A young man relaxed upon his bed, his sketch book sitting on his lap while he used a charcoal piece to draw. Letting off a sigh, he lifted his gray gaze to outside his window, watching the sun set behind the western wall of the Hold from behind the wisps of brown hair that draped his eyes. Tomorrow... he said to himself. Tomorrow they will come. The thought brought a smile to his face. "Toby," a voice said, breaking through his dreams. Tobias's head snapped to look at the door of his room, eyes questioning the form that stood there. "Come on...dinner's ready," said the male's voice again. Tobias smiled, looking down at his sketch book...at the beautiful dragon that had taken shape upon it's pages...before setting it upon his side stand and getting up. "Crem boiled up some stew this afternoon," Pacal, his younger brother, piped as they walked down the corridor to the dinning hall. Tobias nodded his head, taking a deep sniff of the stew scented air as it drifted up the passageway from the kitchen. As the two boys entered the dinning hall, they were met by the smiling and cheerful faces of their family...and extended family, for aunts and uncles and cousins all resided in the same Hold. They quickly moved to give loving kisses to their mother's cheeks, before Tobias took a spot by her side and Pacal ran down to join his same aged cousins. Tobias smiled to himself while he ate his stew and bread, and listened to the chattering voices of the group around him. Several times he would hear his name and glance one way or another...each time offering a different family member a bashful smile as they praised the his strong will, or talents with the firelizards and watch weyrs, or thanked him for some job he had performed that day. When the subject turned to the Search that was supposedly going to be held tomorrow, all talk was upon Tobias and his slightly older cousin Kasak. The two boys were the most promising, and hopes were high for not just one, but both of them to be taken up to Ryslen Weyr for the recent clutch. "You'll Impress, I know you will," Pomale, Tobias's mother, whispered encouragingly to her son. Tobias smiled and slowly nodded his head. I hope so, Mother... he thought to himself. For Father, I hope so... Later that night, as Tobias was readying himself for bed, he thought to the great man who had been his father. Rider of brown Rocketh, Z'ton and his Bonded had been one of the best teams in their fleet. A will like iron, a mind like a tack, a heart like the ocean...and a dragon who gave him balance during the very few times his temper would rage, Z'ton had been deeply loved and respected by everyone who knew him. That was why, on the day when the fleet blinked from between...without any sign of the great Rocketh and his rider...panic swept through the Weyr. Pomale rushed to meet Cr'n, the Wingleader, as he dismounted from his bronze, her eyes begging him to tell her it wasn't true. Cr'n had only been able to hang his head as he related the fate of the great rider. "He fell...scorched by Thread before any one could save him. Rocketh went between soon after." With a shake of his head, Tobias stopped his thoughts. No, he didn't need to remember the mourning now. Now he needed to be in good spirits. Tomorrow he would be Searched and become a dragon rider. Tomorrow he would make his father's spirit proud. When Tobias woke the next morning, it was to the violent shaking of Pacal. "Tobias! Tobias, wake up, they're here!" With a groan, Tobias allowed his eyes to open and tiredly question his brother's words. They? They who? he thought before the tired haze vanished from his mind. The Searchers! With a jump, Tobias scrambled from his bed and out of his sleeping robes, getting into his britches and a shirt. "You lazy bones!" Kasak yelled with a laugh as he ran by the door...still pulling on his boots. "You're no better, Kas!" Pacal said, rushing to yell that down to his cousin. Tobias smiled, ruffling his brother's hair as he booked down to the main court, where the Search riders and their dragons waited. |