Search (Searchrider F'con)

[archenstone]

What a nice warm day! Barely a cloud in the sky and playful winds roamed the altitudes of air. Down below though, life was going to get interesting...

Kalina woke up early and couldn't go back to sleep. So she did her chores and left the hold early.

Some hours later Kalina comes running back. her arms hold an odd bundle of things and it seems something dashed out of the jungle after her. It made a lot of noise as it followed too short to see clearly.

She ran towards the hold only to find the great doors shut. What was going on? Unable to get inside she ran around to the left looking for her climbing hole. She found the tree as the horrible noise seemed right on her heels. Gripping the bottom of her shirt in her teeth like a basket, she clambered up a tree that leaned close to the roof she used to spy searches on. She lands hard from trying to run and scrapes a knee.

Her breath comes hard and the stitch in her side stings. That thing chased her far! She takes a careful peek past the roof and sees some dark green thing stalk the bushes. "Great..." She grumbles. The roof left no way for her to climb into the hold with out a nasty fall but if she climbed the tree that thing would get her. She wasn't going to give up her only hide spot the adults missed so she sat there to look at her prizes.

[Tashe]

/Lets get this circuit over with... the weather is picking up again. I hate the sun as much as you do./ If we could go any faster we would. Thrusting his hand into the air and bringing it down, the Bluerider gave the signal to land to the Rider behind him. /Farnath only knows why we have to search so soon after a Clutching. Its not like Millieth will be Rising... / Technically we aren't searching this time. Selenitas is getting to be more like Fort. /True. The longer this Weyr is exposed to the War, the more like a Warring Weyr it becomes./ Try saying that a few times fast... but you're right, they are... here, land there. Leaning back into the leather straps as Jackreth began to start his decent, F'con braced himself as the large Blue touched down in the open court yard. Moving forward a few paces so that the second pair could touch down, the Bluepair waited silently as their partner swung herself out of her straps and hurried off into the hold's main hall. "Sharding Errands. What am I? A friggen Runner?" /Mine?/ What is it? /I sense a possible Candidate./ Great. Just my luck... I get to lug a child all the way back to the Weyr.

Glancing around at the gathering crowd, F'con sighed before unstrapping himself and dismounting. Moving so he could face a good portion of the exuberant gathering, the man gave a rough sigh before flipping his hand into the sky before speaking. "Searches! Bring all willing Children forward or those of the ages of or between twelve to twenty-two." Watching quietly as children were pushed to the front, F'con glanced over to his Blue before planting himself firmly into place. /The one in the Green. The boy. He is a possible but there is another... it is not in this group./ "You Boy... yes the one in the green. How would you like to be a Dragonrider Candidate?" Go find the other one. /Right./

--

Spreading his wings so that he could clear the area around him, Jackreth jumped into the air before even trying to flap his appendages for any sort of Lift. Coughing in a Dragonic laugh as the wind from his wings whipped around the people on the ground, the Blue climbed into the lower atmosphere before training his thoughts on the Hold below. He could sense the human, yet he couldn't pinpoint the location at which the Holder was hiding. Tilting his angular head to the side as his left eye scanned the ground below him, Jackreth grunted as he concentrated on something bumping around in the bushes. Hissing slightly as two forms burst forth from the underbrush, the large male clenched his claws on his front legs before turning into a spiral. Angling so that his massive body would fit between the tree's, Jackreth dropped from the sky onto the beast, making sure that his claws didn't kill the offending animal. Lifting his head slowly up to the level at which the girl was hiding, the Blue hissed slightly before reaching out with his mind. He would speak to the girl, but only so he could send his thought to her, nothing more would transfer between them. /You will come with me, Human Female. Get onto my back, I will not ask again./

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Soon after she sat she saw dragons circling down. But they might see me! Inside she wanted them to see her. To take her on wild adventures and to learn the truth behind these dragonriders. She knew however that her parents would be glad that she is away...or so they think. She sat back far enough so the gathering people wouldn't see her to watch. So soon after they landed the great blue rose in the air. That's strange. Usually the dragons are near their riders...at least the others always where. She watched him circle a time then glanced back at the rider. Who is he... The thought barely came to her when suddenly a shadow caused her to look and turn.

The blue dragon somehow found a spot to land and hissed looking at her. She was standing now and so still she felt warm sweat trail down her forehead.

///You will come with me, Human Female. Get onto my back, I will not ask again.///

He spoke to her! The voice seemed alien and powerful but it sent a shiver through her. A moments thought of what her parents would think was banished by the realization that this was her chance. Her awe of the dragon kept her from running up to him. She walked over and looked at his swirling eyes. "You spoke to me..." She said wonderingly. Closer to him it seemed as if a gulf stretched from the ledge to his back. She forced herself to climb on the back and after a moment found a place to sit. Not knowing where to grip she hugged tight with her knees and held on to the flight straps. The dragon seemed warm. Still surprised but excited beyond measure she could only say, "I'm ready". Her grip tightened. Her eyes where bright as she hung on.

The little feathers and bits of colored stone where left forgotten. They were no longer needed.

[Tashe]

/Oh how I degrade myself to bring this Child to you ConMine. I must crawl through these tree's like a whipped Wher./ I'm sorry Jacky. I'll give you a bath when we get home. Shuffling his wings slightly in agitation, the large Blue began to move through the small spaces between the trees, slinking and bending like a snake through sand. He had released the Beast when the Girl had settled herself on his back, there was no longer a chance that it could have gotten at her. Swinging his head back toward the youngling, Jackreth snorted slightly before returning his head to its original position, his green eyes swirled with only the slightest hint of orange. Weaving his way through the final stretches of the trees, the Seasoned Dragon yawned heartily as the sun's rays hit his face. He would walk the girl into the Hold, she obviously didn't know how to strap herself in, it wouldn't do to risk her falling after having gone through so much trouble to obtain her. Moving into a steady lope, Jackreth made his way around a small portion of the lake before leaping over the building that blocked his way into the long stretch of land upon which he had first landed. /Her name is Kalina. I picked it up through mindspeaking to her./

--

"So thats it then. We'll take the boy to the Weyr to be a Candidate. My partner has all the details you'll ever need to know in that pouch..." Watching as the Greenrider handed over a leather pouch with the Selenitas logo on it, F'con continued as soon as it exchanged hands. "... He will be settled in and you can come and visit as much as you want. He will be educated and so on and so forth." Shaking the Father's hand as the Greenrider took the exuberant boy by his hand, he broke the shake as soon as his Dragon reappeared in the court yard. Flicking his gaze to Jackreth as he communicated with him, F'con knitted his brows together as he walked over to his waiting Blue. Mounting the Blue's leg so that he could swing himself up to eye level, the Bluerider ran a hand through his black hair before speaking to the girl. "So Kalina, that is your name right? Do you have any parents that I need to contact before you come with us to Selenitas?"

[archenstone]

She hung on and investigated the straps. So thats what they are...She thought to herself. She didn't fiddle with them since it looked like they were set up purposefully. Thinking back she remembered seeing a rider before as he landed. They all seemed to have something similar. She looked up at him eyeing her. His swirling green eye seemed to have a tint of aggravated orange but he had already turned his head when Kalina was just looking at him. When he jumped, she gripped tighter and felt herself rise off him a little. The sensation made her grin.

Not even a minute later the man came straight up the blue dragon's leg and was eye to eye with her.

They they are really taking me? She had tried not hope even when they went through the trouble of picking her up. She had a slight mental pause.

"Yes, Zurune is my Mother and Raziel my Father." After a moment she added, "They probably won't be pleased though. They kept me away from the other searches. I've only seen Dragons from afar or from that roof. No one ever noticed me up there till now." She said. She hoped that they would let her go peacefully.

"Kalina! What are you doing up there?" A woman with dark hair up in a bun came rushing towards the dragon. His size didn't seem to intimidate her as she came right up. "Dragonrider Sir, surely she wasn't searched for the clutches? We thought they hatched." She seemed pale and resisted the urge to look for Raziel. What would her husband say? She was something between wanting to be polite and wanting to spring Kalina back to her. Instead she stared up at Kalina imploringly as if to say; How could you?

[Tashe]

"Yes, but you've been noticed now, thats all that counts." Looking back down at the ground as a woman caming rushing up to them, the Bluerider sighed before rubbing the bridge of his nose with his finger tips. He had run into less appreciative parents before, but he couldn't always promise he would win the arument in the child's favor. /I will lift you down./ Thanks. "I'll be right back. If you want to get down just tell Jackreth." Grabbing onto one of the Blue's sidestraps, F'con slid himself down onto the profered leg before jumping the rest of the way down. Moving his body so that he stood a respectful distance from the Mother, the Bluerider nodded his head slightly before hooking one of his thumbs into a pocket. "Indeed Ma'am. Our Queen's clutch might have hatched, but we have another fully mature Queen that might rise at any moment, you cannot time rises." Nodding slightly, F'con accepted the bag his Partner tossed to him before turning back to the woman. "Kalina has been searched as a Candidate, but I cannot forcefully take her from you, we at Selenitas respect the wishes of the parents. But you must understand, the Child in question does have her own say in this matter. Selenitas will back any desicion that your Kalina makes."

[archenstone]

She couldn't leave with out a good bye to her mother. She asked Jackreth to let her go down and when the opportunity came she slid her way down. Her mother looked saddened when told that it was ultimately Kalina's decision.

"Mother, it's time for me to find my own way. This is a chance for me to learn more and perhaps find something I do well in. We both know there is no craft I do well here to earn my way." Her mother came over. "But Kalina darling women don't have to provide for themselves. Your Father always provided for us and any of the young men here could do as well for you."

Kalina had a look that suggested they'd had discussions like this. "I don't want to depend on a man. I want to travel and make my own way. You know that I wouldn't be happy with out that." She made herself keep a gentle tone for she had already made her mind. Perhaps her Mother sensed the change.

"You truly mean that don't you?" Her tone was subdued. She held her hands to her belly. "I always thought you would run onto the first dragon you saw whether or not it wanted you. Raziel left early today. You won't be able to say goodbye if you go now." Her eyes where teary. She wasn't going to fight her daughter.

"I'll write to you both often Mother, " She said hugging her. "This boy will be enough on your hands with out me getting into mischief." After letting her go she said, "I'll be right back I'm bringing a couple items. " She dashes off into the hold, leaving her mother with the Dragon Rider. "Raziel might be furious at first be he'll understand I think." Zurune said, "Sir, she hardly knows anything about the world and what is going on. Try to keep her out of the worst of it if possible. Raziel and I only wanted to protect her." She implored. She held tears in check. Her daughter might be wild but she is loved and would be missed by her parents.

A few minutes later Kalina returned with a small sack containing two sets of cloths and a couple mementos. She gave her mom one last hug and a goodbye before walking to Jackreth.