Chapter one: Egg napping
Disclaimer: I do not own Pern
Lessa woke with a start; she sat up straight and looked about in the dark. Ramoth was screaming. The watch dragon had roused the whole weyr with a challenging bugle. Lessa got up quickly and put on one of her gowns, then rushed into Ramoth's weyr. She was gone. Lessa rushed to the ledge, F'lar right behind her, pulling on a Tunic.
'Shards!' he exclaimed. Angry dragons could be seen on the ledges, their wing spread, ready for action. Their eyes whirling angrily orange. Lessa ignored him and raced down the steps, across the bowl and into the hatching ground. Her mind was frantic, what was wrong? She had to know what was going on. She rushed onto the sands, oblivious to the heat, and stopped. Ramoth stood there, swaying. Her eyes were whirling with a mixture of anger and stress. She stood to the one side of the clutch where the raised platform was, where the queen egg was kept. It was gone. F'lar arrived behind her. When he saw that the queen egg was gone, he swore savagely, then turned round and disappeared into the crowd.
I am so sorry; I did not see the oldtimer dragons until they took flight with the egg. The watch dragon sadly informed her. Ramoth swung her triangular head over Lessa, then back over the remaining eggs in the clutch. She whined. F'lar came back to her side.
'Mnementh told me it was the oldtimers' His face was angry, his voice constricted. 'I've sent messages to all the weyrs, and I've sent out sweep riders'
Lessa turned on him quickly, surprised.
'Why?' she demanded so harshly that F'lar winced. 'They took Ramoth's egg to the Southern Weyr! So why send out sweep riders?' F'lar put his hands on her shoulders.
'D'van, A bronze rider who did a sweep near Bitra, saw a group of them carrying something. Igen and Telgar weyrs have sent out sweep riders as well. Don't forget that between is dangerous for an egg.' He said soothingly. Lessa looked at her weyrmate hopefully. F'lar sighed.
'I'm just about to go join the sweep around Igen hold; they are more likely to be there.' He said, eyeing her carefully. When she made no response, he sighed and walked away. Lessa turned her head to Ramoth, needing the comfort of the Golden beast. Ramoth rustled her wing restlessly.
'I would really love to go Ramoth' She said to her dragon.
I would love to, Lessa, but I am not leaving my eggs because they might steal another egg! She snorted and returned her attention to the remaining eggs.
Mnementh's powerful wings took F'lar up, he was seething. The nerve of them! F'lar directed the wing between to Igen hold, through Mnementh; he told the wing to keep an eye out for a group of unknown dragons. The whole wing spread out. Why had the oldtimers taken the egg? He knew that their queens were unable to mate, but their bronzes were far too old to fly a young queen, yet alone a Benden queen! They would die in the attempt. Mnementh growled.
They wouldn't care; they are desperate for a queen, and for young dragons.
F'lar stroked the dragon's smooth neck soothingly.
'I agree with you, they are desperate and they would kill their dragons in the process!'
Suddenly, to the left of them, a brown dragon roared a challenge.
They've been spotted!
The whole wing sped up, flying low to the ground to avoid detection. The oldtimers were gliding south, towards the Southern weyr. They suddenly spiralled down, back winged to rest in a clearing. The one bronze of the group placed something into the warm sand. The rider climbed down and unwrapped the object in the sands. There was a golden gleam. Mnementh hissed.
When the wing was close enough, the dragons let out a deafening challenge. Some of the oldtimer dragons took flight, startled. The bronze covered the egg with his body. He spread his wings and growled at them. Mnementh went straight for the bronze protecting the egg. The airborne oldtimers went straight for F'lar's wing. The oldtimer dragons were outnumbered. There was a lot of manoeuvring in the air. There was no contact at first. Then, a brown dragon in F'lar's wing bites a tail of an oldtimer. Soon, other wing began to arrive and the bulk of the oldtimers retreated, then went between. Mnementh landed beside the oldtimer bronze and growled at him. F'lar dismounted. He kept his hand near his knife. Other dragons landed and their riders dismounted as well.
'Hand over the queen egg' F'lar demanded, although he was sure the rider would not comply.
'I think not bronze rider!' the rider growled insultingly. Then, before anyone could stop him, he leaped onto his dragon. The bronze dragon seized the egg and leaped into the air, beating his wings furiously. Airborne dragons roared and set up a pursuit. The bronze flew over a set of trees. Several of the wing went between to appear in front of the bronze. The startled bronze accidentally dropped the precious egg. Some dragons roared a warning. Mnementh spread his wings. The Oldtimer bronze disappeared between. The egg had fallen into the trees. Without order, the riders spread out over the forest. The dragons in the sky and their riders looked into the forest from above. F'lar swore, called up his wing second, F'nor. He ordered him to take charge, then returned to the weyr.
Lessa listened to F'lar's report with a sinking feeling in her stomach. All the weyrleaders were there, as well as Masterharper Robinton. When F'lar had finished, an uneasy silence had fallen onto the gathering.
'So, what are you going to do now, F'lar?' Robinton asked quietly. The man was seated in a chair, next to a glowbasket. The light reflected off his hair and beard, making it seem like they were in fire.
'Why, we're going to attack the oldtimers!' flared up Lessa.
'Now, Lessa, out first concern is the egg' F'lar gently told her.
'Where is this egg?' G'narish of Igen weyr asked. F'lar brushed away the lock of hair that fell in front of his eyes.
'Somewhere east of Igen hold' F'lar replied. 'We have sent wings to search for the egg, and Igen hold have sent out teams to look two. We can only hope they find it in time, the clutch hatches in two days, or it will hatch.'
Please R&R!