Ryana's Story
The Search
Ryana awoke to another day. Had she finally been accepted as a candidate. She didn’t
even want to hope. She wanted to be a candidate more then anything, anything in the
world, but it would never happen. What if she was accepted? What if? She had applied for
candidacy so many times and had never been accepted. She was puzzling, her thought in a
whirl. Was the fact that she was never accepted because the dragons didn’t like her, or
because she was to flighty? She looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was a dark
black, cut just above the shoulder and her eyes the same dark color. Her tunic was dirty
from trying to clean up her room at the Hold. She was not a holders daughter and her
parents didn’t care what she did. Wanted it enough. Every time she had applied for
candidacy she had been turned down at the spot. Why?
The Letter and the Haircut
3 days later
Ryana clutched the letter that had come from Mooncrest weyr. They had accepted her as a candidate! Finally! She
was a real candidate! Oh a chance to impress a real dragon! Like her brother. She paused
for a second. Maybe that was why the other weyrs didn’t accept her. Her brother L’yar
was a brown rider at Twin firestone Weyr. Maybe they thought that her parents were the
ones making the decision to be a candidate and not her? After all, her father really did
push it a lot. she pushed those thoughts out of her mind and began to throw her clothing
bundle together. She grabbed a few tunics and a few pairs of breeches, also throwing in a
few of her good dresses and a few of her worst. She closed it then remembered somthing. She ran and also put in a pair of boots, her
best pair, with thick soles. Her brother and several of her friends had told her that the
sands were hot! She glanced at her reflection in the mirror and made a face. It was a mess!
She grabbed a brush and went through it, then put the brush in her pack. She ran it though her hair and hit a snag. Her looked at her self in the mirrior and made a quick, and rather stupid decision. If she was going to be a candidate she might as well look like it. She grabed a pair of shears and grabed her hair and cut it clear of in a lump. It wasn't even. She trimmed it until it was about right. It was short though, right below her ears. She never had hair this short before. The weight off it not pulling her back was really a really odd feeling. Then her
mother walked into the room, without knocking as was her habit and gasp[ed seein Ryana with the shears in her hands and the massive pile of hair.
"Ryana! what have you done with your hair?"
"I cut it ma. If I want to be a candidate I need to have shorter hair." her mother sighed and llooked around the room. "You did a good job. Are you done packing yet?"
Ryana nodding still looking down.
"Good. There is a blue rider here to take you to the weyr. Be a good girl and write back
soon." she hugged her daughter and Ryana felt tears spring to her eyes.
"I’ll, miss you Ma." She said, a tear falling down her cheek.
"I will too sweety." was her mother’s reply. "Now be good and do what you are ordered
to."
"I will Ma, I will." Ryana said, choking back tears.
"That’s my girl." she said and looked up.
"Let’s not keep that rider waiting."
“Yes Ma.” Ryana replied.
“Good girl.” her mother grabbed the pack. “This is light.” she said. “Are you sure you
have everything.”
“Yes ma.”
“Well, I’ll just put in a few more thing, you never know.”
What happens next is all a blur to Ryana, she got on a dragon and waved good bye to her
parents, brothers, and sisters. The one thing that she remembers clearly is the rider saying
“Hold on tight, I’m about to go between.” and the cold that followed.
At the Weyr
They came out over a large weyr bowl in southern. Ryana gazed down at her new home
and thought that she never felt so insignificant in her whole life. The dragon touched down
at the center of the Weyrbowl and P’ter, the blue rider, helped Ryana down and she heard heard a voice calling her
name.
“Ryana, I’m Miava, the head woman. I’m going show you to your weyr you’re brother
wanted to give you his best, but he’s on duty now and can’t leave.” she smiled
reassuringly at her. Ryana was more then a little scared. Miava seemed so, imposing!
Miava wasted no time and picked up to of her packs, she was surprisingly strong. “Well
come along Ryana, we can chat as we go to your weyr.” Actually it was more like a
question and answer drill, Miava asking and Ryana answering. Miava was puzzled usually
candidates were bursting with questions, but then again this girl was very shy.
They had come to a hallway and Miava lead her up several Rooms. A plaque on door
read, “Taiva’s Weyr” and another “Ecca’s Weyr”. Then Miava stopped at one that read,
“Ryana's Weyr” and she felt that she could burst with pride. Miava opened the door and it
lead into a large cave like area with a stone dragon couch and a heavily loaded cabinet
filled with numweed and hide oil. A door was left open and Miava went to it.
“This is your living area, three rooms, and a bathing area. It is already furnished but you
can do whatever you like to it. Ryana smiled and Miava bustled off, the last thing that she
said was, “If you want to get a pet you can try the cattery or the kennels, and if you want
a fire lizard try searching the beaches. I can't grantee that you will find a clutch though.” Ryana waved at Miava as she left, “She's not so bad.” she
thought aloud.
She looked around the room and saw a bed and sat down.
“So this is what is like to be a candidate.” she thought. “I feel just like I usually do, only
more confused.”
She heard a faint mewing sound, what was that. It was coming from under the bed. She
stooped and saw a tiny cat, or it could be a large kitten.
“Oh, you are so cute.” she coed softly. “Will you come out?” The kitten only mewed and refused
to budge. The Ryana spotted some bread and fruit on the table. She grabbed a bit of bread
and teased the kitten with it. The kitten slowly inched forward till she scooped it up in her
arms. To her surprise the kitten made no attempt to scratch her. Clearly it had been
abandoned, it’s fur was all matted and it’s ribs were showing through. “Poor little guy,
girl?” she check and she could have sworn that the cat blushed. “Girl. I’ll call you Kei.”
she said. “I’ll check with Miava first to see if you are anyones cat. If not, I’ll keep you.”
she laughed and feed the kitten a little more bread and carried it next door to see if anyone
knew about the kitten’s owner.
The Flitter
Ryana went for a visit at Mooncrest Weyr, to see the eggs and look around for a bit. A voice called her, "Hey, Ryana, they hae a clutch of fore lizard eggs!" It was one of the other candidates. Ryana followed the sound of her voice until she came upon a young man sitting by a clutch of flitter eggs, each in a pot and ready to hatch at any moment.
"Do you want a fire lizard egg?" He asked her. When Ryana tried again he repeated, "I said do you want a fire lizard egg?"
Ryana looked down at her feet, "Yes," she said slowly, "I do, I think."
"Do you have any pets?"
"I have a feline, Kei."
"Then take an egg and call it yours. Remember to keep it warm, near a fire and the sand hot or else it won't hatch." Ryana nodded and scanned the clutch carefully looking for the perfect egg. Not that you can tell a fire lizards color from the shell but you can always try. But that wasn't what Ryana was looking for. She say and egg, just slightly set apart from the others.
"That one." She said, pointing.
"Alright." the man said, handing it to her, "Remember to keep it warm."
Ryana hugged it close to her, as if trying to keep it warm, and with a word of thanks she ran to catch up with the rest of the candidates.
The egg (and soon flitter) came from Mooncreast Weyr
Kei came from The Offical Adopt a Cat of your dreams web site
Back ground provided by ZDP Web graphics
Ryana is a candidate at Mooncreast Weyr
The Wing List
The Main Weyr Bowl
Email: twin_firestone@hotmail.com
