Bojan's mother died two years before he was sent off to a new place to Impress. It had devastated the family's morale for a while, but not for long. The second-youngest and only girl, Bella, kept everyone's spirits up after their mourning by reminding them what mamma would have said if...

So what would she be saying now? Now that the family would be split up, possibly forever? When Bojan was young, being tended with Jasna, a brown-riding searcher had come past the Hold and pronounced a good number of folks as worthy for Impression. Though Oja had smiled and waved it off when the group of toddlers got sniffed out (they had rushed outside to see what everything was about, this big brown dragon could hardly be ignored right?) something probably told her in the back of her mind that it was true.

Their family were hard workers, but lower on the scale of Lordlings of Delta Hold. Like many merchant Lords, Nabbu would have to travel back and forth to other Holds and Weyrs, halls and locales. They worked with mines and masons, his family, but when they were brought into the future Nabbu lost many of those valuable ties. He spent time on the roads now, but was looking to re-establish himself with the locals even now. Their holdings were parceled out as they had been before, so their wealth lasted this long. The oldest two sons had already moved off, but would some day come back to roost on the lion's share of their Hold. The next three, twins and the 'black sheep', were busy with their budding families, adding to the subdivisions their Holds had.

But building and masonry was in Bojan's blood. Long exposed to the plans and materials laying in his father's office, Bojan enjoyed playing with the models and stick figures. He would look out from the family's single wide window to the hills and craggy canyons that made up Delta Hold, imagining where his own spectacular building would reside. Few standing buildings existed during Threadfall years, but Bojan actually understood the principles behind creating a sturdy, Thread-secure standing structure. Finding the right layer of stone to build upon, keeping the surroundings clear, with windows and sheltered doorways mindful of the wind direction.

For years, Bojan worked on his designs. First thought to be the simple imaginings of a child, but later on recognized at least in the family for what they were: almost brilliant architectural plans. Every waking moment, it seemed, when Bojan wasn't required to be helping clean up or run errands for the Ladies, he was scribbling on hides or in the sand pits to see his newest design come to life. To his friends, Julija and Jasna would always get his secret designs first. Between the two, Julija helped most with the exterior design, Jasna with the insides. What would suit a family best? Where would the drudges live? How about an area for runners that would be protected?

Bojan was quiet when his family gathered. His brothers all took the attention, when their father came home from his journeys. Though he was confident enough, Bojan didn't honestly want to share his thoughts and feelings with the man - he was distracted enough with the workings of keeping his Holdings under control. Family discussions almost always led to arguments among the elders, and Bojan stayed away from those with a passion.

But all of that would be irrelevant now. For he was officially on his way to Kavera Weyr. Bojan wanted to see the buildings, to understand how other places did it. He missed his friends terribly, but he would see them again soon. And, with luck, he would be Impressed! A dragon, and as explained to them by the Search riders, the ability to choose his own goals... Fighting Thread of course made his skin itch. It was dangerous, scary stuff. Everyone heard that blue's horrible howling, when Zala went out and helped he almost came with... But would he be of any use? His skills lay in metal and stone. Not in flesh, perhaps in information. Because he was always the one assigned to take letters or items back and forth in the halls of the Hold, Bojan knew who to look for, where they would be found... But stewardship was hardly his true calling.

Would building a keep still be in his future? Perhaps it would... Perhaps it would.

***

The hatching had come, and everyone was shooed into the sands. Along with Julija and the others, there was a pack of furry people - they creeped some folks out, and while Bojan was intrigued he was more worried that they'd turn out to be nightmarish monsters. But why bring them to a hatching then?

It was obviously an unwarranted feeling, when the first of the clutch hatched, bronze, and went to one of them! However, Bojan was too preoccupied with the fact that he heard a babble of sound in his head.

I would like to, really like to, because it's something you like, and I know I'd be good at it too, so can't I please help out? I'd like to help out making things, B'jan, really I would!

A pale colored brown scampered wetly around one of the other shells, dodged two boys who wanted to Impress him, and ran headlong into the dark-haired Bojan.

"All right, Yorth! You can help me build! But we have to find a suitable place first!" Bojan laughed, realizing that he knew this dragon inside and out already. They escaped the hot sands, went to the food tables and Bojan understood how much more important his life was now that he'd found a dragon bond. There would be castles, keeps, maybe even weyrs and holds created with this dragon of his!