This is fan fiction in honor of my fascination of Anne McCaffrey's wonderful Pern series and is a sequel to The Red Orb of Pern'. This story, like the last one, is dedicated to and written for a dear friend who is my alpha' this time. I throw out suggestions. He responds, and I write. He critiques and I make corrections. This is written out of my love for the real M'chell.
Comments welcome to quasito_cat@yahoo.com or quasito_cat@hotmail.com
The Black Dragon of Pern
M.C. Gordon
Chapter One
M'chell sat silently at the opening to his weyr. Raganth was asleep, for which M'chell was grateful since his dragon knew his every thought when he was awake. This was not one of the times M'chell wanted Raganth to be aware of him.
Andren and Julani had been his constant companions for the past few days, worry and concern for their friend written across their faces and heard in their voices.
"You're not to blame," Andren had told him time and time again. "You did everything you could." The Healer's voice and hands had been gentle as he changed M'chell's dressings.
The fire had been swift and unexpected. In a Threadfall totally out of pattern N'car had been mortally scored and his dragon, Selth, had followed the offending Thread down to flame it into non-existence. Just before the gentle bronze went between for the final time, he breathed flame and the dry chaff of a grain field was ignited.
M'chell and Raganth saw the carnage below them, as dangerous as Thread for the ground crew included a small holder, his wife, and their three children. Raganth landed as close to the fire as he could and M'chell rushed into the flaming field to try to rescue the small family. He cast his thoughts hard at Raganth and the golden male alerted fire lizards and other dragons. By the time help arrived, it was too late. The family had perished and M'chell had been badly burned in his attempt at rescue.
"I'm worried about him," Julani said as he helped his mate inventory Edmon Weyr's herbal supplies.
Their friendship as children at Edmon had developed into a loving relationship over the years and Andren had willingly accepted Julani's request that they make it one of permanence. Both had been delighted when L'noth and Adelmisa had requested them be assigned to Edmon.
Five years had passed since the mysterious illness which had taken so many lives on Pern. Julani and Andren were both masters of their chosen crafts. Davis had advanced to Journeyman Healer. And L'del had fallen for the charms of a green rider from Nalebad Weyr, leaving Edmon in the middle of the night and a note telling M'chell that it was over between them.
"So am I," Andren replied. "He's always been sensitive to loss of life, especially children since Tomin died. His hands will heal but I'm concerned for his spirit."
"Do you know if L'noth has any plans for him?" Julani asked. "I know he won't be able to fight Thread until his burns have healed."
"I think the Weyrleader is considering asking him to help M'sel with the weyrlings. M'chell is one of the best riders in all of Pern and would be a good teacher."
Chapter Two
Dawn was beautiful most of the time on the deserted beaches of Pern's southern continent. The flyer rose from his simple nest of dried grasses and stretched as he made his way to the opening of the cavern he considered home. He was filled with disappointment. It was raining and doubtful that any clutches would hatch today.
The flyer had been searching for more of his kind as long as he could remember. None of his siblings had reached adulthood, for life at Southern was ruled by the predators. He had watched as his siblings were taken down, one by one, by the large canines and felines who fought each other for dominance. He watched, and he learned how to avoid them until he was old enough to reach the safety of the skies. And now he watched each clutch he found on the hot, sandy beaches, hoping that more of his kind would come into the world.
He was lonely and craved companionship. He could speak with the fire lizards but their minds were a jumble of random thoughts and memories. They told him stories he never could quite believe ... of objects from the sky and creatures unlike any he had ever seen. They told of fire lizards much larger than themselves with those unseen creatures on their backs. And they asked him who was and where he came from. He had no answers for he didn't know.
He sighed and returned to the depths of his cavern. The rain had brought a chill to the air and he drew his wings forward, covering himself for warmth. Perhaps tomorrow the rain and chill would be gone. He would hunt and feed. He always felt better when the air was warm and his stomach was full.
He sat alone in silent melancholy. His instinct told him that he needed another, a reason to continue to exist. But he didn't know why. He sighed again and tried to remember the fire lizard's stories and the images they projected. He never saw any like himself in their images and wondered, not for the first time, if he would be all alone until he went into that cold place one last time and never return. Perhaps tomorrow he would find a clutch and one of the hatchlings would be like him.
Chapter Three
"I can't read some of these," M'chell told Julani. "These hides are so old and worn that the inscriptions are either blurred or missing."
"Let me see," Julani replied.
M'sel had told L'noth that he didn't think working with the weyrlings was working out for M'chell after one seven-day. "His heart isn't in it," M'sel said. "He still feels it's his fault the holder children died, and being around the young weyrlings just reminds him all the time."
"We have to find something to keep him busy," L'noth replied. "He'll only get more and more depressed unless we can keep his mind occupied."
"Then let him work with Harper Julani sorting out all those old hides," Adelmisa suggested. "Our harper decided he wants to write a history of Pern and he's neglecting our healer. I know because I just saw Andren and he's upset because Julani's spending all his time with the old hides and they're not ... well, they're not."
L'noth had laughed at his weyrmate's delicacy, knowing that after years of weyr life she still blushed at the thought of what dragon riders did when they mated. And he sent M'chell to Julani.
Julani took the hide M'chell was holding and squinted his eyes as he looked at it.
"I think it's a tale from olden times," he finally said. "You know, some of these old stories should be told. I think we spend too much time on the teaching songs. I saw one the other day that actually said dragons used to be fire lizards."
"A fire lizard is too small to clutch dragon eggs," Raganth remarked from the ledge where he was sunning himself.
"It's just a tale," M'chell told his queen.
"I don't know about that," Julani said. "I've come across more than one old hide that mentioned breeding programs on the southern continent before everyone had to move north."
M'chell grimaced slightly as he moved his right hand and accidentally bumped it on the table he was sitting at.
"Should I send for Andren?" Julani asked in concern.
"No," M'chell replied. "It's just the numbweed wearing off. I'll be more careful until it's time for Andren to change the dressings."
M'chell's hands were healing and the linen dressing grew lighter each day. Andren promised that the dressings could be removed completely in a few days but it would be a long time before M'chell would be able to fly Raganth during Threadfall.
"Give me another hide and I'll see if it's in better condition than this one," he told Julani.
M'chell knew that L'noth and Adelmisa had sent him to Julani to give him something to do and take his mind from the fire. But the screams of the holder and his family, especially the children, continued to echo in his dreams. He understood the concern of everyone, especially Andren and Julani who had been as brothers to him as long as he could remember. His state of mind was causing them distress, and he didn't even want to think about Lurah, who fussed over him constantly. He needed to be away from Edmon Weyr, to let his mind and body recover.
He glanced at the hide Julani handed him and blinked several times as the words came into focus. It was another tale, a story made up to put children to sleep, a tale of unbelievable things like the yellow and purple dragon Andren had once invented for Tomin and Davis. It was a myth of men who were dragons.
M'chell crept silently from his weyr the next morning. He had packed a change of clothing, light dressings for his hands, a small pot of numbweed, and the hide containing the myth. He had written a message to Julani and Andren telling them that he was off to Southern to see if he could find any truth to the legend of the dragons. He just didn't tell them which legend he was seeking.