The pulling sensation became stronger and stronger as Thia progressed into the forest. Tall, trees shielded the forest floor from direct sunlight, leaving the layer of leaves mottled with broken patches of gold. Soon the pull became so strong, it seemed to Thia that she could stop walking and it would pull her all by itself. It stopped at the edge of a clearing located in a section of the forest that was so sheltered from the sun it was as if night had fallen. Not a single insect made a noise in the surrounding forest, not a silver leaf twitched on the tall trees. "Almost like Death just walked by." Thia murmured to herself.

"Death? Not even he would come to this part of the forest."

A thin, world-weary and eternally tired voice drifted across from the opposite side of the clearing. Stepping out of the trees, Thia noticed the earth had been ripped up and sifted or clawed to a soft bed lightly covered with fallen leaves. The slender silver leaves looked sad and alone on the cold ground, only curling dry husks of their former selves. "Why are you here then?" she asked. Mirthless laughter echoed in the cave-like clearing.

"I've accepted my fate, why announce it to everyone in the Warren? Why moan and complain, pushing and pushing your pain onto those who happen to chance by only to be driven away again because they can't take the loneliness."

The voice became more strained as it went on, as if the speaker were fighting back tears. Finally, Thia found it's source. A small yellow dragon laying sphinx-like next to a mangled tree that looked as if it had borne the frustrations of a tiger. Short silver horns connected to the dragons eye-ridges, and it's wings were one with it's forearms, lending it an almost bat-like appearance. Small silver plates rested atop each shoulder and they were dulled by minute scratches. "Oh my..." Thia breathed unintentionally, and covered her mouth with her hand before she could continue.

"Go on, I know I look dirty and matted, like an unwashed shirt worn while plowing fields, but please don't stare. It's impolite, you see."

"I didn't mean..."

"No one does, it is a natural reaction. If you would like to stay you can. My name is Indefra, welcome to my home."

The dragon sounded hopeful when she asked Thia to stay, and that pulling sensation had returned, once again beckoning Thia to the sad creature. "My name is Thiadril, but everyone calls me Thia. Why are you here in this dark place?" she asked as she found a seat near the yellow.

"It's where I am to stay until a proper bond is found for me. I was abandoned, you see. Unless I choose to join a pack, I wait."

"Abandoned? I never understood why people could leave a lifepartner all alone, even after they'd bonded!" Indefra snorted and shook her head.

"Not everyone shares your loyalty..." She cast an unfocused gaze up to the leafy ceiling, as if wishing someone back. "So Thia, what brings you to this part of the Warren?" "So that's what this place is....We arrived here quite on accident, I was on my way to another place when we seemed to get a little...detoured." Titling her head to one side, Indefra asked, "You didn't mean to come here? Are you from Tris'Hath, or are you an offworlder?" Nodding, Thia dug in the dark soil beneath her. "I came from Pern, we didn't even mean to jump between worlds, just to another weyr."

"How can you mistakenly arrive somewhere? I thought when a pernese dragon jumps between they have to have a clear image of their goal." With a laugh, Thia shook her head. "That's what I thought too, same with K'mon and Nanvooth, my escort."

"Oh, so you are not bonded?"

"No, not unless you count....oh no, Cine! I forgot totally about her in all this excitement. I hope she got to DawnSisters alright..." Tears welled up in Thia's eyes thinking of her poor flit lost somewhere without her. The bond between them seemed strong and Cine was a very loyal companion, even though they had only been together for a few days.

"Cine? Who is Cine?" With a shaky sigh, Thia looked up at Indefra. "Cine is my firelizard. My foster father gave her to me just the other day. On the jump between...I guess, or well, I hope that she made it to DawnSisters." A tear ran down Thia's cheek at the thought of Cine being all alone in a strange place, thinking she'd been abandoned to the elements. A yellow finger gently wiped the tear away and Thia looked up to see Indefra smiling, well, it was a draconic smile full of teeth and good emotions.

"You are a very compassionate person, Thia. It seems to me, in the short time we've known each other, that you often think of others before yourself. I like that in a lifemate."

"L-lifemate?" Hardly daring to believe, Thia looked up at Indefra.

"Tell me the reason you were going to the other place on Pern, and why such a girl as you hasn't bonded a dragon." "I-I was going to DawnSisters to try and re-Impress a dragon. None have picked me on the Sands before. Not many even really noticed I existed." She trailed off in the end, remembering all of the dragonets that hadn't even taken a single step in her direction, never looked her in the eye, never saw her as a hopeful bond.

"I know why they never looked at you...because they knew you were taken. I believe it's the same for all dragons, all creatures that bond so intimately, when they first see the world. From the first moment a dragon becomes aware in the egg, they know who will be their lifemate. Not to the person, not to the name where they can call for them and ask why they are not there, but they just know. With the exception of those who choose not to bond, but that's beside the point. Other dragons also know when a person is chosen by another, and avoid them in respect of the other dragon. You were turned down because you had not found your dragon, me."

Thia was speechless. It was as if she had said those words, she'd thought them enough on the way here. At that moment she knew the joy of a candidate who had first found their bond on the hot sands of a weyr, only it was in a cool forest, in the most lonely place she'd even been.

After a moment of silence tearing sounds echoed from the other side of the clearing and a voice could be heard. "Thia, where are you?" Indefra looked to the trees and rose to protect her new bond. "Relax, it's K'mon. He brought me here, and you can meet the dragon he re-Impressed, Nanvooth." The yellow shrunk a little. "I haven't been around many other dragons..." Smiling, Thia stroked her head between the silvery horns. "Nanvooth is a very nice dragon, and just as shy as you. "

K'mon, over here! I've found...them?

The blue stopped short on the edge of the clearing, looking warily at the yellow half puffed up protectively, half shrunk down behind Thia. "Thiadril! Why the he...llo." K'mon stopped beside Nanvooth and looked at Indefra just as warily as he.

They are bonded. Nanvooth said simply, looking down at his rider. Neither had ever seen a yellow dragon with sliver horns and wings attached to its forearms. "You've made an Impression?" he asked. Yes, her name is Indefra. Indefra, this is K'mon and Nanvooth." "Hello." She dipped her head at Nanvooth. "I guess we can go home now." K'mon gestured out of the forest.

"Nanvooth with have to show me how to between. I can use magic and "copy" him, but I will need rest once we reach our destination."Nanvooth nodded as the four left the cold, empty clearing for the sun-dappled trees and warm-smelling leaves.

"How I've missed the sun..." Her hide shone seemingly with its own light, borrowed from the yellow sun shining from above. Thia looked up at her, still reeling after their chance meeting. "Oh! We have to go find your firelizard, Cine remember?" She nodded. "I'm sure you'll love her, although she's a bit lacking in manners." The dragon chuckled and looked back to the sky, rapidly darkening as the stars began to come out. One of them was warming the surface of Pern, her new home.