Hello! Thanks for reading! So, this is a rewrite of a story I started a few years ago and never had the time to finish until now. I'm sorry I left the first version hanging for so long. Here it is, finally, with some new bits and some old bits. Most importantly, it is finished and will be uploaded in its entirety over the next few weeks. I hope you enjoy it!

CHAPTER 1

Thud, thud…thud, thud…

"Are you ready, Ri?" Aren's voice asked in her ear, above the sound of her pulse.

Teri forced her eyes open and took a deep breath of beast-scented air. Huffing out an impatient whinny, the runnerbeast shook its head, tossing its brown mane into Teri's face. Its shoulders rolled and shifted beneath her as it stamped each foot. She looked between its pointed ears at the green track of pasture, curving around the outer limits of the Beasthold's fields.

Thud, thud…thud, thud…

"Ready," she squeaked.

"Okay. I've got you, don't worry." Aren's skinny arm snaked around her waist from behind and held her tight against him.

"Let go, Ren," Teri protested, wriggling in her brother's grip. "You're squishing me."

"Make sure you hold onto her, Aren," their mother said sternly, the creases around her brown eyes belying her anxiety.

"She won't stop squirming," the boy said in exasperation, his voice cracking.

"I can stay on by myself," Teri shouted.

Their mother stepped forwards to grab the runner's bridle, steadying it. "Listen to me, Teri," she said. "If you keep moving around like that, you'll scare the runner and both you and your brother could get hurt. You need to stay still and let Aren hold you, because you're still too little to ride by yourself. You understand me?"

"Yes, mum," Teri said, ashamed. She sat up straight, obediently lifting her elbows to let Aren hold onto her waist.

"Now be careful, Aren," said their mother.

"I will," he replied solemnly, with all the confidence of a boy of twelve turns. She nodded and relinquished the reins to her son.

"Just one turn around the field, you hear? Then straight back. None of your wanderings or high-minded adventures."

"I've got it, mum," Aren said. Teri gripped her brother's arm in excitement. Then, with a hard nudge of Aren's heels into the beast's flanks, they were off, the wind cold in Teri's bright face.

Thud, thud…thud, thud…

"Are you ready, Teri?"

Teri opened her eyes, her reverie broken. Shadows of the memory still lingered sweetly in her mind, but this was no time to be daydreaming.

"I'm ready, R'meri," she replied. She gripped the riding straps hard and wiggled her toes in her wherhide boots. Her legs were strapped securely into the harness. She had double- and triple-checked each buckle, her fingers growing more and more familiar with the different pieces of riding gear. Behind her, R'meri shifted slightly in his seat, adjusting the extra straps they had added to allow for two secured riders. His close proximity sent her heart skipping, and she was glad she had her back to him so he couldn't see her blushing. Beneath her was Aeneth, a solid presence despite the fact that she was seldom still. Muscles constantly rippled and flowed underneath her smooth hide, a reminder of dragonkind's immense power.

Are you ready, Aeneth?

The green rumbled in response, the reverberations moving through Teri's body.

"Aeneth's ready," Teri said.

"Let's take her up, then."

Teri nodded, her heart thudding beneath her wherhide. She let out a nervous breath and mentally repeated the pledge she had made over a turn ago.

For Aren.

A dull whoosh behind her denoted Aeneth's wings unfurling. The dragon's shoulders shifted massively and wind rushed into Teri's face, her head bobbing back at their sudden ascent. Aeneth's wings beat evenly, almost effortlessly, as they lifted their double weight.

Thud, thud…thud, thud…

Chills ran up and down Teri's spine at the unmistakable feeling in her stomach of flight. Ever since her first time flying with N'hal on Rinth, she treasured the sensation of upward motion. The harness creaked and pressed into her legs as it stretched to accommodate Aeneth's movements.

We're flying, Aeneth! Teri said, a grin spreading across her face. After a turn of restless waiting and frustrating disappointments, her dream was finally being fulfilled.

When the initial euphoria of impressing Aeneth over a turn ago had faded, Teri's great expectations of finding a useful and important place as a dragonrider in the Weyr began to crumble beneath the weight of harsh reality. Instead of training with the other weyrlings in her hatching, she was sent to the queen's wing, to buy time. No one knew what to do with a blind dragonrider. Although B'nonin made every effort to handle the situation fairly, it was no surprise that J'den secured the Weyrleadership when Myrnoth next rose. Few people criticized B'nonin openly for Teri's impression, because it was N'hal's fault that the girl got anywhere near the Hatching Ground anyways. Even so, no one was sorry to see him step down. And with J'den came the ultimatum that Teri and Aeneth were to remain grounded, making good his oath that they would never fly.

Teri smirked. She almost wished that J'den could see her now, cruising above the Weyr. Almost. Things would get ugly if the Weyrleader discovered them. R'meri risked J'den's considerable wrath to teach Teri how to fly, and she cared for him far too much to see him punished, especially if it were on her account.

The night flying lessons were R'meri's idea, hatched during one of his long vigils on night watch on the heights of the Weyr. He had come to her a few mornings later with the proposition, his voice lowered in a conspiratorial whisper. When all the Weyr was asleep, there was no one to see or stop Aeneth from stretching her wings, with Teri astride. They had Faire procure leather from the Weyr storerooms and R'meri taught Teri how to sew a harness during his free time. Soon enough, it was ready and R'meri drew night watchman again.

This was their fourth session, the fourth time R'meri had roused her with a gentle shake and helped her fasten Aeneth's harness, whispering and tiptoeing gingerly so as not to disturb Teri's irritable weyrmate. The lessons were woefully inadequate compared to the training undergone by Teri's classmates, most of whom had already graduated and been assigned to full wings, yet Teri wouldn't trade these brief moments in the sky for anything.

Teri's stomach twisted as Aeneth wobbled suddenly in a gust of wind. She tensed in panic, forgetting for a moment that she was strapped in and lurching forward onto the dragon's neck.

A hand caught her around the waist, steadying her from behind. "I've got you, don't worry," said R'meri.

She swallowed and exhaled tremulously, trying to slow the rapid tattoo of her heartbeat. "I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

"You've got to keep hanging onto your riding straps. They'll help keep you steady."

Teri nodded in embarrassment and groped for the loose straps, berating herself mentally for the slip. How was she going to fly if she couldn't keep from panicking?

"Are you all right? Do you need to go back down?" asked R'meri in a gentler tone.

"No," Teri said vehemently, wrapping the straps around her hands in resolve. "I want to fly."

"Okay," said R'meri hesitantly. "I guess we might as well make the most of our time."

Easy for him to say, grumbled Aeneth. He's not the one carrying two people.

Do you want to stop? Teri asked.

No, I want him to fly his own dragon. He's heavy, and his brown's a lot bigger than I am.

Teri chuckled and rubbed Aeneth's neck. That just shows how strong you are, dear one. Thankfully, because Teri couldn't fly without R'meri to help her guide Aeneth. This was only her fourth time a-dragonback, though, and she hardly expected to come out of these lessons ready to fly Fall. It was enough for the moment to get Aeneth off the ground to stretch her wings. The green was perfectly capable of flying, and Teri didn't want to hold her back.

"Can you ask Aeneth to pull up and hover for a while?" asked R'meri, interrupting her thoughts.

"Of course." The girl quickly passed on the request. Aeneth obliged, grumbling briefly, her muscles rolling into a different pattern of motion. Their progress slowed, marked enough for Teri to feel the harness dig into her legs.

"I'm going to have Nemath relay a visual of where we are and we can work from there before Aeneth gets too tired of hovering," said R'meri.

Teri nodded and straightened up, readying herself. The image materialized in her mind as if she had opened her eyes after a six turn sleep. She caught her breath in awe. They were high up in the air, the stark walls of the Weyr bowl far below them, the rigid silhouette of the star stones to the side with the Red Star blinking deceptively through their gap, everything dusted in soft moonlight. Teri soaked up every detail of the image before it started to fade. It lasted longer than firelizard produced visualizations, but still dissipated far too soon. There was even a glimpse of her own head from behind, and Aeneth's neck stretched out in front of them, only a hint of green showing in the darkness.

So, this is what the world looks like though R'meri's eyes, Teri mused.

Looks about the same as how I see it, said Aeneth, except fuzzier. His vision is less than excellent.

You're a dragon, Teri said, no vision is excellent compared to yours.

"Can you tell me which way is east?" asked R'meri.

Teri dredged up R'meri's image again, reorienting her directions based on imagined landmarks. "That way," she said, pointing to her right, in the direction where the Eyestone supposedly stood.

"Good," said R'meri. He continued to drill her for a few minutes longer, covering basic wind patterns and drift angles. Teri answered each question automatically. She knew all the theory by heart—putting it into practice was the problem.

"Let's take Aeneth for a loop, shall we?" asked R'meri.

Teri nodded resignedly, recognizing the customary ending of a lesson. They had only been in the air for what seemed like a few moments. Ready to go, love? she asked.

Finally, we're doing something, said Aeneth. All this hovering is no fun.

Teri couldn't help but smile at the dragon's words, despite her disappointment. Nothing could keep Aeneth down. What were human worries worth when they were flying? Wind blasted in Teri's face as they shot forwards, forcing tears from her eyes. Her heart leapt, sharing her dragon's eagerness for flight, but her body stiffened with fear. The sensation of Aeneth's muscles working beneath her was still unfamiliar and alien. She was unsure of how her body should respond.

"You're stiffer than new wherhide. Relax," said R'meri, his breath tickling her ear.

Teri blushed, warmth spreading almost to her toes. The accuracy of his perception did nothing to soothe her nerves. She was suddenly very aware of his chest against her back, his arm around her middle. It would have been easier for her to jump between than to relax at that moment.

Aeneth banked, wheeling in a long arc through the air. The drop was drastic enough for Teri to feel it in her stomach, but she didn't know their altitude until the dragon's shoulders rolled again and their descent stopped abruptly as Aeneth backwinged into a gentle landing.

Teri sighed, feeling blood return to her fingers as she released her grip on the riding straps. That was a great flight.

Thanks, said Aeneth smugly.

R'meri swung down from behind her and the cool night air hit Teri's back. She shivered, not wanting to leave her warm seat. She could still feel the energy emanating from Aeneth's skin.

"Do you need help coming down?" asked R'meri, his voice coming from the dragon's elbow.

"No," Teri said, her independent streak kicking in once again. She unhooked one leg from the harness and swung over Aeneth's side. The ground was higher up than she expected and she hit hard, stumbling.

"Whoa there," said R'meri, catching her against his chest. "We're going to have to work on that some more. Are you all right?"

Teri nodded and pushed herself quickly away, her face flaming. "I'm fine," she muttered.

R'meri cleared his throat. "That was a good session. Aeneth's a lot stronger. I've forgotten how fast dragons grow. You should check your harness for any stretching or worn spots. You wouldn't want anything to tear on you next time."

"There isn't going to be a next time," growled a furious voice from across the bowl. Teri jumped, her stomach clenching.

"Oh shards," said R'meri. "We're in for it."

Footsteps stalked towards them, audible even on the dirt. "What, in the name of Faranth, are you doing?"