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Children, an event of utmost importance had occurred. Call in Yours, tell them to meet at the door of the Weyrling Barracks. Mine is coming to see you all, and she needs everyone present that can be there.

Hannele listened to her dragon, pulling on her coat again as she left the Dining Hall, having spoken to the right people about what would have to occur. She stepped out into the cold, the adrenaline of new freedom pumping into her veins. The cold bit at her, but she pushed it aside. She had to speak with the Weyrlings, had to get it out of the way. Elenneth, speak to Larth as well. Hana will need to know the new routine.

Truth be told, she didn't much fancy changing the way things were. They'd worked when she was a small goldweyrling, why not continue the tradition? Grimly, she reminded herself that these kids were the Weyr's future, without them, Telgar wouldn't survive. And if one of them got sick, given their living conditions, there was a chance they might all suffer for it. She trekked across the practice field where Elenneth had once clumsily attempted her first flight only to soar triumphantly over it in a matter of time. When she reached the door, Hannele took a breath, closing her eyes and asking Elenneth for strength, which the gold lent to her lovingly in the form of a gentle, familiar hum in the back of Hannele's mind.

Opening the door, she stood to the side, refusing to lie to them with a smile, with confidence. This was not a time for false bravado; it was time for seriousness. The goldrider hugged her coat tighter, biting the inside of her lip to prevent from being too openly distraught. She watched as some of the Weyrlings began to show up, noting the seniors, her children, and a sudden need to protect them kept her standing.

Larth, Mine needs Yours to go to the Weyrling Barracks as soon as possible. She is speaking to them now about something of great importance. Elenneth's voice, even when it spoke not to her, make Hannele feel better, her nerves calming, her mind clearing. The moment that she thought they were all present, she lifted her head, speaking loudly, clearly.

“Is this everyone?” She asked, scanning the young faces, the faces she didn't want to see contort into fear and disbelief. Yet, here she went. “You might have heard rumors, rumors about people getting sick. I'm here to tell you that those rumors are true.” Her heart pounded quickly, demanding attention that she quickly denied. “The illness is contagious, and, as it's been fatal in a few cases, we want to limit its spreading as much as we can. Given that you lot are Telgar's future, we're going to do our best to keep you healthy. I'm asking you to stay within the limits of the Barracks and the practice field. The baths are open to you as well; one of them will be curtained off for Weyrling use only. For the shy, I might suggest that you find a time when none of your fellows are going.” She paused for a moment, collecting her thoughts.

“If you're walking to and from, speak to no one. If you're caught wandering around, you'll have to be punished. We can't take a risk. Your meals will be brought by drudges we are sure are healthy. They will be instructed to bring your food and then leave. The next crew to come will pick up the dishes. And if any of you,” she eyed them all carefully, “feel sick at all in the slightest, please stay away from your fellows and have your dragon speak to Larth or Elenneth and we'll send a Healer immediately.”

Pausing again, she found herself wordless, and so, addressing the crowd. “Now, one at a time, any questions?”

Onie and

Yokaith

Sukarth was curled up, dozing; when he heard the queen that had clutched him calling. He lifted his head and blinked his eyes; once, twice, thrice, before being able to shake the sleep off. ‘Meet in the weyrling barracks?’ The young dragon thought to himself, ‘She said it was important, and we must be there.’ The bronze stood up, stretching out the tensed muscles from curling so tightly while he slept.

He noticed the eyes of a couple of the other young dragons, whirring with shades of red. At their panic his eyes started to flicker from a sleepy grey-blue, to a worrisome orange.

«Mine, we have been bespoken by Elenneth. Hannele says we must meet at the doors of the weyrling barracks. An event of the utmost importance has occurred.» Sukarth dutily forwarded to his lifepartner.


The tall blonde had been walking through the corridors of the weyr, pensive in how to reply to the letter he had just received from his parents. He was surprised when he heard the light baritone of his Sukarth enter into his thoughts. «Do you know what it is?» L’von replied to his dragon, as he hastened his steps and headed back to the barracks.

L’von arrived back at the barracks before Hannele had arrived, and was able to slip towards the back of the group of gathering weyrlings. His height gave him the advantage of being further away from the door

L’von heard the door to the barracks open, and he noticed the grim look on Hanele’s face. ‘I wonder what’s going on...’ The young man thought to himself, as he shifted uncomfortably on his feet. He listened attentively when Hanele began to speak, but quickly dropped his gaze to the floor when she said no one was to wander about.

When she was done speaking L’von quickly relayed «Sukarth, we have been asked to stay with the barracks and the practise area. There has been a fast spreading illness around the weyr.»

Aleerna was enjoying the snow for onece, kicking it up and watching Sidheth stare in rapt fasination as it fell back down. Suddenly Sidheth swung her head around, first looking to the Weyrling Barracks then back round to Aleerna. There is a problem, Sidheth said, her mental voice confused, you must report to the barracks.

"What?" Aleerna exclaimed, hurridly brushing herself off and rushing over to her dragon, "Me why?"

All Weyrlings are being asked to report. There is something wrong I think

"Oh," Aleerna's voice was soft as she paused a moment before running off towards the barracks, Sidheth following slowly behind her. Meet me back at the cot Sidheth! Aleerna told her dragon as she arrived slightly breathless at the barracks. Some of the other Weyrlings were already there and she hurried over to join the group, smiling slightly at Minno when she came to stand next to her.

As Hannele spoke she felt fear was over her, a-a plague? her whole body trembled and she felt Sidheth's fear as well. Fatal? Her thoughts went immediatly to Sidheth, terrified as to what would happen to her dragon if she got sick. Her next thoughts were of Minno standing next to her then of N'mar and her terror increased, what if one of those got sick?

As Hannele asked if anyone had any questions and some of the other Weyrlings spoke up Aleerna stood, her body shaking, unable to talk, or ask the many questions swirling round her head. She reached out for Sidheth but for once her dragon was unable to her offer her comfort or reassurence.

Ixiara grew quiet when other questions began coming, knowing that being patient and waiting for an answer was likely to put Hannele in a more helpful mood than continuing to pester her would. Under normal circumstances, Ixiara would likely not have spoken up at all. However thoughts of her friends, B'ron and Hath in particular, had driven her to speak up. She knew well enough that she could inquire about B'ron's health by having Ghinath bespeak Hath, but it wasn't the same. Not the same at all. What if he got sick? What if he died from it, and before she had even had the courage to tell him how she felt? She shot a glance over at Onie when the goldweyring spoke up, too. Ixiara knew Onie by sight now, as much because she remembered her from the hatching as because she was B'ron's sister and important to him. It encouraged Ixiara slightly to have Onie asking questions as well; it felt less like she was part of a gang of kids whining to an adult. Onie was someone who would one day be partially responsible for the whole weyr: someone who, as a queen rider, Ixiara would gladly give her loyalty to: just as she felt loyal towards Hannele, if a little resentful at the moment.

Ghinath was listening quietly, approving Ixiara's silence and patience. Golds were not to be irritated if it was avoidable. Her immediate nervousness was beginning to settle, when the desperate cry of Ursidaeth rang out through the barracks. Ghinath raised herself quickly onto her feet, her eyes wheeling wildly with alarm. What could be wrong? What could be harming her clutchmate in the very place that they were supposed to be safest - their own cots?

Ixiara! She creeled, frightened and confused by Ursidaeth's pleas for help. What's wrong with him? What's happenning? The other hatchlings were also distressed, which did not help the overall situation at all.

Ixiara felt as if she had been plunged into arctic waters, a gasp escaped her lips before she could hold it back. A quick plunge into her dragon's mind told her that Ursidaeth was very, very frightened and that something was wrong with his rider. A chill that had nothing to do with Ghinath's fear slid into her stomach. "No, Ghinath! Stay where you are!" She said, driving the order home ruthlessly to her lifemate. With a low whining hiss, Ghinath sank down into a sitting position, clinging mentally to Ixiara for comfort, distressed and confused. Only one thing, Ixiara thought, was likely to be the cause. If she was right, quarentine would do little good for herself and her fellow weyrlings now. Her only thought was that Ghinath must not go to Ursidaeth herself. What could they do to help, anyway, if she did? Ixiara was not a healer Please, Ghinath, I know it's hard but try to comfort him from where you are. Don't be afraid, we'll get a healer, or someone...

Wordlessly, Ixiara tried to catch the weyrwoman's eye, knowing that she couldn't be blind to Ursidaeth's fear. The look on Ixiara's face was unreadable, but it was clear that she was expecting action from Hannele. Meanwhile Ghinath, nervous though she was, was doing her best to calm the brown. Her efforts were likely to be ineffectual, but she did tell him that her's was going to ask for a healer.

L’von stepped away from the crowd of weyrlings and took a couple of steps towards the door, listening to Hannele’s instructions. As she finished speaking said, “I’ll go.”

The blonde took a couple of long steps towards the door, and opened it stepping into the corridor of the weyr. He could tell that the older dragon riders had already been alerted since the corridor was empty.
L’von ran towards the infirmary to get a healer. When he arrived, he slowly walked in the door taking a deep breath to compose himself. He could feel Sukarth’s panic in his mind, as well as his own worry.

“We need a healer in the weyrling barracks!” L’von heard himself saying. “Elenneth says to wear a mask and come immediately.”

The fact that this could infected dragons and firelizards deeply troubled Minno. She was afraid for hers. She mentally reached out to Tertiath.

Ursidaeth's call made her ache and worry more. She wanted to go and comfort him, but she was worried about getting infected herself. Not too long after L'von left for some healers did she hear some one crash to the floor. She quickly made her way to where the noise had come from, and gasped.

"Fal'n!" A hand kept her from running to his side.

Tertiath? She called in desperation.

He has a fever. I will tell L'von that we need more than one healer. Middle-toned like usual, but comforting nonetheless.

Fighting back tears, Minno said to those around her, "Tertiath is going to tell L'von to bring more than one healer."

L'von, Lusuth's rider has a fever. Bring more than one healer. There may be others sick as well.

Ixiara turned abruptly at the sound of someone falling, a muffled thud that was a mix of fabric and flesh hitting stone floors. She pulled a sharp breath in, unable to see who it was that had fallen at first. The boy was in the back of the group and it was difficult to see through the many bodies of weyrlings that were assembled. Rather than another dousing of fear the sight of one of her clutchmates on the ground, obviously wracked with fever, hardened her - turned her fear into tempered steel that ran through her like a wire. There was no point to panic at this point. The only thing that they could do was try to limit their exposure...

The anguished shout of one of the other weyrlings made her blink and look around, thus she was unaware of the motion Onie made as she backed up. With a low "mph," she blinked her eyes tightly shut and took a step back to absorb the small impact. Blinking a little she looked up to meet a pair of green eyes. Nothing like B'ron's, a vague part of her remarked as she recognized Onie. Then the rest of her registered smaller details, like the slightly wet look Onie's eyes had, the slight widening that exposed a touch more white than should normally be there, the contracted pupils. Ixiara was staring at her own fear inside of someone else, though it was not generalized. In some strange way, Ixiara knew - just knew - that they were thinkingthe same thing. Perhaps whatever had attracted Ghinath to Ixiara and Yokaith to Onie allowed the pair a brief moment of insight into one another. It was oddly unsettling for the brief moment that it happened: Ixiara didn't like to think that her own thoughts were so visible, and the idea of invading someone else's private thoughts and fears was repugnant to her.

But she did not flinch from Onie's comforting hand. The speed with which it was withdrawn suggested that Onie herself was a little unnerved by it, and Ixiara was grateful enough not to want to make it worse for Onie. Her throat closed minutely at the goldrider's words, and all she could do was nod her gratitude. There was hardly time for anything else, at any rate. Onie turned away, the moment passed, and Ixiara became acutely aware that she had been woken out of the first sleep she'd had in a while. With a mournful, pained look at Fal'n lying on the floor Ixiara leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes. Needing a solid base mentally and physically, she reached out quietly for Ghinath. The young green was just as eager for comfort and the pair shared a long moment of mutual comfort and understanding that was as meaningful for them as it was silent.

Many different worries were swirling around in Ixiara's head. If what she knew about such things proved true then all of the weyrlings were now exposed. Their confinement to the barracks would, in that case, be a curse for the healthy ones instead of a blessing. The only way she could think to handle the situation was if they all avoided one another for the most part. The sick should keep as strictly to their own cots as they could... but what if they inadventently infected their dragons by doing so? That was what she couldn't see a way around. The dragonettes were still only babies and needed constant care and attention. Who would look after them if their riders were sick? If Ixiara was right the smart thing to do would be to retire to her cot and stay there as long as possible, and hope beyond all hopes that she did not end up infecting Ghinath. Looking back at Hannele she wondered whether it would be all right to just make a quiet exit. It sounded like all the important information had been given out. Everyone was just waiting around for the healers and trying to calm their babies.