Cathaline
Lady Holder 
cathct[M:50]
Posts: 3,279
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Post by Cathaline on Sept 4, 2012 23:04:17 GMT -5
It started with a scratch.
Kalesk lifted her head one evening, not long after dark, and looked to her nest. None of the eggs moved, not yet, but there was definitely a sound.
Skritchskritchskritch.
Her head swung toward Yusk and her little trio, but they weren't moving either. Yet the wher queen knew. Tonight was the night, and one eager little baby was already trying to get out.
Skritchskritchskritch. The opalescent egg in the center of the clutch trembled slightly, then started to rock. Somebody was ready to see the world, it seemed, infant talons clawing at the shell that kept them imprisoned. After a minute or two, a crack appeared...and then the egg stilled. Waiting. Waiting for an audience.
Other eggs shifted and shivered, some of them, and at last Kalesk was satisfied that the time had come. Candidates, come,[/i] she ordered; at this time, most would be at chores or eating dinner, few still asleep. Hopefully they would be prompt. The gold glanced once more at Yusk's clutch; it was likely her eggs would hatch tonight as well.
Kalenna had gotten the message of anticipation loud and clear from her stoic wher, and she stood at Kalesk's side. Fingers crossed that this would not be a bloody night, but there was no telling, really. Whers would be whers. She only hoped that they would successfully find their handlers, but there were only barely enough candidates to cover the expected hatchlings...if the clutches were healthy, some whers would have to go wild. It was a possibility she had to be prepared for, though hardly ideal.
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Post by larkwing on Sept 4, 2012 23:20:05 GMT -5
Was it really time again? Could it be...what was she thinking, of course it was.
Abetzi groaned as she pushed her head back against the wall, her forehead seeking the semi-cool stone that provided some sort of centering structure for her. She had a headache, the third one so far this sevenday. Touching the temple lightly the candidate wobbled to her feet and pushed her hair from her eyes, the grey irises searching the gloomy hallway for any sign of life. The darker form of her firelizard skittered toward her, Dusk chirping as he ran up her leg and under her tunic, his warm body a helpful reminder that she needed to get going.
It'll get easier if you keep moving on with your life as if nothing happened.
That's what they had told her that afternoon when a rider had appeared to give her the news. Just act as if nothing had ever happened, except it had happened, and nothing Abetzi could hope to do would undo it. Blinking quickly the candidate pushed listlessly on the door to her room and reached for the now familiar robe and sandals that candidates wore to such events. This was the third hatching she had stood for? Or was it the fourth, she was starting to lose track now, and she was starting to lose hope. What was the point anyway? Pulling her hair up into a high position on her head, the candidate changed into the pure garb and slipped into her shoes, her feet wiggling until they were in a comfortable position.
Part of her hated that she was wearing any of this anymore, part of her thought it too soon to be doing anything but curling up in that bed next to her and crying. She had spent a night doing that though instead of going to lessons or chores however, and her time was up in Abetzi's mind. Move on, yes that was a good thing to do, but never forget either. Pulling at the hem of the robe, Abby closed her eyes and rubbed Dusk's warm head, the black trilling and humming encouraging sounds to His. It would be okay, it was always okay some how.
Forcing her eyes open once more, Abby placed the firelizard on her pillow gently, giving him a few gentle pats before leaving the room, letting her body lean against the closed door to collect herself before heading for the sands. This was important, that's what she had to keep telling herself. Inali would have wanted her to keep going and do what she had to, to impress one of the wherets and keep moving. Inali would have told her to keep her head high and take it one step at a time with a distanced pride. Privith would have told her to do something crazy. Wyred would have just chirped at her and pretended she never existed.
Sniffing, the candidate wiped away the single tear that had slipped down her cheek before shaking herself and taking a calming breath. You can do this. Just put one foot in front of the other and keep going. Do this for her...do it for you. Somehow she made it to the sands, and by now the adrenaline and familiar act was coursing through her veins so as to take over her completely. Bowing to the two mothers, Kalesk first and Yusk second, Abetzi acknowledged them before taking her place on the sands, her knife lowered at her side ready for action in case it was needed to make a bond.
It'll be okay....just keep moving, you can do this. Those words became a mantra inside the candidate's head, relaying over and over again as the bile rose in her throat and she swallowed it back down. Her gaze tended to stay focused on the eggs with an occasional glance around the hatching cavern. Either way, she tried to not meet the look of anyone she knew, anyone who may know and look back with pity. She didn't think she could handle that, but then again perhaps it would have just made her more determined to do well, to show them she truly was okay. Except, she really wasn't, now was she? |
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kireon
Candidatemaster 
kirct[M:-191]
Posts: 739
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Post by kireon on Sept 4, 2012 23:21:15 GMT -5
Y-Yuri come? Hatch time, is yes?[/i] Yusk's voice broke him out of his thoughts, startling the tall, gentle giant of a man out of examining the schedule in front of him. He'd been working on filling in one, maybe two or so, of his candidates' suddenly excessive amount of free time to keep them busy until they were tired enough to go to sleep without so much as a peep.
It hadn't happened yet, but he remained optimistic.
Good girl, Yusk. Call the candidates like Kalesk. Be good for the queen too. He responded hurredly, already on his way as her shy, anxious voice announced the hatching and to come quickly only a handful of minutes past Kalesk's own summoning. Despite being happy that several may be heading from Candidates to Wherlings, there was still a part of him that would be greatly saddened by a suddenly emptied nest.
Yuri loved his candidates, all of them, even the ones who quite frankly drove him positively crazy and would like to see passed on to a Wherlingmaster. Trotting on to the sands, he gave a deep bow of respect to Kalenna and Kalesk. "Congratulations to you both," he said with a smile, glancing to the gold's eggs. "may this night go without too much unneeded bloodshed." He'd heard about the savaging of a dragon candidate in a red's hatching several months prior to now, and he was glad he hadn't been witness to such a thing... and that Yusk herself had practically barreled straight into his arms out of sheer terror of the vast world around her.
He smiled at his little lady as she rose, a little, and met him at the corner of her own little sand nest, nuzzling him in relief once he reached out a hand and leaned against him. Sands were nice, were lovely. But she wanted her bed with her smells and her man and his smells. Any sign? He asked her privately, worried that all three might be duds.
As if the egg had heard him instead, the largest, red and veined as it was, began to shudder and rock. The one beside it too, was rocking, a little, and then would stop entirely until the red knocked into it again.
Two at least, he thought gratefully, Yusk leaning forward to nuzzle the large red egg, as if to calm it down. His candidates would know what to do, they had only been over this three or four times in the last several weeks. Maybe a bit overbearing and overconcerned, but he wanted them to be overprepared; not under.
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Post by thyme on Sept 4, 2012 23:32:44 GMT -5
Owethu blinked his eyes blearily as the sound of pounding feet woke him up. His first thought was: where am I? Closely followed by: how late is it? Then immediately followed by: is the building on fire? He leapt out of bed and ran to the door. He threw open the door and saw the flash of white robes running through the dimly lit hallway. Excited shouts and nervous laughter reached Owethu’s ears from the melee and several things clicked into place at once. He was in the Candidate Barracks at Dalibor Weyr. It was very late. And no, the building wasn’t on fire, the wher eggs were hatching!
The adolescent dashed back into his room shucking off his night clothes and slipping into some mismatched day clothes. He waited till the sound of the stampede faded before slipping out into the hallway. He didn’t want to get in the way of any eager wher candidates but he wasn’t going to miss his first hatching at the Weyr even though he'd already fallen asleep and it wasn't a drahon hatching. He briefly wondered if the hatching meant that the chores and lessons would get canceled tomorrow as he hurried out of the barracks. He sure hoped so. He was going to be half-asleep if they weren’t!
Owethu emerged from the barracks figuring that it would probably be faster to go through the side entrance than the main entrance. The main entrance would be awash with candidates and spectators. The side entrance would take him right under the waterfall that fed the lake and into the stands. He wondered if the wher hatching would have as many spectators since it was at such an inconvenient time for non-nocturnal species. It didn’t matter though he wanted to make sure he got in there and got good seats!
Owethu followed the passageway until it opened out onto the stands. He peered down into the sands as he shuffled along the stands to a seat roughly in the center. The great gold wher and her clutch dwarfed the green wher and her three eggs. He surveyed the sands counting twenty eggs total. A large hatching according to the talk he’d heard from the wher candidates. The eggs were so big he couldn’t quite believe that dragon eggs would be even bigger. The candidates were amassing down by the main entrance and there was a steady stream of spectators spilling into the stands as he sat down in a seat close to the center and in the front. He could feel the tense, excited atmosphere as everyone waited for the first eggs to begin cracking. The barracks were going to be so quiet now with the wher candidates lucky enough to bond gone. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about being ambushed late at night by impish wher candidates.
***
Frayya woke to the sound of someone pounding on her door just after she had fallen asleep. She grumbled as she slipped out of her new bed wondering why on Pern anyone would disturb her at this time of night. She grabbed a shawl and wrapped it tightly about her shoulders to cover up her almost sheer night dress before moving to answer the door. She swore if it was that rider come to antagonize her again she would stab him in the neck with one of her knitting needles. She was almost disappointed to see Journeyman Baltran standing outside. She couldn’t stab him with her knitting needles; she needed him to recommend her for raising to Master Terssan. The apprentice weaver did nothing in greeting other than to raise her dark eyebrows in a ‘what do you want/this better be something good’ expression.
“The wher eggs are hatching,” Journeyman Baltran announced with excitement. The complete lack of reaction on Frayya’s face caused him to deflate somewhat. “You should attend. A hatching is a big event for the weyr.”
“I really have no interest in attending the hatching,” Frayya said punctuating her words with a yawn for emphasis. “I have a lot of work to finish in the morning…”
“I expect you to be there,” Baltran said cutting her off mid-word. He turned and left leaving an extremely annoyed Frayya behind.
Frayya knew she had to go but she didn’t have to hurry to get there. She turned back into her room so she could make herself presentable. She washed her face in her basin before running a brush through her silky straight hair. She made sure to brush her bangs over her forehead so that there were no gaps visible. She then began to rifle through her closet eventually picking out a pale grey dress with white flowers woven in across the bust and sleeves. She spent a minute looking at herself critically in a mirror before deeming herself appropriate. The young woman held to the standard that a weaver should be properly dressed at all times. She could never know for certain when someone would take notice of her clothes and inquire after them.
Frayya left the crafter’s quarters wondering if any of the other crafters were being summoned to attend this ridiculous event. A wher hatching had nothing to do with weaving. She didn’t understand why Baltran insisted she be there. She slipped out into the brisk night air which woke her up far more than she would have liked. Even if she tried to go back to bed now she would probably be up for several hours just trying to fall asleep. She had never been to the hatching sands before but it wasn’t hard to fine. Just follow the excited masses of people making their way across the bowl.
Once she reached the entrance to the sands she broke off from the mass of white robed candidates and headed up into the stands with the other spectators. She saw Baltran but did not want to sit with him so instead she wandered up a ways before sitting down. If he wanted her here because he thought she could bond a wher he was sadly mistaken. She wasn’t going to be like all the other former weavers who had chosen dragons or whers over their craft. The apprentice weaver yawned looking thoroughly disinterested in the whole affair.
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Gray
Wingrider 
grayct[M:-350]
Posts: 870
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Post by Gray on Sept 4, 2012 23:33:35 GMT -5
This was what he was waiting for. The clarion call. The few words that might set a whole new world into motion. He quickly shoveled down all his food, not even bothering to finish chewing and swallowing before he was up. He motioned for his sister to do the same. Large fist thumped against his chest as he ran, Dita still trying to choke down his dinner. There was so muich to do and not enough time. But he didn't fret. No he stayed his usual calm, he was just a quickened calm. He just wanted to beat the masses to the door.
Once out of the dining hall, Dita's pace slowed and he took leisurely steps. He had just saved himself from getting trampled! He only hoped Dota had the same sense. Surely she did, she was his sister after all. Taking a deep breath, he let his mind wander. Oh yea, this was going to be just amazing. He couldn't wait. But like always, he would take the scenic route. Smell the roses, as it were. Already there were insects in the night, filling the air with music. Closing his eyes, Dita walked the path he had memorized to the Candidate barracks.
“Iffin' you hadn' heard, which I dunno how you couldn'ave, the hatchin's happenin'.” He announced as he entered, heavily leaning against the doorway for a moment. Leisurely smile spreading across his lips as he awaited for chaos to set in. After a few moments, he wandered over to his bunk and looked at the candidates robes he had on his trunk. His nose wrinkled a bit as he picked up the cloth. Not very sturdy. Would it even fit him? He figured it would. Not all candidates could be mere scraps of men and women. Still. He'd wear it. It was tradition, and who was he to spit on that? He'd heard rumor one girl had impressed while naked, but he didn't believe it. Who would want to go starkers around whers? Not he! He prized some areas a bit too much to risk them. Stripping off his shirt, Dita pulled the white robes over his head with a bit of a sigh. Well. Part one of two done!
Another glance was given to the other candidates.
“Hey. You all better like, impress as well. I don' wan' to be all alone you know.” He gave a joking grin to one of the other male candidates before making his way across the barracks. He'd get out there before Dota did! Show her he didn't forget a single thing, make her all proud of him and stuff.
The walk to the cavern was a little less leisurely. Excitement stirred in his bones and made him restless. It's not like he'd be able to do much movement once the hatching started. They expected you to stand still. Ha. Well, stand still or dodge. Whers were tricky. Absently, as he entered he wondered if his parents would come or not. Did people do that for Wher hatchings? He wasn't sure.
Before he knew it, Dita was on the sands and giving a bow to the gold and green.
“Thank ya ladies.” He backed away and lifted a hand to the handlers.
“An' thank you two. I appreciate it.” With nothing else to do, he joined the boy's semicircle.
–
“Dizzy! Dizzy! Oh where are you?” Bif groaned a bit, running to check the dining hall. He had been finishing cleaning his tools when another apprentice gave him the news. Peering in, Bifrokolnir sighed heavily. He didn't see her. Not that he looked too hard. Crossing his arms over his chest, Bif huffed. Fine, if she missed this she would be sorry!
Bif wouldn't miss it. Uncle Tius was going to stand for whers! Brave, bold, sometimes silly uncle Tius. Bif still didn't understand his desire to handle one of the creatures that hurt him so bad. But that was Tius' choice. Bifrokolnir wouldn't miss it either. He'd just have to save a spot for Dizzy. He didn't really think she'd miss this. Tius was her da after all.
Slapping his thigh, he turned to the hatching sands.
“Come on Barg. We'll go and see if Uncle's up there yet. If not we'll procure us some fine spots.” Barghest just snuffled a bit and followed his charge. He'd watch over his boy.
Running to the cavern, Bif waved to a few people he knew, and bowed to a few ladies, allowing them to go before him. Soon though, he was in the stands, scoping out a good spot. It was actually Barghest who found it though, picking a spot in the second row and laying across it, growling softly at any who approached.
“Good choice Barg. Close enough to see, not close enough to be eaten!” Scratching the canine behind the ears, Bifrokolnir settled next to him, using the dog as a pillow to lean against.
[Feel free to mention character knowing Bif or Dita. We can always past-date a thread!]
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Lan
Weyrlingmaster
lanct[M:-1025]
Nomming ALL the kidpets!
Posts: 1,266 
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Post by Lan on Sept 5, 2012 0:00:33 GMT -5
The night had come.
Tesla had been working hard to clean the Infirmary, as she liked to do to start off her day. It was a good night for her. She had started it off in a pleasant mood and making the Infirmary spotless only served to Improve her mood. While she had known there were eggs on the sands (there wasn't a single good wher candidate who didn't), they were at this moment the farthest thing from her mind. Her work with the healers, in particular Tedaon, was important to her. She finally felt like she was contributing to her Weyr and to Pern.
The call came, though, and the wavy-haired brunette almost dropped her broom as she let out an excited squeal. Candidates! The gold Kalesk called for candidates! She hurried to put her cleaning supplies away--fortunately she had finished cleaning--and she curtsied to the attending Healer before running out the door. One more chance! She had one more chance to Impress! This time, too, that scary red wouldn't be there. Her only wish was that Edison could be there for her. She didn't know if she could bear another rejection if her big brother wasn't at her side. It had been over three long turns since she had first started standing for wher clutches. There was no guarantee that she would Impress this time, or ever. But Tesla remained optimistic that, this time, she would finally meet her match!
Making her way onto the sands, Tesla took a spot next to Abetzi and tried to smile at the other girl. Together they had stood for more wher hatchings than probably anyone else in the program. They both held a special hope for this hatching that none of the others could touch. Even as she took some solace in the nearness of a familiar face, Tesla couldn't help but look into the stands to look for her favorite friend, Edison.
Dota had been working in the kitchens that night, preparing dinner for hungry dragonriders (although, it was breakfast for wher candidates). An errant child tried to steal some of the bread she had removed from the oven to cool and she was upon him before he could sneeze. "Where do ya think you're going, mister?" She grabbed his arm and snatched the bread from his hand, then marched him off to sit in a corner where she set him to work washing dishes. She may be a candidate herself, but there was no reason in her mind why she couldn't make sure the little ones of the Weyr behaved properly!
Kalesk's mindvoice reached her and she furled her eyebrows together, trying to make heads or tails of it. It was weird, hearing a voice in her mind. But she knew what it meant. The meaning was obvious. "DITA!" Dota shouted, although she knew full well he would be unable to hear her here. She swiftly cleaned her station and removed her apron, then informed the head of the kitchens where she was going. Just before she speed walked through the door, though, she caught hold of the scruff of the boy's collar. "If you want to leave, I won't tell no one." She winked at him, then continued on to the hatching sands.
Once there, Dota bowed to both of the mothers and their handlers in turn, then took a spot on the sands where she would spend the rest of the hatching waiting. For the while, though, she was waiting on Dita. Every once in a while she stood on tiptoe, trying to see the entrance to look for her brother. Hopefully he wouldn't daydream his way out of the hatching. It was his idea to come here, after all! For a second she thought she had forgotten her knife and she checked her belt, but upon finding it she relaxed again for a moment before continuing her frantic search for her brother.
And so that left Andru. The man had been working in the lower caverns with his master, stretching leathers to prepare them for the writing of new records. Kalesk's mental voice was heard by both of them and Andru made a move to leave when the gruff older man caught him by his wrist.
"Not 'til ya finish it, boy." Andru grimaced, holding back a groan as he went back to work. It was his own fault, really. He probably shouldn't have sassed the older man so much during their preparations. "If I'm mauled for being late, I'll haunt you from the grave," he muttered at the man, who merely snorted in response. Well, he hoped that Kalesk and Yusk were feeling forgiving. That was his only hope for the hatching now.
Fortunately, the old man took pity on him and let him go only a few moments later. Andru was so excited he kissed the man before removing his gear and checking to see if his knife was at his belt. He all but tumbled out of the door before finding his feet and sprinting to the sands. He would arrive a little later than everyone else, but maybe he could make it before any Impressions has been made! |
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Cathaline
Lady Holder
cathct[M:50]
Posts: 3,279
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Post by Cathaline on Sept 5, 2012 0:15:12 GMT -5
Hatching time! Mya broke into a smile when the call came, easily getting over the mild shock of someone speaking directly into her mind. Her first hatching, and there was a decent chance she'd Impress, too. There were more eggs than there were candidates, even counting for the prevalence of duds in wher clutches. She would try not to be too disappointed if she was passed over, but she allowed herself that excitement and anticipation. Maybe, just maybe, she would walk off the sands as a handler.
It would take too long to go all the way back to the barracks for candidate robes, and she didn't think the whers were as strict as dragons on the subject. She simply checked to make sure her belt knife was in place and then headed straight for the sands; fortunately for navigation, others were making their way toward it, and she was able to set a quick pace without getting lost. Someone else was even quicker than she, though; she felt the wind of Andru sprinting past her, and grinned. "Slow down! Or are we late?"
The summer evening had barely begun to cool down, but the blast of heat when she stepped into the vast cavern still staggered her, and she quickly took her place - at the back of the pack, for safety reasons. She couldn't see an angry wher coming and sidestep it, so best to be a bit out of the way.
Edison, for his part, wouldn't miss this for the world. He knew in his heart that the only reason Tesla hadn't Impressed last time was because there were so few eggs. This time, for sure. And her wher would be the best and brightest, because she deserved no less. He and Esk arrived promptly as soon as the news filtered through the caverns, and he waved cheerily to his surrogate sister from the stands. "Believe in ya!" he shouted down to Tesla.
Esk, for her part, just huffed and flopped down at his feet. She was interested in the hatching, of course, but with nothing interesting happening yet, she had nothing but criticism to impart. Slow stupid babies,[/i] she grumbled.
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Kestrel
Wingrider
kestct[M:821]
Posts: 374
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Post by Kestrel on Sept 5, 2012 0:26:45 GMT -5
Vrell’s view of the half-eaten food on her plate was steadily shrinking into a crescent, the rough edges blurring into watery shapes while her legs, which didn’t quite reach the floor, gave a few half-hearted kicks. She smeared a small fist over her good eye, as if she could somehow rub alertness back into her head that way, and picked up a chunk of meatroll and shoved it in her mouth. Shells…this whole ‘being nocturnal in preparation for wherhandler life’ thing had sounded a lot easier before she actually had to stay up. She supposed she’d get used to it eventually—that’s what she’d heard, anyway—but it couldn’t have been more than a sevenday since she’d been accepted into the wher program and started trying to adjust her sleep schedule, and people at her old hold were accustomed to going to bed early.
She picked at another piece of meat, but somewhere between the plate and her mouth her hand forgot what it was doing, and she found herself staring languidly at the food for a good several minutes before she jolted upright, snapped at once to attention, and dropped it uneaten back onto the plate. For a second she looked around, as if someone had just said something very close to her ear, but as it dawned on her what she’d just heard, a tidal wave of a grin came crashing over her face.
Her plate and its burden of leftover food was entirely abandoned on the table as she bolted out of the dining hall, sprinting through the corridor back to the candidate’s barracks only narrowly avoiding more than one collision. All trace of lethargy was gone as she rushed into her room and quickly pulled on the requisite robe, wiggling her eyepatch into a bit more secure position. And then the young candidate was off again, and she couldn’t have looked more proud as she bowed to the gold and the green, then took her place among the other candidates.
This was it—this was what she’d been hoping for for so long. A chance for a wher of her very own. And look how many eggs! Big eggs, little eggs, round eggs, lumpy eggs—all of them were different, all of them held whers, and any one of them could hatch the partner she’d been waiting for. She paused in her admiration of the eggs for a second to peer around at the other candidates, most of whom she hadn’t been around long enough to meet. The other girls on the stands so far all looked older, but that didn’t bother Vrell too much. Not that anything really could bother Vrell at the moment—the candidates around her were all but forgotten as she looked eagerly back out at the eggs, head shifting this way and that to get a better look. It didn’t look like any of them had started hatching just yet, but Vrell was determined to see it when they did!
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Boo
Jr. Weyrwoman
booct[M:-425]
Shirath: THOSE aren't spirit fingers... THESE ARE SPIRIT FINGERS!!!
Posts: 1,917
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Post by Boo on Sept 5, 2012 0:29:46 GMT -5
As soon as the call went out to the candidates, Kire knew. Not because she heard it herself but because Kisk did. It had taken him a while to understand what was wrong with Kire but at the mention of babies, he’d assumed she would have to go to the sands and lay some eggs. Kire didn’t have the energy to try to explain to him any other way what was actually happening to her. Still, he didn’t understand that the few moments of sleep she could snatch were precious to her. Therefore, when he did hear the call, Kisk jumped to his feet and placed his paws on Kire’s bed.
HATCHY TIME! You be learn how have hatch. Kisk am take BestKire sands. You be have learn how have hatch. KaleskGoldOne have hatch. Green too. Go go! Kisk am go!
Hrmm Hrmm…
It was the combined efforts of the pillie and Kisk that made Kire sit up very slowly. She was quite large now and was certain she would be in the infirmary any day now… Kire sighed as she stood and waddled her way to the door. Vesta, ever-helpful Vesta, dragged some clothes over to her bonded and dropped them into Kire’s hands. The woman smiled at the pink and donned the warmer clothes. It would be warmer in the sands but Kire thought it better to be prepared. As soon as she was ready, Kire opened the door. Kisk bolted out into the corridor with Vesta soaring after him, scolding his intense excitement.
With all the aches and pains, Kire walked down the corridor, Doc Brown encouraging her softly every step of the way. She could have stayed in her room but then she would have had to deal with Kisk being upset with her. She didn’t want to make the black too upset. Besdies, hatchings were fun. Kalesk and Kalenna were friends of hers. She didn’t know Yuri too well but it was certainly an exciting experience and she needed to show her support.
They walked into the stands and Kire looked around first for Kisk. She spotted him near the front, standing on his hind legs trying to get a good look. Kire sighed softly and slowly made her way down to the front, being careful to keep her balance. Eventually she was beside Kisk.
KISK AM SEE BIG EGG! WANT PLAY BUT NO CAN! Kisk am put. Here put! Where Kisk friend? Want find! Want play. New friend be hatch? Want see new friend! BestKire am see good? See how have hatch?
Yes Kisk… I can see very well. When my time comes I will have the best hatching.
Kisk brimmed with happiness and waggled. Yes. His BestKire would have the best hatching ever!
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kireon
Candidatemaster
kirct[M:-191]
Posts: 739
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Post by kireon on Sept 5, 2012 0:45:02 GMT -5
Okay, so, she hadn't really expected things to go quite the way they had, but that'd been part of the fun of it! Cilia sighed and scratched the back of a heat-pricky neck as she finished tossing another arm load of kindling into the oven fires to keep them roaring. A hatching was due any day, and the cooks wanted to be sure everything was ready for the inevitable stream of starving men and women, as well as the candidates weyrlings and wherlings.
A shout resounded through the kitchens even as her ears rang with two voices, one authoritive, the other shy and nervous. Hatching. Oh. Wait. Hatching. Wher hatching, the one she needed to be at now. With a cheeky, pink cheeked grin and salute toward the head cook who'd been tasked with keeping a stern eye on her, Cilia immediately bolted from the torturous hell that was the Kitchens and headed directly to the Barracks. Stripping without a care in the world as to who saw her fabulously taken care of body- she worked hard and was proud of her form, thank you- she threw on the shift she'd been given, secured it properly and struck a pose in front of a very confused looking Vak.
"You stay," she ordered, giving a sharp hand signal as the herder canine's ears lowered. "I'll be back, maybe even with a new friend for you to herd and nip." Blonde hair flying back in its trademark high dragontail, she'd started enjoying that more than the bun she always favored prior, the long legged runner headed into the Hatching Sands and bowed deeply to both of the mothers. "Thank you both for the opportunity, Lady Kalesk, Lady Yusk." And popped herself back into line, eyes studying the two clutches as much as she could.
Her partner might be in there, and if he, or she, was? They'd make their own legends, their own stories and songs about the two of them.
**
Impa had been mending something quietly. She hated sewing, had little patience for needlework, and here she was attempting to master it. Of course that night hadn't gone according to plan, she had a feeling nothing ever did when it came to a certain blonde haired, golden skinned, gray eyed wench with the heart of a weyrbrat. But, that was for another time and another place to think about.
Her head jerked at the sound of voices. A hatching? Well, wasn't that just the most adequete timing she'd ever heard in her life?
She was in, tidying her appearance, slipping on the robe and fussed with the garment she'd tweaked a bit here and there to make it less... something she'd probably not say in polite company, and back out in record time. Long, purposeful strides and a head held high with calm, determined green eyes staring straight ahead of her. Nothing, and no one, would stand in her way this night- nor any other night, depending on her partner. The two of them, once she met that special wher, would do everything and then some besides.
After all, a wher couldn't possibly end in disaster the same way everything else in her career seeking attempts had managed to go. And she'd be the first in the family to become such a person; so there'd be some respect given by those obnoxious brothers of hers.
"Queen Kalesk," a respectful bow. "Lady Yusk," a second bow. "I thank you for this honor, I will work hard not to disappoint." She bowed a third time to them both and neatly stepped back into place, back straight, posture proper and her eyes straight ahead. She would focus on her surroundings first; if anything were to happen like that wild wher fiasco that had taken place, she wanted to see it coming first and be a first responder.
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Cathaline
Lady Holder
cathct[M:50]
Posts: 3,279
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Post by Cathaline on Sept 5, 2012 0:54:08 GMT -5
The egg in the center of the clutch had been well ahead of its siblings in terms of being ready to hatch, but the wheret inside deliberately waited. And waited. And waited for what seemed like eternity because the audience was so slow! And how could they hatch without an audience?! It just would not be right! But at last, at last, the wher decided they could hear enough people moving around out there. Or maybe just sensed that others in the clutch were growing close to hatching, and they needed to be first. Whatever the case, without warning, the opalescent egg practically exploded under the enthusiasm of its star's breakout performance. And a glorious performance it would be, but first, a pose. Strutting out of the nest, the wher paused to preen. Small for a blue, he had a deep turquoise hide, back speckled with pale circles; his nose and headknobs were similarly marked, the tip of his tail nearly white. His forearms were slightly long, which just let him lift his head higher in pride. But he was small...really too small. Kalesk gave a snort. Cyan,[/i] she confided in Kalenna, but felt no need to inform the candidates or spectators of this. Those who were well-acquainted with Dalibor's mutations and the typical size of a hatchling wher might figure it out on their own; the rest would know soon enough, when she chose her handler. The cyan tilted her head, eyeing each candidate in turn. Yes, yes, what a wonderful audience they were! So many options! But she was not prepared to choose her director just yet. First, she had to ensure that everyone would praise her. Lucky thing she was first to hatch; she held them all captivated by her talent. And so, she began to dance, prancing back and forth, tail swishing. Another egg had hatched, but no one would know...yet. The little egg completely hidden behind the two largest of the clutch broke open, but its inhabitant was in no hurry. First, a quivering little nose slowly appeared from behind the rocklike egg, then retracted. A paw appeared on top of the big egg. Then another paw. Just as suddenly, they vanished. And then, a debut! A black sprang onto the egg, scrabbling madly at its smooth surface for balance, and crouched down, skulking. Hopefully his sister's antics would distract them so he could plot! Her antics rapidly distracted him, however, from his perusal of the group. Giving a wherlike chuckle, the black dropped onto the sands and fell into his sister's wake, oozing along as if he were her shadow. At first, she didn't notice; a sudden spin caused her to crash into him, however, and the cyan gave a startled, indignant squeal and tried to shoo him. No! No! This was her show, and it was a one-wher show, thanks very much! Her little shadow pouted back at her, and she cuffed at him. Ruining her life! Ruining her entire life! Her entire attitude shifted in a moment, and she flung herself onto the sand, bawling her eyes out. Oh, wouldn't somebody come and end her wretched existence?! Well, fine, if she was gonna be like that. The black shuffled back toward the nest in search of another sibling to tease. And there was another. The yellow egg with the pink splotch on it trembled, and finally spilled a bright electric green onto the sands. She wasted no time picking herself up. Unlike her shadowy brother, there was no way this little one could be ignored; her hide was brilliantly colored, with vaguely lightning-like marks scribbled on her sides. She gave a little snort and shook herself off, then instantly sprang forward, pouncing onto the black without so much as a by-your-leave. Well, hellooooo there, fine young gentleman! She gave him a lick, but as quickly as her interest arrived, it waned. There was too much to do and see to get bound up in one little buddy so quickly, and she went bounding off toward the candidates, zigzagging through their midst. She barely paused to examine a single one of them; she knocked into Vrell's legs and gave a friendly nip to Tesla, but she wasn't ready to Impress yet. She was hungry, but she had so much energy, and first she needed to run. In no time at all she was off in a flash, racing back to the nest to sniff and paw at the other eggs. Hello, sisters! Hell oooooo, brothers! Where were they? The cyan finally picked herself up again, silently outraged. How very dare that stupid green take all the attention off of her? Ugh! Well, leave the two of them to their silly baby games, then. Her tantrum was over, and once again she shifted into a more deserving role. With a mature strut, the cyan headed into the mass of candidates. Hmm, this one had potential...but no. Vrell received a look-in, but she had no strong feelings for her, either. She coyly flirted up at Dita, but he wasn't the one either. Wait...WAIT! Wait just a red-hot minute! She bounded into the group of female candidates and twined herself around Dota's legs. Yesyes. Fabu-YES! Dosk's Dota! Dosk's Dota love Dosk and LOVE all happy shows! Dosk have SO MANY THINGS for doing! Dota have many things too and together do ALL OF THESE THINGS! First thing, eat. Oh, Dota, Dosk so hungry.[/i] Her joyfulness gave way to theatrical sorrow, and she drooped against Dota's knees, looking up at her with big sad baby eyes. Dosk is hungriest wher ever. Dosk starving in egg. Look at Dosk. JUST LOOK, oh Dosk is SO SAD, Dota! Dota, look at Dosk. Nobody see how special Dosk is. Everybody look at HER.[/i] She scowled fiercely back at her joyfully-rampaging green sister. Shouldn't all eyes be on the first to hatch, the first to Impress, the first cyan wher of ALL TIME? Yes. Yes, they should. It was just. So. Sad.  DOSK THE MR. MIME, IMPRESSED TO DOTA (1FA9AC)
Dosk is a passionate, vain creature, the star of her own personal soap opera. She feels everything very dramatically, and never seems to run out of energy. She doesn’t know the meaning of the word boring - literally, she doesn’t - because every moment is bright and exciting and full of intensity. As a capital-A Actress, Dosk is often driven by her desire to impress and entertain those around her, and she is surprisingly capable of sinking into a role and acting out little plays. Though she is good-natured, she is highly prideful and will become irate with anyone who interrupts her shows or does not give her the attention and praise she rightfully deserves. Though she typically TALKS LIKE THIS because she is an INTENSE ACTRESS with SO MANY FEELINGS, sometimes all this emotion will become too much; she will short out, temporarily losing all ability to speak or make noises. Thank goodness she’s fantastic at pantomime, really. When it comes to Dota, Dosk simply admires her handler, and wants to be admired and praised in return - as long as it doesn’t involve trying to stifle her talent, naturally. Though Dosk takes her work as an Actress very seriously, she will be more than willing to support Dota in whatever her aims happen to be at the moment...though if Dota wants subtle, she should probably consider locking Dosk in a room first.
The majority of Dosk’s hide is a comfortable shade of deep turquoise, but she would never settle for such plainness. Her back is speckled with perfectly round patches of a lighter hue, her muzzle interestingly marked with bright cyan. The very tip of her tail is so pale it almost appears white. Her build is roughly average; her claim to fame in the regard is her large forepaws and slightly elongated forelimbs, so that she always appears to be holding her head high.
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Ondine
Jr. Weyrleader
ondct[M:-155]
Posts: 436
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Post by Ondine on Sept 5, 2012 1:22:52 GMT -5
Abranna had eaten dinner and retreated to the inner sanctum of her room when the call came. The grating unpleasantness of the rest of humanity had driven her here before the soul-crushing darkness of Candidate lessons. At least she got out of chores that didn't pertain directly to Whers, simply because she was of better use in the infirmary. Which just went to show that being of value was always good. She even got out of doing miserable chores because of it. Clearly, she had shown her worth to the pathetic fools who called themselves leaders of Dalibor. But at least she knew that she had to show her worth to them.
She'd been about to change into her garb for a shift at the infirmary when Kalesk's voice came into her head, demanding her presence at a hatching. As she was changing into her robes, Yusk did the same thing. Now, Kalesk she could almost stand. The Gold, during the few times her duties had brought her into contact with the Wher, seemed almost competent. Yusk, however, was absolutely unable to do anything. Her handler was even worse. Her candidatemaster was utterly unable to control any of his candidates, and his Wher was idiotic. Overly sweet, but with no sustenance behind it. And he tried, but just kept failing over and over again. Ugh.
But she tucked herself out of the room and began to walk to the hatching sands anyways. Despite her despising the other female on the sands, perhaps she could do something right in her life and clutch good babies. She would never count on it, but it was possible. More probable, though, was that she would get a Wherlet from the Queen. There were many more eggs on that side of the Sands. And less duds, which was just a fact of life. The downside of this became clear as she drew near the entrance, with all of its bustling people. She nearly recoiled, but pressed through. One of those eggs would have her Wher. Her pawn. Her loyal minion.
She bowed just enough to Yusk, and more deeply to Kalesk, speaking in clipped, almost emotionless tones. “Thank you for the opportunity.” She eyed the sands, surprised when the first Wherlet wasn't a color she could readily identify. It looked almost like a blue, but was far, far too small. What was that? And a Black, and a Green. Already, Wherlets over the sands. Her eyes glittered as she wondered which one was hers. She wanted one, she needed one.
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Shino was just setting down for dinner when she noticed the call go out. She wasn't a candidate herself, she'd been turned down by Audren herself for being too young. But she still kept eyes on them all, and stalked them during the night to look at the Whers of the full Handlers. And then the call for a hatching went out, and she was scampering away. Food could wait, she needed to get there and find a seat where she wouldn't be noticed. Being noticed was bad, but she couldn't just not watch the hatching! Not at all. That wouldn't do.
Maybe someone would frown on a ten year old going to a possibly bloody Wher hatching, but she was used to blood! Sort of. Maybe. Not really. She had seen blood on the animals she tended! Her feet flew across the sands, halfway to get there first and halfway to evade anyone who would try to stop her. This wasn't a good idea. But there wasn't a rule against it, right? Oh, she didn't really know. The hatching cavern was a bit opening that, now, seemed a bit intimidating. Especially as more and more people entered it.
So she stood in front of it for a few minutes, fidgeting and working up her courage, before slipping inside, winding her way up to the stands. As soon as she could, she found herself a corner where people wouldn't notice her. And settled down to watch these magnificent beasts hatch.
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Cialisk sat with Ciali, an almost mournful expression on his face. She'd just chastised him for doing something again, something that was supposed to work out perfectly, and hadn't. But this was a hatching, and he needed to see the new babies that he could manipulate! After all, that was what they were for! Especially for such a master plotter such as him. His human watched with an expression somewhere between smug, anticipation, and a sneer. Her sister would Impress here. She was sure of it. And then they would be back to their status as rivals with Whers, and everything would be right again.
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Azhdarchid
Jr. Weyrwoman
azhct[M:-1490]
Totes.
Posts: 1,627
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Post by Azhdarchid on Sept 5, 2012 1:39:08 GMT -5
Tussbuul was signing his name on a hide when a voice signaled into his head and his stylus listed. His first impression was to look around his office, not seeking a source of sound but trying to find the rapturous presence from which this new inspiration had sprung. It took time for him to realize that Kalesk had tapped into him from far across the Weyr, though by then at least he was unfolding the white cloth from the office's corner cupboard and making his way into it. He shivered as he finally got to walking out through the night.
There were still guiding ghosts pointing out the Candidates' entrance to the Sands for him, but he only got a few clunking steps through the Bowl before he realized he was unarmed. He returned to the office and pulled a small knife from his desk drawer, slinging it to a leather belt that he swooped around the robe's white waist.
No more figures like his own populated the Bowl. He almost preferred it that way; his skin was creeping with a cold sweat he couldn't quite place. Probably something to do with him stumping onto the Sands, last of the herd, and taking some further time to probe the gritty earth with his cane-point after he had bowed to both whers. Tuss did not feel the heat. He appointed himself to a lookout on the far west side of the mens' group, paltry as it was. He surveyed the quivering eggs of the closer, larger clutch, then peeked over his shoulder at the Stands.
But a crunch of eggshells notified him that Hatchings were not politely timed affairs. The first thing to emerge was- not like Losk. Somewhere in his cold gut, Tussbuul held onto that knowledge as he watched the bizarre, smooth wheret flick legs too long to be serviceable across the Sands. Other creatures followed, each deformed from the dragon standard in their own unique way, but none so unsettling as the bluish devil that had taken to bawling in the middle of her rocking clutchmates.
As unearthly wails best categorized between screams and shrieks of laughter wafted around the clutch pit, he resigned himself to the notion that most whers were not like Losk.
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Kestrel
Wingrider
kestct[M:821]
Posts: 374
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Post by Kestrel on Sept 5, 2012 1:46:47 GMT -5
Vrell heard it before she saw it. That signature cracking sound she’d been waiting for—and anticipated so much, actually, that for a second she thought she might have just imagined it. But no, there it was—the egg, the shiny one right in the middle, it—it wasn’t an egg anymore! The first egg of the clutch to break had revealed a little blue, and it was all Vrell could do to stay in her spot and try not to lean in too much closer for a better look. “He’s so cute! I didn’t know they could be so greenish,” she couldn’t help blurting out, though she did at least keep it quiet, directing her excited babbling to the older girl nearby—Abranna, though Vrell didn’t know that.
The only wher she had much familiarity with was a blue—the very blue who had saved her life, though she couldn’t remember the event. He was a much darker blue, though, and not at all turquoise like this one. The little wheret certainly didn’t act like him, either—the way he was jumping around. Maybe the sands were too hot for his feet? Vrell felt a little concerned for him, even more so when a little black wher—hold on, where had he come from?—bumped into the blue, and he seemed to be crying. Vrell frowned, folding her arms over her chest and scratching her arm, glancing around at the others, but they weren’t doing anything. Of course not—she’d had enough instruction to know they weren’t supposed to interfere. And anyway, the blue didn’t really look hurt, and if he was, one of the adults would probably do something about it.
Vrell certainly hoped so, anyway, because while she felt bad for the blue, she really wanted to watch the little black, and the new green who had hatched, too! She was just a bundle of energy, running all over the place like a happy puppy. It brought the grin right back to Vrell’s face. Her breath caught in her throat when the green’s trajectory suddenly brought her right over to her—too close, actually, as the green bumped right into her legs—was this it? Had she been picked? But…no, not yet, evidently, since the wher was scampering right along on her merry way. Vrell let her breath out in a quiet sigh, pursing her lips for a second, but she gave herself a quick mental scolding. It was just the beginning of the hatching, after all—she had nothing to be disappointed about!
Vrell turned to look around for the black, but she wasn’t sure where he’d gone. He was sure hard to see when it was so dark, and there were so many shadows he could be hiding in. But her attention was caught again by the little blue, and she eagerly watched him marching across the sands. Marching—wait, was the blue heading toward her? Her eyes lit up in renewed excitement, emotions tumbling as the blue gave her a close look…and then, you know, walked away. Like the green. Really? Again? Vrell let out a bigger sigh this time, feeling a little exasperated, but she squeezed her arm, reminding herself that she was being silly. Okay, so she’d been passed up by two whers. But it was only two of them, and there were twenty eggs on the sand! And, she told herself, actually, even if the two whers hadn’t chosen her, they’d both been okay getting right up close! The blue even seemed like he might be considering it. So, really, that was probably a good sign. Right? Vrell was just going to go with that. The blue picked another girl nearby, so Vrell turned her attention back out to the sands, to see what the black or the green had gotten up to.
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Alec
Wingrider
alecct[M:-360]
Cuteness abound!
Posts: 544
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Post by Alec on Sept 5, 2012 2:01:21 GMT -5
Mine! Mine! Wake up! There are baby whers hatching! Moruluth's mindvoice filled his mind as he was awakened from a rather deep slumber. Still groggy, he blilnked tiredly at the large blurry form of his dragon. "What was that?" Moruluth snorted. Baby whers! They are hatching right now! Oh, Mine, can we go watch? Please? T'von gave a few slight grumbles, but his dragon's excitement was seeping into him and he sat up in his bed. "Well, I don't see why not."
As Moruluth trilled happily, T'von poked the black flitt that was asleep across his legs. Raincloud cracked one eye open to regard His, then closed it soon after. "Suit yourself." T'von swung his legs over, disturbing the flitt's resting spot, which just made him get angry chirps in reponse. "Oh, shut up and go snag me a cup of klah. I may need it if I'm staying awake for this thing." Raincloud sent him disapproving emotions, but still did as he was asked. As he disappeared, T'von had went to his water basin and splashed some water in his face, then looked for decent clothes to wear.
He found a white shirt with a deep red vest, and put it on along with a pair of fine black pants. When he had straightened his hair from the tangle that it had been while he slept, a small pop indicated his firelizard's return. Giving his pet a scratch of his eyeridge for his work, he sipped at the slightly between chilled klah. It had been tough teaching him how to hold a cup without dropping it or spilling much of it, especially on account of his size, but he had somehow managed to do it.
Are you finally ready? Really by the time we get there, it'll be over. "Well, it's not like we're far from the Sands. I mean really now." In fact he couldn't get closer, with his weyr being directly above the Sands. Before he could mount Moruluth, Greedo came scuttling out of his waterbowl. Grr! Grr grr! How dare his humanpet go somewhere where there were valuables without him. There must be good treasure down there! Why else would he be kept from inside it for all this time.
When they were all situated, Moruluth dropped straight down off of their ledge, making a sharp turn to face the inside of the Sands. He dropped off T'von and made his way to the dragon ledges, which were quite empty at this time. T'von made his way through the people and spotted an open seat nearby. He decided to take it and sat down next to Frayya, sipping lightly on his klah. "Ah, quite the time to be prodded to a hatching." He said to her. Greedo spotted something on her dress and scuttled over to try and pluck one of the flowers off, but recieved a slap on his carapice. "No, you can't take that! Maybe when this is over, I'll try to get you a piece of shell. Sorry about that. He likes to take things. Lovely dress, by the way. Klah?" He asked and offered her his cup. She looked like he had been awakened rather recently, too.
Look, Mine! One of the babies just hatched! T'von looked to see a blue, but it didn't really look like a blue. Much too small. "Hmm. Something tells me that's not a blue. Could that be a cyan?" He really didn't know, but the wher was quikly joined by two of it's siblings. And with the Impression of the first wher done, he watched the twitching eggs intently, waiting for another to join the two already hatched.
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Gray
Wingrider
grayct[M:-350]
Posts: 870
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Post by Gray on Sept 5, 2012 2:06:36 GMT -5
The crunch of eggs was like music to his ears. Thin shell crumbling away to expose eager wherets, ready to impress. Or at least, he thought they should be. The wherets themselves often had other ideas. The first shell broke and exposed something... Odd. A wher, obviously. And a blue one at that. A very small, bright blue. Dita peered at the wher as it pranced around. An odd one, he had decided, though not too odd. All whers, from what he had observed, were odd.
This one's showing off did strike him as interesting, to say the least. It pranced and danced and... Well over all it was just a huge show off. He was already certain it must have a stellar personality. Unknown to him and the 'blue', a black hatched. Dita was unaware of it until the 'blue' slammed into it's brother. Dita nearly choked on his laughter, and had to cough quickly behind his hand to hide his amusement. The bright blue and black colors did look nice together though. Especially with those spots. They were pretty amazing. Little miracles of color and amusement.
Dita was already having a blast. The 'blue's antics only got better. And then all of a sudden there was another player on the field! Vibrantly green and already pouncing on her brother. Energetic, ebullient and down right electric. She was pretty amazing too. He liked her too. Already these three had made the treck to Dalibor worth it. And it could only get better, right?
Fate, once again, smiled on him. Because that weird blue was looking around now, looking at them specifically. She paused by one of the girls and then himself. Him! But she was gone so quickly. He would have maybe been a bit sad if the blue didn't make a bee-line for his sister. Oh. Would it happen? Would it? Yes! It did! It happened! He had to stifle a cheer. That poor blue though. If anyone could deal with silly theatrics, it was Dota. The wher was in good hands.
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Lan
Weyrlingmaster
lanct[M:-1025]
Nomming ALL the kidpets!
Posts: 1,266
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Post by Lan on Sept 5, 2012 2:09:51 GMT -5
Andru didn't even noticed Mya until she had spoke to him. He forced himself to slow down from a dead-sprint, nearly toppling over into a nearby wall. He managed to turn himself around and balanced on one leg as he looked behind himself to see who had spoken to him. He saw a girl, recognizable even during his short time there, and he offered a pleasant smile as he brushed his hair back with one hand. Little did he know that his vain attempts to make himself look put-together would have little affect on this woman.
"Uhh... hi!" He moved to her side and looked from where he had been to where they were going. "I thought I was late... but maybe we're right on time?" Without missing a beat he grabbed her hand and held it tightly as they continued on their way. "Let's go together, shall we? It'll be fun."
He continued holding her hand until they finally made it to the sands, when he allowed her to bow unhindered just as he did to each of the mothers. He waited until she was finished, though, to grab a spot in the sands next to her. As he hazarded a glance on the sands he noticed that a couple of the wherlets had hatched, but none had Impressed as far as he could tell.
Dota watched as the first wher hatched, seemingly a small blue. He was a vain little thing, though. She raised an eyebrow as she watched him strut around the sands, eventually throwing a tantrum when a black Dota hadn't even seen hatch tried to rain on his parade. The woman clicked her tongue in disapproval. What a spoiled little brat! Someone would have to teach that one some manners, they would! So she directed her attention to another new development on the sands; a green had hatched.
The little thing zipped around and Tesla bit her lip nervously as it approached. Oh no... Oh no no no no no! She was going to be eaten, she knew it! Well, perhaps Tesla wasn't too far off. The green approached her and gave her legs a soft nip, making Tesla give a short squeak in reply. As the green ran off again, she looked to Edison again for encouragement. They were going to eat her! As she realized she was bleeding she ripped a piece off of her handkerchief and worked on bandaging her leg.
Dota watched the blue again as he moved toward her direction. When he rejected her brother she had no idea that he would come bounding in her direction. Right away the blue claimed her, wrapping around her legs. She felt an excited mind touch hers and a bond was made.
Oh. She was a girl... and a cyan.
Yesyes. Fabu-YES! Dosk's Dota! Dosk's Dota love Dosk and LOVE all happy shows! Dosk have SO MANY THINGS for doing! Dota have many things too and together do ALL OF THESE THINGS! First thing, eat. Oh, Dota, Dosk so hungry. Dosk is hungriest wher ever. Dosk starving in egg. Look at Dosk. JUST LOOK, oh Dosk is SO SAD, Dota! Dota, look at Dosk. Nobody see how special Dosk is. Everybody look at HER.
Dota had to pause for a minute to figure out what exactly was going on. Her expression was initially that of surprise, but then she gathered up her maternal instincts and was quick to take charge. "Why don't ya stop glaring at your sister, then, and we'll get ya something to eat. Mmkay?" Oh, yes. Dota did notice Dosk's disapproval for her green sister. When the time came she would certainly stomp that out of her. But, for now, she would focus on getting the baby cyan fed. Right. Cyan. Eventually it would hit her that she had just Impressed the first cyan wher in all of Pern.
But DOTAAAA! Nobody LOOKING at Dosk! Dosk SAD. SO MUCH SAD DOSK. The cyan continued pretending to writhe around on the ground in pretend agony. Dota turned on the little girl, with her hands on her hips and her eyebrows furrowed into an intense frown.
"If you don't come eat RIGHT NOW then you won't eat until morning, do YOU hear ME?"
Dosk instantly stopped flailing and stood, although she was not at ALL happy about it. Dosk's Dota. Ruin Dosk's LIFE. She stuck her nose up in the air and led Dota off the sands to where meat buckets were being kept. Dota followed, ignoring the second outburst. Dosk would learn before long. She was just like any other kid that needed a bit of prodding to learn what was right and what was wrong. |
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Post by thyme on Sept 5, 2012 3:14:10 GMT -5
Frayya glanced up as she heard the soft beat of wings that announced a dragon’s arrival. She couldn’t make out its color against the dark night sky but it looked smaller than Unath had been so she didn’t need to worry about Q’sis showing up and further ruining her already ruined night. The dragon deposited his rider before winging off in search of suitable watching position. The young woman turned her head back to the growing commotion on the sands below. Some of the candidates were just dashing in, others were already formed in a semi-circle around the eggs, some looked excited, and others looked nervous. ‘How long do these hatchings usually take?’ She wondered. The eggs didn’t look like they were making any movements to her.
The weaver felt someone settle into the seat next to her and heard him address her. She didn’t take her eyes away from the sands below but she nodded curtly. Frayya could think of about a thousand places she would rather be right now. Her bed was the first. The Weaver crafthall was the second. Her bed in the Weaver crafthall the third. She didn’t notice the fire-lizard until it was trying to nip flowers off her painstakingly sewn dress, “Hey!” She exclaimed trying to shoo the creature away and pull her skirts out of harm’s way. She relaxed as the man scolded the fire-lizard and smacked him away. He even had the decency to apologize for his fire-lizard’s behavior. “Oh…” The apprentice said momentarily taken aback by his apology and compliment, “Thanks.” She knew there was always a reason to dress to impress. The best way to get her styles noticed was by wearing them. “I made it,” She offered.
Frayya waved away his offer of klah without so much as a ‘thanks for the offer’. She didn’t know why the man thought it would be good to drink klah at this hour. She wanted to go back to sleep as soon as the last wher broke its shell; klah would just keep her up that much longer. She wished these eggs would hurry up. She had five dresses to finish tomorrow and that tapestry she had started working on. As if it had heard her snide thoughts, the first egg shattered open in one smooth moment. A deep turquoise hide appeared speckled with blemishes of lighter colors. It quickly began making a scene to ensure that all eyes were on it which Frayya was sure they were given that the wheret was the only one on the sands. No, wait. There was a black wher too. A black wher that interfered with the other’s performance which promptly sent the wher into a squealing fit that gave Frayya a headache. A bright, electric green wher flopped onto the sands next and was zipping about before the weaver could blink twice.
Frayya listened to the man’s musings about the first whers color. She had assumed it was a blue but he was right it didn’t look quite like a blue. Did whers come in the same strange mutations that the dragons did? She shrugged in noncommittal agreement with the man. She had spent the last four Turns living at the crafthall which happened to be beholden to Fort Weyr not Dalibor. The only reason her Masters had sent her to Dalibor was because before she had gone to the crafthall she had lived at Western Hold which was beholden to Dalibor. She didn’t know much about dragons but she knew more about the traditional colors than the mutations. Fort hadn’t been overly fond of the mutations if she recalled correctly. She watched as a girl led the wher in question out of the crowd of candidates. One down, nineteen more to go.
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Post by larkwing on Sept 5, 2012 6:40:20 GMT -5
Well here they go. Abetzi watched as the first egg hatched, the teal baby spilling out onto the sands. She knew it would be a handful in the moment, her eyes following the baby's movements carefully. There was something strange though. It didn't act like a blue, and it wasn't the right size for a blue. Looking over at Tesla to try and see if her suspicions would be confirmed by the other candidate, Abby nodded to herself. Cyan. It was a cyan. When the thing impressed to a girl she turned her attention elsewhere.
There was a green and a black on the sands as well, the black reminding her somewhat of Dusk and the green, well she was overly energetic wasn't she? It seemed she would impress next, after all she was sipping toward the candidates and nipping, but she just as quickly left them all confused. Well, Abby wasn't confused. It wasn't uncommon for wherets to do such things. Curling an arm around her waist, the candidate took in a breath, not quite sure where her mind had gone off to now.
She was focused on the hatching but that voice of reason or whatever inside her had grown quiet. Was she going to start thinking now? No! Abby snapped herself back to the present before any unwanted memories had a chance to surface, her eyes hardening. She had to get it together. The least she could do was appear to be fine. The girl straightened a but more, and then huffed a sigh and shook her head. No, no use in that. Looking back at the eggs Abetzi scanned the clutch trying to guess which one would hatch next.
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Cathaline
Lady Holder
cathct[M:50]
Posts: 3,279
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Post by Cathaline on Sept 5, 2012 12:57:48 GMT -5
The black prowled around the nest in his green sister’s wake. Oh, he was going to play the best joke ever on her. Just like he had with Dosk, he was going to pretend to be her shadow, and she would be so confused, and it was going to be hilarious. But his sister was far too busy to pay him any mind, nudging and patting at the eggs. Wake up, wake up! Obviously her slumbering siblings needed an amazing leader to convince them it was time to get out of these eggs, and the bright green wher was that leader. Hunger rumbled in her belly, and she was drawn to the candidates, but first she had to see to it that all of the other eggs hatched and got safely Impressed. That was what a proper leader did: they cared for the group, not for their own selfish needs. And obviously, the green was super selfless. This had nothing at all to do with her righteous desire to be in charge. Nope. Toward the back of the nest, the brown and tan egg twitched slightly. A crack appeared, and a dark talon slowly ripped at the shell. Pieces flaked off until there was a hole large enough for an eye to peek out, surveying the scene. Bright green streaked past as the wheret already out there rushed to and fro. And then, the energetic leader made her first mistake. She spotted the brown egg and the hole in it, and came to the conclusion that whoever was in there must be shy and having trouble breaking out. Well, that wouldn’t do at all. With a delighted trill, she pounced on the egg and started to bust it open. An outraged snarl greeted her helpful activities, and suddenly she was on her back and screaming in pain. A dark green, much smaller than her sister, easily burst from her egg, perceiving herself to be under attack. She gave the bright green no time to explain; her claws dug into her sister, eyes whirling red. The bright green flailed beneath her, but despite her greater size, she couldn’t break free; her sister’s wing was in her face, nearly blinding her. As they wrestled, the black slowly backed away. Okay, things were getting pretty serious now, and he didn’t like things that were serious, not at all. Obviously they weren’t going to take too kindly to a prank, and the shadow thing hadn’t worked out so well. Not with his sisters, anyway...but right over there were some candidates. All of whom were distracted by the fight and the ichor staining the sand. Oh, yes. Victims! Victims who would adore him when they realised how funny his pranks would be! Keeping to the shadows, the black slunk over to the candidates and wove his way through them. Oooh, yes, here was one he liked! Dita had a friendly mind and he was a little plump, just like the black was. But it wasn’t exactly the right mind. Still, they could be friends. They were gonna be friends, just as soon as...Ditagothisshoeback! In the hope that Dita was either looking toward the fighting greens or his sister leaving the sands, the black cannoned into his knees from behind and snatched the shoe right off his foot. With it dangling from his teeth, he rocketed away, weaving between the candidates without a care in the world. By now he’d practically forgotten that attempted murder was taking place several yards away. Neither green was in a place to forget, however. The bright green grew more and more panicked as she bled, and as the dark green atop her kept her from moving. Nobody stopped her from moving, and finally she managed to sink her teeth into her sister’s wing. The dark green shrieked and flung herself away, and instantly the bright green was on her feet, swaying but not much worse for wear. So much for trying to lead her fellow whers to glory. She was hurt and hungry and she had places to be, okay? She took off toward the candidates, harassed all the way by her angry sister. The dark green, now that she could be more properly seen, had a dappled, forest-like hide...and she was mad. The bright green had attacked her egg, scared her, hurt her...if she got away, she would only live to hurt again, and that couldn’t be allowed to happen. The dark green lunged again and again, trying to take bites out of the electric green, but her sister was too fast and too agile; she whisked into the group of female candidates, and the dark green crashed right into Cilia. Half-mad, the green sank her teeth into Cilia’s leg, but there was no blood bond here - just blood. But Cilia was not her target, and she shoved her way past the girl, intent on her prey. The bright green ducked behind Abetzi. Keep moving![/i] she cried, her kinetic mind sinking into the grieving girl. She longed to make all that fog and pain go away, because underneath it she felt a kindred spirit, and it was her duty to fix what was hurting beloved Abby. Abesk protect! Abesk stop her![/i] She’d barely had time to recover her balance, but now she had something to fight for, and she flung herself past her handler. The two greens rolled this way and that, knocking at least half the candidates down - and suddenly, Mama was there. Kalesk had had quite enough of this, thanks very much. The enormous gold strode over to the group, ignoring the humans, and forcibly picked the dark green up by the scruff of her neck, depositing her back in the nest until she learned her lesson and was ready to Impress. Or go wild, as the case may be - maybe this lunatic just didn’t have it in her to be a bonded wher. She would have the opportunity to find out. But so would Abesk. Neither was going to kill the other on Kalesk’s watch, and she gave the dark green one final cuff of irritation before stomping back to her place. Abesk shook herself out, and without even taking a breather, trotted back to Abetzi. Not so bad,[/i] she confided, regarding her own injuries. Abesk be strong as gold someday. Abesk and Abetzi powerful leaders! Go feed now? First blood.[/i] She gently nudged Abetzi’s knife hand, her head nosing under the girl’s arm. Despite her posturing, she loved her Abby so, so much. She could never replace the girl’s lost sister, but they could be good together regardless. They would be wher and handler for all time. They just had to keep moving forward, toward the place where the pain went away. And the food. Definitely also the food.  ABESK THE RAICHU, IMPRESSED TO ABETZI (66FF66)
For a green, Abesk has a surprising desire to lead; her responsibility and sense of duty stems from pride rather than selflessness, however, as she is thoroughly convinced of her own awesomeness. She wants to be in charge, and she’s not the type to take no for an answer, very forward and aggressive in all matters - including romance, which she enjoys a great deal, both for herself and her handler. Although she and Abetzi share similar traits in their impulsiveness and total lack of subtlety, they are bound to clash in other ways: Abesk is rather more feminine than her tomboyish handler, and she loves to work in groups, because where exactly is the fun in being independent? I ask you. Her true defining trait is her enormous energy. Abesk is constantly on the go, both physically and mentally, requiring constant stimulation. She has no problem focusing when a task requires it...unless it’s a task that requires her to stand still. The longer she is prevented from working off her energy, the more jittery and upset she gets; in the end, she’s likely to bite or tackle even Abetzi simply out of the need to do something. Emotional and kinetic, she is never one to be ignored.
The first thing that stands out about Abesk...okay, Abesk just stands out in general. Her hide is a vibrant electric green, splattered with jagged slashes like lightning bolts in a near-yellow hue. She is tall for her color, with large headknobs, and will always be very fit.
With all this going on, the black had successfully stolen away and buried Dita’s shoe. Haha! This was the funniest prank ever. He trotted back to the group of candidates, enormously pleased with himself. If he noticed the chaos that had briefly reigned, he didn’t give any sign. Part of him wanted to stay out here and trick everybody, but he needed a partner in crime. He was hungry and all of that, and he didn’t have it in him to walk past the mind that called to him like a beacon. He did, however, walk behind that mind, picking his way through the sand in an attempt to remain unnoticed. Impa! Is you shadow speaking,[/i] he announced. You shadow name is Impask! Shh, be all secrets. Impa and Impask go play a tricky trick.[/i] Suddenly, he bounded around in front of her, all mental smiles. Hahaha! Impask already play trick! Is no you shadow, is you wher! Hahaha, gotcha![/i] He chortled and fell over on his back, rolling around. Good one, Impask, so good one. Now eat.[/i]  IMPASK THE HAUNTER, IMPRESSED TO IMPA (1A1A1A)
A creature of darkness and shadow, Impask is mischievous to a fault, a lover of pranks and trouble. His plots generally don’t come from a place of malice, however; despite spending a large portion of his free time brooding in corners and planning his schemes, he doesn’t mean to harm people, merely wanting to satisfy his own desire for laughter and amusement. For the most part, he’s not bright enough to come up with truly cunning ploys; for example, he genuinely believes that he can trick people into believing he is their shadow, and that this will be absolutely hilarious. His childish, playful nature comes with a child’s total lack of personal responsibility, and since his memory is so poor, he can’t remember upsetting anyone and will be back to try again sooner or later if not adequately controlled. His love of lurking could potentially make him into a very good guard wher, but it will require a great deal of training and constant supervision.
Impask is very, very slightly off-black, just enough to make blending in with the shadows easier. He’s on the large side for his color, naturally a bit roundish and chubby; however, his appearance is every bit as deceptive as his personality. He’s very stealthy and can squeeze into shockingly tiny spaces to hide, if he’s motivated enough to do so.
The dark green was now alone on the sands, breathing heavily, no calmer than she had been a few moments ago. But she was going to survive, and she would not go against her mother’s edict. Okay, so she wasn’t allowed to savage the two-legs. Big deal, as long as those squishy folks didn’t try to hurt her. But she was surrounded by rocking eggs, and any one of them could contain a threat. Threats needed to be dealt with before she could make her choice. To Impress, or to go wild...the dark doorway to the sands beckoned, and she eyed Kalesk. The gold wouldn’t leave the rest of her babies. The green was fast. She could make it...but did she want to? |
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Post by larkwing on Sept 5, 2012 14:04:00 GMT -5
No. No, no, no. Bad, this was so bad. Abetzi's eyes widened to fearful orbs as she stated at the newly hatched green tackling the larger, brighter one. Still, nothing could stop it. It was not as if she could step between them, only Kalesk could do that. The brighter green's screams cut into her ears, her fingers twitching uselessly at her sides. She had to do something. Except before she could think of what, the larger green had taken the smaller's wing in her sharp jaws, biting it until the darker sibling let go and flung away.
Yes! Run, get away! The candidate screamed the words, quite literally not realizing she hadn't just thought but shouted them until a moment after they had left her lips. Keep moving! The green's mind shouted back, pushing into Abby's mind as she sped toward the candidates with her sibling on her heels. In a quick movement the larger green darted behind Abetzi's legs, and without thinking the candidate moved in front of the wheret and pulled up the knife in case the darker green lunged forward. It was such an easy thing to do, defend her bonded. Except it hadn't really hit her yet that the wher had chosen her.
Abesk protect! Abesk stop her! The green zipped around her handler's legs again, this time toward the front, her body flinging against the oncoming darker green's and rolling away from her girl. "Abesk, stop!" Abetzi's shout did little or nothing to stop the green, and in the end it was their golden mother that was needed to break apart the sisters. Shaking herself off and flicking her tail in irritation, Abesk trotted back to Hers, nuzzling Abby's hand. Not so bad.
Abesk be strong as gold someday. Abesk and Abetzi powerful leaders! Go feed now? First blood. Abesk stretched her tiny wings outward, inspecting the few injuries she had earned on her hatching day, then nuzzled Abetzi's hand again. Looking from the wheret to the knife, Abetzi nodded mechanically and cut along the meaty part other thumb, holding the bleeding wound out for Abesk to feed from. Abesk love Abby dear! Abesk and Abetzi go food now, go food and make Abby dear better! Abesk protect Abetzi, bad green no win no more. Bad green best find Hers or Mamma Gold run off. Stupid, no good.
Abetzi followed Abesk's gaze to the darker green who was looking from her mother to the entrance of the sands. Somehow Abby figured her new bonded meant that it was considering running, and in that case the green may not even survive that long, if at all. "You'd miss her if she was gone. Trust me, you'd miss her." Abesk snorted but looked back at the green again, tilting her head slightly as she considered this idea. Bad Green best find Hers! Abesk challenge sister much, must impress first!
With that the brighter sister zipped around her handler, pushing at Abby's legs to get the wherling going, her stomach sending hungry pangs through their new bond. "Alright, let's get going."
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Gray
Wingrider
grayct[M:-350]
Posts: 870
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Post by Gray on Sept 5, 2012 15:00:47 GMT -5
Dita was, well being Dita when the cataclysm happened. Staring off into space, he mused about what it was like to be in the eggs. Would it be warm? He was sure it was cramped, why else would they want to leave? Well. Except maybe hunger. Yea. Hunger. His own stomach twinged at the thought, though he had eaten recently. Just the thought of hunger always made him feel hungry, even if he wasn't. Oh! Maybe he had impressed and that's why he felt it! He looked about curiously for a moment, but no. It was just his mind playing tricks on him again. Still, he did get to see the bright green dart at an egg.
A new addition? Looking over the egg, he tried to guess what color would pop out. He didn't even get to guess before the darker green barreled out and attacked her sister. Oh, this wasn't good. He frowned as the fight escalated. He never saw much point in fighting, and the darker green was just being so mean. Shaking his head, he sighed. Wouldn't they just be better off finding handlers and eating?
And that was when his shoe was stolen. It was like it was there. Then it was gone. He was stunned for a moment before spotting the black wher.
“'Ey!” He wasn't angry, just surprised and a bit confused. Could he chase the wher? He'd probably have to unless he wanted his foot burning. Giving a glance to the greens, Dita sprung into action, chasing after the black where, sands shifting under his feet and causing him to stumble. Of course Dita was no graceful swan even with out the sand.
“Whoa!” Eventually he slipped and skid across the sands. Winging, Dita knew that his legs would look pretty gnarly when he stood. But hey! His shoe was near by! He thinks. The black had buried it before slinking off. Not that Dita minded. He did keep a look out for the greens, as well as the mother whers. He didn't want to step on any toes. He didn't have too much to worry about though, it seemed the lighter green had impressed and Kalesk had dragged the darker one off.
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Chek
Weyrlingmaster
chekct[M:-15]
I'm so magical I vomit rainbows
Posts: 1,091
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Post by Chek on Sept 5, 2012 15:18:30 GMT -5
Odd was so focused on the spinning length of wood in front of her that it took her a good ten minutes to realize she’d heard what she thought she’d heard. The gold, Kalesk, calling the candidates.
Odd hesitated for a long, long moment, looking between her current project and the door, torn between finished the project and attending the hatching. Only the thought that she might be kicked from the program completely if she simply didn’t show got her grudgingly to her feet and digging out her white robe.
Said robe was a touch long. And by a touch, it meant that Odd was doubling it up at the waist and folding it over before tying it on. Ridiculous. She’d gotten so busy she had forgotten to hem it up.
She pulled off her work goggles last, setting them aside and digging out the eyepatch she rarely wore – but the Sands were gritty, obviously sandy, and a wher might plant her face down in them at any time – so the eyepatch was going on to protect her bad eye. She slid one of her knives into her boot, and was off.
A few minutes later, Odd strolled onto the Sands, giving a curt bow to both queens and finding a place just as the first egg hatched. Odd didn’t know much about wher and dragon colors, other than which ones there were of each, so she could be forgiven for accepting the assumption that the wher was an odd blue and moving her attention on.
The black was interesting, and the fight between greens was fascinating – Odd leaned back when the golden Kalesk actively interfered, letting out a low whistle at the quick, efficient breakage of the fight. She glanced to the person next to her to see their reaction, doing a double-take when she realized they were wearing an eyepatch as well, before snorting in amusement and turning back to the hatching.
* * *
Tius was already on the move before Kalesk had finished her announcement. Dizzy, helping him unpack his workshop, was lifted off her feet and tucked under one arm before she had time to process what was going on. Instead of struggling, she wriggled around until she was no longer under his arm, instead riding piggy-back on her father as he strode towards the hatching sands.
“Poppa, you forgot a knife.” Tius shook his head, patting his daughter’s leg and holding up his prosthetic with a smile. The head on it today was a sturdy, sharpened hook that he’d been using to drag crates around the forge. It was easily sharp enough to serve as a knife, so Dizzy relaxed.
Tius paused beside the stands once they reached the sands, letting Dizzy scramble up and off his shoulders and into the audience. “Sit with your cousin, Dizzy.”
Dizzy waved a hand and set off for Bif, while Tius made his bows and joined the crowd in time to watch the first wher hatch.
Dizzy, meanwhile, following her father’s order, glanced around, trying to spot her cousin – and saw Barghest first. She jumped a few rows, stumbling a little on the landing, and then ploughed into Bif’s back, wrapping her arms around his neck and wriggling in anticipation, “Bif! I’m so excited! Are you so excited?”
* * *
The call caught her while she was busy tucking a squirming weyrbrat into his bed. Ein’s head came up, looking off towards the sands, before she wrapped the wriggling, hyper child in his blankets, effectively immobilizing him as the boy was rendered into a neat little burrito-like package. Tucking him onto the bed, despite the whining that ensured, Ein raised a hand to catch the attention of the head crèche mother and made a quick, meaningful motion.
Upon receiving a nod, Ein trotted out of the crèche, breaking into a jog once she was outside and quickly joining the flood of candidates onto the Sands. A quick bow to both mothers, and she stepped back into line with the other candidates, wincing that she hadn’t changed into her robe, but figuring she was clean enough. She lightly touched the knife strapped to her forearm, comforting herself that it was still there.
Especially since the Hatching was in full swing – a blue, bright, small, and suspiciously unlike a blue, and then black – followed by two greens. She smiled to see the first Impression, but then…she shook her head grimly. Already blood and ichor on the Sand. But no death, not yet.
She glanced over the group of girls, and then swung her head back around to one particular person. Her fellow senior candidate, Tesla. She’d almost forgotten that young Edison had Impressed in the last hatching, leaving poor Tesla alone out here.
Ein sidled casually though the crowd, stopping just to Tesla’s side and patting the girl’s arm lightly, “It’s getting a touch messy, my dear. I’ll stand with you, alright?”
* * *
Damask and Damali were late. They slunk into the Stands after the first few whers were already hatched, arriving in time to see the blueish wher Impress. “Pretty little blue, eh Damask?”
Not blue. Damask snorted dismissively.
“Cyan then? Are you sure?” Damali didn’t really doubt Damask’s opinion, since the red did seem to like blues an awful lot and probably could tell, but…a new color?
Not blue, cyan yes. More blue need. Cyan not blue. Damask put her head on her handler’s leg, ignoring the hatching for now, Tell when actual blue.
“You’re terrible, darling.”
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Lan
Weyrlingmaster
lanct[M:-1025]
Nomming ALL the kidpets!
Posts: 1,266
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Post by Lan on Sept 5, 2012 15:52:52 GMT -5
Dota had been previously been distracted by the other two whers on the sands, but as Dosk started to get ahead of her she picked up the pace. "Now wait a minute, missy!" She stepped in front of the cyan and fumbled for her knife. "We need to do something first." With only a brief pause of nervousness, Dota took her knife she had received as a candidate and drew it across the side of her palm. She made sure enough blood was coming from the cut, then held it out for her wher to drink.
What do? Dosk asked, sniffing at the hand curiously.
"Drink, Dosk," Dota shook her hand slightly to emphasize the gesture.
Dosk drink blood? GROSSSSS! The cyan contorted her face into wrinkled shapes and shook her head emphatically. Dosk no drink gross! No drink blood!
"You'll do it, or you won't eat tonight."
Dosk squirmed a bit, then gave a soft hmph! and lapped gingerly at Dota's offered hand. That done, she rolled her tongue around in her mouth and made gestures of gagging. Of course, she did like it at least a little bit... but she wasn't about to let anyone know that she, the great Actress Dosk, had enjoyed drinking such a vile substance! Eat now, OKAY?
"Yes. You may eat." Together Dota and Dosk made their way to the meat pile. Dota took a bucket and started handing pieces of chopped-up meat to her cyan daughter, who greedily ate up every piece that got remotely within reach. At a later date she would be ladylike in her eating habits, but right now she was HUNGRY and needed to be fed! Dota glanced at the sands, where Dita had started... well, she had no idea what her brother was doing. He would have to stop those shenanigans, though, otherwise he'd end up wher fodder! She did not want to have to bury him and send a letter to their mother telling her how he got killed by a wher due to his foolishness! Also, she certainly didn't want to lose her favorite and only brother.
Tesla had bandaged herself by the time the second green had made its way onto the sands. It was a good thing, too, because the entrance scared her into a fight-or-flight paralysis. She watched, her eyes big a saucers, as the two greens fought and she couldn't help but imagine eventually they would plow their way into her. She had escaped the hatching of a newborn red, there was no way she could be so lucky as to escape another violent hatching!
She could have cried right then and there. But she told herself to be strong. She told herself everything would be okay.
Ein came over, though, and Tesla couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. The sigh turned into a light sob, though, and she quickly stepped behind the older woman to hide herself from the fighting greens. "Thank you," she squeaked, not at all bothered with letting the older woman mother her. Passively she wiped the place where her arm had been touched with her handkerchief, keeping her eyes planted firmly on the hatching as the greens were separated. The gold carrying the angry green off made Tesla breathe a little easier, but she would never relax until Impression had been made.
Darryl arrived a little late and, upon seeing Kire, quickly made his way down to sit with her. Dask trotted at his heels, all slinky strutting and not in the least bit interested in the hatching. "Hello. What'd I miss?" He put a kind hand on her shoulder and looked at her stomach where he now knew that their child was growing. He smiled, a father's pride filling him, then looked out at the hatching.
Lonet and Losk had made it to the hatching just in time, it seemed. Losk was loaded with healing supplies, as Lonet knew how violent wher hatchings could be. She made her way quickly over to the feeding station, where she meant to intercept Abetzi and Abesk, who had taken injuries from her darker green sister. "Congratulations, dear. Mind if I take a look at your lovely little girl?" Lonet asked as the two drew close, opening her container of redwort and numbweed salve as she spoke. "It's fine if she wants to eat while I work... I know she must be hungry, aren't ya darling?" The healer addressed the last part to the green wher herself, a brighter lilt in her voice as she remembered when she first Impressed her darling Losk. |
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Azhdarchid
Jr. Weyrwoman
azhct[M:-1490]
Totes.
Posts: 1,627
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Post by Azhdarchid on Sept 5, 2012 16:09:48 GMT -5
Tuss followed the jagged progress of the neon green wheret with increasing interest. Maybe it was a difference in the lines of whers that propagated in Dalibor, but he had never seen such a bright specimen. Even her mother, shimmering amongst the bumpy eggs, had only a cursory glow over a sandy yellow base rather than the sunlight-infused sheen he had seen on the dragon queens. Her mobility was also a factor: maybe great Kalesk could outrun her, but hunched as she was the queen looked more like an extension of the ground beneath her, while the daughter wher was a vibrant streak of life in a mottled world.
Maybe she was too dissonant to the wherish way of life. His shoulders rose and he breathed deep when a second green sprang from birth to assault. Despite the bright's squeals, he was not as unsettled as he had been by that first gloopy wheret, with its shiny skin. From what Audren had described, this was to be expected. So it was his responsibility to get out of the way when the tumbleweed of shrieking, interlocked bodies came rolling up the sands at him. He shifted his cane, and hobbled a step before the surprisingly heavy bodies thunked into his legs, dispensing him to the sand along with several other Candidates.
The gleam-green got up and limped off to her mate. Tussbuul took...longer. He spotted Lonet winging in to pamper the ragged new greenpair and the strength seemed to leak out of his good leg, too. The Sands were reddening the skin of his legs and his palm, which he had already posted to the task of trying to lift him back up, but he was still immune to anything but the rush of blood to his cheeks. There was one impulse to continue sitting there, as if the lack of motion would cause him to pass from anyone's notice.
But that was impossible: he had a white flag draped around him, as was traditional. He blended no better than the latest wher to bond. So he pulled himself together, first in his head, and then he burned his fingers pushing his body off the ground, putting the cane back beneath him and exhaling deeply.
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