Chapter One

Title: A Green Search.

Cymerin was half listening to the Erikna, the Journeywoman Healer lecturing the room full of third turn apprentices. She had a human sized doll lying on the table and had just asked the class what to do with a bad burn.

Cymerin raised a hand and waited patiently for the tall, slender woman to turn her dark eyes on him. "Yes Cymerin? What is the first thing I would do?"

"Depending on where the burn is you have to get it to cold running water as quickly as possible and keep it under the water for as long as possible." Cymerin answered, his light brown eyes eager to hear if he'd got it right or not as he pushed a dark blonde curl out of his eyes.

But he need not have worried for Erikna was nodding and smiling her acceptance of his answer. "Good Cymerin, that's exactly what I would do. Filka what would I do next?" Erikna stated, addressing the question to a girl behind him.

Cymerin vaguely heard her answer as staring out the window he saw the form of two dragons wink out of /Between/. Staring in wonder he watched as the two dragons, both greens, glided down towards the courtyard that the Healer Hall shared with the Harpers and the Hold itself. Although he'd been around Stone River Hold all his life and had seen dragons coming and going many times before he couldn't stem the excitement and awe he felt as he watched them. However he wasn't the only one staring curiously at the dragons half his class were also glued to the window and he heard the Journeywoman sigh good-naturedly.

"They must be on Search, best be outside with you or I'll never get any peace today." Erika said, gesturing for the room full of apprentices to leave through the door.

Not waiting for her to change her mind Cymerin followed his fellow apprentices as they filed out the door listening to the lively chatter and excitement as he was swept along. His small white canine Rain trotted up to meet him with a happy whine from where he'd been waiting patiently outside for his person. By the time Cymerin got to the main courtyard the two dragons had already landed and their riders were sliding nimbly down to the ground to walk over and greet the Lord Holder

Cymerin and the rest of the healer and harper apprentices, various journeymen and woman and holder people waited all wondering if the dragons had come on Search. All had heard that the senior queen at Fallen Weyr had recently risen and was already guarding a large clutch on the Hatching Grounds. Everybody watched as the male and female rider finished their discussion with the Lord Holder and the male stepped forward with a dashing bow for the crowd as he spoke.

"Greetings from Fallen Weyr. I am M'mas, Rider of Green Rath. This is Myla, Rider of Green
Olath. We are here on Search. Olath has already begun her Search and is
ready to begin. May we be welcome at the Hold and Hall?"

The Master Healer Rikisha smiled proudly, drawing himself up as he replied to the greeting.
"Greetings and be Welcome to you Riders. We are proud to have
Searchriders from Fallen Weyr come to us. We already boast one of the finest
brownriders from our Hall. Brownrider R'may and his Dragon Erath. I hope
we can provide more fine candidates"

The male rider smiled back he knew the rider well, "Thank you Master Healer. Everyone must
now stand quietly while Olath makes her first choice."

Cymerin watched his boyish face filled with awe as he held his breath hoping against hope that he would be picked as he watched the two dragons being to Search. He so wanted to Impress one of Pern's beautiful dragons. He didn't mind which colour he Impressed as long as he had a dragon he could call his own..

"Sir, who is that lad over there? OIath picks him." Cymerin heard the female rider Myla say, gesturing with her chin towards a lad running across the courtyard.

The Master Healer spied the smaller boy joining the group, "That's Hamner.
He's small for his age, but he's smart as a whip. And strong for all his
skinny legs and arms. Come forward, Hamner. Green Olath wants to Search
you."

Cymerin watched enviously as Hamner stepped forward with eyes as wide as saucers. He was fourteen Turns, but about the size of a twelve Turn boy. He waited before the green dragon not quite knowing what else to do than stand very still while the dragon
looked him over. Dragons were a lot bigger than he realized!

The yellow-green dragon lowered her need looking the boy over, tilting her head, still
sniffing delicately as she considered. Then in a remarkably human like gesture Cymerin saw the green nod her head as she regarded her rider with gently whirling blue-green eyes.

"Hamner, go grab you things and say your good-byes my Olath says your to come with us." The rider said, grinning at the stunned boy. Recovering from his shock the lad sprinted towards the healer barraks to grab his things.

The next to be Searched to Cymerin's amazement was a large, heavy set girl he knew to be an apprentice harper. He knew her vaguely and he watched as the male rider sent her to get her things, slapping his dragon's shoulder as he praised her.

The girl was gone and back before a dragon could go /between/. She arrived
and stood beside the dragon that picked her. Cymerin tried to hide his mounting disappointment that the two beautiful dragons ignored him and picked others instead. Oh he was happy for them, but he was still envious that they would get the chance to Impress. Cymerin then saw the boy that had been picked first sprint back along the courtyard as he too came to stand, slightly breathless near the yellow-green dragon that had chosen him his belongings clutched to
his chest tightly.

Cymerin held his breathe as the same dragon Olath they called her, came towards him sniffing at the air delicately, her head cocked to one side as she scanned the crowd and stopped right in front of him. Cymerin found himself staring up into whirling jewelled eyes that seemed to see right into him and she crooned, sounding happy to him."And you would be?" The female rider Myla asked coming to stand by her dragon.

"Cymerin lady, I'm a senior apprentice healer." He replied, hardy daring to breathe as he stood as still as possible waiting to know what was happening.

"Well Cymerin, my Olath has picked you. Would you like to come to Fallen Weyr? It seems you have potential to be a dragonrider." Myla asked him
gently.

Cymerin stared the pretty greenrider for a minute stunned speechless.
"Really? Me?" He nearly stuttered out.

Olath crooned to the boy in encouragement as she made that funny human like nod.

"Yes she says you." Myla repeated patiently, smiling as the grin came
over the boyishly cute features.

Cymerin couldn't believe it the beautiful dragon was crooning to him, her
eyes whirling blue and yellow, was nodding her head adding further emphasis
to her choice.

"What about my canine Rain?" Cymerin asked anxiously, looking down at
the white canine sitting quietly at his feet. Rain looked up at him, his
liquid brown eyes meeting his with a keen intelligence. Cymerin felt that
the canine was aware of what just happened.

Myla regarded the small canine at the lad's feet. "No problem, he can
come too, My Olath will have no problems carrying us both and the canine if
he can keep still." She said reassuringly.

"Great! I'll just go and get my things. I'll be right back! Thank you
Olath, thank you, thank you." Cymerin called out over his shoulder as he
sprinted towards his room in the Apprentice barracs at the Healer Hall to
grab his belongings, Rain running at his heels.

When Cymerin came running back he noticed that the Search seemed to be finished as the male green rider was helping the girl mount his dragon and he arrived in time to hear Myla instruct them on how to mount her dragon.

"Olath would you crouch down and offer your leg to these boys? Have you
two ever ridden a dragon before?" Myla asked more seriously, when both boys
shook their heads she directed them on what to do. Obediently following her
rider's request Olath crouched and offered her foreleg to the boys politely.
Once the boys were in place Myla nimbly ran up her dragon's foreleg and
swung herself into place between the two boys securing her straps around them..

"Ready boys? Hang onto Rain there Cymerin." Myla said good-naturedly, as
she waited for the signal from the other rider.

Cymerin swallowed nervously, clutching Rain to his chest, hoping that
flying on a dragon wouldn't frighten him as he felt the green dragon stand
up and crouch. He was excited, proud and nervous at his first experience on
a dragon, he couldn't believe how lucky he was. He wished he could have a
dragon of his own if this is what it felt like to just sit up on one. He
felt the powerful muscles beneath him clench as the dragon gathered herself,
unfolding her wings as she sprang into the legs with a powerful push from
her hindquarters. Exhilarated the apprentice healer looked around as Olath
glided up to the required height for /Between/ and began circling going /Between/. Nothing in his short sixteen turns had prepared Cymerin for the bitter cold of /Between/. He couldn't feel anything but he remembered to count to three in his mind and on three they burst out to circle over the Weyr. Cymerin peered down curiously at the Weyr as Olath circled bugling a greeting and who they were to the watchdragon. Cymerin carefully clutched Rain to his chest finding that he was proud of how calm the canine was being.

Once the green dragon landed Myla unhooked her safety straps and slid down to the ground reaching up to take Rain from Cymerin as he slid down a little clumsily and moved out of the way to give Hamner room. Once both boys, now Candidates were on the ground Myla handed Rain back to Cymerin and began unfastening their belongings from her dragon.

"Now you boys have to report to B'tar our Candidate Master and he will then tell you what to do, assign you your beds and things like that. Since neither of you has been here before I'll guide you to his office and you can go from there." Myla said, briskly efficient as she led the boys into the dark yawning opening to the Lower Caverns. Cymerin glanced over his shoulder as he hurried after her long-legged stride to see Olath waited patiently for her rider as they went. Clutching his possessions and his canine to his chest he wondered what was to come next and found himself looking forward to it.