Columbia is the daughter of W'ick and an unknown but extremely beautiful Harper woman. Columbia is the only one of W'ick's children who takes after their mother, as well. She has several siblings, both half and full, around Blackstone and Dawnlight.

As a child, Columbia exhibited a beautiful voice, and an elegant way of moving. Neither has left her in her 16th turn, and she is an expert dancer. Her singing voice has taken her to Journeymanship in Harpering, but her joy is to dance. But like all W'ick's children, her deepest desire is to ride a dragon into the skies and dance there.

Columbia is just over 5'7" tall, and is obviously built very well. Her favored color is Harper Blue, and one of her secret thoughts is that she ought to ride a blue dragon to complete her image!

She has rarely seen her father, though when he is around his children, they all tend to congregate and be loud together. If she Impresses a dragon, she hopes she will be able to see him more often!

Columbia will not have any problem standing on the sands and not impressing. Her harpering skills have taken a lifetime to perfect and she will still have them to rely upon. However, should she impress, she truly does wish for a blue to ride. Not just because they're pretty, but because they are usually Search dragons, used for transporting people and such, and she loves being around people!

W'ick, R'iel and some of the others were soaring over the wide grounds of Dawnlight Hold, taking supplies in and tithes out. W'ick and his blue Rowinth landed and he immediately asked someone with a fire lizard to fetch his girls.

The handsome white-haired man strolled into the Hold's gather grounds with his arms full of wine skins, ribbons and scarves and all other such things brought from other weyrs and Holds around Pern. There were many other people wanting to barter for those items, but he kept them at bay long enough to see one of his children through the drudges and helpers.

"Columbia!" he called, and the dark-haired girl giggled with delight. She fought her way to her father, and without letting him set anything down, she embraced him.

"Oh, these are so beautiful!" She cried out, and he hushed her with his finger over her lips.

"I have something for you especially," he said, and then tossed his head at the other riders. "Are you coming inside?" He called to them, and several began moving his way. Their dragons rested along the hillside where they often were asked to sit, above the grape vines and other orchard plants which they were called upon to protect during Threadfall.

"Father, who is that man again? The one with the white hair?" Columbia asked quietly of A'rd, another blue rider.

"He's a search rider, dearie," W'ick said, with a grin.

"He's been staring at me ever since I came up to you," Columbia observed, with a bit of worry in her voice. But she furrowed her brows. "A search rider?"

"Umm humm," W'ick confirmed, picking up another handfull of his wares, as A'rd approached. They began walking into the Hold, but A'rd did not catch up with them, instead following them at a bit of a distance. Columbia kept looking over her shoulder at him.

When they reached the smaller of the dining halls in the Hold, W'ick unloaded all his things onto the long stone table. "Huff! Getting gifts for you all is becoming quite a chore!"

"Daddy, you don't have to," Columbia said, but her smile and her eyes said the opposite.

"I think you'll like this one," W'ick told her as he unpacked a wherhide roll. From it, came a tumbling of blue material, which Columbia's eyes focused on eagerly.

"Oh daddy, this is wonderful!"

"I picked it up at Sapphire weyr, it's a fine place to get such things. I think they ought to work something out with our dye makers here in Dawnlight."

"This is just perfect!" Columbia spun around with the dress pressed up to her. As it waved through the air, she nearly hit A'rd with it, and stopped suddenly and with a gasp.

"A'rd, stop scaring my baby girl," muttered the man.

"Well, if she's your daughter she doesn't need to be frightened. Once you're finished trying that dress on," he looked at her with a grin, "you might want to see if candidate white is good on you too. Trelerth, my dragon out there, tells me that you've got good instincts and are good on your feet."

"She's a dancer," W'ick added, before Columbia could utter a word.

"There's a very new weyr, Talis Weyr by name, which is looking for candidates right now. It's a green's clutch, so there aren't very many candidates nor many eggs, but you might be best there."

"A... a clutch? New dragons?" Columbia's eyes grew wide. "Oh, father, could I?"

"Don't ask me, tell your harper friends where you'll be. If I know A'rd, he'll take you there shortly, if you've the inclination."

"Oh, I do! I DO!" Columbia rushed A'rd with a hug, then took her new dress and went to gather her things and tell her friends the great news!

The days stretched into their sevens... And Columbia wondered if those eggs would EVER hatch? They had been extremely new when her father had brought her to Talis weyr, though. And the waiting wasn't hers alone. She spoke with the rider of the clutch's dam, Prina, and learned that her dragon was allowing candidates to get near the eggs, nearer than most.

Columbia watched one egg particularly often. She would even go in to the hatching grounds and gaze at them when no one else was there, just Mirimath. While she watched, she also composed things as a Harper would, in her mind. Images of dancing around the eggs, over them, and under the protective wings of the beautiful green mother.

Then one day -- finally -- the hatching call went out! Columbia raced to the hatching sands, with the few other candidates. Some of the other weyrs would disdain having a clutch of green's eggs, but weren't greens and blues the heart and soul of all fighting wings?

Not that Columbia wanted to truly get out and flame thread, but... That came with wanting to fly! Something in her soul, something in her father's blood, led her into it. Of course.

When the first egg to break revealed a green, Columbia's heart soared. How pretty she was -- oop, and how delicate. She fell into the sand and righted herself. She trotted to the boys, and left the girls' hearts to sink. Then...

A most wonderous blue came from his shell, the same time as another green. The blue went to look at the other boy, but... Oh, how Columbia's heart ached for this beauty of a blue. His skin was fresh, wet, but his wings were drying quickly. They would be strong! She just knew it!

The blue turned his head and went to the girls, and crooned loudly. Columbia's eyes lit up, for in her mind, she felt a voice. Resonant but light, like his skin!

I am Kaprath! I knew you wanted me, but I needed to see everyone else too. You do not fault me for that do you, my friend?

"Oh, Kaprath, how did you know!?" Columbia asked as she embraced the beautiful dragon's neck.