"Hey! Claris!" His best friend called from accross the feild. Claris sheilded his eyes from glaring light of the sun.
"What?" He yelled, sticking his pitchfork into the ground. "I'm busy! I need to finish this by nightfall!"
"Search riders are coming!" His friend hollered, "Tomorrow!"
"You pulling my leg?"
"Shells no!"
Claris hurried through his work as fast as he could and ran the runners in to their stall, ignoring it when one of them stepped on his foot. Being searched was everyone's dream. And when he said everything he meant everyone. That included himself. He patted the runners, Cloud and Sparkles, (his little sister had named them. Cloud was a large gray and sparkles was a even larger dark brown runner with fleaks of white scattered all over his coat.)
He ran into the hall where his family and the other three that lived in the hold with them were already assembled for dinner.
"Wash you hands. You're filthy." His mother chided. Claris sighed and did as he was bid, his stomach giving a rude growl reminding him he hadn't eaten sinse before midday.
"Good boy. What's this I hear about Searchriders Clark?" His mother asked his father. "I'm sure that there is some mistake? Why would they even bother to pass through here?"
"Apparently they are passing through and decided to come and make a little visit, just to see if their were an candidate material here. Weyr's have been short of candidates recently."
"Where are they from." Claris said, his voice coming out in a rush. His mother glared at him as if to tell him to be quiet. His father grunted.
"Rose Circle Weyr. And don't get delutions ya here! You're needed here to work the land!"
"But Father, you won't stand in my way of going if I get searched."
"It's a very big if. What sort of a Weyr would want to search a pert boy like you?" His tone demanded that Claris ask no more questions.
"What about me father?" His little sister Clandi said, looking up from her thin soup. "What if I get searched?"
"You're to young."
"But I'm only a year younger then Claris!"
His father rubbed his forehead and sighed.
"If any of my children get searched I won't stand in their way but let me tell you that the chances of you getting picked are slim and impressing even more so." His eyes had a veiled sort of pain in them. Claris remebered his mother telling him once that when his father was a boy his twin brother was searched and he was left behind. He had never forgiven his brother, who had impressed a blue, and he had never talked to him sinse. A little harsh. Claris sighed and put all his efforts into his soup.
Whatever Claris's father had said the night before it was all lost on his mother. She made sure that all of her children, all seven of them, were all imaculately clean. Even Tilaris, who was married and had a child on the way was not above her sruteny.
"Honestly. Children these days," His mother sniffed as she scrubbed Clandi's face.
"Can you scrub a little harder mom? I think I still have some skin left."
Claris was in his gather best and the cooks had been working hard to create a good meal for the searchriders, which would explain the terrible soup they had the night before.
"There here!" Clandi called, giggling with excitement. One of the search riders was a young man who she found very good looking.
They stood talking to the heads of the families. Claris's own father looked a little grumpy. One, a pretty looking young woman who looked to be no older then 17 stood up and addressed the people gathered in the hall.
"It's very nice to see you all! I'm Ylandi, a searchrider for Rose Circle Weyr. As you know, not everyone will be searched, but what we'd like to do because there are not that many of you is to talk to you outside with our dragons one by one."
His little sister Clandi was called first. She rose, shaking and followed the woman out. A few minutes later she came in crying. "I was searched mom! I was searched!" A cheer ran through the audience. Claris suddenly felt cold. He should be glad that his sister was searched, not, cold. But he did. This meant that his chance of being searched fell because of sister's success. His sighed. And waited.
When it was his turn he left.
"Name?" The woman asked him. The two men beside her were silent.
"Claris."
"Age?"
"16 turns."
"Hmm... " The woman said, biting her lip." She turned to the green dragon directly behind her. Anther green stood to the side and a blue next to it. She seemed to be consintrating very hard ... she was... she was talking to it. That green must be her dragon. The other two must belong to her companions. They were difinitly handsome animals to be sure.
"How many brother's and sisters do you have?"
"Six. Five older brothers, one younger sister."
"We are in a dilema here. My dragon, Filith, asures me that both you and your younger sister are going to be candidates. She's very stubborn."
"That means ..."
"You are searched. We need to talk to your family, but after that, you can be a candidate."
"Thank you!" He siad, overflowing in graditude.
"Don't thank me, thank Filith."
