Flying on any dragon was exhilarating, but flying on bronze Reyuth with her new life-mate was an entirely new experience. Mara shared Klamath's excitement and anticipation – he knew that he would fly one day, just as high and just as fast as Reyuth was now. Mara didn't tell him that they weren't flying all that high or all that fast – she was enjoying experiencing Klamath's feelings and thoughts too much to put a damper on either.

Brown Klamath had chosen Mara at an early morning hatching at Ista Weyr just this day. It had been an emotional and tragic hatching resulting in a very long and tiring day for the ex dock worker from Keroon who had already seen thirty-one turns. She still hadn't fully recovered from injuries received just eleven days earlier at the gather in Keroon when she was attacked by a drunken group of men. But now, she was a dragonrider, or would be when barely day-old Klamath could carry her.

Shortly after Reyuth ascended into the warm air over Ista Weyr, Mara had found it necessary to lie down over Klamath with her arms holding his little wings. His instinctive desire to fly was too strong to overcome with sheer will alone. With his tail wrapped around her waist, she rested her head on his neck. She had no flying goggles or inner eye lids to protect her eyes from the wind, but even with her eyes closed, she could see everything that Klamath was seeing.

Seeing through Klamath's multifaceted eyes was at first quite unnerving. Whatever he looked at was repeated hundreds of times, like seeing a reflection in hundreds of water glasses all placed tightly together on a tray. At first, Mara had to concentrate on one facet at a time, and quickly realized that the far right facet in one eye covered a different section of landscape than the far left facets, or the upper or lower facets in the same eye. It was as if Klamath had hundreds of eyes compared to Mara's two.

Between was entirely different as well. She still couldn't help but notice the extreme cold or the silence, or the complete lack of physical sensation. She couldn't feel Klamath with her hands, but she could feel him with her mind. A calming phrase from Reyuth quickly squelched a tiny fear of being lost between, before Klamath had a chance to fly under his own power.

Three heartbeats after entering between, they exited into near total darkness. Pern's moons would not rise until late this night.

Look up, Klamath. Mara could see in her mind what the little brown was seeing for the first time.

What are those lights?

They're stars. And someday soon we will learn to know which one is which so we'll always know where we are. She could see and feel him lower his head to look below Reyuth.

Are those stars, too?

Those are glows and torches! And that, my love, is Benden Weyr, our new home!

Reyuth bugled in response to the watch dragon's welcome, and Klamath let out a slightly squeaky bugle of his own, mimicking the big bronze.

Is it always so dark?

Only at night, Klamath. You'll see more in the morning.

What's morning?

Mara laughed to herself – this was going to be fun. You'll see, my love. You hold on tight, now. Reyuth is about to land.

The big bronze dragon landed near the weyrling barracks with so much grace, his passengers barely felt a bump. Mnementh had landed nearby, and Mara was sure that Calloreen's squeals of excitement and F'lar's laughter were probably being heard throughout the weyr.

Several riders were waiting to help unload Calloreen and Mara. A bronze dragon and his rider helped to unload the small dragons, much to their dismay. Both wanted nothing more than to continue flying. Mnementh's firm order was required to get either to let go so they could eat and go back to sleep.

Benden's newest brown and green weyrlings were led to a ground level weyr near the weyrling barracks. L'ret and the healers had decided that the new weyrlings needed to be kept separate until their schedules more closely matched the older weyrlings. The elder weyrlings did not need to be roused at all hours of the night anymore. And the youngest dragons would need additional attention and training to catch up with their elders.

Brendeen and Saraneth, though, were placed with Benden's three day old queen. Tianna and Biradeth had no objections to sharing their spacious quarters or to slowing down their queen's training to allow their sisters to catch up.

Each of the three 'Istan dragons' were fed enough to allow them a full cycle of sleep. Healers and riders helped to spot bathe and oil their hides. The girls were all reminded that they were only getting this much help due to the disruption of their normal schedules. They would all be expected to care for their own dragons from this time forward. None complained, and all were grateful.

The girls were each fed from trays brought from the kitchen, and once their dragons were settled, they took the time to bathe themselves.

Mara slid into the warm bathing pool in the weyrling barracks with joyful abandon. The warm water seemed to melt away all of her aches and pains. After dunking her head and washing her hair, she simply sat back and soaked. And thought about the last time she had been in a bathing pool, with G'raden. Had it really been only two nights ago? She fell asleep remembering strong but gentle arms wrapped around her protectively. A small hand on her shoulder woke her enough to start yawning.

"You're gonna wrinkle." Calloreen smiled as the big woman tried to keep from yawning. "Unless you drown first."

"A cot would be safer, wouldn't it?" Mara was surprised when Cally turned away as she started climbing out of the bathing pool. Very few of the women at Benden turned away when bathing together, at least the few times she had used the bathing pool in the Living Caverns. Mara reached for a drying cloth. "You don't have to turn away, Cally. We're both girls."

The young girl turned shyly and tried to keep her eyes on Mara's. "You're so big." She immediately blushed, realizing how her comment could be misunderstood.

"I used to be even bigger! I've lost a lot of unneeded muscle at Benden Weyr."

"Will I ever get that big?"

"Oh, I hope not! Most women don't need this much muscle." She began dressing in the clean clothes she had been provided.

Cally couldn't help watching the big woman. Her mother had been rather shy and modest. "Do you think I'll ever get bigger here?" She put a hand on her girlish chest.

Mara stifled a laugh, but smiled. "Of course, you will! Your breasts will grow and so will your hips. I think you will be a very pretty woman."

"When?" Cally seemed a bit anxious.

"When your body is ready. We can't hurry good things, Cally. We can only wait and help them along as best we can."

"How can I help my body grow?"

"Good food and lots of exercise. You'll get both here." Mara watched Cally's face as she considered more questions. As she pulled on her shoes, she beat Cally to the next question. "Are you going to get dressed? Or would you rather walk back in that drying cloth?"

Cally turned around and looked at her own clothing lying on a bench. Mara could hear her worry about how to dress without being watched.

"Sometimes, I slip my tunic on before I take off the drying cloth." Mara tried to alleviate Cally's concerns as she took extra time picking up her own drying cloth and washing cloths and then set up the needed supplies for the next bather to use this carved out pool.

Cally slid her tunic on and was glad that it fell nearly to her knees. She let her drying cloth drop to the floor and slipped on her trousers before sitting on the bench to put her shoes on. Guilt and embarrassment drove her next question. "Why didn't you do that?" When Mara only smiled, she asked a more direct question. "Why did you let me look at you?"

"When I was your age, I didn't have any women to look at, or to talk to. When my body started changing," she made an exaggerated show of fear, "I got scared! No one should be scared of their own body. So, if you ever have any questions, you be sure to ask, either me, or the healers, or just about any woman at Benden Weyr. All right?"

Cally nodded as she picked up her own bathing cloths. She walked slowly to Mara, obviously thinking hard. "I never got a chance to ask Mama."

"Would you like to ask me?" Mara lowered to one knee to face the girl eye to eye.

"Why am I getting fat?"

"Fat? Let's see." Mara squeezed her tiny waist with her fingers. "I don't feel any fat."

Cally giggled and squirmed as Mara tickled her.

"Do you mean your legs?" Mara squeezed Cally's thin but well muscled thighs.

Cally giggled more and leaned forward to hold Mara's shoulders. "No!"

Mara leaned back, crossed her arms and pretended to study the laughing girl. "Where are you getting fat?" She had a good idea what Cally was talking about, but feigned ignorance.

"Here." Cally put her hands on her chest, but had trouble looking at Mara.

"Oohh!" The big woman smiled. "You're already growing into a woman!"

"But it's fat!" Cally looked truly disgusted.

"Breasts are just fat."

"They are?"

"And other things. I know a healer who can explain a whole lot better than I can. And she has drawings, from AIVAS!"

Cally seemed less worried now. She started asking questions about the healer and AIVAS as they took their bathing cloths to the large, overflowing basket of used cloths to be washed the next morning.

As they walked through the exit to the weyrling's necessary room, Mara put a hand on Cally's shoulder, leaned close to her face and whispered. "Shh. Let's not wake up the other weyrlings."

Cally giggled as Mara stood straight and turned to leave the weyrling barracks. They were met halfway by two women green riders who both appeared rather concerned.

Mara was stunned by the thoughts of the two women, but smiled and continued leading Calloreen.

At the exit, one of the green riders took Cally by the hand and led her away from Mara. "Are you all right?" she asked the girl.

Mara flinched at the tone of the woman. What was she implying?

"Did she touch you?" asked the woman. The look on her face as Cally told her about the tickling could have charred Thread, if it had been on Mara's face.

Mara was shocked at the thoughts going through these two women's minds. "What are you worried about?" she asked the taller woman.

The shorter and thinner woman holding Cally's hand smiled at the girl and spoke to her, not Mara. "It's all right. We'll make sure you get to sleep, and then we're going to stay with you tonight, just in case you need help with your dragons."

The other woman watched Mara as if she were a criminal as all four walked into Mara and Cally's temporary weyr.

Mara couldn't help but notice that the cots had been moved. They had originally been set up near the large dragon couch head to head; now they were separated by several arm lengths and sat toe to toe. Two chairs and a small table had been moved to the other side of the dragon's weyr, with a large pot of klah and two mugs. It was quite obvious to Mara that they would be observed very closely this night; for what reason, she couldn't imagine. It had something to do with Cally, but Mara could think of no reason they should worry about her hurting such a young girl.

Klamath and Mynth were curled up together in the middle of the large stone couch that had been filled with soft, freshly cut grain stalks. Klamath's neck snaked up and over Mynth's neck and their muzzles were barely a hand breadth apart.

Cally giggled at seeing them, and Mara donned a smile when the girl pointed them out to her.

The green riders both made quite a fuss about getting Cally into her cot. They guarded her from Mara's view as she removed her trousers, and tucked the summer fur around her before each kissed her good night. And then they turned and glared at Mara before walking to their chairs.

Mara stripped her own shoes and trousers, not at all comfortable with the way the women watched her. She lay down on her cot and waited for Cally's happy and excited thoughts to quiet.

The women whispered back and forth, but always returned to glaring at Mara.

When the girl's thoughts were quiet, Mara hoped she was asleep. She sat up on the side of her cot and noticed the defensive shifts of posture in both the green riders. She stood and walked toward the exit, motioning the women to come with her.

Outside the weyr, Mara walked a short way along the wall, away from the weyrling barracks. When she turned around, both green riders stopped and stood as if they were about to be attacked.

Mara couldn't believe their reactions. She spread her empty hands out to her sides and shook her head. "What is going on, here?"

The tallest woman answered. "We're just here to help with the dragons."

"Then why are you afraid of me?" Mara was getting upset at the very obvious lie.

The smaller woman answered this time. "You impressed a brown dragon."

"And . . .?"

"That could mean that you . . . like women." The tall one eyed the big woman suspiciously.

"I do like most women, but I'm not too sure about you two." Mara didn't understand what they were hinting at.

"Have you ever shared your furs with a woman?"

"No." Mara had never shared her furs with anyone except G'raden. Her eyes went wide as she realized what they were asking. "Do you mean have I ever tried to mate with a woman?"

Both green riders simply glared.

Mara was flabbergasted. Her jaw dropped as she eyed both women, trying to imagine how such a thing could even be done. She shook her head at the images that did come to mind. "No!" She returned her gaze to the women's disbelieving eyes. "You think I would hurt Cally?"

The green riders turned and separated when they heard a hissing growl from behind them.

Mara rushed between them. "Oh, Klamath. It's all right. We were just talking." She kneeled to meet and catch him. "No, they didn't hurt me. Just my feelings." She caressed his head and neck as she turned to face the women. "Yes, they upset me, but with silly talk. I won't let silly talk upset me anymore, all right?" She now glared at the two green riders, and then stood to lead Klamath back to the weyr. "Oh, you're so tired. Let's get you back to your couch. Did you wake up Mynth? Good for you. You're so sweet." She switched to mental talk as they entered the weyr.

"I don't believe her."

"Maybe she doesn't know yet. Some of the men don't know until after they impress greens."

"Would she admit it if she did know?"

"I don't know."

The green riders hurried back into the weyr and took their seats, watching suspiciously as Mara resettled brown Klamath on the stone couch, and then herself in her cot.

Mara shook her head as she rolled away from the glaring eyes. She tried not to think about the images that had come to her mind. She forced herself to think about the good things that would come with her mating to Klamath; playing in the lake, oiling his beautiful hide, flying over all of Pern, eventually charring Thread, and more playing. Klamath joined in her thoughts, each of them enjoying the differing perspectives of the other, and very shortly both fell into a deep and restful sleep.

Mara woke several candle marks later with a start. She felt afraid, but wasn't sure why. When she realized the fear wasn't her own, she sat up in her cot and turned first to Klamath, then to Mynth; both were sleeping soundly, though Mynth was stirring slightly. She turned to Cally. The girl seemed to be struggling in her lightweight fur.

Cally's 'protectors' were both sound asleep, leaned back against the far wall. Mara slipped from her cot and walked to Cally's where she sat carefully on the edge. She caught the girl's flailing wrists and held them gently over the girl's chest.

Cally whimpered when she woke. When she saw Mara's face, she began crying softly.

Mara let loose of Cally's wrists and ran her hands along the girl's thin arms to her shoulders. There, she squeezed gently and leaned down to whisper. "It's all right, Cally. It was just a dream."

The girl's arms snaked around the big woman's neck and held tight. "I miss Mama."

"I know you do." Mara put her hands to Cally's back and pulled as she sat up. "It's all right." With one hand on the girl's thigh, she lifted and turned until the girl sat on her lap, face buried in her neck. Now, Mara's tired back muscles wouldn't protest as much. "It's all right, Cally." She held the small back with one hand and the outside thigh with the other as she began rocking side to side. "It's all right." She ignored the glares from the green riders, now awake and standing a few paces away, and closed her eyes. "It's all right, Cally."

Mara rocked the girl until her arms loosened their fierce grip on her neck, and continued rocking until one arm fell from her shoulder. She chuckled silently to herself, remembering how rocking had always helped put her little brothers to sleep.

When she opened her eyes, Mara nearly laughed at the two green riders. They both glared, with arms crossed under their well endowed breasts. The arms beneath only served to lift those blobs so high that both green riders reminded Mara of some of the ale hold serving girls she had seen in Keroon; the ones who were offering far more than just ale for sale.

It took extra effort to keep anger and disgust from her thoughts as she readjusted her position on the cot. She lifted up as she pulled the sleeping fur toward the foot of the bed.

The taller green rider moved forward with her arms stretched out. "I'll take her."

Mara glared in a fair imitation of their earlier glares. "Back away. I've got her." She lifted Cally's hanging arm and curled it between their chests. With a hand under the girl's knees, she twisted until Cally's seat dropped to the cot. With the same hand now cradling the curly blond head, she gently laid the girl down onto her pillow. Both limp arms were placed across the girl's stomach and then Mara stood to pull the fur up under her chin.

Cally rolled toward Mara as soon as the fur touched her chin. Her eyes opened as Mara knelt beside the cot. "Can I sleep with you, Mara?"

Mara put a hand on Cally's upper arm and smiled. "You're a big girl, Cally. You'll be fine."

"I don't want to have any more bad dreams."

"Then don't! Think about Mynth instead. Think about all that you two have done and all that you will do." Mara put her other hand on the top of Cally's head and stroked the fine curls.

Cally smiled and closed her eyes.

Mara spoke quietly and slowly, with exaggerated modulation. "Think about flying on Mnementh's back today, and think about someday flying on Mynth's back, and all the places the two of you can go together." The big woman had to stop to yawn deeply. The girl's smile was beginning to fade. Mara continued talking, but even quieter and slower, almost in a monotone now. "You'll be able to fly over mountains, and oceans, and fields, and holds, and rivers, and lakes all over Pern."

Cally's smile was gone, so Mara stopped moving her hands. The girl didn't notice, so Mara took her hand from Cally's shoulder. When there was no reaction, Mara took her other hand from Cally's head. She watched the girl sleep for a while, until her own yawns threatened to separate her jaw from her head. So, she tried to stand up.

Kneeling on the stone floor had not been a very good idea. Mara only now realized she had no feeling in either of her feet. She leaned back onto those senseless feet and then rolled to sit. She had to use her hands to straighten her legs, which caused painful tingling in her toes, feet and even the calves of her legs. She clenched her teeth, her lips, and her eyes closed as she began gently massaging her calves.

"What's wrong?" The shorter of the two green riders spoke quietly near Mara's ear.

Mara didn't trust herself to speak so just shook her head at the woman.

"We'll help you up."

Mara looked at the fairly small woman with wide eyes and shook her head vigorously. "Just wait." She spoke through clenched teeth and continued working her calf muscles.

It seemed to take forever to get the feeling back into her feet. When she was able to move ankles and toes without stabbing pains, she rolled to the side of one hip to begin her awkward ascent. She wound up on hands and knees before being able to get a foot on the ground. She pushed with that leg, using her arms to keep her balance, and finally got the other foot to the ground. She stood slowly, hoping to not make too much noise. First her hips popped, then her back cracked several times, and finally her neck popped as she rotated her shoulders. She would have liked to stand far more gracefully in front of her two guards.

Mara looked defiantly at the two green riders as they backed away a few steps.

"Why didn't you wake us?" asked the short one.

"You were sleeping so peacefully, I didn't want to disturb you." She allowed a bit of disgust to seep into her words. She turned away and walked carefully to her cot. She didn't tell them that in the time it would have taken them to wake up and walk to Cally's cot, the girl may well have been screaming from her dream; she had been reliving the day her parents were killed.

Cally's strong memory of that day barely two seven-days ago left Mara with horrible scenes in her own mind each time she closed her eyes. She took mental notes of all the disturbing details and hoped to be able to speak with T'men about it the next day. Or would it be today? Mara had no idea what time it might be. She finally returned to imagining flying on Klamath, but the vision that kept returning was of a man and a woman kneeling in a garden being attacked by three very large and vicious canines while a man in the trees gave them hand signals.