Snow Story - Pern Fandom
Title: Snow Story
Authors: Melissa and Kacey
Club: High Reaches Weyr 5th Pass
Pairing: Jah'vi/Nasiree (with a side order of Teagan)
Teagan's nose was cold. Her earlobes were cold. Her eyelashes were cold. Even during the worst winters at High Reaches Hold she'd never been this cold. In front of her, Tallulan walked, and Nasiree was behind her. It felt like she had been walking for candlemarks, just putting one foot in front through the unending snow. But she wasn't going to whine. She refused to be the one who complained. This was when she prove that she was as tough as the others, that she deserved to stand. Tr'vas had issued a challenge, and she wasn't going to back down from it.
Nasiree reached out and caught Teagan as she stumbled. The snow was getting deep, it was up over the little girl's knees in some places. "You okay, kidling?" Nas asked, using the nickname that Gerden had given her in his rare moments of tenderness. "Keep moving, it's warmer that way," she said with a grin. Little Teagan was tough, Nas would give her that. She was about half the size of any of the rest of them, yet she'd gamely struggled on. Unlike that Xanthe, who wouldn't shut up with her sickly sweet veiled complaints.
"Yes, Nasiree," Teagan responded immediately, working to get her legs steadied. She was glad it was Nasiree behind her. The older girl was one of the few that didn't try to baby her. "It really isn't that bad," she said, trying for a cheerful tone.
Further back Xanthe made an inelegant noise. "I don't see how it could be worse," she said crossly.
Nas patted Teagan on the shoulder. "She's such a baby," the older candidate muttered in the youngster's ear. "Cries just like a toddler, doesn't she?"
Teagan giggled and nodded in agreement. "It's kind of fun," she insisted, but kept her voice lower this time. "It's like no one else has ever been here before!" Just saying it sent a thrill up her spine. Even if it wasn't true, it was exciting to think that no one had ever seen, say, that rock formation. "Let's call that the Stone Dragon," she said, pointing towards an outcropping of rocks that in no way resembled a dragon.
"Whatever, kid," Nas said, chuckling. She, too, was having a good time, mostly. She was no stranger to physical exertion and hard work. Teagan was right about one thing, they were in a remarkably remote area in the mountains. Nas had to admit, the views were breathtaking. The mountains near Fort Hold weren't anything like this. They were currently on a trail that led in sharp switchbacks up the side of a long ridge between two towering peaks. Nas looked forward to the view from the top of the ridge. She'd bet they could see all the way to Nabol.
Humming a little tune, Teagan continued up the trail. Behind Tallulan she couldn't see very much of what was ahead, so she contented herself with craning her neck side to side. She was staring off to the right when she felt her foot slip. At first she just shifted her weight to the other leg, but then that one slid as well. She was sliding down the slope before she even had time to squeak.
"Teagan!" Tallulan saw her slip out of the corner of his eye. He turned and grabbed at young girl but missed her arm by inches.
"Bloody Ashes," Nasiree cursed. She cinched down her carisack and dropped to her butt in the snow. "I'll get her!" she called as she pushed off, letting herself slide down the slope after Teagan. She probably went about half a dragonlenth before catching up on a wider ledge, where a stand of trees made a thicket. Teagan lay there, her little legs slightly twisted.
"Teagan?" Nasiree called softly. She got to her feet and walked over to the little one, who was whimpering in the snow. "Teagan, where does it hurt? Can you move?"
Teagan looked back at Nasiree with huge eyes, her face almost as white as the snow. "I think I can," she said in a small voice. She felt like her heart might beat out of her chest. If the ledge hadn't stopped her . . . She took a deep breathe and struggled to her feet, only to find herself teetering again. "I think I hurt my foot . . . " A sudden urge to cry came over her and she bit down on her lip to force it back. "I can walk though." She was firm about that. This wasn't going to stop her from completing the assignment
Nasiree reached out and steadied the youngster again. Then she turned, her lower lip caught between her teeth, to look at the slope they'd slid down. It was steep enough that she would have had trouble climbing it alone, but with Teagan hurt...they were just going to have to find another way. "Tallulan!" Nas called. "I've got Teagan. She's hurt. Not too badly, but we can't get up that way. You guys go on to the checkpoint and send them back here."
"No!" Teagan protested, grabbing at Nasiree's arm. "There has to be some way we can get back up. If Tr'vas has to come get us he'll think I can't do this!" Her eyes brimmed with tears, and she had set her jaw stubbornly.
"Teagan, don't be silly," Tallulan called down. "The safest thing to do is for you two to stay put."
She turned pleading eyes back to Nasiree. "Please?" she whispered.
Nasiree took Teagan's face in her gloved hands. "Teagan. Listen to me. A warrior knows the difference between toughness and suicide. You're hurt. Tallulan's right. The safest thing for us both is to stay put, since you can't walk well. If you disregard that, you put yourself, me, and the rest of them at risk. Do you understand that? You know how Tr'vas is about taking care of your teammates. Don't be stupid. We'll stay here and let them come get us."
For a moment it looked like she might argue. But then her shoulders slumped and she sighed and nodded her head. "I know, you're right," she said.
"We're not far from the check point," Tallulan said, relieved that Nasiree had talked some sense into Teagan. "It shouldn't be more than a candlemark or two." He pushed himself up from the snow and motioned for the others to close ranks. "Come on guys, lets get moving. The sooner we get there the sooner Nas and Teagan can rejoin us."
***
Nasiree had never been more grateful for the field training she'd recieved from Gerden and the Fort Hold guard corps. She managed to get Teagan settled back in the copse of trees, out of the building wind. The day had started out beautifully, but the sky was getting steadily greyer. That and the wind had Nas slightly concerned.
But only slightly. Tr'vas and Miakoda had selected their route, after all. The candidate was confident that a High Reaches rider would be in place soon to pick them up. She was just grateful that the ledge was large enough for a dragon to land on.
"Who do you think will come get us, Teags?" Nas asked the younger girl. Teagan looked so crestfallen, her little face pinched in pain, Nasiree wanted to try and keep her talking, keep it light. "I'm going to put out some branches in a big X, so that our rescuers can find us. What do you think?"
"Probably Rudith," Teagan said sullenly. She had failed. Now Tr'vas would never let her stand, at least not until she was older. "The X is probably a good idea." She peered up at the sky and frowned. "The sky looks funny." With that she got to her feet, or foot as it was. Sitting for a candlemark in the cold snow had made her bottom numb. "Do you think they'll be here soon?"
"I'm sure of it," Nasiree said, with perfect confidence. Even if she didn't feel it, she felt like she had to show it for Teagan's sake. "Do you want to help? Hobble over there and bring me some more sticks, if you want. It's good that you're up and moving around. It means that you'll be warmer. Just don't put any weight on that foot, okay? We don't want to make it worse." She glanced up at the sky, too. The grey was getting darker, with streaks of white. I hope whoever it is hurries, Nasiree thought. I really don't want to be stuck here in a blizzard.
Teagan made her way to Nasiree, picking up sticks as she went. The two of them were almost done when she got a far off expression on her face. "Nolinth's here!" she announced with a grin.
Sure enough, the bronze appeared momentarily. He settled down as far away from the girls as he could manage and did his best not to throw up too much wind. "Are you two okay?" Jah'vi said immediately, sliding off Nolinth's neck as quickly as he could. He came right up to them and sighed in relief. "There's a storm coming in, no time for pleasantries." He scooped Teagan up into his arms, ignoring her protests. "Let's go."
"Wingleader," Nasiree said, relief flooding her tone. She didn't say anything else, just followed behind his tall form as he carried Teagan over to Nolinth. She mounted quickly, scaling the fighting straps and hauling herself into place between Nolinth's neck ridges. Then she held her hands down for Teagan, helping the little girl get up and into place. Jah'vi followed, vaulting into his seat with the ease of long familiarity. He must have given Nolinth the command to launch without delay, because as soon as the straps were secure, the bronze sprang off the mountain ledge and launched into the air.
Something was wrong.
Nasiree felt the air lurch underneath them. It felt like her stomach dropped down somewhere to the vicinity of her feet. Nolinth struggled to get a good wingstroke in when the air slammed them back upward, causing a crazy bank towards the mountain. Nasiree's arms tightened around Teagan. Without meaning to, Nas cried out in surprise. For the first time ever on the back of a dragon, Nas felt unsteady, unsafe.
"Land, Nolinth, Land now!" Jah'vi yelled, blinded by the sudden burst of snow that the treacherous wind blew into his face. He couldn't think, couldn't visualize, couldn't jump _between_ because Nolinth was already in a massive, unstoppable descent. The air that had flung them up and into the mountain now slammed them down, and it was all that Nolinth could do to survive the landing.
Somehow, they managed to touch down on a sloped ledge just wide enough for the bronze's body. The talons of his right back leg scrabbled off the edge of the cliff, and he had to flatten his wings to his body in order to make room.
Nasiree gasped and opened her eyes. The were, improbably, alive, and once again on the ground. The vicious wind howled past the rocks surrounding them, and the skies opened up as snow turned the world white.
"Jah'vi!" she yelled over the wind. "Are you all right?" She could feel Teagan's trembling body in her arms.
Jah'vi squeezed Nasiree's arm reassuringly. "We're fine," he yelled at her ear. He could barely see her sitting in front of him. [[Buddy, we need cover.]]
{{To the right.}} Nolinth replied, a bit of pain in his voice. {{Let me move a little closer, I think I can get you directly inside it.}} The bronze carefully stepped to the right, lowering his side as close to the ground as he could. The dark opening seemed to appear from no where, and Nolinth did a fair job of wedging himself into it.
Without further delay, Jah'vi snapped the safety leads free. He may not have looked that big, but he was still strong enough to wrap his arms around Nasiree and lift both her and Teagan down with him. "Are you two okay?" he asked. Tr'vas would slaughter him if something had happened to either of the girls. Just thinking about what might have happened made him sick to his stomach. "Teagan, sweetie?"
Teagan nodded slightly, her throat still tight from fear. She had managed not to scream and for the time being felt it was better she not open her mouth, lest something embarrassing escape.
"Nas?" He brushed her hair from her face and looked at her, face ashen.
"Yah," she forced herself to say. Her voice was raw and tight. "Teagan's hurt. Is Nolinth okay?" Her breathing was rapid, panicked. She forced herself to focus on one thing at a time. Forced her breathing to slow. Panic never helped, she reminded herself. Remember your training: Take stock. Decide upon a course of action. Execute.
Impulsively, he pulled both of them to him in a tight hug. "We're safe," he murmured, stroking Teagan's hair as she clung to him. "Nolinth is fine, aren't you boy?"
{{Just a bit of a strain.}} he reassured all three. {{And look, I can block most of the cold.}} He groaned a bit as he moved in a bit closer and settled down. Part of his back was facing outwards to the storm, but he managed to coil his neck into the cave comfortably. {{See? Everything is alright.}}
Nasiree wasn't convinced. "We can't fly in this." It wasn't a question.
"No, but we can stay here and wait it out." Jah'vi's voice was firm and confident. One thing he had learned early on as a bronzerider was to never let your riders hear any doubt. "Nolinth will relay back to the Weyr what happened, and by the morning this will clear up and we'll be out of here." In the dark it was hard to find the packs attached to his riding straps. "I don't have much with me. Emergency rations. We'll have to melt snow to drink."
"We can go home tomorrow?" Teagan asked, her voice shakey. "For sure?"
"I'm positive," he lied, making himself grin brightly at the little girl. The truth was he had no idea if the storm would clear out by the morning. Nolinth was a strong bronze, and he took pride in their flying skills, but he wasn't big or heavy enough to make it in this wind. "Just think of this as a very cold camping trip, alright?"
Nas gave Jah'vi a long look, but finally nodded. He was senior ranking, therefore, he was in command. She knew he was bluffing about being sure of going home tomorrow, but what else could he say? "I gave Teagan's foot a quick look out there, while we were waiting," she said. "But I didn't want to take her boot off, so I'm not sure how bad it is. I don't have anything to eat in my pack," stupid, stupid, she berated herself, "but I can start packing snow into bags for melting. I don't have any fuel for a fire, though." She took a deep breath and looked around. The cave was rapidly growing dark as the blizzard worsened outside, but Nolinth was right. It was almost warm close to him.
Nolinth resituated his head and turned his eyes the small group. {{Here, in my forearms.}} He circled them to form a makeshift cubby. {{I can keep you warm.}}
"Good thinking." Jah'vi gave the girls another squeeze then felt his way to the packs. Nolinth unlidded his eyes fully, and the softly glowing colors of them provided at least a small amount of light. From two of the packs he produced two sleeping furs, which he tossed at the pair of candidates. "Spread those between his forearms," he told them, as if this was an everday occurence. "Teagan, why don't you see if you can tuck them underneath him a bit?" The girl was being quiet, a little too quiet. He had to keep her talking. "That'll make us a nice warm bed."
"Okay," Teagan said, a little more surely now. For the moment the pain in her foot was forgotten. The andrenaline rushing through her was blocking that much at least. "I'm not hurting you, am I Nolinth?" she whispered to the bronze when she wiggled her hand underneath him as much as she could.
{{No little one.}} His voice was soothing and calm. {{Very little you could do would hurt me.}}
Jah'vi finished with the packs by the time the girls had made their little nest. Among other supplies, he'd found some dried beef, some bread and hard cheese, and numbweed. He carried these to Teagan's nest and dropped them next to the girl. "Nas, does that block out most of the cold from the ground?" he asked as he carefully made his way to them.
"I think so, sir," she said, feeling around with her hands. "I think we'd best all cuddle together under here, though," she said. Somewhere, in a dissociated corner of her mind, a small voice whispered that it was quite funny that Jah'vi would finally get her in his furs this way. She ignored the voice and pressed onward. "Teagan, why don't you get in under there now, kidling. I'll be right behind you. What else are in those packs, Wingleader?" she asked. "It might be useful to have a complete inventory."
Teagan gratefully crawled into the pile of furs. Now that the blood rush had worn off, her foot was beginning to ache. "Are you sure you're okay Nolinth?" she said softly. She reached out and ran her hand across the bronze's neck.
{{Of course!}} Nolinth replied, a bit primly. {{A little wind cannot hurt me. Have more faith in me, little one.}}
Shaking his head at the exchange, Jah'vi turned back to Nasiree. "Aside from that," and he waved his arm in Teagan's direction, "flint and steel, fellis, a compass, a few marks, and two empty skins," he replied, pointing to the bags in turn. Nothing that can be used as tinder." He rubbed the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "Are you sure you're okay?" he added in an undertone, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.
"I'm shaken," she replied, just as softly. She bent to get the empty skins. She'd pack them full of snow and tuck them next to Nolinth, in the hope that the bronze's body heat would warm them enough for the snow to melt. They could eat it if they had to, but that could lower their body temperatures to a dangerous level. "I'm really glad Nolinth found this cave, though." She didn't say that she wished they had fuel for a fire, or more food, or anything like that. It wouldn't be productive. She pointed at the small container of numbweed. "Teagan can probably use some of that on her foot and ankle. I don't know how much it will help, but it can't hurt. I'll fill these with snow and see if Nolinth can melt them for us. They won't make you too cold if I stuff them underneath you, will they, Nolinth?"
{{Nope!}} Nolinth replied cheerfully. {{Just shove them on under there. I am SUPER BRONZE.}}
Teagan dissolved into giggles in the nest. "Nolinth, you're so weird."
Jah'vi rolled his eyes but grinned. "Good plan. Nolinth, if you could help a bit?"
The bronze moved his tail out of the cave, and carefully scooped in a small mound. {{Will that work?}} he asked Nasiree polietly.
Nolinth had spoken to Nasiree before, outside of Jah'vi's weyr, when the bronzerider had been hurt after the Nabol wedding. Still, though, it was startling to have what amounted to Jah'vi's voice suddenly sounding in her head. "That's perfect, Nolinth," she said to the bronze. "Thank you." Without more ado, she went and began scooping the snow into the bags, packing it as tightly as possible. When it melted, the volume of the water would be much less than the volume of the snow, but there wasn't much Nas could do about that. Except pack more snow.
Finally, eventually, they were full. With an apologetic glance at Nolinth, Nasiree pushed the bags up under the bronze's belly. By this time, her hands were numb with cold, and her feet weren't far behind. "S-Sir," she said, her teeth chattering despite her best efforts. "I think I'll g-get in with Teagan, if that's all right." Her lips felt thick as she spoke; another indication that she needed to get warm and rest.
Jah'vi had just finished tending to Teagan's injured foot, and he uttered a curse as he sprang to his feet. "Don't get up Teagan," he said, forestalling the girl before she could complain. He practically jumped the full length to Nasiree and put his arm around her. "Damn, girl," he said lowly, "you should have said something." He took her hands in his and chaffed them to get wamrth back into her digits, while steering her back to the makeshift bed. "Get in there."
Nasiree stumbled, forced herself to kick off her wet boots. "I d-don't want...I'm all wet," she said, frustrated. Her words didn't want to come out right. Nas hated to admit it, but Jah'vi was right. She should have called a halt for herself much sooner. She was far too cold and clumsy. She pulled her hands back out of the bronzerider's grasp and fumbled at the closures to her jacket and outer trousers. She couldn't bring wet clothing in to lay beside Teagan.
Jah'vi firmly turned her to face him and proceeded to strip Nasiree's outer clothers. "I've got you, don't worry," he said, being very careful to keep his hands in safe areas. "You're about to fall out yourself." He tossed the soaked garments over Nolinth's arm, hoping they'd dry out decently. After pulling off her stockings he picked her up bodily and carried her into the nest. "Scootch over Teagan," he said, sliding Nasiree between the furs.
Teagan did so, then immediately wrapped her arms around Nasiree. "You're really cold," she complained, but she only hugged tighter.
"You're w-warm," Nasiree replied. "S-Sorry. I shouldn't have gotten so cold. Sh-shoulda listened to my own speech about knowing my limits."
Jah'vi pulled off his leather breeches, which had already been dampened considerably. His jacket had been discarded long before. Without a word he slipped beside Nasiree, so that she was sandwiched between him and Teagan. "Did I miss a speech?" he asked. He put his arms around Nasiree, and was able to hold Teagan as she clung to Nasiree's other side.
Nolinth folded his wing downward, forming a tent over their heads. He sent a pulse of warmth and affection to all three of them.
"Gotta know your limits," Nasiree said. Her voice wasn't quite as slurred as a moment ago, which was good, she reflected. But the fatigue hit her all at once, encased as she was in sudden, welcome warmth. "Can't endanger the other members of your team," she murmured. She shifted slightly, fitting her hips back against the curve of Jah'vi's body, cradling Teagan's small form between herself and the wall of Nolinth's bulk. Thank all that was good for the bronze's warmth, Nas thought, not for the first time. Sleep pulled at the edges of her consciousness as the warmth continued to spread over her chilled skin.
***
Jah'vi slept fitfully, and woke up suddenly more than once. After laying awake for several minutes he spoke quietly to Nolinth. [[Has it lightened up at all?]]
{{No.}} Nolinth didn't care to elaborate. The failing was his, that he had not been able to withstand the winds long enough to get them _between_.
"It's not your fault," Jah'vi murmured aloud, his heart tightening. He would never let Nolinth think something like that.
Nasiree shifted. "I know," she said sleepily. "Who said it was?" she asked. She was careful to keep her voice low. Teagan snored in her arms. She was deliciously warm, but her bladder felt uncomfortably full and her stomach felt uncomfortably empty. Outside, she could hear the wind still howling its fury. "How much time has passed?"
"It was nothing," he responded softly. "I'd judge about four candlemarks, give or take a bit." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Are you hungry? We don't have much but it'll stop hunger pains."
"Let's save it for Teagan," Nasiree said. "I want to check on our water and...well...take care of some personal business," she said. Nas hung out with soldiers, and she wasn't shy about her body's functions, but it did seem a little indelicate to talk of such things while lying mostly naked with a man who flirted incessantly. She wriggled her arms out from under Teagan's sleeping weight and managed to extricate herself from their nest without letting too much cold air in. At least, she hoped so. She sucked the air in between clenched teeth as she pulled on her boots and outer jacket. That would be good enough to get her to a corner where she could relieve herself.
By the time she was done, her teeth were chattering. Still, she took an extra second to check on their water bags. They weren't melted yet, so she hustled back to the nest and stripped down as quickly as she could. "I'm going to be cold," she muttered as she worked to get in. "Maybe you should get next to Teagan, sir."
He nodded silently and pulled Teagan back against him. "Are you feeling better?" Teagan instinctively curled closer to him, and he hugged her tightly for the moment.
"Yes, sir," she said, shivering as she curled against his warmth. "Thank you." She fell slient for a moment, as she tried to fall back to sleep. But the wind was howling and she felt awake. "Are you sleeping?" she asked into the darkness, after a while.
"No," he replied, "and stop calling me sir. I've already told you that once before." He smirked a bit, though she couldn't see it in the darkness. "Considering the circumstances it's a little weird, honestly." Jah'vi had never held much stock with titles and formality. Useless things that just took up time and energy. "Just Jah'vi is fine. Only my foster mother calls me Vivi, though, you got it?"
"Vivi?" she murmured. "What was your name before you Impressed?" It wasn't a question that one usually asked a dragonrider, and certainly not a bronzerider or Wingleader. But the darkness, and the warmth, and the sure knowledge that they were definitely in this together seemed to make all that irrelevant. It was the same reason Nas finally acquiesced to his request to stop calling him 'sir'. It was the intimacy of shared tribulation. It was the same thing that made soldiers close with those they trained beside, fought beside. In the back of her mind, in a place she didn't want to acknowledge just yet, Nasiree knew that her relationship with Jah'vi had forever changed, because of this experience.
"Jahnavi. I know, nothing special, just two extra letters." J'tril had been certain his son would Impress, of course. He was weyrbred, after all, what else was there for him? "I probably shouldn't have told you about the Vivi thing . . . "
Nas smiled in the darkness. Somehow, in her burrowing, she'd ended up with her head cradled on his shoulder, her legs tangled around one of his. On his other side, Teagan snored away. She could smell the scent of his skin. He smelled like soap and sweat and dragon. "Your secret is safe with me," she said. "I was just thinking that this situation makes us something like battle buddies. I'd never betray a confidence from a buddy, sir...I mean Viv...I mean Jah'vi."
He groaned a bit, but was still grinning. "Well, I'm glad you consider me a buddy now." Teagan mumbled something in her sleep and he fell silent, not wanting to wake her. After a moment she resumed snoring. "This is probably a great adventure for her," he commented. "We'll never hear the end of it once we get back to the Weyr." Hesitantly he pulled Nasiree a little closer. He was well aware of her body against his, and the sweet smell of her hair. But this was just for warmth, he told himself. Nasiree wasn't one of the silly chits he usually associated with. For one, the girl could kick his ass blindfolded with one arm tied behind her back.
"Probably not," she agreed, shifting her body so that more of her skin touched his. It wasn't as warm on the outside as it had been inbetween him and Teagan, but it was getting better. Thank all that was good for Nolinth, the thought again. "Jah'vi," she said softly, after a moment. "I know it's your job...but thank you for coming to get us. I was...well, I had my training and all, but I didn't pack a proper field pack, and Teagan was hurt. I was really, really glad to see you. Nolinth will be all right, won't he? After being tossed around like that? And the snow? I mean, I know dragons don't feel the cold the way we do...but I wouldn't want him to get frostbite." Her words were a bit jumbled up, reflective of the state of disarray her mind was in about these developments. The truth was, Nasiree didn't feel in control, and that wasn't a situation she liked, ever.
"Nolinth will be fine," he assured her. "It'll take more than some wind and snow to stop him." The smile on his face was full of pride for his dragon. Twenty-six Turns of partnership had deeply ingrained trust and understanding between the two. "Right buddy?"
{{Of course.}} Nolinth responded, his voice full of amusement. {{Do not worry, candidate. Be more like the little one. She knows.}}
"There you go," Jah'vi murmured. He could feel her trembling slightly beside him, and he rolled over a bit. "We're going to be fine," he told her firmly. "If we're careful the emergency rations can last us four days. We might not be out of here in the morning but it shouldn't be any longer than that."
"Of course, of course," she said. "It's just...I really hate feeling helpless." And to her intense mortification, she could feel the hot trail of tears start down her cheeks. She tried to discreetly wipe her eyes, but as her face was resting in the hollow of his shoulder, it was impossible that he was unaware of her distress.
He wrapped both arms around her and pulled her tight to him. The last person he would have expected to react like this was Nasiree. But, in a way, it made sense. It was obvious that needing to be rescued was a new concept to her. "You're not helpless," he whispered. "You did a great job of keeping Teagan calm earlier. Okay, so we're stuck here for a while, but there's still plenty we need you for."
She snorted a soft laugh through her tears. "Thanks," she said. It was sweet that he was trying to make her feel better, even if he did manage to make her feel worse. Shards, but Nasiree hated to cry. "I know," she said. and I'm sorry. I hate crying. I don't know why..." she left off, because that was a lie. She did know why she was crying. She hated feeling helpless. Saying it again wouldn't help anything, though. She took a deep, slightly shuddery breath and willed her body to relax. In the darkness, in the silence of her mind, Nasiree could admit that Jah'vi's arms felt very nice around her. The scent of his skin filled her nostrils again, and just for a moment she imagined what it might be like to let him love her...
She forced her mind away from the jolt of heat that hit the pit of her stomach. That was unexpected, she thought, and laughed weakly. "Tell me something," she asked,desperate to lighten the intense intimacy of the moment. "Did you ever imagine that having me in your furs would be like this?"
He chuckled and shook his head. "Well, I'd be lying if I said the thought had never crossed my mind." The night he'd met her, as a matter of fact. She'd been strangely immune to all his normal lines. Then Isobel had shown up and mortified him. Their interactions since then had been strange. First the night of the Nabol wedding, when she had tended his wounds and stayed with him until he passed out. Dressing Elicia up as Nasiree had been a stroke of genius at the Masquerade party. He'd been a bit smug that Nasiree seemed drawn to who she thought was him.
"If I had a choice, it would have been more romantic," he told her, voice light. "Flowers, wine, an actual bed." He turned his head to look at Teagan. The girl was still cuddled between him and Nolinth and blissfully asleep. "Alone preferably."
There was plenty else he could have said, but it was already distracting enough, having her scantily clad body pressed against him. And with Teagan right there, not much could be done to relieve that tension. Best not to exacerbate the situation.
Nasiree snorted. "Yeah, because I'm such a 'flowers and wine' type of girl," she said, her voice thick with sarcasm. "C'mon, Jah'vi. You're supposed to be this master seducer. Can't you think of anything better than that tired old scenario?"
"True enough," he said. "I have other ways . . . I'm just not sure any of them would work on you." He regarded her with a small smile playing at the corner of his lips. "A sparring match would probably be more your idea of foreplay anyway."
Another snort, but this one more of a chuckle. "Only if you won, which you wouldn't," she said. It was arrogant, true, but it was the kind of arrogance that was backed up by truth. Nas had seen what happened when Jah'vi got into a sparring match. The results weren't pretty. She stretched, then, feeling a bit more at ease. Conversations like this were standard between her and the guys back at Fort. When in doubt, talk about sex. "I doubt I'm truly your type, anyway," she said softly. "I mean, I'm female and all, and I have a pulse, so maybe I'm overqualified," she grinned at her own joke in the darkness, "but you seem to like them more...girly. Or maybe not girly, but...I don't know what I'm trying to say."
"If you change girly to beautiful women with strong wills who scare me just a bit . . . " He tilted her head upwards just a bit and leaned closer. "Then you might be right." The last was murmured into her ear his hand resting lightly on her hip.
Nas chuckled, and moved just enough that her knee impacted his upper, inner thigh. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said, her whispered voice all sweetness and innocence. "Did I hurt you?" She reached down and took his hand off of her hip and held it, tucking it between their bodies. "Your hand is cold," she said, by way of explanation. "And I'm not beautiful...or scary, for that matter."
Jah'vi gave a hurt sigh, but didn't protest overly. "More than you know actually," he said with a low laugh. "Let's try to get some sleep. If Teagan gets up before either of us it could be a disaster." He twitched the furs to cover all three of them more fully, and checked on Teagan again. "Sleep well Nasiree," he said with humor.
****
{{Wake up . . . }}
Jah'vi rolled over and groaned, trying to ignore the voice in his head that insisted he move. The bed was comfortable and warm, as was the slim body next to him. She smelled good too, he reflected, inhaling the scent of her hair and skin.
{{The little one is up.}}
"Jah'vi, Nasiree!" That voice was out loud, and almost a screech. "Can we go now?"
Jah'vi shoved himself up on his arm, blinking his eyes in confusion. Teagan? And . . . oh, Nasiree. Recollection flooded back. "Let me wake up first, Teagan," he said, trying to rub the sleepiness away. "Use your inside voice, it echos."
Nasiree came awake quickly, as she'd trained herself to do. But she, too, didn't really want to move. Her exertions of yesterday, not to mention being flung around on Nolinth's back, had taken their toll. She felt as if she'd just run a gauntlet consisting of her old training squad armed with wooden batons. Still, this wasn't the first time she'd woken up sore, nor would it be the last.
"I'll get the water," she said, extricating herself from Jah'vi's embrace and sliding out of the warm nest of furs they'd all three shared. The air outside in the cave was shockingly cold, still, but survivable. She hissed slightly and cursed as she pulled on her boots and outer clothing. "Morning, Nolinth," she said softly to the bronze as she went to check on the waterbags. They were about half-way full of water, and sloshed when she moved them. After a moment's consideration, she managed to pour the contents of one bag into the other, which she then carried back to Jah'vi and Teagan.
"Here," she said. "Drink sparingly, it's likely to be still pretty cold. I'm going to re-pack this other bag, so we'll have more." Outside, the wind still howled. It was not a good sign.
Jah'vi paused in his task of dividing up the rations and smiled. "Be more careful this time," he said. "Did you sleep well Teagan?" He grinned at the girl and handed her a strip of dried meat.
"Yes, I did," Teagan answered polietly, taking the offered food. "Nolinth told me stories until I fell asleep." She gazed adoringly up at the bronze. "He tells better stories than even Tallulan, Nas!" She nibbled at the meat strip, humming a little song. "So can we go home now?"
After shooting a quick look at Nasiree, Jah'vi shook his head sadly. "Not now, I'm sorry." He put a comforting hand on Teagan's shoulder. "But soon."
Nas came and sat down beside the little girl. "Storm's still blowing, Teags," she said, brushing the kid's hair back from her eyes. "Nolinth can't take off in this, it would be worse than yesterday. We're just going to have to wait a little longer. Do you mind hanging out with Jah'vi, Nolinth and me for a bit more? I can do your hair, if you want. I'll braid it back the way I used to do so that it'll stay out of your eyes."
Teagan considered the offer for a moment, then nodded. "Okay," she agreed, wiggling around to get in front of Nas. "Nas is really good at braiding hair, Jah'vi. A lot better than you."
Jah'vi coughed and looked a little embarrased. "That was supposed to be one of our secrets Teagan, remember?" He passed Nasiree's portion of the food to her. When she had taken it, he tugged at one of Teagan's messy pigtails. "What have I told you about repeating everything you hear?"
"It gets you in trouble," Teagan said, as if from rote. "I'm sorry Jah'vi." She turned her head around to look at him and smiled sweetly. "I promise I won't do it again."
Nasiree smiled up at Jah'vi from behind Teagan. At least the kid wasn't focused on the fact that they were stuck in the cave for another day. She took a moment to wish for a comb, and began pulling the bedraggled ribbons out of Teagan's hair. "Y'know, Teags," she said softly. "If you don't want Tr'vas to think you're too young to stand, maybe you should reconsider the whole 'pigtail and ribbons' look. What did he say to you the other day? Do you want to talk about it?"
Looking slightly deflated, she thought for a moment. "He said that maybe I should wait a few Turns to keep standing," she said lowly. "I heard some of the wingriders talking about it too. They said I'm too little."
Jah'vi held his tongue. He was one of the people who believed Teagan was too young to be standing. If she were to Impress a female dragon, the girl would be scarcely fourteen the first time she rose. Raping a child wasn't something any rider would want.
"I just wanted to prove that I could do everything you and the others could do." She looked up at Nasiree sadly. "I told him I'd do really great on the survival mission. But now I've got all of us stuck here." A tear rolled down her nose, and she rubbed at her eyes harshly. Tears would do nothing but hurt her further in this situation. Tr'vas had wanted her to prove she was strong, and showing more weakness wasn't the way to win his respect.
"That wasn't your fault, Teags," Nasiree said, hugging the little girl. "You got hurt, and you did the right thing by listening to me and waiting for Jah'vi and Nolinth. I know you're a tough kid, and you can do everything the rest of us can do, but I'm pretty sure you're not capable of making a blizzard happen, are you?"
"I guess," she said, though she wasn't entirely convinced. If she hadn't fallen, she thought, or even if she just hadn't hurt her foot. They'd have been able to make it to the check point. Now, even if the exercise was still in process, all she had to look forward to was going back to the Weyr in disgrace.
"I think Tr'vas will be pretty impressed that the three of us managed to stay safe and warm in a cave with minimum supplies, actually," Jah'vi interjected. "And so far you've handled yourself well. I dare say there's several of your fellow candidates who wouldn't be nearly as calm as you."
"Jah'vi's right," Nasiree said, "Tr'vas will be impressed." She hugged the little candidate again. "Y'know why he's so concerned, don't you?" she asked. "Tr'vas himself Impressed at a very young age. He was only twelve when Rudith chose him. That's why he's so tough. He had to be, because the old Weyrlingmaster at Fort hated youngsters. He's probably just trying to make sure you're up for what you'd be getting into if you Impressed."
Jah'vi raised an eyebrow at Nasiree, more than slightly surprised at how well she handled Teagan. Just hearing her words had made the younger girl brighten up. He stood and squeezed Nasiree's shoulder gently before stepping out of their nest. Nature called, and he needed to quietly consult with Nolinth. [[How does it look?]]
{{Not great.}} Nolinth relayed. {{There's no way I could get off the ground right now.}} The bronze sounded apologetic. {{I have notified Rudith as to our location and the situation.}}
[[Do you think maybe later tonight?]]
{{Perhaps.}}
The entire situation was making his head hurt. He finished up his business and turned back to the girls. Teagan looked cheerful again, a grin on her face as she chattered about nonsense to Nasiree. He couldn't help but smile at them. Even in the dimness of the cave, the only light source Nolinth's slowly whirling eyes, he could see Nasiree's graceful hands coil hair into braids. "Nas, make sure you eat something," he said, stepping gingerly back into the furs. "It's not going to do any of us any good if you get sick from hunger."
Nasiree gave Jah'vi a long, level look over Teagan's head. Her eyes clearly said that she'd trained her body to function without food for a few days, and so she would be in no danger of wasting away. But he was in command, and so she wouldn't question his orders in front of Teagan. "Yes...sir," she murmured, just to tweak him.
He shook his head and just grinned. Of course he realized that, with her training, a single day without food wouldn't harm her. But he had a certain reputation of taking care of the ladies that he had to keep up. Additionally, if he knew Teagan at all, she would notice her friend not eating and throw an appropriate fit. "Good girl," he said under his breathe while smiling pleasantly. "Nolinth said we have a chance of this clearing up by nightfall."
"That would be good," Nas said. She wrapped the length of ribbon around the end of Teagan's braid and tied it off. "There you go, kidling," she said. "Now, get dressed. Let's go out and get some exercise. Just because we're locked in here doesn't mean we have an excuse to get lazy. It will be good to get the blood moving, and maybe we can see how your foot is feeling." She looked up at Jah'vi. "Care to join us, Wingleader?" her voice made it a challenge.
That wasn't really the point, of course. The point was to keep busy. Waiting, trapped inside this cave would be much easier if they had something to do, some sort of structure to their days. If they sat around doing nothing, the day would just drag on and on. The problem was, there wasn't much to do. Aside from keeping the water bags filled with snow, their list of chores was severely limited. So, Nas reasoned, they would exercise, for a few minutes at a time, at least.
"That sounds perfectly reasonable." Jah'vi's decision had been made when Teagan scrambled to her feet, almost excited to join in the exercise. "What exactly do you have in mind? Hold still, Teagan," he adomished the younger one, battling to get her wiggling arms through the sleeves of her coat.
"I can do it myself Jah'vi," Teagan sighed. "I'm not a complete baby."
"I didn't mean to say you were," he responded quickly. Thinking about her possible Impression had unsettled him more than he cared to admit. It irritated him slightly that he was so concerned over a candidate, but Teagan just brought out that protective side in people.
"We shouldn't break a sweat," Nas said as she extricated herself from the nest. "My captain always said that in the snow, if you sweat, you're dead. So I was thinking we'd just do a few easy strength moves, maybe walk around the interior of this place. Does Nolinth need to stretch out, too?"
{{That sounds wonderful.}} Nolinth responded to Nasiree. {{I wish someone had thought of that before.}} He pointedly turned his gaze to his rider. {{Just move the blankets and water skins.}}
"Sorry about that," Jah'vi murmured, moving quickly to grab the furs. [[I wasn't thinking straight.]] he privately admitted to the bronze.
{{Don't worry.}} Nolinth told him, his voice full of affection. As soon as his area was cleared out, he shifted his weight and stretched outwards with his limbs. It didn't help his wings much, those needed to stay as close to his body as possible in this wind. But the relief of other cramped muscles made it bearable.
Nas had to laugh. Nolinth looked so comical as he stretched out, his limbs sprawling in all directions. "C'mon Teags," she said to the youngster. "Let's see how deep our little niche is, here. She held her hand out for the youngster and felt almost lighthearted as she did so. This was good, they would get some exercise, then rest, then the snow would slack and all would be well. They'd be home tonight, telling stories in the Weyr's Dining Hall, laughing over wine.
****
Nolinth was uneasy. Just a short time ago, the storm seemed to have been slacking. Enough so that he'd be able to get clearance to jump _between_. And then the sky went dark again, and the hail started raining down. The cave was much smaller now, with the bronze havin squeezed every last part of himself inside of it. His front legs and a wing were curled protectively over the three humans that hid against his neck. The sudden change in weather had surprised them all. The temperature had plummeted even lower than the night before.
Teagan whimpered pitifully between Jah'vi and Nasiree, her eyes closed tight. Every now and then she would hear a crash in the distance, and each time her heart skipped a beat. In her mind she saw the snow rushing down the mountain to trap them there forever. She made herself as small as possible and tried to think about the Weyr instead of their current predicimant.
"It's okay, Teags," Jah'vi murmured, willing his own heart to calm itself. "Nolinth isn't going to let anything happen to us." He sorely wished he could believe those words, but Nolinth was the one who had a flank exposed to the weather. "It's all going to be okay."
Nasiree didn't say anything, just curled her body protectively around Teagan's small body, holding her close and murmuring into her hair. The three of them lay huddled so close that Nas's back was up against Nolinth's body, Teagan in her arms, Jah'vi on the other side, his arms around them both. "We're here, Teags," she murmured, one hand stroking the little girl's braided hair. "We'll be all right."
She shifted slightly, bringing Teagan into a more comfortable embrace. As she did so, her hand brushed Jah'vi's, where it lay on Teagan's back. She left her fingers there, and after a second, entwined them with his. He really was great, she thought. He had the confidence of command thing down, and Nas admired that. The truth was, he was more than a confident commander, he was competent, too. He'd done a great job of keeping them alive this far, him and Nolinth both.
"Thanks, Jah'vi," she whispered.
Jah'vi looked over Teagan's head at her and managed a smile. "Back at you," he said softly, meaning it. Without Nasiree he doubted he could have kept Teagan calm. That she wasn't letting her fear show was of no small help with the girl. He tightened his fingers on hers, grateful for her prescence.
"We can go home as soon as this is over right?" Teagan asked, her voice choked. Her body trembled wildly, as if it were acting independantly of her mind.
{{As soon as it's over.}} Nolinth answered for his rider, pouring love and protectiveness at Teagan. {{Don't be afraid.}}
"Teagan, listen to me," Nasiree said, her tone low and steady. "Listen to me. You have to calm down. Panicking is never the answer. I want you to focus on your breathing, all right? Slow it down...in...there you go. Out. If you hyperventilate, it'll be worse. We're going to be fine. I promise. Do you know what being brave is, kidling? Being brave isn't the absence of fear; it's moving on in the face of fear. You can do that, can't you?"
She nodded instead of speaking, trying to concentrate on her breathing. Nasiree's calm voice and Jah'vi's arms around her gave her something to focus on. "I can be brave," she whispered eventually, after she had managed to stop clinging so tightly to Nasiree.
Jah'vi practically sagged in relief when Teagan's body lost the horrible tension. He had taken Nasiree's advice himself and focused on his breathing. "She really looks up to you," he said softly when it seemed that the girl had fallen asleep.
Nas laughed softly. "Teagan looks up to everybody," she said, smoothing back the little girl's hair. "She's very sweet. It's got to be tough, being so much younger than everyone. I almost agree with Tr'vas...but then, I've always believed that you deal with what comes to you. If she's meant to Impress, she will."
"If she's meant to," he sighed by way of agreement. "What about you? What are your plans, Nas?" He could clearly see her as a Wingsecond, once she Impressed. A strong brown, perhaps. Or maybe a gold. That brought a smile to his lips. No, Nasiree would have a fighting dragon.
She shrugged, shifting Teagan again. "I'll Stand. Hopefully there's a dragon for me. If not, I'll go back to Fort. Gerden assured me that there would always be a place for me there," a soft smile creased her lips. "They're my family, really. The guard there. Gerden raised me more than my foster mother did, to tell you the truth. The soldiers are my brothers and my friends. I miss them a lot," she said, "I miss the camaraderie."
"Do you not have that with the other candidates here?" A small frown creased his brow. No, she wouldn't, he reflected. In his remembering there were no candidates that carried themselves with that kind of confidence. Most candidates were young and untested. Nasiree was a woman who had already proven herself, mature in a way that was unique to her.
Another soft laugh, "No. They're women. Or most of them are," she said. "I don't really...get along with women," she said. "And the male candidates are just trying to stay out of the way of the lot of us. It's not exactly the kind of situation to encourage teambuilding, if you know what I mean."
"Wasn't that the point of dropping all of you out here in the middle of nowhere?" He tucked the furs around Teagan closer. "Teaching you all to get along and work together?"
"Probably," Nas said. "It was a good idea, too. Shared tribulation and all that. I mean, look at how close we've gotten all of a sudden," she said, her tone humorous. She didn't, however, remove her fingers from his.
Jah'vi chuckled. "Too bad he didn't plan for something like this." For not the first time he wished he had taken the time to grab more supplies. But when he had heard who the two candidates were that were in trouble, logic had flown out the window. All he'd been able to think of was finding them fast, before anything else could happen to them. His fingers tightened briefly on her's and he felt a small pang of regret. "Don't worry too much about it," he said, trying to be jovial. "When we get back to the Weyr things will go back to the way they were before this."
"Do you think so?" she asked, her voice soft in the darkness. "I can't imagine that. I don't think I'll ever be able to look at you and not see the man who saved us."
He couldn't help but smile at her. "You give me too much credit, but thank you." With his free hand he grasped her shoulder lightly and squeezed. "I wouldn't have been able to handle Teagan by myself."
"Yes you would," she said, still in that soft voice that grew more sleepy sounding with each word. "She adores you, and Nolinth could have calmed her down, if necessary. But that doesn't matter. I guess...I don't know. But I guess I wanted you to know, that you'll be different from now on. To me."
****
As the sun rose over High Reaches Weyr, one could just make out the sillhouette of a bronze dragon and rider perched atop one of the Spires. Tr'vas reached down and thumped his gloved hand on Rudith's neck. [[Anything?]]
{{The storm has passed, Nolinth should be...Nolinth comes!}} Rudith reared up, spreading his wings and bugling his excitement. Tr'vas felt the tight knot of worry in his chest ease. They were on their way home. They would be safe.
Nolinth burst from _between_ a moment later, bugling a greeting to Rudith as he did. {{Rudith, we bring you your young ones.}} The bronze took a lazy spiral downwards to the bowl, giving his passengers plenty of time to appreciate the beauty of the sunrise.
"It's so pretty!" Teagan breathed, in awe of the sight.
Rudith launched from the spire. The older bronze wheeled and moved into position to the left of Nolinth, giving the place of honor to the returning bronze. On his back, Tr'vas saluted Jah'vi, his crisp, snapping motions saying louder than words how grateful the Weyrlingmaster was to the younger rider.
Nasiree laughed in Teagan's ear, exhilirated by the return home, by the sweeping view of the Weyr, and strangely by the feeling of Jah'vi's body pressed against hers. She shook her head sharply. Get rid of that nonsense now, girl, she told herself. The cave was the cave, and things have changed...but not that much. Don't go pining after the Wingleader, that's just trouble all 'round.
Nolinth landed neatly, well aware of the comfort of the three riding. {{I told you we would be safe.}} he said gently to the two candidates, all warmth and happiness.
"See, you're right sometimes," Jah'vi joked when he slid down. He grabbed Teagan first and handed her down to Tr'vas. "How's that foot doing?"
"It's fine!" Teagan chirped, quickly hugging him tightly before she was transfered to Tr'vas's arms. She gave the Weyrlingmaster a spontaneous squeeze, glad to be back home. The embrace was interuptted by Catia's arrival, who swooped in and held the girl tightly. Teagan's face burned with embarrassment, but at the same time it was nice to realize she had been missed.
When Jah'vi turned back to help Nasiree down he felt a catch in his stomach. Maybe she was right, and things would never be the same. He smiled and lifted her down off Nolinth's neck. He wasn't sure what to say, thank you or I had a nice time just didn't seem right. "I'll see you later, then?" he said softly, having to swallow past a sudden lump in his throat.
"Probably not," she said, her own voice void of emotion. "Thank you again," she said. She would have liked to say more, but she had no idea what. In any case, Catia came charging in, hugging her hard, demanding that she and Teagan go right now to see Fisk and get checked over for frostbite and dehydration and myriad other horrible conditions. Nasiree allowed herself one more smile at Jah'vi before she turned and followed the tiny, foul mouthed Headwoman.
Tr'vas turned and caught Jah'vi's arm. "Thank you," the Weyrlingmaster said, his gravelly voice even more rough than usual. "It's hard enough to lose them as weyrlings. If there's ever anything you need..." he trailed off and nodded. Jah'vi would know what he meant. Before the Wingleader could reply, Tr'vas turned and stumped quickly after Catia and the girls.
***
Tr'vas pushed aside the curtain and looked in to the infirmary alcove. Sure enough, Teagan was sitting on Nasiree's lap, the two of them smiling as the healer finished making notes.
"Everything all right?" he asked, "no frostbite or anything?"
"They're just fine, Weyrlingmaster," the healer replied. Then, with a smile, the journeyman excused herself and left the three of them alone.
"Teagan," the Weyrlingmaster said. "You know I had doubts about you going along on this trek."
The younger one's face fell, and she nodded. "Yes, Weyrlingmaster," she said softly. Now he would tell her she wouldn't be allowed to stand. It was okay, she told herself, there was plenty she could do to help the Weyr in the lower caverns. Her throat felt a little tight, though.
Nasiree squeezed Teagan for comfort. Tr'vas saw it and the corners of his mouth deepened in his version of a smile. These two would defend each other to the death, he thought. "Well, I have to say, I'm pleasantly surprised. You got hurt, sure, but accidents do happen, and you made good decisions. Well done. I'm still not convinced you shouldn't wait, but I won't stand in your way, little girl. The dragons will decide, as they usually do." His eyes flicked back up to Nasiree's face. "And you. Good job. Gerden would be proud."
With that, the Weyrlingmaster turned around and stumped out of the infirmary.
Authors: Melissa and Kacey
Club: High Reaches Weyr 5th Pass
Pairing: Jah'vi/Nasiree (with a side order of Teagan)
Teagan's nose was cold. Her earlobes were cold. Her eyelashes were cold. Even during the worst winters at High Reaches Hold she'd never been this cold. In front of her, Tallulan walked, and Nasiree was behind her. It felt like she had been walking for candlemarks, just putting one foot in front through the unending snow. But she wasn't going to whine. She refused to be the one who complained. This was when she prove that she was as tough as the others, that she deserved to stand. Tr'vas had issued a challenge, and she wasn't going to back down from it.
Nasiree reached out and caught Teagan as she stumbled. The snow was getting deep, it was up over the little girl's knees in some places. "You okay, kidling?" Nas asked, using the nickname that Gerden had given her in his rare moments of tenderness. "Keep moving, it's warmer that way," she said with a grin. Little Teagan was tough, Nas would give her that. She was about half the size of any of the rest of them, yet she'd gamely struggled on. Unlike that Xanthe, who wouldn't shut up with her sickly sweet veiled complaints.
"Yes, Nasiree," Teagan responded immediately, working to get her legs steadied. She was glad it was Nasiree behind her. The older girl was one of the few that didn't try to baby her. "It really isn't that bad," she said, trying for a cheerful tone.
Further back Xanthe made an inelegant noise. "I don't see how it could be worse," she said crossly.
Nas patted Teagan on the shoulder. "She's such a baby," the older candidate muttered in the youngster's ear. "Cries just like a toddler, doesn't she?"
Teagan giggled and nodded in agreement. "It's kind of fun," she insisted, but kept her voice lower this time. "It's like no one else has ever been here before!" Just saying it sent a thrill up her spine. Even if it wasn't true, it was exciting to think that no one had ever seen, say, that rock formation. "Let's call that the Stone Dragon," she said, pointing towards an outcropping of rocks that in no way resembled a dragon.
"Whatever, kid," Nas said, chuckling. She, too, was having a good time, mostly. She was no stranger to physical exertion and hard work. Teagan was right about one thing, they were in a remarkably remote area in the mountains. Nas had to admit, the views were breathtaking. The mountains near Fort Hold weren't anything like this. They were currently on a trail that led in sharp switchbacks up the side of a long ridge between two towering peaks. Nas looked forward to the view from the top of the ridge. She'd bet they could see all the way to Nabol.
Humming a little tune, Teagan continued up the trail. Behind Tallulan she couldn't see very much of what was ahead, so she contented herself with craning her neck side to side. She was staring off to the right when she felt her foot slip. At first she just shifted her weight to the other leg, but then that one slid as well. She was sliding down the slope before she even had time to squeak.
"Teagan!" Tallulan saw her slip out of the corner of his eye. He turned and grabbed at young girl but missed her arm by inches.
"Bloody Ashes," Nasiree cursed. She cinched down her carisack and dropped to her butt in the snow. "I'll get her!" she called as she pushed off, letting herself slide down the slope after Teagan. She probably went about half a dragonlenth before catching up on a wider ledge, where a stand of trees made a thicket. Teagan lay there, her little legs slightly twisted.
"Teagan?" Nasiree called softly. She got to her feet and walked over to the little one, who was whimpering in the snow. "Teagan, where does it hurt? Can you move?"
Teagan looked back at Nasiree with huge eyes, her face almost as white as the snow. "I think I can," she said in a small voice. She felt like her heart might beat out of her chest. If the ledge hadn't stopped her . . . She took a deep breathe and struggled to her feet, only to find herself teetering again. "I think I hurt my foot . . . " A sudden urge to cry came over her and she bit down on her lip to force it back. "I can walk though." She was firm about that. This wasn't going to stop her from completing the assignment
Nasiree reached out and steadied the youngster again. Then she turned, her lower lip caught between her teeth, to look at the slope they'd slid down. It was steep enough that she would have had trouble climbing it alone, but with Teagan hurt...they were just going to have to find another way. "Tallulan!" Nas called. "I've got Teagan. She's hurt. Not too badly, but we can't get up that way. You guys go on to the checkpoint and send them back here."
"No!" Teagan protested, grabbing at Nasiree's arm. "There has to be some way we can get back up. If Tr'vas has to come get us he'll think I can't do this!" Her eyes brimmed with tears, and she had set her jaw stubbornly.
"Teagan, don't be silly," Tallulan called down. "The safest thing to do is for you two to stay put."
She turned pleading eyes back to Nasiree. "Please?" she whispered.
Nasiree took Teagan's face in her gloved hands. "Teagan. Listen to me. A warrior knows the difference between toughness and suicide. You're hurt. Tallulan's right. The safest thing for us both is to stay put, since you can't walk well. If you disregard that, you put yourself, me, and the rest of them at risk. Do you understand that? You know how Tr'vas is about taking care of your teammates. Don't be stupid. We'll stay here and let them come get us."
For a moment it looked like she might argue. But then her shoulders slumped and she sighed and nodded her head. "I know, you're right," she said.
"We're not far from the check point," Tallulan said, relieved that Nasiree had talked some sense into Teagan. "It shouldn't be more than a candlemark or two." He pushed himself up from the snow and motioned for the others to close ranks. "Come on guys, lets get moving. The sooner we get there the sooner Nas and Teagan can rejoin us."
***
Nasiree had never been more grateful for the field training she'd recieved from Gerden and the Fort Hold guard corps. She managed to get Teagan settled back in the copse of trees, out of the building wind. The day had started out beautifully, but the sky was getting steadily greyer. That and the wind had Nas slightly concerned.
But only slightly. Tr'vas and Miakoda had selected their route, after all. The candidate was confident that a High Reaches rider would be in place soon to pick them up. She was just grateful that the ledge was large enough for a dragon to land on.
"Who do you think will come get us, Teags?" Nas asked the younger girl. Teagan looked so crestfallen, her little face pinched in pain, Nasiree wanted to try and keep her talking, keep it light. "I'm going to put out some branches in a big X, so that our rescuers can find us. What do you think?"
"Probably Rudith," Teagan said sullenly. She had failed. Now Tr'vas would never let her stand, at least not until she was older. "The X is probably a good idea." She peered up at the sky and frowned. "The sky looks funny." With that she got to her feet, or foot as it was. Sitting for a candlemark in the cold snow had made her bottom numb. "Do you think they'll be here soon?"
"I'm sure of it," Nasiree said, with perfect confidence. Even if she didn't feel it, she felt like she had to show it for Teagan's sake. "Do you want to help? Hobble over there and bring me some more sticks, if you want. It's good that you're up and moving around. It means that you'll be warmer. Just don't put any weight on that foot, okay? We don't want to make it worse." She glanced up at the sky, too. The grey was getting darker, with streaks of white. I hope whoever it is hurries, Nasiree thought. I really don't want to be stuck here in a blizzard.
Teagan made her way to Nasiree, picking up sticks as she went. The two of them were almost done when she got a far off expression on her face. "Nolinth's here!" she announced with a grin.
Sure enough, the bronze appeared momentarily. He settled down as far away from the girls as he could manage and did his best not to throw up too much wind. "Are you two okay?" Jah'vi said immediately, sliding off Nolinth's neck as quickly as he could. He came right up to them and sighed in relief. "There's a storm coming in, no time for pleasantries." He scooped Teagan up into his arms, ignoring her protests. "Let's go."
"Wingleader," Nasiree said, relief flooding her tone. She didn't say anything else, just followed behind his tall form as he carried Teagan over to Nolinth. She mounted quickly, scaling the fighting straps and hauling herself into place between Nolinth's neck ridges. Then she held her hands down for Teagan, helping the little girl get up and into place. Jah'vi followed, vaulting into his seat with the ease of long familiarity. He must have given Nolinth the command to launch without delay, because as soon as the straps were secure, the bronze sprang off the mountain ledge and launched into the air.
Something was wrong.
Nasiree felt the air lurch underneath them. It felt like her stomach dropped down somewhere to the vicinity of her feet. Nolinth struggled to get a good wingstroke in when the air slammed them back upward, causing a crazy bank towards the mountain. Nasiree's arms tightened around Teagan. Without meaning to, Nas cried out in surprise. For the first time ever on the back of a dragon, Nas felt unsteady, unsafe.
"Land, Nolinth, Land now!" Jah'vi yelled, blinded by the sudden burst of snow that the treacherous wind blew into his face. He couldn't think, couldn't visualize, couldn't jump _between_ because Nolinth was already in a massive, unstoppable descent. The air that had flung them up and into the mountain now slammed them down, and it was all that Nolinth could do to survive the landing.
Somehow, they managed to touch down on a sloped ledge just wide enough for the bronze's body. The talons of his right back leg scrabbled off the edge of the cliff, and he had to flatten his wings to his body in order to make room.
Nasiree gasped and opened her eyes. The were, improbably, alive, and once again on the ground. The vicious wind howled past the rocks surrounding them, and the skies opened up as snow turned the world white.
"Jah'vi!" she yelled over the wind. "Are you all right?" She could feel Teagan's trembling body in her arms.
Jah'vi squeezed Nasiree's arm reassuringly. "We're fine," he yelled at her ear. He could barely see her sitting in front of him. [[Buddy, we need cover.]]
{{To the right.}} Nolinth replied, a bit of pain in his voice. {{Let me move a little closer, I think I can get you directly inside it.}} The bronze carefully stepped to the right, lowering his side as close to the ground as he could. The dark opening seemed to appear from no where, and Nolinth did a fair job of wedging himself into it.
Without further delay, Jah'vi snapped the safety leads free. He may not have looked that big, but he was still strong enough to wrap his arms around Nasiree and lift both her and Teagan down with him. "Are you two okay?" he asked. Tr'vas would slaughter him if something had happened to either of the girls. Just thinking about what might have happened made him sick to his stomach. "Teagan, sweetie?"
Teagan nodded slightly, her throat still tight from fear. She had managed not to scream and for the time being felt it was better she not open her mouth, lest something embarrassing escape.
"Nas?" He brushed her hair from her face and looked at her, face ashen.
"Yah," she forced herself to say. Her voice was raw and tight. "Teagan's hurt. Is Nolinth okay?" Her breathing was rapid, panicked. She forced herself to focus on one thing at a time. Forced her breathing to slow. Panic never helped, she reminded herself. Remember your training: Take stock. Decide upon a course of action. Execute.
Impulsively, he pulled both of them to him in a tight hug. "We're safe," he murmured, stroking Teagan's hair as she clung to him. "Nolinth is fine, aren't you boy?"
{{Just a bit of a strain.}} he reassured all three. {{And look, I can block most of the cold.}} He groaned a bit as he moved in a bit closer and settled down. Part of his back was facing outwards to the storm, but he managed to coil his neck into the cave comfortably. {{See? Everything is alright.}}
Nasiree wasn't convinced. "We can't fly in this." It wasn't a question.
"No, but we can stay here and wait it out." Jah'vi's voice was firm and confident. One thing he had learned early on as a bronzerider was to never let your riders hear any doubt. "Nolinth will relay back to the Weyr what happened, and by the morning this will clear up and we'll be out of here." In the dark it was hard to find the packs attached to his riding straps. "I don't have much with me. Emergency rations. We'll have to melt snow to drink."
"We can go home tomorrow?" Teagan asked, her voice shakey. "For sure?"
"I'm positive," he lied, making himself grin brightly at the little girl. The truth was he had no idea if the storm would clear out by the morning. Nolinth was a strong bronze, and he took pride in their flying skills, but he wasn't big or heavy enough to make it in this wind. "Just think of this as a very cold camping trip, alright?"
Nas gave Jah'vi a long look, but finally nodded. He was senior ranking, therefore, he was in command. She knew he was bluffing about being sure of going home tomorrow, but what else could he say? "I gave Teagan's foot a quick look out there, while we were waiting," she said. "But I didn't want to take her boot off, so I'm not sure how bad it is. I don't have anything to eat in my pack," stupid, stupid, she berated herself, "but I can start packing snow into bags for melting. I don't have any fuel for a fire, though." She took a deep breath and looked around. The cave was rapidly growing dark as the blizzard worsened outside, but Nolinth was right. It was almost warm close to him.
Nolinth resituated his head and turned his eyes the small group. {{Here, in my forearms.}} He circled them to form a makeshift cubby. {{I can keep you warm.}}
"Good thinking." Jah'vi gave the girls another squeeze then felt his way to the packs. Nolinth unlidded his eyes fully, and the softly glowing colors of them provided at least a small amount of light. From two of the packs he produced two sleeping furs, which he tossed at the pair of candidates. "Spread those between his forearms," he told them, as if this was an everday occurence. "Teagan, why don't you see if you can tuck them underneath him a bit?" The girl was being quiet, a little too quiet. He had to keep her talking. "That'll make us a nice warm bed."
"Okay," Teagan said, a little more surely now. For the moment the pain in her foot was forgotten. The andrenaline rushing through her was blocking that much at least. "I'm not hurting you, am I Nolinth?" she whispered to the bronze when she wiggled her hand underneath him as much as she could.
{{No little one.}} His voice was soothing and calm. {{Very little you could do would hurt me.}}
Jah'vi finished with the packs by the time the girls had made their little nest. Among other supplies, he'd found some dried beef, some bread and hard cheese, and numbweed. He carried these to Teagan's nest and dropped them next to the girl. "Nas, does that block out most of the cold from the ground?" he asked as he carefully made his way to them.
"I think so, sir," she said, feeling around with her hands. "I think we'd best all cuddle together under here, though," she said. Somewhere, in a dissociated corner of her mind, a small voice whispered that it was quite funny that Jah'vi would finally get her in his furs this way. She ignored the voice and pressed onward. "Teagan, why don't you get in under there now, kidling. I'll be right behind you. What else are in those packs, Wingleader?" she asked. "It might be useful to have a complete inventory."
Teagan gratefully crawled into the pile of furs. Now that the blood rush had worn off, her foot was beginning to ache. "Are you sure you're okay Nolinth?" she said softly. She reached out and ran her hand across the bronze's neck.
{{Of course!}} Nolinth replied, a bit primly. {{A little wind cannot hurt me. Have more faith in me, little one.}}
Shaking his head at the exchange, Jah'vi turned back to Nasiree. "Aside from that," and he waved his arm in Teagan's direction, "flint and steel, fellis, a compass, a few marks, and two empty skins," he replied, pointing to the bags in turn. Nothing that can be used as tinder." He rubbed the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "Are you sure you're okay?" he added in an undertone, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.
"I'm shaken," she replied, just as softly. She bent to get the empty skins. She'd pack them full of snow and tuck them next to Nolinth, in the hope that the bronze's body heat would warm them enough for the snow to melt. They could eat it if they had to, but that could lower their body temperatures to a dangerous level. "I'm really glad Nolinth found this cave, though." She didn't say that she wished they had fuel for a fire, or more food, or anything like that. It wouldn't be productive. She pointed at the small container of numbweed. "Teagan can probably use some of that on her foot and ankle. I don't know how much it will help, but it can't hurt. I'll fill these with snow and see if Nolinth can melt them for us. They won't make you too cold if I stuff them underneath you, will they, Nolinth?"
{{Nope!}} Nolinth replied cheerfully. {{Just shove them on under there. I am SUPER BRONZE.}}
Teagan dissolved into giggles in the nest. "Nolinth, you're so weird."
Jah'vi rolled his eyes but grinned. "Good plan. Nolinth, if you could help a bit?"
The bronze moved his tail out of the cave, and carefully scooped in a small mound. {{Will that work?}} he asked Nasiree polietly.
Nolinth had spoken to Nasiree before, outside of Jah'vi's weyr, when the bronzerider had been hurt after the Nabol wedding. Still, though, it was startling to have what amounted to Jah'vi's voice suddenly sounding in her head. "That's perfect, Nolinth," she said to the bronze. "Thank you." Without more ado, she went and began scooping the snow into the bags, packing it as tightly as possible. When it melted, the volume of the water would be much less than the volume of the snow, but there wasn't much Nas could do about that. Except pack more snow.
Finally, eventually, they were full. With an apologetic glance at Nolinth, Nasiree pushed the bags up under the bronze's belly. By this time, her hands were numb with cold, and her feet weren't far behind. "S-Sir," she said, her teeth chattering despite her best efforts. "I think I'll g-get in with Teagan, if that's all right." Her lips felt thick as she spoke; another indication that she needed to get warm and rest.
Jah'vi had just finished tending to Teagan's injured foot, and he uttered a curse as he sprang to his feet. "Don't get up Teagan," he said, forestalling the girl before she could complain. He practically jumped the full length to Nasiree and put his arm around her. "Damn, girl," he said lowly, "you should have said something." He took her hands in his and chaffed them to get wamrth back into her digits, while steering her back to the makeshift bed. "Get in there."
Nasiree stumbled, forced herself to kick off her wet boots. "I d-don't want...I'm all wet," she said, frustrated. Her words didn't want to come out right. Nas hated to admit it, but Jah'vi was right. She should have called a halt for herself much sooner. She was far too cold and clumsy. She pulled her hands back out of the bronzerider's grasp and fumbled at the closures to her jacket and outer trousers. She couldn't bring wet clothing in to lay beside Teagan.
Jah'vi firmly turned her to face him and proceeded to strip Nasiree's outer clothers. "I've got you, don't worry," he said, being very careful to keep his hands in safe areas. "You're about to fall out yourself." He tossed the soaked garments over Nolinth's arm, hoping they'd dry out decently. After pulling off her stockings he picked her up bodily and carried her into the nest. "Scootch over Teagan," he said, sliding Nasiree between the furs.
Teagan did so, then immediately wrapped her arms around Nasiree. "You're really cold," she complained, but she only hugged tighter.
"You're w-warm," Nasiree replied. "S-Sorry. I shouldn't have gotten so cold. Sh-shoulda listened to my own speech about knowing my limits."
Jah'vi pulled off his leather breeches, which had already been dampened considerably. His jacket had been discarded long before. Without a word he slipped beside Nasiree, so that she was sandwiched between him and Teagan. "Did I miss a speech?" he asked. He put his arms around Nasiree, and was able to hold Teagan as she clung to Nasiree's other side.
Nolinth folded his wing downward, forming a tent over their heads. He sent a pulse of warmth and affection to all three of them.
"Gotta know your limits," Nasiree said. Her voice wasn't quite as slurred as a moment ago, which was good, she reflected. But the fatigue hit her all at once, encased as she was in sudden, welcome warmth. "Can't endanger the other members of your team," she murmured. She shifted slightly, fitting her hips back against the curve of Jah'vi's body, cradling Teagan's small form between herself and the wall of Nolinth's bulk. Thank all that was good for the bronze's warmth, Nas thought, not for the first time. Sleep pulled at the edges of her consciousness as the warmth continued to spread over her chilled skin.
***
Jah'vi slept fitfully, and woke up suddenly more than once. After laying awake for several minutes he spoke quietly to Nolinth. [[Has it lightened up at all?]]
{{No.}} Nolinth didn't care to elaborate. The failing was his, that he had not been able to withstand the winds long enough to get them _between_.
"It's not your fault," Jah'vi murmured aloud, his heart tightening. He would never let Nolinth think something like that.
Nasiree shifted. "I know," she said sleepily. "Who said it was?" she asked. She was careful to keep her voice low. Teagan snored in her arms. She was deliciously warm, but her bladder felt uncomfortably full and her stomach felt uncomfortably empty. Outside, she could hear the wind still howling its fury. "How much time has passed?"
"It was nothing," he responded softly. "I'd judge about four candlemarks, give or take a bit." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Are you hungry? We don't have much but it'll stop hunger pains."
"Let's save it for Teagan," Nasiree said. "I want to check on our water and...well...take care of some personal business," she said. Nas hung out with soldiers, and she wasn't shy about her body's functions, but it did seem a little indelicate to talk of such things while lying mostly naked with a man who flirted incessantly. She wriggled her arms out from under Teagan's sleeping weight and managed to extricate herself from their nest without letting too much cold air in. At least, she hoped so. She sucked the air in between clenched teeth as she pulled on her boots and outer jacket. That would be good enough to get her to a corner where she could relieve herself.
By the time she was done, her teeth were chattering. Still, she took an extra second to check on their water bags. They weren't melted yet, so she hustled back to the nest and stripped down as quickly as she could. "I'm going to be cold," she muttered as she worked to get in. "Maybe you should get next to Teagan, sir."
He nodded silently and pulled Teagan back against him. "Are you feeling better?" Teagan instinctively curled closer to him, and he hugged her tightly for the moment.
"Yes, sir," she said, shivering as she curled against his warmth. "Thank you." She fell slient for a moment, as she tried to fall back to sleep. But the wind was howling and she felt awake. "Are you sleeping?" she asked into the darkness, after a while.
"No," he replied, "and stop calling me sir. I've already told you that once before." He smirked a bit, though she couldn't see it in the darkness. "Considering the circumstances it's a little weird, honestly." Jah'vi had never held much stock with titles and formality. Useless things that just took up time and energy. "Just Jah'vi is fine. Only my foster mother calls me Vivi, though, you got it?"
"Vivi?" she murmured. "What was your name before you Impressed?" It wasn't a question that one usually asked a dragonrider, and certainly not a bronzerider or Wingleader. But the darkness, and the warmth, and the sure knowledge that they were definitely in this together seemed to make all that irrelevant. It was the same reason Nas finally acquiesced to his request to stop calling him 'sir'. It was the intimacy of shared tribulation. It was the same thing that made soldiers close with those they trained beside, fought beside. In the back of her mind, in a place she didn't want to acknowledge just yet, Nasiree knew that her relationship with Jah'vi had forever changed, because of this experience.
"Jahnavi. I know, nothing special, just two extra letters." J'tril had been certain his son would Impress, of course. He was weyrbred, after all, what else was there for him? "I probably shouldn't have told you about the Vivi thing . . . "
Nas smiled in the darkness. Somehow, in her burrowing, she'd ended up with her head cradled on his shoulder, her legs tangled around one of his. On his other side, Teagan snored away. She could smell the scent of his skin. He smelled like soap and sweat and dragon. "Your secret is safe with me," she said. "I was just thinking that this situation makes us something like battle buddies. I'd never betray a confidence from a buddy, sir...I mean Viv...I mean Jah'vi."
He groaned a bit, but was still grinning. "Well, I'm glad you consider me a buddy now." Teagan mumbled something in her sleep and he fell silent, not wanting to wake her. After a moment she resumed snoring. "This is probably a great adventure for her," he commented. "We'll never hear the end of it once we get back to the Weyr." Hesitantly he pulled Nasiree a little closer. He was well aware of her body against his, and the sweet smell of her hair. But this was just for warmth, he told himself. Nasiree wasn't one of the silly chits he usually associated with. For one, the girl could kick his ass blindfolded with one arm tied behind her back.
"Probably not," she agreed, shifting her body so that more of her skin touched his. It wasn't as warm on the outside as it had been inbetween him and Teagan, but it was getting better. Thank all that was good for Nolinth, the thought again. "Jah'vi," she said softly, after a moment. "I know it's your job...but thank you for coming to get us. I was...well, I had my training and all, but I didn't pack a proper field pack, and Teagan was hurt. I was really, really glad to see you. Nolinth will be all right, won't he? After being tossed around like that? And the snow? I mean, I know dragons don't feel the cold the way we do...but I wouldn't want him to get frostbite." Her words were a bit jumbled up, reflective of the state of disarray her mind was in about these developments. The truth was, Nasiree didn't feel in control, and that wasn't a situation she liked, ever.
"Nolinth will be fine," he assured her. "It'll take more than some wind and snow to stop him." The smile on his face was full of pride for his dragon. Twenty-six Turns of partnership had deeply ingrained trust and understanding between the two. "Right buddy?"
{{Of course.}} Nolinth responded, his voice full of amusement. {{Do not worry, candidate. Be more like the little one. She knows.}}
"There you go," Jah'vi murmured. He could feel her trembling slightly beside him, and he rolled over a bit. "We're going to be fine," he told her firmly. "If we're careful the emergency rations can last us four days. We might not be out of here in the morning but it shouldn't be any longer than that."
"Of course, of course," she said. "It's just...I really hate feeling helpless." And to her intense mortification, she could feel the hot trail of tears start down her cheeks. She tried to discreetly wipe her eyes, but as her face was resting in the hollow of his shoulder, it was impossible that he was unaware of her distress.
He wrapped both arms around her and pulled her tight to him. The last person he would have expected to react like this was Nasiree. But, in a way, it made sense. It was obvious that needing to be rescued was a new concept to her. "You're not helpless," he whispered. "You did a great job of keeping Teagan calm earlier. Okay, so we're stuck here for a while, but there's still plenty we need you for."
She snorted a soft laugh through her tears. "Thanks," she said. It was sweet that he was trying to make her feel better, even if he did manage to make her feel worse. Shards, but Nasiree hated to cry. "I know," she said. and I'm sorry. I hate crying. I don't know why..." she left off, because that was a lie. She did know why she was crying. She hated feeling helpless. Saying it again wouldn't help anything, though. She took a deep, slightly shuddery breath and willed her body to relax. In the darkness, in the silence of her mind, Nasiree could admit that Jah'vi's arms felt very nice around her. The scent of his skin filled her nostrils again, and just for a moment she imagined what it might be like to let him love her...
She forced her mind away from the jolt of heat that hit the pit of her stomach. That was unexpected, she thought, and laughed weakly. "Tell me something," she asked,desperate to lighten the intense intimacy of the moment. "Did you ever imagine that having me in your furs would be like this?"
He chuckled and shook his head. "Well, I'd be lying if I said the thought had never crossed my mind." The night he'd met her, as a matter of fact. She'd been strangely immune to all his normal lines. Then Isobel had shown up and mortified him. Their interactions since then had been strange. First the night of the Nabol wedding, when she had tended his wounds and stayed with him until he passed out. Dressing Elicia up as Nasiree had been a stroke of genius at the Masquerade party. He'd been a bit smug that Nasiree seemed drawn to who she thought was him.
"If I had a choice, it would have been more romantic," he told her, voice light. "Flowers, wine, an actual bed." He turned his head to look at Teagan. The girl was still cuddled between him and Nolinth and blissfully asleep. "Alone preferably."
There was plenty else he could have said, but it was already distracting enough, having her scantily clad body pressed against him. And with Teagan right there, not much could be done to relieve that tension. Best not to exacerbate the situation.
Nasiree snorted. "Yeah, because I'm such a 'flowers and wine' type of girl," she said, her voice thick with sarcasm. "C'mon, Jah'vi. You're supposed to be this master seducer. Can't you think of anything better than that tired old scenario?"
"True enough," he said. "I have other ways . . . I'm just not sure any of them would work on you." He regarded her with a small smile playing at the corner of his lips. "A sparring match would probably be more your idea of foreplay anyway."
Another snort, but this one more of a chuckle. "Only if you won, which you wouldn't," she said. It was arrogant, true, but it was the kind of arrogance that was backed up by truth. Nas had seen what happened when Jah'vi got into a sparring match. The results weren't pretty. She stretched, then, feeling a bit more at ease. Conversations like this were standard between her and the guys back at Fort. When in doubt, talk about sex. "I doubt I'm truly your type, anyway," she said softly. "I mean, I'm female and all, and I have a pulse, so maybe I'm overqualified," she grinned at her own joke in the darkness, "but you seem to like them more...girly. Or maybe not girly, but...I don't know what I'm trying to say."
"If you change girly to beautiful women with strong wills who scare me just a bit . . . " He tilted her head upwards just a bit and leaned closer. "Then you might be right." The last was murmured into her ear his hand resting lightly on her hip.
Nas chuckled, and moved just enough that her knee impacted his upper, inner thigh. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said, her whispered voice all sweetness and innocence. "Did I hurt you?" She reached down and took his hand off of her hip and held it, tucking it between their bodies. "Your hand is cold," she said, by way of explanation. "And I'm not beautiful...or scary, for that matter."
Jah'vi gave a hurt sigh, but didn't protest overly. "More than you know actually," he said with a low laugh. "Let's try to get some sleep. If Teagan gets up before either of us it could be a disaster." He twitched the furs to cover all three of them more fully, and checked on Teagan again. "Sleep well Nasiree," he said with humor.
****
{{Wake up . . . }}
Jah'vi rolled over and groaned, trying to ignore the voice in his head that insisted he move. The bed was comfortable and warm, as was the slim body next to him. She smelled good too, he reflected, inhaling the scent of her hair and skin.
{{The little one is up.}}
"Jah'vi, Nasiree!" That voice was out loud, and almost a screech. "Can we go now?"
Jah'vi shoved himself up on his arm, blinking his eyes in confusion. Teagan? And . . . oh, Nasiree. Recollection flooded back. "Let me wake up first, Teagan," he said, trying to rub the sleepiness away. "Use your inside voice, it echos."
Nasiree came awake quickly, as she'd trained herself to do. But she, too, didn't really want to move. Her exertions of yesterday, not to mention being flung around on Nolinth's back, had taken their toll. She felt as if she'd just run a gauntlet consisting of her old training squad armed with wooden batons. Still, this wasn't the first time she'd woken up sore, nor would it be the last.
"I'll get the water," she said, extricating herself from Jah'vi's embrace and sliding out of the warm nest of furs they'd all three shared. The air outside in the cave was shockingly cold, still, but survivable. She hissed slightly and cursed as she pulled on her boots and outer clothing. "Morning, Nolinth," she said softly to the bronze as she went to check on the waterbags. They were about half-way full of water, and sloshed when she moved them. After a moment's consideration, she managed to pour the contents of one bag into the other, which she then carried back to Jah'vi and Teagan.
"Here," she said. "Drink sparingly, it's likely to be still pretty cold. I'm going to re-pack this other bag, so we'll have more." Outside, the wind still howled. It was not a good sign.
Jah'vi paused in his task of dividing up the rations and smiled. "Be more careful this time," he said. "Did you sleep well Teagan?" He grinned at the girl and handed her a strip of dried meat.
"Yes, I did," Teagan answered polietly, taking the offered food. "Nolinth told me stories until I fell asleep." She gazed adoringly up at the bronze. "He tells better stories than even Tallulan, Nas!" She nibbled at the meat strip, humming a little song. "So can we go home now?"
After shooting a quick look at Nasiree, Jah'vi shook his head sadly. "Not now, I'm sorry." He put a comforting hand on Teagan's shoulder. "But soon."
Nas came and sat down beside the little girl. "Storm's still blowing, Teags," she said, brushing the kid's hair back from her eyes. "Nolinth can't take off in this, it would be worse than yesterday. We're just going to have to wait a little longer. Do you mind hanging out with Jah'vi, Nolinth and me for a bit more? I can do your hair, if you want. I'll braid it back the way I used to do so that it'll stay out of your eyes."
Teagan considered the offer for a moment, then nodded. "Okay," she agreed, wiggling around to get in front of Nas. "Nas is really good at braiding hair, Jah'vi. A lot better than you."
Jah'vi coughed and looked a little embarrased. "That was supposed to be one of our secrets Teagan, remember?" He passed Nasiree's portion of the food to her. When she had taken it, he tugged at one of Teagan's messy pigtails. "What have I told you about repeating everything you hear?"
"It gets you in trouble," Teagan said, as if from rote. "I'm sorry Jah'vi." She turned her head around to look at him and smiled sweetly. "I promise I won't do it again."
Nasiree smiled up at Jah'vi from behind Teagan. At least the kid wasn't focused on the fact that they were stuck in the cave for another day. She took a moment to wish for a comb, and began pulling the bedraggled ribbons out of Teagan's hair. "Y'know, Teags," she said softly. "If you don't want Tr'vas to think you're too young to stand, maybe you should reconsider the whole 'pigtail and ribbons' look. What did he say to you the other day? Do you want to talk about it?"
Looking slightly deflated, she thought for a moment. "He said that maybe I should wait a few Turns to keep standing," she said lowly. "I heard some of the wingriders talking about it too. They said I'm too little."
Jah'vi held his tongue. He was one of the people who believed Teagan was too young to be standing. If she were to Impress a female dragon, the girl would be scarcely fourteen the first time she rose. Raping a child wasn't something any rider would want.
"I just wanted to prove that I could do everything you and the others could do." She looked up at Nasiree sadly. "I told him I'd do really great on the survival mission. But now I've got all of us stuck here." A tear rolled down her nose, and she rubbed at her eyes harshly. Tears would do nothing but hurt her further in this situation. Tr'vas had wanted her to prove she was strong, and showing more weakness wasn't the way to win his respect.
"That wasn't your fault, Teags," Nasiree said, hugging the little girl. "You got hurt, and you did the right thing by listening to me and waiting for Jah'vi and Nolinth. I know you're a tough kid, and you can do everything the rest of us can do, but I'm pretty sure you're not capable of making a blizzard happen, are you?"
"I guess," she said, though she wasn't entirely convinced. If she hadn't fallen, she thought, or even if she just hadn't hurt her foot. They'd have been able to make it to the check point. Now, even if the exercise was still in process, all she had to look forward to was going back to the Weyr in disgrace.
"I think Tr'vas will be pretty impressed that the three of us managed to stay safe and warm in a cave with minimum supplies, actually," Jah'vi interjected. "And so far you've handled yourself well. I dare say there's several of your fellow candidates who wouldn't be nearly as calm as you."
"Jah'vi's right," Nasiree said, "Tr'vas will be impressed." She hugged the little candidate again. "Y'know why he's so concerned, don't you?" she asked. "Tr'vas himself Impressed at a very young age. He was only twelve when Rudith chose him. That's why he's so tough. He had to be, because the old Weyrlingmaster at Fort hated youngsters. He's probably just trying to make sure you're up for what you'd be getting into if you Impressed."
Jah'vi raised an eyebrow at Nasiree, more than slightly surprised at how well she handled Teagan. Just hearing her words had made the younger girl brighten up. He stood and squeezed Nasiree's shoulder gently before stepping out of their nest. Nature called, and he needed to quietly consult with Nolinth. [[How does it look?]]
{{Not great.}} Nolinth relayed. {{There's no way I could get off the ground right now.}} The bronze sounded apologetic. {{I have notified Rudith as to our location and the situation.}}
[[Do you think maybe later tonight?]]
{{Perhaps.}}
The entire situation was making his head hurt. He finished up his business and turned back to the girls. Teagan looked cheerful again, a grin on her face as she chattered about nonsense to Nasiree. He couldn't help but smile at them. Even in the dimness of the cave, the only light source Nolinth's slowly whirling eyes, he could see Nasiree's graceful hands coil hair into braids. "Nas, make sure you eat something," he said, stepping gingerly back into the furs. "It's not going to do any of us any good if you get sick from hunger."
Nasiree gave Jah'vi a long, level look over Teagan's head. Her eyes clearly said that she'd trained her body to function without food for a few days, and so she would be in no danger of wasting away. But he was in command, and so she wouldn't question his orders in front of Teagan. "Yes...sir," she murmured, just to tweak him.
He shook his head and just grinned. Of course he realized that, with her training, a single day without food wouldn't harm her. But he had a certain reputation of taking care of the ladies that he had to keep up. Additionally, if he knew Teagan at all, she would notice her friend not eating and throw an appropriate fit. "Good girl," he said under his breathe while smiling pleasantly. "Nolinth said we have a chance of this clearing up by nightfall."
"That would be good," Nas said. She wrapped the length of ribbon around the end of Teagan's braid and tied it off. "There you go, kidling," she said. "Now, get dressed. Let's go out and get some exercise. Just because we're locked in here doesn't mean we have an excuse to get lazy. It will be good to get the blood moving, and maybe we can see how your foot is feeling." She looked up at Jah'vi. "Care to join us, Wingleader?" her voice made it a challenge.
That wasn't really the point, of course. The point was to keep busy. Waiting, trapped inside this cave would be much easier if they had something to do, some sort of structure to their days. If they sat around doing nothing, the day would just drag on and on. The problem was, there wasn't much to do. Aside from keeping the water bags filled with snow, their list of chores was severely limited. So, Nas reasoned, they would exercise, for a few minutes at a time, at least.
"That sounds perfectly reasonable." Jah'vi's decision had been made when Teagan scrambled to her feet, almost excited to join in the exercise. "What exactly do you have in mind? Hold still, Teagan," he adomished the younger one, battling to get her wiggling arms through the sleeves of her coat.
"I can do it myself Jah'vi," Teagan sighed. "I'm not a complete baby."
"I didn't mean to say you were," he responded quickly. Thinking about her possible Impression had unsettled him more than he cared to admit. It irritated him slightly that he was so concerned over a candidate, but Teagan just brought out that protective side in people.
"We shouldn't break a sweat," Nas said as she extricated herself from the nest. "My captain always said that in the snow, if you sweat, you're dead. So I was thinking we'd just do a few easy strength moves, maybe walk around the interior of this place. Does Nolinth need to stretch out, too?"
{{That sounds wonderful.}} Nolinth responded to Nasiree. {{I wish someone had thought of that before.}} He pointedly turned his gaze to his rider. {{Just move the blankets and water skins.}}
"Sorry about that," Jah'vi murmured, moving quickly to grab the furs. [[I wasn't thinking straight.]] he privately admitted to the bronze.
{{Don't worry.}} Nolinth told him, his voice full of affection. As soon as his area was cleared out, he shifted his weight and stretched outwards with his limbs. It didn't help his wings much, those needed to stay as close to his body as possible in this wind. But the relief of other cramped muscles made it bearable.
Nas had to laugh. Nolinth looked so comical as he stretched out, his limbs sprawling in all directions. "C'mon Teags," she said to the youngster. "Let's see how deep our little niche is, here. She held her hand out for the youngster and felt almost lighthearted as she did so. This was good, they would get some exercise, then rest, then the snow would slack and all would be well. They'd be home tonight, telling stories in the Weyr's Dining Hall, laughing over wine.
****
Nolinth was uneasy. Just a short time ago, the storm seemed to have been slacking. Enough so that he'd be able to get clearance to jump _between_. And then the sky went dark again, and the hail started raining down. The cave was much smaller now, with the bronze havin squeezed every last part of himself inside of it. His front legs and a wing were curled protectively over the three humans that hid against his neck. The sudden change in weather had surprised them all. The temperature had plummeted even lower than the night before.
Teagan whimpered pitifully between Jah'vi and Nasiree, her eyes closed tight. Every now and then she would hear a crash in the distance, and each time her heart skipped a beat. In her mind she saw the snow rushing down the mountain to trap them there forever. She made herself as small as possible and tried to think about the Weyr instead of their current predicimant.
"It's okay, Teags," Jah'vi murmured, willing his own heart to calm itself. "Nolinth isn't going to let anything happen to us." He sorely wished he could believe those words, but Nolinth was the one who had a flank exposed to the weather. "It's all going to be okay."
Nasiree didn't say anything, just curled her body protectively around Teagan's small body, holding her close and murmuring into her hair. The three of them lay huddled so close that Nas's back was up against Nolinth's body, Teagan in her arms, Jah'vi on the other side, his arms around them both. "We're here, Teags," she murmured, one hand stroking the little girl's braided hair. "We'll be all right."
She shifted slightly, bringing Teagan into a more comfortable embrace. As she did so, her hand brushed Jah'vi's, where it lay on Teagan's back. She left her fingers there, and after a second, entwined them with his. He really was great, she thought. He had the confidence of command thing down, and Nas admired that. The truth was, he was more than a confident commander, he was competent, too. He'd done a great job of keeping them alive this far, him and Nolinth both.
"Thanks, Jah'vi," she whispered.
Jah'vi looked over Teagan's head at her and managed a smile. "Back at you," he said softly, meaning it. Without Nasiree he doubted he could have kept Teagan calm. That she wasn't letting her fear show was of no small help with the girl. He tightened his fingers on hers, grateful for her prescence.
"We can go home as soon as this is over right?" Teagan asked, her voice choked. Her body trembled wildly, as if it were acting independantly of her mind.
{{As soon as it's over.}} Nolinth answered for his rider, pouring love and protectiveness at Teagan. {{Don't be afraid.}}
"Teagan, listen to me," Nasiree said, her tone low and steady. "Listen to me. You have to calm down. Panicking is never the answer. I want you to focus on your breathing, all right? Slow it down...in...there you go. Out. If you hyperventilate, it'll be worse. We're going to be fine. I promise. Do you know what being brave is, kidling? Being brave isn't the absence of fear; it's moving on in the face of fear. You can do that, can't you?"
She nodded instead of speaking, trying to concentrate on her breathing. Nasiree's calm voice and Jah'vi's arms around her gave her something to focus on. "I can be brave," she whispered eventually, after she had managed to stop clinging so tightly to Nasiree.
Jah'vi practically sagged in relief when Teagan's body lost the horrible tension. He had taken Nasiree's advice himself and focused on his breathing. "She really looks up to you," he said softly when it seemed that the girl had fallen asleep.
Nas laughed softly. "Teagan looks up to everybody," she said, smoothing back the little girl's hair. "She's very sweet. It's got to be tough, being so much younger than everyone. I almost agree with Tr'vas...but then, I've always believed that you deal with what comes to you. If she's meant to Impress, she will."
"If she's meant to," he sighed by way of agreement. "What about you? What are your plans, Nas?" He could clearly see her as a Wingsecond, once she Impressed. A strong brown, perhaps. Or maybe a gold. That brought a smile to his lips. No, Nasiree would have a fighting dragon.
She shrugged, shifting Teagan again. "I'll Stand. Hopefully there's a dragon for me. If not, I'll go back to Fort. Gerden assured me that there would always be a place for me there," a soft smile creased her lips. "They're my family, really. The guard there. Gerden raised me more than my foster mother did, to tell you the truth. The soldiers are my brothers and my friends. I miss them a lot," she said, "I miss the camaraderie."
"Do you not have that with the other candidates here?" A small frown creased his brow. No, she wouldn't, he reflected. In his remembering there were no candidates that carried themselves with that kind of confidence. Most candidates were young and untested. Nasiree was a woman who had already proven herself, mature in a way that was unique to her.
Another soft laugh, "No. They're women. Or most of them are," she said. "I don't really...get along with women," she said. "And the male candidates are just trying to stay out of the way of the lot of us. It's not exactly the kind of situation to encourage teambuilding, if you know what I mean."
"Wasn't that the point of dropping all of you out here in the middle of nowhere?" He tucked the furs around Teagan closer. "Teaching you all to get along and work together?"
"Probably," Nas said. "It was a good idea, too. Shared tribulation and all that. I mean, look at how close we've gotten all of a sudden," she said, her tone humorous. She didn't, however, remove her fingers from his.
Jah'vi chuckled. "Too bad he didn't plan for something like this." For not the first time he wished he had taken the time to grab more supplies. But when he had heard who the two candidates were that were in trouble, logic had flown out the window. All he'd been able to think of was finding them fast, before anything else could happen to them. His fingers tightened briefly on her's and he felt a small pang of regret. "Don't worry too much about it," he said, trying to be jovial. "When we get back to the Weyr things will go back to the way they were before this."
"Do you think so?" she asked, her voice soft in the darkness. "I can't imagine that. I don't think I'll ever be able to look at you and not see the man who saved us."
He couldn't help but smile at her. "You give me too much credit, but thank you." With his free hand he grasped her shoulder lightly and squeezed. "I wouldn't have been able to handle Teagan by myself."
"Yes you would," she said, still in that soft voice that grew more sleepy sounding with each word. "She adores you, and Nolinth could have calmed her down, if necessary. But that doesn't matter. I guess...I don't know. But I guess I wanted you to know, that you'll be different from now on. To me."
****
As the sun rose over High Reaches Weyr, one could just make out the sillhouette of a bronze dragon and rider perched atop one of the Spires. Tr'vas reached down and thumped his gloved hand on Rudith's neck. [[Anything?]]
{{The storm has passed, Nolinth should be...Nolinth comes!}} Rudith reared up, spreading his wings and bugling his excitement. Tr'vas felt the tight knot of worry in his chest ease. They were on their way home. They would be safe.
Nolinth burst from _between_ a moment later, bugling a greeting to Rudith as he did. {{Rudith, we bring you your young ones.}} The bronze took a lazy spiral downwards to the bowl, giving his passengers plenty of time to appreciate the beauty of the sunrise.
"It's so pretty!" Teagan breathed, in awe of the sight.
Rudith launched from the spire. The older bronze wheeled and moved into position to the left of Nolinth, giving the place of honor to the returning bronze. On his back, Tr'vas saluted Jah'vi, his crisp, snapping motions saying louder than words how grateful the Weyrlingmaster was to the younger rider.
Nasiree laughed in Teagan's ear, exhilirated by the return home, by the sweeping view of the Weyr, and strangely by the feeling of Jah'vi's body pressed against hers. She shook her head sharply. Get rid of that nonsense now, girl, she told herself. The cave was the cave, and things have changed...but not that much. Don't go pining after the Wingleader, that's just trouble all 'round.
Nolinth landed neatly, well aware of the comfort of the three riding. {{I told you we would be safe.}} he said gently to the two candidates, all warmth and happiness.
"See, you're right sometimes," Jah'vi joked when he slid down. He grabbed Teagan first and handed her down to Tr'vas. "How's that foot doing?"
"It's fine!" Teagan chirped, quickly hugging him tightly before she was transfered to Tr'vas's arms. She gave the Weyrlingmaster a spontaneous squeeze, glad to be back home. The embrace was interuptted by Catia's arrival, who swooped in and held the girl tightly. Teagan's face burned with embarrassment, but at the same time it was nice to realize she had been missed.
When Jah'vi turned back to help Nasiree down he felt a catch in his stomach. Maybe she was right, and things would never be the same. He smiled and lifted her down off Nolinth's neck. He wasn't sure what to say, thank you or I had a nice time just didn't seem right. "I'll see you later, then?" he said softly, having to swallow past a sudden lump in his throat.
"Probably not," she said, her own voice void of emotion. "Thank you again," she said. She would have liked to say more, but she had no idea what. In any case, Catia came charging in, hugging her hard, demanding that she and Teagan go right now to see Fisk and get checked over for frostbite and dehydration and myriad other horrible conditions. Nasiree allowed herself one more smile at Jah'vi before she turned and followed the tiny, foul mouthed Headwoman.
Tr'vas turned and caught Jah'vi's arm. "Thank you," the Weyrlingmaster said, his gravelly voice even more rough than usual. "It's hard enough to lose them as weyrlings. If there's ever anything you need..." he trailed off and nodded. Jah'vi would know what he meant. Before the Wingleader could reply, Tr'vas turned and stumped quickly after Catia and the girls.
***
Tr'vas pushed aside the curtain and looked in to the infirmary alcove. Sure enough, Teagan was sitting on Nasiree's lap, the two of them smiling as the healer finished making notes.
"Everything all right?" he asked, "no frostbite or anything?"
"They're just fine, Weyrlingmaster," the healer replied. Then, with a smile, the journeyman excused herself and left the three of them alone.
"Teagan," the Weyrlingmaster said. "You know I had doubts about you going along on this trek."
The younger one's face fell, and she nodded. "Yes, Weyrlingmaster," she said softly. Now he would tell her she wouldn't be allowed to stand. It was okay, she told herself, there was plenty she could do to help the Weyr in the lower caverns. Her throat felt a little tight, though.
Nasiree squeezed Teagan for comfort. Tr'vas saw it and the corners of his mouth deepened in his version of a smile. These two would defend each other to the death, he thought. "Well, I have to say, I'm pleasantly surprised. You got hurt, sure, but accidents do happen, and you made good decisions. Well done. I'm still not convinced you shouldn't wait, but I won't stand in your way, little girl. The dragons will decide, as they usually do." His eyes flicked back up to Nasiree's face. "And you. Good job. Gerden would be proud."
With that, the Weyrlingmaster turned around and stumped out of the infirmary.