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Ever since Lerath had finished growing and moved with his rider to their own private weyr, the pair were scarcely seen. V’al’s attention was focused almost solely on training Lerath, and except when their paths crossed at wing practice, he had little interest in his weyrmates. Lerath, of course, was always sociable and curious, but flight restrictions had left with adolescence, and he yearned ever toward the horizon. Thus, V’al appearance in the dining hall yesterday morning when he came looking for a party to join or form for a transplant expedition was somewhat unusual. After a bit of searching, he met and ate with Xan and F’ren, making the plans to head out the following day. Xan was a bit older than him, but he didn’t mind having a more experienced rider along for the journey – and Opeth’s non-flighty attitude could be useful. F’ren was more his age, but he seemed self-disciplined sort, and Lerath had nothing ill to say about his Toulonth.

It was the next day then, that V’al met them in the weyrbowl. He and Lerath arrived geared, and when they all seemed ready the ecstatic blue (who was so endlessly curious about what this would be like!) launched eagerly into the air, and after circling a few times for altitude, blinked Between.

"Well, time to go then!" Xan swung herself into place on Opeth's back and strapped herself down, her usual easy-going grin swapped for an indescribably excited one. They were timing! They were off to save the world! Heck yea!

"I don't want to go to the past. It won't be any better than the present. I expect the Thread will be falling. We'll probably get lost, too, and everyone will laugh at us. That or they'll get lost and die and we'll be blamed. Stupid hatchlings."

"Hush it, you," Xan chided as she did her final checks, "they'll be fine, and we'll be fine, so buck up and try to enjoy this!"

"I will not enjoy it," Opeth insisted as he leapt into the air, "I would rather be sleeping, or swimming."

"Maybe you can swim for a bit when we're there," Xan offered, calling to mind the jump they needed to make. "Read?"

"I suppose. I still think this is a bad idea."

"Of course you do!" the black-haired woman beamed, and pulled down her goggles. This was going to be amazing! "Let's go!"

Xan couldn't say exactly how much time had passed since they'd arrived, but it had been long enough for her to fill several pots will wriggling grubs. Giving a weary sigh and wiping sweat from her brow. Where were they?

"Lost between. Killed by Thread. Caught by oldtimers." Opeth's morbid predictions came in lazy tones; he was enjoying the warmth of the sun on his hide, and fairly peacefully resigned to the fate of the others. If they were alive they'd make it in the end, if not there was nothing he could do about it. "Where's your usual laid back attitude?" he asked of his rider with a yawn. "It's usually you telling me to 'chill' and let things work out."

"This is different," Xan snapped, "this is people's lives." She, as the most experienced rider on this mission, ought to have done something.

"There is only so far you can hold their hands," Opeth responded, more gently this time. "Don't blame yourself if they are lost, but don't congratulate yourself if they make it."

"Believe me," Xan muttered as she fetched another pot and stooped to gather more grubs, "I won't."

Journal

F'ren and Toulonth emerged from between low, landing almost as soon as they appeared. "We are here, F'ren is hurt!!" Toulonth broadcasted as F'ren slid from the saddle to stand shakily by her side. "Is everyone here? are they all safe?" he asked her, his good arm slung over her neck, that she held low, her eyes whirling slightly grey in her worry for him as well as her own cuts and gouges paining her.... they shared their pain and didn't need to talk about it to each other.

One handed, V’al was going to have some difficulty getting down on his own, but Lerath was too concerned with Toulonth arriving now to crouch and let him slide down. The blue keened at the green as she suddenly appeared and landed a short distance away. His eyes whirled in sympathy and concern at the ichor crusting on her wings.

Hey, let Xan help me so she can check on her, okay? V’al reminded him a tone softer than normal. Lerath rumbled embarrassment and dropped his shoulder, belatedly passing on Opeth’s question. “We’re threadscored,” he called as Xan approached, and threw his leg over Lerath’s neck. “It’s ugly but we’re stable. Could stay, but – help me down real quick –“ He slid down with Xan’s assistance and winced at the jolt of landing. “-but go help F’ren. Go!” He waved her off and moved to help Lerath sit and then lie down without hurting his limb.

Toulonth had, in fact, been one of the first greens Lerath had given chase to, and he arched his neck to watch her as he settled on the ground. What is wrong with F’ren, and are you okay?

“Shush so we can help. Now rest,” V’al said in some exasperation. After helping His settle, he headed as swift a pace he could manage toward Toulonth and F’ren. In his absence, Lerath grunted worridly and asked Opeth, You and yours came alright, yes?

"Ack, numbweed, right!" Having almost reached F'ren, Xan screeched to a halt and sprinted back over to Opeth to retrieve her stock of the stuff. Slipping on a pair of fine leather gloves (the stuff you were supposed to use to protect yourself when applying numbweed brought her out in a rash), the black-haired woman hastened back over to Toulonth and set about rubbing it gently into her injuries. "I'll come to you next Lerath, if you need anymore? Then F'ren, and V'al I'll do what I can for you." Part of her reason for seeing to the dragons first was the fact that they were the ones that needed to be sharp for the jump home (they could take an image for Opeth if needs be), and partially because she knew that no rider would allow themselves to be seen to while their lifemate was still in pain. Shards. Why had this happened to them? They didn't deserve it.

"Yes," Opeth addressed his reply to both other dragons with a sigh as his rider scurried about with the numbweed, "we arrived without trouble a short while ago. It seems the Thread passed over here a short while ago; Mine already has a good amount of grubs potted up. Once you two and your riders are a little patched up I expect we can head straight off, unless it is decided that Mine should find more grubs, and some herbs. It might not look too good on us three to return with light pots and heavy injuries... You two and Yours will be alright though?" He didn't want to worry, he wanted to not care a wherry-feather about any of them but apparently that wasn't possible. Stupid compassion.

F'ren appreciated the fact Xan went to Toulonth first, knowing he would do the same for her Dragon if it had been the other way around. Dragons being hurt, pained F'ren, he didn't like to see them in needless pain, he could tell that others were hurt, he wanted to get up and help them but his shoulder, combined with the effort it took to shield his pain from Toulonth as much as he could made him tired, the long walk they'd had to find clear air too had been tiring and Toulonth would likely need to hunt soon, she was slightly paler than she should be.

He winced as V'al came to his side, to help him sit beside Touolonth but he was grateful of it, unbalanced as he was with one arm in it's makeshift sling. "Thanks V'al was it?" he chuckled with only a little humor then winced as pain shot through his chest as V'al told him to stay still "Not got much choice in that matter V'al, my legs have gone soft" he mumbled to the other rider, now that he got a chance to sit, he could rest for a while.

"Mine needs rest, and my wings ache ... maybe we could.... stay here a little, in the sun and heal for a bit first?" suggested Toulonth, crooning to Hers, who was hiding his pain from her, just as she hid hers from him. She gave Lerath a little draconic murr of sympathy when he talked about Thread and his hurt, and His getting hurt, she could understand him on that. "Mine would say the weeds are important, we came here for them, if we go back with none... he would think he had failed. We should stay and get more grubs and these weeds." she said, streching her wing out better for Xan to rub the numbweed onto the tears and gouges. "But we shouldn't stay too long, Mine has no more Numbweed and there might be Thread again" she added quietly.