Starting Over (Again)

Writers: Avery
Date Posted: 13th August 2017

Characters: Erivana, Eridhiya
Description: Another set of refugees arrive at Dragonsfall.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 13, day 1 of Turn 8
Notes: Mentioned: Lenala, Yanley (indirectly)

Erivana balanced carefully on Avesith and breathed in as her mother
double-checked her straps. This was the last time they were leaving River
Bluff Weyr. It hadn't been so bad to leave Dolphin Cove. That had been
their choice, and they knew they could go back.

Now they had no choice about moving or coming back. Everything had turned
to ruin and rubble. She had barely been able to handle walking around, and
she hadn't seen it from the air yet, not like the dragonriders had. She
wasn't sure if she wanted to look down on the flight away, or if she
wanted to close her eyes and ignore it, to keep her last memories of River
Bluff from the air as undamaged and beautiful.

"Ready?" Eridhiya asked her.

"Yes," Erivana confirmed.

Avesith beat her wings and leapt into the air. Erivana leaned her head
over the side and peered down to see what it looked like from the air. She
couldn't recognize it for a moment, it was so changed - then she realized
it was the slump of rock over where the Hatching Grounds used to be -
where it had collapsed and where Lenala was -

At that, she caught her breath and closed her eyes. She didn't want to see
any more. She wanted to preserve her memories. So she kept them closed
even as her mother called a warning. They stayed shut as they went
/between/. Erivana pretended that she didn't feel the tears turning cold
and frozen against her lashes in the cold, dark in-between place.

Then she felt the sensation of sunlight return to her skin, indicating
they'd come out of /between/. She opened her eyes and peered down.

Avesith slowly descended, giving Erivana and Eridhiya time to admire their
new home. Dragonsfall Weyr itself was in a cliff, and she could see the
individual weyrs as dark holes pockmarking the cliffs. Some had dragons
sleeping on them.

Below was a long expanse of grass descending from the cliff down to a
flatter area. The grass was the bright fresh green of spring. She wondered
what it would look like as the seasons changed - more brown as it became
autumn and then covered in white snow when the famed winter came? She
could see small shapes she supposed were the Weyr's livestock and the
brown and grey tracery of paths away from the Weyr.

As they entered the weyr proper, the watch dragon bugled. Avesith banked
sharply right. The weyrbowl seemed crowded with dragons and their riders,
and Erivana imagined it was because of all of the transfers coming in.
Finally the green landed in a section of weyrbowl that had enough room for
them.

Erivana slid down off of Avesith and began to unclip bags from the green's
side. Down came the two small ones with her prized personal possessions.
Then she began unstrapping larger ones with clothing and other items. She
felt tugs on the straps and knew that on the green's other side, her
mother was pulling down the baggage over there.

When she was done, she ducked under to help open up the straps rigging so
her mother could take them off. Then she patted the green's side. "Thank
you," she said, as was her habit every time she rode a dragon, even if it
was her mother's dragon who she'd known forever. Better to be overly
polite than to be insufficiently so, in her opinion.

Once she was freed of baggage and her straps, the green waited long
enough for them to make a safe distance, shook herself, and leapt into
the sky to head for the rim.

"To the Headwoman's?" Erivana asked.

Eridhiya nodded. "I assume she has a list of the transfers and has already
figured out where she's putting everyone." She hesitated a moment. "You're
sure about the barracks?"

Eridhiya understood pride and independence - she could understand why her
daughter wanted the independence and the chance to get to know her new
peers. And yet, she'd had hopes that her daughter would take a cot in her
weyr rather than live in the Candidate barracks, which were likely to be
extra crowded with all of the additional transfers.

"Yes, mother. I think it will help me integrate better with my future
clutchmates," Erivana assured. "But I want to know where your weyr is so I
can escape if they're too loud."

Her mother laughed, a bright peal of joy that always warmed Erivana to
hear. "My weyr will be available anytime," she assured.

Independence in the barracks, but with the chance to see her mother
whenever she needed. Erivana had more than many other refugees had. She
resolved to appreciate that as she started her new Dragonsfall life.

Last updated on the August 24th 2017

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Starting Over (Again)