Thinking of Escape
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: AL, Heather
Date Posted: 21st May 2016
Series: Shipwrecked
Characters: Zathris, Thayde
Description: The two find what may be the key to their escape.
Location: Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 5, day 18 of Turn 8
Notes: Part 6 of the Survival series
Sweat trickled down Thayde's temple, zigzagging down his cheek and into the scruffy beard that had developed after the sevendays that they'd been living on the island. The heat from the bonfire was nearly stifling, but it was something they did daily now, as they become more desperate for rescue. Surely dragonriders were out searching and the smoke would carry high enough to be seen?
"All right, let's get back to the raft then." He said, wiping his brow with his forearm. Once a month had passed on the island, they had made the decision that a raft might be necessary. The hard part wasn't making it sea-worthy, he was a dolphineer after all, but making it safe from Threadfall was tricky.
"Right." Zathris sported his own beard, the hair that covered his face changing his countenance enough that he wondered if anyone would ever recognize him in his current condition. "He straightened up and peered down the line of trees that seemed to stretch on forever. Should they walk one way or another, scene barely changed, save for a few rocky outcroppings that shadowed the beach in certain areas. Further on, a shadow hovered where the horizon met the shore. For a moment, Zathris turned away, then paused and refocused on that area. "Is that a trick of the light or does that look like something on the beach?"
Thayde squinted in the direction that Zathris indicated. "There's definitely something down there reflecting light. Wreckage maybe?" He guessed.
"Maybe. Could find something useful." The raft was useful, but if there was wreckage, they might be able to salvage something that could help them in their endeavor. Zathris glanced at his companion. "Shall we check it out?"
The dolphineer scratched the scraggly beard on his face, "I suppose I could work that into my busy schedule for today." Maintaining a sense of humor was one of the only ways to survive, Thayde thought. Without some lightheartedness the situation would be so bleak there would be no reason to continue.
They made the trek down from the bonfire carefully, moving down over sandy dunes mixed with rock and broken shells. Thayde had been in shape before the shipwreck, but their lean diet had caused a drastic drop in weight, and he found himself with less endurance and energy than he'd had before. Sometimes he caught himself thinking about the delicious poached fish the Hall had served, or the mixed fruit salad with fresh greens. **Hmmm, fresh bread out of the oven. That would be nice right now.**
"Are we heading the right way?" he asked Zathris, turning to look back toward the ridge where they had been standing to use as a guide.
"Yes. I can see something glinting if I look at just the right angle." Zathris pointed to the dark spot again, then continued onward. Whatever it was had to have some sort of metallic sheet to cause that sort of light.
Finally the object was visible as a lump in the sand, the winking part was a small corner that had been jutting out to catch sunlight. "Metal from the ship you think?" Thayde guessed as he dropped to his knees and began scraping sand out of the way.
"Possible." Although they'd been there almost a month, from time to time, the two men would still find bits and pieces of the ship, or perhaps other ships, washing up on the shore. Zathris picked up his pace a little until they came abreast of a triangular edge of something buried beneath the sand. As Thayde dropped to his knees, Zathris mimicked his companion and began to help shift the sand.
Thayde grunted as he scraped dirt away from the shiny object. As more and more of it became visible, Thayde noticed that although there were scratches in the finish from the rough sand, there were no signs of threadscores. "No scoring. Could be what we need for the roof to our raft."
"If it's big enough. Looks like it might be." Zathris wished they had shovels that would allow them to move sand more easily, but they only had their hands. Still, together, the hole grew deeper and more and more of the metal sheet appeared. Finally, it was unburied enough to allow them to ease it out of its prison. "What do you think?"
"I think," Thayde panted, "I'm out of shape. That's what I think." A little solid food might help. He decided he would have to go out in the shallows and see if he could find some clams or fish for their supper that evening.
"Let's drag it back and see what we can do with it. We may just have the answer we need." Zathris hoped so. They needed to get off that sharding island and get back to their lives. He needed to get back to his family.
Last updated on the June 9th 2016
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