Tian was sitting with her head in her hands, all she could think about was the forthcoming hatching and the search that made her a candidate, but thinking about the search made her more nervous still.
      When green Tarith landed in the courtyard of her birth Hold she was mucking out the stables and was therefore extremely dirty. She quickly hid behind the door near to a small hole just big enough to see through. The young woman, who introduced herself to the holder as Cirsa, watched as over twenty-five young men and women walked up to the green dragon and each in turn was rejected.
      "Do you have no other suitable candidates?" She asked, somewhat disappointedly.
      "I don't think so rider Cirsa, but while you're here why don't you take a tour of our little Hold?" The holder, Barat, asked.
      "Why thank-you holder, I'd like that."
      The holder and searchrider both walked off and out of Tian's view, she relaxed and slumped to the floor.
      "Stupid, stupid." She muttered under her breath, "Why am I so stupid? I want to be a dragonrider so much!"
      Her attempt to brush some of the dirt from her tunic and wherhide slacks was entirely unsuccessful.
      "Shards!" She muttered.
      Tian's dream was to be a dragonrider, wasn't that most young Hold child's dream though? She thought about dragons constantly, she even daydreamed about them; this consistently got her into trouble and landed her with such onerous tasks as mucking out the runner stables. The irony of this situation was not lost on Tian, her love of dragons had got her this mucky job and this same mucky job led her to hide while the search dragon was in the courtyard.
      Pull yourself together Tian, she thought, now's your chance, if you go out now there may still be time.
      She got up and slowly opened the door, a rapid pounding sound stopped her in her tracks, Tian you dummy, she thought, it's only your heartbeat.
      She forced herself to put one foot in front of the other; only the prospect of becoming a dragonrider kept her moving, though only very slowly, towards the huge form of the green dragon. The short walk seemed to Tian, to take an eternity, but she got there.
      She cleared her throat, "Oh great dragon," she called, her nervousness fell away like a sleeping fur in the morning, "is it at all possible that I, Tian of Ber Hold, would make a good dragonrider?"
      The dragon moved her large head to face Tian. She surveyed her carefully then let out an almighty bellow. Tian dropped to the floor with her hands over her ears; she was convinced that she had angered the dragon.
      "She likes you!" Laughed a voice from above Tian's head. She rolled over and saw the dragonrider Cirsa leaning over her.
      "I... I..." Her newfound courage dissolved. She got up and was about to explain herself.
      "Where were you earlier?" Cirsa asked, "When we were searching?"
      "I... I was hiding in the stables." She said nervously.
      "Why was that?"
      "Because I've been mucking out the stables and I'm filthy."
      "Well it washes off doesn't it?" She asked, slightly amused.
      "Sh...sure!"
      "So what were you worrying about?" Tian was speechless,       "And like I said, she likes you! She thinks you'll be a great dragonrider!"
      "She does?"
      "Sure." She said, "Now if you just get your stuff then we'll be going!"
      "I don't really have much stuff! But I'll be back in a minute."
      She ran to her room and grabbed her few items of clothing and her flute, then ran all the way back to the dragon.
      "Is that all your things?" Cirsa asked.
      "Yes, I am the youngest of eight so my parents can't really afford to get me new things."
      Soon Tian had said her goodbyes and, with help from Cirsa, got on Tarith's back. She waved to everyone and then they were off, wind rushed past her ears and the ground dropped away so abruptly that she almost screamed. But the worst part was going between, She had heard about it but when it came to it she was totally unprepared.

      Sitting alone Tian considered all this, I suppose I have a good chance of impressing, she thought, and even if I don't I still have Tirila.
      The little green flit, that she had impressed while at the weyr, appeared at the mention of her name.
      "You're nearly as good as a dragon," She told the little flitter.