Epilogue

12 years later.

"Makana, hurry up, you're going to be late!"

"Coming, Nomon!" Makana replied.

"What took you so long?" asked Anya of her 15 year old daughter.

"My leg's a little swollen this morning and I was having a bit of trouble with my new foot." Anya looked down but couldn't see anything as Makana had put on a pair of trousers.

"Do you have time to go see Janet?"

"Yeah, I'm on my way there now. Can you tell Ma that I'll be late for the meeting?"

"Yes, now go and get your leg looked at," Anya said, pointing to the doorway. Makana walked out the door with a slight limp.

Anya made her way to the meeting and talked to her wife.

"Makana's gone to see Janet. Her leg's bothering her."

"Is it serious?"

"I don't think so, I think it's just the new foot Raven made. It's different to her other feet she's had over the years."

"True, but this one should be better for her."

"I know, I think it's just needing time to get used to it." Adara nodded. Anya turned to look at the people attending this meeting. In the past decade, several outsiders had become dragonriders and with a third weyr down in Yujleda territory and a fourth on the island of Honolulu, they had done well. Now they were comtemplating putting another on the lower part of Japan. They traded with the Japanese quite a lot. They mostly traded wheat and foodstuffs for oily fish for the dragons, but they also traded for fire-lizard eggs. The Chinese and Japanese both had dragons in their cultures and they decided that the small versions of them were big enough for them.

The new weyr would be situated on the volcano to the south of Japan called Mount Tsurumi in the old world. Locals said that it hadn't erupted in over a thousand years, so it should be safe to build a weyr in.

The people in this room were the ones who were deciding if they were going to build one there. They had several options including one at Cancun and another place in Africa. Cancun was warm most of the year and the dragons could clutch and hatch on the hot sands of the beaches there. The one in Africa would be in Kenya right on the shores of Lake Victoria. It was called Mount Homa.

Makana would be there as she was studying volcanoes as part of her ongoing training to be either a rider or a leader in future years. No-one thought that a 15 year old shouldn't be included and they all treated her as an adult, a fact that she appreciated immensely after hearing about how her mother and the rest of the kids were treated on the Ark.

Once Makana had joined them, they debated each site and Makana told them of her studies of the two volcano sites. Both sites were ideal for dragons as they were hard to reach on foot and they could find thermal vents to heat the hatching sands.

It was eventually decided to put a weyr in Africa first, Cancun second and then Japan third, what that really meant was that all three weyrs would be built within three years of each other. With more golds clutching and hatching, they really had to ramp up their weyr building!

With that decided, Makana made her way to the hatching sands where Inkalith's latest clutch was hardening. Because the new weyrs could hold a lot more, Inkalith had given Ovrath a run for his money and it took him a while to catch her. This resulted in 42 eggs being clutched. There was much excitement as riders had been sent out to find at least eighty candidates. There were more clan groups from around the world to search so it wasn't a problem to find enough of them. English lessons were given to those who didn't speak it and the people around the world started to learn English as that was the Dragonkru language. It wouldn't be long before the entire world spoke English as well as whatever language they already spoke.

Inkalith's eggs were due to hatch in a couple of days and a queen egg had been laid. The dragons and riders for these eggs would stay at Atlantis until they could go between and then they would be divided up and sent to whichever weyr needed some. Makana wondered if she would impress and if so, where would she be sent? She knew that her mother wouldn't play favourites and keep her here if she wanted to go, but Makana didn't know if she wanted to leave the only place she had ever called home. Out there, it was scary and unknown, but here, she was safe and looked after. She knew she would have to step up and care for her dragon, just like everyone who had ever impressed, and she knew that she could do it. The problem was that she had never spent much time outside of Trikru lands.

She had almost two years of training and learning to fly before she had to make up her mind, she just hoped she knew what to do. Makana remembered when she was little and would ask - or sometimes demand - a story from whichever dragonrider was one of the hundred. She loved listening to their stories. Over the years, those stories changed from child friendly to what actually happened and she listened to all those altered stories like they were the first time she'd heard them. She especially liked the story of finding White Oak and D'bor arriving. That was the start of the incredible journey of the dragons of Earth. She loved to listen to them tell of their early days with the dragons and the little time they spent learning about them. Their training basically only lasted a year because they were still refining HOW the dragons and flight patterns should be training and learned.

Classes were now longer and each time a new rider flew for the first time on their dragon, they had to sit down and write about every little thing they did right and wrong and what they saw, what instructions they gave their dragon and if the dragon complied immediately or not. Each journey was documented because Bellamy did not want an accident happening and losing a dragon and rider because of inattentiveness. They had lost one pairing like that four years ago when Cranston and his blue dragon Wilconth took flight before they checked their airspace and they flew up and into Baramuth. Baramuth and Murphy were okay and knew to swerve out of the way, but Wilconth became spooked and instinctually went between. A few seconds later and all the dragons around the world threw back their heads and keened for a lost dragon and rider. The Pernese knew what that meant but the Earth riders had never heard it before. Once they realised that it meant a dragon and rider had died, the whole of dragonkind was in shock and Bellamy implemented extra classes and any rider he thought wasn't paying enough attention was grounded immediately until Bellamy said so. It was a sobering time and a loss that was felt deeply. All weyrs vowed to make sure that everyone knew what to do and to enforce on them to check their airspace - no matter how excited they were.

Two days later and the dragons started to hum. The candidates all rushed to put on their uniforms and rushed to the hatching ground. Several honoured guests sat in the stands from around the world and they all had the new translator earpieces. Raven and Sam had come up wirth a solution to different languages with no English being known. They had made the earwigs from their time fighting the mountain into translators with a small microphone attached. They had downloaded every language they could find in Atlantis's database and had found some computer disks and chips from before the war. They had to build a computer that could use them and then they copied those languages into the earpieces too. Now everyone could understand what was being said to them or around them. It cut down on a lot of misunderstanding in first contact situations!

"Hey Makana," said Harmon. He was the son of Monty and Harper and they had used the Pernese way of naming children by combining bits of their own names. He was their oldest child and at 11 was too young to stand for a dragon, but in three years when he was old enough, he knew he wanted to be a rider just like his parents.

"Hey, Harmon, what're you doing here? I thought you were going to see Yannis over at Panther Bay with your mother?" said Makana, pulling her new tunic down and settling it around her.

"Yeah, well, I thought about it, but I'd rather be here to see you impress a dragon," he said with a smile. Harmon was an affiable boy just like his father.

"And give up a chance to see your cousin?" She asked.

"He's only my cousin because dad and Jasper keep referring to themselves as 'brothers from other mothers'. I mean, seriously? We know they are not related!"

"They're just doing that because they feel like each other's family. Remember when Jasper was there for your dad when he lost his dad?" Monty's father had died three years previously of a heart attack and Monty had been devastated. He'd had more time with his father this time around because Farm station had been emptied out and they came down in Mecha station instead and had survived. His mother had not become a homicidal maniac and his father hadn't been killed by Azgeda warriors.

"I know, but if he's my cousin, then I can't date him, can I?" Harmon said quietly. Makana started at that.

"I didn't know you were interested in him that way," she said. I thought you were interested in Afarissa?"

"No, I just like Afarissa as a friend. She's nice and everything, but I like boys."

"Well, maybe you can still date him, after all like you said, he's not blood related to you." Harmon perked up at that.

"Oh, yeah!" he said, happy to have that pointed out to him. "Come on, the dragons are humming louder, you'd better get in there before they hatch and you don't get a dragon!" Makana laughed, but went to stand beside the other candidates awaiting the dragons. As she stood there among the candidates, she looked up at her mother and her siblings. Her ma and nomon were watching over all of them and her brother and sister were watching her. She waved at them and Yadaran, her brother, waved back. He was only seven and knew he had a long time to go before he could stand for a dragon. His sister on the other hand was ten and couldn't wait until she could be a candidate. Darayan sat there with folded arms and a scowl on her face. Nomon leaned over and poked her in the arm, no doubt telling her that this was her sister's day and her turn would come. Darayan heaved a big sigh and waved back to Makana, scowl still in place. Makana smiled to herself as she waved back.

When the dragons started to hatch, there was excitement in the air and tension in those in the stands, hoping their young ones would impress. For some of the newcomers, it was the first time seeing it happen and they were curious.

A bronze hatched first and went straight for a young girl from Delfikru. Cheers erupted from those in attendance from that clan. Another egg hatched and the small blue ran towards one of the newcomers.

"Kinath!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms around his new lifemate.

"Well done, Jiro!" said one of the Japanese in the crowd.

Another bronze hatched and went straight to a girl on the outside of the ring of candidates. He pushed his nose against her chest as she just stared at him.

"Jumanth?" she said, slowly putting her hand on his nose, and then throwing her arms around him. "Jumanth! I love you, dear one, let's get you some food." she led him off to the opening and to the feeding room for the newly hatched dragons. Kaida's father was astonished. He hadn't really thought his daughter would impress. Her twin brother had already impressed Kinath the blue dragon, but he only let her be a candidate to keep her twin company. Now he had to go home and tell his wife that both of their children were now dragonriders. He didn't know if she would be happy or pissed off!

More and more dragons hatched and impressed, all the clans had candidates and all the clans had at least one new rider.

One of those new riders was an 18 year old girl called Senara. She was from Corda and was actually one of the half clan children born of clan women and mountain men who was only a small child when they had freed the mountain and stopped the barbaric practice of raping clan women to get children that could breathe outside without a radiation suit. She was told of her heritage right from the time they went to Corda and she didn't feel any different. She was curious about her birth mother and the clan she was technically, if not legally, part of. She had decided to go visit her birth mothers clan to see what they were like. Once they knew just who she was, she was welcomed into their clan, so now she was half-Trikru as well as half Cordanese. She had a clan tattoo on her shoulder proclaiming her right to be part of their clan. Now she was also Dragonkru. She had impressed a brown called Foralinth.

One more Japanese was impressed. A boy called Norio who impressed with a bronze called Ardrumth.

When the golden egg broke and a small gold nose poked out, everyone was quiet as they waited to see who she would impress with. With a final burst the shell split in two and a golden body followed the head out of the shell. She looked around and made straight for Makana.

"Arath!" Makana said, weeping with joy. "Oh, Arath, you are so beautiful."

"I'm hungry!" Arath said, poking at her new lifemate. Makana laughed and led her heart of gold out for some food.

Sam and Janet were in the feeding ground, watching the newly paired members of Dragokru learning their first lesson - making sure the dragon doesn't choke when they inhale their food! Sam looked over to her daughter who was now the senior weyrlingmaster's assistant. She had impressed one of the fifth generation dragons which really meant only four years after the dragons appeared on Earth. Cassie had impressed a blue called Benrath. She had decided that she wanted to be an assistant and eventually she hoped to become a weyrlingmaster in one of the new weyrs.

The Pernese riders who decided to stay on after the weyrs became fully independent, had long since abandoned the view that only bronzes and maybe one or two browns could lead. When thread had stopped falling on Pern forever, the Earth riders had had a massive party to celebrate and everyone was much happier now that their friends and weyrmates wouldn't die by thread. More trade and visits became the norm and the Pern weyrs were even asking the Earth dragonriders how to teach them what they needed to know about life without thread. Several people had gone to Pern and lived there for a couple of years, teaching them what they knew. All that really changed was that they didn't need to learn how to fight thread, all the rest was kept in place, but the lessons on airspace were reinforced.

Cassie was happy in her role and Bellamy was extremely pleased she had taken all he could teach her and had used it to benefit all dragons. He had no doubt she would succeed. Sam was proud of her daughter, she had come into her own here on this foreign Earth. Janet was also impressed with the maturity their daughter showed. It bode well for their second child - a son who at ten was just starting to think about his future, but he was showing a distinct knack for mechanics. Sam liked to take credit for that, but Janet knew he learned more from Raven than Sam, probably because Raven allowed him to blow things up! No, Cassie was doing things her way and loving it.

Later when the dust had settled and the dragons were sleeping, the new riders and others from their generation were sitting around the fires talking about their new friends. Makana, Senara, Harmon - even though he didn't have a dragon, Afarissa, Aurora - who had impressed a green at the last hatching, and Jasran, a Podakru member who had just impressed a blue, sat around the fire talking and laughing. Adara and Anya were sitting at another fire watching them along with Octavia and Lincoln, Harper and Monty and Tomika. Her son, Ryoto, had impressed three years previously from one of Linamarth's clutch. He was now a bronze rider down in the Seminole Weyr in Yujleda territory on the shores of Lake Okeechobee - which the younger kids started calling Lake Okey Cokey after an old child's rhyme they'd read about in one of the books from White Oak. Tomika's husband, Masayo and their third and youngest child were currently working in Panther Bay and would be back in a couple of months, while their second was currently living with the Plains Rider Clan, learning about horses and horse management. Almost all of the hundred had at least two children, they didn't want to deprive their kids of having the experience of a sibling or in later life, cousins, aunts and uncles.

"They are the new guard," said Adara, almost to herself.

"We're not that old, Adara, most of us have only just hit thirty, and Charlotte's still only 27!" said Octavia.

"I know, O, but look at them, can you really say that those young people there won't be the leaders of their respective weyrs in a few years' time?" Octavia looked at them and realised that even her daughter would be someone high up in whatever weyr they ended up in.

"I suppose so, but Adara, we are still so young, do you think they'll take over from us?"

"Not yet, no-one's taking over my job just yet. I don't plan on retiring until I'm at least sixty, so anyone taking over would have to wait a while. I know you don't intend to retire either, any of you. No, what I had in mind was the other weyrs. I'm still the leader of the Dragonkru and that won't change for another thirty years or so, but in those other weyrs, I can see them moving up the pecking order long before they themselves hit thirty. We've all got kids who are now dragonriders or soon will be and we're all high-rankers. Do you think they'd do any less? They are our kids and they know exactly what it takes to make a weyr successful. They'll do good wherever they go." Harper and Monty nodded in agreement.

They watched as Makana with her gold and her friends laughed and talked in merriment. Soon enough they would be doing the hard work of taking care and training their dragons before they learned how to fly. Bellamy and his team would soon whip them into shape and Bellamy would not go easy on them because of who their parents were.

In later years, more and more of the kids became dragon riders and grew up not knowing any other way but the dragon way. None of them were born on the Ark, and none of them knew of any way of living but the one they and the clans lived.

When Makana had been a rider for five years, her Arath clutched and hatched at Atlantis and Clarke and Lexa's twins both became riders. Their firstborn son, Jakaby - named after both Jake and Abby - impressed with a brown and their second born son - Matevan - named after Lexa's parents Matalia and her father Evanton - impressed with a bronze. In the same hatching, Octavia's second daughter, Adron, impressed a blue and Bellamy's son, Augustus - which made Clarke laugh when she heard - impressed a brown and now went by the name of A'tus. Troy Gibbons' 15 year old sister had impressed a green and N'han and Jackson's daughter, Olivia, had impressed the lone gold.

The original riders watched as their children became riders and became the people who they wanted to be. Makana became Senior weyrwoman to the new African Weyr called Kenyan Weyr.

In time, when Adara finally stepped down from her role as leader of the Dragonkru, Makana became the leader. She inherited a world of dragonriders and she inherited the position of Commander too. Commander Lexa had decreed that the title of Commander would be placed upon the one person who had shown they could do the job. No more conclave and no more nightbloods only. Each clan had voted on who they wanted as the new Commander and it was voted upon unanimously. Makana, the child who would have been left to die, the one who was not born to the clans had risen up and with the guidance of her parents, had assumed the role of protector of the kongeda and leader of the Dragonkru. The world had it's champion and it was her time to shine.

The end.

xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx

So there you are, that's the last chapter to this story. I've tried to tie up some loose ends, but if you see any, please feel free to tell me about them, just tell me what it is and where you found it. If enough are pointed out, I'll do another chapter to hopefully resolve them.

Thanks for reading, I do appreciate all of you who have. Samdagger.