn't really inclined to care at the moment when she noticed another hole, and she jammed one large paw into it, claws tearing through the dirt underneath. GIRL. Watch the eggs--I am getting us out!

With that, the massive Gold plunged through the rock barrier, sending new shower of chunks flying. The hole she had found wasn't Jerishude's, luckily enough for him, but it certainly worked for getting the Gold out of there. She whirled back around and made sure that her eggs were fine, tail lashing. I told you, girl--now we have to get them to safety. Felena nodded and scrambled up out of the pit to her dragon, just as Prigdith began making the hole a little larger to better allow her bulk to pass through. She wasn't leaving her eggs there, oh Shards no.

A'tsu stood parylized, K'yne's hand still on his arm. He did not want to be digging. He certainly didn't want K'yne digging. He did not ignore direct orders. Ever. Witness his leaving Ghenza. Witness his white candidacy.

But--

But Jacth's anxiety was like a vise around his chest, a throbbing, painful sort of fear that was almost completely outside of the realm of emotions that A'tsu understood. He simply didn't know what to do with it, and the only thing that had managed to lessen it so far was digging. Which he'd been told to stop. Even as he straightened he could feel Jacth preparing to lunge forward, to take over for himself the job that A'tsu was abandoning.

And then Curith's voice sounded in Jacth's head, A'tsu getting the sense of it through their still new bond. The brown hatchling hesitated, then relayed the message in full to A'tsu.

Healers are needed below. But we must find the Whitemaster.

Perhaps he will hear you better from there. A'tsu replied, wanting to distract his dragon, and avoid disobeying orders.

Heading toward the way he'd seen Mairin leave, he grabbed the nearest unoccupied healer, quite literally, "There's a wounded man," he said, using size and strength to pull the healer along. "K'yne?"

Just an inquiry, to see if he would join them. Jacth quickly fell into step at A'tsu's side, I am trying to reach him mine. I am trying!

And he was, projecting rather loudly now, so that others might be picking up his frantic mindvoice, Whitemaster? We are looking for you! We are coming. I promise. We will save you!

He was already off the sands when the Gold arrived above.

(A wild Prigdith appears!)

Ialluth screamed when Prigdith suddenly ERUPTED from the rubble. The green had skittered a few paces back, but that didn't stop her from flaring her wings and hissing at the angry beast.

Your children are dead, you stupid beast, Ialluth snapped back at the Queen, with equal heat. Eggs are not strong enough to hold against rock. Get out of the way, and let the rest of us save the others. Not everyone is so selfish.

With that, Ialluth began to dig with renewed interest, suddenly understand her rider's distaste for metallics.

Curith? What a way to catch Emaleth's attention. The plaintive voice made his proverbial ears perk up, dark head swiveling in the direction of his brown sib that was about to go against orders. What was this insanity? The disrespect for the color rankings? For ranking period. He should have flared or rallied against Jacth and would have if it had not been that particular little green that called out to them for help.

In the way of himself, Emaleth did not even bother to wait for His to agree to go with A'tsu or his pesky brown but rather bounded in the same direction they were - towards Curith, where Mairin would be coming for healers.

No worries, pretty Curith! Your Emaleth is on his way! The man will be saved! And hopefully the Whitemaster would die, although that single thought only K'yne heard. His said nothing in response to that nasty statement. No, K'yne turned with A'tsu, matched his stride same as if they were off hunting flit eggs together.

Perhaps he would run off into danger himself but he would not let A'tsu do the same if he could help it. A'tsu would worry about K'yne's safety if he didn't go along with (at least, that's what he told himself. Emaleth thought the whole thing ridiculous.)

"Yes, 'Tsu." And K'yne kept with, the small bronze butt frolicking ahead. The Gold roared herself out and K'yne, ever uninterested, ignored it. They were gone and off the sands.

Korsi adorned a grim expression, but that did nothing to hint at what she was about to tell him. Her husband was dead, dragons were dead and who knew what else was going to go wrong. There were all the reasons in the world to look this way. For him and for her.

She was not as cruel as the late Whermaster, and she truly regretted giving R'xen another. "He may be dead, R'xen." Her voice was quiet, yet audible with the close proximity. No one else would have heard. "He left that beast of his with the whers on our island--"

This was nothing knew. "Our" island -- the wher island. The island Brambel had "owned" and she felt she could claim rights to if only through association.

J'aro would often leave Rajath chained down around where Bekar regularly worked. That way, he could ride back with him after the hatching, pick up his white and return to his weyr. Nothing unusual about that either.

"She got too out of control. We put her down."

Ren nodded, taking a step or two backward as she stared at the spectacle the gold and the green were making. She didn't recognize the green on sight, but it had been hard to miss her plaintive wails for her rider. Apparently she'd gotten in contact with him, for she seemed more rational. If challenging a gold was rational behavior for a green, which Ren knew it wasn't.

She allowed herself to be half-dragged toward everyone else, occasionally stumbling as she tried to watch the exciting proceedings over her shoulder. Probably if Jerishude hadn't been guiding her, she'd've managed to get herself crushed, but gratitude wasn't high on her list of things to express right now. In fact, she was beginning to wish she'd stayed in bed with her girlfriend and just heard about all this over klah the next morning.

"Good thought," she admitted once they were out of evident dragon-smash range. "Glad you had it."