Disclaimer: Me no own, you no sue. Everyone happy! The concept belongs to the wonderful Anne McCaffery. But all the characters, dragons, and even Sutaketa Weyr is mine and mine alone. Got it? –growls- But Dragonriders of Pern is Anne's.

Chapter One

The sunlight nearly blinded her as she opened her eyes. Kalin groaned and pulled the covers over her head. A small cheep rang in her ears and she groaned again. "Tort! I'm trying to stay asleep!" She pulled the covers off her head to look at her small blue flit. He cheeped again and flew to the bed stand, next to Sukai, her bronze flit, and Kita, her queen. How she'd acquired this fair was entirely irrelevant, but there they were. Kita scolded Tort and flew over to Kalin's shoulder.

Kalin grinned and stroked the little queen's eye ridge. She looked at Sukai, who was struggling to stay awake. She shook her head at the bronze, then stood up and looked out her window. The members of Far North hold were starting to get up. Kalin shivered, remembering suddenly that it was winter. Being the farthest north hold in all of Pern meant the coldest winters. She quickly went and pulled on her heavy clothes and dashed out the door. Enali, her foster mother, would be calling her soon.

It was no mystery to Kalin who her real parents were. A simple green rider and a brown rider. Her birth mother, Noia, along with her father, C'pir, had decided it would be best for her to grow up in a Hold and not in the Weyr. Kalin didn't fault them for it. She liked living at Far North hold. If she hadn't lived here, she wouldn't have met Deret. Deret, along with some of the other Hold children, had accepted her as Weyrborn and didn't care about her heritage. Deret hadn't liked her at first, but he had finally learned, after 10 years of dislike, that Kalin was no different than he.

"Kalin! For the love of the first egg girl where are you?" Kalin sighed when Enali's voice reached her.

"I'm coming!" she yelled back and rushed down the steps, Tort, Sukai and Kita flying behind. She stopped right in front of her foster mother, grinning.

"Where were you child?"

"Getting up."

"As per usual. Hurry up! Go off and get some firewood unless you want the whole Hold to have icicles hanging off their noses!" Kalin nearly laughed at the thought and ran off, coming up next to Deret.

"Took you long enough," he muttered as they grabbed hatchets. Kalin grinned at her tall friend. At last, they were both seventeen turns and there was a clutch on Sutaketa Weyr's Sands. It had been so long since anyone from Far North hold had been chosen on Search and now there was a chance.

"Come on," she said, grabbing a lit torch from on of its holders on the wall and walked toward the woods. It was a clear day, and snow still spotted the ground. As they made their way, Kalin thought about herself. Sometimes she wondered if looks had anything to do with the dragons' preference. It seemed like all dragonriders were good looking. She had decided many-a-time that she was not, though she was often told otherwise. She was lacking in height, and skinny. She was pale, as many of the Northerners were and had dark brown hair which she kept tied in a braid and her eyes were ice blue. She had no freckles and had two gold hoops attached to her ear lobes. Right now she had her belt with her knife attached, in case she had to use it in the woods. She had also grabbed her favorite walking staff, which was made out of a twisted, but sturdy branch.

Now Deret, she decided, could be a dragonrider easily. He had a mop of black hair and was tall and muscular. He too had blue eyes, but his weren't as sharp as hers, but not a watery blue. He had a well formed face and was always tailed by his green flit, Irthos. Deret looked over at Kalin and grinned. He also had the whitest teeth she had seen.

"Come on," she said again and started running, laughing all the way. Then, an image flashed in her mind. Three dragons, one green, a brown and, she gasped, a bronze! She turned to Deret. "Search riders!" she said and turned, running back to the hold. It took a minute for the message to sink into Deret, and for him to receive the image from Irthos until he started running. He caught up to her and they both skidded to a halt, Kalin slipping on ice in the hold square.

Kalin let out a small shriek as she slipped and fell, drawing a small laugh from one of the dragonriders. One of them walked over and held out a hand. "Careful. Wouldn't want you to hurt yourself." Kalin winced. She had landed on her backside. She looked up at her helper and noticed his shoulder knots. He was the bronze rider. "I'm S'ryc, rider of bronze Kelth." The bronze turned his head and blinked. S'ryc smiled. "Off you go. I assume you're old enough to be eligible for Search." She nodded and went to stand next to Deret.

The green rider looked up at her dragon. "S'ryc, I think my Vyth has found someone." S'ryc smiled.

"Well who Ri?" The green rider walked up to Deret.

"This young man. What's your name?"

"D-Deret," he stuttered. She grinned.

"Well Deret, Vyth has decided that you would make a fine rider." Kalin looked at her friend. He looked back and shrugged. The brown rider looked at the rest of the youths.

"So you say Ceth," the brown rider muttered and walked up to a small set of brother and sister, the sister was 14 and the brother was just 11. "These two have been chosen as well." He looked at S'ryc. "You know what Rentus said. Four from each hold. More if possible." S'ryc nodded.

"And Kelth has made his choice." He looked at Kalin. "Maybe putting her on a dragon would stop her from slipping on the ice." He grinned. Kalin froze. She had been Searched! She and Deret had been searched! Kita, Sukai and Tort came out of no where and chittered above her head.

"O-only if they can go too," she said, pointing to her fair. Deret nodded.

"Mine too." Irthos peeped from his shoulder. S'ryc smiled.

"Of course. Now go get your things. Off with you!" Kalin looked at Deret and, uncharacteristically hugged him. He pulled her off him with a look of mock disgust.

"Go get your things," he said and went off to his own room. Kalin skipped to hers, quickly packing several things. She took one last look around her room, smiled, and dashed outside again.

As she was running down the hallway she ran head on into Enali. She looked up into her foster mother's eyes, which were wet with happy tears. Kalin grinned and wrapped her arms around her in a fierce hug. Enali hugged her back, resting her cheek on Kalin's shoulder. "You'll do just fine," she said. "I'll be there for the Hatching. I promise." Kalin looked up and Enali kissed her forehead. "Off with you now! Wouldn't want them to leave without you!" Kalin grinned and ran off, and into the square.

She stopped, careful not to slip on any ice. She had packed her warmest clothes and her summer clothes, even though summers up north were cool, rather than warm. She looked up S'ryc and Kelth and grinned. "Ready?" S'ryc asked. She nodded and walked over. He helped her mount. Kelth turned his head and looked at her with gleaming eyes. Kalin was tentative to grasp the neck ridge, worried that she would hurt Kelth.

You won't hurt me.

Kalin jumped at the voice in her head. It sounded oddly like S'ryc.

We are one. Don't worry. Grip tightly, we are going up now.

Kalin decided that it was Kelth talking to her and not just her imagination, because in that moment, Kelth's wings extended and with one large beat of his wings, they were airborne. Kalin now held on without hesitation. Flying was the most exhilarating, and yet the most frightening thing she had ever experienced. The feel of a strong body beneath her, reassuring, yet daring. The feel of the wind, howling, yet whispering. The earth below, stable, yet worlds away. She laughed for the joy and the wonder of it all.

Hold on. I will be right here, but we are going between. Do not let go.

Kalin obliged, and suddenly, the wonderful world she was in was gone. She was enveloped in blackness and despite her warmest clothes, she was chilled instantly to the bone. The most frightening thing though, was that she couldn't feel Kelth or see S'ryc. She was alone!

You are not alone. I am here. And suddenly, Kalin once again felt the sunlight grace her skin. She was shivering and looked around like it would be the last time before she saw the world again before going back into the blackness. S'ryc looked back at her.

"You okay?" She nodded weakly. "We'll get you down and get you some klah. You look like you need it." She nodded again, grateful when Kita, Sukai and Tort all wrapped their warm bodies around her.

Kalin once again felt the wind rushing and distinctly felt her belly drop. They weren't landing, they were falling! She could hear S'ryc yelling, "KELTH! NOT WITH A CANDIDATE ON!" At once, their descent slowed with the snapping open of Kelth's wings. She held on, a wild, frightened expression on her face. When they finally landed, it took some coaxing on S'ryc's part to get her off, so tightly were her hand clasped to Kelth's neck ridge. Kelth turned his head to look at her.

I'm sorry I scared you. He said, his tone chagrin. Kalin managed a smile and patted the bronze on the nose. She felt a slight piece of her, still shocked that a dragon was talking to her.

You'll find a lot of things here are different, young Kalin. Kalin jumped. That was not Kelth's voice! It was more feminine. She looked around at the dragons perched on the Weyrledge. One in particular caught her eye.

Did you just talk to me? She asked the green.

Yes. I am Iryth. We can all talk to you Kalin. And you can hear us.