Missing (admins and mods only please)

[hrsegrl]

The evening air was crisp and cool. It had been a beautiful day for all who had been at the Weyr. No one could have foreseen the dark events that would follow the glorious day. On the Sands the Queen Sharieth left her clutch to hunt as her mate watched from his ledge. The weather had sadly been an excuse for extra drills and the Bronze found himself incredibly tired. After the Queen was out of the Sands he fell into a deep sleep.

The scout was well hidden and as the dragonriders suspected nothing his job was simple. As the Gold left the cavern, he signaled the others forward. They had Trader wagons with them to carry off the eggs without suspicion. There were no more than fifteen men there so as not to be noticeable. All of the men were strong and very quiet. The leader made certain that all knew what the primary target was. The Gold Egg. The men took great care in handling it and also were prepared to keep it warm.

Since the Queen had not returned, they began to take as many others as they could, those closest to the opening first. Five smaller mottled eggs followed the Queen egg, one of the larger ones they hoped would contain a Bronze at least. The few that they had been able to take were loaded up completely when the Scout signaled everyone to stop. It appeared that the Queen was heading back toward the Sands. Quickly the wagons were completely loaded and the men were moving as quickly and quietly as they could with their precious cargo. The wagons were out of sight and earshot when the Golden beast returned to the Hatching grounds.

[hrsegrl]

The evening air settled brisquely on the Gold's hide as she stepped out off the Sands. The cool air felt good after being on the hot sands all day. Nemenath had taken over watch of the eggs so she left the Cavern without a second thought. As much as she loathed leaving her clutch, her stomach would not be sated by the thought that she should be with her eggs.

She flew to the Feeding Grounds without much hesitation. Unfortunately the grounds were busy this time of day so the beasts were all scattered every which way and it would take her longer than usual to commence her hunt of them.

----------a little while later---------

The Sands were always quiet but as the Gold entered she realized Nemenath did not greet her as he normally did. A puzzled Sharieth looked about for a moment. Something was amiss. Again she searched around her. Where was her gold egg? It wasn't there...
The Gold's mental turmoil reached her rider immediately.
What's the matter dear?
Missing... eggs missing...Then Sharieth let out a sound like Ruet had never heard before. It showed her anguish yet alerted the Weyr that there was indeed a serious problem.

Ruet ran. She had never been in as good shape as most the other riders. When she finally made it to the sands she was so out of breath it took her a minute to figure out what Sharieth was so upset about. As she looked around, she knew there was no mistake. There were a few missing. Including the Queen Egg. Sharieth's eyes were whirling a rainbow of colors. She was entirely too agitated for Ruet to make any sense out of her.

For the first time in a very, very long time, Ruet was angry. Her eyes were burning with the tears she held back. How could anyone do this? Who could do it?! Rue hugged the neck of her great Gold and screamed loud enough to get some of her pent up frustration out.

[Memorie]

K'leren heard Sharieth's scream from his and Ruet's weyr. He hopped out of their bed (he'd fallen asleep when Nemenath had) and didn't bother with shoes. His long, loping legs carried him out into the Weyrbowl faster than he'd ever moved before. Pretty soon, the hot sands of the Hatching Cavern were burning the soles of his soft feet, but it didn't matter.

Something is wrong, K'leren, Nemenath said worryingly. Eggs are missing. I can't find them. The giant bronze wailed. I barely closed my eyes. I can't find them, he said, nosing around in the sand. The poor dragon hardly had the mental capacity to deal with it.

Meanwhile, Sharieth was barely contained by a angry, weeping Ruet. K'leren was almost frightened by the amount of raw rage in her expression, when he realized his own emotional cap was straining from his own pent up madness. "Ruet! Rue, darling, what's happened? Nemenath says eggs were stolen!" K'leren's eyes went wide. He hadn't seen the glint of the gold egg since coming in the Cavern. He looked around wildly. "Nemenath, where's the queen egg?"

The dragon wailed again. I don't know!

K'leren swore, loudly and a lot. He yelled. Nothing seemed to lessen his rage. Every muscle in his body was tense, every bone rigid with tension. He would find who did this. He would find them and kill them. He went to Ruet.

"Ruet, we will find who did this." He was almost crazy, and certainly hysterical. "What does Sharieth say?"

[hrsegrl]

Ruet subconciously aknowledged K'leren's presence but she was too concerned with calming herself and Sharieth to say anything. She finally let go of her madness, as she spoke to her Queen. Sharieth calm down, sweeting. Everything will be fine. We need to calm down and think... The Gold seemed to be rebelling against her rider. Just like she had been for her last flight. Ruet reasoned with her eventually. They couldn't lose their heads. She had other eggs to care for. I left to hunt... it was busy.... The Queen was losing some of her sheen as she told Ruet that she came back to find the Gold Egg missing and a few others.

Ruet turned around to face K'leren, her anger still showed but only barely. She had to stay calm and sane not just for Sharieth but for the Weyr. "Sharieth went to hunt and came back to find the eggs missing." No one was blaming Nemenath, it was obvious the Bronze was as worried as his mate and even more exhausted. "We need to get Lyrai and N'mos to make a decision, we can't just go accusing people..." She said it with a lump in her throat. She wanted to just accuse people. If it were up to her she'd already be looking for the egg napper(s).

Sharieth began to move her eggs closer together, as far from any opening as possible and as close to her as she could get them. Unnatural of her but she was too worried and wanted them all by her and away from harm. "Calm down dearest. We will get them back. In the meantime, we have to very emotional adult dragons to take care of." She wrapped her arms around her mate comfortingly. Everything would be okay. She had to be strong...

[LyricalBlue]

Far north of the Weyr lay a quiet little cove on the coast. It was the Weyrwoman's little getaway, her refuge where no one, or at least far less people could find her. It was a pretty little cove, with white, powdery sand and the mountain range in the distance. Today she had brought Tujal with her, because she knew the young woman needed time away as much as Lyrai herself did. That and this gave them ample time to talk about Amenth's upcoming flight. While the women lazed and talked, the two golds had been uncharacteristically boisterous. Both had played in the water until late in the day at which point they had settled on the beach in the sun.

As the sun set, Zhariath suddenly stood and growled deep in her throat. Her wings extended and mantled and her eyes began to whirl brightly red. Lyrai glanced at the Queen and paled, what in the?
Zhariath?!?
The eggs have been stolen!The Queen's voice was a harsh growl, like it only was during threadfall. She spoke openly, directing the comment at Tujal as much as her own rider.
The gold egg is gone.
"What!?!" The Weyrwoman was too startled to speak with her mind and she glanced at Tujal, dark eyes wide. Leaping up from where she was, Ly was over to the Queen in seconds. She vaulted onto Zhariath's back, not even bothering with the straps. She could come back for those later. As the dark Queen crouched to take off, Lyrai yelled back to Tujal.
"The Hatching Grounds!"

Zhariath vaulted into the air and didn't even wait to get to a safe height before she went between. In the back of her mind Lyrai noted that she was setting a bad example for Tujal but dire times called for no time to be wasted. Several moments later the Queen reappeared over the Weyr Bowl, dangerously close to the cliff wall above the Hatching Grounds. She landed, nearly scraping her leading edge on the wall and Lyrai was off in a flash, running toward Ruet and Sharieth. Moments later, N'mos too came running in as wild eyed as the Weyrwoman. Both leaders stopped and gaped at the diminished clutch. Lyrai found a voice first, her eyes snapping with dangerous energy.
"What happened here?"

Outside Zhariath shifted, growling and mantling at anyone she saw. It was not her own clutch, but it was her twins and anger radiated from the Queen in massive waves. Who would dare touch a Queen egg!?! She paced, reflecting her rider's emotions and then some. Fierzath landed nearby and made no attempt to placate the Queen, instead radiating outrage and shock as much as she. The pair looked feral and dangerous as much as their riders did. Someone was going to pay and pay dearly.

[hrsegrl]

Sharieth was still enraged and even more so as people started coming onto the Hatching Sands. Leader or no leader they had better move away from her eggs. Ruet felt the Queen's emotions and knew better than to let Anyone come closer. "It's best everyone move back first..." Ruet had become calm, though it was very clear in every movement she made that she was working very hard to stay that way.

Talking softly and clearly she reiterated what the dragons had told her. "Sharieth went to hunt. Nemenath watched the clutch but with this lovely weather, drills were abnormally demanding and so he fell asleep for a few moments..." Rue had a hard time saying the rest again but she had to say what they all knew already. "When Sharieth returned six eggs were missing, including the Gold."

Ruet moved farther away from Sharieth, the less people near her the better. "I don't know who was behind this but I know there were no strange dragons about the weyr today so it could not have been another Weyr or at least they didn't fly off with the eggs. Who would have the resources to do this? Rakken." She nearly growled his name. If she had ever wanted to kill anyone it was Rakken.

[LyricalBlue]

Heeding her warning, both Weyrleaders stepped a good ways back in order to give Sharieth some room. Lyrai nearly crackled with pent up anger and frustration. Ruet's account of the situation made the Weyrwoman clench her teeth and hands. Outside, Zhariath roared, giving voice to all the rage Lyrai felt. No dragons were involved, holders were to blame? The Weyrwoman felt a growl come up in her own throat. How... dare... they... It was unthinkable, how did they even get the eggs out?

At the sound of the Lord's name Lyrai's whole body stiffened in rage. They all knew he had been behind the poisoning and the lives of so many dragons and riders were on his hands even if they never found conclusive proof. Zhariath's last clutch... The Queen caught her thought and roared again, Fierzath's bugle joining alongside. When Lyrai found words they were short and harsh. Six eggs... and many, many other lives...

"A trading caravan was came in two days ago... If they aren't still here... I will take a wing and find them. We will blockade the Hold and -make- them return the eggs."
Her voice dripped with venom and cold fear wrapped itself around her heart. Holders had no idea how to care for the eggs... Or what to do with them, much less how a Weyr worked.... How did they acquire the knowledge? Was there a traitor inside Ponaa's own? Such a thought was nearly as unthinkable as the theft itself, six eggs....

Lyrai shuddered with rage while N'mos looked on. The Weyrleader looking between both women and the Queen now fiercely guarding her clutch. His wide eyes and blank stare clearly showed his shock. But while the man was a competent leader in the air, on the ground he was a fish out of water. And in the face of such an event he had no idea of what to do. He nodded limply to Lyrai's suggestion, maybe that was for the best... It seemed the only way to get the eggs back now... If it was holders that had taken them at all...

[hrsegrl]

An angered Roderith informed his rider of the events which immediately sent F'dan down to the Hatching Sands. He walked quickly but as every Holder's son knew, running towards an event such as this one was folly. Besides by the time he got there, no doubt the leaders would ahve done something. After arriving at the Sands, he took in the scene almost instantly. He could read people like a book and had no trouble figuring out what was going on. N'mos was being an idiot as usual. Lyrai was obviously too consumed with rage to think. Ruet was practically out of her mind but obviously working hard to maintain some control over herself and her dragon. K'leren wasn't too far behind her in that respect. None of them were capable of doing in this situation.

Not moments after he arrived he was already giving random dragonriders orders. "Any of you know anything about tracking?" He asked some of the rider's in the crowd that was gradually forming just out of the sands, all trying to peer in on the clutch. He had already assigned some riders to keep people from walking onto the sands. They were all to say that some eggs were missing and that Leadership was handling the situation. Sharieth is in no mood for anyone to be on the sands.

After a few people in the crowd admitted to having some sort of tracking knowledge he asked them to look for clues as to who could have done this and what direction they went. All the while, F'dan had not said a word to the Weyrleaders.

[Memorie]

Amenth had told Tujal the happenings in the same instant that Zharieth did, and for a moment, Tujal lost control. "Wha--?" Then she saw Lyrai sprint off towards Zharieth.

"The Hatching Grounds!" she shouted back. She took off, Zharieth barely clearing the ground before going between/ Tujal jumped up and leaped on Amenth's back. Lyrai was right; the straps could be retrieved later.

"You heard her, Amenth. The Weyr, and quickly," she cried. If the dragons' reports were correct, the Weyr was in for a world of trouble. And the dragons never misreported.

They came out of between directly in front of the cavern to the Cavern (Cutting it a little close there, Amenth,), and Amenth's mighty wings spared a gust of wind to separate the people so Tujal could run in. The rider briefly wondered where I'slen was, but figured he'd be there soon enough. "Ruet! Amenth and the other dragons are in an uproar! Missing eggs?" The young goldrider glanced around to confirm the dragons' words. True enough, the gold egg was gone, conspicuous only by its absence, and the other eggs appeared to be depleted in number. She didn't have the time to count, so she assumed K'leren's Nemenath was correct. The bronze was currently snuffling around in the sands, apparently looking for his missing numbers. Tujal sighed. Amenth, if you would?

Of course. Amenth growled and barked an order at the bronze. Stop that. They're not there. Nemenath sat back and was visibly calmed, but his eyes still whirled the spectrum. He went and curled next to his mate, Sharieth, and helped her guard the eggs that were left by situating himself in an area she wasn't able to cover. Spreading his large wings, together, the pair completely covered the eggs.

"Thank you, Golderider Tujal," K'leren managed to whisper. "I was trying to calm him...but I couldn't."

"Quite understandable," she told him. patting his shoulder. The man really had a lot to deal with. His dragon didn't need to be one of the problems.

Meanwhile, she heard the word "Rakken," escape Ruet's lips. She turned slowly. That man had almost killed her and her gold. If she could get back at him in any way...but how could it be him? And what interest would he have in a gold egg? But he was still added to the list of suspects, as well as the trader train. "If it was a trader train," Tujal interjected. Her parents had had to deal with the Holdless many times in her native Ruatha, and once or twice, they had masqueraded as Lilcamp Traders to steal something or the other. "What if it was just a group of drifters, you know, Holdless, dressed up like Traders? I don't think actual Traders would have a hand in this." In her natural Holdling bias, Tujal never liked or trusted the Holdless, and much less sympathized with them. The Lilcamps, however, she was delighted with as a child. Occasionally, she missed seeing the Lights in the distance that signified the Trader Group on the way to the Hold. They only came through twice a year, in early Ruathan Spring and again in late Summer or early Autumn.

In the middle of it all was that sharding N'mos, standing there like a bump on a log. The man was worthless. Tujal rolled her eyes. As sweetly (and therefore, dangerously,) as possible, she smiled at him. "Maybe we should get together a Searching Party to bring back the 'traders' for questioning, Weyrleader N'mos?" She batted her long eyelashes at him. Tujal hated acting the innocent, but would in order to get results. Ruet and K'leren needed help.

K'leren, on the other hand, went to his mate. "Ruet," he said, gathering her into his arms. He had lost himself for a moment there, but Tujal's Amenth settling Nemenath had cleared his mind. He had no doubt that the little lady would someday make a fireball of a Weyrwoman, given the chance, but for now, his mind settled on his mate and himself. "Ruet, don't worry, my Love. We will find out who is responsible, and they will be punished as severely as is possible." He hugged her tight, and kissed her forehead. The last thing the man wanted was for her to worry, and though he was anxious himself, he had to reassure her.

[hrsegrl]

Rue watched Sharieth getting more ancy as Tujal approached. She wanted to tell the girl to walk slower. The Gold was not doing well with people on the Sands, whether she knew them or not. Rue listened to the suggestions of the young Goldrider though she knew they were simialir to her own there was no way of knowing what N'mos would decide to do. He was not looking out for the best interest of the weyr if he continued to do nothing. Luckily it seemed that someone had restricted people from entering the Hatching Sands. Whomever it was, she would thank later. In the meantime she kept a good hold on her dragon while trying to think clearly of who else could be behind all of this.

"We have few enemies that know of dragon egg care..." She spoke as if she herself were far away. The dreamy goldirder was often not thinking in the particular moment that she was speaking in. For the time being she was looking back to see if she remembered anythign that could clue them in to who had done this. Rakken was too obvious almost. It would be easy to pin this on him but the truth of the matter was he had to be getting information from dragonriders. K'leren was back to himself now and was holding her. She kissed his cheek gently. "I know. Our first priority though is the Weyr and that means the eggs we still have should be better protected. We need to set up watches..." She would not let her Queen be subject to such loss again.

While the rankers were talking, F'dan walked up almost too purposeful for someone like himeslf. He didn't waste time with greeting any of the others. "Excuse my interruption, a bluerider with some tracking knowledge has found footprints and a wagon trail heading in that direction." He didn't name the rider because he didn't wish to put the man on the spot just yet.

[LyricalBlue]

While talk ebbed and flowed around her like some tightly drawn current, Lyrai remained silent, considering and weighing the options. The shock and horror of the act closed a cold wall around her heart and The Weyrwoman's dark eyes flashed as she considered their next move. When F'dan walked over with his statement she nodded curtly and snapped into action.

"K'leren, see that the Hatching Grounds are secured. Tujal, I need you to to control the Weyr, get a group of night guards, people you trust explicitly. Also I want a dragon on watch at all time; N'mos, set Alpha Wing to the task. F'dan, get that bluerider and come with me." The small Weyrwoman spun on her heels and began to walk briskly towards the exit. Time for debate would come later, right now they needed to find that caravan. Blood boiled in her veins almost as it did when Zhariath rose. But this held none of the glory or expectation of that, this only held cold rage.

They could talk about her actions all they wanted and how in times of crisis like this, the Weyrleader was supposed to lead. Lyrai spared one moment for a quick glance behind her. N'mos was trailing in her wake, picking up the pieces of her confusion. The Weyrwoman snorted and continued outside. Through Zhariath, Ly had some idea about how upset Sharieth was, even if Ruet was keeping a remarkable hold on the dragon. The Queen needed space and security and they needed to find the culprits. Shards and shells! Why had they ever been so complacent! After that poisoning they should have been on their gaurd. A growl, echoing her Gold's, threatened to rise up.

Once outside she whirled to Zhariath's side, laying a firm hand on the Queen's leg. It steadied the both of them and cleared Lyrai's thoughts. She couldn't... even though she desperately wanted to, give in to the rage. Someone needed a cool head about this all. Speaking of cool heads, she looked back towards the Cavern wondering mildly, why F'dan had set a rider out at all, or if it was he who had assigned riders to keep people off the sands. Interesting that... now where was that blasted bronzerider?

[hrsegrl]

Ruet watched Lyrai take control of the situation as if that bronze wingrider had suddenly made them all aware that this was the time to act. She was glad that things were becoming more orderly, it would make it easier to control Sharieth. The Gold would have liked to hunt the egg nappers down herself. Dragons were not something to be trifled with. If it was a war these people wanted, they might just get it.

F'dan in the meantime feigned humility. He was after all a Bronzerider and perfectly capable of ordering people around and sending out some sort of patrol. N'mos was a deadglow and he was tired of dealing with his hidebound leadership. Or lack there of. "Of course my Lady." He turned and quickly motioned for H'seo to come with him.

Within seconds he was following Lyrai by a few footsteps. Now who was being lazy... he thought to himself smugly. Roderith commented mildly, They aren't being lazy. They are being slow and silly. Anyone who knows anything should know that if they were not on dragons that the culprits would leave tracks. No one is perfect my fine Bronze. Except maybe you.

[FireThorne]

((Woot, I get to post with the Weyrleaders. *feels special*))

H’seo was none too surprised when F’dan motioned for him upon exiting the Cavern, having been expecting the summons since he reported his findings to the bronzerider. He had been returning from a hunting expedition just as the panic was beginning to erupt, and had entered a weyr full of enraged and terrified dragons. He had inquired of his partner as to the cause of the uproar, but the report he had received was enough to almost floor him. The bluerider nearly lost his grip on the riding straps. Eggs missing? He was stunned. Who in the name Faranth could have swiped eggs from the Cavern right under their noses? As they landed, the wingrider heard F’dan calling for those with tracking knowledge to scour the surrounding forest for any tracks they could find, and H’seo immediately acted. He tightened his grip on his straps. Reinth, take me back out to the forest. He said softly, and his dragon obeyed wordlessly, too dismayed to even speak. He knew he could find them, no matter how well they hid.

Once in the forest, the bluerider had put his hunting knowledge to good use, searching the ground for whatever he could find. Unless another weyr had burst from between in the cavern and whisked the eggs away ((unlikely because they had carried off too many eggs for those dragons to have gone unnoticed by Ponaa’s own)) then there had to be tracks of some sort outside the Weyr. It took only moments for his trained eyes to discover what he sought. Tracks; and not just a few. Wagonwheels had made firm depressions in the ground, likely laden with a heavy burden, and footprints that were light and almost indiscernible. Obviously these men had been instructed in the ways of stealth, for no ordinary man left tracks so soft. His jaw clenching, H’seo leapt back upon his dragon and the pair betweened to the bowl, the rider barely allowing Reinth to land before sprinting towards the crowd gathering about the Sands. He sought F’dan.

He had been leaning patiently against the rock wall outside the hatching sands, but as the bronzer exited and motioned for him H’seo pushed away and followed the other rider towards the queen. The wingrider had to thank his turns of hunting for this moment, the tracking knowledge he had learned coming in quite handy during this crises. Though he had never thought himself special or overly talented in any way, he was certainly taking this situation calmly and acting rationally. Of course, he was not directly involved. Coming to a stop behind the bronzerider, H’seo got his first good look at Zhariath. Naturally the bluerider had seen her about the weyr and in the queen’s wing, but Faranth, he had never been this close. He was almost nervous to be this near the Weyrwoman and her dragon, especially with his talents being singled out to lead them in search of the stolen eggs. But this was a desperate situation, and certainly not the time to allow his nerves to get the better of him.

The tall man bowed to the lady before him, his voice firm and sincere though still that uncultured farmboy drawl. “Weyrwoman, I am H’seo of blue Reinth.” The bluerider looked to F’dan for approval before continuing. “I found the tracks of that caravan out in the forest, leading right towards Ponaa Hold. I could track them further if you wanted me to, up to wherever they parked their train. I have been hunting in those woods since I was boy.” H’seo’s face hardened as his grey eyes wandered to the distraught gold, his mind imagining several deaths that were not nearly painful or humiliating enough for the holder. “That Rakken is meaner than a stripe-tailed tunnel snake, and just about as pretty. I wouldn’t doubt it was him.” His usual drawl was accented by a harshness now that hardly ever laced his voice, the anger boiling in him generally unknown. This, however, was enough to cause even the most mild-mannered of men to erupt.

Reinth, meanwhile, had followed his rider at a distance, unwilling to bring himself too close to the queen. Zhariath seemed nearly as angry as her twin, and mere blue would be of no comfort nor help to her right now. He craned his neck, watching his rider speak with the Weyrwoman. He would wait for the wingrider to finish, and approach when the great gold had taken flight. He was backward enough around females without facing a queen. He also did not want the dragon to think he was trying to be disrespectful by thinking himself good enough to flop his butt next to her.

[Memorie]

((Hey! Rakken is a very, very, handsome man. He's as beautiful as he is evil. ;P ))

"Aye, Weyrwoman," Tujal said, nodding quickly. Lyrai obviously meant business. The youngest goldrider would see to it that her express wishes were carried about. She hopped into action, and forcefully walked to the door of the weyr. She wasn't a short girl, and she had always been all legs, so her steps guided her quickly. "Hey!" she yelled, loudly and strongly. "Git! All of you! Go away! Tend to your dragons; they'll tell you everything." It was true. But now, the news would have been broadcast to the entire weyr. Tujal was angry, and when she was angry, her own ability to shield her thoughts from the Weyr's dragons was hindered. Slowly but surely, the rest of the riders drained from the cavern opening.

She had been told to gather a group of people to act as night guards. Lyrai hadn't specified what type of people--rider, weyrling, or cavernsfolk--so she gathered a good enough group that she liked including all three. Neth, bring your S'risan to me. Cerenoth, please tell A'rik I'd like to see him in the bowl. Lornath, I need your R'dir to come here. Oh, and Lyreth, please tell T'ryus to meet me at the cavern-mouth of the Hatching Grounds. Obviously, most of the Lower Caverns people only had firelizards for communication, if even those, so Tujal sent a weyr-runner for one of the more burly cooks and for the tough beastmaster of the Weyr.

She reviewed her choices. S'risan. A rather chipper young man, very outgoing and funny, Tujal admitted. He did sometimes tend toward melodrama, but he was loyal until the end. And he had a wealth of firelizards. A'rik--the brave and noble one. Also a practical coalmine of firelizards. R'dir. He was very quiet, almost sullen, but he was dependable. And something of a scrapper. He could be trusted. And T'ryus, the Weyrharper. He was very hot-headed, with a typical Harper's tongue--sharp and filled with poison. Since he had connections with the Harpers, he could get a message passed quickly. She waited in the Weyrbowl for the people to arrive.

((Tujal to Weyrbowl. Meet her there.))

[hrsegrl]

ATTN:

The chaos that had ensued was quickly waning. Sharieth had calmed and soon the Weyr was back to its business. The Weyrwoman had several men sent to track the theifs down. More information has not been found at this time.

[Thread Closed]