Voren - originally 2001

Voren is not as old as his looks would have you believe. He is actually in his mid 20s but his hair has always been silvery black. He doesn't get much sun.

Though not fully telepathic like many of the Blackstone males, Voren is a cousin of theirs and the empathy they usually carry with them into dragonriding is strongly within him. He hears nearby dragons, though if the connection to their rider is very strong he cannot. If the rider is away, he usually can speak to a dragon.

It is this innate ability to communicate with dragon kind which originally set him onto the Dragonhealing path. However he found that he did not have the stomach for it. He did get a chance to ride several dragons while he was younger, and loved it.

Voren's favorite thing to do is watch and listen to dragons as they are in formation. It is like a symphony to him, with mental commands and emotional ties wafting in and out of his perception.

He is expected to impress at least a brown, though he has said that any color -- ANY color of dragon would be exactly the right one for him to ride. He is afraid that his ability to hear them will be weakened or destroyed by impression, that is always at the back of his mind when he visits a weyr.

He is originally from Blackstone Weyr, though he travels quite a bit as something of an emissary. If and when he impresses, he will shorten his name to V'ren, and will most likely be a search rider.

"How can you tell?" Voren asked, and the crafter shrugged.

"It's of inferior quality. Look at the lines through the metal. It's worthless."

Voren put the bar of metal back onto the crafter's table. "When I got this from the miners they assured me it was of the best value. Strong metal. I intend to use it--"

"I tell you it's not worth my time to even start to smelt it!" The older craftsman waved his hand at the silver-haired youth and turned.

"I'll be sure and tell master Miner Ramiro. He'll be quite intrigued that the mines here are supplying 'inferior' metals and ores." Voren left the craft stand, and took his metal with him.

He did intend to use it. As a base for a good riding harness loop. As soon as he found a good smithy to make it for him. He'd even found a design spec in an old weyr record.

But that was irrelavant right now. At this gather, there was talk of several clutches of eggs, scattered around the world. And if anything, Voren wanted to impress.

He is a good one, thought one dragon to their rider.

How would you know. You're no search dragon, said another. Then they noticed that there was in fact a search rider among them. A blue and his rider.

"I'm told you can hear dragons," Nora said, holding out her strong hand. "You might have heard Mitanth out there. He's convinced you'll make a decent rider. I'm convinced you'll make a good impression at Talor Cliff." She smiled widely, and Voren's pale face grew almost flesh-colored with a blush.

"So... Talor... There are a lot of good Protectorate riders on Talor dragons. I can definitely understand the need for good riders to impress."

"So you're already a good rider?" Nora chided. "Don't count your golds before--"

"No, no," Voren said, laughing. "I meant that ... No, I hope to be a good rider. I have ridden before, but I so wish to be like you. A search rider. It's so very important to bring candidates to their sands!"

Nora agreed, and Voren began packing. When he would find the time to try out this new metal, perhaps that was something he'd be worrying about at Talor Cliff!

***

The fourteenth clutch of Talor Cliff Weyr was about to hatch! Many of the candidates ran out onto the hot sands forgetting their heavy-soled sandals, or while adjusting their white robes over their heads.

Voren took his time and went to the sands deliberately and while scanning the crowd -- and the dragons above.

They were so noisy! Both the dragons and the humans. But loudest were the hatchlings. They called out to their green dam and their distant sire, most of all to their hopeful human bond mates.

It was almost unbearable! Voren stood in awe under the ledge where the sire of the clutch lay. Such power. And such grace. The hatching began with a group of eggs at once, and that set the pace for the rest. A blue and a brown impressed, and then three eggs -- including a white -- broke open to their riders. At last, a group of five eggs shattered.

Voren felt something strongly -- and he went to his knees with the others nearby, as the group of dragon hatchlings came to them. It was so hot there, sweltering in the sands! Then, a brown dragon nearly bowled Voren over in his excitement to Impress!

I am here! Oh! I am so sorry I did that! Did I hurt you V'ren?

Without even having to hear it pronounced, V'ren knew the dragon's name, and laughed while he exited the sands in a less than dignified crab-walk, "Ummidvarth, I'm glad you forced me off the sands! It was hurting my hands!" Privately, he added to the dragon, and I bet you're glad to be out of that egg!

I am, my friend. Oooh! There are many voices of my brothers and sisters, in your head.

"You get used to it," V'ren said, smiling.

***

"Can we try it now? Look, we're better prepared than Sivoney, and she and that upstart green of hers nearly propelled themselves off the Weyr wall last sevenday!" V'ren pleaded with the weyrling master.

"You'll fly when I tell you you're ready to fly, young rider. Now, get back into formation."

Gruffly, the weyrlingmaster pointed at the field, and Ummidvarth hung his head. It was time to fly. He just knew it. Some day soon, though... He would get his way!

***

The voices are quiet today, Ummidvarth.

I know. It is strange. How some of the weyrlings depart, and some remain. We will depart, will we not?

"Yes, we'll be on our way back to the Protectorate. The Currier wing wants us. For searching, I think."

I know I can do that. You can too. Already.

"But you're the dragon. You're the one who's supposed to do it, not me!" V'ren laughed.

Soon, they were on their way to the Protectorate's Blackstone Weyr, and arranged for the regular flights around the many Holds, Cotholds and Crafthalls of the area. Perhaps they would become well known around the weyrs for Searching, but they were already known for their aerial stability and the clear thinking of both had saved them many instances of Threadscore.