[13.11] Hide Work (M'riel)

[sorra]

Shayna groaned softly as she stood from her desk and rubbed her lower back. She hadn't slept much the night before and she had been up early to work on some hides and other things. She had also wanted to collect some to speak with M'riel about. She knew her lover wasn't real thrilled about her going, but she didn't see a threat in the other bronze rider. They were all riders and riders DID NOT fight against each other. She would be careful though. And it wasn't like there weren't people around on the Welcoming Island. R'bao was welcome to come find her whenever he wanted to.

The acting Weyrwoman had reluctantly left her son in the creche for the day and gotten her gold harnessed. Josiath waited patiently while Shayna carefully mounted. She wasn't nearly as nimble as she had been. She straightened out her tunic and hoped that her wide belt helped conceal her condition a little bit. She still hadn't had time to talk to R'bao about the baby. Maybe tonight. One never knew. They were both so busy.

Josiath took to the air and flew straight to the Welcoming Island. She knew it wasn't good for the little to go between. She landed gently on the beach and Shayna slid off. She knew she was later then she had meant to be and she hoped M'riel wasn't too upset. She put the hides under her arm as she went to find the bronze rider. She smiled in relief when it seemed like the dragons had at least fared alright during the night. She hoped their riders felt the same.

"M'riel?" she called as she stepped into the barracks, not quite sure where she would find him.

Oreath, Josiath said friendly. Mine is looking for Yours. Could you have him meet her? she requested. She was looking out for her rider's health even if Shayna wasn't.

[kendrall]

M'riel was busy whittling away at a willow branch, trying in vain to pass the time away, when he heard the Weyrwoman's voice. Just before he started to rise to his feet, Oreath was already notifying him there was a rather important visitor...

Mine, Josiath's is here and wants to...

I know, Oreath, I heard her. Tell Josiath I'm already on my way. While you're at it, you could always try and introduce yourself to her. That last bit was somewhat of a wry, sarcastic comment, but M'riel knew his Bronze would take the bait. He put away his small knife and set down the branch, then stepped out into the common room. He had to set himself to meet Shayna, but why on Pern would she come here? Wasn't he supposed to be meeting with M'cleod instead? Either way, it was never a good thing to keep a lady waiting, especially when she happened to be the acting Weyrwoman...

M'riel's eyes caught sight of Shayna. She had a wide belt around her tunic, and if he factored in what he saw last night with how she was currently carrying herself...he wouldn't be too far off to guess she was with child. But, he also knew that it wouldn't be proper to make his observations known, unless it was asked of him. Under her arm were several hides, and that meant those were the reports he had asked for last night. He offered up a polite smile at her. "Weyrwoman, good day to you. I see you brought some hides with you; was there anything specific you wanted to discuss first?" M'riel pulled out a chair for her at the nearest table, offering her a place to sit.

[sorra]

Josiath lay down in the warm sun and prepared to be there for a while. The sand was warm against her hide and she was quite content to wait for her rider. Besides, this way she could meet the new dragons. It wasn't like she really met them yesterday when it had been so confusing.

Shayna looked around when she didn't see M'riel right away. She had to smile though when she heard her dragon bespeak Oreath. Leave it to Josiath to take things on herself. Well, that was fine with Shayna. She hadn't even thought about finding M'riel that way. The acting Weyrwoman smiled when she heard M'riel. At least he didn't look any worse after their first night at the Barracks.

"Good day, Wingleader," she said friendly as she took the offered seat. She didn't like how swollen her feet were getting. It was getting harder to be on her feet for long. She nodded as her braid fell over her shoulder. "I did. I thought we could take some time and look through them," she answered. She shook her head as she brushed her bangs behind her left ear. "Not really. Is there anything specific you want to know?" She would answer any questions she could.

[kendrall]

Oreath didn't have to give much of an effort to move over to where the gold dragon was laying. He simply crooned at her, then bowed his head at Josiath. Greetings, fair Josiath. I am Oreath. May I have the honor of getting to know you?

M'riel assisted Shayna the best he could, then took a seat opposite from her. He forced himself to steady his heartbeat and his breathing; it was important to meet her fact for fact, and not let any of his emotions get in the way. Instead, he nodded simply at her. "Yes, Weyrwoman. Actually, there were several questions I was hoping you would be able to answer." He leaned back a little. "First, I was wondering just how long it's been since the last Threadfall. It was mentioned that it hasn't fallen recently; if you have an idea of how many Turns it's been..." M'riel knew that there had been at least one long Interval prior to his own time, but he needed an approximate answer on when the last Threadfall took place. That would give him some idea of when the next Pass would probably occur, and tell him how long he had to start formulating a plan of action.

"Second, I was curious about the Weyr itself. Where it's located in relationship to the mainland, if there are other Weyrs in existence and how they view Izuko; how the current Holds and Trading caravans likewise view us, that sort of thing." Whatever information he could glean from either the records Shayna had brought with her, or from the Weyrwoman herself, would also prove helpful. It never hurt to know what the political environment was, as much as he despised politics. But knowing the difference between a likely ally and a likely foe, well...

"Third, I'd like to review any records that are in use for conducting practice drills. I'd also like to know just how effective they are, if there's been any recent accidents as a direct result of relying on them, and so forth." If there were any flaws to be found, it would help to find them quickly and formulate a plan to correct them before anyone was hurt. Or worse. M'riel didn't just have to force himself to keep his emotions in check, he also had to force himself to keep his gaze fixed firmly into Shayna's eyes...her irises, he noted, were nearly the same shade as his own...

[sorra]

Josiath raised her head when Oreath moved closer. She returned the bronze's gentle croon. Good morning, Oreath, she said kindly. The gold cocked her head to the side. I do not see a problem with that at all. I would like to get to know you too. He was a bronze after all.

Shayna gave M'riel a grateful smile as she got situated in the chair. She set the hides she had brought with her on the table so that they both could see them and then quickly smoothed her tunic down to make sure it hadn't ridden up any. She didn't want M'riel to be uncomfortable or anything. The acting Weyrwoman thought for a minute as she tapped her nails against the hides. "Well, no one in known history has experienced Thread. The Holds believe it will not return. The riders have reason to believe we're nearing the end of an interval."

The gold rider smiled slightly. "The Weyr is on an isolated island that very few people actually know exist. To reach the mainland it would be a couple day boat ride at the least." She shook her head. "This is no other Weyr that we know of and as of right now, the Holders do not like us much at all. Actually, the Holders would rather we didn't even exist. As far as I know the Traders are still fine with the riders as are the Healers and Harpers. I haven't heard much about the other crafts." She couldn't understand why the people were so bent on getting rid of the riders.

Her silvery blue eyes sparkled slightly as she dug through the hides she had brought with her. "I thought you might be interested in the wings and drills so I brought you a record of the drills we've been using and any mishaps that may have occurred." She thought for a minute. "Except for the loss of our senior queen recently we haven't had any casualties and the Authanth was lost to a fight in a flight not because of drills." Her throat tightened a bit as she spoke about the loss of Authanth. The Weyr was still reeling from that and trying to get back on its feet. She just hoped that she was able to fill Taenia's shoes and not let anyone down.

[Mik]

M'cleod had finished his own lone sweepride on Duncanth. It was always their time to think and to be by themselves and to maybe be a little reckless in their flight patterns now and again, but the early morning sweepride was just something that M'cleod had been doing since L'rai's leadership, minus the few times when his brown was grounded or limited in flight. Coming around to the Barrier Island, he was happy to see the new wing of dragons resting along the shoreline like they had been told. At least that order had been followed so far.

The small dark brown landed smoothly down the beach aways, working his way nearer to the new dragons happily. Duncanth loved the company of any new dragon and did not have the caution that his rider did about meeting new folk. Once M'cleod dismounted, the nearly black brown headed for the cluster of dragons, bespeaking Josiath to tell Hers that His was here now. Lovely Josiath, Mac-Mine wants to know if Yours wants his company over the hides you brought, he said to the only gold there since Tsunath had yet to return to the island. While his rider conversed with one of the wherhandlers on guard, the brown waited for an answer from the Queen while he said his greetings to the new dragons. Hi! Mine says you'll be staying. I'm glad there's more of us, now! he said to the nearest dragon of the wing, nearly black tail twitching happily back and forth as he shuffled closer and closer to the dragons on the beach.

[kendrall]

Oreath simply crooned at Josiath, then came to rest on all fours next to the Gold, but still giving her enough space. To the Bronze, the Gold seemed regal yet refined. A refreshing combination. He then peered past Josiath to see a smaller Brown approach, its Rider dismounting and speaking to a cousin's Handler. Oreath greeted the newcomer. Greetings. Yes, it is good to see more Dragons here. I am Oreath.

M'riel, meanwhile, was pouring over the hides now stretched out on the table before him. Shayna had mentioned that no one had seen Threadfall in known history, but that didn't quite give him a specific answer as to when the last occurrence was. Her answer, he interpreted as somewhat vague, wasn't helping. M'riel could only guess as to how long it was; his instinct was telling him it had been at least a generation ago when the Red Star drew close to Pern, bringing with it the deadly rain. Question was, how much time did everyone have before the next Pass? One Turn? Two?

He thought it over for a brief moment. Just how exactly could he come up with a valid determination; or, as his instructors would say, his 'best guess'?

At least Shayna told him about the Weyr itself. It was on an isolated island, which meant they had to be nearly surrounded by water, if not entirely. At least a two-day boat ride to the mainland, according to the Weyrwoman. No other known Weyrs in existence. The Holders not trusting the Weyr came as no surprise to him, especially given the fact there seemed to be a complete lack of Threadfall. Holders, he knew, couldn't exist without the protection of the Dragonriders. The Riders weren't able to provide for themselves, hence they relied upon imported goods that often came from the Holds. But what if there were some resources nearby that the Weyr could utilize, resources that could be deemed as valuable, and therefore presenting an opportunity? M'riel and Il'ran had discussed that possibility earlier that morning. Did Shayna know anything?

What it also told the Bronze Rider that, should the Holds openly declare war, it would take at least two days by sea before becoming a threat. M'riel hoped the tense situation between Izuko and the Holds wouldn't escalate into hostility. The Traders, Healers, and Harpers would become caught in the middle; innocent lives would be at risk simply because the Holders appeared to be steadfast in their misguided beliefs. Until the Red Star was no longer a factor in bringing Threadfall, the Dragonriders were still needed. And M'riel knew full well the Dragonriders would probably fight to defend themselves, to preserve their way of life and that of their lifemates.

Could M'riel and his people come up with a plan to defend the Weyr, without too many casualties? How well could the Riders defend themselves, if they didn't have any sort of formal military training? What about the Wherhandlers? He wasn't too worried about the Guards; M'riel was getting to know that particular bunch, especially since he was one of them in his younger days. The Guards always took time to salute the Bronze Rider, but it was more out of camaraderie than respect.

Shayna then went on to give her input about the drills in use by the Weyr. Standard V-formation, box formation, and a few others he instantly recognized. M'riel groaned inwardly. It had been his experience if you went by the book and gave no room for ingenuity, no room to change tactics on the fly...it was no wonder there had been so many accidents. He'd been in trouble for his apparent disregard for sticking by the book. That was why he didn't have much say during his time at High Reaches Weyr. That was also why, in his opinion, there had been so many losses during Threadfall. Even the Weyrleader - his old one, rather - was forced to admit that sweeping changes needed to be implemented, hence the reason why M'riel was tasked to lead his group into the past. But from what he was seeing on the hides, there was hardly any difference in the drills even in this timeframe.

It was... well, time to change all that.

What surprised him, however, was how Gold Authanth was lost. When Shayna finished speaking, M'riel chose that point to start.

"Gold Authanth was lost in a Flight? But that's impossible, isn't it? What happened, exactly?" One of the many drudges tasked to the barracks came up with a steaming kettle and two mugs; M'riel could detect the smell of cinnamon coming from the kettle, which meant it was warm klah. At least they're starting to get the idea that I have a preference for klah, he thought to himself as the drudge poured out the klah into both mugs; M'riel took one and offered it to Shayna while he took the other. He would ask his next question after the Weyrwoman - acting Weyrwoman, he reminded himself - recounted the story.

[sorra]

Josiath didn't mind Oreath moving closer. The queen could come across as arrogant at times, but for the moment she was quite content and as she got older she started to lose that arrogance. Although she wasn't above asserting her rank if the need arose. Right now though she wanted to get to know Oreath better. She turned her elegant head when she heard Duncanth. Shayna? Would you like M'cleod to come in? she asked of her rider before greeting Duncath. Good day, Duncath, she crooned. She didn't mind the black/brown dragon. He was always kind. She waited a moment more. Shayna says M'cleod is welcome to join them. Josiath didn't know many names, but she did remember a couple.

Shayna wasn't real surprised that M'cleod had shown up. Well, that was fine with her. Actually it might work better. He could hopefully answer some of the questions that she couldn't. She hadn't helped raise Izuko Weyr from the ground after all and she did feel bad that she couldn't give M'riel a more definite time frame on Thread. Right now she had a slight headache and sometimes lately it felt like she couldn't think clearly at all, but she couldn't let that get in the way of things. There was too much to do.

The gold rider sat quietly while M'riel looked through the hides. She had done her fair share of sorting through those hides and could probably quote them backwards and forwards. For the most part when it came to drills and things it was a lot like Fort had been. Although she remembered playing quite a few different games at Fort. Of course maybe Izuko would start that again. Especially with Thread looming in their near future.

She didn't want to think about the Holders at the moment. She couldn't believe they would sink that low and there were times that she worried for her parents. She didn't know how many would remember that their oldest daughter was a rider, but she hoped they would stay safe. She didn't want anything to happen to them. Maybe she could get Hya to go see them. Her little green could slip in easier then Josiath could. Maybe she could even bring them back here. She shook her head. Now wasn't the time to think about that.

Shayna closed her silvery eyes and took a deep breath when M'riel asked his question. "I don't know everything since Jo and I were away at the time of the flight. Apparently Tsunath, whom you have met rose and then Fraith, our other young gold rose. Neither of their riders realized they were that close to rising. Fraith hadn't risen at all and none of us were sure that she really would. Tsunath turned even angrier then normal when she saw Fraith and attacked. As the two battled it out Authanth, who had a clutch on the Sands which was why she was still here tried to stop the fight. She manged to save the two younger ones, but we lost her. " Tears spilled down Shayna's cheeks. Her pregnancy was making her weepy and she didn't like it. "The Healers tried to save her but it was too late. Josiath and myself helped to take Authanth to her final resting place. I don't think the Weyr has fully recovered from that shock yet," she whispered. She gratefully accepted the mug of klah that she just now realized he was offering her and took a sip to wet her parched throat. She felt a bit raw now.

[Mik]

Duncanth crooned happily, multifaceted eyes whirling a happy blue. I am Duncanth. Mine’s M’cleod, but I call Mine Mac more. The little brown sat up on his haunches, foreclaws barely touching the sand as he peered at the other dragons there. So many new ones. And my Littles will hatch soon, too! he added, turning his eyes back to the bronze and gold nearest him. At Josiath’s words, he relayed the message quickly to His. Mac-Mine, Josiath says Hers is okay with Yours to go in.

After receiving his dragon's words, M'cleod bid the guard farewell and headed for the Common Room. He had stepped up to the open doorway when he heard Shayna's recap of the disastrous mating flight not so very long ago, his footfalls the usual soft steps that were hard to hear. He stopped at the doorway, partially turned to face the door, hand raised to knock to make his presence known when he heard Shayna's words. He had seen so many dragons die in the Plague, his own dragon having been ill at one time, too. Close dragons. His sisters' dragons. His friends and wingmates. His Leadership. He had been a coward then, running away from the Plague when Duncanth had fallen ill of it. Some days he wished that Duncanth had succumbed to the Plague with all the problems he had been facing, but those thoughts were often stomped out by Duncanth's smooth voice of comfort to tell him that he had lived for this very reason. Holding back the tears that threatened his dark eyes at the thoughts of Taenia, his mate and Lover, at the loss of her wonderful dragon, he worked at getting his composure back. I am listening, Mac-Mine, came the smooth voice of his brown, I will always be here for you. M'cleod smiled with a thankful thought toward his dragon's support.

Finally taking a deep breath to calm his outward appearance, the brown riding Weyrleader knocked on the door. After another moment or two, he stepped inside, looking each of the rider’s in the eye before stepping over to the hearth, saying, “G’mornin’. I’m sure Shayna got a head start with ya’, M’riel,” he said as he picked up a mug and poured himself a bit of klah, but did not drink of it. He studied the steaming liquid for a long moment before setting it aside from where he thought about sitting down at. He thought he had been thirsty, but now he was not so sure as his mind was not fully focused on the task at hand just yet.

[kendrall]

M'riel took a sip of klah from his mug, then carefully set it down next to the hides as he continued to study them. Shayna had been clearly upset over how Authanth was lost in the Gold flight; as much as he wanted to console her, the Bronze Rider knew better. It wouldn't do him any good to be seen holding Shayna in his arms, especially since she was the acting Weyrwoman. There was also an off-chance she was in love with someone else, but he didn't think it was with M'cleod. No matter how he tried to look at the dilemma, there was one truth that stood out:

Shayna wasn't Noemi.

In the back of his mind, M'riel knew that even if Josiath were to Rise and if his own Oreath won the Flight, he could never love Shayna the way he loved Noemi. A professional working relationship, possibly. If Shayna ever decided she could make room in her heart for him, along with whomever she was currently in love with, M'riel wasn't sure if he could reciprocate. Even if some tragic event were to happen to whomever her lover was, Shayna still could never be Noemi, nor take the long-dead Greenrider's place in his heart. Love was a tricky thing to him these days, and it would probably elude him for the rest of his natural life. As for children; Aquila and Ekaterina were like daughters to him. He wasn't sure if he could handle being a father again, and worry if his own flesh-and-blood would pass away prematurely.

He was brought back to the present when he heard someone knock, then M'cleod entered the room and greeted him. M'riel returned the greeting with a simple nod. "Weyrleader." He then looked over at Shayna. "Right, so back to the part about Threadfall. You mentioned that no one in known history has experienced it, so that would suggest it's been at least one generation, if not two, since the last incident. You and I think alike that it could fall again at any time, but we'd have a hard time convincing the Holders. Speaking of, are there any natural resources near us that haven't been tapped into? If so, we might be able to use them to our advantage, give us some room to negotiate." M'riel looked at M'cleod and merely blinked at the Weyrleader, indicating he was free to fill in the blanks.

[Mik]

M'cleod remained standing, his dark eyes glancing over a few of the hides on the table. He had gone over these hides probably as much as each of the goldriders had in his turns as Weyrleader and even when he was not a Weyrleader. They were all such happy and sad times, but most of the Weyr's records had been destroyed during the Quake and so the hides laying upon the table were all obviously newer in origins, their thin edges hardly brittle and the ink still strong and easily legible. "It's been more 'an two generations. It's been four 'undred an' twen'y-seven turns since the silver rain last fell," he provided, dark sky eyes turning up to M'riel's and then to Shayna's. He had been counting the turns since thread had left Pern's skies, waiting and hoping for its return so that he could live the life of the dragonriders of old and feel that wonderful purpose that every rider felt when they had Thread to fight instead of this struggling feeling every time they met up with the Holdfolk.

The brownrider glanced back at the hides, moving a few slightly to find the one that he knew Shayna had brought, but not changing what order they were in. Order was key in their struggling times and he did not mess with it if he could help it. Touching the corner of that hide, a map of the island and its vague details, he added, "We're still buildin' an' explorin' Izuko. If there's resources here we can use for trade or improvement, we ain't found 'em yet."

Stepping around behind M'riel and over to Shayna's pile of hides, he glanced at her pile for another hide that he had kept in his mind during the rest of his sleepless night since the Future Riders' arrival. Moving the hides to find the one he wanted to refer to, he left it to Shayna to pull out like he had done the map for M'riel. "The gold ya' brought with ya' is gonna be benefitial to us, 'cause yer thriteen brings us to a hundred an' seventy-nine dragons known to Pern. With any luck, Authanth's clutch'll all Impress an' yer gold'll hatch an' Impress, too. That'll give us a hundred an' eighty. Though Fraith an' Tsunath's flights were short, I think we're all hopin' fer big clutches from 'em. An' if Josiath stays true to 'er flight patterns, we should see 'er Risin' next month an' hopef'ly a big clutch from 'er after that un." He stepped back as if he were giving the two seated Riders some personal space.

[sorra]

Shayna sat back in her chair and let M'cleod take over for a bit. He seemed like he had a lot he wanted to say and there were parts that he knew more about then she did. She glanced over at M'riel. He looked like he had something on his mind, but she didn't know the new bronze rider well enough to even take a guess at it. Maybe later she would see about talking to him privately and making sure things were alright for him. Not that she was positive he would talk to her, but it was worth a try. She was a gold rider after all and wanted to keep peace and hopefully help everyone.

The gold rider looked at the hide that M'cleod was pulling out and studied the map. She had looked at it enough times to have it memorized. She felt a bit stupid for not knowing exactly how many Turns it had been since Thread had last fallen. The gold riders should know that, but it felt like lately she hadn't had much time to sort anything out let alone figure out Thread again. Shayna rubbed her eyes a bit. "I think if we can spare the riders we should see if there is any natural materials we've missed," she said, looking at both riders. If they could find anything to help them it would be greatly appreciated.

Shayna pulled the other hide out that M'cleod had unearthed, wondering what he was looking for. He seemed to be thinking something, but she had never been able to read him real well. Of course she hadn't been real close to Taenia to start with so she didn't talk to M'cleod much. She nodded. "I've never had Jo fly out of pattern," she said softly. She hadn't even thought about her up coming flight. She had been too busy trying to help M'cleod keep the Weyr out of total chaos. "We certainly do have high hopes for the up coming clutches and another gold will be much needed. Especially with Thread coming." She knew their numbers were getting larger, but they still needed more dragons in order to challenge Thread.

[kendrall]

M'riel nodded as the Weyrleader gave the Bronze Rider the number he needed. Four hundred and twenty-seven turns since the last Threadfall. From what he had read, there had been at least one long interval in Pern's history; roughly four hundred fifty Turns or so if his memory served him well. That meant he had some time to start putting together a plan of action, provided his mental calculations were fairly accurate. Just how exactly how long he couldn't be sure of, but he knew there would be little time to waste. M'cleod then went on to explain that Izuko was still under construction and exploration, and therefore nothing in the way of natural resources had been found. M'riel thought that one over as he looked at the hide the other man moved from the pile, revealing the map of the island. Il'ran was still conducting his investigation, and hopefully the younger man would be able to help determine exactly what could be used to the Weyr's advantage. Gems, rare metal ores, or even petroleum could prove to be highly valuable and, as some card players often put it, a "bargaining chip."

What set him back, however, was when M'cleod mentioned that Gold Josiath would probably Rise within the next month or two. M'riel spared a glance at Shayna's belly. If she was indeed with child, being involved in a rough yet deeply passionate night under the furs as a result of Flightlust could have some serious impact on the developing little within her womb. True, he was no Healer; but between the many Flights he'd participated in, learning some basic healing techniques during his time as a Guard, and his instinct all pointed to a potential health hazard for the Weyrwoman and her unborn child if Josiath did indeed Rise soon. If Josiath could somehow hold off until after Shayna's baby was born...

M'riel didn't want to dwell too long on the speculation, and decided to focus his attention back to the hides.

"The gold ya' brought with ya' is gonna be beneficial to us, 'cause yer thirteen brings us to a hundred an' seventy-nine dragons known to Pern. With any luck, Authanth's clutch'll all Impress an' yer gold'll hatch an' Impress, too. That'll give us a hundred an' eighty. Though Fraith an' Tsunath's flights were short, I think we're all hopin' fer big clutches from 'em. An' if Josiath stays true to 'er flight patterns, we should see 'er Risin' next month an' hopef'ly a big clutch from 'er after that un," M'cleod had said. M'riel looked at the Weyrleader. "One hundred eighty dragons should give us roughly sixty in each flight, if you don't count the Queen Wing. But if you're right about Fraith and Tsunath having large clutches, followed by Josiath's..." He quickly ran some mental calculations. "We're looking at over two hundred strong. That should be enough dragons to deal with Thread once it comes back, if it comes sooner than any of us anticipate. Hopefully, we'll have enough time to ensure we'll have well beyond the two hundred. Personally, I'd settle for at least three hundred."

"As for the flight patterns..." M'riel touched the corner of the hide showing the various patterns that had been in use, then dug into his belt pouch and pulled out some Marks. "I was wondering if we could make room for quickly making adjustments, or possibly altering some of the patterns. I remember the last time Oreath and I had to fight Thread, we had to make one quick adjustment from what was left over in our Wing. Only three of us were left, and I had Oreath order the other two to form up on us, making a line." M'riel took a 1-mark coin and put it in the center of the table, then took two 1/2-mark coins and placed one on either side. "I made sure there was enough space between the three of us to allow for weaving and such, but otherwise directed to have the flames concentrated directly in front." He took his forefinger and traced a series of narrow cones from the coins, all pointing in the same direction. "End result was basically a wide area of flame that managed to burn a lot of Thread, and we didn't suffer any casualties." He looked at the other two Riders. "It was the same strategy we used in the Guards - a no-nonsense line of about five or six of us, spears pointing outward, charging at full speed at the enemy. It was more for an intimidation tactic than anything else, but it still was highly effective."

"I'll leave it up to you two to make the call, but I would propose being able to split the various Wings into smaller groups of two or three, breaking formation as needed in order to spread out to cover a wider area of Thread. I think we can all agree that speed and efficiency are essential when burning Thread, and therefore keeping it to an absolute minimum to avoid having an adverse effect on just about everyone. Including us. Given enough time with some of my more experienced Riders, I'm sure we could come up with a number of variations to each of the standard formations."

M'riel knew that technically, M'cleod would be the one to make the final call as he was responsible for the defense of the Weyr and the Holds when it came to Thread. If his instinct was right, the former Raider would agree to testing the Bronze Rider's theory. If it went the opposite way, well...it would eventually be deja-vu all over again for thirteen Riders. And once again, the blame would fall squarely on the Weyrleader's shoulders. If M'cleod or someone else was still the Weyrleader by that time...there would be some damaging political fallout. M'riel wasn't about to toot his own horn, so to speak, but his instinct and long military experience rarely let him down. It was little wonder his own Lord Holder had backed him so often. You had to practically think on your feet and think ahead at the same time. Being able to do both was a rare talent if there ever was one, and that was why M'riel was promoted to such a high rank within the Guards. It wasn't a question if M'cleod was able to do the same thing, but it was more of a was-he-willing-to-risk-it type of question.

M'riel always did have a knack for putting the pressure on his commanding officer to re-assess situations, at the risk of his own career. It paid off quite often.

"I think if we can spare the riders we should see if there is any natural materials we've missed," Shayna had said when it came to the question about the resources. M'riel simply nodded at her. "I know my Riders would probably welcome the opportunity to assist in that effort, Weyrwoman. I can probably ask some of the guards if they would be willing to help as well. I've gotten to know them pretty well in my short time here so far, and that's probably because I have a lot in common with them." He shrugged. "But, it's ultimately your call." M'riel was hoping Shayna would take the opportunity to assert her authority as Weyrwoman, as he fervently revered the concept of the chain-of-command. To him, for a Lord Holder to defer to the decision of his advisors meant that he wasn't capable of making a tough call in the face of adversity or risk. There weren't too many differences here.

[sorra]

Shayna watched carefully as M'riel started to move the marks around to show how they had done it in their time. It made sense to her, but she was curious to see what M'cleod thought. He had been in charge of the wings after all. Although she was tempted to see how it would work with the Queen's Wing. Maybe a formation similar to that. None of them were totally sure about what would work best and she was willing to try anything. She didn't want to see any rider hurt.

The acting Weyrwoman unconsciously touched a hand to her stomach when M'riel and M'cleod talked about the flights. She was dreading this flight a bit. She knew Josiath needed to rise in order to sort things out and hopefully get the Weyr under control again, but she was worried about her baby. She just hoped the flight wouldn't hurt her baby. Maybe she'd mention her fear to R'bao. He always seemed to be able to ease her fears and make her see reason. Hopefully she was just over reacting and things would be just fine. Flights had never bothered her before. Of course she had never been pregnant during those either.

Shayna turned her attention back to M'cleod and M'riel. She didn't want to give herself away yet. She hadn't talked to M'cleod yet about her pregnancy and she wasn't going to until she had a chance to speak with R'bao. Whenever that might be. So as of the moment no one knew she was pregnant. Besides, this was more important than her fears anyhow. M'riel had some good ideas. She slowly nodded and smiled, feeling a bit more awake now thanks to the klah. "If you would like to speak to your riders and see if any volunteer we can go from there. I'll see if any of our riders have some free time and yes, the guards probably would enjoy it. If there is a chance of finding anything that could help the Weyr I'm all for it. We need all the help we can get," she said.

[Mik]

M'cleod nodded to Shayna's words. He could set up a few more exploratory pairs and scout out the mountain passes before the snow settled in on them. He just hoped that they were all ready for this cold snap coming on. His mother had informed him of the weather patterns since they had been there and her guesses of the weather were usually quite accurate, something Mac was only half as good at. "I can see 'bout settin' up a few more explorin' pairs an' see what we can spot out," he said to that fact.

"Eighty-'un of our dragons're Weyrlings, M'riel. Only fifteen're ready for Graduation. Twen'y-five more of 'em'll Graduate a month after. Right now, we only got one Flight 'cause our numbers're so small." His Weyrlinghood seemed like ages ago, but then again, his Weyrlinghood had been when dragons were sighted everywhere on Pern. Much had changed since then and he could only hope that he was doing more good than harm to the cause.

The brownrider's keen eyes watched the bronzerider's demonstration of his idea of a wing drill and nodded, getting the concept, though he had had no formal training in the Guards, only Raiding experience. Though in these tough times, his Raiding experience had been a great asset compared to a Guard's trained tactics. "I'll see what we can do in our wings with 'at," he said, neither saying yes or no to the use of the maneuver. He was actually game for anything that might help them be ready for the silver rain to fall again.

Finally, the Weyrleader moved to his bland mug of klah and took a few swallows of the warm liquid, making a face of distaste briefly. Setting the mug down, he subconsciously grabbed an herbal pouch from a belt loop and pulled a few pinches from it to add it to his klah. As he swirled the powdery mix into his klah, he turned his sky blue gaze to M'riel, deftly replacing the pouch with his other hand. "What I really wanna know is why two 'undred turns from now, the Weyrs've lost whatever it was 'at we began when Thread returned to our skies. Can ya' at least answer me 'at, Wingleader?" he asked, the scent of peppermint and a stronger cinnamon drifting to his senses, enticing him to take another few swallows of his steaming drink. That taste was much better.