Zand and Aarde are candidates at Tripaldi Weyr

'Is she gone?' a soft, almost ¨unhearable, asked.
'I think it is a sleep...' another, a little lower, but still soft said.
'Do you think we can leave?' the higher voice asked.
'Hide! There's a monster!' The lower said, with fear in her voice.
It was quiet for a moment. Then the higest voice asked 'Is it gone?
'Wait I'll go see..' The lower voice came into the light swimming. She had redish hear and a somewhat darker skin. Her hair was a bit wavy, although not much... She had brown eyes, and if you saw really good, you could see that she had little wings.
'It's clear. You can come out...' She whispered. She was the one with the lower voice. Another girl, as tall as she, came into the open and she was blond. She had her hair up.

The two girls went to the other side of the tank. 'Aarde... I don't feel comftrable... What if we see a monster?' the blond said.
'Then we have to find a shelter.. There is no other way to get out of this prison Zand...'
'But still....'
'Be quiet. You could wake one of those big, with scales, monsters..' But it was to late. A big scaled, with fins, swam past them. It looked at them but did nothing. 'Is our people scared of this? It doesn't do anything..' Aarde said annoyed.
When it was out of sight, they looked around. Zand was scared that someone would notice them and hunt them down. There people weren't to happy about them leaving. After all, they were of high standing. If they would see them leave.. Now they would think that a scaled monster had ate them.
'Aarde? Are you still sure that we have to do this?'
'Yes.. Do you want to stay here in icky water? I don't. If you aren't going to follow me, go home than and stay there. Because I will be gone!' Aarde was planning to go further alone, when Zand said 'Wait for me Aarde... Sorry, It's that I don't know what is out there...'
'I don't know eighter.. But we havn't got anything to lose. If we stay here, we will get sick and dye!' Aarde said and she looked Zand streight in her eyes. Zand looked away. Although she knew that Aarde was right, she had never left home and she would miss it too.
'There Zand.. We have to climb out of it now...'
Zand didn't say anything. She was worrying. Aarde went before her. She climbed up the wall and when she surfaced, she jumped on the side. There she waited for Zand.
Zand followed her sister and she held her breath till she was sure that she wasn't going to suffecate.
Zand and Aarde jumped of the side, holding eachothers hands, and they both fell on a big surface. There were mountains and it would take days before they would walk around or over it. And they weren't used to the new air.
'What are we going to do now?' Zand asked on a slightly panicked way.
'Maybe our wings will take us over this mountain.' Aarde said thinking if it would work.
They flew over the mountain and they thought that it worked, but then Zand became to tired to make the top.
'Aarde... I can't hold on much longer...' Zand was about to fall back down, but Aarde took her hand and pulled her up the mountain.
'Take a rest now... We'll go on in a little while.' Aarde said. Zand sat on the ground and was breathing loudly. She felt like she wasn't getting enough air.
'I'll never get used to this..' Zand whispered.
'Don't complain... You may be glad that you're out of that stinking water! You should save your breath too.' Aarde herself was tired too. But she didn't tell Zand, because she will panic.. And that isn't something that they needed now. Aarde wondered now how long it was going to take to pass the mountain. They needed to rest too...
Aarde's thoughts were interupted by a rumbling. First it was soft, but as time passed it became stronger. Zand jumed up and ran to Aarde.
'What is happening?' Zand was screaming for help.
'Ssshhhtt..' Aarde tried to get her sister to calm down, but it didn't work. She pulled Zand with her to the other side and there she felt that they were moving. Zand and Aarde were trown for the mountain and landed on the other side of the mountain.
'Our you alright?' Aarde asked whil she got up.
'I've hurted my leg...' Zand said.
Aarde took a look and noticed that it wasn't that bad. 'We'll find a place to rest and it will be better tomorrow. I promis..' Aarde helped Zand and when they found a place to sleep, the were happy.
They both fell asleep very quick.

***

Aarde was the first to wake up and when she was awake, she noticed that they were somewhere else. Was it because of the fall that they were transported to another world?
She didn't want to wake up Zand so she didn't. She wondered around but staid close to her sister. It was beautiful here. There were trees and a lot of singing. She noticed a lake. Would she dear to take a swim? Oh why not. She thought.
She dived in and she felt much better. It was clean water and the monsters were happy to it seemed. They didn't want to eat her. She smiled and felt very happy and contend. She had to go back.

When she got back to Zand, she noticed Zand was gone. 'Zand!' Aarde screamed. But nobod answered. Aarde was worried. If she hadn't taken that swim, Zand would still be here. Where was she?
All these questions made Aarde's head pound.
She started to run and then thought it was better to fly. She flew high up, so that she could still see the people around and not been noticed by them.
There she saw her sister. She was carried by some men. She flew behind them and than landed so she could stop them. They were a lot bigger than her, but she didn't care.
'Leave my sister alone!' Aarde yelled at the men.
'We were just trying to help.. She's hurt.'
Aarde said nothing. Were they good? Maybe they could give them food and it was tru that Zands leg wasn't better..
'Can I come too then? I will not abandone my sister!' Aarde said and she looked them straight in the eye.
'Of course! Follow us.'

***

Aarde and Zand were taken good care off and they both fell in love with the so called dragons. It happened that they still needed candidates. And Zand and Aarde were glad to help.

***

At the hatchinggrounds Zand and Aarde were waiting to impress a dragon. They didn't say anything, being afraid of missing anything.
Two eggs shattered in time, showing two new dragonets to the lists of Tripaldi Weyr. Two greens. One was rather larger in size, paler in color, and though the other was smaller, its hide was dark, almost a deep, forest green. The two sisters looked at each other in a blink, before heading off together towards the female candidates, towards their chosen. Each any every of the females there stood, wishing, hoping, dreaming that perhaps one of these greens would choose them.
But both Aarde and Zand knew better then just to dream.
“She is Naith!” Zand claimed, motioning towards the larger of the two.
“And she is Vnaedth!” Aarde informed the spectators with equal pride. And together, all four of them made their way off the Sands.
 

Vnaedth             Naith