Dragonflight

A Dragonriders of Pern/Dragon Booster crossover fic. What happens when a lone Dragonrider ends up far from home and in a world where the dragons are completely different from her own?


Jev, I think –

We don’t have time to think, mine!

The world momentarily ceased to exist, then just as quickly reappeared, the utter lack of everything being replaced by a roar, a wind, and a gray haze.

This was...

We need to get out of here.

Get Between, then!

I can’t get level! We'll crash once we get out.

Rise above it, then!

Somehow, they managed to grab the air and rise, but were immediately swept downward in a powerful downdraft.

We don’t have a choice, Jeverinth! Get us out of here!

Once again, the world disappeared, replaced with suffocating blackness, devoid of sound and heat. They had been Between innumerable times before, and this was familiar, albeit still disconcerting. But something was wrong. This was taking too long. And she realized it. They jumped from the frying pan and into the fire. And now they were doomed. I’m sorry, Jeverinth... she whispered as her consciousness failed.

But he would not give up. They would live. Even if they arrived thousands of klicks away from their destination, he would get them home. His focus was waning, but he forced his way out of this dreaded black hole that was Between. They spiraled out of control, then finally landed hard on the roof of some building, skidding off and landing on the ground. Jeverinth groaned quietly, battered and weakened. Looking up, he saw a black and gold dragon approaching. She must be covered in soot... Jeverinth thought, joy trailing his thoughts. But we arrived... was his final thought, before passing out.


There was a flash of gold light as Artha Penn took the amulet out of his gauntlet, causing his blue and gold armor to fade away and his dragon’s gold and black to red and blue. This was the source of the horrible crashing noise. He had been training beneath Beau’s stable when a dull sound echoed down the elevator shaft. He transformed quickly, thinking there was trouble, but all there was was this... thing. It was white, but looked nothing like any Sky-Class he had never seen before. And... was that a human? It was strapped on, and covered in rough brown clothing than hung rather loosely about it.

"Artha!" a familiar voice called, causing the young man to call over his shoulder, "Over here, Dad!" Connor Penn walked up to his son, also looking down at the thing.

"What is it, Dad?" Artha asked, looking to the much wiser man.

"It looks draconic... perhaps they fell from Sun City. Let’s get them inside the temple. They can recover there. Beau?" Connor turned to the gold-boned dragon. "Can you help mag them down?" The breeder called for a cart and a few additional dragons, then looked to Beau. He charged his mag energy, though when the stream connected to the two on the ground, it simply flowed off them. All the dragons tried again, but none could get a mag lock.

"Something is wrong..." Artha said, furrowing his eyebrows. It appeared as if they would have to use some old-fashioned elbow grease... but after tugging, lifting, and shoving, they managed to transport the mystery duo.


She burst from sleep, drenched in cold sweat, panting heavily. Her flailing arm connected with something hard and cold, which she identified as stone. Piecing the evidence together, she guessed she must have been back in her weyr. She felt for Jeverinth, but upon contacting his unconscious mind, she guessed he must still be sleeping. There was no need to wake him because of her bad dream. It felt so real... that thunderstorm, the Thread... she shivered at the thought. Throwing the bedding off, she moved to get off the bed, only to realize she was still clad in her riding leathers. She gritted her teeth against the reminder of her horrible dream. But it couldn’t have been a dream. They must have arrived, and Ayla brought them here. She forced herself to slow her breathing. Hyperventilating wouldn’t solve anything. It was fine. She was home. Forcing herself to calm down, she pulled off her riding leathers and outer clothing, stripping down to a tank top and shorts. Now, to get out of this dark...

She pushed open the metal door (since when was her door metal?), squinting against the bright light. Someone left the glows open... But as her eyes adjusted, what came into view was not the main cavern of her weyr. It was some room made of bluish rock, with giant statues with glowing eyes. And two men, one with black hair, one with none, were talking to each other. Where was she... what was happening? Where was Jeverinth?!

"Where is my dragon?!"


"There’s not much we can do, Artha. Just wait for them to wake up."

Artha sighed, nodding. That wasn’t what he wanted to hear, but he would have to live with it. "I can’t find any traces of draconium in their bones. That’s why we couldn’t mag them," Connor explained, turning to lower a vidd screen.

"But if they don’t have draconium – "

"Where is my dragon?!"

The unfamiliar female voice echoed through the cavern, causing both men to quickly turn around. There they saw the woman they had found, stripped of the strange brown clothes they had found her in, fists clenched in anger, eyes glaring threateningly at them.

"It's ok," Artha said, holding his hands up to show that he meant no harm. "I can lead you to the chamber where he's kept." She relaxed a little, though still kept a meaning aura around her. Giving her what he hoped was a reassuring smile, Artha turned, and started leading the way further into the complex. Her bare feet slapping against the stone floor, she followed, brushing past Connor with angry indifference. After a short journey, they came to a stop before a large metal door. Artha pressed a panel next to the door, letting it slide open, and revealing the dragon inside. The girl was much too relieved to see her dragon to wonder about the door. But the initial joy of being reunited melted away as she saw his condition, laying still, hide grayed.

"Oh, Jeverinth..." she said, choked, running up to him, throwing her arms around his neck. The contact made the dragon stir, shifting slightly and opening his eyelids slightly. He looked down at his rider, his dull eyes shifting to a joyous blue, his mouth pulling back into a weak smile. The girl smiled up at him, giving him a hug. Then she turned back to Artha. "He says he'll be fine."

This left Artha dumbstruck. "He said...?"

The woman furrowed her eyebrows, nodding. "He's not so tired he can't talk. He just needs his rest."

"You mean, he talked to you?"

This made the woman scoff. "Of course he talked to me. Don't tell me you holders don't know that dragons talk."

"Dragons don't talk... and I'm not a holder."

The woman crossed her arms. "Then what are you? I need to know what wherry-brained dolt needs to be reported for skipping Harper lessons..."

"I'm Artha Penn, of Penn Stables. And my father is not that... wherry-whatever."

She arched an eyebrow. "Well, stable boy, you need a refresher. Honor those the dragons heed, in thought and favor, word and deed. Worlds are lost and worlds are saved, from those dangers dragon-braved," she recited, watching him. He seemed stunned for a moment, pondering the spoken lyrics. It seemed so applicable to his life... and yet so outside his electronic culture.

"Who are you?"

"Kygan, rider of Jeverinth, Exilium Weyr."

You should make a book! I love it myself, dragons and dragon alike, even though either are different, flying and racing, it makes an awesome story! Love it, I can't wait for more from you!

wow you read the pern series too!

No... I could never write a book. I'm not good enough, and I'm defininetly not original enough. I write well, but they're other peoples' stories.

And yes, I do read Pern ^_^. I've been doing Pern RPs almost exclusively the past year and a half. My soul will always been on Pern, but I like to dabble elsewhere as well, like here. And I've had a hankering for some Pokemon RP after all this Super Smash Bros Melee I've been playing in preparation of Brawl.

me and b&g are into the warriors sega!awsome books!

I never herd of Pern, must see if our school Library carries it, if not, to our Public Library! It sounds really good by the intake of your little Fan Fiction, so I guess I can try it out after I am done with Eldest. :D

I recommend it. You might like it if you like Eldest, as Pern was one of the things Paolini borrowed off of.

The first book is called Dragonflight (and yes, the similarity to my fic's title is intentional) and it's by Anne McCaffrey. The first one isn't my favorite, and you can kinda tell it's an omnibus of three short stories written for a Science Fiction magazine. But still, the series is pretty amazing.

Well, I look it up on the Internet first on the Public Library site to see in case if they do. I am not finished with Eldest, but I did read Eragon. But, if the story is about dragons, I am going to like i for sure!

i borrwoed my unces copy.i still have it.i'm holding it hostage until i get my 7th harry potter book back.lol.

"So, let me get this straight," Connor Penn started, regarding the woman sitting before him.

"It's... quite a story," she replied with a calmness one wouldn't normally expect from someone who had just learned that they were no longer on their home planet. Connor thought he saw a faint flicker of a smile on the woman's face as her eyes seemed to shift focus, but any traces of it quickly disappeared into the stoic visage of the Dragonrider. Artha shifted uncomfortably, but said nothing, leaving the speaking to his father.

"Quite. You have come from a planet Pern? And you... Betweened here?" Connor asked, the doubt heavy in his voice. He wished he could say he had heard crazier stories. And frankly, he had his share of bizarre events, real and imagined. But teleporting dragons from a planet he'd never even heard of?

"Yessir," Kygan replied with a nod. "Pern, third planet of the star Rukbat in the Saggittarian Sector. And Betweening is just our saying. It's really teleportation." She attempted a sheepish smile as both Connor and Artha regarded her with an utter lack of understanding and belief. "That's... that's what Aivas told us. It's what the Ancients called it, at least. But they were far more technologically advanced than we are. They created Dragons, after all."

"Created Dragons?" Artha asked, disgusted. It sounded horrible, like something Word Pain would do. His respect for her quickly fizzled away.

"Yes, from fire-lizards. Kit Ping took fire-lizard DNA and... well, I don't know the whole story, but she created Dragons." Kygan attempted another sheepish smile, but it didn't work as well as she'd hoped. She was feeling quite awkward, reciting all this history to the two men sitting before her. It was almost like she was there to witness all these events, but in reality, it happened long before her time. The Ancients were around millennia ago, and it had been centuries since Aivas was functioning. Artha very obviously did not believe her, but Connor stopped him before he could make any sarcastic retorts.

"You have provided lots of information for us to think on. You are free to explore the temple if you wish, but I would not advise going outside, at least for the time being. Get some rest, I'm sure everyone will feel better in the morning." Connor gave Artha a pointed look, the stood up. "Good night," he said with a nod, and then turned to leave. Artha gave the woman one last scathing look, then left as well.

Now alone, Kygan let her façade shatter, slouching and burying her face in her hands. How did this happen? Suppressing tears, she too left, hurrying towards the chamber where Jeverinth rested. She burst in, finally giving into the sobs that wracked her body. Kygan fell to her knees, curling up into a ball and laying next to her dragon, crying softly. The White shifted slightly, gently laying his head on top of her.

I told you, Kyganmine, everything will be fine. And you don't need to be so professional around these people. They are human, as you are, and have emotions as well. They understand. The gentle mindvoice of the dragon was soft and warm, reassuring his lifemate.

Are you sure? They're... so different. And the boy hates me. We need to get home. Back to our comfortable weyr, back to Threadfighting, back to Pern.

We will, Mine, we will. But first we need rest... Jeverinth was getting quieter, though he forced himself to stay strong. Gritting his teeth and grunting with the effort, he managed to curl himself around his rider, cradling her with his tail and neck. She wrapped her arms around his neck, sighing and cuddling against his warm, soft hide.

I love you, Jeverinth.

I love you, Kyganmine.

~~~~~

"I don't get it, Beau!" Artha said, kicking a post in Beau's stall. "She just... there's something weird about her. And that dragon!" He heaved a sigh, leaning against the pole and sliding to a sitting position. Beau regarded him with his knowing gold eyes, walking up to Artha and laying down next to him.

"It's like, her story is so out of it, like Lance's when you catch him in the act of doing something wrong," Artha said, shaking his head and placing a hand on Beau's head. "I mean, teleportation? Another planet? Some evil scientist genetically manipulating dragons?!" He clenched his fist, but relaxed when Beau nudged him. Artha shook his head, rubbing Beau's head. With a sigh, he shifted to lean against Beau, putting his hands behind his head. Tomorrow he'd have to question her more when his father wasn't around. He'd figure it out later, for now he was much too tired to think. Beau nudged his rider once again lovingly, then lay down his head, drifting off to sleep.

I love it! Your stories are motivatiing and awesome. I lov how you intwined dragons of Fantasy with dragons of DB! Love it and I am urging for more!

Well, actually, Pern is science fiction. But thank you. I'm working on it. But the Super Secret Project takes precedence ^_^

awsome!

Despite being deep in stone, when Kygan opened her eyes, she knew it was morning outside. But twenty-two years of living in a massive complex carved into a caldera did that to you. She could estimate time of day and weather from the feeling in her weyr. And down here wasn't much different.

Slowly she stirred, her joints stiff and aching from sleeping partially on the cold floor. Kygan always slept well when she slept with Jeverinth, but she couldn't dispute the fact that he provided less cushioning than her cot. Her movement woke her lifemate, as she could feel from the sudden roll of feeling from him.

Shh... hon, go back to sleep... she whispered mentally, gently stroking his arm. With a grunt, the white shifted, rolling onto his belly.

Quiet, you, he said with a touch of joviality to show that the criticism was just in fun. I want to go out. We have been down here for much too long. I wish to stretch my wings. As if to demonstrate, he fluttered his wings slightly. Kygan smiled and shook her head, getting to her feet.

You still look really gray. But I'm sure some sun will do us both some good. She stretched out her sore muscles as her dragon lumbered to his feet. Kygan pushed the door open, allowing Jeverinth to walk through. They ambled down the corridor, going slowly and finding their legs once again. But once they came upon the elevator, they were stuck. It didn't help that in their world, elevators did not exist. Further complicating the problem was their lack of draconium, so the elevator could neither sense nor react to their presence. But from behind them walked Artha Penn, followed by a red and blue creature they couldn't recognize.

"You wake up late," he commented, his remark scathing. Kygan crossed her arms, frowning.

"And you're a smokeless Weyrling. Too bad I can fix my problem. Now, tell me how to get out of here." She leveled him with a stare, which only deepened into a glare as he smirked.

"What, can't even figure out an elevator? Just walk up to it," to demonstrate, he took a few steps forward, roughly brushing past Kygan, which caused a growl to rise up in both Jeverinth and Beau's throat, "and just walk in." Reacting to the gold draconium in Artha's bones, the elevator doors slid open, and he stepped in. Beau gave Artha a disapproving grunt, but Artha answered with an "I don't have to listen to you" look. Kygan muttered something under her breath, walking into the elevator when Beau yielded to Jeverinth and her. She watched Beau curiously as he stepped in, which got her yet another glare from Artha.

"Come on, now, Weyr-lady. You can't tell me you've never seen a dragon before," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Unlike your beast, our dragons have wings. And they've never come in red," she replied coolly. Artha couldn't dispute the first fact, but what did it matter? Beau was one of the fastest dragons out there. And he had Aero Gear. These dorks couldn't even use an elevator. His smirk and this idea only deepened as both Kygan and Jeverinth stumbled as the lift began.

We are rising? Jeverinth asked, unnerved by the feeling. Never had he been lifted without the use of his legs. But now the feeling of vertigo was making him uneasy.

It appears so, Kygan replied, finally shaking herself of the feeling. But just as quickly as it started, it stopped, leaving both dragon and rider slightly dazed. Artha just shook his head, stepping out of the elevator, with Beau following. Well, shall we? Kygan asked Jeverinth, who nodded and followed after the others. Kygan breathed deeply, then walked along side her dragon.

The first thing they noticed after finally coming to the surface was the lack of sun. There was no sun, no clouds, no sky, yet the area was lit up quite well, and she couldn't really see any light source. Looking up, she could only see faint glimmers of something through the haze, like stars out in the daytime. She wanted to question Artha further for answers, but he was too hostile, and she was adamant against letting him use her ignorance as a laughing stock.

Come on, Jeverinth, let's stretch your wings, she said to her lifemate, grabbing a neckridge and mounting him. No straps. I'm pretty sure they got destroyed, anyway. And we'll keep it short, you need rest. Jeverinth nodded, stretching his wings to loosen muscles, then lifted them high. With a triumphant bugle, he leapt into the air, sweeping his wings downward powerfully. And with that, they were airborne, leaving Artha dumbstruck on the grounds of Penn Stables. As they lifted, Kygan and Jeverinth began taking in their surroundings, amazed at what they saw. They weren't on top of a mountain. They had been on top of a platform. And other platforms extended from it, and several other buildings, some above, some below, spanned from them. It was completely unlike anything they'd ever seen before. Jeverinth wheeled in a circle the circumference of Penn Stables, then began spiraling downward.

"You... you really can fly," Artha said breathlessly as Jeverinth alighted upon the ground next to him, gazing up in awe at Jeverinth and Kygan.

"Did I ever give you any inclination that we couldn't?" Kygan asked, her tone still sarcastic, but decidedly less acidic than it was earlier. That's enough for now, hon, she telepathed to Jeverinth as she dismounted.

"Still," Artha said, the doubt returning to his voice, "I have yet to hear your dragon speak. You claimed he can."

This received a dry chuckle from Kygan. "He doesn't speak aloud! We communicate with our minds. We are bonded as one, and we shall remain as such for the remainder of our lives." These words went over Artha's head, unable to comprehend such a thing. So Kygan turned to Jeverinth, looking up at him and smiling. "Jeverinth, would you please say 'hi' to our friend Artha Penn?" The white dragon looked at his rider for a few moments, before turning his whirling green eyes upon Artha.

Greetings, Artha Penn, my name is Jeverinth.

This just keeps getting better and better! :D I love it! Can't wait for more of the story!

I couldn't find Dragon Rider's of Pern at my library, but I found Renegades of Pern, and now I am currently reading that. It's awesome so afr, and I would like to read more of her books and the Pern series!

awsoem so far!