Dragon Rider Play

Blade bolted. The run to the medical ward seemed to not have existed, and his heart pounded. No! Tithenor was his brother, his toriuan. He ran into the ward and demanded to be by Tithenor's side. The maddening light in his eyes dared anyone to tell him no, or else they may be on a cot nexxt to his dear friend.

Mark stood and went to Pat. Blade could and would take care of Tithenor. "Pat, are you all right?" He placed a hand on Pat's shoulder.

53's dragon got between Blade and the back room when the young rider burst in.  He didn't try to make him leave, just forced him to stop where he could see but not interfere as 53 continued to monitor Tithenor.  He'd survived the surgery, but 53 wasn't ready to relax yet.

Erika left the rookery and went to Blade, flying part of the way.  Her rider was in distress!

'i need to go," Pat said, turning away and walking toward the door.

Blade, blind in his agonizing worry and anger, kept trying to dodge around the dragon or shove him out of the way. "Let me through!" He screamed. "I need to be with him! I need to be with my brother!"

Mark followed. "Pat, wait! At least tell me where you're going! You've shut everyone out the past couple of days, even your dragon." he hesitated before he decided to tell his friend. "if you keep this up, she'll die, Pat. Nightshade is in bad shape right now. She won't eat and she has barely moved on her own. She's going to waste away and die without you!"

The feathered dragon tired of the dance and reaed up.  His teeth latched onto Blade's upper arm firmly but not hard enough to break skin.  He beared down, forcing Blade flat to the floor.  He crouched there, holding him still.
53 heard and came up.  "Blade?  You need to stop yelling and listen now."

Pat kept walking until she reached the edge of the island.  She swayed there for a moment then sat abruptly.  "It's all wrong," she whispered.  "It wasn't supposed to go like this.  Nothing.  I just wanted to be free."

In the fighting, some of the scratches on his arms from yesterday reopened but Blade was numb to their pain. He looked up at 53, tears coming down from half crazed eyes. "You listen. I HAVE to see him. I HAVE to see for myself that he's still alive. I won't get in your way. I promise!"

Mark carefully sat down next to Pat. "Pat... I found out a long time ago that true freedom doesn't exist. You can change your fate, yes, but freedom isn't an option. Now, what you can do and control is by making the best of what you have. You have friends here, Pat. Blade, Tithenor, and myself see you as a friend. As a brother. You have food here, and a dragon who loves you dearly and would do anything for you. All you have to do is make the best with what you got."

53 crouched next to him.  "Blade, I will let you see him.  BUT.  You must calm down.  If you can calm down and stop screaming, my dragon will let you up and I will escort you in.  Keep screaming, and Needle will take you outside.  Understand?"

Pat bent double, shaking hard.  "I should have jumped off the bridge after he first had me steal Erika's things," she whispered.  "This isn't worth keeping a secret."

Blade tensely nodded. The tears still came, but Blade had stopped screaming and struggling.

Mark shook his head and laid a hand on Pat's shoulder. "That is NOT what you should have done. You should have come to me, Tithenor, and Blade. We would have helped you. We still want to help you. What you are doing now though isn't helping. It's not helping Nightshade. It's not helping Tithenor. And it certainly isn't helping you." He got an idea. "Pat, let's take you to see Nightshade. I think if you open up to her again, it'll do you both a lot of good."

53 nodded.  "Good lad."  He stepped back and patted his dragon's shoulder.  Once he'd stepped away, 53 helped Blade up and led him inside.  "Talking to him will help, just remain calm, upbeat if you can."  He showed Blade to a chair and moved back.  "I'll give you a moment alone.  Call me if anything changes."  He stepped out, drawing the curtains closed as he did so.
Tithenor lay pale and still as death, his bandaged chest moving faintly as he breathed.  His long hair splayed out across the pillow like a tangled waterfall of rapids, not at all his usual properly groomed style.

"Kay," Pat whispered limply.  She didn't have the heart to argue anymore.  Not about anything.

Blade sat down beside Tithenor and actually held his hand. He sighed deeply. "hey, I don't know if you can hear me in whatever dreamland you're in filled with sparkles and rainbows, but I need you to come back, bro. You know Mark can't lead me worth anything, and I will lead the team to probably the wrong side of the rules. So yeah. More than just me, but we kind of all need you." Blade paused and shook his head, laughing humorlessly. "And for the record, if I think you need a shadow, you aren't getting a say in it, man." Another pause. "Oh, I finished something for you this morning. But I'll wait until you're up a bit more to get gifts before I give it to you."

Mark guided Pat to the stall that still had Mellon, Warrior, and Nightshade in it. Ha hadn't the heart to separate them last night. Nightshade laid there on the floor, unmoving. If it wasn't for the rise and fall of her breathing, she could have passed as a feathered dragon statue.

Tithenor didn't move, but some part of him heard.  He knew on a subconscious level the sound of his brother's voice.  He may not have registered words, but he knew the sound and heard the plea.  He would come back to his brother.  He just wanted to rest a bit first.

Pat stood hugging herself as she watched Warrior licking the top of Nightshade's head.  Warrior looked up and let out a soft whine.

Blade kept talking to Tithenor. He didn't really seem to have any coherency in what he said, just talking to fill the silence. He told Tithenor stories about all kinds of people and things he's seen or met. He told Tithenor all about places he wanted to visit with him and everything he hoped they could do once their dragons were big enough to fly with them.

Mark gently nudged Pat. "She'll die without you." he softly told Pat.

Pat swallowed hard and stepped forward.  Warrior sensed her intentions and finally left Nightshade's side, going to Mark instead.  Pat knelt next to her dragon and laid a trembling hand on her side.  "Nightshade?"

Nightshade weakly turned to look at Pat. Her eyes were dull, and if Pat opened up to their bond once more, Pat would feel Nightshade was very weak.

Mellon kept whimpering and crying in his stall, and Mark went to try and comfort the dragon. Eventually, Mark just brought Mellon to the Medical Ward,

Pat laid down and pulled Nightshade to her in a tight hug.  Her shoulders shook as she began sobbing.  She was so, so sorry!

53 paused and looked at Mellon.  "Can you control him at all?" he asked Mark.

Nightshade licked Pat's cheek. Her rider shouldn't cry. Her rider should never feel like crying.

Mark sighed and shook his head. "Blade could some, but otherwise, I've never been able too."

Mellon whimpered and squirmed. His rider was in there. His rider needed him.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I thought I was keeping you safe, but I was hurting you worse!" Pat gasped, burying her face in Nightshade's feathers as she wept.  "I'm sorry."

53 frowned but nodded.  "Very well.  He can go in.  Do not let him jump on the elf."  The healer stepped aside, not even noticing as Warrior and Erika snuck in behind him.

Nightshade kept licking Pat's cheek. Shhh... no tears. Was her rider okay now?

Mark nodded and slowly walked back with Mellon. Mellon squirmed out of Mark's arms and Mellon laid on the table beside the bed. he would be here for his rider. Mellon whined softly for Tithenor to wake.

Pat continued to cry until she'd worn herself out.  She lay quiet and limp for a moment, still holding her dragon.  "I'm not okay yet, but I will be," she whispered to her dragon.  "I'm sorry."

Erika made herself comfortable under Blade's chair as Warrior wrapped himself around Mark's legs.  They would wait with their riders while Tithenor slept.  They would be there.

The spark started to faintly return in Nightshade's eyes. She was still weak from having not ate since yesterday, nor slept, but things looked hopeful. Nightshade just hoped her rider knew that she could talk to the dragon about anything.

Blade kept talking and telling Tithenor things. He kept talking until his voice was hoarse.

"He found out," Pat whispered to Nightshade.  She finally spilled the whole story.  Henry had heard Blade talking about her being gay or a eunuch or both and had done some digging.  She didn't know how he'd found out her secret, but he hadn't had the chance to tell anyone. He'd wanted to be on top, so he'd told her to take Erika's things to hurt their team and blaming Alistair put Henry's team on top.  For a time.  Now he was dead and Tithenor nearly so.  And it was all her fault.

Nightshade purred softly. Tithenor was strong, and he would pull through. Pat should be strong too and move forward. Besides, Nightshade chose Pat because she was strong, not afraid, and had a good heart. Pat was strong enough to not crack under the pressure of what she needed to do, not afraid to push her limits and become stronger, and knew what was right and wrong, but also how to be gentle and caring. THAT was why Nightshade chose Pat.

Pat nodded, wiping her eyes.  "I need to go see them.  First, you need to eat.  Then we can go sit with them, okay?"  She let go of Nightshade and left only long enough to get Nightshade her favorite food and brought it back for her.

Nightshade hungrily ate it all. She started to feel a bit better after that, but still was a little weak.

Pat leaned down and scooped her up, only then realizing how wobbly she was.  She ignored it for now, carrying Nightshade to the medical ward.  She hesitated when she saw 53, but the healer just shook his head and waved her on.  What was one more dragon?  Pat pulled the curtain back a enough to step in and stood awkwardly.

At this point, Blade could barely talk, and Mark had left to get him some water. Blade was still holding Tithenor's hand, but he gave Pat a reassuring and comforting smile.