Drowning

[Nitefleur]

Sahd was just outside the weyr , on the nearest beach. Despite the warm weather she was covered up with long sleeves and full length trousers. Brown eyes stared out at the calm waters. They stretched outwards almost endlessly. She would have sat staring at the calming scene much longer if a couple of older and much large weyr boys hadn’t of come along.

They probably thought everything was in good fun. Any other weyr girl would have been angry at most but still fine. One boy lifted Sahd up with no problem. Sahd shrieked and resisted but the boys in their fun didn’t realize Sahd’s fear was very real. Up onto the perch, the rock that jutted out over the ocean and was a favorite diving spot these boys took Sahd who screamed. She was so fearful that she didn’t realize the boys plans or else she would had warned them, would have screamed for them not to.

They had done this with a few weyr girl and it was always a good laugh. It never occurred to them as they tossed a desperately clawing and screaming Sahd of the edge and into the deep ocean water that a girl her age wouldn’t have learned to swim. It was just a standard thing that all children learn to swim. Sahd though wasn’t all children, she had been raised cruelly for nine turns. When she was finally safe her had wanted to hide her scars and that need had drawn her to avoid swimming or asking for lessons.

Sahd hit the water and screamed in panic, taking on a mouthful of the salty liquid. Her head went under. She couldn’t breathe. She scraped and clawed desperately unable to get back to the surface.

The boys watched but thought she was fooling, thought she had swam around and out of sight back toward the beach. They left Sahd.

>* Help me!*< she cried desperately to Runeth, Tianeth and others. She sent along a fragmented image of water and her sense of pure fear.

She clawed to the surface and took a gasping breath before falling under again. She kept clawing but couldn’t pull herself back up to the surface.

[Maira]

Maira had miraculously found a few spare moments to spend time in they Weyr's creche and she was happily tending to an adorable little boy who insisted on using her long auburn braid to teeth on. It had been ages since she had been able to spend any time with children other than her own, not that she minded in the least, but sometimes it was just nice to remember -why- she had so many. Her love of children extended back as far as she could remember and it had all started by helping in a creche at her family's small cothold and by helping their harper teach the children of the cothold their lessons.

She had just managed to detach the little boy's teeth from her hair, again, when Tianeth's shout of fear and fury knocked her to the ground. Luckily the little boy landed in her lap but he still started to cry from the jarring he'd taken when they'd landed. Until one of the other creche workers noticed her on the floor with a distant look in her eyes, Maira couldn't devote all of her attention to Tianeth as she didn't want the little boy to get any more hurt than he was. Once he was taken from her arms, Maira demanded, >>Say that again but without screaming at me? I couldn't understand you last time.<<

<<Sahd is in trouble, she's at the beach, swallowing water and she scared!>> Tianeth told her soulmate as calmly as she could manage. The big gold wanted nothing more than to go to her rider's hatchling's aid but there was no way she could. Not with her own children still vulnerable in their eggs on the sands. She needed -somebody- to rescue Sahd since she couldn't do it herself and who better than her rider? Of course, with her initial blast to Maira she'd also yelled at most of the dragons in the Weyr...

Upon hearing what her dragon had to tell her, Maira bolted from the creche and ran toward the beach as fast as she could. Having not quite gotten back in her normal running form after having Airyn, Maira felt a burning in her legs by the time she reached the beach and spotted a very familiar brown emerging from the water with his rider walking next to him carrying a small form in her arms. Her first instinct was to run to the girl, make sure she was okay, but when she saw the boys standing atop the rock that Sahd had likely been pushed from, Maira's temper immediately began to boil.

She ran the last short distance to those boys, who were now watching as Fl'ite tended to Sahd, and when they finally noticed who she was she smiled as they cringed. "Hurting another only earns you the right NOT to stand for a clutch of dragon eggs boys. As Tianeth's eggs are currently on the sands and you hurt a girl close to her heart I won't even bother risking your lives near her by letting you try for this clutch. Maybe next time you'll think better of your actions." Then she turned, ran back down to the beach and to her adopted daughter's side.

Fl'ite had already gotten all the water out of her lungs and she was just starting to stir again when Maira pulled her into a gentle embrace. Softly, almost inaudibly, Maira whispered to her, "I'm right here sweetheart, please wake up. I love you Sahd, please wake up." As she was speaking to the girl, she was looking at Fl'ite with so many different emotions in her eyes, as well as tears, that she just hoped the other woman understood she was grateful.

[Nitefleur]

She felt herself drifting beneath the water. Her natural instinct and need to breathe only filled her lungs with water. A choking sensation engulfed her as she coughed and sputtered but only inhaled more water. She was turned around, no longer able to tell up from down, no longer capable of caring. Her vision blurred and she succumbed to her fatigue. Brown eyes closed. Heart beat slowed.

Fl'ite was out running drills with her wing, not to far away. The wingleader felt her body jerk as Stealth changed direction suddenly. >> What is this Stealth <<

<<Tianeth' screams. The lil' one Sahd is drowning >> Stealth shot back. His powerful wings raced to their destination.

Fl’ite went with her chosen, she unstrapped herself, and held tightly to the quick flying Brown's neck ridge. "There Mine!" She called and Stealth dove from the sky. Fl'ite held on as well. Stealth dove deep and Fl'ite struggled to see in the dark water. On the bottom her foot tangled in weeds laid Sahd. Fl'ite could feel her own lungs beginning to burn, but quickly used her dagger to free the girl.

Stealth slid behind her, and Fl'ite gripped with one hand one of his straps holding Sahd in the other. Stealth launched to the surface, jerking his rider to the surface as well. Fl'ite could touch the bottom now and she waded out of the water with the girl in her arms.

Upon the beach Fl’ite rolled Sahd on her side encouraging her to cough with hard pressure to her back.

Fl’ite though was not the type who could offer a child comfort and allowed Maira to take her place as Sahd stirred from unconsciousness.

Fl’ite herself had punishment for the boys and she rose intimidating and hard faced before them. “Those who would harm without provocation, are not worthy of the honor of standing. As long as I stand in the position of candidate master tothis weyr or hold any bearing to the position I shall not see you on those bunks, until you’ve paid proper penance and have dutifully suffered your punishments sufferings” She uttered. A Brown head growled from behind her, eyes brimming red in rage and anger that Fl’ite seemed much more able to contain. “Go I’ll name your first repentances later” and the boys took off thoroughly frightened

Sahd stirred her small body shivering in shock from her ordeal. She curled into Maira’s warmth. Her voice was very small ”I-I’m s-sorry” she uttered as if her ordeal had been her fault.

[Maira]

When Sahd apologized for what had transpired, for what had nearly killed her, Maira developed both a cold hard lump in the pit of her stomach and a burning desire to throw things. After all the turns Sahd had spent with her and R'yn hadn't she learned anything? Hadn't she come to realize that having things done to her by somebody else was not her fault? If Sahd's father weren't already dead Maira would be tempted to find the man and throw things at him for breaking such a sweet soul.

Instead of giving in to her instincts to scream and throw things, Maira gave way and let the tears fall. "Please don't apologize Sahd, this wasn't your fault. If anybody should be apologizing it should be me and R'yn for not teaching you to swim." Of all the things the two of them had neglected to teach the girl, how on Pern could they have not taught her to swim? If only they had taught her she likely wouldn't have almost died.

Lifting the small girl with an arm under her legs, and one behind her shoulders, Maira got them both out of the sand and started walking back toward the Weyr. Sahd would need to be seen by a healer to make sure that her time in the water hadn't done any permanant damage. As she made her way quickly, yet carefully, back to the Weyr, Maira told Tianeth, >>I have her safe in my arms my love. Please tell R'yn and Runeth I'm taking her to the healer.<<

Back in the hatching cavern the gold was still quivering with both anger and fear. The only things more important to Tianeth than Maira and her family were her own eggs and feeling Sahd slipping away, nearly dying, had been akin to the feeling of knowing one of her children's soulmate wasn't present at a hatching and that the dragonet would *between*. If Sahd had died, Tianeth would have grieved the loss much the same way as she would have the loss of one of her own children. For Maira to tell her that the girl was safe was an immense relief to the gold. Finally able to calm down, she went and lay protectively around her own eggs, nuzzling the gold for reassurance and comfort until her rider could join her.

[Nitefleur]

It was easy to explain why Sahd had never learned to swim. She hadn't wanted to or given any indication that she couldn't. The girl avoided showing her scars whenever possible so when asked if she wished to swim it was easy to assume her negative response was simply due to being self conscious.

"I'm f-fine mama" She said very quietly in a moment alone with Maira. Sahd rarely used the term, but would sometimes when alone with the only motherly figure she had ever truly known. >* I-I'm f-fine Tianeth *< she reassured the golden Queen.

In the care of a Healer Sahd was placed in a bed to be looked over. This of course was not a process Sahd enjoy.