Hali stared around her weyr as a cool breeze wafted through. She enjoyed the cool air and stood still, savoing it. She was still hot in her new home, although many of her new friends would be complaining about the cold. Hali thought back to her childhood up in the snowy regions of the poles and smiled.
"Hali, you cheated!" her brother, Kent, shrilled. "I wasn't ready yet and you started before dad said go." Hali looked at her little brother and replied, "I did not start before dad said go. And if you had been ready to run, we wouldn't be having this argument." Kent continued to grumble, angry that he had been the one picked to run against his sister today. Hali jogged back to the start and got ready to run again.
"Ready, set, GO!" her father said from the sidelines. The other boys and girls cheered as she and Kent took off, Kent gaining a quick lead. They hoped that her small win streak would be beaten today. Hali loved to race and could beat nearly everyone in her village. There were only a few people still able to outrun her and they were all older. As Hali rounded the ice bank designated as the midpoint, she overtook her brother and gained a small lead. She beat him back by a few seconds and endured his growls as he ran in behind her.
"You almost beat me, Kent," she said, approvingly. "But next time, just because you have a lead in the beginning, don't think you will win the race." Hali left the impromtu track and started jogging home. Behind her, her father and the others set up other races and wrestling matches. Hali grinned as she heard the betting going on and how the others compared each other to her. She was able to hold her own in a race or wrestling match since she lived with three older brothers and two younger.
After she had a quick lunch at home, Hali went out to the evergreen forest a few miles outside her village. Her friends the wolves roamed the forest and accepted her as a packmate. She had run with them since she was 14 and could keep up with all but the fastest and youngest. She never told anyone about the wolves since the villagers feared them. Hali especially wanted to see her friend, Frin. He was one of the younger wolves and had been born two winters before. She ran out to the forest, expecting this to be a normal day and run with her packmates. However, the day was anything but normal.
As she finally caught up with the pack, Hali heard a thump behind her and was sprayed with snow. Turning, she caught sight of a large dragon looking at her. Walking toward her from the dragon was a tall man. Hali caught her breath as the man said, "Hello. I'm a Searchrider from Fire Ridge Weyr. My dragon told me a possible candidate was down here. Would you like to come to Fire Ridge?" Hali nodded dumbly as she felt her whole world turn upside down.
Soft steps interrupted her reverie and Hali glanced up to see Frin padding toward her. She smiled at the one friend who came with her from home and said playfully, "And where were you, my friend? Begging scraps from the kitchen?" Frin gave her an open-mouthed grin and replied in the language of wolves, "I was not begging. I was sitting there quietly and they kept giving me food. I could not in good conscience refuse it." Hali laughed as she answered, "And I bet you were doing your best sad puppy dog imitation too."
Looking at her weyr and straightening a few things on and around her bed, Hali walked into the weyr her soon-to-be dragon would occupy. Frin padded in after her and sneezed at the dust. Hali shook her head and started sweeping the dust out. Frin helped by staying in one corner and watching. As Hali worked, a colder breeze blew in. She reveled in the cold, enjoying the respite from summer heat. She turned to Frin and said, "You know, I never thought how much I would hate the heat, being raised in snow and ice. I even had to relearn how to track things in warm weather." Frin snuffed at her and didn't reply. As Hali sweeped out the last of the dust and washed down the dragon's couch, Frin padded out and pulled some food out of a cupboard built for him.
Hali followed him and made herself some lunch. When the two were finished eating, Hali quickly cleaned up the dishes and took a quick shower. Frin paced impatiently until she finished and dressed. Hali laughed as she saw the big grey wolf pacing like a nervous mother. Frin gaped at her again as Hali said, "Well, let's go see if any dragons have been flown." Together, the two walked out of the weyr, hoping to get a dragon.
