Disclaimer: I do not own Pern Anne McCaffrey does. All the characters are my own.

A while back I started a story but wasn't happy with how it was developing. Sooooo…I stopped writing. Sorry about that! This is a revised version. Bear with me! Please R&R. This story is set centuries after AIVAS and thread is a thing of the past.

Good Morning!

Ilona's eyes flew open at the sound of voices. A grayish blur met her sleepy gaze. Lifting her hand to rub her eyes, she found that her body was completely wrapped in the tattered thing that she called a blanket. Hot seasons in the southern continent called for lighter sheets; not covers and her thin childhood blanket worked perfectly. Moving her left shoulder to one side she tried to extract her right arm without causing more damage to the already stitched blanket.

"…rip…"

Too late. A tear, five inches in length, revealed a beam of light that could only herald another morning. 'Great' she thought 'another rip to stitch' Ilona could hear sounds of the fowl, runners, and herdbeasts waking, and strangely, the sound of hushed voices. Tuning out the other sounds Ilona focused on her father's unmistakable tenor and her step-mother's deep alto voice as they talked softly.

"Bernen don't be--" Phalona's voice, though hushed, held a strain of anger.

She strained to hear the rest of the conversation but they had either turned their backs to the room or were talking quieter; she was unable to catch any words only the barest of mumbles. Ilona frowned and gently pulled off the tattered blanket without it ripping more. She sat up slowly, dropped her legs over the edge of her bed, and painstakingly lifted herself onto the floor and crept towards the door. She was rewarded with little more than quiet creaks from the old wooden bed; it being notorious for its squeaks and creaks.

Ear pressed up against the door and huddled in a crouched position, Ilona knew that if her brother woke and saw her she'd get in trouble, but she didn't care. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back, and wouldn't it be great if she knew something her overbearing brother didn't know! Pressing her ear harder against the door only made the mumbles louder. Suddenly a baby's soft wail silenced the voices and Ilona sat back annoyed as her little baby brother Pharen, Phalona and Bernen's first child, began to cry.

Ilona sighed as she gave up and pulled away from the door. Pharen's wailing had stopped her parents' conversation. She stretched out her arm, unaware that she had been holding it in an awkward position while eavesdropping, and winced, grinding her teeth to keep from cursing in pain. Grumbling and massaging her arm gently, Ilona stood up and tip-toed back toward her bed.

There wasn't much in the medium sized bedroom. Two beds, both dull brown lacking polish and showing age, lined the walls. Two bureaus just as old and dull had been placed behind the beds. Ilona was missing a drawer from her bureau, proof that it had become prey five turns back in an attempt to catch a tunnel snake which had been snatching fowl eggs from the coops.

It had been Astylar and Benton's idea, them having had the bureau before her, another one of their supposedly foolproof plans which once again hadn't worked. Ilona smiled as she remembered; her brothers had gotten into a lot of trouble that day with their father. Bernen didn't believe in waste, especially the kind of waste which involved one of his precious heirloom bureaus. 'Mother had…' Ilona's smile disappeared as she stopped the thought. No need to think about her now; it wouldn't do to sour the day that early.

Cracking her knuckles on each hand, a bad habit of hers, she reached the end of her bed and yanked at the hinges on the top drawer. It didn't budge, growling under her breath in annoyance she tried again, harder this time, and was rewarded with an ear deafening screech as the drawer came loose revealing her work clothes.

A muffled groan came from the bed opposite hers but she ignored it. Coracon, the youngest of her three older brothers, would have to get up sooner or later. 'Probably sooner' Ilona reflected, remembering their parents hushed angry voices.

'I'll have to do laundry soon,' she thought in dismay as she noted the few clothes to choose from. She chose her old green dress, one of her favorites because it went well with her dark brown eyes. Quickly she shed her sleep wear and put on her day clothes, nearly falling over as she sat down and tugged her shoes on.

Gathering her brown wavy hair she brushed quickly and roughly grunted every now and then when it found a few snags. The wooden brush had been a birthday present given to her by Astylar two turns before. Finished brushing, Ilona tied her hair into a hasty ponytail. Another day of work waited and although she was in no rush to greet it, she was more than a little interested in what her father and Phalona were arguing about.

Glancing over she eyed her brother's sleeping form. Coracon, her brother elder by two turns over her fifteen, shared the room with her so that the two other vacant bedrooms could be rented out when needed for travelers. Coracon's breathing was too quick, a telltale sign that he was awake and by his stillness she guessed he had been trying to get back to sleep after he had been woken up by the drawer or arguing.

"What do you think they were fighting about?" Ilona whispered softly, wondering if he had heard anything.

Coracon opened his eyes tiredly and glared at his sister. "Will no one let me sleep!" he complained and threw the sheets over his head.

"You must be curious!" she hissed walking over to look down at him reproachfully.

"We'll learn soon enough! Let me sleep…" was his muffled reply.

"I bet it's about the thieves." Ilona said excitedly. "You know everyone's been leaving since Trendor and Kern's places were found burned down. What if they've finally been caught!"

"If they have been caught," Coracon retorted as he pulled off the covers, stood up and went to his bureau, "than don't you think they would have sounded happy instead of worried?"

Scowling at her brother's back, Ilona struggled with a comeback, even though Coracon's logic made sense. "Well maybe it's about the price of food! Everything's gone down in price since the plague in the larger holds! Maybe their worried about buying Pharen new clothes…" Ilona finished lamely knowing full well that lack of marks for Pharen's new clothes was the least of her parents' problems.

Coracon turned around and tucked his long sun-bleached brown hair behind his ears and out of his hazel eyes. He looked much like their mother with his willowy shape and pinched mouth, but his huge hooked nose belonged to her father's family.

"Tell me when you get an idea that actually makes sense!" Coracon sneered as he put on a tan shirt. "Those thieves have probably gotten another house, that's more than enough to get Phalona worried."

"I wish they would stop attacking homes, I mean what did those cotholders' ever do to any of them? Leola and Dayana were practically shipped off to their relatives' on the coast last sevenday. Why, of all people, did my friends have to leave?" Ilona whined. She sighed sadly and sat down heavily on her bed, staring gloomily at the floor. "At least Nella is still here."

"SMASH!"

Without warning her father slammed open the door of the room, causing it to smash against the wall then swing back and smack on the cheek.

"Are you okay Dad?" Ilona jumped, worried and yet rattled by her father's abrupt entry.

"I don't think I'll bruise." Bernen said, rubbing his cheek, "Don't think I'll be messing around with this door again!" He walked across the room and threw two woven satchels on Ilona's bed. "We need to get moving; we're leaving. I want both of you packed and ready in a half a candlemark."

"Wha…What's this all about?" Ilona stood up eyes wide open a look of disbelief and shock on her face.

"Phalona's gotten the food and cooking utensils packed. Now I need you both to load up the fowl, the cages-"

"Dad we can't just--" Coracon interjected looking at Bernen in astonishment.

Bernen shook his head as he swiftly left the room yelling over his shoulder. "We have no choice! We must get going or it'll be too late. The cages are outside. I'm going to need help filling up bins of water…and loading the wagon! Hurry up!"