Sherese pointed one of her chubby little fingers at the sky and made some gurgling noises as she attempted to speak. Her older brother of seven turns looked up at her bidding and gapped as well at what he saw.

“Mama! Look, dragons!” the little boy shouted. As his mother looked at the sky the young boy puffed out his chest proudly, “I saw ‘em first, Mama, and pointed them out to Sherese!” His baby sister shrieked at him some how knowing he’d taken the glory of her first discovery on her own away from her. Her brother eyed her still looking proud while lying and Sherese glared at him, or as much as a baby could glare at anyone at the age of fourteen months.

“Yes, so there are dragons above us, Laron,” his mother replied looking up at the dragons with a sad smile, “It’s very kind of you to start teaching your sister at such a young age to spot dragons.” The woman paused for a time and took in the sight of the greens, blues, browns, and the single bronze and gold that were in the sky, to her it was obvious that the half wing of dragons above them were weyrlings, save one of the browns, and were training for their very strenuous lives that would be in full effect possibly within a turn. She then turned to her son once more.

“Did I ever tell you I was a rider, my lovelies?” she asked hooking an arm around her son and pulling him down to sit in her lap as the watched the dragons dip and bank, dive and glide in the sky. The young boy’s green blue eyes grew wide as he looked at his mother and the babe gurgled in joy, it was another story time and she loved them, especially about either one of her parents.

“You road a dragon?” the boy asked voicing his sister’s amazement as well as his own.

“Yes,” she replied softly, “A green the color of a new spring day, with wing sails that nearly looked to be the color of Rukbat shining down on us.” She swallowed hard before continuing, “Her name was Pitaroth.” Sherese listened to the description of her mother’s dragon and gurgled happily. The baby girl may not have understood every word her mother stated but she even then could hear the love this woman had had for something she already thought so wonderful. She seemed to concentrate on one word throughout her mother’s confession and tried to move her mouth to mimic her mother’s words.

“Dah-goon!” Both mother and son stopped at the sketchy word and stared at the bundle in the whicker basket and the little girl smiled widely, “Dah-goon! Dah-goon! Dah-goon!” Laron looked at his sister astonished by her first word then turned to his mother brightly.

“I taught her that!” he smiled. That same smile faded as his mother eyed him for his lie. Sherese burbled happily that her brother had finally been found out.

“I didn’t take your shardin’ doll, Resey,” Laron stated rolling his eyes at the six turn old Sherese, who’s dark blue eyes glared at him fiercely, “You probably miss placed it with all your others.”

“I didn’t miss place it, Laron,” the young girl growls at her brother, “You did something with it and it shows; you’ve always been a terrible liar! Now where did you put my fire lizard toy?” Laron mentally flinched at his sister’s words and shifted the bag he was caring over his shoulder, the same bag he’d hid his sister’s prized green fire lizard doll in.

“Look, I’m not lying, Sherese,” Laron tried again stopping to set the bag down to try and convince his sister of his lie. Sherese, instead of looking at him, eyed the bag. She then turned to glare at her brother.

“Look, Laron, to anyone else right now you’d be able to pull this lie off,” Sherese stated, “but face it, I’ve known you my whole life and because of that I know when you’re lying,” she eyed him again then looked at the bag, “Now I’ll take back my fire lizard that you hid on me.” With that the six year old dove for the bag and started untying it.

“Hey, that’s the supplies Master Besun asked me to get for the next trip out to sea!” Laron protested.

“Well that may be but I don’t think you need Flamer with you on the trip!” she growled. It was then that Laron noticed that the fire lizard made a large impression on the bag when set on the ground. The apprentice to the fishercraft gently shoved his sister away from the bag.

“Fine, Resey,” he chuckled, “but let me get your doll out so you don’t mess up how my supplies are, alright?” Sherese brightened, her brother was a liar most of the time but still was a kind boy even when he was trying to get away with something. She loved him as a brother yet was always cautious about him for as long as she could remember. Unknown to her, her brother knew the day she’d started not trusted him and was still amazed that a baby could figure out that he’d lied to their mother.

“Now you’re sure you want this doll?” Laron asked holding it playfully just out of his sister’s reach.

“Laron!” Sherese warned causing her brother to smirk.

“Alright, alright, already!” he grinned and lowered the toy as he corrected himself, “Are you sure you want this stuffed animal?”

“That’s better,” Sherese smirked back before snatching the fire lizard away while her brother was slightly distracted, “And yes I want her, she’s my favorite you know. Mama says she reminds her of Pitaroth and is glade I really like it.”

“It still hurts her to think of her green though, you know?” Laron reminded her in a soft voice, as if their mother was near by and he didn’t want her to hear what her children knew. Sherese nodded sadly. Laron in turn looked at the position of the sun and quickly tied up his supply sack before questioning his sister again.

“Aren’t you supposed to be heading for Jilta’s classes now?” Laron asked of his sister. The boy hadn’t been much for learning from the Harper of Raku Sea Hold but he was still avid that others should learn from any Harper given the chance. His problems had been in the fact that he’d taken up lying to the lady Harper on a regular basis.

“I was getting ready for that when you were leaving and I noticed my fire lizard was gone from where I’d put it,” Sherese replied stroking the button eyed dragon like creature before shooting a look at her six turns older brother, “And it was just after you walked by it! Thanks to you I might be late for class. Jilta wanted us to bring a dragon or fire lizard toy that might help us with our lessons today.”

“The songs about how the fire lizards became dragons I guess is what you’re learning, huh?” Laron replied remembering vaguely the lesson himself, it had been one of the few he’d really loved. After that lesson he’d gone to the Master Dolphineer, Jonie to see about getting a fire lizard egg. He hadn’t been granted one because he was so young and secondly because Jonie too knew of their mother’s sadness at the loss of Pitaroth.

“Yep!” Sherese piped proudly hugging Flamer tightly to her chest.

“Well then you don’t have to get going so quickly,” Laron replied in his smooth tones that he used when lying, “everybody’s always late for that class, even Jilta.”

“Quit your lyin’ while you’re out at sea, Laron,” Sherese told her brother ignoring his lie in part, “I’ll see you in a few days, brother.”

“Have fun in class,” Laron chuckled and the siblings parted ways finally.

Sherese blew gently yet steadily down a long pipe, being extra careful to not inhale as on the end was a red hot piece of glass that she and a number of glass crafter Sr. Apprentices were working on. She, after nearly five turns of practice, had learned to ignore the heat of the glass making forge but in one of her first attempts at blowing the glass she made a major mistake of inhaling too close to the pipe taking a nearly full blast of the glass melting heat. She’d been out for a little over a month because of the burning of her mouth and lungs. Luckily she had not seriously damaged herself, though she did damage her vocal cords enough to now have a bit of a scratchy voice and she could unless she wanted to hurt her throat with the act.

Her eyes darted to one of the Apprentices with a pair of forceps and he immediately start to force the blown glass into a rough cylinder shape though it was thinner farther from the end of the pipe; It had been decided before they started that the Sr. Apprentices would try their hand at making a dolphin for the Master Dolphineer at Raku Sea Hold, Jonie, on account it was her birthing day within the next sevenday. When the tongs carrier looked back at Sherese she stopped blowing, keeping her mouth closed until her mouth was a good six inches or more away from the pipe, during this whole time she was rolling the pipe back and forth over a sawhorse trying to keep the shape even.

Without a word the apprentices went back to the forge where liquid glass was waiting to be used. She dipped the glass into the forge and rolled it about in the molten glass. It was then that she felt herself being watched by a different pair of eyes other than those of her fellow glasscrafters. She made a quick glance in the direction she was sure the gazer was.

On the other side of the fence that had been placed around the glassworkers to protect others from possible injuries stood a young man with a sevendays worth of stubble on his features. He gave her a quick smile and wiggled his fingers at her in a sly way. Sherese quickly focused on her work again identifying the man, Laron! Just what I needed. Last time he was here, he caused me to fumble and destroy a piece that might have earned me my Journeywoman knots! Despite her annoyance with her older brother watching her, Sherese was glad to see her brother, ever sense he’d been given his Journeyman status in the Fishercraft she’d seen little of him as he tended to go on the longer boating trips. This one had been short for him as of late, a sevenday long trip.

On instinct, Sherese pulled the glass that was to be a dolphin out of the fire one again and hurried over to a lower sawhorse that was by a bucket of water and a number of thick soaked hides. Once again no words were spoken as a female apprentice crouched down with thick heat resistant gloves that probably would easily keep the heat of a Weyr’s hatching sands out of a person. The young woman dunked the hides into the water to make sure they were well doused and then placed then carefully underneath the rolling glass. Every length of the sawhorse she placed the hides back into the water and quickly brought them back up to continue her work. When the glass was glowing less the senior students hurried the glass back to the forge for another dose of molten glass.

The process between the practicing glass crafters continued nearly two hours. To the greet excitement of the first year apprentices, who had been instructed by Master Glasscrafter Honana to watch them work, the piece, though done by apprentices, looked very close to at least one of the dolphins of Raku’s local pod, if not the Master Dolphineer’s dolphin partner, and the Raku Pod Leader, Rhoa. Honana wasn’t as impressed as her students, she still saw flaws yet she also knew that the group was pretty much ready to walk the tables within the year at the latest. When the Sr. Apprentices were finished the Master Glasscrafter dismissed the first years and with a nod to the sweat soaked apprentices she walked off, her silent way of saying that was all they had to do for the day.

“Nice dolphin, Resey,” Laron called to his little sister, his eyes seemed to mock her as she walked up to him.

“Do me a favor, brother of mine,” Sherese told him with her scratchy voice, “don’t stick around out here watching me while I blow glass… I’m not sure why but you watching me makes do that makes me nervous.”

“Maybe that’s because of the time you sucked in too close to the pipe, or maybe when you nearly dropped a piece on the way to kiln, or maybe the time you did drop the piece,” Laron rattled off the flubs she’d caused by herself and with him watching in rapid succession. It was when he got to the latest one that Sherese finally caught his eye in her glare and shut him up quickly.

“Oh, like you did any better in the short time you were apprenticed to this craft before going to Master Besun,” Sherese replied and then looked at her brother coyly, “What was it, less than a day you lasted under Master Honana’s eyes?”

“Hey!” Laron barked, he disliked being shown his failures even less than his sister, “It’s not like I meant to break that plate she’d had since she had gotten her Mastery. I mean, how was I to know that?”

“She told everybody when she first lets them into the Glasscrafter classes, or at least that’s what she told me when I apprenticed here,” Sherese replied and her brothers features went beat red both from embarrassment and anger at her sister pointing the obvious out, “I’ll tell you I didn’t much care for her keeping a close eye on me for my first three turns just because you broke something that belonged to her.” She paused to let her brother simmer for a time and then vaulted over the fence and gave him a hug, “So other than that, how was your week, did Rhoa’s pod lead your ship to a good spot.”

“Yeah she did actually,” her brother replied and was soon back into his normal good natured lying bit again, “If it wasn’t for me telling her to go Southeast instead of West by Southwest we would have never got there. And you know something, I had to jump in the water a few times and cut some dolphins free. Another pod had decided to feed on the packtails we were going to bring in and so they got caught. I cut them out though.”

“Right, right my brother,” Sherese replied, “and I’m a frilled tunnel snake.”

“There’s actually frilled tunnelsnakes, Resey?” her brother replied good naturally.

“Laron!” Sherese shouted and winced at the tissue which had healed oddly and caused her to hurt when she raised her voice enough. Her brother had hunted tunnelsnakes from when he was seven to the time he apprenticed at eleven and so both siblings knew well that there were no such tunnelsnakes… least that they’d ever seen on the island.

“So how’s Mama been this past sevenday?” Laron asked as the walked off to the small cothold that had been their home for as long as they could remember.

“She’s fit as ever,” Sherese replied and then hesitated.

“She’s been trying to get the nerve to talk with Master Besun about using his fire lizard to send a letter again?” Laron replied known how much that probably hurt their mother to even look at the dragonic creatures that were miniatures of what she’d once rode, “I feel bad for Mama every time I see her look at a fire lizard, and wince every time even one dragon skirts over the Hold on a Sweep.”

“Aye,” his sister replied, “There was a small difference this sevenday though; she’s been highly considering asking Jonie for a flit egg so she doesn’t have to ask others or send it by runner.”

“By Faranth, I thought she’d never do that,” Laron gapped and then smiled broadly, “Maybe she’s finally getting over Pitaroth.” He immediately winced as his sister wheeled on him.

“Laron of Raku Sea Hold!” she growled at him making sure not to raise her voice for fear of hurting her throat again, “You know as well as any child that has been taught by a Harper that no former rider can will ever get over the loss of their own dragon. They feel like they’re not whole without their dragons and not many lead as normal of lives as our mother when it happens. We’re lucky she didn’t decide to join her green when she found Pitaroth had died, had that happened…”

“We wouldn’t have been born,” Laron finished for his now very heated looking sister, “I’m sorry, I should have said that it seems she’s coming out of her shell a bit if she’s willing to get a fire lizard now. Maybe she thinks that it might help with the loss she still feels.” Sherese paused and just stared at her brother. “What?!?!”

“Brother, sometimes you amaze me that you can talk seriously at times,” Sherese replied before walking on towards their home again. Laron on the other hand had paused in following her to contemplate what his little sister had just said.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he called after her before following, still a bit bewildered.

The whole of Raku Sea Hold had gathered at the waterfront for Master Jonie’s birthing day celebration. The festivities started just before the sun reached its zenith and the Rakuns were having a blast. There were water games, bubbly pies of all sorts, presents piled high and around a near by table, and a feast which might have fed a cothold for half a turn. To the surprise of many guests even Jonie’s only daughter, Tana, was on her best behavior; that may have had something to do with the fact a husband had been picked for her who would not take any of her nonsense and that the Lord Holder, Technado, himself was in plain site at most times.

Laron was with his friends from the Fishercraft and were telling outrageous stories about their times at sea. Jonie was now listing to them, her new glass dolphin in hand and could only shake her head. Laron over time had gotten better control of his lying it was more in good fun than to be recognized but at this time a great fibbing contest was going on that even the most dimwitted of drudges could realize that not one of the sailors was telling the full truth, if even that.

“I wrestled the packtails into the boat last time, Besun forgot the nets ya’ know,” one stated.

“That’s nothin’, matey,” another replied, “While at sea with Cap’n Flugin, I had to pull the Cap’n back in during a storm when he went over with just my left pinky.”

“Well my friends, I feel sorry for you,” Laron replied, “but it is a known fact that I had to swim the Galedeep a hundred leagues, at least, into shore, with my hands tied behind my back and my feet bound and only using a towing rope and my own teeth.” The three burst into rounds of laughter, and the woman of the hour just shook her head, her body shaking with mirth.

“Is there nothing you lads say that isn’t a lie,” Jonie asked the trio and was none too surprised when Laron was the one to answer.

“Of course we don’t lie all the time, Master Dolphineer,” he grinned at her winningly, “For instance, it’s quite a lovely weather we’re having for your birthing day… and may I have a fire lizard egg, madam?”

“Yes it is a fine day,” Jonie replied, “and at this time no, Laron, you should know better than to ask that of me on this day of celebration. I’m not usually the greedy type but this is my day you’ll do good to remember.”

“As you wish, Master,” he replied to the woman, “And by the buy how do you like the glass dolphin I made for you?”

“Your sister made it, Laron, and you know it,” Jonie jokingly glared at him, “Now go off and try your fibbing on someone else for a change… but not Technado.”

“I know better than that,” Laron yelped at the thought of fibbing, even jokingly, to the Lord Holder, “He’d have me off the island as quick as ya’ please.”

The party like atmosphere went on for hours on end. As the sun was getting ready to set a wooden floor was set up about fifty paces from the high tide mark and with the aid of the Raku’s Harper, Jilta, the official dancing began on the shores of Raku Sea Hold. So loud was the din from the holdfolk they didn’t even notice the a drum message come in from the shores far to the north, the sound moving well across the waters even if the main body of land could not have been seen from Raku even by air.

It was when dusk was rolling onto the shores of Raku, and in the middle of a toss dance, that two bellows split the air. Some dancers were nearly dropped and the music came to a halt as everyone present looked up to find two blue dragons coming in from the sea. One of the blue’s was unmistakably Seiryuu Weyr’s huge blue Camoth and his rider Ar’wen while the other was not as well known.

“Hmm, wonder who Ar’wen’s bringing with him,” Laron thought out loud.

“Wonder who could stand his pranks long enough to come along and not kill him,” Sherese replied as she suddenly appeared at her big brother’s side startling him some.

“Would you please make some noise when your walking up to me,” Laron hissed at his sister causing her to smirk up at him. She somehow was able to sneak up on him when they were separated, and even if it was a nice thing to have when they were lost in a crowd, Laron still found it eerie.

“My guess is,” Sherese started, ignoring her brother’s annoyance, “his Camoth being a searchdragon, that they’re probably escorting somebody here so that they might search Raku Sea Hold.”

“Why would anybody search this late at night?” Laron asked not really expecting an answer.

“Search me,” Sherese replied with shrug and then groaned as she realized she’d made a pun, and a bad one at that. Her brother chuckled at his sister’s dislike for her own punning yet neither Rakun looked away from the approaching dragons.

As the dragons came nearer the people of the Hold started to make a semi-circle around the area of which the dragons were most likely to land. Oddly enough, the people of candidate age instinctively stepped forward so that most of the people in front were between the ages of approximately thirteen and thirty. The dragons landed only a few yards from the half circle, the smaller of the two blues landing in the water and seemed make a not so clean landing as the rider got splashed somehow. Sherese was sure she heard the rider cursing while Ar’wen chuckled.

“Guess Scith thought you need a bath, J’lenn,” Ar’wen called over to the other rider as J’lenn got off from his own blue with more trouble than he’d ever had sense impression. The much older rider scowled at the searchrider from Seiryuu Weyr. He had met the man for the first time two years ago and he still didn’t have much of a liking for him. The large blue, whom was the size of a small bronze, seemed to be smirking while Scith walked past his rider with a twitch of his tail. Both blues were already looking over the crowd as Technado stepped forward.

“Ah Searchrider Ar’wen,” the Lord Holder greeted the rider of the large blue, “What brings you to my Hold so near to night, and with another rider no less?”

“Lord Holder, I am J’lenn, blue Scith rider,” the lesser known rider greeted him a bit stiffly when he stated his dragon’s name, “And searchrider for Ryslen Weyr.” His blue grunted, a few seconds later Ar’wen was obviously trying to hold back a chuckle.

“Sorry for such a late arrival, m’Lord,” Ar’wen continued on as Technado greeted J’lenn, “But the Ryslen Searchriders had to talk with Weyrwoman Quachir first, ya’ know get permission to search in their territory and such. Ryslen is after all searching while Seiryuu Weyr has a clutch on the sands as well.”

“So this is a Search then,” Technado replied, when both riders nodded the Lord Holder’s voice boomed out to his people, “All right, this is a Search, all people of the correct age please step forward and let Camoth and Scith take a look at you.” He paused as the younger members of his Hold stepped closer to the dragons and continued on, “And why did you come along Ar’wen if this is only for Rylsen?”

“Uh, well, Quachir insisted that I accompany J’lenn, make sure everything went over smoothly,” Ar’wen replied noting fully well that J’lenn had become fully rigid. Probably things I’d tell the full truth about me being along… Cammy ask Scith what he thinks of the Rakuns. There was a pause before the blue answered. This is highly amusing, rider mine, a dragon not on speaking terms with his rider, Camoth rumbled happily as he looked to his rider while the other blue continued investigating the potential candidates, Yet he says there is one… no two here he likes and would like to take back to Ryslen… he also requests that you convey them considering his “accidental” wet landing. Accidental my arse!

“If you’ll excuse us, sir,” Ar’wen saluted and indicated to J’lenn to follow.

“What in the world are you to fighting about that Scith would take it into his line of work even?” Ar’wen asked, masking his laughter at the situation.

“That is none of your business, blue rider,” J’lenn replied shortly.

“Well has he told you he’s found candidates yet?” Ar’wen asked and J’lenn stayed silent, “then I guess it is some of my business since he’s already told Camoth to tell me that there at two out there.” J’lenn glared at Ar’wen; the younger searchrider was giving him even more of a reason to dislike him now. By now Camoth and Scith had figured out the two they wanted and were seated now in front of a group which just so happened to hold Sherese and Laron.

The young man and woman with similar hair styles and blue-green eyes, Scith says they’re the ones. Ar’wen nodded and whispered the information to J’lenn, despite how much he may try to make the older man’s like unbearable around him, Ar’wen did have a heart to give the man the information he might not get from his dragon and have him do the official talk of searching to the candidates that would be taken.

“You two, what are your names and ages please,” J’lenn asked of the duo after a moment of making a show as if he were listening to his dragon’s commentary that really was not even coming.

“Uh, I’m Laron and this is my sister Sherese,” Laron replied bewildered for a moment but with one look at the dragons he became very serious as he answered the question, “I have twenty-two turns and my sister has sixteen.”

“By the egg,” Sherese looked awed at her brother, “you told the straight out truth for once, why’s that?”

“Resey, even I know it’s pointless to lie in the presence of a dragon, much less two dragons,” Laron replied to his sister and puffed out his chest a bit, “I mean they’d know right away and tell their rider.” Sherese only barely noticed J’lenn go a bit stiff again at the comment.

“Scith seems to find you worthy to stand for the clutches on Ryslen Weyr’s sands, but it is your choose if you’d like to go and hopefully find a dragon of your own,” J’lenn replied leaving the statement open for them to answer. Both brother and sister looked at each other and then looked back.

“Do you mind if we talk with our mother first,” Sherese replied, by the look on J’lenn’s face he hadn’t expected that response.

“It really is your decision ya’ know,” Ar’wen told them.

“We know, searchrider,” Laron answered this time, “It’s just we’re not sure how she’ll feel about us possibly riding when she lost her own before we were born.” Both blue riders looked startled at the fact but in the end they both nodded understandingly.

The two siblings looked into the crowd yet did not see her there. Laron, being the taller of the two, was able to get a look beyond the crowd. Near the dance floor, and seeming to cower at the site of the two blues, was their mother. Making their way through the crowd they found her looking quite pale but both were sure that a small, almost ghostly, smile was on her features.

“Mother,” Laron asked of their dame gently, “We know you miss her…”

“Oh, I miss Pitaroth so very much,” their mother’s voice shook as she admitted the well known fact, “but, I would be very proud for my own children to have a chance to experience what I knew for nearly half my life. I admit it hurts to see dragons but it also bring back great memories… The truth of it is I was trying to send a flit to Seiryuu Weyr and ask them to come take a look at the two of you. But which ever Weyr you go to, I know you’ll do well there… just remember to come and visit when you can.”

“You really would like us to stand, Mama?” Sherese asked very surprised that her mother would. Their mother nodded and drew them both in for a hug, giving them each a kiss on the cheek.

“You both make me proud,” she smiled and then looked at Laron, “Now keep your lying to good causes will you, lad?”

“I will, Mother,” Laron replied, “and thank you for everything!”

With that said, Laron waved to the two riders indicating they would be more than willing to stand. After they were sure Ar’wen and J’lenn had understood the duo walked off to gather their belongings and things they thought they might need at the Weyr. By the time night fell, the two Rakuns were settling into the castle like structure that was Ryslen Weyr to stay for who knew how long.