K**My apologies for the atrocious delay everyone. The demands on a graphic design major are horrendous, but I hope that I'll be able to keep this up. Don't worry, I will never abandon this story! It just might take me a while to catch up. Thank you to all who reviewed, please keep them coming! Once again, I don't own Pern or anything in it, except the characters I created.**

An angry bulge filled the air of Ina and G'mar's weyr, nearly deafening the weyrleaders.

My son! They DARE to raise a hand against MY SON! Both the enormous gold and her bronze weyrmate bulged fearfully in unison as their sleep befuddled riders fell out of bed.

Lekrith, what's wrong? What's happening? G'mar stumbled over to his bronze and stared out into the darkness of the Bowl. Beside him, Ina was desperately trying to calm Ranyth, but to no avail.

They are harming Zemeth and his rider! Stop them! We have to stop them! G'mar sucked in his breath. That blue and his rider? While questioning Zemeth's choice was unthinkable, G'mar had gotten the feeling that pair was going to be trouble.

It is NOT their fault. It is the weyrlings, they are… NO! CATCH THEM! G'mar barely had time to dive out of the way as Ranyth suddenly took off, followed by Lekrith. Beside him Ina sucked in a breath and pointed a shaky finger at the scene that was unfolding. Far below them on the other side of the bowl, and single figure had fallen off one of the ledges. An instant later a tiny dragon form shot after the figure, and as his wings snapped out to stop their fall, his scream suddenly filled the air and bounced in eerie waves off the walls.

"LEK…" G'mar didn't even have a chance to get the bronze's full name out, when out of no where a huge dragonic form swooped under the falling pair, caught them, and lowered them to the Bowl floor. Instantly, the dragon curled around them, sealing them off from the rest of the world. Dragonic and human heads were now popping out of every hole in the cliffs, and G'mar was finally able to spot Lekrith and Ranyth gripping the walls around the ledge the figure had fallen from. They seemed to be growling at something, or someone, on it.

Lekrith, WHAT JUST HAPPENED?

I do not know. Yet. But I do know that these we have trapped here have something to do with it. An image of a cavern full of mostly scared weyrlings filled G'mar's mind, and the anger that his life-mate was feeling took over him.

HOLD THEM THERE. He grabbed Ina's hand and began running down the steps to the Bowl floor. Who is with Zemeth and… Shells. What was that girl's name?

Sementh stays with them. He will not let her go. Nor will Zemeth and Teth and Cromoth. They all listen. She will stay. Zemeth will stay too, though his wings ache mightily.

Call the healer.

Sementh already has. Master Tallie comes, they will both be in good hands. The girl rests now. G'mar shook his head as he continued to pelt across the Bowl floor.

Tell Ranyth to tell all the dragons to STAY IN THIER WEYRS. This will proceed much better without all the confusion.

Should I tell them what happened? Lekrith sounded confused. They know something is wrong. K'sey was loud. G'mar barely had time to wonder at Lekrith's comment when he skidded to a halt in front of Sementh. Ina nodded at him as she caught the meaning in his eyes, and ran for the stairs to where Ranyth was guarding the weyr full of boys.

"Sementh." He stopped short in front of the giant, agitated brown and waited.

Yes Weyrleader. You wish to see T'sal and K'sey. G'mar was startled for a moment, for Sementh rarely talked to anyone outside of his own rider. But a single touch on Lekrith's mind showed that the bronze was in no state to be relaying messages.

I do. May I?

Of course. The brown unfolded his wingsfrom their protective tent around the fallen pair. G'mar was unprepared for the sight that awaited him. Zemeth lay sprawled on the ground next to Sementh, completely wing-limp and unquestionably in pain. His head was touching K'sey's hand as she lay very still, tiny sobs shaking her body. T'sal was kneeling next to her, stroking her hair and trying to keep her calm. G'mar jumped when Sementh gently nudged his back.

Go Weyrleader. It will not be intruding.

"T'sal?" G'mar's question held everything about that night in one word. T'sal shook his head for a moment, and G'mar slowly approached the desolate group. He knelt down next to K'sey and gently stroked her one hand while looking her over. Bruises were forming on her face and arms that gave her a mottled appearance in the dim moonlight. A dark stain was spreading on her back from the wounds Zemeth's talons had inflicted when he tried to stop her fall.

"What happened?" He asked quietly. T'sal hesitated for a moment, and then spoke.

"I don't honestly know. Sementh… Sementh thought something was wrong all night, he was barely sleeping and whenever I asked, he could only say there were bad vibes in the Weyr tonight." G'mar nodded. Being one of the Search dragons had it's price, they tended to be much more attended to everyone's emotions, causing nights like the one T'sal had just described to occur.

"Did he know something was going to happen?" G'mar asked.

"No… and yes. He was aware that something was happening, but didn't know what until K'sey called him."

"Until… did you just say until K'sey called him?" G'mar turned wondering eyes to T'sal.

"That is what Sementh says happened."

"Is this… has she always been able to do this?" G'mar was astonished by the meaning of this. Someone who could talk to all dragons? Why, this was a dream come true! Why had they not known?!

Yes. As long as I have known her. But she will not tell anyone. She listens and will not speak, except to me.

"What do you mean, as long as you've known her?" T'sal suddenly rounded on his life-mate. The dragon looked reproachfully back at him.

You never asked. We were at her hold many turns ago, just out of weyrling training. She heard me then, but in the end begged that I not tell anyone. She did not know what to do with it.

"So when we rode Search this time…" T'sal continued the conversation out loud for G'mar's sake.

When we rode Search, it was a coincidence that we were assigned to her hold. But I never forgot her. I knew she was there, and was listening for her as soon as we landed. It did not take long for me to hear her again. Why do you think I told you to keep searching the hold? I could not break my promise to her that I would not tell, but I could make sure she was taken to where she would be appreciated.

T'sal turned haunted eyes to G'mar.

"That explains everything. Her eyes would go unfocused like ours do, I had a suspicion, but I never guessed… "

"But the question is," and here G'mar gently laid a hand on K'sey again, "is she ever going to be able to use that talent again?" A worried bulge from Sementh and a quick exclamation from T'sal said everything.

"Of course she will. She will not leave us!"

"No, she will not leave us tonight. But if you dragonriders would be kind enough, I would like to reinforce my suspicions, and then get this poor child to a more comfortable place to rest." T'sal and G'mar turned around to find Master Tallie standing there, the moonlight etching lines on his aged face.

"Of course Master." T'sal backed away, but Master Tallie shook his head.

"Nay lad, stay here and help me. I shall need assistance only a dragonrider can give. That is, unless you object Weyrleader?"

"Of course not." G'mar put a hand on Master Tallie's shoulder. "Keep her with us. We need her." He turned to T'sal. "She is now your charge, stay with her, and keep Sementh with Zemeth. I am going to find out what happened up there. And who my dragon has trapped." G'mar got an amused glint in his eye. "Lekrith is threatening firestone, I'd better go restrain him. T'sal, have Sementh bespeak Lekrith with news on K'sey."

"I will." And with that, G'mar headed for the stairs.

"Now lass…" Master Tallie was kneeling down beside the girl, "I'm going to have T'sal here slip his hand in yours. When I touch something that hurts, you squeeze his hand and he will tell me. If it hurts a lot, then squeeze all the harder. If you understand, squeeze my hand." A small squeeze on his hand let Master Tallie know she was still there. He gestured to T'sal, who groaned as he knelt beside the figure. Seeing her in pain like this was…

It hurts you.

Yes my dear Sementh, it does. I don't know how she captured my heart like this but…

But she did.

Sementh… you said you never forgot her. How? You forget most everything else. It's what dragons do.

You think I would not remember the only other human who speaks to me?

But…

I do not know how I remembered her. But I did. That day I refused to forget because I knew she would need me. She needs us now.

I know.

We do not leave her. Now help the Master. And T'sal did.

**Apologies again for the shortness, more to come when I figure out where exactly this part is going! **