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Date Posted: 17:19:19 04/06/01 Fri
Author: Ralek
Subject: A new Candidate stepped onto the sands... though something seemed different...

She was of nearly fourteen Turns, standing at a level height. Her auborn hair lay gently across her shoulders, against her golden-tanned flesh. Metallic grey eyes swept across the scorchings sand, taking everything about this place in with a mere glance. Her head was held high, and she strayed far from the shadows, showing no sign of shyness or unease. She waited in absolute silence, her mind flickering into a flashback of the previous days...

"Ralek! Come here!" A young woman called to the child. Her hair was a light golden, her cheeks red from the bitter cold. Ralek didn't both looking up; she had known of her presence long before she had yelled. With a small sigh, she rose from her perch on a stately boulder, taking steps towards her Mother. She stopped in front of her, eyes averted to the ground. "Yes, Mother?"
"What are you doing here in the cold? Get back inside, you'll catch your death."
"Tis the beginning of the warm season, can I not stay?" Her eyes pleaded at the woman above her. With a sigh of frustation and depair, she nodded. "Aye, you may stay for a little longer. But the moment I call, you come, understood?"
"Yes'm." Was the simple reply. Her Mother went back into their snug home, leaving her once again, alone. She walked to where she had been previously, laying a hand on the great stone. The chillness did not bother her, did not make her shiver, nor sheild her eyes from the blasts of wind. 'What of the Weyrs..? What will become of Pern, now that the Thread has returned?' Her mind raced; she knew not what to do. She could not lose her beloved Pern; it was her life, her very home. After the last gleam of sunlight had left, she stood alone, wondering what would become of things now. A voice yelled clearly above another blast of wind, this one louder than the last. "Ralek, come! It is cold outside, the suns have set!" Ralek turned, walking back inside. It was warm, a fire blazing in the corner, the walls reflecting the welcoming glow. But something was amiss. She sat in an old, windbeaten chair. Her Mother came, sitting beside her. "Ralek, you have not been yourself. What is wrong?"
"The Thread is back, I have heard. I know not what to do..." Her Mother looked at her with cold eyes, then sighed and looked to the wooden floor. "I cannot let you Impress, Ralek. You belong here, with me."
"Please Mother! What use am I, here? Not even the strongest of men can work this frozen soil, how can I be of help to you?" Her mother sighed, then looked up at her daughter. She spoke in a calm tone. "Ralek... you are not my daughter. You were found by me, on the doorstep, nearly 14 Turns ago. You cannot Impress, you are of no importance, no wealth. Only those of high places may Impress a dragon." Tears in the young girl's eyes, she stood up angrily, eyes gleaming. "I will Impress, Mother... you cannot stop this. I will do it, for Pern... and for you." With that, she walked to the door, opening it against a blast of wind. It was closed behind her, the wind still screaming furiously at the small house. Her Mother stayed where she was, closing her eyes and shaking her head. She whispered quietly to herself, and to the lonesome howl of the weather. "Heavens help her.."

She blinked, coming back to reality, awoken by the words of delight from other Candidates. She waited, hoping that her day would come, to help Pern, as she had vowed that very day.

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