Blackness, deep and......alive. It coiled in a serpent of cold shadow around his neck, tighter and tighter....cutting off his air. He tried to shout for help, but nothing came out.....

Peregrin sat bolt upright in bed, in a cold sweat. Kahoo chirped worriedly from her place next to Peregrin's head. "It was all a dream..." he thought, and let out a relieved sigh. Something nudged his hand and he reached out to pick up Kahoo. "I'm okay now girl, don't worry." He gently stroked the firelizard's head and sent her reassuring thoughts until she fell back asleep. Putting her back on the pillow, Peregrin stared at the perpetual dark room. Perpetually dark to him at least, for Peregrin had been blind since birth. His mother had gone into premature labor and died from the strains of giving him life.

They said she had gotten some kind of sickness that had caused him to go blind while still in her womb, and killed her. He didn't believe a word of it. "Liars...all of them" he thought bitterly. Peregrin believed that being blind was his punishment for killing his mother as she birthed him. "I wish I had gone with her." He had tried to kill himself several times in his teenage years, in various ways. Slitting his wrists, his throat, drowning himself, hanging, jumping off a cliff. And he had been intercepted each time, just before the final blow had been dealt. "Why can't they just leave me alone.....I don't deserve to be here anyway. I have no family, no friends..."

A soft knock at the door interrupted his usual morning revere. "Come in Callie." Peregrin called has he swung his feet over the side of the bed. The door creaked and Callie asked, "How did you know it was me?" Peregrin smiled wryly. "You smell like the kitchen." Callie laughed softly. Over the turns Peregrin's other senses had grown sharper to compensate for his lack of site, as was common in many who had lost their hearing or sight. He felt the soft whooshes of air as Callie moved past him and laid out his clothes. "I'll come back when you're finished." she said as she left. When Peregrin heard the door click shut, he stood.

This was one of the few times Peregrin allowed Kahoo to help him by sending images. She showed him where his shirt and pants were, and where his sandals had gotten to. "I'm done Callie." Peregrin called and held out his arm for Kahoo to land on. She settled on his shoulder as Callie took him hand and led him down to breakfast. He ate quickly and walked the familiar path to the ocean. He knew it so well, he didn't need anyone to guide him, and Kahoo showed him if there was a person or some other obstacle in his way. Finding his was to his usual spot to sit, he wondered what the ocean might look like today, and sighed as Kahoo gave him a quick mental image. "So beautiful....." A sudden dragon bugle from above didn't startle him, he had been hearing the wingbeats for the past few moments. Kahoo chirped at approaching footsteps behind Peregrin. "Hello?" he called in a lilting voice. He didn't recognize the footsteps, definitely someone he didn't know. "Can I help you?" he asked as he turned to the sound. It sounded like a woman because the steps were so soft. "Hi..." came the soft, unsure voice. "Definitely a woman.." he thought.

Of course she's a woman....what else would she be?

Peregrin nearly fell off the rock he was sitting on at the sound of the dragon's voice in his head. "Oh! Rainelth!" she scolded, "Don't surprise people like that!" She hurried to help him up, but he was already standing. "I'm ok, I didn't know he was there." The woman took a few steps back from him. "I'm Denne, from Dawnsisters." she said. "Rainelth, however uncouth he may be, thinks you would make a good candidate. Would you like to come?" "It seems it's not my choice." Peregrin said, as he heard the weyrleaders footsteps approaching from behind. "I still don't know how the boy does that." J'son said, with a crooked grin on his face. "Well, have I the choice or not?" Peregrin just wanted this to be over with. "Now Peregrin, Kayla and I think that a dragon may do you some good, if you Impress that is. However, she thinks you should be able to choose. I on the other hand, am not going to let you choose. You have to go, Peregrin. I order it." Peregrin was caught off guard by the authority in J'son's voice. He had fully expected to be able to choose, and he was going to say no. Anger boiled up in him, like molten rock. "I should be able to choose, weyrleader!" he bellowed. "I am ordering you, Peregrin. You must go, for your own good." The weyrleader's voice stayed aggravatingly cool.

"You cannot make me go!" Peregrin shouted, and took off running down the beach, Kahoo frantically following, sending broken mental images to prevent him from running into the water. Suddenly, Rainelth leapt from where he sat and swiftly moved to block Peregrin's flight. The boy rant full pelt into the dragon, landing hard on the cold sand. Rainelth locked his claws harmlessly around Peregrin so he couldn't escape. Peregrin roared like a caged animal, struggling against the blue's talons until he wore himself out. He heard broken voices as he blacked out....and woke up in the Dawnsisters candidate barracks.