Thank you for the input. It helped me remember that my characters' histories are not common knowledge. )

"Your legs are too short," Talyrma said yet again. Another gut-wrenching cough passed over her jaundiced form.

"I know, ma'am," Alana said bitingly, wincing at her own voice. "But I am going to Impress a dragon, I will prove myself to you..."

"Your legs are too short for that too," the old runner-woman said raspily. "How will a dragon even see you?"

"She'll see me," Alana said quietly, staring down at her knees. Talyrma gave a hacking laugh.

"That's what Serren thought," Talyrma said, referring to Alana's cousin who had been killed at a Hatching. Alana winced.

"I will take the risk, and..."

"And what?" the old woman asked her youngest. There was no time to answer. The life left her eyes, and she never coughed again. Her death was truly announced by Sab's loud keenings as the blue fire-lizard leapt Between. He didn't want to be alone.

"Alana! You killed her?" Derk cried, running into the room and gripping the short and bony redhead's shoulders. Alana sighed. Her father had no brain, he merely was very good at running. Even into his sixtieth turn.

"No, Derk. We were talking, then she died," she said absently, leaving the room numbly. She walked out to the main square and sent her own fire-lizard after the blue dragon that had Searched her... or had he Searched the remnants of Serren's influence? Alana shook her head, no, dragons knew.

"Go on, Thamir," Alana egged the little brown on. He arrived at the Weyr, a little note attatched. S'ban and his blue Terath appeared shortly after, Thamir in close pursuit.

"Good, so your mother has let you come?" Alana nodded, she needed to leave fast before Derk came out. It was a quick enough process, and they were at the Weyr. Something was missing.

"Where's Thamir?" she asked frantically, looking around them, not even paying attention to the thrill of the dragon ride. "Oh! He's gone! He's Between!"

He didn't want to come, Terath informed S'ban plainly. He peered at Alana curiously as they landed. That couldn't be good news that a fire-lizard did not want to remain with Alana. There were bad memories.

"I'm sorry, Alana," S'ban said softly, and they landed with a thump. He did not know what losing a fire-lizard felt like, he didn't even know what a bonding felt like. He didn't want to, they seemed unreliable.

"It's fine," Alana said coldly, already numbed to the loss. He decided the loss couldn't have been to horrible, if she had already recovered. Or she was very strong, good for a dragon.

"Alright, let me take you to the Candidate Master," S'ban said, reluctantly letting go of her and removing the rider straps. He tried to help her down, but she had already slipped off the dragon. She looked around, eyes almost greedily happy. She was obviously pleased with the new home.

"Which way?" she asked almost hungrily. Eager.

"Come along," he said, placing his hand back around her waist, sending her towards a cavernous passage. "The Candidate Master will be pleased to have another strong girl for those greens."

Alana nodded eagerly. Her mind went to the sands, where no bronzes or queens were, and only some of each Clutch would Hatch... It had been a long time since there had been any golds or bronzes flying through the skies. Now the largest greens, the best leaders of the female greenriders became weyrwoman. S'ban, meanwhile, was looking at the seventeen turn old girl by his side, and noted that she really was quite short. Too short to be a runner, while he was towering over her at a surprising 6'8".

"Will I see you again, bluerider?" Alana asked as they reached the Weyr Offices. S'ban shrugged.

"Great Cliffs Weyr is rather small," he said, flashing his crooked smile. Alana grinned, and stepped into the Candidate Master's office.

"Candidate Master B'ren?" she asked. The hulking brownrider stood, shaking her hand quickly, then rubbing his eyes. He, Alana noted, was even taller than S'ban, and much less handsom. He gave off a feeling of stupidity, the feeling that so many Smiths gave her. She scowled in contempt as he sat again, gesturing for her to sit as well.

"Aye, lass? Are you S'ban's prodige?" he asked gruffly, running a hand through his oily brown locks.

Alana blinked. She was a prodige? She wasn't, but Alana was unaware of this other girl, "I suppose so, sir."

"Right, so that would make you Ylsara of Kajano?" Alana shook her head, cheeks reddening.

"No sir, I am Alana of the North-Most Runner-Station..." she said softly. Not many people travelled up there.

"Ah, you're the runner-girl, okay," he said. Then looked up from his paperwork again. "Are you sure you're the runner-girk," he asked incredulously as he eyed her short and busty form.

"As sure as I've ever been..." she said quietly.

"Well, you're here just on time. The Clutch is expected to Hatch some time within the next two days," he said. "There are a few rules, and then we'll go over what you missed during the majority of the Lessons."

It wasn't until several hours later, when Alana's mind was sore from all the information, that she and her small bag of belongings were brought to the girls barracks. The other girls had just finished supper, and were talking quite eagerly now. "Did you see Tegraynn? He's so going to Impress a brown!" one girl was saying.

"Who needs a brown when he's got those eyes? I'd be happy if he was a greenrider!" said another.

"Well, he wouldn't be talking to us the way he did if that was the case," the first girl said. They paused as Alana entered, chin up, proud of her rank as Candidate.

"Hi, I'm Tria," said the smallest girl. She was shorter than Alana, but also several turns younger. "What's your na-" she paused to spit some wild black locks out of her hair. "Name?"

"Alana," the redhead responded, finding an empty bunk and sitting crosslegged on it. "I just arrived today from the Northern Runner-Station."

"Ooh, that must mean S'ban Searched you," another girl, who Alana later learned was named Kellena. "He Searched me as well. He's the youngest Searchrider, only nineteen." Alana nodded, recalling how nice it felt to have his arms around her waist. She winced inwardly when she also remembered how her fire-lizard Thamir had gotten lost Between.

"He's very kind," Alana said quietly.

One, two, three days passed, and people grew concerned. Would Riath's Clutch Hatch, Klira wondered worriedly. G'del stayed by her side as she angsted over the Weyr's second largest green. It was during one of these worry-sessions that Riath began to hum. Klira hardly noticed it, then the energy filtered it's way throughout the Weyr. Every green, blue, and brown, had arrived, bringing Candidates in, or letting them walk in on their own. Alana was one of the first eager girls onto the sands, each of them standing by the smaller eggs. The first dragon hatched, and the handsom brown found his way to Tegraynn. One of the girls nudged Alana, "See, I told you," she said excitedly as she applauded the first Impression. It was good luck for a brown to Hatch first. It meant the clutch would be strong.

Alana was near tears when the last two eggs remained. Tria had Impressed the largest green on the sands so far, nearly as large as T'graynn's brown, and Kellena was pleased with her blue dragon. Now only Alana and four boys remained. She fidgeted nervously, rubbing her eyes to prevent tears.

Please choose me, she thought. I can't go back to Derk and that runner-station... It was as though her prayers were heard as the last two dragonets hatched. The tiny green that had Hatched crashed into her as the blue went directly to Meru-M'rul. Alana paused as Avenuth's mind melted into hers. How did she know the green's name? Oh, it didn't matter, Avenuth was very hungry, and very tired, and so very small... Alana was blinded by love for that little while.

"My beautiful, perfect Avenuth..."