Mawgrim

In some cases it's because they don’t like him much - he was never that popular with the crazy greens - but they've also become hardened to death, unless it happens to someone close. Plus, I think there's the attitude that a person is never alone while they have their dragon. D'gar was always concerned about J'rud in GAGA, although at the beginning there's some friction when he's talking to H'rek in the dining hall and J'rud realises Herebeth is going to chase Rioth.

He'll have some help soon, plus the speculation surrounding Lessa's arrival (although for most Fort Weyrfolk it will be Ramoth who draws their attention once she's recovered sufficiently to fly around.

Once Thread is finished and he can't just throw himself into work any more, then he'll have time to face it and reflect. It's not too long after the last Threadfall that Lessa arrives from the future (she used the depiction of Ruatha Hold on the tapestry made to commemorate the last Fall) which will start off the rollercoaster leading to the Weyrs going forward.

D’gar stared at the Moreta tapestry, without really seeing it. It was strange to just be sitting and not thinking. He felt as if he’d left some crucial part of himself between, along with S’brin. Herebeth had returned a long while ago. D’gar knew he should check the fighting straps and hang them up, but he couldn’t be bothered. It must still be early evening. Almost dinner time. He should go down and face everyone. He didn’t want to. Beyond the drawn curtain, Herebeth stirred at the un

Just need someone to edit a 5,500 word story on the above theme, before the deadline looms. Please reply to this thread or PM me.

You fit a lot of plot into a short story! It was well written and I thought the ending fitted the story well. I didn’t mind the sex scene. If this was, say, an eight chapter story of 30,000 words, it would seem abrupt, but as it's the sexual encounter which leads to Leo's dilemma and all of the subsequent revelations it had to be there. Paul's revelation that he had cancer came as a real shock for me, the reader, as it must have done to Leo. I loved the way Paul took down Jeffery in a few words. I left with the feeling Leo is one of those people who lurches through life from one catastrophe to the next.

I can really see the dilemma Mitch has. He doesn't want Will to worry about him and sit watching him die. Trouble is, Will won't give in without a fight and as we can see from that kiss, Mitch's resolutions are wavering too.

This is the sort of praise every author loves. Personally, I always think there’s room for improvement! I have a couple of published books available on Amazon, but they are novels set in the cinema business rather than dragons.

Even though my stories have focused on D'gar, there must be so many others in the Weyr who have suffered the same experience. I've touched on Zalna's emotional state when K'torl dies, or M'rell after Rina's untimely death. There is a certain degree of sympathy and tradition when a rider dies in Threadfall, but I get the feeling that after a few sevendays, the person left behind is supposed to 'pull yourself together and get on with it'. It's tough, but otherwise the Weyr wouldn't function. There's probably also a feeling that 'he/she still has their dragon' and that the bond between rider and dragon should help them to get over the loss of a weyrmate.

My dad died suddenly of an aortic aneurysm. I’ll never forget the shock and disbelief of the Saturday morning when my mum phoned to tell me. I worked away from home and it was only as the distance decreased that it began to feel real. My last memories were of him a few days previously, when I’d visited home, perfectly healthy and talking about all sorts of projects he was planning. in the same way as you describe, there are often occasions when something happens that would have made him laugh and I wish I could tell him about it.

It was a hard chapter to write for all sorts of reasons, but it's what makes D'gar the man he is at the start of 'Gone Away, Gone Ahead'.

A light breeze stirred the Gather flags above Fort Hold. Brightly coloured tents spread across the fields below the Hold itself. Dragons perched on a rocky outcrop close by, as riders walked down to sample the wares. D’gar, J’rud and S’brin flew in formation, dressed to impress. Their dragons found a place to land fairly easily. The majority of those who had arrived so far, D’gar recognised as being from Fort. It was their local Gather, after all. But as the last of the season and one of th

Maybe the kids who were targeted did something the shooter disapproved of, such as putting their rubbish in the wrong bin, or even throwing it on the ground. Hence the recycle message.

There is definitely a sinister element to the attacks. Maybe the perpetrator dislikes college kids for some reason?

Very intriguing.