raisa2

Raisa tried to gulp down her nervousness as she slipped the traditional white gown over her head. The dragons had started humming, and she had to hurry. The rest of the Candidates she shared the weyrling barracks with were doing the same. Had Raisa not been so scared of what was about to happen, she would notice that the rest of the Candidates were just as frightened as she was.
There! The white garb was on, and that done Raisa raced out the door and down towards the Sands. She didn't wait for the boy, Bavin, from her Hold. She had made quite good friends with Bavin since they arrived, and hadn't spent much time apart. They expressed their fears of not Impressing, of not having the approval of the dragons, of being there by mistake, to one another. Raisa smiled as she jogged down the flight of steps that would bring her to the hatching ground. If she and Bavin both Impressed, perhaps when their dragons were old enough.......Afterall, Bavin wasn't that bad to look at. Raisa blushed as she stepped out onto the burning Sands.
"Ouch!" Raisa had, of course, forgotten to put thick souled shoes on before leaving. Of course, as the rest of the Candidates arrived, she could see that they hadn't forgotten. Great, Raisa thought, just perfect. I'm going to be the only one thinking about my feet instead of the dragons. But when she looked at the two green mothers, watching their rocking eggs protectively, Raisa immediatly stopped thinking of her feet.
She and the other Candidates were corraled into making something of a circle around the eggs. Raisa stood next to a couple of other girls, both nervous and whispering excitidly to one another. Raisa shrugged, and turned her attention back to the Sands. A shout from the crowd told her when the first eggs cracked, and she watched eagerly as a small green fell to the Sands, and she held her breath and wished hard that this young one would be hers. She was mistaken, the dragonet chose another girl, Caitlin?, almost immediatly. Raisa let out her breath with a dissappointing sigh, and watched as the happy pair left the Sands together.
After that several hatchings seemed to happen at the same time, it was so fast she hardly had time to put names on the Candidates and which dragons they had Impressed. All the time Raisa was looking eagerly at each dragonet as they passed, sending thoughts of love and desire their way. Each dragonet ignored her. A blue turned his head to glance at her, but seemed to look right through her as he chose a boy nearby. Raisa was dissappointed. This wasn't looking good.
Raisa searched for Bavin among the Candidates, and saw him staring wantonly after a blue. Poor Bavin, Raisa thought. He must know how I feel. Raisa then watched with amazement as a glistening brown dragonet knocked Bavin to his knees, almost dancing as he did it. Raisa thought this brown had some sense of humor, and she watched as Bavin flung his arms around the brown, saying something she couldn't quite hear. Almost jealous, Raisa turned back to watch the rest of the eggs. Only four left.
Raisa saw movement out of the corner of her eye, a small white was struggling inside it's shell! Raisa was about to take a step forward, to help it and maybe Impress it, but the other girl, Hope, got to it first. Raisa watched as Impression was made, and felt that the match had been a good one. But oh how she wanted a dragon!
Two eggs left. Raisa held her breath once more as she watched a blue lurch towards her, and then fell as the blue walked over her to get to another boy. Raisa looked up in time to see Impression being made, and a tear came to her eye as she stood back up, dusting the sand from her robes. Watching the look in the young man's eyes as the Impressed the blue, Raisa thought of everything she had ever seen, that was the most perfect thing of all. She didn't see the beautifully colored little green come up to her, until she felt something nuzzling her hand. Looking down, Raisa was lost in the look of the green's magnificent eyes.
Impression was made! Raisa felt tears come to her eyes, and all sorts of feelings of happiness and being found. Every possible emotion whipped through her body as she reached for her little dragon.
Raisa, am I..... The little dragonet began to question with her beautiful voice. Raisa immediately hushed her.
"You are perfect Azhith, just perfect......" Azhith looked at Raisa, eyes overflowing with happiness. Raisa fell to to the ground, and embraced her dragon. It was then that two small forms, one brown and one green, came tumbling from the sky to "cheer" for Raisa, and their new lifemate, Azhith. Azhith drew a large breath, and made the mightiest sound she could muster. The crowd cheered with appreciation.

Are you ready? Azhith asked her rider, as the two prepared for their first short flight. Raisa mumbled something nervously to her dragon. Why did they have to do this in front of all the other weyrlings? What if they embarressed themselves horribly? She'd never be able to live it down.
We won't do anything of the kind. Azhith said gently, and crouched down, preparing to launch herself upwards. Are you ready? She asked again, and Raisa gulped and nodded.
Ready as I'll ever be. And with that Azhith sprang into the sky. With a few powerful wing stroked, Azhith managed to get herself to a decent height, and from there she soared akwardly as Raisa urged her on.
This is wonderful love! You'll be an excellent fighter indeed! Raisa exclaimed, gleefully looking about her, and down on the Weyr below. She felt Azhith's wave of pride and gratitude washing through her, and patted her dragon on the neck.
Watch out! Azhith cried as Raisa slipped up on her dragon's neck, and Azhith instinctively backwinged to keep her rider on. Luckily, Raisa's straps held her in place, but Azhith's wing muscled weren't strong enough yet to support her in suspended stillness in the air. Raisa knew this, and quickly ordered her dragon to turn and get back to the Weyr.
I didn't mean to upset you! Azhith complained as she turned (on the wingtip, sore as it might be now), and glided back down. Their flight had been cut short, and Raisa was dissappointed.
Better a short flight than a hurt dragon. Raisa told herself, and gritted her teeth as Azhith bumped into the ground.
Sorry. Azhith mumbled, untangling her wings and righting herself. I didn't think landing would be so difficult.
"Don't worry Azzy, you did just fine." And Raisa unhooked her straps and dismounted. It was a wonderful first flight. Raisa told her dragon silently as she prepared to explain to the weyrlingmaster what happened. A wonderful first flight, for a wonderful dragon. And Azhith's satisfied rumbling gave her feelings away.