All Is Fair In Love And {War!}

[matsi]

P'rthMine, They are stopping it all, Aith said as she flew close the multipule landing dragons. She didnt want to land, she didnt want to be seen as one of them. Herself and Hers were not one of them.
Should we land, Aith? P'rth asked as he looked at the many dragons now finding their footing on the ground.
We are no renegades, Mine. So no, we will not. We are of Dalibor, the victors we will be, She huffed and growled slightly as she flew slightly higher, slight confusion still reflecting in both her mind and eyes as she and Hers waited for instruction.

[Kila]

Daido-O’sho flew through the fighting and swarming dragons with disapproval. Daidoroth disapproved of their presence and, at the moment, their very existence, while O’sho disapproved of the slaughter going on. He was deeply disturbed. Life was sacred- this warring needed to stop! Most of those fighting were unevenly matched and didn’t stand a chance. The Renegades were few in numbers, but far more ruthless and skilled in their fighting.

Or at least most of them. Yusriyath wove among the fray, avoiding opponents and trying to help out his fellow Renegades where he could. Neither the Purple nor his Rider wanted to kill anyone, and they certainly didn’t want to be killed. While the sorrow of Varya’s loss was still fresh in his mind, the knowledge of their overwhelming disadvantage was stronger. He was not moved to tears or blind rage, but flew on with Yusriyath. They were not sure what to do. If they tried to escape they would doubtlessly be attacked by the resolute Queen who hovered above the rim or by the Kings and Queens below. Yusriyath could defend himself against a fighter if needed, but he was a lover, not a fighter.

Kalith’s voice ripped through the Bowl and put an end to all indecision. Daidoroth turned towards her voice unquestioningly and O’sho to where she stood by proxy. The Weyrleader was filled with a mixture of amusement and frustration to see Fajra standing boldly, bleeding, for all to see. Her unwavering presence lent strength to the message: Stop. Surrender, flee, or die. She’d bleed to death before she stayed down, but she effectively put an end to that which could not continue. That’s my girl.

What should we do, YaMine? Yusriyath asked nervously when given the ultimatum. Both were glad that the fighting had ceased (for the time being), but they were still left with a choice. If they fled they would inevitably be hunted. They would face scorn from all sides. If they surrendered they would sacrifice their freedom and be confined in a Weyr that hated and mistrusted them. If they did neither, they would die. Y’nis watched as one by one his fellow Renegades began to land. He was surprised by several of them, but the fact that even the wildest of his fellows landed spoke far more than words. If we stay here, Yu…. They will give us their protection. Protection would be very important to them now. Y’nis had just seen many dragons die, and he did not know if he could bear a life on the run if that might be Yusriyath’s outcome. No matter how much he loved a deserted beech and the free wind in his hair, he would always love Yusriyath more. More than anything. Take us down, Yu, he said gently, leaning forward and stroking the Purple’s neck. Yusriyath crooned with uncertainty but obeyed. He was used to the open air and might die if they were treated the same way as in their old Weyr, but if that was what His wanted, he trusted him. They touched the ground and looked around them. Already they were being looked down upon with hate, but they were alive! Yusriyath turned his head and stuck it in Y’nis’s chest, nuzzling him comfortingly. Y’nis hugged his muzzle and stroked his jaw. It’s okay, Yu. Maybe it’ll be better here. Always the optimist.

[Lan]

Nim-Waroth had seen O'sho safetly to his dragon, and now they would find their own blood. The blue tight on her sights, the red dragon pumped her wings with great power and energy as she made her way toward him. Closer, closer... Wrath was in the very air she breathed as she gained moment for her attack. She would catch him now. He would fear her now. She would widen her claws and teeth and sharpen them in his very flesh. The taste of his blood was anticipated upon her tongue and down her throat and on her lips and chin. Oh, she was so close now! Just a few more wingbeats and she would nearly be there!

STOP! The command came like a stone wall to Waroth, who stopped and backwinged in mid-air, hissing and keening and wailing like a child throwing a tantrum. She seemed as if she would fall out of the sky for a second, then she caught herself again. Stop? STOP?! How could she stop? How could such a strong, glorious queen(sub) stop when she was so very close to her kill?! All the while, Kalith's will held strong over her own. The copper Queen whom she served was winning in the psychological battle. So she carried herself up, up in the air and back to the rim where she had previously kept watched. And as she did so her and Her Own separated from their battle fever. Nimara became more and more aware as Waroth became less and less amused.

Then the crimson creature landed, still grumbling quite vocally at Kalith's continued command. Nim listened too, mainly to her bonded's complaints, and watched as everything came to a conclusion. Dragons and riders... had died that day. It all came back to her like a flash flood of memory. She watched as an observer as the moving pictures of that day played back across her eyelids. So many had died. So many had died in a dragon versus dragon battle. It wasn't write. Emotion welled up in her eyes in the form of salty tears. Her heart was a rock in her stomach. Brothers and sisters had fought that day. Clutchsiblings and wingmates and fellow warriors against the joint menace of thread had turned their hurt and anger toward each other with the intent to kill. Memory of the emotion she had experienced was now her greatest regret. Nothing should come to this.

As those who were given amnesty landed to be accepted back into the Weyr, Waroth continued her rage. The volatile red demon could not be placated. These abominations should not be granted peace! They should die! They deserved to die! And by her claw and tooth! Meanwhile, Nimara struggled to regain control of her bonded one. But she could not break through the hatred. She was still strapped into the fighting straps as Waroth was thrashing about. She needed to get down. She no longer wanted to be here, where dragon blood and human blood was equally portioned throughout the ground and sky. It was all too much. 'Stop...' Her mind fell on impatient ears. The red dragon stooped down long enough for Nim to jump and roll off of her back and land somewhat tussled on the ground. As the red continued her raging, her rider walked a ways away on the rim and sat on the ground with her knees curled up to her chin. This wasn't happening. She was frightened for the first time since Waroth had risen.

'How dare they!' Waroth's injustices filled her mind time and again. Yet at this moment, hot tears steamed the inside of Nimara's eyelids. What had happened? But she needed to regain control. An angry red was not what was needed in the bowl right now.

'Take me back.' Nim insisted, her voice strong in her bonded's mind. 'Back to our weyr. Take me now.' Waroth stopped her raging as Nim asserted her hold over her and she calmed for her rider to climb on. Then she did as she was told. They went back to their weyr. All the while it took all of Nim's concentration to reign Waroth in. It was going to be a long night. She swallowed her hurt and her fear that her dragon was too infuriated to notice and, always pragmatic, she took control.

[fidelli]

It had been going so well. Nim had had this, she had known where to put herself, she and Zuchie could see the young boy in their mind's eye... And then, they had been seen. The Brownrider that had been mauled, who had chased for the right to be Weyrleader, he suddenly snapped from between to scoop up the child, and then was gone. Zuchie keened, whirling in midair and allowing the other dragons to scramble around his much lither form. He projected to all, mindvoice loud. They have snatched him! They are at Dalibor, the kidnapper - dragons will fight dragons! Nim didn't move, frozen as she was on the back of her blind White. The dragon was frantic, trying to shake life back into his before the dragons would fight, knowing that if they somehow did manage to snap between as the other dragons were doing...

But Nim held him back, and only after Zuchie set up his keen of anguish, murmuring, Dragons... They should not be fighting! We do not fight our own! She sent him Between then, back to the Dalibor, high above where Nim watched as the Brown lunged between and Zucherroth kept his keening to a soft pitch. He would not fight, could not fight... And Nim wanted to now, wanted to throw herself at those that would threaten her Zuchie's life, her and everyone she loved. It was F'del who caught her, F'del and Altith. The Purplerider had jumped aboard Altith as soon as the Weyrlings were in their barracks and counted out, and he took off fast, sending Altith up to where he could see his step-daughter crying in rage.

"Nim!" The voice was loud, louder than F'del usually sounded, and the girl only looked at him, furious. How DARE he come up here to patronage her! "Nim, the Candidatemasters are fighting - we need someone to guard that." Zucherroth took the initiatve, and dropped them fast down, dropping to the entrance and counting the minds in the barracks. We must guard them now. It was a job - and she took it to heart. No Candidate would leave until they had been given permission - and she could brood in silent agony as she watched the dragons claws rip, while sweet, kind, wonderful Zucherroth keened his horror and sadness at the abonimation.

F'del, meanwhile, had settled back down next to W'al and his Purple. Some part of him wanted to fight... But Altith could never kill. The Purple was no able to, and so, unusally sober, he guarded his newly hatched charges. They would not get out - he kept his mind over them, hard... The Red. She fight's with Her's. F'del - watching the fighting with the feeling of wanting to vomit - turned back to Altith. "What?" Izkeeyerdath - There. The man felt the firelizard land on his shoulder, and tried to focus on the flashes of blood and hurt that he was sending - albiet weakly - to F'del. "Altith, translate!" The Purple told him quietly, Izkeeyerdath's. She has been hurt - Izkeeyerdath has slashed her. I will hold her down. The Purple entered the mind of the Red in a heartbeat, willing her down.

He was older, he was more experienced, and he had the weight of a Queen behind him. [i]You will NOT attack Your's again, and you will stay where you are. Mine will be there momentarily to help Yours, but if you so much as slash him I will not be happy.[/i] And that was a threat, because Altith was ALWAYS happy. The man, letting Altith explain to Kerath if it needed to be said what had happened, turned on his heel and disapeared into the barracks, shooing the heads that popped out of their rooms back inside. Altith was trying to keep the dragonets from hearing too much, but it wasn't physically possible. They would grow up fast, this group.

F'del was in Jasra's room in a moment, looking down at her with somber green eyes. "You're going to need better control over her. Your control is awful if you can't stop your own dragonet from attacking you - she's feeling everything you are right now." Mind you, he didn't understand the Red was just like that... He would in time, but not now. Altith touched his mind again fast, and F'del nodded. "How much weight can you put on that, Weyrling? The fighting is over... I need to take you to the infirmary."

[hatori3070]

Izkeeyerdath huffed. Of course I will not harm him. There is no reason to. She told the Purple who was being quite rude at the moment. She was calmer now and had settled on her bed. The confrontation was over and Hers needed medical attention, which F'del would provide for her hard-headed Mine. His intrusion into her mind was unnecessary and only served as an annoyance. Part of her wanted to snap at the man now entering the room just because she had been told not to, but Altith's hold on her was too strong, even if Hers was in no condition to hold her back. The desire was there though, and it grew worse when the man had entered the room and admonished Hers for something that wasn't her fault. A small growl, just a low rumbling in her chest, escaped her, but she wouldn't act on her feelings. Her anger would keep with a grudge worming its way into the back of her mind. She would be a handful for the weyrlingmaster once things had quieted down.

Jasra had to focus to keep what little she had managed to eat at the feast from vacating her stomach. Her bandage wasn't very good, seeing as she had no experience with these kinds of injuries, and it was soaked through quickly. She barely noticed when F'del entered the room until Geree was back. She hadn't even noticed the little Pink had left in the first place. "Where did you go, little one?" She just nuzzled under her chin and wrapped herself in her usual position around Jasra's neck, choosing not to reply. Her mind was a bit fuzzy and it took her a moment to register what F'del had said. "I'm not sure. Using the wall for support, she levered herself up on her good leg. The room began to spin, and she took a few deep breaths before trying her leg. "Aagh!" There was no way she was going to walk all the way to the infirmary. That meant she would have to be carried there like an infant. She couldn't help pulling a face at the thought, but knew better than to try it anyway. "I can't walk." Her voice showed a bit of her annoyance, but she managed to maintain some composure. She probably wouldn't have been so bothered by this if Izkeeyerdath wasn't upset herself, ad she knew it. A few more deep breaths and her annoyance was at a more reasonable level for now.

[fidelli]

The Red did nothing for the Purple except to irritate him a little more, and Altith, when irritated (which did not happen often) only tended to get sweeter. Of course I will not harm him. There is no reason to. He only sent a quiet flood of irritated refusal, and told her, Well, you slashed at Your's, so I have no proof you will not hurt Mine. I only believe unBonded Hatchinglings are foolish enough to hurt a human, and never do they touch THEIR'S, you foolish dragonet. F'del was entering the room as this argument was going on, and was privately amused at the sternness of his Purple. Don't try too hard Alti, you actually might sound like a teacher. The Purple laughed in His's mind, a happy respite of the death around them. That is silly, Mine! I love the little ones, even if they behave silly sometimes! But when he turned back to the Red, he was all serious, and keeping her down - he could feel her rage at being told what to do boiling up.

F'del, walking in, paid almost no attention to the Red, and focused on the girl instead. Her small growl only received her a small eyebrow lift and a gentle smile. "Oh no, missy. I won't hear it from you. If you both have this much energy to spend on bickering, you'll find me and Altith later and we will find you some extra chores." And with that, he turned back to the girl and the real problem. He knelt down next to her in an instant, checking over the wound with quick fingers and a worried crease. 'I'm not sure.' He leaned back so that she could try, but he knew she wouldn't be able too - and the proof was clear. 'Aagh!' He frowned and helped her sit back down, strong arms careful she didn't jar her leg again. 'I can't walk.'

It did worry him of the annoyance in her voice, and not more hurt. Green eyes glittered down at her, but he smiled and carefully scooped her up, cradeling the small girl in his arms like the infant she was acting. "You know, Jasra, it'll be hard." He let himself out of the room, holding the door open with his foot for the Red to follow and trusting Altith to make sure she didn't slash him as he carried her to the infirmary. "But you and Izkeeyerdath are not the samepeople, and you need to learn to seperate you and her. It needs to be done." He smilied to lull his words down, but the corner of his eyes were tight, and he could hear the keening of the dragons with the death all around them.

TO ;; The Infirmary.