And yet again, of course, Joser wasn't Searched. When the time came for people to be sent away to a weyr, it was always someone slightly flashier or more unexpected than him. So with a sigh, the then-thirteen year old Joser, eldest of three sons and two daughters of a minor Lord at Caledrus, walked back into the Hold. He didn't go to pack.

Some day, he thought, some day. Maybe.

"Hey Jos! There's going to be a party for the-" Said a young minor lordling like himself, sticking his head into the hallway where Joser walked. But Joser held his hand up and shook his head.

"I don't care. I'm tired, I'll... see you in the morning."

"Okay, at classes, fine," said the boy. "But you'll be missing a good party. Chyn is going to be handing out his stuff, since he's headed to a weyr!"

"How nice of him," Joser muttered. "Since he's headed to a weyr."

Since the other boy was just as excited as everyone Searched, he didn't notice the mood coming from the brown-haired teen. So he ran off, eager to get ahold of some choice clothing or goods. Joser ignored the thoughts that ran through his own mind. He couldn't help but feel bitter. This was what, the fifth time since he turned nine, that dragons had approached Caledrus and not chosen him. Even though they always did that bit with the sniffing.

Maybe he just stank. That was probably it. There was something about his skin or hair or clothes that they wanted to smell.

It was absurd, of course. They were always interested in him, but none ever sought him out. It might have been true, perhaps there was something about him that they did like - but there was always something about someone else that they liked more.

Sulking, Joser slipped into his room and didn't even bother tossing the glow-basket open. He lay there for half an hour before his mother cracked open the door.

"I didn't hear you come in," she said softly. She moved into the room, and kept the door slightly open. She didn't want to really disturb her son, but she did want to find out what happened.

"It's okay, mother," Joser said. "I just wanted to be alone."

"You spend too much time alone, every time dragons come, my son." She said. She sat on the bed next to him, and he curled up facing away from her. "Joser, your father and I know how much it would mean to you to ride, yet remember that you are our eldest. You do have a responsibility to the Hold, to our lands, and if you do manage to escape on a dragon some day? You'll be leaving the Hold to your brothers."

"That won't happen, don't worry," he groaned, muttering into the pillow. "That'll never happen."

"Joser, your brother Regon is hardly rider material." Said his mother, "and honestly I wish that he'd been born first, and you hadn't. That way it wouldn't hurt quite so much to see you leave."

"I have not been searched, mother," Joser said, not wanting to sit up and face her.

"I know, but..." She drew her long elegant fingers over her son's shoulder. "I think you will, Joser. You remember that my aunt and grandmother both were green riders for Alabaster when it was new. And though he doesn't speak of it, your father has relatives who lived and died as riders. You have a history for it, more so than other Holders."

He furrowed his brows, and sat up. "I do keep forgetting that. I shouldn't, I guess, but ... did you ever stand?"

"For a dragon?" His mother said, leaning back a bit, and her eyes grew sad. "I... yes, I did once. Only once."

"Then you were searched," Joser said, "and brought to a weyr. How many times did they look you over?"

"Oh, at least twice, Joser," Roaja chuckled. "When you were first sent out there, so young, I almost cried. It was just like my times. Really."

"Then... maybe some day I will get searched, instead of just smelled."

She laughed, "yes, Joser, I think some day you will be."

***

"Maybe if I kill off the competition next time," Joser said and his mother gave off a worried laugh.

"Joser-" She started, but her again-not-quite-searched fifteen year old son swayed his head around and laughed.

"It's not going to happen, but you know, sometimes... If there weren't others around, don't you think that I'd have to just be the one they search?"

"I think you will," she reiterated, "someday. Now, you should get ready. There are a batch of lords and ladies coming to see about buying those runners that the Hold ... inherited last summer, and you should be there to help accomodate them." Roaja leaned in and grinned, "you should start looking for a lady, yourself, Joser. Even if you must some day leave her for a dragon."

Having said it that way, Joser couldn't argue. He was learning to drag himself out of the moods after a dragon neglected to search him. And if there were ladies, he'd be there. He wasn't a complete boor like their fellow lord families' sons. He liked to talk and entertain, but not really start flirting until he was comfortable with a girl. And a girl from another Hold sounded about his speed right now.

The runners stood in a line, they were quite well trained, but they weren't the prettiest steeds someone could look at. At least two of them had threadscore on their flanks or neck, a clear indicator of where they'd come from. An unexpected threadfall over the sea was blown by stiff winds up to the coast, last summer - more than six months before - and took one of the supply caravans by surprise. Even Alabaster's riders couldn't get there in time, no one faulted them, but they clearly felt badly about it anyway. The tithes for that season were halved, because of it. Plus, the goods and remaining people and livestock were kept at Caledrus.

Since the only two survivors were children too young to help themselves, they were fostered once their wounds healed. The goods and runners though, could help the Hold in general. So now, Joser walked down with a couple other lordlings to the auction area. He draped his arms over the railings to the runner pen, and looked at the people around him.

A girl of about fourteen stood next to him, gazing at the runners, but taking sly glances at the well-dressed young man.

"Are they yours?" She asked.

"Oh, no, they ... well, they belong to the Hold in general. See how they're threadscored," he indicated that, and the girl winced.

"Oh - how awful," she said, turning to face him. Her dress was pretty, frilly at the elbows and bare at the neck. "I couldn't ever deal with being caught in threadfall."

"Me either," Joser said, tilting his head. "Does your family race?"

"No - they're just looking for a carriage runner."

"They might make good ones," Joser admitted. "But I really don't know much about runners."

"What do you know about?" The girl asked. Right about then, Joser's 'flirt now' sensor turned on. He spread a grin over his face.

"Well, for instance... Let me show you around the Hold, your folks will be doing this for a while, and they can't possibly be leaving today - it's too late in the day now to get anywhere."

He gently took her elbow and led her away from the animal pens, and into the Hold proper. The way she responded to each place he took her told him more about which way they could head next. She appeared to be interested in the clothiers and toymakers, so she liked to decorate herself.

"Dolren," Joser said, leaning over the counter at one of the tailoring dens, "hey, Dolren!" He turned and rolled his eyes toward the girl, "crafters." She giggled. Eventually Dolren came from the back of the shop and asked what the young holder wanted.

"I'd like to find something, maybe... ah - a sash, to go with the Lady's dress?" Joser said, pointing at a swath of cloth that had the same rich red in it as the design on her dress.

"A good choice," Dolren said, "let me see...." He set about eyeballing the girl's neck and shoulders, Joser lifted his eyebrow and kept his gaze from drifting lower. Eventually they settled upon a narrow red band that had two strips draping down her back, and shortly after that, a price for such a thing that was reasonable. Joser had it in him to barter far better than the tailor's son did.

***

He sat without even really being dejected, this time, and watched as the two Searched boys were helped up to the dragon's shoulders.

"A big bronze like that," he said absently, "how much food would he eat?"

"A lot, I think," his brother said. "You got passed up again."

"I know that," Joser said. "It doesn't matter. I can keep writing to Releena this way."

"Do you think she'll be the one you marry? Her family isn't close by."

"But she is pretty, and she ... I think she makes me comfortable. Nice young Lady like that, good for a nice young Lord like me."

Regon snorted, "That's your problem, Joser, you're just too nice."

"I don't want to wind up like Lord Mankar," Joser said, and his brother gave a groaning laugh.

"No one wants to wind up like him. I sure don't."

"Then don't choose a girl who you don't trust," Joser said, smiling. He was just old enough to be serious about marrying, just young enough to still wonder why he had to do it at all. But Releena was a perfect girl. She could dance, and sew - she'd sent him a beautiful embroidered scarf - and she was, in fact, quite pretty.

He was a sensible seventeen turn old. His father wasn't as old as many of the Lords at Caledrus, he and his mother had married quite young. That meant that even if he was never Searched, it would be quite some time before he would be inheriting anything from his family anyway. So he and Releena could afford to take their time. Couldn't they?

*** (this search takes place after the Kshau Protectorate shifts to Alskyr - without having told anyone about it. It is also the same *approximately* as Aaryea's.)***

Joser saw a trio of dragons landing at the Flats - one was from Alabaster, but the other two were foreign to their eyes. There was a bit of a tingling in Joser's stomach - was he going to be Searched, or not even looked at? He was now ninteen, and had been sniffed at endless numbers of times by dragons. But these were different. Weren't they? Something was, anyway.

One of his worries was that recently, his letter to Releena hadn't reached her. Or at least, he thought it hadn't. What had happened was far more complicated.

He joined dozens of others at the flats, lots of younger Holders and crafter children among them. The weather was quite clear, early spring in this area brought with it the smell of greenery and the sounds of rutting wherry. Nearby was the beautiful Lady Aaryea asking her friend, "Have they said anything yet?"

"Not yet - but they're going to. I think the one is from another part of the Kshau Protectorate," Cendar announced, "but I don't know who the other is."

The riders motioned for everyone to please quiet down. The brown rider from Alabaster was K'yle, the Lord Holder's son. There was a blue rider, T'shen by name, whose travels through the Protectorate were quite amazing. The third was a woman, but quite the odd one, on a gold dragoness. For some reason, it looked as though this woman had ... fur and a tail. No one quite believed it until she dropped to the ground and started talking to her companions, but sure enough there were small ears poking out over her mop of silver hair, and a long tuft-tipped tail that swished about.

People began muttering almost immediately, but K'yle shushed them with a wave of his hand. "We're here on search, yes! We're going to give an announcement that's a bit important, to your Lords!" He answered several questions quickly, and then turned to his dragon who bellowed for quiet again. "Thanks - now listen - the Protectorate is going through some drastic changes. We've found a place that's better than all this," he waved his hand but few understood what he meant by that cryptic remark. Was that it? Was something blocking the letter-carrying flitter that he'd sent from coming and going? Or was... he had to listen, K'yle was speaking again.

They continued to answer typical questions, but avoided mentioning this odd event, and then began allowing people near the dragons so they might be searched.

When the namesake of the Hold's daughter - Caledrua - was searched, it seemed to put off a couple other young Ladies. But she was good riding material, just like many of them today. In fact, there seemed to be a lot more activity in that regard, than Joser had ever seen before.

T'shen's blue dragon walked carefully over to Joser. The Lordling looked up at him, unafraid. Arfeth was the dragon's name. They had met before.

"Yes, me again. Are you going to search me? What's happened to everything?"

"... They were what?" Joser said, but he'd gotten images as well as the thoughts from the dragon's mind. His mind was clear, Joser could pick up details that perhaps a more addled or excitable person could not. Maybe that was why every dragon smelled him. Waiting for him to realize they were interested in his mind? Joser got the impression that not only the dragons could teleport - they actually carried parts of the world with them.

That was it. They were no longer even on Pern. Tzeado looked at the mountains. Others followed his gaze, including Joser.

Cendar looked into the distance, and a strange look came over her face. "Aary, look. Those mountains aren't familiar, at all. They're not covered in snow, they're really green."

"You moved an entire Hold?" Joser asked the blue. Arfeth nodded his head, and then nuzzled Joser.

"I've heard between is -"

*** (from the group's search page)***

The large group of gathered Caledruans milled about, surprised at how many there were, and how many of them knew one another - or at least knew someone else in the group. Each had an attachment to the next, they almost could form a chain of familiarity.

When another rider showed up, a day after the trio had Searched, several of the Seached recognized him as a man who had formerly lived there! One of the girls, Janice, bolted to his side when he got off the back of his proud bronze dragon.

"H'ndar!" She cried, laughing and relieved to see him. Every time he would visit, there would be another scar on his skin, and every time, she was eager to locate it.

"It's just Hendar, if you want," the rider said, with an odd smile. "I'm not so fond of people saying it that way any more." He smirked at Janice's odd reaction (she furrowed her eyebrows and went to apologize, but then stopped and swatted him instead).

"But why?" Janice asked. "Why suddenly this odd change? What has really been happening out there?"

Just then, two more riders and dragons arrived, yet more old Caledrus inhabitants who had long since vanished to their own devices. One was riding a dragon whose color shocked a number of the Searched - and a good portion of the onlookers who couldn't be forced to leave. The dragon was a bright shade of red, with paler white markings on it. The rider was a girl who had been well known by the higher status Lordlings - Ezhar the dancer. Her partner, T'nor (who had no such problems with his name being shortened, he still thought it quite an honor) rode a two-toned blue dragon, both clearly from one Weyr by their appearance.

"We will be needing the different dragons to take you all to your destinations," K'yle announced loudly, in his half-squeaky voice. He could sound very serious, when he put his mind to it, but he'd never have the command over people that his father did. "We're going to show you some places that are in need of candidates, and if you think one or another is to your liking, we'll see if you can bond there."

Someone called out, "don't you mean Impress?" But K'yle glared at them.

"No, I mean bond. It's a more broad term. We've found places that aren't all ... well, you'll see. You all will understand best after you get there. And the rest of you," he gazed at the assembled inhabitants who hadn't been Searched, "don't worry. We're all going to explain it soon enough - but you will have to be patient and you will have to trust us."

Another trio of dragons and riders came through the nexus, Betweening was such an old-world term, one of whom had lived at Caledrus as a first-class records keeper, before he was searched. Waadier, now fondly known as D'ier, and his pretty green (what a surprise for people who knew him, huh? NOT!). D'ier and Elkinorith joined the search team on occasion, and he apologized to K'yle for not being there earlier.

"It's all right. It's these two I'm worried about," the Lord Holder's son glanced at his half-sibling Pasha, and Pasha's brother Haze. "Didn't you think there would be enough good candidates here?" He asked them, and both men waved him off with a grin - the same grin that he often had on his face.

They had ridden in on a pair of large dragons, Haze's large bronze Alkalmith, and Pasha's brown Surketh. The dragons moved from their landing spots to an area with bumpy ground that suited them to rest upon, with the others.

Gold, Bronze, two Browns, two Blues, Green, and Red... They lined up like a spectrum of possibilities. Resting and chatting, the dragons seemed to largely ignore the people around them, until K'yle whistled for their attention.

The little booklets that D'ier handed out to the group of Searched folks had shiny pictures on them, of dragons and different weyrs - they could tell that these images were real pictures, not paintings. There was something very surreal about this. Very few people of Caledrus knew about photographs, and most of the ones who did, only knew in theory. They did know that Alabaster had some strange machines that could almost seem to think for themselves. Perhaps these pictures came from them?

"Now, look over everything. There is information about each location's needs and desires," K'yle said, as D'ier finished handing them out. "But I want you all to keep in mind one very important thing. We are *not* going to be fighting Thread any longer."

There was a pause, when everyone put down their pamphlets and stared at him like he was insane.

"There are other things on our minds now, as riders. There are threats to our home, but Thread is not among them. However we have learned that those people who were born on our old home," (that elicited a lot of muttering about what in the world he could mean) "tend to bond best to old-world dragons. Dragons who would be best familiar with you. Dragons of the older colors," he tossed his head at the fivesome plus one oddity. "and not ones with the newer breed types. When you get back to Alabaster, you'll see what I mean."

"How much has our home changed?" Demanded someone, "where are we if we aren't on our old home?"

"The world is called Alskyr," said Kaytcha, her gold dragoness tossing her head and reminding people that even though the girl had fur and a tail now - was not human as far as they were concerned - she had still impressed a grand golden dragon like herself. "And it's a very nice place. You will all benefit," she turned to the onlookers who had started to mill about nervously, "because this world is rich in plant life, and our isle has some wonderful people on it that accepted us on it."

"The arrangement was made," K'yle said, "by my father, by T'shen, and by some other people high-up. We knew that if there was an announcement there would be panic, and we wouldn't be able to bring everyone along properly."

Pasha and Haze, standing together with their shoulders bumped, nodded. "And you never noticed, did you?" Pasha asked. He was the stronger telepath of the two, and his lineage (K'yle's side especially) were ones which had helped the most.

"It's not important how long we've been here," said Haze, having heard someone ask that among the Searched, "what is important is that we integrate everyone into our new ways, sooner or later."

"That brings us to the dragons," T'shen said, sweeping past the brothers. The Searched group were apt to stare at him anyway, tall and handsome as he was. Even D'ier (perhaps especially D'ier) gazed at him in wonder. "The dragons who pair off with Caledrus inhabitants will be living with you, here." He swept his hand and suddenly - because they had been inclined to ignore it and nudged telepathically to do so by Engell and his troupe - people noticed that the mountains that had greenery about them, also had ledges, caverns, terraces... Big enough for dragons to roost if they so wished.

"... So you're saying," one of the Searched girls said, "that we will be coming back here, to live, with our dragons."

"That's it in a nutshell."

"Then let's go!" She said, laughing, looking through the pamphlet. Aaryea was grinning like mad, as she looked through her own.

One thing that a number of the searched noticed was that there were multiple openings at several of the locations. Particularly, a place called Enzan Shi had lots of openings, but for some unusually colored dragons on the sands. Some of the searched were leery of such things. K'yle told them not to try for those types, then. There were other locales fit for them.

The dragons pictured on all the pages were so unlike the ones standing before them now. Joser looked at Arfeth, and then tried to find his type of image in the book - and it wasn't there.

"Then here," he pointed at Enzan Shi, "this is it. I want to see these dragons - they're my only chance."

"Maybe," Joser said. "Maybe."

At last, though, Joser thought he felt something. It was a tingling that he'd never really felt before - but he knew it was from the dragons. It was the excitable brown who came tumbling and tripping quickly across the dunes, scattering shell and sand everywhere with his feet and tail - wings flopping around almost uncontrolled.

"Slow down, Yvenithaerth!" J'ser laughed, and thought to his dragon, your name's long enough to take some time with, right?

"I know, I know - so are all the other hatchlings... But I want to see whether that gold egg hatches."

And it was true: the gold dragoness didn't bond at all, not to any of the fine girls that had been brought to the sands. That included Aaryea.