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+---- Thread: Dredging through Rubble [Solo] (/showthread.php?tid=2116)
Dredging through Rubble [Solo] - Ravana - 11.Dec.13
Even in her dreams, it rained. She loved the rain, honestly loved it but this was getting to be a little much for the greenrider. As usual for this time of night, she was curled up on her porch swing wrapped in a blanket asleep, Stubborn curled up on one shoulder.
The flitter woke first, shrieking in alarm. Her dreams shattered by Stubborn's shrieking and then a keen, she darted first to check on Shanith. The green was awake her eyes whirling white with panic. Ravana wrapped her arms around her dragon's head, tight, and whispered words of reassurance, assuring her she was okay.
When her green had calmed, the rider told her softly, "Fly up, see what happened and come here. I'll be ready to fly when you land." Ravana would dart into her hut and dress quickly. T'rel's habit of unexpectedly calling wing practice had paid off. She was ready to go by the time Shanith landed.
They got to work, her and Shanith, trying to help. T'ken had winged off towards the weyrling barracks, so Ravana and Shanith had headed in another direction. Time blurred after that.
She remembered Shanith keening often. Remembered names being passed on. She remembered freezing up, her emotions seeming to wither when she'd added B'run to the death toll of that night. She remembered being so numb that she hadn't felt it when a piece of wood impaled her right calf.
She knew she would forever wonder later if her pause to drag the debris from her leg and bandage the wound had cost the man she was digging out his life, or if he had been doomed anyways like so many were.
She made so many trips between with bodies they'd blurred into the list of names she'd started writing early on. At some point she'd sent her dragon to rest and kept working, sheer adrenaline keeping her going long after Shanith had dropped. Stubborn had made herself useful, helping find survivors, moving small bits of debris.
The night never seemed to end for the greenrider. Keening filled her mind and ears. The only bright spots were seeing the faces of her friends, though even that was overshadowed by the deaths of Jisralna, B'run...so many. So many. She couldn't find all her friends, some she hadn't seen since this begun.
A hand on her shoulder drew her away from the rubble and she blinked up at T'ken. She protested but was drawn from the mud at last, mutely following hte brownrider. She was hauled up onto Indrith and settled on the lake shores. Shanith waited for her there.
So did Berani. Ravana went to her daughter, having enough sense left not to wake her from where she slept between Shanith's forelegs. She just looked then blinked as she reached up to touch her cheeks. Tears. She was crying, relief and pain mixing in her mind, drawing a soft croon from Shanith.
Ravana gathered herself, T'ken was talking to her. "...can go back and do more later, but Shanith says you're exhausted. You need some rest." Ravana nodded tiredly, and blinked when her favored blanket was wrapped around her. She stumbled to Shanith, settled against her, gently patting her. She was watching her daughter and soothing Stubborn when sleep finally came, taking her into nightmares.