Dragonriders of Pern series 1. Chapter 1

**Those Who Ride Green**

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Dragonriders of Pern. All rights belong to Anne McCaffrey. I do however own L'kar, Piqueth, T'mas, Sigeth, and any other OCs that I have created for this tale._

_**A/N:**_ I am issuing a warning to all. This story contains a **MALE/MALE** relationship. If you do not like such pairings, please refrain from reading any further and move on to another fanfic more suited to your taste. I will not tolerate flaming or any insults for writing this tale just because of this issue. It is well known to all fans that such relationships occur in Pern. Seeing as there are so few tales about such riders, I have taken the chance to throw in my own. Other than that, please feel free to comment and criticize my work.

**Time:**_** Whenever there was still female green riders or after their renewal into the ranks of dragonriders.**_ (I could say Ninth Pass. Either way these are tales of dragonriders never mentioned in the stories. Thus the involvement of Queens is almost non-existent and only a handful of Bronzes shall appear. This will focus on the less talked about Greens, Blues, and Browns.)

_**Chapter One: **__Harsh Reality_

_This can't be happening… Why? No…_

With riding a green it was well known what nature your life would turn to. A life with many mating flights and waking with possibly a different rider at your side after every single one. That was how it worked. How it has always worked and nothing could ever change that very nature of riding greens.

L'kar himself had woken many mornings next to some rider he had never seen before inside the Weyr and some he had seen and knew very well. Not once had he been bothered by this ordeal as he had grown used to such situations. Weyr-life expected that such should happen and that riders were forced to adjust. Hold bred or otherwise.

Except this morning was different from all the other mornings. His heart wasn't prepared for the sight of the man next to him. Light green eyes felt tears pooling in them as he looked at the slumbering male. Broad shoulders, golden skin rising and falling with each calm breath. The shock of jet black hair falling lightly across closed eyes.

He felt a tad betrayed by Piqueth's choice in this flight as he looked at the man, whose name he knew well, T'mas. T'mas was a stoic man who rode the largest bronze dragon of the Weyr. It was odd that the man was not Weyrleader already for his bronze was sure to capture any Queen that rose to the sky. However his dragon Sigeth seemed to enjoy catching greens more than anything.

_Why? _

He sobbed softly, hastily escaping from the bed, grabbing whatever clothes he could find and throwing them on. He ignored the pain that ran up his back and the complaints of sore muscles as he dashed out of the weyr, past his contently slumbering Piqueth and into the bowl.

He was careful to guard his emotions, slipping on the soft sand of the bowl as he ran down to the lake. He had a special hide-away there, a place where he could be alone with his thoughts, a place where he had hidden to avoid trouble or duties.

_Why? Of all the greens why did he have to fly mine…?_

He angrily wiped the tears from his face, huddling up into a ball inside the small crevasse in the stone wall of the bowl. His heart hurt within his chest as he kept quiet and just kept repeating the same line over and over again.

His pain was caused from his emotions for the bronze rider. Piqueth was two clutches after Sigeth's clutch. As such L'kar was younger than the bronze rider by a full four turns and thus he was still a little fragile when it came to his emotions. Despite the many turns of having paired with his green and being the focal point of many a flight.

It was simple, the reason why he was reacting this way to the pairing of this flight. T'mas held a special place in L'kar's heart more so than any rider he had ever met within the Weyr or outside of its walls.

He loved T'mas. So deeply it was almost able to rival the love he had for Piqueth. That was why he felt betrayed by Piqueth's choice of Sigeth. Why he was so shell shocked to wake next to the man he had fallen for.

His heart had not been ready. He had not wanted things to happen this way between the two of them. Running out on the slumbering bronze rider probably made things even worse than he realized.

He cursed himself for his folly. He should have acted better than this.

_He might not like me now… It was rude of me to leave him there alone…._ He thought to himself, peeking through the crack to where he could see the entirety of the Bowl, catching the glimpse of dragonriders milling about for the day. He caught the sight of that familiar shock of black hair, still mussed from the night's activities of the evening flight.

_The damage is done…. I have no hope now…_ He sighed. It was time to pry himself away from his cubby and back to check on Piqueth. He knew other riders will note T'mas' arrival alone into the dining hall that morning instead of being escorted by L'kar. As was the custom after a mating flight.

The consequences would have to wait. Right now his dragon came first and then himself. His jade green eyes looked up at the massive green, larger than the usual greens that had hatched. In fact she was the largest one out of her clutch. He ran a hand over the smooth hide, delighting in the shade of green it was for it matched the color of his eyes.

Many a blue and brown rider had commented on that fact before, causing him to beam slightly with the remarks. She grumbled and stirred at the feeling of his hand moving down her side. Lids slid back and revealed sleepy eyes that swirled a nice shade of blue-green. Her massive head lifted from the ground and gently pushed her nose against his side.

_Morning love…_ He smiled up at her, hands reaching up and rubbing her eye ridges, causing him to chuckle at her croon and forget his earlier distress.

_Morning to you to…._ The soft feminine voice echoed in his mind as the green shifted to her feet and stretched herself out in the weyr.

_How are you feeling? _

_Fine as always…_ She scoffed, tilting her head to the side, sensing the still roiling emotions her rider was experiencing. _Something troubles you… have I done something wrong?_ Piqueth quested, eyes whirling yellow as she became worried for her rider, wondering if she had erred somehow.

_Its nothing… don't worry love. You haven't done anything wrong… go back to sleep. _L'kar replied, reassuring her he was fine before heading down himself to get food. Maybe he would locate Selina, another green rider and ask her for advice while he was down there. Though he was usually the one to give the younger green rider advice for she was still adjusting to her new life.

~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

The noise the eating area seemed light and jovial as dragonriders and weyrfolk alike got the simple breakfast of _klah_ and the leftovers of the other night. It seems the Headwoman was fighting off a cold after her accidental drop into the lake the other day.

The five Weyrwoman sat at their table, each one engrossed in their debate over thread and the challenges every rider was facing with the fact that after this thread will not fall. Each female at the table was the symbol of power for the Weyr itself and every dragon followed the commands of the Queens, young or old.

A few bronze riders came to join them, one of the being the Weyrleader and the others the current weyrmates of the highly ranked women. The other bronzes of the Weyr sat anywhere else as every color sat in a jumble. When you rode a green, blue or brown… it didn't matter who was sitting next to you. In all of Pernese history blues and greens never obtained a position of power in the Weyr. A few browns had once, but never a blue or a green. It was almost frustrating that the more essential dragons to a fighting wing were the lowest of the pack.

Such was the fate of those who were chosen by the more numerous colors.

L'kar shook himself from his rampant thoughts, letting out a sigh as the hall quieted slightly after his entrance. At once he could hear the gossip flitting about between all the riders of how rudely he had treated T'mas. A bronze rider being treated like that by a green rider was… a bit of a scandal within the Weyr.

He hung his head in shame, noting that T'mas was no where to be seen as he moved to sit next to Selina without saying a word. The small female tilted her head to the side, reddish-brown hair falling across her shoulder as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"What happened? It's so odd that you left a rider alone and to walk himself down to the hall this morning." She quested, pouring him a cup of _klah_ for he had yet to do so himself. She then scowled before filling his plate full of food and pushing it under his nose. "Besides that…. Get something in you already. After such a long flight you need to eat…"

L'kar had shrugged his shoulders, not wanting to talk about it with so many others around the two of them. He gave in to her insistence and started to pick at his plate before finally slipping a slice of roasted wherry through his lips. Once the still flavorful meat hit his tongue he finally realized that he was indeed starving and quickly tucked into the meal, pausing to swig down some more of the bitter morning _klah_ before it could get cold.

Selina laughed, rubbing her fellow green rider's back. "Take it easy… we can't have you wind up choking like some ravenous hatchling can we? The food isn't going anywhere…" She teased, brushing back her long hair, feeling it come to rest at the middle of her back.

L'kar smiled at her jibe and slowed down. He was feeling better again with just talking to her like this. "Alright… geeze… you can be worse than a mad wherry…" He teased back, chuckling at her indignant glare.

"Humph..." She pouted, crossing her arms and looking away from him. She couldn't hide herself long before laughing freely and leaned against him. "There we go… that's my old L'kar…" She looked relieved, soft blue eyes reflecting her relief. "Come… let's get moving before J'ter arrives. He has a lesson to learn…" She grinned, barely hiding the tinge of anger beneath that grin though.

"Oh dear… are you two fighting again? What did he do this time?" He quested, moving to stand with her, grabbing their dishes and leaving them in the regular drop off area and heading out of the clamor of other riders still eating.

Selina and J'ter were an item. Her green Rigedth had been caught by his blue Narteth during her last flight. This worked well in Selina's favor for she had fallen head over heels for the blue rider ever since he searched her out from the minor hold she once lived in.

"It's not like he did something, but more like he didn't do something!" She ranted, launching into the tale of their more recent struggles of being together. As she talked her hands waved animatedly through the air, accenting just how annoyed she was right now with the blue rider. As usual L'kar just listened to her ranting as they walked towards her weyr, waiting until she was finished before offering any advice.

"Well… you should talk to him more. Communication is the key for any relationship. You can ask any person in this Weyr and outside it and they will tell you the same exact thing. J'ter might still be feeling a little unsure on how to deal with such a wild woman like your-self." He teased, causing her to blush a deep shade of red, rivaling the Red Star with how deep it was.

"Oh… fine…." She grumbled, deciding right there and then was the best time to stop herself from mentioning anything else concerning her and her weyrmate. "Tell me about what happened… I am slightly concerned L'kar." She offered him a seat before taking her own, waving Rigedth's curious head out of her section of the weyr to leave them alone.

L'kar scowled. After the pleasant forgetting of the past events she had to drag up something he still didn't really want to talk about with her. The look in her eyes eventually convinced him to talk with her. He could trust her.

"I…" He didn't know where to start. He felt confused and suddenly very foolish as he looked away from her, glaring at the wall in his frustration. "I didn't want to be paired with T'mas…." He finally blurted out, ignoring those blue eyes going wide in shock and a hand covering her mouth.

He swore they widened so much that he could see himself from the corner of his eye reflected in hers. He growled, taking in the messy tangles of his rich umber colored hair, the slight baggage under his eyes and his wrinkled clothes. He was an embarrassment. He had been looked at just because of his appearance as well. Was that….?! He reached up and touched a small bruise-like mark that covered a small area of his neck.

As he did so he noticed that he was littered with the small marks and felt a mix of heat and emotional turmoil race through him. Selina seemed to understand that he had just finally taken thought to just how he looked and covered her mouth.

"T'mas seems to be quite the amorous lover despite that stoic exterior…" She teased, letting out her laughter with the shocked look on L'kar's face before he shouted at her to silence herself in his embarrassment.

"So why did you not want to be paired with him? Who wouldn't want a bronze rider to pair with? We all know they can be the best bed-mates in a flight…." She commented, after getting herself back under control.

"I… its complicated…" He murmured, trying to hastily readjust his clothes and hair to hide the many marks that littered his body and were exposed. He threw up his hands, finally giving up in his efforts as they were proving to be fruitless.

Selina looked cross as she flicked him harshly on the nose and glared at him. He could feel the weight of her dragon's eyes boring into his back from her section of the weyr. "L'kar… complicated or not there is still no reason to treat him that way. No matter how he acts…." She chided as she stood, hands on her hips and almost acting like an enraged Weyrwoman.

The sight was quite comical as the short woman glared up at him. She was at least a full two heads shorter than he was, but had signs she was still growing. She had two turns before it could be deemed that she was done with her growth.

"Look… promise to keep this quiet…." He murmured, forcing her to sit back down as he let out another sigh. How many times would he be doing this today? He wondered to himself as he tried to gather the will to explain things as best as he could to her.

"What do I look like? Some gossiping fire-lizard?" She scoffed, looking a tad hurt that he hadn't really thought her close enough to share any secrets with her. Despite the fact the two had been close for at least three turns now. He had been her mentor ever since Rigedth hatched and impressed her.

"No… sorry…" He hadn't realized how much that had hurt her and felt a tad guilty for not having told her sooner. "He didn't do anything wrong…. He is not guilty at all and I agree did not warrant such treatment from me." He sighed.

"You see… I… am in love with him…. Not just some girly crush and wanting to spend some nights in his bed…. This is something deep, something on par with how I feel about Piqueth." He rushed out. Love was an emotion that became hard for dragonriders to grasp and cling to. Yes there was attraction, but with how dragons were it made it very hard to actually settle on one person and be set for life.

Essentially, your one and true lifemate was your dragon. Those you happened to be with were temporary and strained at best. For dragons chose who flew them, not the rider. A few riders were able to cope with their unique situation by really understanding that the nature of dragons will never change.

They would spend many nights together, but if their dragon flew with another, that night had a chance of being spent with another. Before they could resume their relationship as it was before.

It was rough riding a green for it could eventually be a strain. Such that one is forced to hide how much of a strain it is from the very dragon they love so much. Queens suffered the same fate, but not as frequently as Greens. Besides, with the lower number of Bronzes it also happened rarely. Some Queens were caught by the same Bronze for many turns before choosing another.

So love was a harsh emotion to deal with because of the infrequency of dragons.

It was why so many hold-bred riders took so long to adjust. Hell, there have been a few that literally couldn't take such a drastic change and showed signs of being a tad messed up in the head.

So Selina was a little stunned. She had been hold-bred true, but she was able to adjust better due to her younger age of impression and not having the rules of hold-life beat into her. "You can't be serious… L'kar…. He's a bronze rider! Best bed-mates they may be, but we all know most of them only bed with us greens until the next Queen rises! How could you have fallen for one of them…" She hissed.

L'kar hissed back. "Because I hadn't known back then that he had impressed a bronze!" He shouted at her, feeling slightly wounded with her outrage. He quickly ducked and ran closer to the door as Rigedth sent a warning growl towards him.

Selina quickly ran over to calm the upset dragon, crooning to her and eventually getting the worried green back to resting. "I'm sorry L'kar… I didn't mean to…"

He shook his head. "No I'm sorry… I upset Rigedth…" He brushed back his hair and shook himself and tried to calm down. Rigedth had actually frightened him slightly. "I-I…. I need to go…." He stammered and quickly left the weyr, bumping into a shocked J'ter on his way out and running off down the hall.

J'ter blinked, brown eyes looking confused as he entered Selina's weyr. "What was that about? Narteth told me something had upset Rigedth so I came to check on you…"

Selina looked to him, a few tears in her eyes. "It was more my fault than his…. Oh J'ter…." She suddenly charged him and buried her face into his chest.

The blue rider was slightly confused, but rubbed her back soothingly. He decided it would be best to calm her down before figuring out just what was going on. One moment she was angry with him and now she was crying into his chest. Seriously, she was such a handful…. But one that he had a soft spot for.

~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

Before the noon-time meal they got the call for thread and all riders alike rushed to strap their harnesses to their dragons. Change into their riding gear and get their bags of firestone for the first portion of the flight. Dragons hic-upped flames after filling themselves with firestone, filling the air with the scent of the burning gas and flames.

One by one the wings took to the sky and vanished between and over one of the minor holds they protected. L'kar was one of the first to go before Selina and J'ter were to arrive on scene. The two happened to be in the same wing. L'kar knew those of his wing very well, but it was the wing next to his that seemed to bother him. T'mas was in that wing, leading it against thread.

There wasn't much time to exchange pleasantries as the sky darkened slightly. The wing above his cheered as they caught that silver shimmer against the sky, dragons erupting flames from their mouths and searing the deadly organism into mere ash.

With that the chaos, as holders below could only see, began. Dragons were ducking, diving, letting loose their flames against the thread. Some winked _between_ with a cry as an unseen clump landed upon them or their rider. Some returned and continued to fight, injured minor enough that they were not bothered by them. Those who did not return most have fled to the Weyr and in the worst case scenario…. Fled forever. The injuries harsh enough that dragons knew better or riders had perished.

There was no time to mourn as a few re-fueled their dragons at a safe distance; others caught sacks of fire stone for they had already ran low. This fall was thicker than usual and caused for more flame in order to hit every clump.

L'kar had no time to worry about Selina and J'ter as Piqueth dived, narrowly missing a clump of thread that would have eaten into her wing. He checked to make sure that the Queen's Wing beneath them had caught the stuff before it could burrow into the forest beneath them.

His break was coming up for while greens were speedy and useful during a fall, they however had less endurance than the tad slower blues. He let out a sigh as Piqueth dodged another dragon, the two barely avoiding collision and flaming each other before he caught the hand signal that the greens of the currently fighting wings were to swap out with the greens of the same wing back at the Weyr.

_Let's go Piqueth… back to the Weyr…_ She bugled in response, her massive bulk suddenly darting in front of the fall, getting the coordinates before winking _between_ and back for a chance to rest.

Just as he arrived with the other greens, those on reserve took off with their own cheers and winked out of the air and to all the fighting dragons over the hold. Before she landed, Piqueth purged her stomach of the used up firestone before it could become fatal for her. Weyrlings quickly rushed to clean up the smelly mass of stomach juices and used firestone from the bowl to keep it clean.

A few younger riders ran up to check and make sure he wasn't one of the injured that had kept on fighting despite knowing better. Agitated and in need of rest he sent them a glare that caused the still learning young ones to scatter away from him and to other riders.

The pair quickly exited the bowl to make room for other dragons and to not be confused as one of the injured. _Love… please contact Rigedth… ask if Selina and J'ter are alright…_

_Anything for you love…._ She replied, going quiet for a moment before drifting back to him. _Selina is fine, Rigedth says she was hit by a stray thread but they winked between before it could cause serious damage. Narteth has informed me J'ter is fine. Though he is making a fool of himself at the moment…._ Piqueth sounded amused from something else the blue had said to her, but had chosen to not tell him.

L'kar was fine with that because he got a picture suddenly from Piqueth of J'ter hovering worriedly over her as two Weyrlings tended to her arm and leg. He shook his head, reaching for the set up cups of _klah_ and meat-rolls for those who were taking a break before returning to fight Pern's menace.

His moment of peace was interrupted however as T'mas moved next to him. The bronze rider looked a tad rough but seemed to be in one piece. Noting that caused him to feel some relief that he hadn't gotten injured… well. He might not have, but Sigeth could have gotten hurt.

_Piqueth… check on Sigeth… is he alright? _He quested of his dragon, awaiting her reply. As he did he tried to make himself small and unnoticeable to the weary rider, but as the dark haired man turned, steel-grey eyes fell upon him. It was too late for escape.

_Sigeth is just tired and his wingtip has been injured. Anything else love?_ She quested, looking at him from where she and the other greens were resting, eyes whirling with concern and worry.

_No… just rest love…_ He replied, backing up as T'mas took a step towards him. His heartbeat was racing with his nervousness and his need to cut off his emotions from Piqueth.

The bronze rider had tilted his head to the side slightly, his usually blank face expressing a hint of concern for L'kar. He stopped his advance, much to L'kar's relief as he exhaled. "Did… I do something to hurt you?" T'mas quested in an almost flat voice, a tinge of worry barely highlighted.

L'kar noticed the worry and bit his lip, feeling unsure of how to proceed in this situation. "N-n-no…" He stammered, turning crimson as he could see a few riders had caught sight of them and were eyeing the pair with interest.

T'mas looked like he was about to say something, his fingers twitched along with his arm, but it remained at his side. "I see… then… why?" He asked, referring to this morning and how he had awoke alone in the bed and sensed he had been deserted.

L'kar scowled, not ready to reveal himself to this man at all. "It's none of your business…." He growled, just wanting some distance to think about this. He tried to move and run back to Piqueth, but an iron grip snaked around his bicep and kept him from vanishing in the crowd of riders flooding towards the _klah_ stand.

"Wait…" Came T'mas' voice, wavering slightly with some emotion L'kar could not out a name to. "Don't go… I sense it is my business… or at least something I should know." There was a tinge of anger to that flat voice and it caused L'kar alarm as he swung and faced T'mas.

He was unaware of the tears that were quickly pooling in his eyes or just how he looked to the shocked bronze rider. "Just because you ride bronze doesn't mean you have the right to every detail of my life!" He shouted, the green rider was angry that T'mas wouldn't leave him alone and angry at himself for being a bit of a coward.

Then without warning a slap echoed in the air and riders froze, their eyes flocking to the red faced L'kar and the glowing red handprint on T'mas' cheek. There was a collective gasp from such a bold move on L'kar's part. No green rider was ever so bold to slap a bronze rider so openly.

T'mas released his grip in his shock, letting L'kar escape into the crowd and from sight. The steel-grey gaze blinked rapidly and then he lowered his head. He was greatly confused and suddenly became aware of the eyes that fell upon him. He could see it now, they were judging him and wondering if he was a harsh man to cause a green rider so much distress.

He didn't think he was a rough and mean tempered man. Something else was bothering Piqueth's rider and he knew it had something to do with him. He just had no idea what that might be.

_TBC…_


	2. Fire Lizard Folly

**Those Who Ride Green**

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Dragonriders of Pern. All rights belong to Anne McCaffrey. I do however own L'kar, Piqueth, T'mas, Sigeth, and any OCs that I have created for this tale._

_**Chapter Two: **__Fire Lizard Folly_

The truth was he had meant to deck T'mas flat with his fist, but he couldn't bring himself to dish out such harm. Thus he slapped the older rider. His hand burned along with his face. Piqueth crooned to him as he walked near, upset that he had seemed to cause her worry as well from the yellow in her eyes.

_What happened? I felt pain come from you…_ She murmured, nosing him before wrapping her entire body around him._ Tell me what is wrong... I sense much distress from you._

_I guess I can't keep it from you…_ He touched her nose and rubbed her eye ridge, feeling bad to have caused her worry once more. At least he had yet to upset her greatly. He sighed, glad that she was in the middle of a sea of green bodies at one side of the bowl. If he were to be followed it would take his follower some time to reach him.

_I am confused, worried, upset…_ He started and tried to explain the situation to her, amused by her acting interested. Draconic memory told him she had already forgotten everything he said and she could not grasp the complexities of being human. Though, she seemed to try harder than other dragons.

When he finished she just nosed him gently again, trying to comfort him. _If you like him so much… tell him. Something like that should not cause you so much distress…._ She murmured, speaking with the simple view of any dragon. She seemed to drift off, contemplating for a moment just what bizarre beings the riders of every dragon were.

"It's not that easy love…" He spoke out loud, still beaming nothing but warmth and love to her, keeping her at ease. The two did not have much time left before a dragon's cry above them announced the arrival of the greens and a few other dragons needing to swap out before the final moments of the fall.

L'kar was quick to his feet; up on Piqueth's back and gone _between_ to where the other riders had told them to go to.

* * *

"T'mas! What happened just now?" A smaller man shouted that seemed to be all muscle despite his size. He had a shock of blonde hair and blue eyes that were vibrant as the jewels dug out of the soil. His name was T'ron, rider of the brown Charnth and a close friend of T'mas.

"I'm not quiet sure…" The bronze rider murmured his cheek still stinging from the slap. He had been prepared to be punched, but being slapped? By a man? It was something new to him.

"Tch… that looks like it hurts man… you should ask for some numbweed or a cool cloth to ease that angry red…" He sucked in his breath, eyeing the perfect handprint carefully before bursting out in laughter. "I must admit that was funny! Who ever thought such a slender and lean rider could pack that much force…. It might be worse had he punched you….!" He kept laughing, ignoring the angry glare T'mas sent him.

"Shut it…. Shards…!" He growled. "I can't understand that rider at all!" He grumbled, loosing that stoic exterior as he lashed out at the wall, wincing as he only caused harm to his knuckles.

T'ron sighed and shook his head. "You should at least know his name… maybe that is his issue?" He quested. He knew L'kar very well since he was the one who searched him from his hold. He even recalled his name before impression. Leirkar, a very unusual name possibly because minor holds tend to get more creative in naming their children than those in major holds.

T'mas blinked and tilted his head, tapping a finger to his chin in thought. "Ah… is he that lad you searched all fourteen turns ago? What was it…? Leirkar right?" He brightened, looking slightly chagrined that a brown rider had known this necessary piece of information whereas he had forgotten.

T'ron nodded. "Yes… I can still recall that innocent and wide eyed stare of his when he saw you… that was when Sigeth was recovering from a stickle-bush accident and you couldn't ride him yet."

T'mas grimaced, recalling that accident. They had been out enjoying a rest day when Sigeth decided he was hungry and chased after a wherry. Only to roar in surprise as the frantic animal managed to trick him into stepping on a stickle-bush. It took hours to get the lump of flesh to sit still long enough to pull out the dangerous slivers. And the dragon was grounded until the wounds healed all the way.

"Ah yes… he was the only one we found at that hold…" He murmured, recalling the small boy, four turns younger than himself. He had been amused with the look of adoration on his face with the sight to two dragonriders visiting the hold. Cheeks were still chubby, his face dirty from the labor out in the fields. It was quite an endearing sight the child-like cuteness the rider once possessed.

T'ron nodded. "I knew he would impress, but I wasn't expecting a green to pick him. I thought he would be chosen by a brown." He contemplated, barely noticing the vacant stare of his wing leader. "Hmm…" A thought came to him as that innocent stare entered his mind and of the current situation between the two riders. "I think he remembered you T'mas… maybe he… hadn't wanted Sigeth to catch Piqueth and share his bed with you…"

T'mas blinked, taken aback by his friend's bold statement. "You really think that might be it?" It did make some more sense now that he had known just who L'kar really was now.

T'ron nodded, lightly smacking the back of the bronze rider's head as he scoffed. "Of course… recall that innocent, admiring gaze? He would not take his eyes off of you the entire time you were there…. Maybe the thought of being bed by you ruined that image he had of you…?" He offered.

T'mas cocked his head to the side, a thoughtful look crossing his face as he took that into consideration. The boy had only twelve turns to his name so he of course would admire the first two riders he ever met. He felt more foolish than a fire lizard as it became clear to him, but just barely.

"What do you suggest I do then? Ignore him? Pretend it never happened and go back to my usual solitary life until the next dragon rises? That hardly seems fair…." He scoffed, a glimmer of the apparent haughtiness of a bronze rider coming through his voice and posture.

The brown rider just shook his head. "I don't know… that is between you and him. I however have a beautiful brown to attend to…." He gave his friend a pat. "You two should just get to talking. Bug him until he caves…. Greens can be stubborn too, but push them enough and they will crumble…" He teased.

Laughter boomed from the usually quite T'mas. "Of course… you would know best!" He taunted, referring to the troubles his friend had with a few green riders before.

With that the two parted to check on their dragons and settle down and encourage their lifemates to heal quickly so they could be a part of the next fall.

* * *

A sigh escaped him was the fall was finally over and they were safe within their weyr. After checking Piqueth over in case an injury went unnoticed, L'kar finally found he was able to relax. The tension from the flight just seeping away from his body as he sat next to the now sleeping green, both rider and dragon exhausted from fighting.

"Ah man… normally I don't mind flying… but that was one hell of a nasty fall…" He grumbled. After many turns of being able to fight thread most falls produced only minor injuries and a handful of serious ones. This fall however was like the early days of terror fighting thread this pass when riders had vanished between with their dragons in large numbers. Overall it seemed L'kar was lucky to avoid getting hit this fall and so was Piqueth. The majority of riders that went out to fight were injured in some way or their dragon was. One wing was caught by an unseen clump and lost a quarter of their wing between.

"We were lucky this time… but we might not be next time…" He murmured. He was a skilled fighter, but even he suffered injury in his earlier days. As he thought about it his hand moved to his upper thigh and traced a line down his leg. He had gotten caught by thread on his leg and the nasty organism at once seared through it all the way down to his foot. Piqueth was young and had accidentally caused the brush of thread against his thigh, but quickly winked _between_ to save his leg.

After sitting in silence for a long time, eyes closed as he rested mentally, the slender male stood up and quietly slipped out of the weyr to check on Selina. Moving quickly through the halls and dodging people as he went for the passages to the lower ranked dragons were always busier in the sense of the number of people milling about.

J'ter greeted him at her door and looked slightly haggard, the blue rider was obviously suffering from the current state his weyrmate was in. "Oh… it's you. Come on in… She's in a bit of a sour mood so seeing you might help…" He whispered as he pulled the rider inside the room.

Understanding the severity of her injuries he quietly moved to where she was laying in her own bed, glaring at the ceiling. He felt a tad worried as he took in the heavily bandaged arm with faint blotches of red seeping through and the bandages wrapping around her forehead.

He had heard the story from J'ter. Rigedth was doing fine but had slipped into the ranks of another wing in the confusion of actual battle. Just as luck would have it that wing had been the one hit with the invisible clump of thread from above. The pesky mindless creature had attacked her arm, but most of the clump had hit Rigedth.

She was doing fine but that maybe because the healers had knocked the dragon out in order to care for her. When the pair landed Selina fell off her dragon, hence the bandages on her head and had been fine until her dragon was knocked out. Rigedth was grounded for what would be six months of healing. The main sails of her wings had been shredded and barely salvaged. There were also the severe scores on her back and sides that had to heal.

L'kar looked at the pitiful sight of the sleeping dragon and lowered his eyes. It was painful to see any dragon like that and with such injuries. There was a good chance Rigedth was never going to be able to fly.

Eyelids fluttered open as L'kar took a seat next to her bed. Selina smiled and let out a chuckle. "Hah… look at me…" Her words were pained as she shifted and looked at her arm. "I'm surprised I still have this thing working… I'm surprised I'm alive at all…" She let out another pained chuckle as J'ter moved to sit next to L'kar.

The green rider just smiled, noting the tears J'ter was trying to hold back as he tried to keep Selina feeling better. "I am too… though maybe you should have stayed grounded the first time you went in…" He chided and she looked away and nodded.

"I could have avoided this… but… Dragonmen must fly…"

"When thread is in the sky…" L'kar nodded. "I understand…" He murmured as he gripped her hand.

"Oh… L'kar… please tell me… how is she? J'ter refuses to tell me!" She sent him an angry look as she pleaded with him.

This time L'kar looked away from her. "It's… Its really bad Selina… she may not fly even after she has healed…" He murmured despite J'ter's angry look. It wasn't right to keep a rider from knowing her dragon's condition.

He felt his heart wrench as the muffled sounds of Selina's crying reached his ears. Being told you could never fly was heartbreaking for any rider and was harder for the dragons as well. If the dragon was able to live through the night after all… and that thought was causing the tension and worry the three close friends could all feel

J'ter consoled her as L'kar stood after kissing the back of her hand. "I'm sorry Selina… please rest and keep your mind clear… Rigedth needs to rest… just like you…" He murmured as he poured a glass of _klah_ and added some fellis juice to put her to sleep.

"J'ter…" L'kar began but the blue shook his head.

"I know… don't worry… I'll keep an eye on them tonight… You'll know… if anything should happen…" He murmured and lowered his head as the mere thought brought the jovial rider down.

He nodded before leaving; his mood had sunk low as he looked over his shoulder at the weyr. If they lost Rigedth… they may just loose Selina and the thought was enough to make him feel a sharp pain in his chest. "Please hang in there Rigedth… please be a miracle…" He murmured under his breath as he retreated to his weyr.

Dragonrider life was hard. You never knew when you would loose someone. You never knew how long they had left within this realm before they vanished or lost themselves in the despair of loosing their dragon.

Uneasy and depressed L'kar finally retired to his bed and slept.

* * *

The next morning was grim as the mournful cries of dragons went off throughout the Weyr and woke a restless L'kar.

_Rigedth has gone between…_ came the sleepy voice of Piqueth as she looked to her rider and continued her mournful cry.

Without much thought the worried green rider ran barefoot through the halls down to Selina's weyr. He stopped at her door as he heard her frantic cries and J'ter fighting with her to keep her sane and alive. He entered and struggled to help him keep Selina still long enough to get fellis laced _klah_ into her. It took a good twenty minutes before she finally went down and slept.

J'ter wiped her face clean of her tears and began to check the injured arm and fix the reopened wounds. The blue rider sniffed as he fought tears and took the items L'kar silently handed him to repair the arm. "She's never going to be the same… I knew it might happen… I knew this could happen to her…" He trembled with anger and other emotions as L'kar just silently consoled the fellow rider.

"When I saw her after I landed… I knew Rigedth… wouldn't make it… the wounds were too serious… the wings too far gone…" He murmured as he wrapped the arm again and pressed his palms against his eyes. "I know… that being a rider… there is always this chance… L'kar… I'm afraid to loose her…" He murmured.

"I know… I am too… I understand what you are going through…" He murmured softly as he bit his lip hard. "She is my closest friend and very much a sister to me…" He murmured and the two of them sat there quietly, J'ter trembling and L'kar biting his lip as he kept his emotions in check.

And so the morning passed somber and heavy as other dragons vanished _between_ because of the loss of their rider. Such is the grim life of those who Pern calls heroes and look to for safety and peace.

* * *

T'mas sighed as he sat against the wall of the Bowl and pinched the bridge of his nose. He had just come from a meeting and had not liked what he had heard. The numbers of the Weyr lost was larger than they expected. And too many dragons were grounded for a lot of wings and thus they argued as they split the remaining dragons of the wing hit the most into other wings to fill gaps within the ranks.

Let's leave it there, for it was hell dealing with some of the older riders and more arrogant riders as they sought only the best for the wing after finally warming to the idea. Being a Wingleader himself, T'mas had no issue with this for he saw the merit in replacing those lost within his wing.

He was feeling rattled and exhausted still after his last night and this morning. It wasn't fun waking to mourning dragons and hearing their cries as others perished. It didn't help that there was a bruise forming on his cheek that throbbed a lot this morning as well since he was able to sleep through the pain at night.

"We'll have to talk to other Weyrs about 'fill ins' for the next fall… after that we'll be able to handle it on our own again…" He murmured for the weyrlings would be fully trained to fight and most of those grounded would be able to fly again.

He shook his head as he watched the Bowl slowly get more and more active from his solitary position against the wall. T'ron was busy tending to his dragon since the wing had gotten hit by thread during the last leg of fall and thus could not bother him. Though he did want some company to help lighten the cloak of darkness covering the hearts of his fellow riders and himself..

He scowled, not knowing a few weyrlings were nearby as he frightened them off without meaning to with the scary look he had made. The angry bruise didn't help that look either. So he continued to sit there, not evening noticing when someone finally approached and that the evening meal was about to begin.

"I believe I owe you an apology bronze rider…" came L'kar's voice as he stood in front of the dazed T'mas, sharply kicking him when he didn't get a response from the rider. "Hey!" He shouted.

T'mas hissed in slight pain as he stood up straight and sent L'kar a glare and looked ready to throw so many curses in his direction before stopping when he saw who it was. "I'm sorry… what was that?" He quested, still a little angry as he rubbed the now sore shin of his leg and brushed dirt off his trousers.

L'kar rolled his eyes as he stood there with his arms crossed. The rider had decided to try and talk to T'mas after all after having spent the day with J'ter as they tended to Selina. There were now bags under his eyes from the mental strain of the day and the signs of held back grief written into his face as he stood there. He had only left her side when she woke again and was abruptly in J'ter's arms and seeking from him what she needed to keep herself stable and to deal with the gaping hole in her heart.

"I said I believe I owe you an apology…" He grumbled, not really wanting to do this but forcing himself anyway. "I had no right to treat you that way… and I had no right to slap you…" He coughed and turned his head for he was really ashamed about that one.

T'mas blinked for he was slightly stunned since he thought the rider was not going to talk to him ever. "It's alright… If you did it I deserved it for some reason… some reason I have yet to know…" He hinted, hoping that L'kar would explain himself.

L'kar glared at him as he thought the bronze rider was pushing his luck. "About that…" His mind rushed for a plausible reason for his actions yesterday and he was glad he had just such an explanation. "Sorry again… you know how high strung some of us greens are after a flight…" He lied through his teeth, though he could feel that some of what he did was the effect of just that.

A bond between rider and dragon is strong and powerful on both rider and dragon. Whatever strong emotion a rider feels the dragon picks up on and vice versa. That is what makes a mating flight such an intense experience for riders and dragons alike as both of them are flooded with an intense need for sex. Some riders after a flight feel a sort of lingering effect of the flight and thus seem very hormonal and act slightly off as both rider and dragon go through the same thing. Each rider is different and greens have been known to go through every swing possible the day after a flight. It's more noticeable in the male riders for they take on female qualities in how they act because of their female dragons.

T'mas nodded. "I understand now… I thought it was because you thought I did not know your name… L'kar… Or because your image of me was ruined." He smiled slightly as L'kar just blinked and looked at him. "Yes… I remember you… T'ron and I searched you fourteen turns ago… you were quite the adorable youngster…" He threw in that tease as he watched the green rider before him.

L'kar was silent and just looked at the bronze rider, his expression hard to read. Inwardly he was all over the place for he wasn't expecting a bronze such as T'mas to know who he was, then he thought of the fact he could very easily have asked someone else yesterday. He was a tad happy that the other could remember searching him, but wasn't happy with the comments about being cute. So he wound up scowling.

"I was not cute!" He grumbled under his breath before sighing and running a hand through his hair. The exhaustion of the day was starting to get to him and even the Weyr was feeling the lack of its usual bustle. There was the chance silence would come after the evening meal as riders would seek peace and comfort on top of rest to prepare for the next day.

The older male chuckled under his breath and shook his head. He was finding there was many complex sides to L'kar and that he was indeed a tad different from the other riders he had met and gotten to know well. The man reached out with his hand as an offering of peace. "Alright… you weren't cute but you did leave an impression. Truce…?" He quested with a warm smile as he waited for him to take the offered hand.

L'kar looked at the offered hand and smiled. He still wasn't too happy with the situation between the two of them, but he was in love with the male in front of him. It was a hard to describe emotion and thinking about it too much made him doubt himself and feel insecure. Something he hated with all his might and tried to ignore. Selina had planted a small seed of doubt in him at one point that his 'love' might be severe adoration and respect, after all T'mas was the one to help locate him when he was searched to be a candidate. T'mas was the one to show him the ropes at the Weyr and helped guide him and coach him for the tense weeks before hatching.

Cautiously he reached out for taking the hand could mean so many different things at once, but he didn't want to lose his chances to be around the other man some more. "Fine… I think I can handle that." He grunted as he tried to play this off and ignore the awkward moment between them. There were questions floating in the back of his mind and he knew T'mas had such questions in the back of his well.

Things were best done slowly however and L'kar gave a lazy way of good bye before leaving T'mas to continue relaxing in his corner. The older male watched the green rider walk off across the bowl and back inside the carved mountain they called home. When he could no longer see L'kar he ran a hand through his hair and looked up.

Tomorrow things would start reverting back to the normal and the work that needed to be done would be finished. Sigeth stirred within the rider's mind as he could sense his rider's current state.

_Don't worry T'mas. Things will work out in the end. The Weyr is still strong and we're the best…_

T'mas chuckled as he could feel the dragon's love and support for him and the slight pride at knowing he was in a 'strong Weyr'. "You're right Sigeth. Besides… all the Weyrs are at full capacity. We will be able to regain our strength quickly." He returned the love to his dragon as he enjoyed his last few minutes before getting up to head to the evening meal.

xXx xXx xXx

Inside the hall was quiet, somber and dull. The food was as hearty as ever and the conversations kept jovial and light but there was no warmth inside the hall. L'kar and J'ter sat at their seats and poked at their food. They had no appetite for their minds were full of fear for Selina's well being. They were also thinking about the shock another friend of theirs would feel after his return from the mission he had been given a month ago.

T'mas was sitting next to his own good friend and found his eyes wandering to the quiet form of his current 'werymate' despite the lack of an actual intimate relationship between them. He hadn't known of the fate of Selina's dragon for so many were lost that morning and just knew everything felt strained. If he had he was sure the meeting they both had earlier that day would have been a little more strained and awkward.

The bronze rider shook his head and felt a little out of touch with his own Weyr. It has hard though to recall the face of every rider and their names. Hard to actually keep track of whose dragon was whose at all times. He was a bronze and was shocked to know he knew little of his fellow brown and blue riders, especially the blue riders. They were almost all but forgotten in his limited views of the Weyr. There was a slight shock as he thought about how forgotten blues and even the greens were. The most numerous type of dragon but the ones with little rank and power.

The rider sighed. It could not be helped however for such was not something that could easily be changed. Things were as they were because it worked and kept things running smooth and nicely. As he thought about it he felt those riders were forced to accept that when they were selected by their life-mates. He could imagine their wild ideas and fantasies about getting chosen by a bronze or a brown and the girls who wanted to be selected by golds. Only to be forced to accept through a slight manipulation by _impression _into being forced to remain at the rank and expectation of those that flew a certain color.

The thoughts though did make him appreciate the lower ranked dragons suddenly. Without them the Weyr would be screwed over and unable to function and fight thread. He smiled as he suddenly had a newfound respect for L'kar as he thought about the situations of being selected by a green. Something else that was never thought of much by those that flew other colors. Imagine being bred a certain way to accept only one form of thought and then finding yourself bonded to a green dragon. A large symbol of what your role would wind up being in the terms of mating flights.

His mind began to wander off as one thought lead to another and the train continued. He didn't even notice the Weyrwoman entered the room until he was pulled to his feet until she took her seat at the right table. She herself look tired and haggard as her soft silver blonde hair did not shine with its usual health and she looked like she needed a good deep sleep and chance to relax. Her soft blue eyes met T'mas' own eyes as she gave a smile.

_Elsina wishes to speak with you…_ came Sigeth's voice and T'mas nodded at her. He wondered what the woman wanted from him for she had her own matters to attend to and not pry her way into what he was dealing with. So with that he finished his meal and prepared himself for talking to the strange woman.

**A/N: **Well there we have it. The second chapter after a long and stressing time period for me. Please feel free to tell me how crappy or strange a turn this chapter took. I have an idea of where I want to go with this idea but no idea how to get it there. :/ I just fail. It's hard since this is such a well loved world and not much is actually known about the other dragons and their riders. It's scary since I am a fan of the novels but I am also a terrible victim to fan-crazed notions… I know I said certain colors will be limited but I felt the Werywoman should at least be known and seen helping out the riders…


End file.

Dragonriders of Pern series, Romance