Irlan mounted his runner Yasra and took another look at the map before setting off in the direction of White River Weyr. It would be a five day ride by his reckoning but there would be threadfall on the second day so he would have to find somewhere to shelter; adding almost a full day to his journey.
      Irlan was so glad to be out of Ber Hold, it was like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, that he didn't stop riding until it was nearly dawn and since there was no sign of rain he decided to sleep under the stars. It was a totally new experience for him as he had not been allowed to leave the Hold long enough to have to sleep outdoors before.

      The sky was greying and it didn't take an expert to realise that it was thread, not rain, falling from the skies in the distance. Irlan kicked Yasra to go faster, the cave was in sight but the thread was too. The grey mare put on a burst of speed and they got to the mouth of the cave in plenty of time.
      It was a very small cave, only really just enough room for Irlan and Yasra, but it was shelter from the deadly rain of thread and that was all that mattered. There was a metal loop on the back wall and he tied Yasra to it, this cave had clearly been much used as a thread shelter.
      As time wore on Irlan could not resist looking out of the cave to try and spot the dragonriders. He squinted up at the sky and saw hundreds of tiny flashes of flame and the small dots that were the dragons and their riders high in the sky.
      Through the whole fall Irlan did not see a single piece of thread, and thank Faranth for that! He thought afterwards. At one point Irlan even walked right out of the cave to watch the dragons. This is the kind of thing that all the children at Ber would love to do but are too scared, he thought, I can't believe I'm out here! I must be mad. The truth was, though he did not admit to himself, Irlan was very scared, as any sane person would be.

      The fall was over and Irlan was packing his things onto Yasra when the cave became dark.
      "Hello in there?" Called a man's voice.
      "Err hello."
      "I'm V'tar rider of blue Morineth." He said, "I'm from White River Weyr."
      "I'm Irlan from Ber Hold." Irlan said nervously, he walked to the cave's entrance and saw the young man and his blue dragon; the dragon was blocking all light into the cave.
      "What were you doing out here during a fall?" He asked, "Are you mad? You could have been killed."
      "I...I was running away. A friend of mine was searched and taken to your Weyr and I...I was going to find her."
      "So you want to be a dragon rider?"
      "No... Well yes but that wasn't why I was going to the Weyr, I was going because..."
      "Go on."
      Irlan blushed and looked at the floor, "Because I'm in love with her." He muttered.
      "Well I'll have to take you back..."
      "I know," Irlan interrupted, "you have to take me back to my Hold."
      "I wasn't going to say that." Irlan looked up in surprise, "I was going to say that I'll have to take you back to White River Weyr with me."
      "You mean that don't you?"
      "Yes of course I do!" V'tar smiled.
      "What about Yasra?"
      "The runner?" Irlan nodded, "Well I can't take him on Morineth but there's a very small farming cothold not far from here, we can lead the runner there and ask them to bring it to the Weyr some time soon."
      "Thanks!" Irlan couldn't believe his luck; he was going to get to see Tian today.
      "Tian? Oh the quiet one from the small Hold."
      "I didn't know I'd said that out loud." Irlan said, embarrassed.
      "You didn't, Morineth heard you and told me. By the way he said he's sorry that he eavesdropped, he didn't mean to."
      "Oh that's okay." Irlan said to the dragon.
      "We'd better go now." V'tar said.

      They walked to the cothold leading Yasra, Morineth flew a long way in behind them so as not to frighten the runner.
      "You shouldn't worry about him," Irlan said, "he's weyrbred, he was a present from an aunt who visited the Weyr once."
      "He'll still probably be scared, runners, even weyrbred ones, are scared of dragons." He said, "By the way, did you go out to be searched when this friend of yours, Tian, did?"
      "No, I was so busy in the kitchens and no one bothered to tell me that the dragon was there, why?"
      "Because Morineth thinks you'll be a great dragonrider."
      "He does?" Irlan had been very annoyed that on the day of Tian's search nobody had come to tell him about it, and this came as very unexpected, very welcome, news.
      They got to the cothold shortly after, V'tar gave the holder a few marks for the trouble then they left. V'tar helped Irlan mount the blue dragon and got up himself, and they were off.
      They circled around the cothold then V'tar turned and mouthed, "We're going between NOW."
      And they did, it was the single most terrifying experience that Irlan had ever had, scarier even, than standing outside in a fall. And then it was over; they were above the Weyr and swooping down to land.