[Plot] The Dark Hours

[Jabberwoky]

Whether out of frustration, distress, pain, or simply snapping, Kichsk pulled from Chess and refused to listen to commands or orders. The brown rampaged into the caverns, and several folk have gotten hurt.

In a second, a grim reminder sweeps through the Weyr that whers are indeed dangerous, and not for the faint of heart. Healers are mobilizing, and leadership has come to see how bad things are

[Jabberwoky]

Tuckal was on her feet as quick as she could, which lead to brief lightheadedness. She had to get down there, and Journey was on her shoulder. She had to keep Serapheth in mind, needing to use the gold to broadcast what hopefully would be a good news. She made her way down to the caverns, seeing blood and healers scrambling.

She had to get a handle on this before there was a boar-hunt after the wherhandler, whoever they were.

Chess and Kichsk. Serapheth told her.

All right. Announce to everyone that we need to be calm, and not start on a rampage ourselves.

Serapheth stood at the mouth of the weyr, and bugled to the weyr.

Fort Weyr, Riders, Handlers, and all citizens. Do not go seeking vengeance, we must rally together to be calm and collected. Aid the wounded, and no more.

[FirebrandPhlox]

Chess slung out a string of curses as she chased after Kichsk. Despite her best efforts, he was having trouble adjusting to his new life in the weyr. Bubbling frustrating in the wher had finally boiled over, and now he was on a rampage, snapping and clawing at any who had the unfortunate luck of being in his path.

Kichsk! Get back here! Stop hurtin' people!

The wher didn't respond to Chess' mental cry, instead continuing to bound through the caverns leaving an increasing number of injured in his wake. He snarled as he rushed forward at top speed, his peculiar hopping gait sending a sinister click-click, click-click of his claws against stone as he ran.

"Somebody help!" Chess cried as she ran after the beast. "But don't hurt 'im!"

[Windra]

Cr'dile swept into the caverns. His teeth clamped around some kind of stick, forming deep grooves with his teeth. "What in the Red Star!" he hollered, briefly glimpsing the trail of destruction and glowering in the direction of Chess. He bit back his words only by Serapheth's command and snarled into the air, calling for his own. "Dazth, man the entrance!"

The large brown did as commanded with no hesitation. He slithered to terrace, gliding to the opening in fluid-like motions, and squatted into a predatory stance with neck craned and wedge head drifting side-to-side menacingly.

"Get him under control! What's gotten into him?!" Damn whers, he thought. Invaluable but problematic. He'd heard of the one candidate getting her arm damn-near amputated in the recent incident. Was this going to follow suit? Cr'dile descended to the nearest wounded individual, scooping them up cautiously while firing daggers down the tunnel. If that beast were to come now ... "You've some connection to that thing. If you sense him coming this way, you had better let the rest of us know!"

[Femisis]

"Shards, what in the shells is going on?!" Remy shouted over the din of people rushing left and right through the caverns. Her faint hope that someone would both hear and actually answer was in vain, but got points for trying. The only thing keeping her from getting shoved over was Resk, and he seemed even more confused than she was. They had heard Serapheth, sure, but she hadn't actually explained what the source of the chaos was...

Mmm... wher. Bad wher, make big hurt.

"Bad wher, big hurt?" She repeated, trying to keep the frustration out of her voice. Resk wasn't the brightest bulb in the box on a good day, and now that he was the one relaying information to her out of a confused mess it wasn't going to make much sense. Fortunately, Resk didn't need to try and elaborate as the source himself ran past, followed by an equally distressed handler. She knew of Chess and Kichsk, but as they were recent transplants she didn't know them beyond names and small talk at random intervals. The only thing she knew right now was that the Brown was out of control and someone was going to get killed if he wasn't stopped.

Resk, bless him, seemed to have picked up on this before Remy had finished thinking it and he was off like a shot, growling up a storm. He'd have to catch Kichsk quick, though; he was quick, but he didn't have the stamina for a long chase.

"Can you get him to listen at all?!" Remy yelled at Chess as she joined the chase, though she didn't have much hope of catching the whers, not until one or both of them stopped.

[GalaxyMir]

Moriarty arrived soon after Serapheth’s announcement rang clear through the weyr. Anxiety ran in her veins while Riask obediently galloped at her side , making their way through the maze of halls. The scene Kichsk had left behind unveiled before her, people of the Weyr hurt at the hands of a wher. The sight flooded feelings of anger into Moriarty, if that wher hurt her mother… Hands clenched together and she furrowed her brow.

Pissed beyond comprehension she stormed up to the handler , Riask stepping with caution and unease at the sight of the hurt folk. ”You! You’re the cause of all this! How hard is it to keep a wher under control?! The rest of us do it effortlessly! Get a grip woman!” she snapped at the younger handler, words leaving her mouth before she really thought about them.
Jarri will be a-okay. Do not worry. Don’t scare handler. Must be afraid alreadyThe garnet kept vigilance , her teeth bared , ready to scrap at the sight of a threat. Riask spoke coolly , trying to calm Moriarty down Think. What if it was Riask and not Kichsk.

[Fel]

The day's work had been productive, Marius thought. A hard cheese had been drained and pressed, and some curds had been prepared along with some soft cheeses. All in all, not a bad day.

He checked that there wasn't too much debris or staining from his work on his shirt and, deeming it at least reasonably clean, he decided to head straight from the storeroom where the cheeses were aging to the dining hall instead of returning to his quarters to change.

This proved to be an unfortunate choice. There was almost no warning before he turned the corner and came face to face with a huge brown mass that hit him with the force of a rolling boulder that proceeded to rumble straight over him as he let out a pained, highly undignified scream. He felt claws, an immense weight and piercing pain, and then the boulder continued its inexorable path of destruction down the hall.

What was that?

[nineofswords]

Chaos. Her lower caverns were in chaos. This simply would not do. This was what came of allowing any and every wherhandler into the Weyr, whether or not they were properly trained in the handling of their beasts. And as if one rampaging wher wasn't bad enough, others were coming into add to the chaos.

"CLEAR THE HALLS," Houlihan bellowed. She wasn't the daughter of a rider for nothing. She'd learned to project her voice in emergency situations, and spoke with clear authority. She wouldn't vilify the brownhandler per Tuckal's orders, but she would certainly have words about this later. "Wherhandlers, find healers to assist and make sure the halls are cleared. For the love of everything, don't just let your whers wander down here unattended, even if they are looking for the rogue brown. We don't need more casualties, or for someone to mistake your bond for the one who's clearly lost his mind."

She turned and started directing drudges to either go to the infirmary to start assisting there or else to get to work preparing supplies to help the wounded get there.

[AtlasHyperion]

It was an unfortunate situation. Reinhardt hated when bonds were broken, intentionally or not, it was always sad to see. However, it was not time for reflection and thoughts of a later chat with the wherlingmasters for a new lesson surrounding wher safety- no, it was time to jump into action. As the Wherleader, he had to do something.

He and Reinsk scrambled through the caverns, searching for the handler who's brown was now rampaging. He happened upon Tuckal first. "Good call," he spoke to the weyrwoman, referring to the message sent out by Serapheth. "No need for a riot when there's a real problem afoot. You stay safe and don't overdo it, I'm sure the healers have enough on their plate already." With that, the bronze pair continued on.

Is lot of yelling ahead, think that where wher is? Or handler? Reinsk asked his handler as the two made their way through the halls.

One of them. Stay cautious, we don't know what we'll see when we turn the corner.

Of course, what he saw was exactly what Tuckal had told people not to do- turn against each other. "HEY," he bellowed at the garnethandler who decided that starting shards was a good idea. The pair marched towards the group who had started gathering near the handler. Yes, Reinhardt did think the handler had to be partially at fault for all this, but picking a fight in the middle of a crisis? Very unwise! "This is NOT the time! We don't need to be pointing fingers, we need to get this situation under control! You want to help? Stop yelling and find the forsking wher! Help the healers get the wounded to the infirmary! Block off some of the halls! Fighting is NOT how problems get solved!" He turned to Chess, his volume still quite loud but not with anger, "Any luck with getting through to your wher?"

[FirebrandPhlox]

Kichsk continued his rampage, barreling through the halls of the weyr at top speed. An
unfortunate cheesemaker became the latest victim of the wher, turning a corner just as the
beast was making his way past. The man was lucky to only get knocked over with some
scratches from Kichsk’s claws, the wher did not stop to injure him further.

There was a growing crowd of people and whers chasing him. A blue wher shot ahead of the
group, gaining on Kichsk. He bellowed angrily as he continued to push forward. He wouldn’t let
a mere blue catch him and stop him. He hated these over-crowded caverns and needed to get
out. Nothing was going to stop him, or get in his way.

Please Kichsk, stop it! Come back and we’ll get this all sorted out. You don’t have to hurt
nobody more! Chess continued to plead with her wher, but he continued to ignore her, and did not have a response for her. He only continued to run and thrash.

Chess was suddenly buffeted by the yells of multiple people surrounding her. One even cut her
off in her pursuit to reprimand her, bringing the young handler to a skidding halt. Multiple people shouted at her over her ineptitude, which brought angry tears to her eyes.

”Ah’m tryin’ to get ‘im to listen, Ah really am!” She shouted back at the growing mob
around her. It was easy for them to say she should have better control, they were older or had
more training. Chess had barely even been bonded to Kichsk for a full turn, and she was
figuring out what that meant and how to handle it as she went along. No one had been raising
her as a candidate in the comfort of a weyr, telling her exactly what it would be like to have a
deep mental and emotional connection to a beast nearly her height and more than five times her
weight. She hadn’t asked for this life, it had been suddenly thrust upon her without any sort of
preparation or guidance.

A massive man she vaguely recognized as being in charge of something came and shouted at
the group to stop harassing her. He was certainly intimidating, she would give him that.

”No, Ah can’t get through to ‘im.” She said in an agitated tone, shaking her head. ”Ah’m
tryin’, but he ain’t listenin’ or talkin’ back. He wants to get outside.” Even though the wher had cut off as much communication as he could, Chess could still feel his deep desire to be free of the caverns and away from the constant commotion of the weyr. ”He don’t like all the people here. He wants to get away from it. Ah gotta go help ‘im.” She went to continue her pursuit, doing her best to push the group surrounding her away.

[Windra]

Cr'dile had no inclination to follow the woman in her pursuit of the wher. Let her run to her death. He was human, and a human stood no chance against a mass of muscle like those underground drakes. Thus, he was no fool. Still he growled at her departure and tended to the wounded individual at his hands. He was no Healer but it didn't take two braincells to figure out how to apply pressure to a bleeding orifice.

At least Reinhardt was of sound mind while the others fools were screaming their heads off. "Dazth will call for riders. Dragons are too large to enter the caverns, but they will provide a decent wall against a rampaging beast." There was venom in his words, but with no direction it was hard to tell at whom it was directed.

He didn't need to command it to the brown. Dazth, at his own post, sent a sharp and intense call to riders who were nearby. Dragons of Fort. Your assistance is required. Block all exits from the lower caverns. Do not let the wher escape. Restrain him if captured.

The words do not harm him did not take part of his message. He stood at one entrance in a crouched position, every muscle tight and ready to spring. If the wher came his way, Dazth would be on him.

With one individual tended to, Cr'dile ventured a little further down the halls - not too far, as was said he was no fool - but deep enough to follow a piercing scream that led him to Marius. The brownrider was a tall, strong man. His arms slid under the cheesemaker's and made to haul him down to where the congregation was growing.

"Harden up," he scolded. "You'll be fine. It isn't like he went for the jugular. But quit your screaming lest that draws him back for a second go."

[Jabberwoky]

Tuckal of Gold Serapheth - Chess, Reinhardt

Tuckal could see the worst was still coming, but she hadn't been a Weyrwoman this long for nothing. This was going to go poorly if they kept agitating both wher and handler. Hearing that this wher didn't like the tight confines of the halls, and then Dazth's announcement, she stepped up.

"Handlers! Herd him outside!" She ordered.

Serapheth responded in kind. Dragons! Ignore Dazth's order. Keep the exits clear, we are pushing the wher outside.

Tuckal turned to Chess. "If we can get him outside, maybe he'll calm down enough to hear you. Right now... I don't think there's any getting through to him if he's this agitated. Reinhardt, escort Chess out, make sure no rider or handler tries to harass her. Weyrwoman's orders."

[Agenothree]

It was too early for Rhaadys to be awake by his schedule's standards, but not too early for him to be restless. If he couldn't sleep, he would get up and try everything he could recall that would let him find rest again. If he couldn't sleep and it was close enough to a reasonable awakening for a wherhandler, he would begin his day early. Though he would sometimes permit Dysk to walk alongside him on these wayward wanderings, he would insist on maintaining his solitude more often than not. By Faranth's mercy, today was a day that he allowed Dysk to accompany him, though she said nothing unless he spoke to her first, which he did not. After a couple tumultuous Turns, a comfortable enough routine had formed between them. Dysk realized that it was possible Rhaadys could go no further in accepting her. But she decided that perhaps here and now was enough.

Serapheth's voice ringing through his mind was what first alerted Rhaadys to trouble, followed by shouting echoing from somewhere further within Fort's caverns. Dysk was trying to sense what was happening immediately, as both started moving toward what was causing enough commotion to draw forth Fort's senior leaders. Hearing as those voices swelled in volume, more joining in to make a mass of sound that was almost loud enough to cover up something large moving through fast, both man and wher ventured closer, to answer Tuckal and Serapheth's summons for able-bodied wherhandlers for what crisis was at hand. As he got closer, some voices he could identify. One belonged to a woman he didn't know, but who seemed large and in charge in Fort's Lower Caverns from what he'd observed. More obvious ones occurred to him: a fellow squadrider who went by Moriarty, as well as Wherleader Reinhardt and Weyrwoman Tuckal.

A piercing scream as he emerged from a passage was all Rhaadys had in warning as a brown wher was upon them, trampling a man he didn't know well before clipping him in passing. There was enough momentum behind Kichsk's gallop that Rhaadys' shoulder met a stone wall and he was relatively winded, but he was otherwise unhurt. Though his shoulder smarted and it was a challenge to breathe for a moment, he considered himself lucky that it hadn't been his head that hit stone...or that he had been trampled as Marius was as unfortunate to've been. Rhaadys! Dysk exclaimed as she hurried to check on her handler, briefly registering other whers as all hurried after Kichsk. Rhaadys okay? Not hurt bad? No, I am not badly injured, Rhaadys answered, still a little too breathless to answer verbally. I am rather ashamed to've been caught so off guard, but I'll manage.

Standing to his full height and taking as deep a breath as he could manage, Rhaadys surveyed his surroundings. There was a gathering of humans nearby, some of whom weren't minding whers pursuing a rampaging Kichsk in favor of shouting at who he presumed was Kichsk's handler, who didn't seemed to be holding up well in response. Poor sweetling, Dysk observed as she supported her bonded, her voice saddened, though her front paws tapped nervously for want of direction. Rhaadys made no comment in response. Though he didn't know what had caused Kichsk to go mad, he was confident in his estimate that his handler needed to be more assertive to command him. There was some factor or factors at play that needed immediate correcting, once Kichsk was under control again.

Rhaadys heard orders being given from multiple leaders present, control being asserted to a degree on such a chaotic situation, wherein he made to follow those who pursued Kichsk. But Dysk did not follow, his vision for what they would see through and hers clashing between them, in minds still discordant. "Dysk, it is not a good time for you to be obstinate," he warned lowly, a frown worrying his brow, his face contorted between worry and frustration. Plenty wher chase Kichsk, she countered. Crowded wher do more damage than Kichsk, if not careful. More get hurt, more anger Kichsk. Rhaadys and Dysk help other way. Rhaadys understood what she meant as soon as she said it, but that didn't mean he liked it. While he'd be more at home among those herding Kichsk outside, her idea was as good a compromise as he'd get.

As Cr'dile passed in getting Marius up and away from where whers were rolling through, Rhaadys and Dysk would approach them. "We'll be on casualty detail and damage control, dragonrider," he explained in a cool voice. As she didn't want to address Cr'dile after observing how harsh he'd been to someone so injured, she looked to Marius personally, eyes whirling softly. Rhaadys and Dysk help, if let us, she addressed him in a gentle voice, knowing that she might be a little scary after meeting Kichsk.

[Fel]

Marius grunted as he was bodily lifted from under the arms by a taller man—but then, that was a low bar. He went pale as he looked down and saw red on his previously mostly-clean white shirt, though most of it seemed to be coming from his left sleeve where his arm had been stepped on. There was somewhat less on his chest and one hip.

"Only... only screamed a little..." He said softly, looking around. 'It'? What was 'it?' Was there really a chance it could come back. He started shivering. Fighting monsters was a job for riders, not someone like him. He was just a cheesemaker, nothing more. Or if he ever had been, he certainly wasn't now.

A-and... I can walk on my own."

[Dragon_Dreamer_2018]

Kreta of Blue Eseath - open, Tuckal/leadership


As soon as she was alerted to the situation, Kreta immediately rose to her feet, her brows furrowing.

Shards. I have to go see how bad this is. The Junior Weyrleader beelined for the door, Leirath fluttering over to her shoulder as she strode on out.

Eseath, could you please find out—Yes, on it. One moment. The bluerider nodded as she hurried out into the halls, the blue’s presence in her mind momentarily lessening as the serene dragon listened to the two draconic mindvoices already giving orders.

…ah. Sounds like we have a rampaging wher involved. Please be careful, my dearest Kreta.
Oh. Wonderful. Thank you, m’love. Keep me updated if there’s anything else, please?

Of course.

Kreta forged on ahead, heading down the stairs towards the lower caverns. The Deaf woman fortunately could not hear all the screams and shouting and the din of other such noises, but she could still see, smell and feel the signs of the chaos she was about to step into. Things such as a cracked glowbasket, that had clearly been knocked off the wall. The occasional red splatter scattered here and there on the bare stone, the numbers of which increased the closer she got to the caverns. Torn, tattered clothing scraps, some stained or glistening beneath the glowbaskets’ light. The remnants of someone’s wooden stool, all smashed into pieces as if a large foot had ploughed straight through it. And then—Faranth, whoever this wher was, they had left behind quite the trail of destruction. One that included injured folks. Great. Oh, this is bad, Eseath. Real bad. But hopefully salvageable, I think. Kreta silently counted her lucky stars over the fact that she had had the fortune to have not been in the creature’s path earlier, even as Eseath’s reassuring serenity filled her mind in response, an infectious calm settling over her in the face of the proverbial storm. ..Thanks, love. Also, Serapheth’s right. We do need to make sure those exits are clear. Alert any folks near them please, would you? And keep an eye on things out there, too. Can’t have too many people panicking at once.

Can do. Eseath’s mental presence withdrew, the blue already reaching out to calmly convey Kreta’s request.

As Kreta continued deeper into the disarray that was once orderly caverns, she glimpsed out the corner of her bespectacled eyes the shape of a curly-haired Healer hurrying in, the older woman already moving soothingly among the wounded. Oh good, looked like the healers were mobilising already. She nodded approvingly in their direction, Leirath shifting nervously on her shoulder, as she moved on; the bluerider occasionally helping someone up onto their feet and safely pointing them in the healers’ direction. With a wher clearly on the rampage, well, this was quite the predicament for anyone to deal with. And—ah, there. Tuckal and Reinhardt! She made her way over to them, arriving just as the Wherleader left, among those now in hot pursuit of who she deduced must be the wher in question.

Tuckal? Kreta signed, her fingers easily forming the shape of the sign name she’d given the Weyrwoman, even as she made sure she was visible in Tuckal’s line of sight. Once the Deaf woman felt she had her colleague’s attention, she continued, flexible hands weaving her words into tangibility. Hi. Came as quickly as I could. A rampaging wher is involved, correct? I’ve had Eseath notify any uninvolved people near the exits to keep them clear; figured she is the best dragon to ensure reasonable calm, as she’s practically calm incarnate. And, based on what I have seen on the way here, it looks like the healers have already begun mobilising, which is good. Lots of broken items and injured people though. May I have a quick update of the situation here, please? Eseath is also keeping me updated on the status of things outside too, just in case. If anything goes south out there, we’ll know immediately.

The way Kreta signed was nearly as calm as her dragon’s innate serenity, but if one were to look closer, they’d see that her brown eyes seemed to be aflame, and her spine, straightened steel. As Junior Weyrleader, she was ready to do whatever needed to be done.