A Brown Dragon Named Nolth
by Starsinger
No, still don't own Pern.
The tiny green dragonet lay against Nolth's paw. Her piteous cries tore at Myka's heart as the big brown gently picked up the wing whose mainsail bone had broken when the infant had fallen wrong. S'terin hovered nearby watching as Kadith pressed her muzzle against one of Nolth's talons. Myka slathered the wing with numbweed which reduced Kadith's cries to whimpers.
Cheoth and Ardith are on their way in with the injured blue, Nolth's voice intruded into her mind. Myka glanced up at the brown, the long scar on the right wing was the only apparent evidence of the terrible encounter with Thread that had grounded the dragon. If you paid attention to other dragons, you also noticed that he was unable to fold his wing completely against his side. Flight denied to him, he devoted himself to helping tend to the injured dragons and riders. He often pulled injured riders from the backs of distraught dragons, helped steady injured dragons while they were being worked on, and assisted in Weyrling training as the newest riders learned about the worst that could happen, accidents notwithstanding. He also talked to whomever he felt he needed to, often startling new apprentices not used to strange voices in their minds.
Myka forced herself to finish splinting and re-slinging her wing before Nolth replaced the drowsy, little green onto her couch in the infirmary. As the two of them walked back to the clearing to wait for the Queens' arrival, Myka noticed the arrival of the junior Weyrwoman, Daris, a small girl with her. They stopped as the red-head climbed down from the gold's back. Nolth and Myka looked at each other, "Apprentice or candidate?" Myka asked.
"Apprentice," the girl replied breathlessly. Olari, the Weyr's Headwoman approached the group. "I'm Jarra, J'lart's new apprentice," she finished.
Myka breathed a sigh of relief, ever since Sari walked the tables, they had no apprentice dragon healer, and Myka was J'lart's only Journeyman. "Hello, Jarra," Myka said, "I'm Myka, J'lart's Journeyman."
I'm Nolth, J'lart's brown. The big brown brought his head down to human level. Jarra took a step back at hearing the dragon's voice.
Olari intruded into the conversation, "Why don't I get Jarra settled." The robust Headwoman always got noticed. She stood well over six feet, had long black hair and white skin. Her black eyes pierced through any wrongdoing going on nearby, child or adult. She turned and headed for the caves in the escarpment that formed much of what held the Weyr.
Jarra stumbled after her a blue flit followed her, then proceeded, somehow, to stumble over his feet mid-air. "Klumsy!" Jarra called. Myka had to hide her face against Nolth's shoulder, she laughed so hard.
Soon, two gold dragons lowered a sling to the ground nearby. Nolth approached the sling and unwrapped the figure lying within. Almost professionally, he slid one paw under the damaged wing and body and lifted him up with one paw and spreading the wing with the other. With a startled exclamation, he let the wing down carefully and reached around with the other paw to show a paw facing the wrong way. Myka closed her brown eyes, that would be much harder to heal than the wing. Myka started slathering the paw with numbweed as one of the greens came into help. Tirith was one of Nolth's buddies, and she helped out when needed.
J'lart seemed to appear from nowhere, calling for reeds, cloth, needles, and redwort, "Where's Jarra? Her parents are weavers, let's put that skill to work." Nolth's head turned toward the caves, and soon Jarra ran into view.
"Let me guess, she has two speeds, fast and sleep!" Myka chuckled. She looks up at Nolth, "This is going to hurt, please keep him from hurting me. Nolth nodded as Tirith grasped the blue's paw and with Myka's direction straightened the paw. The only sound that came from the blue were whimpers. She was drenched by the time she and Tirith finished. She turned to J'lart and Jarra, but the young girl's previous training came in handy as her tiny but fast stitches attached the tools at hand to the blue's wing.
J'lart sighed as they finished. "Go get something to eat, Jarra, I'll need you to start your regular duties in the morning. They watched as Tirith and another green got under the blue's wings and Nolth supported the broken leg while they got the blue to the Infirmary.
My name is Gareth, the blue told them. My riders name is M'sith. Thank you. Soon, M'sith joined his blue sleeping peacefully where they could be cared for.
Again, I reiterate that I am terrible at making up names. Any suggestions are welcome!
