Painting Skies {Kalith's First Clutching}

[Admin]

Just when the days start getting colder,
I walk the streets I never knew,
There's some words I never told you,
The sound rings out like the truth.

Summer was growing late; it would soon change to fall. To Kalith, that only meant it had been long enough since her flight in the middle of the season for her to lay her eggs. The Queen certainly looked like she was ready, abdomen swollen with the undeveloped creatures that she carried inside of herself for the time being. However, that time wasn't going to be much longer. She shifted in the one comfortable position she'd found in forever and had been keeping for hours on her couch, dozing fitfully or watching her Weyr as best she could. Then she rose, a ponderous, uncoordinated creature in comparison to what she had once been. Stretching wings that had seen far to little use as of late, she took off, straining her body to carry herself across the bowl the very short distance to the hatching sands. Though the main part of that cliff was most obviously dominated by the waterfall, the huge cavern had a large entrance from either half of the bowl if you split it down the center.

Mine, come; she ordered her rider, who followed the command without question. Taking a back way, she arrived in the scorching hot cave in a matter of moments. She took a seat on one of the front benches, there to more keep an eye on the affairs and be there to offer mental reassurance to her dragon more than anything. Shifting about the hot sands, the Queen gave a warning hiss towards the entrance ways, moving more towards the section against the far wall. This was for her and her rider; everyone else could come admire them later if they kept a respectful distance. Her materand his rider could get a closer look, but they would stay out until she was finished or she would eat them, just like she would anyone else! She went about sweep the sand and kneading it with her claws, like a mother bird preparing her nest. Moments elapsed and then the first egg came. It was just the beginning though. It didn't matter the effort, each egg brought her added pride for her clutch.

Time passed. It didn't matter to the two in the hatching cavern, but both were glad when the finally egg made its appearance onto the sands. Fajra had lost track of them; she hadn't really being paying attention to the eggs. Kalith and making sure she was fine and healthy had been more important. Then, as she tried to see the eggs and count them up, she found she couldn't. The Queen hovered protectively over them, wings spread wide to hide the loose clump. You may see them when I'm done, too; she said, and went about rearranging them, only allowing flashes of mottled colors to be seen every so often. She was doing something very specific with the eggs, but what was a mystery to anyone but her.

Finally, she folded her wings, settling herself to lie behind her eggs with her tail curled around one side protectively. Twenty-three eggs sat, glistening, on the sands. They were arranged in three perfectly manicured, semicircular rows.

The back row held nine eggs. At its center was the crowning jewel of the clutch - a Queen egg, golden in color with ever so slight mottled splashes of copper to it. To its right, towards the shelter of their mother's tail, were four eggs. The first two were ruffling the same size, though both were among the four largest in the clutch, and both were colored a mottled dark brown-gray color. The third was a smaller one in the medium-sized range for the clutch and was a lightly tawny dappled egg. The fourth was the smallest egg and much lighter than all of the others, a very pale beige mottled with creamy tone. To the left of the Queen egg was another four eggs. The very first three of the row were all medium - the first mottled green-gray, the second brown-gray, and the third was a mixture of green, blue, brown, and gray. The fourth egg in that set, the one closest to the Queen egg on that side, was a bronze-brown shade that was blotched with a copper-orange and was, besides the golden egg right next to it, the largest egg.

The middle row held seven eggs. The first, farthest to the left for any spectators, was another medium sized one and was grayish but with a strong speckling of teal. The next two eggs were on the smaller side, both a mottled mixture of black, gray, and brown. At the center of the row was the fourth egg and it was a lovely median one, with strong influences of dull red and yellow to it. The next little egg didn't have as much dappling to it as most of the others and was mostly one solid color of sand-like tan. And, finally, both the sixth and the seventh were small, the former green-gray and the later brown-gray.

The front row also held seven eggs. The first was medium in size and green-gray in color, matching several other of its brethren in shade; the middle egg was medium in size and brown-gray in color, also closely mimicking some of the other eggs. In between the two of them was one small blue-green-orange egg and then one larger medium pale orange-gray egg. The fifth egg was tiny with a mottle gray and slate blue shell. Beside it, the larger medium egg that held the sixth place in the row dwarfed it and its red-brown dappled shell was certainly much flashier. The final and seventh egg in the row was another smaller egg, mainly an orange-brown color but with touches of blue and purple to it that gave it its own distinct flare.

Crooning gently to them, Kalith eyed the world about her warily. It would be a long wait till they hatched and she would not leave them for more than a moment, and, when she was forced too, Daidoroth would be present. They were her eggs, her children; she would protect them, guard them.

Then you would know,
Cause I'm walking free,
The wind at my back,
Bathed in afterglow.

[4horseshowgirl4]

Oveth and B'nyur appeared from /between/ several dragonlengths outside of the Weyr. Both of them had grown more cautious about actually /between/ing in the Weyrbowl itself, as the increased population of dragons meant that a collision was more likely. B'nyur didn't trust the Blue to avoid a crash if he appeared in the path of another dragon, so they had recently developed a habit of flying in from a slightly further distance. Oveth soared over the Weyrbowl, letting the cozy summer thermals lazily lift him higher for a moment. Summer was fading rapidly, and, soon, they would be battling biting cold when they dared to fly this high. But, for now, the air was still warm and welcoming, embracing them and supporting them.

B'nyur and Oveth were arriving back from their monthly trip at the Healerhall and Fort Weyr, where the Master Dragonhealers and Healers continued to teach them newly developed techniques and helped them to refine their skills. B'nyur had brought up the topic of his garden while at the Healerhall and his concern that the plants would quickly die in the winter. Some of the cleverer Healers had suggested that he put up reflective metal panels around the garden to reflect the heat and light that the herbs required and that wasn't always abundant in winter. He had stopped by the Minerhall to pick up a few panels, which were now strapped to Oveth's shoulders behind B'nyur's seat. He cued the Blue to land on the ridge where their flourishing garden was located so he could play around with the panels.

Oveth banked smoothly, turning towards the garden, when the Blue caught sight of something else that interested him. He wheeled around, more abruptly this time, almost causing B'nyur to lose his seat. {Will you give me some warning!} he scolded good-naturedly, righting himself on the dragon's back. He was using his straps to hold the metal to Oveth's back, as he hadn't thought to bring extras for the cargo. Oveth didn't say anything, but dived, causing B'nyur to grip for one of the leather straps behind him. It's Queenie! Oveth said, obviously excited. Why is she going towards the Hatching Grounds? {She's clutching, Oveth!} B'nyur said, his annoyance with the Blue forgotten. He couldn't help but be somewhat excited at the prospect of a Hatching, though his days as a Candidate were long past. {We'll go see them and make sure everything's normal when she's done, Oveth, but let's drop these panels off first. Kalith won't want us there while she's clutching, anyway.}

With that, Oveth beat his wings powerfully and they climbed back into the air again. The Blue crooned softly as they left, wishing Kalith the best of luck. From what he'd seen and heard, clutching wasn't easy, but Kalith could do it, no problem! Oveth settled himself on the ridge like a mother bird landing lightly onto a branch to feed her infants, and B'nyur slid off, having the metal sheets off of Oveth's back in a minute. His pockets were rather emptier of marks than they had been, but B'nyur wasn't fussed. For what else was he going to use his salary, anyway? Dalibor provided him with all of the basics. The Dragonhealer fussed with the panels for quite a while before finally admitting that he had no idea what he was doing. {I guess we'll just have to ask Braelyn later, eh?} B'nyur said, vaulting back onto Oveth, who had been quite enjoying a snooze in the sun. Time to go see Queenie's eggs? Oveth said, slowly rousing.

The Blue leaped off of the ridge, gliding easily towards the entrance of the Hatching Sands. He landed clumsily, his front talons scraping against the smooth stone as he lost his balance for a moment. B'nyur slid off again before he fell off, patting Oveth affectionately. They dared not actually enter the Sands with the eggs being so new, but it was hard to see them. B'nyur let his mind mold with Oveth's for several seconds, using the dragon's improved long-distance vision to his advantage. Twenty-three eggs: not exactly a large number, but a decent one nonetheless for Kalith's first clutch. As far as B'nyur could see, everything seemed normal. Kalith was healthy, the eggs all seemed flawless, and... were Oveth's eyes fooling him?... there was a Queen egg! A smile spread over B'nyur's face. Oh, what good news for the Weyr!

"Fajra? Kalith?" B'nyur called tentatively, though the Queenpair would have obviously seen them by now, sharp as they both were. "We just came to offer our congratulations and to make sure everything went well." They're beautiful! Oveth interjected to Kalith, perfectly happy for her and unable to keep from expressing that opinion for a moment longer. He crooned, wishing that he could approach them more closely to get a better look at them, but B'nyur restrained him. "Did everything go smoothly? Do either of you need anything?" B'nyur asked, ensuring that he fulfilled his duty as a Healer. Everything appeared normal, but it was hard to tell from this distance, and B'nyur wanted to make doubly sure that nothing went wrong with Dalibor's first clutch of dragons, especially with the date of the return of Thread looming ever nearer.

[/font]

[Admin]

If only I knew what I know,
I'd make it a point to say so,
To everyone that got me here,
And everyone that made it.

Yes, they are. Kalith sounded gentle as she replied to the blue. She liked Oveth, in all his simpleness, and she liked hearing how her beautiful eggs were just that. Someone had come to see her eggs and were keeping a proper distance; that was good. Her eggs were still soft; she didn't want anyone getting close to them. A select few might be able to enter the cavern at least, but, until their hatching, everyone would keep away from them. Her fierce protective streak demanded that she not allow there to be any opportunity to take or harm her eggs, and, as the idea that a pebble in a pond causes a ripple, any outside influence upon them could be detrimental. So, despite being glad to see the blue framed in the light from outside, he would not be allowed closer than a few steps from where he stood right then.

Fajra appeared out of the shadow of one of the corners to come up to B'nyur as she picked her way amongst the stands to reach him at the entrance. She was smiling, exhilarated by the sight of the eggs on the sands. There was a Queen egg, ensuring a future Weyrwoman for Dalibor. It meant more clutches, more dragonets to grow up into dragons to fight thread, and more firm leadership for the Weyr. Despite her obvious satisfaction and genuine smile, she looked more tired than her dragon did, which didn't make all that much sense. Some small part of her normal vibrancy and strength seemed to be missing, replaced by a fatigue and exhaustion. Something was obviously stressing her. One would guess overwork, but she was sensible enough to take care of herself usually. Either way, she still knew how to have a presence and was happy about the Queen's clutch.

"Everything went fine, B'nyur. Both of us are fine. We don't need anything;" she assured the dragonhealer smoothly. She would have liked to allow him to take a proper look at the eggs and her dragon, but she didn't think it would be very easy to convince Kalith to allow them to get closer or to tempt her to leave her post. "If you'd like to spread the news, you can tell everyone that there's twenty-three eggs, including one Queen egg;" she told him. It was odd for her, the subdued happiness and satisfaction she allowed in her voice, but nice, thrilling, contagious almost. There was a flicker of amusement too - she knew that people would be losing some marks, mainly those who'd doubt the copper could produce a Queen.

Clear I was dead wrong all along,
You said it for my sake,
That I would not lose my way,
When I was astray.