Whatever smells clean that day?

Ereben is the only child of Eteren and Berra from Red Creek cothold. His mother was a weaver, his father was...is...well, complicated. He never picked up a craft but was nonetheless crafty, always knowing to fix a certain thing or a better way to do something else. Eteren's problems however came in the form of alcohol and greed -- when he drank, he thought himself better than the Holder he was working for and eventually, he began thieving. He roped Ereben into helping him, knowing that no one would think twice about a kid slipping in and out of places they weren’t supposed to be. Ereben, too young to understand, helped.

When they were found, the Holder kicked them all out. The trio wandered through Lemos territory, misfortune striking them again in the worst way for a young Ereben when his mother was bitten by a tunnelsnake and died. Now, Ereben wanted nothing to do with his father but was still dragged around Pern with him. When they met up with other Holdless in a communal cave system, Ereben began plotting how he would leave. Somehow.

Opportunities did not present themselves often. In fact, it got worse, as his father remarried a woman with a few kids already that hated Ereben on the spot. And then, the final straw. No one told him that kissing another boy was not a normal thing among Holders or Holdless. Ereben’s father arrived to the scene to see the other boy’s father holding down Ereben and beating him with a whip. Did Eteren do anything? Well, not much. And Ereben remembered that. As soon as he was able to walk, he stole a bag of supplies and left.

Anywhere was better than there.