Author's Note

I do not own the Dragonriders of Pern series. All rights to their rightful owners.

A big thank you for the reviews on the last chapter. Also, I want to throw a slight apology in here, because I meant to put a warning on that last chapter and then I forgot because I was tired and not so well. Warning: this chapter does contain the death of another (very) minor character.

She hurt all over, a dull, aching pain. Rasia was fit and strong from years working the farm, but she'd been surprised awake this morning and hadn't stopped to rest since. Her arms ached from carrying the sprayer, her legs ached from walking, and the rest of her just ached in general.

Yornam was fine. Not a strand of hair out of place. She hadn't a clue what was going on of course, even thought it was normal until Rasia explained that no, that was not normal.

Not at all.

There was, from what Rasia could understand, over a dozen dragons dead, mostly bronzes, but also bigger browns, and of course, most devastatingly of all, the two Queens.

It felt a little like the entire Weyr was in shock. Rasia and Yornam had spent the afternoon helping to treat and comfort the injured, bathing their wounds and taking them klah. Most of the other candidates were doing the same. Rasia was handing a mug of steaming klah to a trembling rider when a small brown firelizard flitted from between and chirped loudly at her. It didn't look like one of Yornam's, though Rasia had never entirely managed to count or identify all of her many, many firelizards.

"I'm in the dining hall," she said to it, assuming Yornam was wondering where she was. It trilled and dove crossly at her.

"Reckon it's bringing you a message girl," grunted the rider.

"Huh?"

"It's wearing a collar."

"Oh." Rasia put her arm out and the little brown landed neatly on her forearm. She guessed it wasn't very old, having long, gangly limbs and a thin neck. She pulled the roll of paper from the collar and unrolled it. It contained a few short lines in Dasian's handwriting.

Father cort in funy fredfal over the farm. Think hes dyin. Crops severly damaged. Me and the little ones sayf. Ar you sayf? Plees come.

Dasian.

Rasia sat down heavily on the nearest chair. The brown firelizard chirped again and vanished between.

"You alright there girl?" asked the rider.

"It's from my brother. The Thread fell over our farm. He thinks our father's dying." She stared at the letter in her hands. One of Yornam's firelizards appeared over her head a moment before her friend came over from across the hall. Rasia held the letter for her. She scanned down it.

"Oh. This is bad, right?"

"Yes, this is bad."

"You want to see him?" asked the rider.

"Well, yes, but we're here."

"Where you from?"

"High Reaches."

The rider got to his feet. "Cheroth and I can take you."

Rasia blinked. "What, right now?"

"No, tomorrow. Yes of course right now!"

The rider, whose name was G'pey, spoke quickly with Jurdree. In the middle of all the chaos she agreed to let them go and visit the farm. Cheroth, a middle sized brown, greeted them outside in the Weyrbowl. Like all dragons, he met Yornam with a happy croon, though it was half-hearted to what it normally was. The two girls mounted behind the rider and the dragon took off. G'pey gave them a warning before they travelled between, emerging above the slopes of the High Reaches.

Rasia's breath caught.

Even from high above she could see the damage, brown and black scars over the landscape where the land and crops had been killed by enormous patches of Thread.

Thanks to the guidance of Yornam's many firelizards, Cheroth had arrived close to the farm. There were huge chunks missing from the cropfields, massive blackened circles on the ground. Cheroth glided down and landed neatly outside the farmhouse. Sira and Daran ran out to meet them. Both had clearly been crying, with puffy eyes and streaked faces.

"Rasia, Rasia!" wailed Daran. Rasia caught him and scooped him into her arms. Sira cluched at her side. Rasia passed Daran to Yornam and hugged her sister. Dasian's figure appeared in the doorway. Had he always been so tall, or had he grown in the few weeks she had been gone?

It felt like forever.

Rasia let go of Sira and met her eldest brother halfway, wrapping him up in her arms. He clutched at her like he was drowning. "The Threadfall… There was nothing… there was nothing we could do."

"It was the same at Sunspyre. No one could do anything, even the dragons…" For a moment Rasia wondered what would happen if Thread fell like that again. "Where's father?"

"This way."

Dasian led them to the cottage. "Threadfall was getting past the dragons. Father took the agonthee sprayer out to try and protect the crops."

"Idiot," muttered G'pey. Dasian's shoulders shuddered.

"I tried to burn the Thread out of him, but…" He led them through to the main bedroom, where their father was laid out in his bed. Asan, Ansa and Sidan were in there with him.

"Rasia!"

Sidan waved his arms at her eagerly. Ansa bobbed him up and down on her knee. Rasia slipped around the bed to join them. It looked like their father was asleep, red burns and Threadscore marking his lower body.

"I think I made it worse."

The brown firelizard appeared and landed on his head, nuzzling his ear.

"Nothing you could have done kid," grunted G'pey.

"But-"

Rasia squeezed his hand. "It wasn't your fault."

Their father never woke and died before night came. Rasia spoke at length with Dasian about what was best to do. The farm had been in their family for generations – but she was a sixteen turn old girl, and he was a thirteen turn old boy, how were they meant to run it? On top of that, there was so much damage that even tending to the crops that were left would be difficult. Even some of the outbuildings, which were half made of wood, had taken some considerable damage.

In the end, the solution was obvious. Her siblings would have to come with her to the Weyr. If she impressed they could stay; if she didn't they would go from there on how to repair the farm. G'pey called in a pair of blue riders to help bury their father and then take them back to Sunspyre. Rasia made sure to ride with Dasian and Sidan, her oldest brother clinging to her as tight as he could.

They emerged above the Weyrbowl and swept down for a landing. From above, the damage to the island was much like that of the High Reaches.

"You got hit here too?" Dasian asked.

"I'll explain when we get inside," Rasia whispered.

The last thing the riders needed was a reminder of what had happened.

And so Dasian and his younger siblings arrived to stay at the Weyr with their sister, awaiting the Hatching that was to come.