As G'ny closed her eyes, she could still taste the heat of the lingering heat of summer, but she had noticed the days begin to grow shorter. The altitude and latitude of High Reaches ensured that it was never particularly hot, but summers were pleasantly warm. Before settling into her weyr for a well-earned rest, G'ny lingered a little longer in her nightly routine of saying goodnight to Saleneth which included a good scratching of her partner's eye ridges. It had been a long sevenday - she had appeared at just as many Holds as part of the new demand on Wings. As G'ny stood out on the outer ledge of the weyr, she looked out into the dark night. Belior and Timor were nowhere in sight to shed their light upon the black backdrop. Although more conveniently located to the Weyr's central activities, she missed the view of her old weyr.
We could go up for a better view, Saleneth suggested non-committally, opening a layer of eyelid that had already drooped closed in contentment. No, my heart, we are both too weary for that now, G'ny replied, even so, she was reluctant to turn down an opportunity to fly with her partner. Four and a half years together, and the novelty of flying together still had not worn off, although with their exercises earlier, G'ny's appetite was appeased for the moment. The pair shared a mutual sigh of relief. They were both ready for bed. The moment reminded G'ny of the late nights she and Saleneth had spent together first learning to fly – putting in the extra hours to exceed expectations and be the first dragon in their Weyrlingclass aloft, despite their green status at the time. She reflected that she must be getting older and wondered if she and Saleneth still had the energy to rally and work as hard as they did in their days of training. We could rally if we had to. But we don't. So we can relax now, Saleneth assured G'ny. She was settling into her furs, which provided a welcoming warmth against the chill that was developing in the late night air. She must have dozed for only a few minutes when she shot bolt upright with an overwhelming pang of panic. She reached out to her partner, who had a more direct line to the activity.
It's Twiseth. He is calling for a search party. While he and T'mosen were at their station at Tillek the weather picked up. Lord Holder Jonderan was on an overnight fishing expedition and has not returned, despite the protocol for vessels to come in during these conditions. G'ny was already halfway into her riding gear by the end of Saleneth's report. The green tips of Saleneth's headknobs were cocked in concentration. Up, over Saleneth's back, and fastened went the riding straps G'ny had practiced affixing to Saleneth many times to unite the pair. It had been one of the activities she had raced and won against her fellow Weyrlings during their training days. It's Fapth, that new blue. Apparently his rider wants to be involved.
The two glided down the short distance from the ledge to the Bowl where riders were assembling. Moura and M'tou, the Weyrleaders, were already present, their heads down in conference with each other and their dragons, formulating a plan. From the direction of the Weyrling barracks, ran a figure known to most. Behind L'leran, trailed a haphazard Fapth. Still new and not yet at home with flying and given the purely lateral nature of their journey, Fapth was engaging in something between a glide and a gallop, his wings flapping to steady him and provide lift, while his powerful hindquarters provided most of his propulsion.
"That's my brother out there!" L'leran shouted emphatically once he was within earshot of the assembling group, slightly winded from his sprint. "You have to let me help."
"G'ny, can you deal with the boy?" M'tou quickly dispatched. "We really need to focus on organizing this expedition." G'ny nodded and moved to intercept L'leran. Three Wings quickly received their flying orders, with relief fliers being informed of the schedule at which they were to relieve the first shift that departed.
"L'leran, your dragon has just begun to fly," G'ny told him gently. "It's a long flight to Tillek that would likely tire your dragon out before you even arrived."
"Then we could go between. I know the fundamentals." L'leran suggested with abandon.
"That's incredibly risky. In your training, it should not be attempted for another two month and a half and the conditions and visibility are bad right now."
"Tillek is my home. I would be able to visualize it in any storm – maybe even better than any reference point along this Weyr. Besides, I know the routes and the currents in ways that dragonriders do not."
"I assure you, we have an elite search party out for him. If anyone can find Jonderan, it is our High Reaches Wings. Even if you go there, you understand the winds Fapth would be fighting against. It's not safe." G'ny stated firmly.
"This is my brother. We're family. What wouldn't you do for your family? He's a good person, probably the best I know. He has saved my life on so many occasions that I can't abandon him now!" L'leran pleaded.
"Which is why he would want you to stay safe now, so that all those times would not be in vain." G'ny tried to reason.
"If you won't help me, I'll just do it alone." L'leran vowed. G'ny indicated for Saleneth to intercede. She was about nose to nose with the young blue, her eyes glowing golden as they whirred at Fapth. Although he recoiled at first, Fapth, smaller in size as he was, held his ground, slowly rising up, his eyes whirling with conviction of his own. It was a show of wills, and G'ny knew she could not keep it up throughout the entire duration of the search for the young man's brother with such strong motivation fueling him. More than anything, she knew that beating the boy into submission now could stunt the promise and initiative the young rider had already begun showing.
"You had better not get yourself killed. Let me see how steady you and Fapth fly together." G'ny relented. Hope surged in the boy's eyes. He was on top of Fapth and into the riding straps that adrenaline had no doubt assisted him in securing in the blink of an eye. Although their takeoff was not the most inspiring of maneuvers, the pair seemed to stabilize well. G'ny hoped she would not regret this lenience, as her mind turned on the ways to mitigate the risk of the wild card under her care. The younger pair landed, anxiously awaiting G'ny's approval.
"Relay to Saleneth your coordinates for Tillek." G'ny tested. G'ny was impressed by the image she received. It was a faithful reproduction of what Twiseth had first relayed. Whereas some riders' first images were not attentive to some of the finer details that aided navigation, this impression was as accurate as she remembered from her last trip to the physical place, and thoughtfully took into consideration the dark storm that had been reported. She knew she had gone between on less.
"Assuming we make it there, I will be tightly on your wing watching over you. As Fapth fatigues or the winds overwhelm us, I will make the call to head inland, and you will listen to me." G'ny instructed. Saleneth gave a puff out of her nostrils to affirm this last point. Although L'leran and Fapth could put on quite the show of wills at full strength, Saleneth knew they would submit to her queen-infused will once tired out.
"Deal." L'leran promised, extending his hand, which G'ny took. Upon shaking on the terms, G'ny mounted up. As an afterthought, G'ny grabbed a small bundle of firestone, instructing that Fapth chew some as soon as they arrived in Tillek so that it would be ready in his flaming stomach in case they needed to send out a distress signal. She knew it was a long shot in the darkness, but would be better than nothing if something happened.
The pair emerged over Tillek thankfully in one piece, but the onslaught did not end with that hurdle. Sure enough, they were buffeted by rain and wind upon arrival. Fapth obediently accepted his ration of firestone. Saleneth indignantly refused the "repulsive stuff." G'ny felt soaked to the bone within minutes. L'leran immediately set out due southwest and G'ny stayed right behind him as had been devised. Periodically, a gust of wind would cause the small team to drop unexpectedly or careen off course. Each time, L'leran redirected Fapth with a resilience that was surprising from such a young rider. She knew it was pure, unbridled brotherly love from which the force of these corrections emanated. G'ny knew from the plans M'tou had outlined that the nearest wing would be about four kilometres south from their current position, but she trusted L'leran's instinct. They had headed out straight for about fifteen minutes when Fapth began defining his search grid, arcing westward and turning back the way he had come, but with a slightly offset field of vision. It was not as efficient as a multi-dimensional array and could not benefit from the redundancy of overlapping views. The seas below them sported waves that G'ny judged to be about ten to twelve feet in height, although it was hard to tell in the darkness. They did this pattern two more times before Saleneth signaled to G'ny that she could feel Fapth's energy fading.
We need to start heading back, she relayed through their dragons. Please, one more turn, L'leran pleaded through their dragons. Fapth gave a wingbeat of renewed strength. G'ny allowed one, but only one more. As they made their final turn to go back according to G'ny's orders, a spot of illumination caught all four sets of their eyes. They soon honed in on the light source, which sure enough matched the light from a boat's cabin. G'ny had Saleneth alert the other riders on the search. Confused as they may be by her presence, Saleneth delivered the message with an urgency that left little inquiry as to the source. The attention of the search team now looking out for them, Fapth let out a burst of the fire he had been containing.
Within moments, M'tou and his wing appeared behind G'ny. G'ny assuring L'leran that the situation was now under control through their dragons, the small initial team headed back to the mainland. G'ny could feel Fapth's fatigue through Saleneth as they reached the shore, Fapth practically crashing into the soft sand on the beach. Saleneth alighted more gracefully by her blue counterpart, encouraging him to make the final leg of the journey to the protection of inside the Hold gates. Your legs are nowhere near as tired as your wings, find strength in them, she encouraged. Once inside, drudges bearing dry, clean clothes and steaming mugs of klah appeared immediately. The Hold Hall, not built to accommodate dragons, seemed small with the two hulking masses, even though they were on the smaller size of their species, especially with Fapth still not entirely full grown. Drudges took to toweling off the dragons so that they too could be dry and shepherding them over the great hearth, where a roaring fire warmed the room.
There was no question that her charge would be staying at Tillek until he had properly rested. Going between, or even more flying was out of the question. Besides, G'ny knew some quality time between the two brothers would be an important resolution to this harrowing night. Jonderan and his crew of four arrived soon after, spirited back from where he had been discovered by J'massey and his blue. The rest of the Wing had assured Jonderan of their best efforts to tow his craft to safety, the strongest of the dragons pulling the boat by strongest of its lines – the docklines. Although Jonderan had protested that he not leave his ship, his fatigue for having been up for over twenty hours, the last five of which having been in challenging weather, showed and he was convinced that he would do more good safely in his Hold than as a liability out on the water.
L'leran was slumped in a chair next to his brother's bed, sound asleep when G'ny checked on him last. With the help of one of the Holder women, Canna, G'ny remembered the woman's name to be, they eased him into a more comfortable, reclined position on a couch in Jonderan's chambers. Surveying the scene, G'ny could tell this was not the first time adoration had led to exhaustion, which led to the boy spending the night in some non-ideal position in his older brother's room. Canna then showed G'ny to a nearby apartment. Before succumbing to sleep herself, G'ny performed a quick mental check-in with Saleneth to make sure that she would notify G'ny of any activity by Fapth, who was currently unreachable in his deep slumber.
"How did you know where to find your brother?" G'ny asked her charge as they prepared to depart. They would be flying the whole way. Although L'leran had proven himself, going between was still not highly recommended.
"Well, I've been in storms like that before with Jonderan and know that when the wind picks up like that, he would make the call to jaunt west to try to eschew the leading edge of the front. It drives a person further from the shore, but ideally results in more favorable conditions." L'leran explained. "I knew no one would actually listen to me if I tried to explain because it's a rather experimental way to handle such a weather pattern, since procedure is to immediately turn in. As a Lord Holder, Jonderan always was one to push procedure."
"Well yes, when yours is the family who writes it, it's your responsibility to test it out – make sure it holds up over time." Jonderan had appeared to wish them off.
"And, what has this most recent test yielded?" G'ny asked quizzically.
"Well, I might've made it to shore in time. I might've been blown against the rocks. I wouldn't trust just any sailor to try what I did, but it seemed to work out this time. Besides, this way, I got the pleasure of the esteemed company of the only greenish-gold rider on Pern and my little brother." Jonderan pondered, tousling his brother's hair.
"You know the savior was all your brother."
"Well, you were there to save him, and I don't know if anyone else would have given him the chance to try. I suppose with all of the conventions you have defied, you, of all people, would understand that some standards can be defied and exceeded." Jonderan shot back, eliciting a small nod in concession from G'ny.