It was an autumn day when the dragons came. The sky was that perfect shade of blue seen only during the warm autumn days. It provided the perfect backdrop. Yanna had been in the hold's stables, feeding the runner beasts when a piercing bugle split the air. The runner beasts panicked, and Yanna rushed to calm them. She didn't want them harming themselves. Besides, she'd seen dragons before. They were beautiful, but she was no longer a child to run and gawk. A handful of minutes later her best friend, Kara, came running into the stables. "Yanna!" She called, a bit out of breath. "The dragons come on search! Let's go!" Yanna shook her head. "Who'd want to be a dragon rider? What's the point of risking your neck on a regular basis. You know few dragon riders live to grow old." Kara rolled her eyes and grabbed Yanna's arm. "The chances of getting searched are pretty slim anyways." Kara said, dragging her friend out of the stables. "But it's a point of honor to be able to offer as many children as possible for the hold." She added. Yanna sighed, and followed her friend more willingly. She did have a point. A hold with fifty children often only had one or two searched.
The two girls raced to the hold yard, where a blue dragon and his rider waited. The teens already there had formed a ragged line in front of him. A few more came in the next few minutes and when it became clear no more would come, the dragon lifted his head from his forelegs and began examining them. Yanna waited with the others, a feeling of excitement shared by all. Despite her protests, like just about everyone else, Yanna had dreamed of riding a dragon when she was younger. She doubted she'd be searched, but a small amount of hope bloomed in her chest anyways. Suddenly, the dragon caught her eyes with his own. He huffed softly and his rider called out, "You, girl. You want to be a dragon rider? Then go get what you need and come back. Be quick." He added as an afterthought. Yanna nodded and dashed into the hold, running to her family's rooms. It didn't take very long to toss a few changes of clothes into a carry sack and to say goodbye to her mother. Her father was somewhere about the hold, but it was so big she didn't think she had time to go and find him. She was sad, she would miss her parents. But if she did manage to impress a dragon, being searched was only the first step to becoming a dragon rider, she'd be able to visit often. She ran back to the yard, sack over her shoulder. "Ready." She said, proud she was only a little out of breath. The blue rider nodded. "This is Trtanth." He patted the blue's leg. Trtanth crooned softly. "I'm L'ther, and I'll give you a leg up. Sit as far back in the saddle as you can, so I have room to get up too." Yanna nodded as L'ther cupped his hands for her. She took the offered boost up, unsure she'd make it up there even with the help. Trtanth was easily twice as high as a runner beast. She managed to scramble up somehow and was followed by L'ther. Yanna looked around one last time, spotted Kara. She gave her friend one last wave. Kara waved back, excited for her friend. "Hold on." L'ther warned as Trtanth crouched down before leaping into the sky. A couple of wing beats and they soared above the hold. "Ready?" L'ther called over his shoulder. Then they were between. The space between here and there that dragons used to travel across continents in seconds. Yanna shivered. It was so cold, and lonely. She couldn't see anything, she couldn't even feel the blue dragon under her legs. The old teaching song that described between flashed through her mind. They'd described it as dark and cold, but they hadn't captured just how dark, how cold. Yanna shivered just as they reemerged into the comparably warm air about the dragons' weyr.
Yanna had more trouble adjusting to life in the weyr then she had thought possible. Currently there were far more weyrbrats and children of crafters in the candidate barracks then there was hold children like herself. Not to mention that the boys and young men far outnumbered the girls didn't make it any easier. Yanna spent the first seven days feeling alone and missing her home more than she thought possible. She did find parts of weyr life exhilarating. She enjoyed the candidate lessons, the fact that pretty much everything they did was physically demanding, and most of all she loved the clutch of eggs that now lay in the hatching sands, watched over by their protective mother.
However, when the candidate master brought them all in to touch the eggs, it seemed like the other girls made a concentrated effort to keep her from the queen egg. There was one in this clutch, rolled away from the rest so the queen could brood over it was special attention. She was hurt by the other girl's behavior, but she didn't mind not being able to touch the coveted gold's egg. She had always fancied a fighting dragon, although she knew it was rare for a girl to impress one. To that end she found another egg to pay her attentions to. A smaller egg had her eye. One that she was sure held a green, the only fighting dragon girls occasionally impressed to. Greens were the smallest, and lowest ranking, dragons and because of that the smaller eggs were often ignored.
Yanna crouched over the cream colored egg, running her hand over it. She had to wonder if it was true what they said about touching the eggs. She privately suspecting touching the eggs had no impact on who the dragonets impressed in the end. Never the less, when the candidate master called for all the candidates to leave the hatching ground, Yanna felt a strange reluctance to leave the egg. She gave it a final pat before rising and joining the other candidates leaving the hatching grounds.
Yanna woke from a sound sleep, wondering what had awaken her. The other girls in the barrack were still sleep, she could tell by the steady breathing. What was it? She sat up, glancing around. She figured it was an hour or so before their usual waking hour from the dimness of the glows. Then she noticed the sound, a low humming that was getting louder. She must have heard it subconsciously while sleeping and it had awoken her. She jumped out of bed, tossing on the white candidate robe and slipping into the traditional sandals, she'd need the protection on the hot hatching sands. She was almost out the door when she paused. She should wake the others. "Hatching's started!" She shouted, before dashing out the door. If they were late it would be their own sharding fault. She ran through the nearly empty halls, it was too early for most to have awoken yet. Outside the boy's barrack she joined up with one of the young men who would also be standing on the sands today. They exchanged excited smiles and hurried to the hatching ground. Neither wasted their breath on greetings when getting to those hot sands was so much more important. Unsurprisingly, they were the first their beside the queen dragon's rider. They both paused just before stepping onto the sands. Almost as one they bowed to the golden dragon, the queen of the weyr and mother of this clutch. If she accepted them they would be allowed to stand in the hatching grounds. If they weren't the gold would have no problem chasing them away and keeping them from impressing.
The gold, inclined her head, allowing the first two candidates to enter. They walked onto the sands, completely ignoring both each other and the other candidates who were belatedly making an entrance. Yanna had eyes only for the rocking eggs, in particular her special little egg. Thin lines appeared on some, indicating the dragonets inside were more than ready to get out. A loud crack echoes through the hatching cavern as the first dragonet, a bronze, tumbled into the world. Yanna caught her breath; a bronze first was good luck! She watched as he made a beeline for the candidate who'd come onto the sands with her and made the first impression. She turned back to the rocking eggs, just in time to see her special egg shatter to reveal a sturdy blue. The blue cried with hunger, crawling to the group of male candidates. Yanna felt a sharp stab of disappointment. It was a blue, and everyone knows only men impress blues. She sighed and turned her attention to the rocking gold egg. With the egg she'd touched out of reach, her only hope of impressing was to impress that queen. She couldn't stand the disappointment she felt. She watched halfheartedly as other dragons hatched and made their selections. The queen egg still showed little sign of hatching. Then she felt a tugging at her robe and looked down, astonished. It was the little blue who'd hatched from her special egg. 'Where were you, Yannamine?' A voice entered her mind as she looked into his eyes. 'Deseosoth looked for you but you weren't were you were suppose to be. But now that he has found you, you can feed him.' Yanna shook her head. "But girls don't impress blues!" She protested, already leading him off the sands to where some drudges waited with meat for the newly hatched dragon. He crooned encouragingly as she fed him. She marveled at her luck. Never again would she be alone, his mind would forevermore be entertained with hers. No longer would she be simply one, she was one with a dragon. The mind sharing was intoxicating. He was the ultimate prize, even better because he had chosen to become hers himself. She couldn't wait to write her parents and her friends at home, they would be so proud!