Aterri looked down from her room in Adanuk Weyr at the hustle going on in the Weyrbowl. Fifty or so young people had gathered there in the hopes of being searched. She laughed at them. They're entire dreams were resting on them being searched. They hadn't planned everything out like she had. They weren't organized. Her plan was working out nicely, sort of. She hadn't planned on impressing her three firelizards, nor had she planned on being sent to Adanuk, but.... Aterri sighed. She hadn't wanted to come to Adanuk. Her plan was to study from her mother, then to find a nice hold near her home and become the healer. Instead her mother had sent her to Adanuk Weyr, to learn from the healer here.
She quickly got dressed and left to meet Celeste. Celeste was the healer here, and a pretty good one. But she wasn't as good, in Aterri's eyes, as her mother. Aterri fully believed that her mother was the best healer on all of Pern. Tetia, Jenar and Serek, her green, blue and brown firelizards, followed her down the hall to Celeste's room.
"Good morning Aterri." Celeste greeted her.
"'Moring, Celeste."
"Not a good morning?"
Aterri smiled. Celeste could always make her smile. "Not an amazingly good one. I was thinking about my future."
Celeste sighed and looked at the 18 turn girl. "You shouldn't have your whole future worked out. You're still a kid. You should still be deciding."
"I want to be a healer." Aterri firmly said.
"And if that doesn't work out?" Celeste questioned.
Aterri shrugged.
Celeste sighed. "I was talking to Weyrwoman Magika yesterday. She told me that Hyth, her gold, suggested that you become a candidate. That's high praise Aterri."
"I know, but..." Aterri stumbled for words.
"You don't have to become a healer just to please your mother, Aterri. You could do something you like. You could become a rider." Aterri sighed and started to turn away. "I know you've planned to be a healer, but who really knows what they want to be at 5 turns? I changed my mind hundred of times before settling." Aterri listened. "You could still be a healer if you want to. A dragon-riding healer. I just think that if you have an oportunity like this in front of you, you shouldn't just..."
Luckily the akward conversation was cut short by Tetia. The green decided to knock everything off the counter. In the aftermath of the disaster Aterri, with her firelizards, disappeared.
She remembered the conversation she had with Weyrwoman Magika the other night, when Magika had suggested she become a candidate. She flopped down in the grass to think. She wanted to be a rider. As soon as Magika had suggested it, her heart had leaped. Now she sat in the grass, realizing she really wanted to at least try. The only problem was, this didn't fit into her plan. Celeste's words echoed through her mind, Who really knows what they wnat to be at 5 turns? Aterri sighed and started a new plan.
Tetia was bored. Aterri was thinking and not moving. Jenar was grooming himself and Serek was asleep. There was nothing for her to do. She decided if she was going to be bored she wasn't going to do it alone. She crept over to Serek and bit his tail, hard. By the time Aterri realized what was happening, a full scale play-fight had broken out. She was too late.
Searchrider J'red looked over the hopefuls standing in the weyrbowl and then looked to the Weyrwoman. "This all you got this time Magika?"
Magika gave him a half-smile. "I guess."
J'red raised an eyebrow. "Not seeing someone you hoped to see?"
Magika sighed. "No."
J'red shrugged. "Maybe he'll try next time." He silently commanded his blue, Wecyth, to start searching for potential candidates. He barely heard Magika's response.
"Maybe she'll try next time."
Aterri glared at her three firelizards as she headed back up towards the weyr. Her white robes were covered with mud from breaking up the fight. The three culprits flew behind her, ashamed, into the weyrbowl, where the eyes of the hopefuls, the weyrwoman and the searchrider all found her.
She blushed, feeling very stupid. She was caked in fast drying mud and her hair was a mess. All of her firelizards were also covered with mud. Jenar and Serek landed on each of her shoulders glaring at the people. Tetia with an angry chirp landed on Aterri's head, for lack of anywhere else to be. Mud from Tetia's tail dripped in Aterri's eyes.
J'red tried to stiffle laughter when a familiar voice entered his mind. Talk to her.
He replied silently, Are you sure Wecyth?
Positive. You must go quickly, before she leaves.
Aterri blushed and started to run for her room. She was stopped by J'red.
"Did you come here to be searched?" He asked quickly.
"Um...well... I was planning on... but not now..... so no...but yes." Aterri stammered.
Tetia screeched at him, blaming him solely for Aterri's embarrassment.
"Do you get along with your firelizards well?" He asked, avoiding the tiny claws.
Aterri looked at him like he'd grown an extra head. "What?"
He smiled. "Even if it doesn't seem like it, they must like you a lot. Wecyth just told me what they threatened to do if I made fun of you again."
Aterri was going to kill Tetia. "I'm terribly sorry, but they don't..."
The searchrider cut her off. "I'm from Alabaster Weyrhold. I would like you to come back with me to stand on our sands.
Aterri was flustered. "I...I... guess. I'll.....I'll.... come."
J'red smiled and quickly ushered her and the others that had been searched onto Wecyth.
Tetia, Serek and Jenar sent Aterri happy thoughts, obviously thinking this was what she had planned. Stupid flits Aterri thought and then sighed. What am I supposed to do now? This is not what I planned.