The Deep {Noyth & Kalith's Hatching}

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The Deep {Noyth & Kalith's Hatching} Jan 15, 2011 8:10:21 GMT -5

Post by Admin on Jan 15, 2011 8:10:21 GMT -5

There’s a fire starting in my heart,
Reaching a fever pitch, it’s bringing me out the dark,
Finally I can see you crystal clear,
Go head and sell me out and I'll lay your shit bare.

It was the noon of night, the moon high above and the hour of midnight almost upon them. The darkness of spring sat hazy over the Weyr, slithering and slipping into every corner. One could almost see through it without the aid of glows or torch, but in the end, each bit of black won out. Wispy clouds completed the effect, obscuring stars in the sky. On their little island, they were isolated from the rest of the world. Dalibor Weyr stood alone. However, even in such a dark time, however temporary or natural, there is always hope and light to be had. On the sands, there were twenty-nine eggs, two clutches, one large, one small, and the lights in the hatching cavern were never gone. There were always one or two open or lit, lighting the space and filling it with eerie shadows. Kalith, dozing, curled around her large clutch, guarding her eggs from the darkness.

Half awake one moment, half asleep the next, the copper Queen shifted in her sleep. She stretched her already extended wings farther over the clutch, hiding as many of her precious eggs from the view of any who might disturb her. For the most part, that was A'mor, the annoyingly male presence of Noyth's rider. However, that night, she was at peace, aside from her usual shifting. She had not slept soundly for sevendays. With a sigh, she lay on her side, the sand giving against her shoulder. Air, hot and heavy, rushed out of her nose. She breathed bits of dust back through her nostrils and promptly snorted. Though her mind had not yet awoken to realize it, she felt agitated. She couldn't settled. Her mind was fevered, full of whatever dragons dreamed or felt as they slept. Her eyes, beneath two lids, switched from one color to the next, threatening to open.

As her body threatened to thrust her into wakefulness, an egg rocked, out under the fringes of the Queen's great wing. It went back and forth once. Twice. Three times. Then Kalith whipped her wing back, her eyes snapped open, and she fixed her gaze beyond the moving egg. It, one of the smaller representatives of the clutch, continued with its actions, oblivious to its lonely state. Its mother lay frozen for a moment. Then she leaped to her feet, wings extended high above her back. A hum started in her throat, as she had been taught, as she had known since she was born. It was the beginning hum, the first hum, subtle but strong. The others would be slow to rise. She was not, and neither would her rider. She reached out, hunting from the conscious of the woman she had chosen turns ago, finding it easily, wrapped in sleep and the arms of her weyrmate.

The touch of Kalith in her dreams, few and short as they were between days of watch and work, startled Fajra awake, sending her rolling to her feet as if to fight the danger of the Red Star, a danger she had never seen in her life. However, the task in front of her was far more mysterious. A hatching was not beyond her understanding, but it was beyond her science. Despite that, she responded without fear, move automatically. Her clothes for sleeping, simple and practical, were abandoned for a long tunic in pale yellow and nice breeches in plain brown. She gave O'sho a firm tap on the shoulder, knowing he would be awake if Daioroth wasn't far behind, as was normal. Then she slipped silently out, glancing towards Tiroshel's cribs with longing eyes, even though she had to be careful not to wake the sleeping baby. The hum of the hatching grew around her.

There would be no hatching feast that night. There would be none of that until after the lucky weyrlings had their first lesson. The night would only deepen as the eggs cracked. Tipping her head back, the copper let out a raucous roar to wake the sleepy souls, glancing at Noyth to see if the gray would awaken and join in the deep hum that was beginning to thrum from her throat. Fajra joined her then, efficient with her path and step. Her face was closed, eyes most obvious in the dark. She carried a basket of glows, placing it by the wall with the others. The space was still not well lit, but the eggs could be seen. Worrying about the lack of light, the Weyrwoman strode across the sands, the heat burning at her soles through the boots that she wore. Kalith barely look at her, but she was allowed to join the Queen at the back of the cavern, standing near her head.

Their wait, their vigil as Queen and companion, was not long for riders. After all, the hour was not keen for visitors, though some in opportune time zones would be fetched. However, it was not the riders, P'nay and yellow Annith or K'ber and iron Detritath, that were important for that affair. The redhead and her copper were waiting for S'rial and the candidates, waiting for them to shuffle or race into the cavern, one by one and two by two. It would not be organized, but latecomers? Latecomers would not be tolerated, not unless Fajra kept a tight hold on Kalith, and certainly not unless all of the dragonets decided to be completely kind and intelligent. Fajra stood still as a statue, her eyes not betraying that, amongst the candidates, she waited for her sister. Kalith never stayed still. Even with a welcoming hum in her throat, she managed to bare her teeth.

Baby I have no story to be told,
But I’ve heard one of you,
And I’m gonna make your head burn,
Think of me in the depths of your despair.

Last Edit: Sept 25, 2012 23:57:52 GMT -5 by Cathaline

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The Deep {Noyth & Kalith's Hatching} Jan 15, 2011 9:14:03 GMT -5

Post by rai on Jan 15, 2011 9:14:03 GMT -5

There was this stupid noise. She was having a perfectly good sleep. One of those dreamless ones, where you were probably having a really awesome dream but only you couldn't remember a thing. Then that stupid noise started. At first it was hard to tell if she was merely still asleep and it was part of the non-existent dream that existed; or if it was something else. She mumbled something. It might have not even been actual words, but it was sounds. Irate-able sounds. She tried to ignore it but it only got louder. Finally, infuriated at whatever thing or person was making the noise, she sat up and snarled, whipping her pillow at the other girl in the room.

But upon a moment's further notice, she realized that the sound? Was not coming from her unlucky room mate. She got up out of bed, pushing the blankets aside, and stuck her head out of the room. Oh no sharding way! That noise was the firelizards! And there were louder ones once she began to run down the corridor towards the changing room with the white robes in them. Why by the first egg did they have to pick now of all times to hatch! She grumbled as she entered the changing room to see other girls quickly putting on the rather unattractive robes. Did they really have to wear these? What was the point of it? They were stupid and not at all something she would want to be seen in, not even dead!

But she had to put on the dreaded thing. Or else they might not let her go onto the sands. Stupid traditions. Stupid robe. She abandoned her nightshirt, tossing it to the corner of the room. She'd come back for that later, if none of these nitwits swiped it. It didn't occur to her to think of the fact that no one would want to swipe something so trivial as her night shirt. Maybe some of them were homosexual perverts who were into stealing other girl's night things, though. You really never knew, with this lot. She had caught a couple eying her and had shot them a rude glare and then ignored them. They might as well look, because they would never be able to touch!

The robe was on and she didn't want to look in the mirror, though she ran a brush through her hair and rinsed out her mouth. Morning breath--or night breath, in this case--was not something she wanted on her first time standing. If she Impressed she'd have to deal with people. If she didn't she was going straight back to bed because who in Faranth's name would want to be up at this un-dragonly hour? She stifled a yawn and headed as quickly as she could for the sands, trying all the harder to ignore the ugly white robe. She might have been able to make just about anything look good but stupid robe was stupid.

She stepped onto the hot sands and muttered a string of curses darkly. First she had been woken up and now she had to deal with this? She tried to walk as gracefully as she could manage across the sands. She was supposed to give the copper and gray a formal bow or something. That much she could remember. So even though it meant walking even further out onto the hot sands she got up close enough to be obvious and then gave a sort of awkward and quick bow. She didn't do bowing, it was totally subservient plus didn't girls do that little bendy-knee thing? She might have tried for that too but instead she just nodded as politely as she could manage and then, wincing, walked to a spot on the sands that was closer up front and in plain view of the eggs.

There was the gold egg. Responsibility incarnate. She wondered if she would rather have the power to control everyone else's dragons or not have it because you were under twenty four hour surveillance if you did. She couldn't make up her mind, but decided it would be no great loss if she got something else. Nothing else would blow but it happened all the time. Since they had to share rooms even in Weyrling barracks--as she had discovered when she'd gone to Tieler's room--she wasn't going to get her panties in a wad over that, anyhow. Tieler had totally lucked out and gotten a room of her own. Go figure shorty would. Blackie and her were pretty sharding awesomeness though. She wasn't nervous at all when she heard the dragons humming. Wasn't nervous when she'd walked in. But now she was really waking up.

The things the Candidatemaster had said? All running through her head now. The mauling part made her totally uncomfortable. The idea of having some over-sized firelizard trample her and leave marks on her really didn't sit well with her at all. She planned to be the first out of the way if one of them looked all crazy and coming too close. No way in Pern was she letting someone else's little bundle of egg gooey joy walk all over her. She stood there listening to the humming and watching more candidates file in. There was no way they'd all walk out of there with a dragon. That sucked but she'd accepted it from the second she had gotten there. Still if she didn't Impress she was going to the kitchens to grab some pastries to console herself and find some other poor sap to mourn her failure with.

xXx

He hadn't been asleep when it started. Staring up at the ceiling like he did so many nights when sleep failed to find him, Tival was beginning to doze off when he heard the first telltale signs of the beginning of the hatching. A faint humming. That was all it was at first. The candidate had good ears, though. He knew nothing hummed like that save firelizards or dragons. They definitely didn't hum like that at this time of night for any other reason, either. The hatching had decided to start in the middle of the night.

He sat up and stretched his arms up and over his head, before glancing over at the empty bed beside him. He didn't have a room mate. One of the few who didn't. Most thought he was lucky but he wouldn't have minded the company. It might have been nice on those more sleepless nights. Still, the hatching was starting. He didn't bother with a shirt but did check himself in the mirror briefly. He hadn't slept so no need to bother with hair or teeth, though he did splash fresh, cool water on his face before snatching up a robe and donning it. It was almost a little snug on him. At his height it was no surprise, either. He didn't find it too tight though, at all. It was just more form fitting on him than it would have been on most of the others. No time to think about such trivial things now, though. He might not be coming back to these barracks after tonight. An excited grin flashed across his face. He had his first shot at a dragon tonight!

He walked quickly and even more so with his long strides to the hatching sands. He hardly noticed the heat, only registering it mildly somewhere in the back of his mind. He figured he'd be one of the first. He had thrown on the robe and come here straight away. Procedure first, though. Walking up to where Kalith was he gave a rather elegant bow, offering a quick smile to Fajra, then A'mor; the he said courteously, "Weyrwoman, Queen Kalith. A'mor, Noyth." and then standing and backing away to find a spot on the sands. He didn't want to be unable to see everything going on. But he was pretty tall and didn't think there was much chance of that happening. So he stood relatively near the front and yet not precisely up ront, either. He grinned at another boy who arrived looking nervous, and then the waiting game began.

xXx

Alyssa heard a noise. Light sleeper that she was, she slowly sat up and looked in the direction of her room mate's bed, curious. Only to be suddenly hit in the face full on with a pillow. She gave a little 'omfph!' as she was hit, looking in surprise at the tall red haired girl leaving the room. Where was she going? She groggily stood up, blinking in the very dim light of a lowered glow. She walked slowly to the door, and that's when she registered it. There was a humming, and girls were coming out of their rooms and rushing towards where the robes were kept. Her eyes widened as she abandoned the shared room and followed them.

She was only half awake as she groggily struggled to put on the robe, mumbling something unintelligible as she finally got head and arms through the appropriate holes. She shook her head lightly, trying to clear it as she tied her hair back loosely in a runner tail. It wasn't really messy at all. She hardly moved an inch when sleeping unless she woke up to roll over and get more comfortable. She anxiously looked towards the wash basins and then quickly washed her face and took care of her teeth. She might not have to look perfect but she didn't want to offend anyone with bad breath and she needed something to help her shake of the grogginess. Klah would have done the trick but there was no time, and none here. She had to content herself to simply do what she had done, and then follow out the doors towards the sands.

It felt surreal, like a waking dream. She was there and yet absentminded and sleepy. She nearly tripped a couple of times over the hem of the robe and took greater care not to do so as she picked up her pace. She would feel silly running even if a couple of the more excitable girls did. So she instead walked as quickly as possible, giving a little sort of forwards hop skip when she tried to go faster and yet not run all at once. She made it there and was satisfied to see she was early enough that the sands were not with very many people yet. Only then did she feel the reality of it. Standing on the sands, looking at the Queen Kalith over her clutch of eggs. She was the most prominent figure there, yet there was another dragon. A Gray whom she'd been told was called Noyth. So many of them, those eggs, and yet even more candidates. She needed to close her eyes and take several deep breaths to steady herself as she walked towards Fajra and her copper queen. Noyth, the gray, was there too with his rider. She stood before them, completely in awe at seeing things from such a close perspective. Only it wouldn't do to stay and stare. So she did not, but did as graceful of a curtsy as she could manage for the pairs, and then with lowered eyes said softly--though loudly enough to be heard, "it is an honor to stand for your clutch, Fajra and Copper Kalith. As well as yours, A'mor, Grey Noyth. Thank you for permitting me to have a chance of Impressing." She felt her heart beating in her chest. Was she really becoming so nervous? She wasn't sure why. She had been completely prepared for this. Yet it was daunting to actually be here. She didn't want to dawdle and moved away, picking a place where she was comfortably not the center of attention but close enough to see everything that happened. Front middle, was about right.

xXx

Ceian heard people moving in the adjacent rooms. This woke him up far before he actually heard the other noise. He heard it, and his stomach started to do flip flops. His breathing quickened, and his nerves suddenly failed him. The hatching. It was happening. It was happening now. In the middle of the night. This was it. He had tried to prepare himself for this moment for days. Yet suddenly he felt ill, and his palms began to sweat. He needed to breathe. This was his hatching, yes. He might or might not Impress. Things would be all right he just needed to get changed, and head for the hatching sands with all limbs and head attached. He took a deep breath and then blew the air out too quickly. He was still standing there. He hadn't even moved forward by a foot.

He knew he had to go, and he wanted to go. He reminded himself that he wanted this. This might be his future, there in those sands today. Was that where the nervousness came from? The finality of what it would mean if he Impressed today? Was he ready for this? He didn't have much of a choice. He had to be, because it was going to happen with or without him there. That thought sobered him a little, and he finally made his way towards the robes and forced himself to change, and to simply go through the motions. He could totally do this. He could. The others were all doing it and he would too.

He was nearly pushed along by two candidates behind him and this forced him to go faster than he intended. Everything was just happening so quickly! Too quickly? No, this is what it was supposed to be like. The Candidatemaster had said. Then this was normal. And this was not too fast, it was just right. He kept telling himself these things, even as he nearly tripped a hundred times on the way to the sands. Even as he stumbled and even banged into corners and walls a few times. Shouts to watch where he was going and to hurry up and get moving went into deaf ears. He could only concentrate on telling himself that this was happening and he was going to go along with it.

Finally he was there at the entrance to the sands and suddenly feeling a little light headed. The huge copper dragon was sitting there over all the eggs, a little overshadowing to the much smaller gray. He was supposed to just walk on up there and pay his respects. Not too hard, was it? Still he found himself holding back, fists clenched until his knuckles turned white. He watched a couple of people do it, before bolstering up his courage, fists still clenched, and walking up himself. Only things never went as planned. The robes were just a little too big. He hadn't been paying attention in his nervousness and probably had grabbed a too big size. He was nearly in front of the Weyrwoman and her Queen. And then the inevitable happened.

He was almost right where he wanted to be, and his foot caught on the robe, sending him flying forwards face first into the sand. Right at Fajra's feet. He was so surprised he took a moment to realize that he was suddenly on the sand, and shards but it was hot! He quickly fumbled his way to his feet, crimson coloring his cheeks and wishing he had not gotten out of his bed. How many people had seen him? The Weyrwoman...this was his first time meeting her and he was standing for her clutch. And he had successfully embarrassed himself in front of her, her copper, and probably whomever had seen that. He thought he heard a few snickers but it could have been in his head. He couldn't even look at Fajra he was blushing so furiously.

"I-I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to do that. It just happens, er, sometimes." He tried very hard to compose himself. Just do what he came here to do, and then he could just go hide behind one of the taller boys who had not made a fool out of themselves.

"W-well, I'm honored to be standing for your flutch--uh-erm--clutch! Honored to be standing for your clutch, Weyrwoman and Queen Kalith," he stood there mutely for a moment and then glanced up quickly, hoping she was not upset with him for making such an idiot of himself, and added more quietly, "sorry again..." He quickly backed away from the pair, nearly tripping over the robe not once but twice as he moved to face the gray dragon and her rider, whose names he very nearly almost forgot in his nervousness. I'm very honored to be standing for your clutch as well, A'mor and gray Noyth!". It was said very quickly, as he now quickly moved to the back end of where the candidates were to stand, nearly behind but off to the side of a taller boy with black hair. Only he would make a complete klutz of himself in front of the Weyrleading pair on his own first hatching day! Would any dragon want to Impress someone so clumsy? He wasn't always clumsy. Only in front of girls, or in situations involving lots of people--or in situations like this. Important ones, usually. He found himself clutching the edges of the sleeves now, trying just to concentrate on the sand at his feet until the eggs began to hatch. Great way to make an impression. No pun intended.

xXx

She was dreaming of the hatching, yet again. It was hard not to, when it was pretty much all she could think about with her every waking moment! She was on the warm sands, in her robes. There were candidates all around her and she was so excited and happy to be there! Everyone was Impressing and then the egg cracked that she knew would hold her dragon, and maybe this time she would finally see what it was, and--

"Tay get up! It's time!"

Her room mate shook her lightly but hard enough to be sure she was up before running out the door. Tay sat up like an arrow out of a bow, and immediately was running to get changed, wishing she had finally not woken up so she could see what her dragon in the dream was. She always got to that part, and never got to see. If she did, it was colorless and completely unidentifiable. She felt that trundlebug in stomach feeling again. Only it was way worse than ever. She didn't know if she liked it or hated it, that feeling, but she didn't want to even focus on that right now. She grabbed a robe and shoved it on so fast that she didn't even realize it was way too big until it hit the floor. She said a word that she normally would not use, and then took it off and quickly put on another. There! This one was the right size. Then she took off running as fast as her legs would carry her. She didn't care that she had to swerve to avoid running into people. The hatching was here!

Her face was pure elation as she ran, not stopping, until she reached the sands. She stood there catching her breath a moment and looking at everything from the entrance. This was so exciting she could hardly believe it was happening to her! This was possibly the most amazing day of her life ever. Maybe the day she had been searched was close but this was the first hatching she would be on the sands and not in the stands. Her heart was pounding in exhilaration, refusing to slow and merely accelerating, slowing only slightly, and then picking up again. This wasn't a dream. She knew it was real, and she walked almost in a glorified daze towards Kalith and the Weyrwoman Fajra. The gray with the couple of eggs called Noyth was there too. She hoped that Noyth knew to be as proud of her clutch as Kalith was! Just because it was very small, only a couple of eggs, did not mean she should not be! She almost forgot what she had been told to say. She had practiced it so many times, she mustn't forget! She had on the huge grin still when she got to where the Weyrwoman and Queen were, and try as she might to school her features she could not keep from at least smiling as she recited the practiced lines, concentrating as hard as she could. She was so excited that it was so hard to do!

"Weyrwoman Fajra and Queen Kalith and A'mor and gray Noyth," she began, feeling as though she might mess up the words at any moment, "Candidate Taylire from Dalibor Weyr is honored to stand for your clutch." There, she had said it! And she had not even messed up at all! She was beaming and turned to walk away and then gave a little gasp as she whirled back around, and then made a very big bow from the waist down, hair flopping down as she stayed that way and counted to three and stood up. It was three, right? Was that too long? Or too short? She smiled a little nervously then, and said quickly, "Thank you!" and then nearly ran to the middle of the sands before deciding to move a bit closer. She wasn't very tall compared to most of these candidates. She actually wanted to see and what if her dragon were here and couldn't see her? That would be a disaster! She felt really small compared to the others. But if her dragon was here? It wouldn't think her small. It would think she was just right, and she knew she would think the exact same thing of him or her! Grinning again despite the trundlebugs hopping in her tummy, she waited anxiously, nearly hopping from one foot to the next. Would they start hatching soon, she wondered?

Last Edit: Jan 15, 2011 15:21:43 GMT -5 by rai

Birdy
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The Deep {Noyth & Kalith's Hatching} Jan 15, 2011 10:01:38 GMT -5

Post by Birdy on Jan 15, 2011 10:01:38 GMT -5

[/color] Tomarth's head was peering down at his rider, who had fallen asleep curled up next to him. A deep hum was coming from somewhere in his throat and frankly he was surprised that it hadn't woken her sooner.

Wanting desperately to wake his, the blue nudged His probably with a bit more force than necessary. The girl's eyes flew open and she rolled over, off the stone bench, clutching her stomach. She let a squeak as she fell to the stone floor and looked a bit dazed as she was met with two pairs of whirling eyes, Ladny was now perched on Tomarth's head.

Shards Tomarth y'knocked the wind outta me- wait did you say hatching? Paralee perked up then quickly got to her feet, wiping off any dust that might have gotten on her before dashing into the bathroom.

She emerged a few minutes later looking quite…interesting. She had traded her sleeping clothes for a scarf that only covered her chest, tied like a tube top but not sheer enough to show anything, leaving her stomach bare but kept her comfy sleeping pants on. On her stomach in bronze paint that look suspiciously like the stuff she'd used to paint Tomarth so long ago was a large 'P' with matching smaller ones on her cheeks. Under her arm was a folded up sheet in one arm and a paint bucket in the other. She grinned broadly at Tomarth, grabbing the paint brush and painting a matching P on his chest and forehead. Now they were ready!

The blue, not quite sure what was going on , ferried his rider to the hatching. He landed on the ledge above the Sands, as Paralee had insisted on staying with him this hatching and His hopped of and began unfolding the sheet, hanging it from the ledge in a way that is was held up by Tomarth's weight. 'Pick Pan' it proclaimed in boldly painted bronze letters along with a little, badly drawn, doodle of a hatching in blue paint. Paralee sat in front of Tomarth, crosslegged and waiting eagerly for the hatching to start.

Avna was awakened by a quartet of humming greens who had perched on the head of her bed, and were staring down intently at her. Immediately Avna scowled at them "You four had best have a good reason for waking me up like this so close to a hatching. It is very important to be well rested and to have a clear mind and-" she stopped realizing her mistake and with no apology got up and ran a brush through her hair. Once she was positive that every hair was in place she took off her sleeping clothes and folded them neatly on her bed, grabbing the crisp white robe from the hook and carefully putting it on. She tied it tightly, not wanting it falling off because that would be embarassing, and looked in the mirror. Staring back at her was a scene she'd seen four times before .Hopefully this one would be her last.

With a last glance in the mirror, Avna turned on her heel. "Nyetatis, Samsereniss, Daresschary, Peradimnal, you are free to attend the hatching as long as you promise not to bother me or anyone else for that matter, off with you!" The brunette watched as the four took flight and popped between with approval before heading out the door.

The walk to the Sands was a lonely one but every fiber of her body hoped she wouldn't be returning to the candidate barracks except to pack up her things. Her main goal was to become a rider like her mother, to have that ever present companion. She didn't care about rank or color, even a black would be better than none though secretly she had her hope set higher. Feeling her face falling, Avna quickly returned her expression to one of confidence as she entered the Sands. It wasn't as well lit as the other hatching had been, partly because it was night, but she didn't let this bother her. Facing the Queen and the gray, she would not favor the queens clutch for all dragon were good dragons, and bowed low and respectfully not worrying for a moment that the protective mothers might lash out at her then took her place on the girls side of the Sands. She eyed the Queen egg curiously before giving each of the other eggs a good long look. Inside one of them…hopefully.

Fifth time's the charm.

[/size][/ul]

Last Edit: Jan 15, 2011 10:53:58 GMT -5 by Birdy

Reky
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The Deep {Noyth & Kalith's Hatching} Jan 15, 2011 11:41:26 GMT -5

Post by Reky on Jan 15, 2011 11:41:26 GMT -5

Emrin was a victim of every young child's bedtime habits. He was eleven now, which was drawing out some tiny forms of rebellion which included secretly staying up late and playing with Mitzi, Merps and Rats when he should be working, but for the most part his sleep schedule was still rigid. He went to bed an hour or two after sunset, and woke shortly after dawn. He figured he could be way more useful if he slept less, though. He could play more, and work more and think more, but X'ni was always telling him to sleep. "You need lots of it, or else you won't grow any more. Do you want to be scrawny forever? Of course you don't. You'll go nowhere in life. Sleep!" He was sure he'd keep growing even if he didn't sleep, despite X'ni's ideas. X'ni wasn't even around to make sure he was sleeping now that he slept in the candidate barracks. If he still ate, he'd still grow, right? Food was what made you grow, anyways. It had nutrition and stuff. Sleep just made you un-tired.

Predictably, he was asleep. If he were older, it probably would have been quite unattractive, with his limbs sprawled out, mouth hanging open, and a dribble of drool on his pillow, but he still very much looked like a kid. He had yet to get into the intense parts of puberty. Pudgy cheeks, thin shoulders and clear skin were all still his. He was pretty happy about that, too. X'ni was always telling him how he'd start getting spots on his face and he'd be out of his mind and do crazy things and start liking girls a lot. He didn't really want that. As far as he was concerned, being a teenager meant a stretch of years where he wouldn't remember anything, because he went so crazy and he didn't have his same mind. Who'd want that?

So he was content to be a kid, and sleep and be cute at the same time. He was sleeping soundly, and Kalith's initial humming went unnoticed by him. He just snoozed on, up until the roar, at which time he woke with a start, panting, and looked wildly around the room. Rats, sensing his distress, stood right up in bed and bark, stepping all over Emrin's legs, shoving his nose in the boy's face. He heard faint splooshes as Mitzi and Merps moved around in their buckets of water. (He usually let them be in the lake during the day, but at night he liked them close, because they were so awesome. He also didn't want them to get eaten by scary night fish.)

"Rats! What's going on?! What's that roar mean?" Emrin spluttered, reaching for Rats' ears to rub them. Rats simply stared into Emrin's dinnerplate eyes. Emrin listened more. Mitzi and Merps were ma-ing and merp-ing, but there was also something else... Humming! "Oh my shells, Rats! Humming! Dragons humming! Do you have any idea what that means, Rats? Oh, Faranth! Oh, Faranth, Rats!" He scrambled off the bed, pushing Rats away, and dug through his pile of clothes in the corner for his white robes. He wiggled out of his sleepclothes and into the robes and sandals, hopping awkwardly around the room to get the latter on.

He looked at Rats, heart going a mile an hour, nervous as all the Red Star. "Okay, Rats. Watch Mitzi and Merps. Don't eat them!" And he ran.

He ran so hard down that hallway to the Hatching Sands that he was almost out of breath by the time he got there. Panting at the end, standing on the hot sands where he hoped he should, beside Ceian and Tival, he felt really wimpy. Why had that run made him pant so hard? Did dragon like wimps? Did they like really skinny eleven-Turn-olds? His legs looked like sticks poking out of the stupid robes. He also really short. He snapped himself out of it. Why was he worrying so much? He bet dragons hated worriers the most! So he puffed up his chest, grinned at Kalith and Noyth, and bowed deeply. That's right. He was so much of a not-wimp that he was smiling and bowing properly even though he was nervous. Really really nervous.

He hoped F'lan and X'ni would come and see him. He was going to get a dragon! He knew they wanted that. He didn't really care about X'ni, but he wanted to impress F'lan. After all, he did love F'lan. He was the best dad ever.

[/blockquote]

4horseshowgirl4
Guest

The Deep {Noyth & Kalith's Hatching} Jan 15, 2011 11:59:03 GMT -5

Post by 4horseshowgirl4 on Jan 15, 2011 11:59:03 GMT -5

Abalan was sleeping easily and peacefully on the cot despite the loud snoring of his roommate. The sleeping arrangements were startlingly like those of the Healer apprentices, and Faranth knew that Abalan had spent enough time as one of those. It would have been impossible for him to forget how to be comfortable on a little, skimpy cot and to tune out the sound of restless or noisy roommates. And so soundly he slept, lying on his back straight as a board underneath the blankets, feet slightly sticking out over the edge of the bed and covered in ludicrously fuzzy socks.

The roommate must have been an experienced Candidate because he was up like a shot when the first strains of the humming began. Abalan was not so attuned to the sound (he had never heard it before, though he'd been told it would be important) and slept right through it. However, he was also used to the sound of many people talking and yelling and bustling about getting ready as a sound of get up right now, it's time to go!, and despite the late hour, Abalan's eyes snapped open.

The roommate was already halfway out the door, wearing that white robe. It took a few seconds for Abalan to shake the cobwebs out of his mind and figure out what was going on. The realization dawned on him with all the subtlety of a dragon landing on him.

It was Hatching time!

The nineteen-turn-old leaped out of bed, stripped, and pulled on the white robe within thirty seconds, and had his long hair tied up and fuzzy socks replaced with sandals in another thirty. He wasted no time on trying to make himself look good or even particularly neat; somehow, he didn't think that the dragonets would care too much. So, despite waking up rather late, he was among the first group... no, horde, nah... the best word was probably stampede. Abalan moved carefully, as he always did, so as not to step on anyone's toes or trip over the hem of his robe, but he moved quickly, too, because despite his arrogance and seriousness, despite the fact that he worked quite hard to be calm and wise and all else that a master was supposed to be, Abalan was quite a light-hearted person, easily enthused, and despite himself, he was extremely excited for his first Hatching.

They entered the Hatching Sands, and its formidable, intimidating effect was not lost on Abalan. However, he was struck even more by Kalith's presence. An outright dragon newbie and a resident at Dalibor for barely a week now, Abalan had never seen such a large dragon before, not this close. He'd never been anything close to a Queen. He'd seen one of the Golds from a distance, flying off somewhere, but this was different. He was properly impressed. It was with great care that he approached her, stepping towards the Copper as delicately as if the Sands were littered with eggshells.

He bowed deeply and reverently, then backed away, not with haste, but with a certain eager quickness. However, he could not line up with the few other boys yet. He approached the second clutchmother, Gray Noyth, with as much care as he'd approached Kalith. Again, he bowed deeply, and had his beard been as long as his hair, it would have touched the ground. He couldn't forget about her, though he'd noticed several Candidates who had. They were standing for the dragonet in the egg that she'd mothered and cared for so closely over the past several sevendays too, right? He had definitely remembered one of the other Candidates telling him that the two dragonesses had clutched at very near the same time.

The formalities out of the way, Abalan went stand with the few other boys, an undoubted spring in his step. He was happy to be so tall, as it was easy for him to see the eggs. One of them was definitely wriggling. This was Abalan's first-ever-time-Standing but also his first-ever-time-watching-a-Hatching, and he didn't want to miss anything. He did have to admit, the Candidates got the best spots in the house to see the action, aside from the clutchparents of course!

Abalan had been so busy trying to catch up to the Candidates who'd been here for Turns or stood before, knowledge-wise, that he'd hardly thought about the actual Hatching, what it could mean to him. Did he expect to Impress? Well... yes, he did. Indeed, he had taken the warnings of 'you'll Impress when the dragonet just for you has been shelled' seriously, but he had been Searched for a reason, and he was certainly not worried about his ability to appeal to one out of almost thirty dragonets. He was self-confident to the point of being arrogant. However, he was also smart enough to hopefully avoid mauling, but they'd see how that went! He certainly wasn't planning on trying to make any hatchlings Impress to him, or parading around like he thought he was all that. No, no. He would enjoy the Hatching and watch all the dragonets-- watch, not try to Impress-- and if one did decide to approach him? That would be a very happy surprise.

But for now, all he could do was be excited and cheerful and wait for the spectacle to begin.

[/font]

purnip
Guest

The Deep {Noyth & Kalith's Hatching} Jan 15, 2011 12:51:12 GMT -5

Post by purnip on Jan 15, 2011 12:51:12 GMT -5

Even the most pleasant dreams couldn't keep Pananarie locked in her sleep, once a roar resounded through the halls from the massive Copper on the Sands. She stirred quietly, as if she were about to simply turn over and try to chase those dreams once more. She was already a dragonrider. She was riding a great big Blue, which was rather impossible in dragon logistics, but his size even rivaled Kalith's. Yet a groan escaped from her, as well as a long, cat-like stretch. Artemis, who was sleeping soundly at her feet as if nothing was getting to her, only wiggled towards the corner o the bed to remain at peace. The kitten was growing rapidly these days. She was nearly the size of an adult, and she needed plenty of rest to grow healthy and strong.

Pan sat in her bed, picking her ear with her pinky because a few stray hairs were tickling it. There was a very odd sound in the air that she couldn't identify, sailing through the air like an eerie alarm. Realization dawned on her all at once that it had to have been that humming S'rial told them about, though it was unlike any humming Pananarie ever heard. She even tried to hum back just to make sure she wasn't losing her wits, and it sounded nothing alike the dragon's. Rubbing her eyes and cleaning them out to look her best, she only wondered what time it was briefly, because it didn't matter if it was morning, noon, or midnight. The babies were hatching now. The excitement took time to course through her system, late as it was after an exhausting day of chores and kitty chasing, but once babies were crowding her thoughts, she was on her feet and stretching one last time before she got to business.

She started humming an old lullaby to herself, which her mother used to sing to her and Lomira when they were really little. Their mother claimed to sing that lullaby all the time when she was pregnant with them, and Lomira was able to vouch for her, remembering their mother doing so when she was pregnant with the younger Pananarie. It was actually a sad song, as many lullabies happened to be about. It's about a little girl who doesn't listen to her mother's warnings and wanders into the woods one day, getting lost and being lead to the afterlife by a white runnerbeast with dragon's wings who tells her 'Love, no matter what you've done, you'll be forgiven by those who stay behind.' But the tune was so beautiful, despite the tale, that the girls never had nightmares about being lost in the woods or dying of starvation. It brought peace to their hearts and sleep to their eyes.

Her robes were easy to find, because she kept them somewhere special for this special night. They were neatly folded, so they wouldn't have a single nasty wrinkle on the surface. She changed the clothes she wore underneath to be as fresh as possible, because babies had to be handled in clean environments, by clean people no less. It didn't take her long, because ever trained by runnerbeast birthings, she knew time of of the essence. Pan was ready to go, hair brushed and sandals secure, before she left her room and shut the door, in case Arty woke up and tried to follow her. She loved that cat more than anything right now, like the daughter she never had. If something befell her on the Sands, a miracle would be shadowed by tragedy and disaster. Such events should never be present among one another.

The Candidates were filling into the halls, every last one of them. It looked like no one would be tardy tonight. Pan didn't look upon them with the same competitive glare that others cast her way, simply for being another Candidate to contend against Impression-wise. She smiled at them all, saying, "Good luck out there! This is an extra special night, and I wouldn't want to share it without you!" In fact, she didn't want anyone to miss out on it, so she took it upon herself to start checking the rooms as quick as a wink to make sure no one would sleep through it. Pan didn't waste a lot of time on this, but she gave every door she passed a sharp set of knocks before moving to the next. She couldn't do the same for the boy's hall, unfortunately, but she had faith in them all. They wouldn't have been chosen if they couldn't rise to the call.

They might have all hated her for her intense energy that night, but Pan couldn't help it. She was wide-awake now and she wanted to make sure everyone was just as excited as she was. Once they were out of the Barracks, she was able to focus ahead, remembering all the procedures of etiquette their Candidatemaster reviewed with them. Don't be late, wear your robes, bow to the clutching dragons, and take your place among the group of your gender. Pananarie had nothing wrong with any of those rules. She migrated somewhere at the head of the cluster, anxious to get there and see all the eggs in full splendor. She got a peek once, but hardly saw a thing. Kalith and Noyth were upon them like hens. Pan wasn't about to ask them to let her see when she wasn't even supposed to be there in the first place.

The entrance to the Sands should have been on tapestries. Inside the light glowed before them in a perfectly staged fashion. People were taking to the stands to watch, and there sat Kalith by her clutch like a regal lion, majestic and proud. Pan did see this royal beast once before, but she was at her top form now, and she had to have been nearly as tall as the cavern itself. Pananarie couldn't help but remember the first question she ever asked a dragonrider when she saw the Copper in all her glory. Are they all this big?, in reference to his elegant Blue. Bigger. Bigger indeed. She couldn't imagine anyone riding something that huge, but it probably didn't matter to the Weyrwoman at all. A dragon was more than a precious commodity. It was a friend for life, in every meaning of those words.

As she approached, she noticed just where it was the other Candidates before her were bowing. Once she reached that spot, she turned to both dragons and bowed deeply, just deep enough to keep steady on her feet. "I'm real honored to be here, before you and your beautiful children," she said, meaning it by and by. Even their shells seemed as if painted by the heart of Pern itself. She rose slowly, smiling up at them, before she continued towards her proper group.

But it was then, as her gaze wandered from the female cluster of Candidates to the stands, that she saw something most endearing. High upon the stands, on the ledge where other dragonriders and their dragons would watch, Paralee and Tomarth were holding up that very sign they promised to! And what's more, they even had 'P's painted on their chests! Pananarie gave a laugh and waved to the Bluerider vigorously, blowing her a kiss as well. She really hoped she wouldn't have to leave Dalibor if she didn't Impress tonight, because if so she'd lose a great friend. Since Pan couldn't really draw well herself, she actually appreciated Paralee's effort to draw a hatchling on the banner. It looked absolutely perfect to her. She wished she could give the Bluerider a great, big hug for this, but she'd have to wait until the Hatching was over. Pan sighed, feeling honored to have a such a supporter on the stands, and continued towards her group to take her place. She was blushing a bit, partly because Paralee really went all out for everyone to see, but also because no one had ever done something like that for her before.

They were stationed closer to the metallic egg, which was due to the fact that only females could Impress to the dragonet within. There were so many other eggs however that were just as impressive as the one that everyone seemed to care for most. The colors were staggering, and even the smallest eggs looked tremendous compared to the eggs Pan has seen throughout her life. None from other dragons, surely enough. She stared at Noyth's clutch of two the most however, just because there was more to see when those lonely two were together than there was in a clutch that Pan couldn't even see the entirety of without turning her head. They were all precious, whatever the child inside, and if it were possible she would have loved to adopt them all. It was a bit of a shame a person could only Impress one dragon. The young were so precious, and she could hardly wait to meet them. No one said she couldn't become really close to her peers so she can get to know their dragons like little cousins, and maybe even take care of them too. They needed to be oiled a lot, right? Pananarie was willing to help everyone pamper their dragons when this was through. But she surely would have the largest piece of her heart reserved for the one that truly belonged with her.

Last Edit: Jan 15, 2011 14:08:54 GMT -5 by rai

kitsufox
Guest

The Deep {Noyth & Kalith's Hatching} Jan 15, 2011 12:51:48 GMT -5

Post by kitsufox on Jan 15, 2011 12:51:48 GMT -5

Lorryn rolled over, trying to ignore the irritating hum that had distrubed his sleep, and hauled the furs over his head. Then the fuss in the hallway started, voices and moving feet and farther away a dragon roaring and he was sitting up in bed. It took several moments for his sleep-addled brain to come to terms with what was happening.

Hatching. The eggs were hatching.

He was still half asleep and running almost completely on autopilot as he threw back the furs and swung his legs out of the cot. His breeches where drawn on easily by pure luck and nothing else. Once they were up and fastened around his hip he joined the rest in throwing on the white candidate's robe that fit reasonably well and heading towards the hatching ground. His hair was in disarray and he paid no mind to it. He paid no mind to any part of his appearance and made no attempt to change anything about it. He just wasn't awake enough to care, he hadn't even greeted his roommate or paid any attention to him.

When he entered the hatching ground the heat of the sand drove him further into wakefulness. For the first time since he'd been woken by the all-encompassing dragon-hum he was reasonablly alert. The situation's awesomeness struck him at last as he watched the other candidates greet the queens and spread out on the sands. The gleaming copper queen was shockingly large in the darkness. The gray was less intimidating, in his opinion, but no less a dragon and worthy of reverence. Lorryn took a deep, somewhat shaky breath and crossed the sands. He tried to hide the tremors in his hands as he bowed to Kaylith. He did the same for Noyth, making sure to honor both equally. If he offended either he was pretty sure they had the ability to ensure he was ejected from the hatching. Lorryn was almost certain that no one would begrudge a broody queen anything she wanted.

Then his attention went to the spread of eggs. Excitement rose as he watched those that had started rocking. They really were beautiful things, and he couldn't wait for them to crack. He couldn't help but hope one of the tiny dragons within would find him acceptable. He didn't care about color, about anything. He'd dreamed of soaring on dragonback since he was a kid, and he'd only had his desire to soar strengthened when he'd been taken from Eastern Hold to stand here. He could only hope that one of the dragonets liked him, thought him worthy. "A dragon always knows", Carradog had said. He hoped that one wanted to know him.

nagini
Guest

The Deep {Noyth & Kalith's Hatching} Jan 15, 2011 14:37:08 GMT -5

Post by nagini on Jan 15, 2011 14:37:08 GMT -5

Naima was having an odd but very interesting dream. She was in some sort of hall and there was a constant humming in it. A huge swath of fabric hung from what she assumed was the ceiling, and she could only assume that it was the ceiling because she couldn’t see the length of fabric to a certain point. After that, it was too dark to see anything.

Naima grabbed the fabric. The cloth’s softness surprised her. It was like silk, but it had some stretch to it and Naima could grip it very easily. There was a pattern on it reminiscent of scales and it made Naima think of a tunnel snake she’d once seen. She began to climb the silk and then she kept at it, fascinated with how the silk’s color changed the higher she got.

It had started out as red and Naima got to the point where it began to turn a light green when a sound interrupted her progress. It was a loud chirp. It sounded familiar, but Naima’s mind was still too sleepy to place it. Shortly after the chirp, she heard the sound of wings flapping and she felt air hit her face. Then there were trills and something bumped against her forehead, and when Naima still didn’t come out of her dream, she got hit across the cheek. That did it.

"Ah!" gasped Naima. She awoke instantly from a mix of shock and pain and when she opened her eyes, she was greeted with the pink face of her newly-acquired flitter. Ellebee’s eyes were going from light blue to light green and she trilled like mad, moving quickly about the bed and Naima’s body.

"What?" Naima asked, her mind still in a fog. She felt her cheek and was about to see if it was bleeding when a loud roar hit her ears and a wave of anxious excitement crashed into the rest of her. "Oh, shards!" Naima hissed.

She got up as fast as she could and, ignoring her blood rush-induced dizziness, threw off her sleepwear and put on her white robe and sandals. She left her clothes scrunched up on her bed. She’d deal with them later. The hatching was more important.

Naima combed through her hair with her hands as she quit the room and made for the Hatching Sands. She felt Ellebee’s claws dig lightly into her back and shoulders as she went, but Naima didn’t bother to remove the flitter until she actually got close to the Sands.

"If you’re gonna stay here, you have to go sit with everyone else," she told Ellebee quietly. "You can’t stand with me." Ellebee gave a quick chirp and pushed off of Naima’s shoulders to take flight. Naima didn’t even wince when the pink flitter’s claws pierced her skin. She was too focused on the hatching.

The heat of the sand woke up whatever parts of Naima that were still sleeping. She always forgot just how hot it was, just like she always forgot just how big copper dragons were up close. She was more comfortable with Noyth’s size than Kalith’s. Grays weren’t quite as intimidating to her that way.

Naima bowed separately to Kalith and Noyth, but both bows were of equal depth and respect for each dragon. After that was done, she smoothly stepped back and went to stand with the rest of the girls. Her gaze swept over all the eggs. It stopped for a moment on the gold egg, but then went around again to the others. If she Impressed at this Hatching, Naima hoped it wouldn’t be the gold that chose her. It would be an honor, of course, but Naima was sure she was not cut out for such a dragon.

She took a deep breath and settled herself. Whatever happens happens, she thought, and waited for the first eggshell to break.

Kila
Sr. Weyrleader

kilact[M:217]

Let's move to a cloud so we're never under the weather

Posts: 1,574

The Deep {Noyth & Kalith's Hatching} Jan 15, 2011 15:04:04 GMT -5

Post by Kila on Jan 15, 2011 15:04:04 GMT -5

Fajra shifting in his arms roused him just in time to hear his dragon’s voice boom softly in his head. Own, wake up. The eggs hatch; Daidoroth said to O’sho. The phrase was simple enough, but as always the sire’s voice reflected a depth of emotions. The fatherly Bronze was always proud to see his children come into the world. He was perched in his normal spot, just above the enterance to the Hatching Cavern, a loyal gargoyle guarding his Queen and her treasure. He would have been allowed in the cavern if he had ventured in, one of the very very few, but he preferred his guard. As the candidates and the weyrfolk poured in (for because it was this late in the night there would be few spectators from outside of the Weyr) he looked down at them silently from above. His hide was not quite dark enough to blend in with the cliffs, but he was significantly cloacked by the darkness. Those entering the Cavern could not avoid the glowing eyes of the watchful King, but even if his presence was obscured by the darkness this night, his constant presence there since Kalith’s clutching left nothing to the imagination.

O’sho loosened his arms as the Weyrwoman slipped out of them, changing with rehearsed speed and skill. He kept his eye closed a moment longer, listening to the rising sound of the hum of the Weyr’s dragons. He rose obediently and ungrudgingly when he was touched. Fajra was gone before his feet touched the floor, but he would not be far behind. Kalith would likely kill the Candidates if Fajra was not by her side within moments, but O’sho had the luxury of a few more moments time. It was not much, but it was enough for him to dress and peer into Tiroshel’s crib without rushing. ”Sleep tight, little dear,” he whispered, his heart tender for his smallest daughter, ”Maybe one day you will ride dragons, but not tonight.” he leaned over and kissed her gently on the forehead before striding out the door and making his was purposefully to the Hatching Cavern.

There, he first bowed, as Kalith demanded and deserved, before going over to Fajra. He lingered only long enough to alert her to his presence at the Hatching, placing his hand on the small of her back and kissing her on the forehead as well (but with far different sentiments), before going to meet, greet, and direct traffic. Bow, he reminded the dumbfounded candidates who were too amazed or excited to remember; Right this way, to any distinguished guests that had risen at such an hour to appear; Nice evening, isn’t it, to the sleepy but excited riders. Like Daidoroth, he knew he had a more useful duty to perform than hovering over his weyrmate. It was not the proximity that made them close to one another, but something very different. In the same way, hovering was not the way the he managed the Weyr either, and it was a place very dear to his heart.

Last Edit: Jan 15, 2011 15:05:05 GMT -5 by Kila

Gray
Wingrider

grayct[M:-350]

Posts: 870

The Deep {Noyth & Kalith's Hatching} Jan 15, 2011 16:48:09 GMT -5

Post by Gray on Jan 15, 2011 16:48:09 GMT -5

Tasia hadn't really been sleeping. She was tossing and turning in her bed, still unused to sleeping alone. She missed the warmth of her brother. The low light of a glow basket fought valiantly against the shadows around her as she sat up. Tasia had requested one, knowing she would be unable to sleep if it were pitch dark. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she rubbed her eyes a bit with a soft groan. Why did she always have such trouble sleeping?

That was when she heard it. The hum. It was low and soft at first, but it got progressively louder. Was this really it? Tasia shook her head, sighing. It was time for the dragons to hatch. She wasn't quite sure how she should feel. Excited? Scared? Confident? Truth be told, she didn't feel any of those. She felt tired, and a bit ill. Standing, she went to the chest at the foot of her bed and grabbed her brush.

She hurried off to the changing room, squeezing herself in amongst the other females. It was crowded, and there was a nervous bit of chatter that no matter who left, didn't lessen at all. Tasia was quick to change, slipping out of the thin, old green tunic she wore to bed and pulling on the slightly rough white robes. They were a bit short, cutting off above her ankles, exposing her light sandals. Tasia wrinkled her nose, but attended her hair. Still, it was left a bit messy, a few strands falling into her face.

After a few moments, she left the changing room, following others out onto the hatching sands. The heat of the sands startled her a bit at first, she hadn't expected them to be this hot. Quickly she hid her surprise and strode deeper out to the sands until she stood before the Wyerwoman and the Bronze. Tasia gave them both a deep bow.
“Thank you for allowing me to participate in your hatching.”

With that, she moved to A'mor and gray Noyth. Again, she gave them a deep bow.
“And thank you as well for allowing me to participate.” She glanced up to look at the egg clutches, before turning to leave. They were beautiful. Taking long strides, she met with the other female candidates, giving them a slight nod of greetings before turning back to the dragons and their eggs. The butterflies in her stomach only flapped harder, making her feel even sicker.

☼Dawning of the Kidappocalypse☼

kyrillion
Guest

The Deep {Noyth & Kalith's Hatching} Jan 15, 2011 16:48:21 GMT -5

Post by kyrillion on Jan 15, 2011 16:48:21 GMT -5

Gallen often had a difficult time getting to sleep; no matter how exhausted his body became, his mind was almost always restless, refusing to shut off, and it kept him up more nights than not. He could still look forward to a couple of marks rest, even then, but those were typically closer to the morning hours, and it had only just passed midnight at the Weyr. And so, lying on his back on the mattress he’d claimed in the barracks, hands pillowing his head and light brown eyes studying the ceiling with bored disinterest, he was only dozing when Kalith’s roar ricocheted down the hallway and echoed throughout the bowl. Still, the sudden ruckus startled him, and with an undignified gasp he struggled to sit up, managing to get a leg entangled in his furs in the process. The movement pitched him unceremoniously onto the floor, and he grumbled in annoyance before stumbling to his feet. What was all the noise about? It sounded to him like the whole place was under attack, or there was some sort of emergency outside, but before he let his mind run away with the dozens of possibilities he became aware of a much gentler sound – stilling his movements, he tilted his head to the side and focused in on it. It was swelling, rising like an ocean tide as more and more dragons picked up the call, and it sounded very much like a human hummm.

That meant Hatching, didn’t it? In the middle of the night like this? Well… that was sort of cool, actually. Rubbing any trace of sleepiness from his eyes, he darted over to the white robe he’d been given upon his arrival (Gaige had teased him mercilessly about how ridiculous he’d look with it on) and quickly threw it over his sleeping clothes, pausing to don his nicest pair of slacks, as well. The late hour was no excuse not to look well-put-together, was it? He would have to be quick about it, though - there was no time to waste. This was what he’d been waiting for, what he’d given up his vagrant lifestyle to come and witness. He’d never actually seen a dragon Hatching, before, even with all the places he’d travelled. Even if he didn’t Impress, it was sure to be absolutely fascinating; and he wasn’t all that concerned, either. He imagined he’d be disappointed, to walk off the Sands alone, but he was good with rolling with life’s punches, at making the most of what he had. He enjoyed his life; that wouldn’t change no matter what happened tonight. And so, running a comb through his mop of unruly golden curls, he at last deemed himself presentable, and quickly made his way out to the bowl.

Even if he hadn’t remembered how to get to the Sands, what with it being pitch dark outside (even the little moonlight was dimmed by cloud cover), there was a steady stream of people headed that way, and it was impossible to mistake where they were going. Falling into step with some of his fellow Candidates, one of his characteristic, Cheshire-grins fixed firmly in place, he enjoyed the crispness of the night air and the feel of the grass beneath his sandals while it lasted – he was told it would be hot in the cavern, unpleasantly so, and that by the time it was over he’d be wishing he’d worn his regular boots, instead. As the group drew nearer, he could see the faint glow emanating from within; some lights had been set out, and with their help he could just make out the shapes of the eggs, and the towering form of Kalith behind them. Stopping at the edge of the Sands, he bowed low – once to her, and once to Noyth, before moving across the cavern to where a semi-circle of boys was forming. Tacking himself on to the end of the line, he clasped his hands behind his back to keep them from fidgeting (they were always moving, except when his mind was occupied with trying to ‘read’ somebody), and surveyed the room as it steadily filled with people. Dragonriders and Candidates, mostly, though weyrfolk were among them, too. When he felt a firm, mental nudge, prodding indelicately at his mind, he recognized Faibeth’s signature pushiness and grinned, turning fully around until he spotted the green weyrlingpair high above him. It was difficult to tell, through the distance and the darkness, but it didn’t look like Gaige was scowling; in fact, if he didn’t know any better, he’d have said she was excited for him. Smilling, he gave her an enthusiastic wave with the full intent of embarrassing her (and that earned him a frown), before turning back to the matter at hand, watching with keen interest and barely-suppressed excitement as the eggs began to rock.
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Mineeee~hmmm.[/color]
Duareth’s sleepy mindvoice, in the process of rousting his rider from bed, morphed into a languid but happy hum. Kalith’s roar had woken him, and the realization that the Hatching was happening now filled him with excitement, and he pushed himself resolutely to his feet. S’rial was quick to follow with a frazzled, “Oh, geez, it’s the middle of the night”, before launching himself from bed and hurrying to get dressed. A minute later and the pair were airborne, winging swiftly down in the direction of the Candidate barracks. He’d seen that many of his students were already well on their way, but given the late hour and the darkness and the fact that many of them were still very new to the Weyr, the brownpair had elected to take a quick detour and help guide any stragglers.

Hurry, studentsMine.[/color] Duareth urged gently, his mindvoice thick with the excitement that many of them were surely feeling, as well. As the last of them stumbled sleepily out, S’rial nudged Duareth forward and waved to get their attention.
“You can follow us to the Sands. Watch your step.” He wasn’t sure that any of them could see his encouraging smile, but it stayed firmly in place anyway as Duareth hopped awkwardly across the bowl and towards the Hatching Cavern. When they passed through the entrance, they moved quickly to the side to make way for the remaining Candidates, S’rial dismounting to stand beside his dragon and giving the queen and gray a bow, as well. He nodded gratefully to O'sho, also, who was nearby and helping to direct traffic, occasionally reminding the more distracted Candidates of their duties. Duareth watched diligently over each of his them as they paid their respects and took their places before the clutch, pastel head raised high and eyes whirling with delight at this latest class of theirs. They were a good bunch, and he was proud of them.

The eggs were beginning to rock in earnest, now, and the first would surely hatch soon. The brownpair stayed where they were, near the entrance and near the food that was being laid out for the occasion. They were ready to offer assistance as the Candidates began to Impress, ready for action in case Kalith had an errand for them. Even after all these turns, they never got tired of watching a Hatching (and they were no longer surprised whenever one got them out of bed in the middle of the night); it never became routine, was never boring. And it was all the more extraordinary, knowing the Candidates personally, being able to cheer them on individually; as the brownpair surveyed the scene before them, Duareth reached out to touch the minds of every one of his students on the sands – though many of them wouldn’t be his students for much longer.
We wish you luck, Candidates![/color]
[/size]

Last Edit: Jan 15, 2011 16:51:50 GMT -5 by rai

theknightwhosaysni
Guest

The Deep {Noyth & Kalith's Hatching} Jan 15, 2011 16:55:39 GMT -5

Post by theknightwhosaysni on Jan 15, 2011 16:55:39 GMT -5

Follansbee was sleeping when the first thrums began. He had learned his lesson from the last time that he had tried to prank someone at night, even though it had been funny. He wasn't going to try seeking out trouble like that again, though; his ribs were still bruised from when he'd been thrown to the ground and pinned there.

When the thrum reached his ears, Follansbee only twitched in his sleep and snuggled further beneath the furs, pulling one of them over his head to block out the noise a bit. His weary mind hoped that the humming would settle into something that was simply background noise so that he could manage to get back to sleep, but it wasn't going to happen.

The echoing roar of the Copper Queen was what truly dragged Follansbee from his slumber. A squeak escaped the Candidate as he shot bolt right up in bed, eyes flickering anxiously about his dimly lit room. It was sharding dark! Why had any dragon roared at such a ridiculous hour? Follansbee snorted, taking deep breaths to calm his racing heart as he prepared to curl up back in bed.

And then he realized that the ground was practically vibrating beneath him. "The hatching!" His heart was still pounding in his chest as Follansbee slid from bed, frantically searching his mind as he tried to remember where he had last stored his once pristine white robes. He hadn't washed them since the last Hatching, had he? Whoops.

A few muttered oaths escaping the Candidate, Follansbee began his search. He looked in only a few places, however, before he stuck his head under his bed and saw a slightly lighter shadow that might or might not be his robes.

Yanking them out, he found that they were, and Follansbee grinned to himself, pleased as he yanked them over his head. The robes were dusty and stained, mostly because they had been stored under the sharding bed for quite a while, but there wasn't time to worry about that! There wasn't even time to worry about brushing his tangled and snarled hair!

He was practically skipping as he slipped his feet into his sandals and made his way down the corridors of the Candidate Barracks. He was slowly beginning to awaken, and his mind was starting to wander down its usual paths. The empty room that he had just passed, for example, would be a great place to stick someone's left shoes.

Even when facing a Hatching, pranks were the first thing on his mind.

Still, he made it to the Hatching Sands without too many distractions, and Follansbee made his way up to Kalith to offer her a bow. He had a smile on his face a mile wide that was less about the prospect of eggs and a lot more about how silly Kalith looked while snarling at them as he made his way to the male Candidates.

His gaze swept across the Candidates before Follansbee made his way to the edge. He figured that that particular spot would give him a good view of the drama, but would keep him mostly out of harm's way. Absently, as he thought about this, Follansbee tugged his fingers through his brown hair, hoping to make it look slightly better. It likely wouldn't be very obvious in the dark, and Follansbee rarely did take care of it, but he didn't particularly like the idea of meeting his potential lifemate with nasty hair...

[/blockquote]

Zane
Drudge

zanect[M:0]

They see me rollin', they hatin'.~

Posts: 40

The Deep {Noyth & Kalith's Hatching} Jan 15, 2011 18:22:15 GMT -5

Post by Zane on Jan 15, 2011 18:22:15 GMT -5

She’d hardly spent a lick of time in the Candidate Barracks, but here she was—most definitely a Candidate. She was having trouble sleeping, for she was not used to being surrounded by strangers, with no family close-by. Alden was likely busy in the infirmary at such a time, and his wife in the kitchens, helping to cook up something delicious for the morning meal. She almost felt like wandering down there to see just what exactly was being cooked-up. A snack wouldn’t hurt. It’s not like she’d be abandoning her Candidate’s duties, she’d return promptly with plenty of time to spare. Meanwhile her stomach had started to growl as her imagination ran away with her. Bubbly pies, a warm cup of Klah, a meatroll. She nearly licked her lips from where she lay in her bed, her knees pulled up into her chest while she tried to stay warm. It was cold-to her leastways-in the Candidate’s Barracks. She wondered if the Weyrling Barracks were any different. More than likely not, she suspected. Though she had been lucky enough to see a rider’s weyr, they seemed both warm and nicely furnished.

Tristen heaved a sigh, not wanting to deal with the frustration of tossing and turning any longer. She scanned the cots about her, full of sleeping girls, some of them with their mouths hanging wide-open. She made a face of disgust at seeing that and gladly looked away, to the entrance. How much longer would she be here for? She didn’t like it here, the feeling of loneliness. Sure, she could be social and get to know some of the others, but what was the purpose? Some would stay, some would go, and chances are they’d be roomed accordingly. No one had a say in such matters. If she kept to herself for now and then later got to know her Weyrling group? That would be just fine. At least she would have a permanent group of people that she knew were there for good, at Dalibor Weyr, at least for the duration of their dragons’ maturity.

That was another thing, who said she’d be able to properly care for a dragonet? She was afraid of messing-up, and killing it or something... As stupid as that sounded, for she was sure they were hearty creatures; stronger than her for sure. Tristen ran a hand through her long brown hair, trying to shake the disappointment. The clutch had already been laid, and the eggs were being heavily guarded (last she heard.) Alden liked to keep her updated on everything around the Weyr, he was a bit of a gossiper that one. He was a good man though, an honest man. She wished that she’d turned out more like him. It wasn’t unlike her to tell a lie to get away with something she was worried about, or to accidentally lead some people on through flirtatious means. It’s not like she did either of these things on purpose but, still, she did them. Maybe she could better herself as a Candidate... it wouldn’t hurt to try. No one was perfect; it was only realistic of her to keep that in mind.

As she considered these things, a humming sound filled the hall, and soon even the room. It was hard to miss, for it was loud, and encouraging. Wasn’t that the sound they’d been trained to keep an ear for? Her eyes widened in realization and she quickly flung herself out of bed and to the bathing room. She glanced at herself in the looking glass, trying to fix any stray hairs, her Candidate robe was back at her chest of belongings (i.e. clothing.) Biting her lip gently, she turned out of the bathing room and re-entered the sleeping-area. There she returned to her cot, dodging girls that were shrieking and bickering at one another. Should they be happy instead of complaining? This was their opportunity to be someone, to really make a difference. Tristen shook her head, ignoring them completely while she got changed into her robes. They weren’t by any means snug, rather they were at least a size too big. She frowned, worried that she looked ridiculous. She tended to put a lot into her appearance, but today wasn’t going to end-up getting to be one of those days. She rushed out the entrance and down the hall, making her way to the hatching cavern.

She inhaled sharply, focusing on Copper Kalith and her rider, Fajra. She would greet them first, and worry about everything else later. As long as she had an objective and an understanding of what to do, she’d be less nervous. She hadn’t even bothered to look at either side that the Candidate’s had taken (male and female) for her gaze did not shift. Be kind, polite, and quick, she told herself, feeling like nothing special compared to the Queenrider. Waiting for another to go before she stepped on up, she reminded herself again to be kind, polite, and quick. ”Queen Kalith, and Weyrwoman Fajra, thank-you, so, so much, for the opportunity of being able to stand. Today... here...” She attempted at a warm smile, looking up from her low bow. Then with one last smile she turned to A’mor and Gray Noyth. ”It is also a pleasure to be able to stand for this surprising second clutch as well. I truly am honoured.” To them she bowed as well, retreating swiftly to the girl’s side of the sands. It was easy to identify, and she blended right in with the crowd assembled there. Some were whispering and others were looking about (likely for ones they knew.) She-Tristen-merely gazed upon the eggs. They were so beautiful, and oh, there was the gold! Alden had told her about it, so it didn’t come as a complete surprise to her. Still, it was nice, really nice, to be able to see the rise of a new Queen under the older, more mature, ones. She wondered which would hatch first, and set herself to guessing as to keep her mind occupied. She knew if she let herself stand here and over think things she’d only wind-up shaky and unsettled.

~ ~ ~

Zane slowly opened her eyes, never having been good with abrupt wake-ups. It took her a while to really get on her feet and shake off the grogginess. She yawned, covering her mouth with her arm politely, lest anyone else saw. Oh... that’s right... everyone else. She quickly sat up, pulling her bed sheet right up tight against her. People were running around all over the place, making over anxious sounds that caused her to snug her sheet even more. The humming sounds... the humming sounds... the hatching! Forgetting all about her fear she jumped right out of bed, not at all bothering to run to the bathing room like the rest of the girls. She had to go to the bathroom but she was going to hold it! She wanted to be one of the first there before the crowd’s set-in and she was a blubbering mess. She was badly claustrophobic, and would end-up working herself up into a highly respectable panic attack if she was surrounded for too long. Hopefully there would be a place for her to stand where she could avoid too many bodies invading her space. Perhaps a place up front, that might help. Oh, no matter, she had to get dressed now! She pulled on her Candidate robe and was out the entrance in a matter of minutes. She would never be the kind of girl that made a huge fuss over how she looked. She knew she couldn’t change the things she didn’t like, so why bother trying? Rather, she’d just live with it.

As Zane rushed down the hall, she should’ve expected what came next. She tripped over the tie of her robe (which she’d let hang too long) and ended-up down on the ground, on her hands and knees. Everyone rushing past her kept on going, not bothering to even ask if she needed aid. Didn’t matter, she would’ve refused it anyhow, she didn’t particularly like touching other people. Zane snorted, angry with herself. She got back up onto her feet and kept on going. Nothing like a bit of a fall to wake her right up! She still felt like she should be sleeping, her eyes were daring to close. She slapped the side of her face, knowing that it wouldn’t be much of a startle, though, still, it helped a tad. An odd thing to do... She followed the group that was pushing her along, trying not to think too much about whom was getting too close for comfort.

Once she was going through the hatching cavern and was then on the sands, she felt a fair bit better. Her excitement level was starting to rise and an actual grin lit her face, likely the first one in weeks. She was about to stand amongst the girls assembled, her mind cluttering with hatching details, when she remembered her manners. She back tracked a step, almost slamming into someone behind her. She went to apologize but they merely glared and carried on. She didn’t let it discourage her too much, and continued on her own way to where the Queen and her rider stood proudly. She tried to think of something to say that might show she had some intelligence, but failed when her opening was: ”So...”

”The clutch you have here is beautiful, it’s great. Thank-you for my impression—I mean the chance to impress! I didn’t think I’d get to be a Candidate, I actually--,” and then she cut herself off when she realized that they wouldn’t care to hear her back story at a time like this. Or at all. ”Thanks," she finished, quickly bowing, since she’d forgotten to at the beginning. She commonly babbled when she was in the presence of someone she looked-up to, admired, or was made to be nervous around. So basically in the presence of everyone! Then she turned to A’mor and Noyth, knowing that they deserved equal respect. ”I—Thank-you... For this opportunity, and this... thank-you,” she cleared her throat and bowed a second-time, turning to leave. She was definitely sweating; she would not deny that, at all. She coughed a couple of times, trying to find a spot at the front to stand at so that she wouldn’t be on her tiptoes peering over other peoples’ heads. Not to mention the whole being surrounded by other people bit... Oh boy, this was definitely going to be one wild ride. She was ready, or so she thought. The eggs looked lovely, they were beautiful to her, and she was positive that the dragonet’s inside were far more beautiful than their shells. She put a finger to her lips, considering the colors inside while she waited for the first egg to hatch. Nervousness was slowly eating away at her. Was that a... Gold? Ooh, the shell was so shiny compared to the others. She went into a trance of sorts, giggling for no reason.

~ ~ ~

She wasn’t a Candidate, shards; she didn’t have to get up for this if she didn’t want!
~Lesa will be thereeee, and you know you want to see the little dragonet’s impress Mine. I want to see, oh please, let’s go see!~ Klaisath begged, trying to get his rider up and out of her bed at the Weyrling Barracks.
”Fine!” she hollered, grumpily rising out of her bed and out the room doorway.

~Oh yay!~ Klaisath practically squealed, following along behind His happily. Eclipse had managed to keep his hold of Tieler underneath her shirt. He had fallen asleep there, and Tieler was so used to his awkward sleeping places that she didn’t bother to question it. The black flitt’s head poked out from the neckline of her shirt, and he chirruped in the redhead’s face. Her reply was to mutter and mumble to herself, knowing exactly where they had to go if they wanted to be a silent part of the ‘oh so’ exciting affair.

It wasn’t long before Klaisath was watching from beside another dragon, perched above the sands, while Tieler was seated in the stands with Eclipse curled in her lap tiredly, much like a feline. Maybe he was spending too much time around Halbert. ”The two of you make me sick,” she told the flitt, glaring down at him before looking down below. Eclipse rumbled amusedly as if just having heard that she loved him more than he’d ever know. Really it had been the same thing in his mind. Rarely did anyone get something better out of Tieler.

Zahir, Dragon Candidate
Raksha, rider of Viridian Jedenath

Admin
Administrator

brect[M:-2154]

Posts: 3,754

The Deep {Noyth & Kalith's Hatching} Jan 15, 2011 19:11:28 GMT -5

Post by Admin on Jan 15, 2011 19:11:28 GMT -5

Sisters, sisters,
There were never such devoted sisters.
Never had to have a chaperone, no sir.
I'm here to keep my eye on her.

Fahra woke to humming and Duareth in her head. Neither took her by surprised. She had grown up in hatchings and dragons, though it was not often that one got a brown to speak to them with such kindness and familiarity. Taking it as a good sign for the evening, she rolled out of bed. Her feet hit the floor and she yanked her nightgown, a touch ratty with age, over her head, dropping it to the floor without a care. Her eyes briefly searched for underwear, but the search was soon abandoned. Going commando would work just fine. Dragonets were more important that underwear. Pulling loose breeches of cotton over her legs, she pulled a rather short, tight, and most definitely too small shirt over her head, worming into it before pulling her robe over her shoulders. She belted it to her skinny, gawky body. After all, the robe was all that really mattered.

Not paying too much mind to S'rial, as everything was a bit of a mess, the redhead ran as fast as she could when she left the barrack, arms stretched out to either side of her as if she were pretending to be an airplane, or a dragon in flight. She arrived at the sands quickly. She spied a few familar faces, but the most familiar face lay on the other side of the eggs. She caught her sister's eyes, blue meeting blue, and offered a smile, lips parting easily to reveal a broad set of teeth. She was relaxed. At ease. The urge to talk, to call out, was there, but everyone else was doing it and she knew better. The excitement of the crowd? That was enough for her. She was there for the dragonets. Worry would not help her Impress, so she relaxed, the heat of the sand burning her poor feet a welcome privilege. Dragons meant fire. Life. Everything.

Fahra bowed low, the gesture her one bit of submission to Kalith in may turns. The Queen hardly cared, the candidate knew, but you bowed. Straightening again, she repeated the gesture Noyth, hands at her sides, grin on her face. With that, she was done, neck cracking as she stood up to her full height. She joined the other girls, glancing at the Queen egg with casual eyes. Perhaps she was a sap, but the sight of the mottled golden bundle, shining in the dim light, just reminded her of her sister. She had been little when Fajra had started to stand. It had been a long journey for all of them, all of the four siblings. However, there they were, full circle! The youngest finally on the sands! And Fahra, well, she was going to do them proud. Fate held when, where, why, and what she Impressed. However, fate did not hold her blood. She had dragonblood in her.

Kalith sat tall, growing all the prouder of the adoration of the obedient little candidates. However, there words hardly swayed her. They placated her. No favor was given; no interest was truly shown to one. Beside her, Fajra's face remained cold and locked aside from the moment O'sho briefly greeted her. The rest of the time, her lips remained pursed and they grew all the tighter with each candidate who spoke to her. Unlike her weyrmate, she reserved her efforts for what was needed. She wasn't there to be social, not even to Fahra. The joy of hatching day was tempered in both the copper and rider. They were there as mothers, but they were also there as rulers and commanders. Given the hour, toeing the line wasn't likely to be tolerated. More omniscient looking than it actually was, the copper's swirling gave scanned the candidates, constantly reminding them.

All kinds of weather, we stick together,
The same in the rain or sun.
Two different faces, but in tight places
We think and we act as one. Uh-huh!

Lan
Weyrlingmaster

lanct[M:-1025]

Nomming ALL the kidpets!

Posts: 1,266

The Deep {Noyth & Kalith's Hatching} Jan 15, 2011 19:58:52 GMT -5

Post by Lan on Jan 15, 2011 19:58:52 GMT -5

Featon, growing up with one Dolphineer parent and one Fisherwoman parent, was very much the early riser. He had retired early that night, sheets all wrapped around him and an arm underneath his head serving as his pillow (his real pillow had been neglected sometime after he had drifted off). Echelon had been asleep on his stomach that moved up and down like a radiating mountain, and the two together looked rather at peace. It was spring time, by far Featon's favorite season, and so the night time chill was not quite as dreadful as during the winter but still had a delightful coolness. He had fallen asleep easily, which wasn't weird for him at all since he normally was quick to drift off. However, it was weird for him to wake up in the middle of the night.

It started as a hum invading his dreams. Some distant, far-away sound that made him stir. Then, there was a lighter hum, higher in pitch coming from much closer. Finally, just as his eyes were about to part, there was a loud and trumpeting roar that made him jolt upright in an instant. Humming, dragon roars... the hatching was happening! After over a turn of waiting, what he had been called here for was about to take place! Echelon had taken off as the boy awoke, chittering anxiously as he flew from one part of the room to the next, inevitably waking up his roommate had he not already been awake. Featon stood, movements fast and efficient, and took the white candidate robe that had been waiting for such an event to slip neatly over his head. He made sure he was decent before bolting out of his shared room, for it wouldn't do to upset the mother of the clutch he would stand for, and then he was quick and light on his feet.

Once he reached the hatching caverns, his pace slowed dramatically. He then walked, albeit in a fast pace appropriate for the sense of urgency in everyone else around, into caverns and was met by the not one, but two mother dragons. He paused before them, looking from one to the other with calm yet wondering eyes. Then, as he saw fit, he bowed first to Noyth, the much smaller gray, and then to Kalith, the much larger Copper. His second bow was determinedly deeper and longer than his first, as he thought befit such a large and commanding dragon of her stature. Then, with the same eagerness of foot that others had entered before him, he made his way to stand where some of the other boys had taken to standing. He ended up being rather close to a younger boy, Emrin, who looked as if he was just shy of a decade younger than Featon. While most others might be put-off by such a place to stand, Featon was rather relaxed about it. He always felt better when surrounded by those that were at all significantly younger than him... perhaps it was because they weren't quite as high-and-mighty as older kids and adults. With a calm and quiet face, he offered a smile to the younger boy before turning his widening gaze to the eggs that would any moment produce dragons. He noticed Fahra across the sands, but didn't wave. He figured it'd be impolite. But he did let his gaze linger on her for a while before turning it again to the dragon eggs. Perhaps he was seen, perhaps he was not. It didn't matter much to him, given the circumstance.

Echelon, meanwhile, had taken a perch somewhere in the stands next to others of his brethren. While he usually never left Featon's side, the blue was not so stupid as to think that Kalith would not swallow him hole if he were to interrupt her hatching.

Nimara and Waroth came, if only to watch the event. Usually the redrider couldn't take her dragon anywhere, but Waroth had actually wanted to watch this time around. So they too took a seat up in the stands. So did C'lin and Reyith, and Malin and Piroeth as well. Red, black, and pink gave their dramatic humming to add to the chord of dragon voices. Waroth, of course, was loud and boisterous about her humming and liked to think she far drowned out the others.

Last Edit: Jan 15, 2011 20:01:34 GMT -5 by Lan

matsi
Guest

The Deep {Noyth & Kalith's Hatching} Jan 15, 2011 20:41:30 GMT -5

Post by matsi on Jan 15, 2011 20:41:30 GMT -5

His dreams danced with dark images. Images of dark creatures, gathering below him. The shadowy creatured looked up him with emotionless, crimson, pupaless eyes. A few had large silver fangs the dripped with venomous colored slaver that foamed and sizzled, while others were coated with dark spines. When he raised his dream eyes, he saw distant people, tied at the stake and surrounded by flames that licked at their flesh. A deep, demonic laugh echoed from his dream chest. The sound shook the land, and the creatures let out an attack on the people that were not tied in the flames. He watched as people he hated were torn into.
''That is what happens when you disobey!'' He bellowed. His voice was deep, and echoed like a drum in the air. He watched the people, then, a sound echoed in the distance. It wasn't really a sound, it was more of a feeling. It viberated the air, releasing the people from the creatures and the fire. Then it grew into an auditable sound. A hum, that cleared away the smoke and blood, and brough sun into the skies of his dream land. He lowered his eyes to a pool of water that appeared at his feet and flinched at the sight of himself. But, as the humming grew and the sun broke the dream darkness, he returned to normal.

He awoke with a jolt as the humming grew louder and scared him. He was coated in a cold sweat and felt exausted. He closed his eyes again, and tried to ignore the hum. Then it came to him. That was a dragon hum. He sat up quickly and cursed loudly as he lept out of his bed and threw on clothes. He grabbed his white robe and ran down the halls. As he ran, he shoved the robe over his head. It was still dark, but he pushed that out of his mind.

He slowed to a calm and collected walk as he entered the sands. He strode to te copper with his head held high. His green eyes were still slightly troubled by his dream, but the excitement of the hatching was quickly replacing that. He lowered his blonde head to the copper, deeply and slowly, then rose and, without meeting the copper's gaze, made his way to the male candidate group. He shoved himself past people and took his place next to the one person he actually liked, Follansbee, then stood tall with pride.
''Good luck, Runt,'' He said softly. No one else was worth his blessings.

rai
Guest

The Deep {Noyth & Kalith's Hatching} Jan 15, 2011 22:24:37 GMT -5

Post by rai on Jan 15, 2011 22:24:37 GMT -5

Ryn realized that she didn't even know anyone on the sands. Just more faces in the crowd--save maybe her quiet and boring room mate, who always had her nose buried in scrolls that were not in the least bit interesting, in the red head's opinion. She didn't even remember her name. The only names she knew were for people she actually liked or that were important. She half found herself wondering if Tieler would be in the crowd, sitting in the stands. She wasn't sure if she wanted that or not. If she got left standing it would be a total drag. She wondered if Tieler had Impressed the black she had affectionately dubbed 'Blackie' the first time around. She new his real name. But to her, Tie would always be shorty, and Klaisath blackie. In giving them these names, she had unwittingly done something that made her feel closer to them both. Not that she could have known. It was what it was, though.

She hated the robe more and more with each passing moment. She almost wished she could pretend a hatchling had torn it and would rather have stood there in her underthings. At least she wouldn't feel so sharding stupid. Then, looking around, she stifled a giggle. Everyone else looked equally as stupid! Except maybe the younger girls. They were kind of cute, despite the craptacular attire. They looked so excited! She was, too. She felt totally awesome, like that time she had jumped off the cliff into the water. Exhilarated. Alive. Like little sparks were making her feel tingly all over. This was one of the best feelings ever. Would she never have it again if she never got to stand again? If she Impressed? That would kind of suck. But she wanted a dragon, so it was worth it.

More and more people starting filing on in. There were so many candidates! No way would there be enough dragons to go around. Would they cry if they didn't Impress? She didn't want to be kept up all night by a bunch of crybabies. She would think it sucked. She was the sort to pout and sulk, mope around for a few days. Not that she thought of it when she was doing it, or realized she did it. It was less notable than breaking down into tears or getting all depressed and 'I'm not good enough' about it. Was she good enough for a dragon? Shells yes! If one of these didn't pick her then they just weren't good enough for her.

Their loss, not mine, she thought smugly, tilting forward a little onto her toes and then back again. When did these things start breaking out? Honestly she would have thought being in a cramped, confined space for so long they'd be dying to just break free. She wasn't patient when she wanted something to happen. She had to stifle a desire to call out for the dragon babies to get out already and Impress. Not that she would have. She was brazen, and hot headed. Not stupid--or not entirely so!

xXx

Tival was watching as the candidates filed in. Nothing was happening with the eggs yet. He figured he might as well just enjoy everything going on, take it as it came. He saw a few familiar faces from around the barracks. Faces were more familiar than names though he could list off a few. After all they had had a couple of candidate lessons together and he had paid mild attention when names were used. It wasn't really what he was there to learn though. When--or if, rather--he became a Weyrling he would be sure to get to know everyone's names. Those people would be fighting alongside him possibly. He wanted to know them all, each and every one.

He saw the most familiar face as Tristen entered the sands. He watched her present herself to Kalith and the Weyrwoman, than A'mor and Noyth in turn. She seemed to have her stuff a lot more together than many of the girls--and even guys--he'd seen doing the same. One had even fallen flat on his face in the sand. He had winced, it had to have been a rough deal. Still no one made a big deal out of it; not that he could see. Today was a hatching and there was no reason for anyone to make the poor guy more embarrassed than he probably already was. Tristen seemed to back off about as quickly as any of them. He might have said something, but it was kind of pointless, she was on the girl's side and staring at the eggs. He didn't blame her, and he hid a smile as he let himself look towards them, too.

Those eggs held the futures of Pern. Those eggs held the futures of many candidates here today, who would leave as weyrlings. Did one of them hold his future? The only way to find out was to wait and see. He was pretty patient by nature, for the most part. Sure he felt a little bit eager but who didn't?

xXx

Alyssa had started to play the age old guessing game. The one where you tried to decide what was in each egg--minus the queen, either copper or gold--and whom you figured would get what. Even if she didn't know many of them, or any of the boys besides Carradog, it was still fun to guess. She spotted Naima, and glanced over to see if anyone was paying attention before moving a little bit closer to her fellow candidate. She noticed that everyone's eyes could not help but stray to the most noticeable egg there. The gold--or copper--egg. She wondered why it was that they were so enraptured with it. Did they realize the level of responsibility that came with Impressing a gold? They were big, and they were nice to look at. Power might be a nice idea to some but she personally felt that the only power was that other dragons listened to yours. There was more responsibility than power there. It was really complicated to think about in some ways. She would just have soon not Impress one as she would have. She didn't mind responsibility. She was used to it. She just did not know if she wanted that much of it thrust upon her without getting to make that choice. It was all right, however. It was not likely to happen, and she was more interested in the rest of the eggs. Those, by right of statistics, would hold her dragon much more likely than any singular egg. If her dragon, as it were, was even amongst these. Many more candidates than eggs. She would be content either way things went. She hoped that these hatchlings would go to people who would not be.

She returned her attentions to Naima, having spaced out for a moment, lost in her musings. Offering a warm smile to the girl, she said softly into the relative quiet around them, "good luck. Are you nervous?" She assumed everyone would be, to some degree. She was actually hoping to help alleviate some of her own nervousness by talking a little. It was different once the first dragon had broken shell. Then all the attention would be on the hatchlings. No one would be talking then. She had of course seen hatchings back at Eastern Weyr. But never from this vantage point, of course. The experiences were completely different and no matter what she intended to remember this.

xXx

To Ceian, every minute that passed seem to drag on forever. He watched candidate after candidate come in, and it was almost dizzying to stare at so many white robes and so many faces. It was sobering to see just how many people there were here. There were so many more gathering in the stands. All these people, come here to watch and see who would be the future dragonriders of Dalibor Weyr. He didn't know that he'd be amongst them and he didn't know that he wouldn't. It made him uneasy, somehow. It would have been better to just simply know if you were to Impress at a particular hatching or not. But that would have made this all quite pointless. Then he might not even have the chance.

He spotted a girl who seemed just as nervous as he was, and recognized her as the girl he'd half scared all the wits out of at the lake the first day he'd come there. That had been only two days ago, and yet it seemed so far away. He smirked briefly, bemused. Was he that bad? No...he was probably worse. She hadn't fallen on her face, and she was managing to look a lot more steady than he felt. Still it was really easy to tell who was nervous and who was holding it together better--or at least able to remain composed enough to hide it. He had to laugh at himself. Really he was such a wreck! He was either going to Impress or not. He didn't know and not knowing? Applied to every single candidate out here tonight with him. That thought kind of helped him take deep breaths. He stopped feeling so shaken though his hands still gripped the sleeves of his robe very tightly. His knuckles were still white.

xXx

Tay was hard put to stay still. She was rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet and she could not stop smiling. Eyes bright she looked up into the stands, seeing all the people gathered there. Her mom would be up there somewhere. She hoped she could Impress an make her mom proud. Kalire had told her that if she didn't Impress it was because something better awaited her. That her dragon just hadn't been clutched yet. She knew that that wasn't one hundred percent true. She had heard of people who grew too old to stand. She didn't want that to be her. Maybe this was part of the reason she was determined to get a firelizard? It was the closest thing you could get to a dragon without actually having one. She had always been good with animals and she felt very sure that she would never slack off in caring for her dragon or a firelizard. She was confident and when had she ever not achieved something through trying her best?

She wondered how many of her friends were up in the stands. She personally had never missed a hatching since the day she was five turns old. She had been at them for seven years now. To be standing here on the sands made her feel so nervous, so excited! She couldn't tell which she was more. One moment the trundlebugs danced in her belly as though they would not be still, and she almost felt a little sick. The next she was too excited to feel that way, making sure to be up front where she would be able to see. There was a gold egg there. She had imagined what that would be like. All girls did, at some point, who wanted a dragon. Lots of hard work was what her mom had said. Maybe it was better to get a smaller dragon? They didn't take as long to bath and oil. But also the work might be worth it, to be a rider of a gold--or maybe a copper, like Kalith! She realized she was getting a bit too silly. Only one person was going to get that one. She would be happy no matter what she got. She just wanted to Impress at all!

She had been so busy studying hard with her candidate lessons and doing chores. It wasn't too bad but it kept her very busy. She knew the names of most of the girls and even some of the boys who had been in the barracks. She was good at remembering those things. Even better at it if they had a dragon. Way better at it. She remembered talking with K'lay. No, she would not forget him and his pink Invidiath. Might she get a pink? She would not have minded getting a pink. Maybe a cyan? Or how about a yellow? White? There were endless possibilities. Strictly speaking most of the dragons in the Weyr were cyan, black, green, blue and pink. Still there was always a chance you would get something else. Not knowing was a lot of fun! She was still smiling as she watched. Her eagerness for the hatching to begin was making it very hard to stay still indeed!

Last Edit: Jan 15, 2011 22:25:33 GMT -5 by rai

shimmer
Guest

The Deep {Noyth & Kalith's Hatching} Jan 15, 2011 22:45:21 GMT -5

Post by shimmer on Jan 15, 2011 22:45:21 GMT -5

Dark.

The thin candidate lay in the bed, staring blankly at the inky shadows that wrapped her room in blackness. It was rather late, and the sounds of her roomate's (Zenetta, wasn't it?) breathing was deafening in the silence.

She was having some trouble sleeping, it seemed. This happened quite often, and was even more frequent now that she had to share her room with another. While the other girl may have not been particularly loud, Mayalene's sensitive hearing raised everything to almost painful heights.

Everything was fuzzy and colorless, the shadows barely distinguishable from each other in the near perfect darkness. One of them had a form that almost seemed to resemble a dragon, and she focused on it, contemplating the shape. It shifted and wavered as she watched. Another shadow moved, and another, dragons peeling themselves away from the walls to drift silently above her head. Five... ten... one hundred of the beasts flying around her room, vague smudges of color soaring on batlike wings.

One of them detached itself to land on her bed. Tucking it's emerald wings to it's sides, it turned it's brilliant ruby head to regard her with eyes like blazing suns. They watched each other for a moment that stretched into an eternity, silent, motionless. Slowly, gently, a pale hand reached out to touch the sapphire snout, their breathing stilled as they waited to connect.

A great, burning light exploded into the room, the ghostly dragon dissolving into a soft white mist before vanishing entirely as Mayalene snapped into wakefulness.

Sitting up, the candidate listened to the chaos around her in confusion. It was even darker than it was before (it had to be at least midnight!) and yet, there were people running around wildly, she could hear their feet pounding against the floor. And where was that strange humming coming from? It seemed so familiar...

Oh, hatching.

Unlike the others, she wasn't particularly excited, nor was she particularly rushed as she located her white robe and donned it. It was a little short for her, about five inches precisely, but she wasn't bothered. Many candidates had robes that didn't quite fit right. It seemed to have little impact on whether one impressed a dragon.

Her trek to the sands was slow, patient, a sharp contrast to the almost panicked people streaming around her. Several almost knocked her over, and after the third close call, she sped up to avoid being trampled by the crowd. She wasn't one of the first people to arrive on the sands, but she still managed to be on time. Silently, she bowed to both mothers before going to stand with the rest of the girls, watching, waiting, wondering if this time would be different from all the others.

Last Edit: Jan 15, 2011 22:47:21 GMT -5 by rai

derek
Guest

The Deep {Noyth & Kalith's Hatching} Jan 15, 2011 23:21:44 GMT -5

Post by derek on Jan 15, 2011 23:21:44 GMT -5

Sleeping was something that wasn't usually a problem for the Candidate. Usually, his head hit the furs and he slept until Blue woke him with his shrill trilling, begging for food. He was a light sleeper, but he rarely had problems actually falling asleep... until tonight.

For some unknown reason, he couldn't sleep. Tossing and turning for hours on end, Carradog finally gave in and got up, abandoning his soft, warm furs in the male Candidate barracks for the chillier weather outside in the Weyr bowl.

Kneeling on the ground, his hands braced, holding his weight, the young man pushed the mixture of dirt and sand into a pile. Carefully shaping and crafting his chosen medium, Carradog slowly and steadly build up what appeared to be a sand castle.

"Blue," he whispered. He didn't know why, exactly, he was whispering, but then again, Candidates had very strict rules and he probably wasn't supposed to be (or allowed to be) out in the Bowl at this hour. "Can you find me some sticks, and maybe some leaves? The fire lizard gave a squawk and went between.

Puzzled, Carradog looked around for the flitter. Blue rarely left him, let alone went between. Had something scared him? What did the flitter know that he didn't? After a few more moments spent looking around, the Candidate shrugged and went back to his building.

It took him a few minutes, but a prickling began on the back of his neck. He glanced up from the sticks he was carefully arranging into a fence around the castle, holding his breath. What was going on? He wasn't one to scare easy, but tonight was a very... uneasy kind of night.

Peering around, he realized that even with the moon, he couldn't see very far. The night was deep, dark, and destructive, swallowing up all familiar landmarks to him and causing him to feel very small and very, very insignificant. In fact, he felt unnerved, kneeling in the darkness, dirt on his hands.

Brushing off said hands on his breeches (which weren't in much better shape), the young Candidate stood up, his worn boots barely making a sound as he shifted positions smoothly. His body was tense, ready for anything that might jump out at him.

Blue appeared from between just as Carradog heard a dull roar from the direction of the Hatching Sands. It was then that he felt, rather than heard, the dragons humming their age old chant to signal a hatching.

"Oh, shards..."

Looking at his dirty tunic and breeches, he threw out the idea of going without the traditional Candidate's robe and dealing with the consequence. He couldn't show up in a dirty shirt and ripped breeches.

It was then that he began to jog, making his way toward the boy's Candidate Barracks. As he arrived, he noticed people leaving. Hurling himself through the doors and to his bed, he grabbed his robes and threw them on. They fit pretty well, so he felt pretty comfortable in them. Kicking off his boots, he traded them for the thin-soled sandals traditionally worn by Candidates.

Blue squawked. "You're not allowed on the sands," Carradog explained. "Stay here and be good!" For once, the little fire lizard listened, chirping amiably as his master dashed back out of the Barracks.

He hadn't been excited about Impressing before, but the more he thought about it, the more Lorryn's theories made sense. Dragons were just bigger, smarter runners. And just as he had told his friend, the dragons always knew. Was he ready for a dragon? Despite having spent his entire time at the Weyr thusfar dreading Impression, he now looked forward to it. Maybe he was ready, maybe he wasn't. The only way he would know was if he showed up.

Jogging lightly to the Hatching Sands, he noticed the ferver everyone else seemed to be in. They were excited, bumping and jostling him as he made his way down to the Sands. He expected the crowd would be just the same way, which made him slightly nervous, as they would all be watching him. As someone who was awkward with a single human being, being the center of attention for hundreds was bound to be nerve wracking.

Buy Lorryn's talk of Impression and flight with a dragon had made Carradog's head spin. He had never thought of how glorious Impressing could be, had never thought of flying and searing Thread from the sky until he met Lorryn, who let him into his world and helped him understand.

As he neared the Sands, he slowed down. He didn't want to appear rushed. He wanted to be calm and collected, to clear his mind. Taking a deep breath, he stepped out onto the Sands for the first time.

His breath caught in his chest, and he gasped. Copper Kalith was huge, but by Faranth was she beautiful! Noyth, severely less intimidating, looked equally as radiant. Stepping reverently toward the Copper Queen, he bowed deeply. He did not speak, by rather tried to convey with his thoughts how much she awed him. Straightening, he smiled. "Thanks," the Candidate said simply, nodding once more to the giant Queen.

Turning to Noyth, he bowed again with no words. He was awed and humbled by the dragons. He now understood Lorryn completely. They were beautiful, beautiful creatures, and far more intelligent than even fire lizards like his trouble making blue. Inclining his head as he straightened, he repeated his sentiment to the Gray. "Thank you."

Retreating back to the line of male Candidates, he managed to squeeze himself next to Lorryn. "You were right," he told the other boy. "Dragons are magnificent, not scary!"

[/center][/blockquote]

kitsufox
Guest

The Deep {Noyth & Kalith's Hatching} Jan 16, 2011 10:03:09 GMT -5

Post by kitsufox on Jan 16, 2011 10:03:09 GMT -5

Lorryn couldn't help but beam back. To see Carradog, who had been so afraid just days ago, on the sands and seemingly without fear steadied him in a way he hadn't known he needed. The tiny tremors in his hands stilled as his friend spoke. "Dragons are magnificent, not scary!" Lorryn had guessed at the magnificence of dragons from the first story he'd heard, and seen it for himself when they landed at the hold. He'd gained a new perspective when he'd come a-dragonback from Eastern Hold to Dalibor Weyr. They were shocking, glorious creatures. Perhaps the most amazing things on all of Pern. He didn't actually speak, only bumped his shoulder against Carradog's, trying to convey his agreement. He was fairly certain if he tried to talk his voice would break, given the nerves and excitement that still echoed through him.

Kalith was magnificent and intimidating, looming like a copper statue come to life. Noyth may have been smaller, but that didn't stop her from being incredible in her own right, like one of the shadows that surrounded the sands had come to life. "So much better than runners." Lorryn spoke in barley more than a whisper.

Admin
Administrator

brect[M:-2154]

Posts: 3,754

The Deep {Noyth & Kalith's Hatching} Jan 16, 2011 18:08:57 GMT -5

Post by Admin on Jan 16, 2011 18:08:57 GMT -5

I’m too sexy for my shirt,
Too sexy for my shirt,
So sexy it hurts,
And I’m too sexy for Milan.

The first little egg, that brave tiny soul, continued in its struggle. However, it was not meant to be. It would not get to be the first to hatch. It didn't seem to much mind. It continued to rock as a much larger egg began to crack. The dark, mottled shape quickly gave way under the pressure of one foot. It came popping out as the shell broke, cover in brownish yellow hide. The dragonet wiggled it about for a few moments, the limb protruding up into the air. The motion caused more chunks of shell to fall away. Eventually, much to the dragonet's surprise, she came tumbling out, coming to rest on her stomach in the sand. The tan was mottled in color, rather yellowish compared to her older sister and niece. However, her size, large for such a young creature, and gender, while not as obvious right then, betrayed her color. It looked like tans were there to stay.

With a soft gaze, she observed the world around her, putting her front paws underneath her and raising her chest off the ground. She was quite content to sit there for a while, content in the mix of naivety and understanding that played on through her mind. She wanted a rider, of course, but all in good time! She did not do much thinking, but she had been born with a certain amount of knowledge. She smelled spring in the air, though it was night. She did not like the dark so much, but there? On the sands, warm and lit, no matter how weakly? She had hope and patience to spare, enough of both to last forever. As she gazed out at the crowd and candidates, her eyes settled only on the women. She was almost incapable of noticing the males. Girls, well, they just made more sense to her. She liked looking at them. Human faces were so nice.

The tan was not left alone for long, but the arrival of a second dragonet was barely even a blip on her radar. An egg, so normal, so very mottled and cream, cracked neatly in half. Out popped a pale blue head. Streaks of an even lighter shade decorated the baby's hide, forming varied stripes across what was visible. With careful steps, not wishing to trip or fall, he emerged. He stayed back, hovering around his egg. While his eyes swirled a sedate shade of bluish green, barely even suggesting hunger, he was a cautious creature. Roughly the average size for a blue his age, he did not look intimidating as he bent away from the crowd, eyes going from face to face. He saw his sister, and his eyes briefly settled, but any interest he had in her quickly left. She did not need him. Expression cool and calm, he took a step forward, extending one limb with care.

With that, his manner changed. He stood taller, striding forward with a certain royal air, one that would improve with age. It was not the air of a King or Queen, someone capable of ruling. His nature was more natural, more simple. The sands were empty and, despite his previous caution, he crossed them without fear. The emptiness, a wild and lonely expanse of sand, put him in his element. While one of wariness on occasion, as that went with his good sense, he was not a skittish creature. Head high, he made his way towards the candidates, following a unmarked path that had been tread time and time again before by his brothers and sisters. His feet knew it. They knew what to do. In time, he would know how to say what it meant too; he would learn how to explain what he wanted. Right then, he did it for himself. That was fine by him. He could it alone.

Or could he? Would he? The blue neared the candidates and he paused. He did not return to wariness, as he knew he could trust them, but he also wasn't quite sure what to do with them. Humans were not his specialty. He would have preferred that a few more of his siblings had hatched first, though not too many. Excitement was not his specialty. He took a few more steps forward, eyes going from candidate to candidate. He nudged one girl, Naima, to the side, putting her where he wanted her. Then he did the same to Avna and Pan, putting them in line with each other, weaving in and out between them with quick feet. It was work he did well, as he supposed work was in his blood, but it did not fill a small bit of a hole in his heart. No, no, not his heart. Or his mind. It was in his soul. It was an odd feeling and it kept getting stranger and stranger.

Then, promptly and completely, it was fixed. The blue met the gaze of the next girl in line and all was mended. He twined about her feet, nudging at her legs and stomach, putting her in just the right position so that he could curl around her. His adoration was not overwhelming, but it was there. His loyalty was firm, as was his resolve to help her and protect her. His confidence, his perfect confidence, lay in her. ZaneMine, your Panith is here. Simple as that. Let's walk. Let's find food. He liked the way his voice sounded, tuneful and rhythmic. His voice was a musical voice, though he knew nothing of true music and cared not for it more than a few winks. His hunger still not show in his gaze. He was stronger than hunger. Despite his words, he remained firmly twined around his Zane. After all, he couldn't let her go where she shouldn't go.

In the wake of Panith's swift Impression, another egg was hatching. A spiderweb of cracks formed on the egg, a pale one, located right at the front. It cracked and cracked and cracked, little bits of shell flaking off. Then it exploded open! Out burst a new blue. He was pale, same as his brother, but he had no stripes. After all, his color was a perfect color, unmarred by such markings! He strutted forward, completely his entrance by taking the sands by storm as if they were a catwalk. Wasn't he a fine creature? Wasn't he beautiful and lovely? No bronze could compare! If he had been born a bronze, he would have just died! Such a shade was ugly. Only gold and copper was fine enough for him, though no such female would be worthy enough for him to chase. He would chase for love! He would have a beautiful love when he was older. He just knew he would.

Strutting towards the candidates, the blue struck a pose, letting them admire him. He certainly didn't lack confidence. However, to his credit, he was a well proportioned beast. It showed him how he could move so young, even though he wasn't paying a wink of attention to his feet. After all, his feet weren't his best feature! He much preferred his wings, even though he hadn't figured out how they were used. Turning around so that the candidates could see the rest of him, he extended one wing. He held it wide so that they could see the veins in the whitish underside of the appendage. Then, having completed his circle, he tried to put it back. Upon trying to do that, he realized that he didn't know how. While not stupid, he was not the brightest soul. He was a touch oblivious to things that weren't important to him. He settled for leaving his wing extended.

Finally, the brave little egg broke. It had been the first to start and the fourth to hatch. That was fine by the dragonet that emerged. She was just glad that she was early at least. Being late didn't suit her at all. Upon first glance, one might have mistaken her for a very pale white. However, it was quickly apparent that, for a white, she was too large, and her hide was simply the palest pink, the perfect shade to match her two brothers. She breathed in deeply. While her sister, the tan, smelled spring, she smelled flowers. It was faint, but she knew they were there! She was going to get to see them. She didn't know what they looked like, but she wanted to see them regardless of that. The tiny creature, as tiny as her egg, even if she she was not as small as a white, stayed were she was, staring out, a dreamy look on her face. She sniffed at the air again, quite curious.

Despite the fact that she knew she liked flowers, the pink was also a confused. Why was it so dark? She liked it a bit dark, like it was on the sands, but not as dark as outside. Oh! It was night! That took her a while to realize, a time that she spent keeping her tan sister company in silence. However, upon realizing that, she immediately got up. If it was night, that meant dawn and then morning would come soon. That was her favorite time of the day, just like flowers were her favorite things. To her, favorites were important. She knew many things she wanted to see and many things she wanted to do. She wanted to see the ocean too. She could smell its salt in the air. While she didn't know much about herself, she knew what she had to do. Standing, she approached the candidates, toes, a darker, rosier shade than the rest of her, ghosting lightly over the sands.

The blue, having held his striking position for a while, finally figured that if he extended his other wing, he could sashay closer to the candidates. With his wings spread wide, he strutted towards the boys, flashing the girls looks but hardly looking too committed to dealing with them. He promptly ended up accidentally knocking over one of the boys. Rather than being upset for himself, he was upset for what he had done. Overconfident he might have been, but he did not like knocking people over. He turned, trying to curl his wings into a smaller but still attractive position. He found himself looking down at both Carradog and Lorryn. He'd knocked them both over by accident. Whoops. He looked appropriately contrite, pouting in a manner typical of a very manipulative teenage girl. However, he was not a manipulative soul. All he cared about was being gorgeous.

The blue looked at Lorryn, pouting for forgiveness. Then he looked at Carradog. However, his approach for getting forgiveness from the second boy was quite different than the first. C'dog! Oh, you know you look quite nice. You really can rock the scruffiness quite well. I'm sorry for messing it up though. You and I? We're gonna be ladykillers. I don't know what that means, but I think it means something better than it sounds. Isn't your Erosepoth beautiful? He tries very hard. It makes him happy. You're happy too, right? I thought we could be happy together. The blue had a very happy, cheerful way of speaking, one that didn't quite befit the way he postured and strutted but still suited him. He had a very happy look in his eyes as he looked down at C'dog. He loved his rider, because that was in his nature, the same was being super gorgeous was.

I’m a model,
You know what I mean,
And I do my little turn,
On the catwalk.

lesa
Guest

The Deep {Noyth & Kalith's Hatching} Jan 16, 2011 18:16:37 GMT -5

Post by lesa on Jan 16, 2011 18:16:37 GMT -5

It was on nights like this that Djorjdi was glad S'rial was gracious enough to allow him to have Amisi in his room. She'd been sleeping more and more nights in the creche, but she still wasn't entirely comfortable with it. She was used to his being there. He was used to her being there, so to say that both father and child slept better in each other's presence would be the ultimate truth.

The night before she'd been balky at sleeping in the creche, in part afraid she would miss the hatching of the firelizard egg that he had sitting on the hearth in the common room in its marked pot. He hadn't yet told her it was to be her firelizard, not his. He wished for a firelizard to keep an eye on her, but had quickly realized by watching the bond of human to 'lizard that if he bonded it to him, it would always care more for him than for her, whereas if it was bonded to her, not only would she have a pet (and something easier to take care of, in its way, than a puppy or a kitty like she requested - it would tell her when hungry, rather than telling him with barking or miaows), but the firelizard would know when something was wrong with her, and should come to get him, or some other adult.

He'd allowed her to sleep in his bed, rather than forcing her to go to the creche like other parents might, so that she would 'learn to do as she was told'; there wasn't quite enough room in the barracks for a cot. Her being in his bed also allowed him to soothe her easier and assured their easy leaving should she be too fussy. Djordji was just pleased his roommate hadn't fussed at him about having Amisi in with them. It had been for a number of sevendays when they had first come, but beyond this night, the most recent time had been two sevendays before.

Amisi was slumbering easy in his arms (he was sleeping decent, not as well as he admittedly could have been with her in the room but in a different bed - she kept kicking), and didn't stir at the bone-deep thrum that had startled Djordji awake (although it could have been the bone-deep rib-kick from Amisi that woke him, rather than the hum). It took him a moment to realize what was going on, but between his roommate scrambling out of bed and S'rial's lessons dancing through his head, the farmer figured it out quick enough. Of course, figuring it out quickly and getting out of bed quickly were two different things.

The stocky man eased his arm out from under Amisi's head slowly, not wanting her to wake up yet. He knew she wanted to watch the Hatching, but he wanted her to get as much sleep as she could until it started, otherwise she would be grumpy and sleepy tomorrow. Once his arm was out he moved slowly to the ladder - it was habit that had him on the outside, cuddling her not just because she liked to be cuddled, but by keeping between her and the edge of the bed, he kept her from falling off the bed. As they were bunk-beds, it was doubly serious she not fall.

He climbed down with greater speed than he had moved previously, shaking the hand that had been under her head to get the last of the pins and needles out. Had he seen how his hair was sticking up and out like a flower-seed-puff after he drew his nightshirt over his head and dug around for his Candidate robes, he might have bothered to comb it down. He didn't notice in the dark, too busy finishing pulling the robes over his braies and tying on his sandals. Next he scooped up Amisi's over-dress from the day before and her shoes with a clean pair of socks.

Farm-hardened arms moved back up the ladder easily, and he dressed his daughter with the moves of one well practiced, checking her diaper (dry) before slipping her over-dress over her head and feeding her arms through much like he had when she was a newborn and he had to dress her. The two ties at the side were knotted before Amisi began to stir. He had just finished tying on the first of her shoes when a roar sounded and his daughter came awake with a shriek to rival the roar. Djordji was just lucky his feet were well braced on the rungs of the ladder, else she would have toppled him back with her lunge to cling at his neck.

"Daddy!" Her voice was loud and frightened as Djordji spared a precious moment to soothe her. He stroked at her tangled hair, calming her with a soft, "Shhh," before speaking as he leaned away to better see as he put on her shoe.
"It's just one of the mama dragons, honey. They want to make sure we're awake to see their babies hatching." She sniffled, looking insecurely up at him as he finished tying her shoe. Seeing his own teary-eyes looking back at him was something that always took him a moment, but Djordji scooped her up anyway, settling his little girl on his right hip as he descended the rest of the way to the ground. The breeze coming up his robes felt strange.

"It's time for the eggs to hatch, sweetheart," he explained as he maneuvered his way out the door with her clinging to his neck, "remember how we came here to see if Daddy could get a dragon? Now's the time he has to go see if a dragon will choose him. You're going to get to watch Daddy. I'll be on the Hatching Sands, it's a lot of sand, like you know how the beach has sand? It's all sand with big eggs, bigger than the ones in the pots, waiting for us. When the people that have been chosen to see if they can get a dragon get there, the baby dragons come out of the eggs and choose their people." It was the simplest explanation he could give, and he hoped she understood it. Better yet, he hoped there weren' t too many maulings, as he heard there had been the last Hatching. It wouldn't be good for Amisi to see people or dragonets die, or to see him get hurt. Maybe he shouldn't let her go to the Hatching, maybe he should just drop her off at the creche...

Arms tightened around his neck, and Djordji knew he couldn't just drop Amisi off. He would bring her to the Hatching Sands and have her go with that pinkrider, Pratyba, that he'd met at the creche; the creche-mothers said she was good with children, and was generally tasked with watching over the Weyrleaders' son during Hatchings. She would be able to take care of Amisi, and as he had seen Amisi and the Weyrleaders' son playing together, if the pinkrider was watching the boy, at least the two children would get along.
"You're going to have to go with Pratyba, you know Pratyba, right, Ami?" Her hair brushed against his shoulder as she nodded, "She'll watch you while Daddy's on the sand seeing if a dragon wants him, okay?" Another nod, and he figured that was as good as he was going to get. "You know Daddy loves you, right?" A soft giggle this time, and warm lips pressed a kiss to his neck. "Yes," he repeated, "I love my Amisi."
"Love you, Daddy," she murmured against his neck as they came to the entrance of the Hatching Sands. He spotted Pratyba easy enough - the pinkrider was just as boisterous (if not more so) than she had been the other times he had seen her. Amisi pouted only slightly as she was placed on the ground, taking Pratyba's hand willingly enough. He smiled at Amisi once more before looking at Pratyba, "Thank you for his, Pratyba," he said sincerely, shaking her hand before walking to the Sands-entrance, turning and waving at the last minute before Pratyba whisked Amisi up to the stands and he was engulfed in the wave of his fellow Candidates going to the Sands.

For all he had walked on the beach numerous times with Amisi, the shifting sand grains felt odd against his feet. Worse than the heat was the inability they gave him to keep his balance. He looked almost like a new sailor stumbling around the deck of a boat, rather than a farmer walking on sand. Still he remained upright, making his way to where Kalith and Fajra stood. Words failed him as he looked up at the massive copper, bowing deep, deeper than he had to. He was just a farmer! A simple farmer, a grower of crops and flowers. To be here during this night... it was still surprising.

He turned to Noyth and A'mor, bowing again, still in shock, still in awe. He moved away from Gray and her rider, Copper and her rider. It felt surreal. He was on Hatching Sands, so very close to rocking eggs, almost as close to dragonets. The closest anyone in his family had ever gotten to Impressing. Closer than his beloved Sima had gotten. Brown eyes sought and found Amisi in the stands, his little girl bouncing as she stood, waving excitedly at him. Djordji gave a small wave back, smiling, before looking again to the eggs. He would Impress. He would Impress, for himself, for Sima, for their little Amisi. He would protect Amisi as he couldn't protect Sima. He would keep their little girl safe from Thread.

matsi
Guest

The Deep {Noyth & Kalith's Hatching} Jan 16, 2011 18:41:39 GMT -5

Post by matsi on Jan 16, 2011 18:41:39 GMT -5

It began. Siegfred's eyes focusedin on each of the eggs as a few of them started to shake and crack. His emerald gaze was locked on the tan for a moment. She was a regal little thing. Maybe the person she chose would be good enough to be his princess. He doubted it, but maybe. His eyes then moved to the first blue, but he payed it little attention. He watched as the second blue hatched. He watched him for a bit longer than he had the blue's brother, but once again, his eyes shifted to the next egg that was breaking. He watched the pink for a moment. He couldn't deny it, she was a cute little thing. Even HE wasn't THAT heartless. But, once again, his gaze shifted. He had no time for them. He needed to keep his gaze on the other eggs. They held his prize, his warrior, his lord. He had no time for the warriors. He was a leader...wasn't he? YES! He was! And HIS dragonet would see that. His dragon would be proud of him, and together they could lead Pern!

theknightwhosaysni
Guest

The Deep {Noyth & Kalith's Hatching} Jan 16, 2011 18:44:10 GMT -5

Post by theknightwhosaysni on Jan 16, 2011 18:44:10 GMT -5

Follansbee gave a cheerful grin in Sig's direction as the other Candidate wished him luck. "You too!" He muttered with a cheerful little grin, shifting his weight from foot to foot on the Sands. He wasn't taking a single bit of this seriously, honestly. Everything about this was funny, yup! He practically hummed at the thought and bounced in place as he waited eagerly for the first egg to Hatch.

He didn't have to wait long, because very quickly, an egg was cracking open, and a brown--wait, no, a tan, was spilling onto the Sands. She was definitely feminine and larger than most browns that Follansbee had seen in his time. She didn't look like she would Impress soon, though, so that was kind of boring.

Follansbee wrinkled his nose and swept his gaze across the eggs again as the tan settled herself on the Sands. Another egg was Hatching, revealing a pale blue dragon. His head appeared to have stripes, but Follansbee had trouble making them out in the shadows. He wouldn't have been surprised if he was completely mistaken about the markings. Why did the Hatching have to be at night?

When the Blue began to walk forward, he moved gracefully forward, head held high. He looked almost royal, and Follansbee smiled idly. The blue was a rather interesting creature, though he didn't seem interested in the males at all. He had hesitated before the Candidates, then moved towards the girls, gently nudging them into line with one another. It didn't take long for the Blue to Impress, however, and Follansbee clapped along with the rest of the Candidates for the girl that was the first one to Impress.

A second blue was Hatching, however, and Follansbee stopped clapping quickly to watch the egg explode open. Another blue, also a pale, pretty blue that strutted along and towards the Candidates. He struck a pose and turned, extending one wing. Follansbee had to laugh at this; the blue really did look silly. Did he expect everyone to fawn over him?

The egg that had been rocking the whole time cracked open, revealing a pretty pale pink. For a moment, Follansbee thought her a white as his gaze flashed back towards the eggs and the Copper that guarded them. She seemed to be too large to be a white, though, so Follansbee decided after a moment that she was a pink. She wasn't moving anywhere for a long moment, but before Follansbee got too bored with watching her, the pink was moving forward, almost as graceful as the silly blue that had struck a pose.

Speaking of the blue, he was spreading his other wing. The movement in the corner of Follansbee's gaze had him glancing away from the pale pink to the blue, who was strutting up to the boys. That was a good sign, Follansbee figured. A blue for the girls, a blue for the boys. So far, everything was even, fair. Follansbee nodded to himself, carefully watching the blue as it came closer. Some of the Hatchings around here had been pretty violent and Follansbee wasn't going to write off the blue mauling the boys.

However, when the blue knocked two of the Candidates over, it seemed to be entirely accidental. The blue certainly looked apologetic, Follansbee thought with a snort of laughter, but before he'd laughed for even a few seconds, the blue had Impressed to one of the boys that he had knocked over. Follansbee clapped along with the other Candidates, a smile on his face. This was shaping up to be fun!

He glanced back towards the pink and back towards the eggs, not at all sure where he should look next. Why, everything was actually happening pretty quickly! The sleepiness that had allowed him to sleep through the first hums was slowly beginning to fade, and Follansbee found himself wide awake and on a total adrenaline rush as the Hatching began.

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Gray
Wingrider

grayct[M:-350]

Posts: 870

The Deep {Noyth & Kalith's Hatching} Jan 16, 2011 18:48:05 GMT -5

Post by Gray on Jan 16, 2011 18:48:05 GMT -5

Tasia hadn't been paying to much attention to the dragons, oddly. Her eyes flicked to her fellow candidates, trying to connect names to faces. She didn't really know any well enough to do that yet, though. She felt a tad awkward, standing there, most likely taller than a good chunk of the female candidates in her too-short robes. It wasn't until an egg started rocking that her eyes averted back to the dragons.

A small smile crossed her lips. She couldn't help it. As the egg rocked, another cracked! This was endearing, in a way, watching these little dragons struggle to break free from their prisons. Trying to find their one true pair. The butterflies in her stomach were quelled as she watched, cheering silently for each egg that cracked. She looked at the Tan closely, pushing her glasses up to get a better look. The baby dragons were even cuter than she though, and bigger than she thought. For some reason, she had expected them to be much smaller.

When the first impression was made, Tasia just had to clap. It was so sweet. Although she could not hear the words, she could feel the bond being made. It was like everything calmed for a moment while they bonded. Not that it was true. There was still the chaos of hatching eggs and stumbling dragons. Tasia turned from the sight of the bonded pair, and went back to watching the dragons, just in time to see another Blue hatch. He made her chuckle a bit. He seemed like a proud fellow. And even after that, the first rocking egg hatched into a pink! It was far more exciting than she would have thought, not that Tasia would admit it.

She crossed her hands behind her back and tilted her head, watching the blue. It looks like the boys had the initiative. The second blue had impressed as well! She wondered if it was something genetic, or if it was easier for the males to find who best suited them. She would have to ask. Now that she had a taste of the Hatching, she had to learn more. But that could wait. Tasia shifted her weight some, partially due to the heat burning through the thin bottom of her sandals, and partially due to excitement. There were still so many eggs!

☼Dawning of the Kidappocalypse☼