Ranec was a strapping lad of seventeen turns, skin as dark as freshly-brewed klah and hair tightly curled. His black eyes sparkled warmth and humour, and soft rose-coloured lips seemed to always smile. He was well known amongst his peers for his skill with the runners as well as with the girls. It was said that he could ride one from dawn til dusk without breaking a sweat, and tie a good saddle on the other. Which was which was up to interpretation.

His sister, younger by three turns, was a sweet thing called Bectie, but sister by name only. Both were adopted and couldn't be any more different if they tried. Bectie had milky skin and long, vaguely kinky golden hair. Her eyes were bright cornflower blue and her attitude sunny but mild.

But despite their differences, brother and sister were the best of friends. And it was perhaps this inseparability that caused the change in both their lives.

Set the scene. The day, bright and sunny, the Holdfolk going about their business, and the Searchdragon was in the Hold.

Enter the opening character. Ranec.

Laughing and running backwards from his jovial companions with a wave, the dark-skinned youth called out a farewell and turned with a smile on his face. "I'll never get over them," he chuckled to himself as he strode. "Strange fellows indeed."

He was to meet his sister in their usual spot by the tree with the twisted trunk in a few minutes and didn't want to be late. Bectie always teased him about his punctuality, of lack thereof, and so he had formed a habit of trying his darnedest to get to their meetings on time. It was a nice theory, anyway.

The fourteen-turn-old was waiting, arms crossed and porcelain face pulled in a sunny grin. "Late as usual, then?"

Ranec stopped his run a few feet from his younger sister and stuck out his tongue childishly. "It's not my fault, this time. The guys..." He stopped at the look on Bectie's face. "Oh, what?" he demanded a little sulkily, grinning inside.

Bectie stuck her tongue out back at him, winked and said angelically, "That's what, brother dear." She then promptly turned and raced back towards the Hold Major without a further word.

The young man blinked several times, then burst out laughing. He spun to see the retreating back of his beloved sister and friend and shook his head. "Is all of Pern against me today?" he pleaded with the sky.

But as it would soon be revealed, the fact was quite the opposite.

A large, dark green dragon awaited her when Bectie made it back to the paved square in the centre of the Hold. Her laughter tapered off and her sandaled feet skidded to a halt at the sight. Dragons visiting the Hold weren't unheard of, but the appearance of one in the centre of the Square was a sight to be beheld.

Murmurings flowered through the gathering crowd, and Bectie heard mentions of "...Searchdragon..." and "...miller's boy got chosen..." and "...looking for a girl, now..."

Her heart-rate raising considerably, Bectie subtly pushed her way to the front of the crowd and put herself in full view of the dragon, just in case.

Just in case paid off.

Her! Firuth cried in her rider's head as she spotted the girl. She is the one!

Lanya eyed her green curiously. She wasn't the best Searchdragon, but her instincts were generally more right than wrong. The blonde girl over there? You sure?

Firuth nodded enthusiastically, nosing her way towards the girl. Positive.

The Searchrider strode across the clearing to the girl and smiled brightly. "Hey. I'm Lanya, from Reunjriti Weyr."

Bectie blinked big blue eyes, for a moment caught off-guard, but recovered quickly. "Good morning, Ma'am," she returned politely.

"Firuth here seems to have taken an interest in you...?"

"Bectie," she supplied.

"Bectie," Lanya repeated with a nod. "Have you ever been to the Weyr before?"

"A few times, on trading with my family."

"Do you think you'd like to go more?"

The blonde-haired girl blinked. "Well, yes, I would. I love it there. Why?"

Lanya smiled and shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, it's just that Firuth here has taken a liking to you. She's got pretty good instincts, you know."

Bectie's eyes opened even wider. "She's a Searchdragon, isn't she?"

"She is."

"So I've been..."

"Searched. Is that alright?"

Bectie slowly smiled, then grinned, then chuckled, then cried out one great "Yeah! Thankyou so much, Ma'am, that's just wonderful!"

Lanya laughed. She loved this part. The  she noticed a young man, a few years older than the new candidate, ran up behind Bectie and look suspiciously at the dragonrider.

"What's going on?" he demanded, obviously worried about his friend.

Bectie turned and threw her arms around the boy. "I've been Searched, Ranec! Searched!"

Ranec looked between his little sister and the greenrider, then over to the dragon. He locked eyes with the great creature for a long moment, then blinked. He looked back at Bectie, and slowly smiled. "That's wonderful, Bec. You're so lucky!" But somehow he seemed a little... sad.

The candidate looked at Lanya and gestured to the boy. "This is my brother Ranec, Ma'am. Ranec, this is Lanya, rider of green Firuth," she said, hoping she wasn't stepping out of bounds.

Lanya's eyes widened slightly at the mention of 'brother', but didn't comment. It was not uncommon for fosterlings to look so different.

The two nodded politely towards each other, though Ranec still seemed a little cautious. He kept glancing at the dragon anxiously.

Lanya, Firuth said slowly. The boy intrigues me.

How so?

I'm not sure. But I would like to have Damseth take a look at him. Could we take him along also?

Lanya blinked. Three candidates in one Searching? Faranth was smiling on them today! She turned to Ranec. "Would you like to accompany your sister to the Weyr with us, Ranec?"

The dark-skinned boy looked the woman over subtly, not wanting to seem impolite, then glanced once more at the dragon. Finally, he nodded promptly. "I would like that very much. Thank you, Dragonrider."

Later that day, without quite knowing what she was doing, Lanya got the siblings plus the third boy she had Searched earlier onto Firuth and as the sun began to hide behind the Western hills, took off towards the Weyr.