To Fail, to Fall

Writers: Halyonix, Devin, Avery
Date Posted: 16th May 2025
Series: Bronze and Blue Entwined

Characters: I'serin, L'val, K'mai
Description: A distracted I'serin makes a terrible mistake and K'mai pays the price.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 6, day 17 of Turn 12

I'serin

K'mai

I'serin had not slept well the previous nights. Try as he might to
secure time to speak with K'mai about what had happened, it seemed the
universe moved against him and now the Weyr gathered for Threadfall
and there was not enough klah and tea in all of Pern to restore
I'serin's focus.

And yet, he had to lead.

With eyes closed, he listened to Aluneth relay orders and information,
as he packed away his turbulent thoughts on K'mai. When he opened his
eyes, there was the greenrider who had gone on sweep, hovering in the
air above the Weyr, giving the age-old signal that Threadfall was
imminent.

I'serin swallowed. Gave Aluneth the order to send the Wings aloft.

And did his best not to think about K'mai.

K'mai's gaze lingered on the Weyrleader far longer than it should
have. **He didn't mean it,** K'mai thought for the hundredth time. The
thousandth.

}:We fight.:{ Sebeth pulled his rider's attention back to their duty
as the Wings filled the sky over Dragonsfall.

Maybe after Fall I'serin would apologize. The fact that he hadn't yet
just meant that he was busy, not that he didn't care. **He means
nothing to me,** echoed through K'mai's head just before they went
/between/.

Standard Fall 77, I'serin reminded himself as the Wings reappeared
over their battleground. His hands gripped the straps as Aluneth
surged forward, taking point for first flame. I'serin went over the
next two hours of maneuvers rapidly in his head. After this, no matter
what, he told himself just before he committed himself fully to the
fight, he would speak with K'mai.

Aluneth's maw opened, becoming a fiery furnace. The battle began.

Flame. Dive. Blink. Over and over. Riders let their dragons handle
most of the work, allowing primal instinct to reign. But for the
Weyrleader, Threadfall was all about patterns, formations that needed
to be relayed between himself and the Wingleaders. Feed firestone.
Dive. Flame. Ignore the headache forming.

Over and over.

First crossover maneuver, second wave greens incoming. Time to drop
from point position to verify.

I'serin looked up. Teal Wing was covering...no, wait, they were
supposed to be in retreat. Cyan was supposed to be covering. Fall 77.
**Get Cyan in position!** I'serin snapped at Aluneth to relay. **Where
is Lapis? They are supposed to be on the left side!** This was not the
correct crossover pattern! Thread would get through the Lower Flights
and hit the--

Except that it _was_ the correct pattern. And I'serin had just
mistakenly given the crossover formation for Fall _78_.

The Wings shifted in confusion. K'mai was thrown out of the rhythm of
Threadfall as Sebeth moved unexpectedly. }:The Weyrleader commanded we
change pattern.:{

K'mai looked around. Wait, why were they . . . Oh no. I'serin had
given them the wrong formation. **Sebeth, we need to--** K'mai hissed
at the sudden pain on his right arm.

Sebeth was fast, ducking /between/ and freezing the Thread before it
could cause more damage. The blue flamed another tangle as the Wings
tried to get back in the correct formation.

The pain kept throbbing in his arm. K'mai glanced over to see the
sleeve of his flight jacket eaten through, soaked with blood. **I
think we need to go--**

A dragon screamed above them. Something heavy slammed into K'mai, and
everything went black.

Sebeth shrieked. The green who'd fallen on them scrambled off the
blue. Both dragons were able to right themselves, wings beating
frantically. }:K'mai? _K'mai!_:{ But there was only silence.

Sebeth reached out to the first dragon he could think of. }:Aluneth! I
cannot hear my rider!:{

Aluneth was quite busy righting I'serin's error. }: Remain calm, :{ he
sharply told Sebeth. }: Kyverth, :{ he called, asking the other bronze
to assist.

Unable to reach his rider, Sebeth panicked and went /between/.

L'val had learned that trying to listen to the entirety of a
Threadfall would be too much for him, but as a Wingleader he had spent
time looking for the right balance of getting extra information and
not being overloaded. What worked was keeping open to Cyan's dragons
during 'fall, but let Kyverth filter the rest of the Weyr's Flight -
except during critical periods like the beginning, end, and
changeovers. So when it came due, he opened his mental 'ears' to hear
what would happen and ensure his wing went to the right place.

That's when he heard Aluneth give a command for Cyan to move to cover
at high altitude and center, - a half-second before the other dragons
heard it. Long enough for him to think, **what? we should be _mid_** -
but the Weyrleader had ordered and so he sent the command for them to
surge upward towards where Teal was to protect as he heard the mixture
of confusion and acknowledgment from his dragons.

But all the dragons were confused. There were dragons of Teal who
hadn't shifted position, and some of Cyan who had stayed behind. Of
those who had transferred properly, some were out of place. The
dragons' innate sense of place meant no two dragons /betweened/ into
the space another was occupying, but it didn't stop near collisions
once they were out - L'val saw two dragons nearly collide from
wrenching to avoid either Thread or other dragons.

And through all that, still the Thread fell to deal with. Kyverth saw
Thread falling far too close to his muzzle and had to let out a flame
to burn it to ash, but it was more a startled cough-gout because there
was a blue dragon _far_ too close to him and he didn't want to burn
them. Some of the tangle fell down, still burning, and he hoped it
didn't hit any of his riders...

He heard multiple bellows of injury, categorized them in his head.
Girath: caught by Thread, skipped /between/, re-emerged in the wing
and assuring his rider he could fly. Sebeth: scored but re-emerged
back out. Trasiboth: scored badly, falling down, screaming, and
colliding with Sebeth.

Sebeth, already wounded, who screamed he couldn't hear his rider - not
to Kyverth, his wingleader dragon, but to _Aluneth_, that was
interesting, but L'val heard it. Mentally he and Kyverth reached out
in tandem for Sebeth's mind and shouted, }:Sebeth, hear us! Go to the
_Weyr_, they'll look at your rider!:{

Then he threw out a command to his wingsecond's dragon - **Torerath
take over!!** and he and Kyverth grabbed coordinates and blinked a
short hop /between/ to emerge below the two pairs in case they needed
to catch the dragons or the riders if either fell, if wings or straps
were broken.

But Trasiboth righted herself, and Sebeth was flapping himself fine.
L'val reached out physically towards K'mai, who looked like
deadweight, while continuing to tell Sebeth, **Kyverth and I are here,
we can get your rider, come on - **

Then the blue /betweened/.

**No! Sebeth!:{ Rider and dragon strained desperately with their mental ears.

Last updated on the May 27th 2025

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To Fail, to Fall