Free to Fly: A Dragonriders of Pern FanFiction

Part 17

"Can I see Kila?"

"If she wants to see you."

*~*~*~*~*

Missa got down from the chair and took her wheeled board out into the hallway. Tears dripped from her eyes as she made her way to the infirmary. If Kila had died, the least of Missa's problems would be a lack of a friend. Kila's sweetheart and family would hurt, and probably more than Missa. She peeked her head around the entrance to the infirmary. Several drudges were cleaning and Warrela stood talking to a healer. The Headwoman turned around and saw the girl in the doorway.

"Missa?" Warrela said. Missa rolled all the way into the room. "Did you come to see Kila?"

"Yes," Missa said. "Does she want to see me?"

"Let me go check with her," Warrela said. A few seconds later the Headwoman came back with a kind smile on her face. "Go ahead. She's in the first cavern to your left."

Missa nodded and as she rolled towards the cavern, she heard Warrela call her name again. "You've learned a very hard but valuable lesson. Let it remind you to never be reckless again but use the knowledge you have to temper your decisions in the future." Warrela's earnest but kind gaze allowed Missa to feel the first tingles of appreciation she'd felt in a long time.

"Thank you, Warrela," Missa said. The woman nodded and returned to her conversation.

The cavern was much smaller than her own weyr. It probably only had enough room to fit an average-sized brown. They had strung a hide partition across the one end and that is where Missa found Kila. Sucath raised her head up and snuffed in welcome. Missa swallowed bile as she saw the stitching and shine of numbweed salve on the green's wing. She felt her chin wavering again. What if that had happened to Apeth? She'd never forgive herself for causing her dragon that much pain. She felt overwhelmed with regret that she'd caused Sucath so much pain.

On the bed, Kila lay, head bandaged. She looked to be sleeping until she heard the sound of the rolling wheels and looked up.

"Missa!" the other girl said, a smile spread across her bruised face.

"Oh, Kila I'm so sorry," Missa said, burying her head in the hides at the end of Kila's bed.

"Sorry?" Kila said. "What are you sorry for? I'm the one that went /between/ without making sure I had the clear picture like you told me to. I'm sorry that I got Sucath and I into this mess. I could have killed us both." Tears were leaking from the girl's eyes.

"But I'm the one that taught you how to do it. Maybe I didn't teach it well enough. I got reamed by J'gol for teaching you at all."

"Missa," Kila said, laying a hand on Missa's arm. "I didn't have to /between/. That was my choice. It was my mistake for not doing it like you told me to. Sure, you'll be in trouble with the adults because that's the way adults are. But how do you know I wouldn't have done the same thing after J'gol taught me? I imagine its something I would have tried. I really miss Chasse that much. Truly you are a dear friend for trying to help me."

The first sincere smile spread across Missa's face. "I'm just glad you are both safe. I saw Sucath's stitches. I hope she's not in a lot of pain."

"Not right now, she's not," Kila said. "They've got her salved up with so much numbweed I'm surprised she can feel her wing at all."

"What about you?" Missa said, touching Kila's bandage.

"I still get dizzy spells," she said grimacing. "The healer says that means my brain hasn't healed enough. I hit it hard. She says I was lucky I didn't crack it open."

"Oh, that would be terrible," Missa said. "Can I still come visit you while you're here? They've grounded me except for elevator duty and watch duty until the foreseeable future, so I'll have lots of time to visit."

"Yes, please do," Kila said. "That one healer looks like she sucked on a sour fruit all the time. And she doesn't like talking. Besides reading hides, I've nothing else to do. Would you mind doing me one small favor?"

"Yes, anything," Missa said.

Kila reached over to the little side table set up near her bed and handed a small rolled up hide to her. "Would you see that Chasse get this? I'm sure he's worried sick since I never showed up for our last date."

"I can't take it to him myself but I can make sure it gets sent to the mine," Missa said, tucking it in her belt. "Is that ok?"

"It's enough that he knows I'm not dead at least. You've been a genuine friend, Missa. I'm just sorry it got you into trouble."

"I'd do it again for my friends, but I'd rather not get in trouble next time," Missa said, smiling.

"No doubt," Kila said, smiling back.

*~*~*~*~*

Missa was oiling her latest riding harness when she heard someone fly into her weyr's cavern.

[[ Tranth's rider is here. ]]

Missa's head whipped around just in time to see G'dran walk through her door.

"May I come in?" he said.

"You're already in so I suppose so," she said. "If you're here to scold me for my behavior unbecoming a dragonrider, you can just save it. I've heard it several times over from various older dragonriders and a few kitchen aunties."

G'dran chuckled. "Really? The kitchen aunties?"

"Yes," she said.

"I think you've had enough scolding to last you a lifetime then," G'dran said. "But you can be thankful that's not why I came."

"Why did you come?"

"I wanted to see how you were doing."

"Me? Why would you care?"

"I care a lot, actually."

"Yeah, well, that's not what your face said the day Kila got hurt."

"Missa, my face looked like that because I care. My bright, sassy friend did something that was dangerous and exceptionally stupid and I couldn't believe you'd be capable of something like that."

"Well, apparently I was so you can save me the lecture."

"Missa, I'm not here to lecture you, truly. I just don't see you around and I got concerned."

Missa looked at him. His face seemed sincere. "I don't get around because I don't want to. It's bad enough I'm different from everyone else because of my legs, but it's worse to know they are all looking at me and judging me for what I did."

"Yes, there will always be people who judge you or think ill of you but not everyone does. In half a Turn's time, no one will even remember this happened at all."

"Yeah, right," Missa said.

"You know I never pegged you for a pouter," he said. "It's such a babyish thing to do."

"I am not pouting," Missa insisted, flashing her eyes at G'dran.

"What do you call someone who sits around their weyr doing nothing but oiling their dragon and feeling sorry for themselves?"

She opened her mouth to give G'dran a real zinger of a comeback but couldn't think of any. She sighed. "I'm not feeling sorry for myself."

"If you decide that truly you are not feeling sorry for yourself, you're invited to come to a small gathering over at the sand beaches along the river above the waterfall. We'll be having an evening meal and then splash around in the river with some of us other dragonriders who I know don't judge you for being fifteen Turns old. We'd honestly like to see you there."

"Maybe," she said. "If whatever R'veni has for me doesn't run too long."

"Good. We'll see you in the evening."

She felt like retorting "If I decide to come." but knew it was wasted breath. She knew she was going, and he knew it too.