[PRP] One Less Face to Love (Khazariath + Cartujanth)

[demon_pachabel]

It had been a rough blooding. While both boy and dragon had come out on the other side not much worse for wear beyond some straps that would have to be remade, that was really scratching the bare surface of what could have gone wrong.

What had gone wrong.

Everybody had come back. It had been enough to allow D'rok and Khazariath to focus on only one another. They would check in on everybody at the healer's later. But everybody wasn't at the healer's later. There was a hole in the line now and Khazariath was handling it....with about as much grace and poise as a dragon that had spent their evening keening in mourning with the voices of the Weyr could. He leaned on D'rok for support, and D'rok leaned back.

The ledge felt empty that night, despite it being as full as it ever was.  

[Spockat]

Cartujanth had escaped threadfall save for the bloody mess that lay contained under her shoulder. Keep it covered, no crazy flying - the healer had admonished. It wasn’t the worst that Threadfall had done to them. It had beyond bloodied some, stolen the breath right out of another. If she had been there… would it have helped? Would she have just gotten in the way taking the pair to their deaths faster with a startled warning or bit of her flame? Or would they have lived? She wasn’t an introspective dragon… this all made her head pound.

The green didn’t feel prepared for what lie before her as a dragon of Pern. She felt vastly overwhelmed at the responsibility on her shoulders. Seeing beyond High reaches, beyond color hierarchies and how to push her way past their stagnate (to her mind’s) flavors. To simply the meat of life to the rot of death and she did not like it one bit. Khazariath, she began, knowing they were close. Concerned, distraught like all who share her ichor. She didn’t get up from her ledge, so much as her great yellow-whirling eyes luminous in the dark shadow that had fallen over her siblings. Urzoh was a curled semicolon against her patterned leg. There was safety in the sturdy form of their bonded, that perhaps joy could find Cartujanth again.

How are we to bear this again? And again. And again. She could feel Urzoh take a sharp breath with the sting of her emotion. Cartujanth had heard the cries of other dragons silenced - her young naivety sheltering her then just as an eggshell did on the sands. The green was not so stupid now to think that pain would never come for her. To lance her skin, to make her fear death for others more than herself. We did all we could, and still were short for them… Her large head lay on her forelegs, uncharacteristically feeling defeated.

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

The sound of his sister's voice had Khazariath lifting his head from D'rok, tucking a wing down and around the young man to keep him warm against the chill of a winter night. His mental touch leaned into Cartujanth while he wondered over her question - and not for the first time. He'd lived his life painfully aware of his mortality, awaiting the end of his own vessel and knowing it would not go alone. Being left in the wake of another hadn't been agonized over nearly as much.

I don't think there is any answer that will alleviate the pain, he confessed, no answer that would make that glaring empty space that had been filled by loved one feel less painful. We start by never blaming ourselves where it is not due - you flew and flamed fiercely and well. Not that he hadn't agonized over his own calls as a Wingsecond and how they could have been better.

Perhaps we take their share of vengeance out upon that Red Star and do them proud. his tone wasn't that of a motivational speech, but more of a pallbearer.

Spockat