Their mother Cabeen was well known as a flirt. How could she not be: she was beautiful with flowing wavy locks of rich red, lightly freckled creamy skin, and glittering green eyes. She was a smart woman, and in Ablan Hold that counted for more than her looks. Cabeen was the daughter of a prominent Holder with two younger brothers that she beat out for ownership of the land when they lost their father. They didn't decry her for this: they were both involved heavily in other matters, and could make their own fortunes in wine and herbs. The land that Cabeen held, then, was a good portion of cherry-tree farm, what else was Ablan known for?

Cabeen put her looks and clever mind to use in making an inn. She didn't want to settle with another man and become a baby-bearing drudge. She set her hired workers to build a fine establishment of stone, adobe and metal, with beautiful glass windows and even a skylight. Though it would seem this place might be in danger if Threadfall hit it, that was part of the beauty of it. The glass was immune to the ravages of the stuff, as was metal, stone and the clay adobe. She'd designed it herself, and was praised repeatedly by the crafters who came to make sure everything was right.

The cherry trees and other fruits that blossomed on her land were sold and distributed around the rest of Ablan, in trade for the breads, wines, meat and other items needed to run an inn. As a proprieter, Cabeen was superb. She made certain the foods were prepared well, that her customers were satisfied, that they all knew where the sights were in Ablan. She danced with the Lords and their sons, treated their little girls and wives with gossip and praise.

Cabeen had a soft spot, however, for dragon riders. They wre so stunning, so perfect to hear her say it. She admired their strength and courage - and did so honestly, without the false sticky-sweet words she reserved for the homely Ladies and their spoilt daughters. Cabeen had four children with riders - and she seemed to gloat in the fact that they were each sired by a rider of a different rank of dragon.

Beaata was the daughter of a bronze rider. She, the eldest of the brood, was enjoying being groomed for inheriting the inn and the lands. Though all the children learned, she was the one who knew it would be her responsibility. As her sire was responsible for a wing, so she would be fit for the Inn.

Eenodo was the son of a brown rider, tall and proud and fit. Like his uncle, he would head off to the vinyards and learn their ways - and he was good at it in the same way. He was two turns younger than Beaata, and two older than Cabaal.

Then there were Cabaal and Cabella, son and daughter of a green and blue rider each. They were but a year apart, and the last of Cabeen's children. What would suit them best? Cabeen had a feeling it wasn't going to be running an inn or tending fields or flowers. Cabaal did take to healing arts, in fact early on in his life when their other uncle brought them to see the processing of medicinal herbs, he caught on right away. Cabella was quite good with organization and enthusiastic about everything - but she had little interest in learning how to run the inn.

It was solved for them, when another rider came along as they were just turning twelve and eleven. Their older siblings as well as their mother were neither surprised nor angry that they were Searched. How else could they have wound up? They belonged to the skies, Cabeen said. So from that moment, since they were too young to really go and stand for dragons yet, they would be educated properly toward riding.

Cabella understood lines and angles better than typical - whenever she was involved in harvests, she'd take a good long look at the trees and decide the best route to go about getting the fruits from them. Why waste time on trees that hadn't yet finished ripening?

Cabaal was far more interested in the inner workings of both dragons and weyrs. He would ask questions about anatomy and size, comparing them to the flitters that were eventually bought for the pair. It was quite clear that he'd make a good dragon-healer.

Their flitters were well-trained: Cabaal was more adept at getting his brown Boxer to fetch him items on shelves, while Cabella's green Blossom took to delivering messages and going off to locate people. So they went for several more turns, until Cabaal was 16 and his sister was just over 15. Cabeen had promised the searchrider that she'd send for someone when the pair were of a better age for impression. They'd been prepared for this day, but still both siblings were excited and their flitters echoed this.

They took with them supplies and traded goods - Ablan after all was well-known for its wines and breads, so they would bring a case of good cherry wine along with a sack of buns and small loaves of cherry breads to share when they got where they were going. Thus when they arrived to Dark Moon weyr there was much to celebrate. Whenever the kitchen workers didn't have to actually work - that was cause for a party.

Cabaal settled into a routine of training with the dragon healer, and backing up his education about riding - even if he didn't impress, he'd be of clear and obvious use to any weyr as a healer. He showed no fear even around an angry, injured bronze that came in from a long flight, and that would serve him well.

Cabella moved from one subject to the next: her mind was always active, always seeking ways around problems. Star charts were where she enjoyed spending dreamy hours, gazing at the locations for weyrs and holds. She unerringly plotted a location using only half a chart and some spare information given by the weyrling master, she'd be excellent at sending any dragon between.

And then the waiting began. They knew that it would be only a matter of time before the orbs on the sands hatched, but they also knew it was a tossup of whether they'd impress or not. No one was guaranteed - their own siblings were not Searched, and yet they were sired by higher-ranked riders than Cabaal and Cabella.

They tempered their evenings with discussion about their home Hold, how they'd visit it, or return perhaps. Cabella was not sure what she'd do if she never impressed, though it didn't worry her. Plus, her brother reminded her, she was just as beautiful as their mother, slightly darker in skin tone and taller, she'd never worry for company. That's not saying he suggested she drift through life, of course - with a hard smack on the shoulder from her, he laughed and asked her what he might do if he never impressed but couldn't remain at the Weyr.

"You'd be a healer, an animal healer I think, husbandry suits you - your bedside manner leaves a lot to be desired!" Cabella laughed, knowing it wasn't true: he was soft spoken and always seemed to touch just the right way, be it a human or calf or dragon.

"I bet you'd make a good starcrafter at a weyr," Cabaal said on thinking of his sister's skills. "After all, you can plot things far better than I can, shards I think you do it better than the Weyrling master to hear his assistant say it."

She chuckled, but didn't disagree. As many from Ablan, they were healthy of ego. A proud place tended to produce proud people. "I miss the smell of the blossoms," Cabella said, "about now they'd be in full bloom." Her words conjured images of the blankets of pale-pink and white, red-dotted flowers that covered every tree and every surface after falling. Small petals would catch on the breeze, both of them fondly remembered catching them in midair.

Their flitters now lept into the air of their dorm, pretending they could see the things in their masters minds. Both of them suddenly flew between. Hardly a moment later, they both returned with their forepaws clutching fistfulls of little cherry-blossom petals!

"Ha ha ha!" Cabaal laughed heartily, catching them as his brown dropped them from above. His sister did likewise, but her flitter insisted on placing some in her hair.

"It would be marvelous to see the blossoms from above, on a dragon's back," Cabella sighed, and that night they both dreamed of such things. Soon, they would be awakened to attend the hatching... But for now, they were happy to wait.

Both young candidates had gotten into the swing of the Weyr, and so now that the hatching was finally occurring they were almost ready. Almost, because no one was ever really 'ready' for it.

There were a number of candidates waiting, probably several would leave the sands in tears. Cabella hoped she wasn't among them, though she knew she could handle her emotions pretty well.

The first hatchlings were blue, green and a brown who was followed by another but much darker brown. The first brown however flopped ungracefully across the shells and other dragons, ripping a little of his delicate and still-wet skin in the process. Cabaal felt a nudge from his sister, prodding him into the ring, he felt more urgent communication from the dragon itself.

Cabaal, help me! The dragonet whimpered again and gave a cry. Cabaal reached for him, knew that his injury was not serious. It hurts!

"Don't worry, Raranath," he whispered. "We'll get you fixed up, fed, and oiled before you know it."

Though he wanted to see the joy on his sister's face as she impressed, he was a bit preoccupied with helping little Raranath over to the healers.

A blue found his partner shortly after this, following C'baal out with a little less drama.

Two greens separated then, one dark and rich like the leaves of a cherry tree as the sun set. Cabella blinked as Filath walked toward her, hearing in her mind, Do you love me as much as you love your cherry blossoms? Then Cabella grinned. "And why would I not, Filath?" she asked her dragon.

Just had to ask, Filath replied, butting her rider who knelt to hug her. They would be an excellent team, Cabella thought. And surely she was the most beautiful dragon on the sands... On all of Pern!

***

Raranath

Color: pale brown
Color Size: brown
Length: --
Height: --
Genetic Code: XGwDF Y Rr BB hh LL UU C1C2 T1T2 OO (ss N1N1) M1M1

Filath

Color: dark green
Color Size: green
Length: --
Height: --
Genetic Code: XgWdF XgwDF rr BB hh LL UU C1C2 T1T2 OO (SS N1N1) M1M1