Disclaimer: I don't own the world of Pern. I do, however own many of the characters in this story.
Note: Nothing in The Skies of Pern, by Anne McCaffery, as any relation to this chapter because I haven't read it, so don't kill me if I don't include whatever happens after Thread ends in her book. This is my version of the last Threadfall on Pern.
With a fierce, echoing cry,
Dragons soar into the sky;
A last battle against the Red Star
As they flame their enemy to char.
Chapter Five: Freedom Under the Stars
Olyira fastened her riding leathers and vaulted to Vuith's neck. She grabbed the fighting straps just as the aging red dragon leapt into the night sky in a swift movement, though neither was quite so healthy or agile as they had been in their youth. Her queen fire-lizard, Sunset, followed them with a grace the Nightdragon and her Nightrider could no longer match. They were both past their prim, and both knew it.
As they took their place in their wing, Olyira looked around. Over the Turns Nais Weyr had changed. There were very few night-fighting, colorfull dragons left, but, then again, this was the first Fall in three Sevendays over all of Pern, and likely the last as the effects of the change in the orbit of the Red 'Star' finally played out. Nightleader Rlakan and her pink Nightdragon, Corrsoth, passed on the word to go between.
Vuith and the rest disappeared to appear just over the new Seawatch Hold, founded only a few kilometers away from Cove Hold. The stars and moons sparkled off the bits of mettle on the dragon's and their rider's tack, reflected off the sea, shone on the dragon's eyes and glinted over the eye pieces of the dragon rider's flying goggles- and then it shimmered and rippled over the silvery Thread as if began to Fall over the water.
Each Nightdragon and watch-wher let out a challenging roar. The dragons, their hides' colors bright and visible in the moon- and star-light, turned their heads to their riders, who dosed out the fire-stone. With a grinding noise, the dragons chewed the phosphine-bearing rock, getting ready to meet Thread.
Sorrow filled Olyira's mind as she thought back on the dragonriders who had been killed by the menace which she had combated nearly her entire life- sorrow for B'gaz, who had been Threaded some Falls ago, for many a rider she had known. Looking around, Olyira could see that, of the original twenty-three Nightdragons and Nightriders, there was only herself and her red Vuith, pink Corrsoth and his rider Rlakan, yellow-green Kyith and her rider N'jawn and shimmering, oil-black Oleetath and W'nond.
Four nocturnal dragons out of twenty-three. At least there were plenty of watch-whers to help the tiny wing of dragons; they had been thrown out of many Holds, now technology had given better, more reliable, day-and-night alarms to holds, Crafthalls and Weyrs. Most Wher-handlers and their bonded friends had come to Seawatch Hold, were they were trained to actually go swimming to tack with dolphins, who had been taught to form a relay with the heat-sighted, misshapen dragon-lice creatures.
Through this, the new age of Dolphin wher-speakers had come. These trios were helping the Pernese find the past at the bottom of the ocean. But Olyira brought herself back to the present with a jolt. She needed to concentrate on here and now. With a ringing cry, Vuith rallied her rider and dove flaming at aclump of Thread.
Olyira, Nightrider of red Vuith, one of the four last Nightdragons, let her heart soar outwards with no thought to anything other than riding her dragon and doing what she did best.
With an echoing roar, Vuith and Olyira defied the future, and whatever it might throw at them. For now, pride, hope, joy, sorrow, defiance and anger were one. For now, the present was enough.
For now, they were free.
