OOC: please don't post until you're sure that your character has been approved. At the present, only mine and platinum's character will be with the fishing ships, but we should get to the Hold soon.

IC.
For this early in the Pass, the recent Threadfall had been rather heavy according to the report the fishing fleet had been given by the greenrider who had been sent by the Weyr to check on them. However, the fleet itself had fared well like it always did, well protected within the sea caves which were common along the coast of Ista.
Now though, as the Thread Fall was over, it was time for the fleet to head out at sea again. Fish and other sea creatures would still be close to the surface after feeding on drowned thread and there was no better time than this to ensure a good catch. So the crews wasted no time in taking the fishing ships out off the caves-- assisted by the orcas assigned as scouts or members of the crews using ropes to pull them out.

Treading the water a bit away from the shore and well away from the nearest ship, Aroki watched silently as Mesori and another of the orcas accompanying the fishing fleet maneouver(?) one of the last ships out of the caves. It wasn't like he didn't see the creatures every day, but still he couldn't help but admire them as they worked-- talking amongst themselves with those high-pitched sounds they tended to use. So different from dragons they were too, just as large although they were very different in form, and that interesting patterns of black and white at their hides..
Then a grin spread across Aroki's face as Mesori let go off the sturdy rope she had held to let the people on the ship bull it back up onto the deck. And with a few barely noticeable movements of her flukes, the orca submerged and moved swiftly through the water towards him.

"Back to the ship with you, now. No wasting time" the orca said, shifting in the water to look at him with a large eye. Then she sunk slightly so that Aroki could get a hold of her dorsal fin to be pulled back to the nearest ship. Chittering at one of her fellow orcas, Mesori started to move towards the ship when a shout came from a group of fishers at the shore.

Having been among those of the crews helping to get the ships out of the caves from land, a small group had gone to check if any large fish or other sea creatures had gone ashore during threadfall at once of the small beaches in the area. But as they moved through the sparse forest, they found something that they hadn't quite expected.
"It's some kind of creature, havn't seen anything like it before. Think it was caught by Thread!" one of the men shouted, using his hands to amplify his voice and be sure that he was heard by those in the ships.

Determined to see whatever it was, Aroki let go off the dorsal fin of his orca partner, and then he headed for the shore before she could say a word. By the looks of those fishermen, they had found something really out of the ordinary and he wanted to see it for himself.

In his turns as a orca ranger apprentice and then journeyman, he had learned a bit, so he managed to climb up the rather rough rocks at the shore without falling or baddly cutting himself. Giving Mesori another good reason to complain to him about his own behaviour was something he tried to avoid when she was around to see it.

Still, as he made his way over the rock and to the edge of the forest where the fishermen was looking at whatever they found, he wished that he had had something on his feet. Ista wasn't quite as bad as Southern certainly, but there was still plenty of things that could bite or cause all kinds of nasty infections.
In particular this soon after a Threadfall, he thought with a nervous look around, before his eyes found what had caused the fishermen to react as they did.


Half of its body submerged in a pool of water that seeped up from the ground, lay a creature that he probably couldn't have imagined in his most unbeliveable dreams. It was unmistakeably alien, but certain of its features-- like the wings reminded him of a dragon. This creature however, was closer to his own size, and the red scales with white and black markings wasn't like that of any dragon he had seen. And though it was difficult to determine as most of its legs and lower body was hidden by the somewhat murky water, he had a feeling of that this creature walked on its hind legs.
Worse though, was the deep thread scores down its back and on its wings, a lot of the membrane of the left wing having been eaten away. But still the creature lived despite those injuries, and it also seemed to have known how to save itself by using the pool it now lay in-- unconscious.
Standing beside the fishers, Aroki was unable to do anything but to stare.

Shilera clapped Keet on the back as he dropped the tow rope and swam towards her. "Well done Keet" she said, scratching him just in front of his dorsal fin. "I do my job and I do it well" he replied, his voice rippling with humour "Now lets get you to a ship so you can rest" He turned and submerged slightly, allowing her to lie across his back then moved off. They had barely gone half a dragonlength when Shilera noticed Aroki swimming to shore without Mesori. "could you take me closer to shore Keet? I want to see if Aroki is alright! Keet turned and swam towards shore. "You be careful" he said. Shilera scratched him again, "I will" Before he got too close she dived free of his back and swam to shore, making sure to avoid the rocks and injury.
She climbed out of the water and ran towards Aroki and the fishermen. Stopping as she reached them. A creature vaguely resembling a dragon was laid in a pool before her, badly threadscored but still alive! Gathering what wits she could after being confronted with this....thing, she reached for her bag. "Do you think we should redwort and numbweed......it?" she asked Aroki. All rangers had supplies handy, there were a few times she had needed it after scrapes and cuts. She stood, awaiting an answer, stil half shocked at this appearance.

OOC: I have decided that there will be a few firelizards around after all, Impressed by NPC fishcrafters. There are no golds or greens among them currently however, as it is a rare occurance.

IC.
"Are you a Healer?" Aroki asked with a wry smile, "no, we don't even know what this is. It can be dangerous, and it's certainly better left to proper Healers to deal with".
Certainly he had thought about the same himself, but it was likely not a good idea to just walk up to such a creature without knowing anything about it-- and absolutely not when it was injured. While it was not anywhere close to being as large as an adult dragon, it was obviously strong judging by those muscles, and not to forget its teeth and the claws at the end of its fingers..

Just then, a creature like a small dragon with mottled brown hide swooped down from above and landed at the other side of the pool. And with a loud chitter, it looked at the creature and then at those gathered around it, eyes swirling.
"Please move aside", having been taken to shore by a boat, Steen-- the Master Fisher of the fishing fleet, walked up to the group by the pool. Several people moved quickly aside to let him pass, and then he stopped to look at the strange draconic creature they had found.

The surprise at Steen's face was obvious, but he said nothing when he lifted his arm, asking his brown firelizard Cir to come. There was a flutter of wings as the brown took off and came to land at its master's shoulder. And after a few more moments of silence as Steen communicated with the firelizard, explaining what he wanted it to do, Cir took off again and winged towards the ships.
"Our Healer should be ready to take a look at it soon, once we get it onto the ship at least" the Master Fisher said, "but first we have to carry it there".
Ordering four of the fishers to get the creature out of the pool as carefully as possible, he then turned to Aroki and Shilera-- assigning them to cut down a number of young trees and get some vines to make a stretcher.

Shilera nodded in agreement, she had been silly to suggest that, but she was SO used to numbweeding her orca. Secretly she had to admit that she wouldn't really like to approach it but she hadn't wanted to appear a coward. She almost jumped as first Master fisher Steen's firelizard appeared followed by Master Steen. She watched as he communicated with the brown then sent him off. Upon being ordered to chop trees for a stretcher she turned to Aroki and spoke "There are a few near here that would be suitable, and they have vines near them. We'd better head over" and as she turned she spoke again "What a thing to find eh?!" and she grinned.

Aroki nodded in agreement, "I would certainly love to hear what people will think about this, certainly haven't seen anything like it before. Knowing the Lord Holder though, I guess that he'll want to keep it whether it lives or dies".
Then he quickly thanked the fisher borrowing him a knife suitable for chopping down a young tree, laughing briefly as he walked towards the trees Shilera had pointed out.
"I take the trees and you the vines, ok?" he asked, only to suddenly stop as something suddenly jumped out from the vegetation in front of him. For a moment he stared at it, noting that it was some type of runnerbeast, then he stumbled backwards as it suddenly reared.

Muscles moving under its thick, light bay coat as the creature uttered a sound that could only be described as a angry scream as it reared, unnaturally green eyes fixed at Aroki.

"You're probably right" replied Shilera "Though I can say I like the look of it really" She shrugged, as soon as they got it back to the ship she would be away from it and back with Keet. He would love to hear about THIS! She watched as Aroki borrowed a knife then told her to get vines. "Sure, I'll take the vines" she said, and was just heading for them when a funny looking runner beast jumped from the vegetation, rearing up before Aroki and 'screaming' She clapped her hands to her ears, and for a moment seriously considered running for the sea. Two things in such a short period of time! She stayed where she was, shuddering at the new creature before her. Those eyes! They were strangely coloured and frankly, the woried her. Standing where she was she watched Aroki, hoping he wouldn't be hurt by that.....thing. She was unsure what to do at all.