All-Stars {Kalith & Nikianeth's Hatching}

[Admin]

I need to get myself away from this place,
I said yep, what a concept,
I could use a little fuel myself,
And we could all use a little change.

Another day wore on over the Weyr. Midday settled out and Rukbat shone down strongly into the bowl at a jaunty angle in the sky, scorching everything in a summer light that, thankfully, brought only a limited amount of heat. Expectations for the hatching ran high, but a superstition hung in the air. Kalith and Nikianeth had clutched so close together, but when would their eggs hatch? Would it even be together? Such thoughts bothered even the Weyrwoman, who did less waiting than most. As the day wore on, she completed tasks as she normally did, simply drifting in and out of the presence of the eggs. It was a matter of chance. They were ready, as far as could be seen, but it was impossible to predict the exact moment, or even the exact day, as days had a tendency to go and run on into each other. Midday found Fajra in the stands.

Light filtered into the sheltered expanse of hatching cavern, over the two clutches that lay within the huge space. Kalith, metallic hide catching the light, shifted, moving to a new protective position over her nineteen eggs. Light danced over the eggs, catching the smooth surfaces though none had any metallic sheen, none of them showing themselves to contain a Queen. It cast patterns over their already mottled and patterned shells, making shadows and patches of brilliance. Life lay hidden in their shells. She skimmed over them again, for the millionth time since she had laid them, for the hundredth time that half done day. They were all safe, wrapped up in the heat of the sands over the fine heat of the day. The copper glanced over at Nikianeth and her eggs. She was rather fond of the orange as it was. However, her own eggs came first.

At the very end of her third, carefully designed row, the blue mottled yellow egg that lay there gave a twitch. One swirling eye snapped to it. However, it didn't move again after the little spasm of motion. Kalith began to relax again, laying back across one side of her body. Then the egg began to shake more steadily, the motion unmistakable. Her feet curled under her and her claws dug into the sand. She stared at the egg, watching its rocking with a fixed attention. For a moment, she showed no other reaction, but then a humming began to sound from her chest and throat. It started off quiet, a solitary welcome to the one egg, but it grew and grew, as others elsewhere must have become aware and as she let her own voice grow with a feral but maternal strength. She called to welcome her coming children and to make them be known.

Fajra was alerted to what was happening by the humming, just as most would be, rather than the reaction of her dragon. At the soft feeling of the just beginning call in the stone under her feet, she looked up without a question. Her eyes scanned over the eggs, which were just as familiar to her as they were to her dragon, until they found the one that was moving. She regarded it coolly. Then she rose. Papers were clutched in her fingers. She tucked them back into a corner, out of the way. Where was Osro? She paused. He was in the creche, or with his father, possibly, if he had, for once, not asked. He was most likely in the creche, or with one of the workers. Assured by her thoughts on that extremely important responsibility, she descended onto the sands to stand beside the clutchmother. One bit of her red hair was out of place. She fixed it.

The brown and yellow egg in the center of the middle row joined its brother with heavy sways. A few moments after that, the first egg in the back row, the tan and gray one, began to rock as well, though its signs of life were more sporadic compared to the definite motions of the two eggs that had started before it. The humming of Kalith grew louder. Her eggs were hatching! Fajra settled under the shadow of her head, surveying all that was before them with a more controlled regarded than that of the fiercer Queen. She tracked the movements of the eggs. There were no signs of cracks yet, which was good, at that point. Kalith hummed even louder, her voice reaching an intense pitch as others across the entirety of the Weyr joined in with her for the ancient call. The clutch was healthy. They had enough candidates. The Weyrwoman kept on thinking.

Finally, a member of the front row decided to join the show of the three eggs that were rocking, and the brown patterned yellow egg of a reasonable size began its production with quite a bit of gusto. However, it seemed quickly satiated, and it fell silent. Only the first two eggs that had rocked seemed to be holding true, until the brightly mottled green egg at the beginning of the middle row decided to start shaking with a fervor. It was happening! Her eggs were hatching! Kalith stood up halfway and moved so that the entire collection of mottle beauties was in view, but she remained hovering protectively about the sands. People were coming, and more people needed to come yet. Quicker, quicker, she urged them with a baring of her teeth that didn't interrupt her humming. They needed to come quicker! She would not wait, let alone her eggs.

The light shifted in the cavern. People were arriving, and, outside, Rukbat was shifting in the sky as Kalith shifted about her eggs. Time was passing. The hatching was upon them. Fajra glanced over at Nikianeth's eggs, though Kalith kept her attention on the crowds and her own eggs. Would the orange's clutch hatch that day, or the one after that, or the next? It was so awkward to guess, and she wasn't one for guessing. The hands of fate and destiny were laying themselves on thick that day, and asking much of her. She took in a deep breath and surveyed the incoming forms of the dragons of her Weyr and the crowd that was filling up the space. Silent, she hunted for the white of candidates amongst the majesty of other colors. She was dressed in a simple gown of red. With three eggs rocking away, the eggs were most definitely hatching.

Hey now, you're a rock star,
Get the show on, get paid,
And all that glitters is gold,
Only shooting stars break the mold.

[Birdy]

“What is that?” Paralee screeched, jumping out of bed. It was annoying that’s what it was! “Stupid loud noise interrupting my sleep,” she muttered to herself. Sharding sharding shardy noise! And it was constant! Argh! Why couldn’t she find the source of the dreaded noise? Cursing the dratted sound, she flopped back onto her bad and tried to block out the noise with a pillow. Sharding noise! Sharding humming!

She paused in her sleepy anger. Hadn’t Remiel said something about humming? Her eyes, which had been squeezed tightly closed, blinked open. Hatching. Hatching! That’s what he’d said! Hatching! Oh this was exciting! Her long days spent waiting were over! That is unless she didn’t Impress.. But she’d worry about that later. Even if she didn’t Impress, one of her newfound friends at the weyr would and she could see their dragons.

Remiel! She jumped up, grabbed her candidate robe and shot out of the room. “Hatching! Hatching! Hatching!” she squealed as she ran down the hallways, bare feet making quite a lot of noise on the stone floor, towards the boys side of the barracks. She continued her yelling as she soed towards Remiel’s room, overshooting his doorway and skidding to a halt before heading back. Paralee placed one hand on either side of the doorway. “Hatching!” she said once more, slightly out of breath from her trek over.

She stepped into the room, putting on the robe and tying it around her. She was jumping up and down excitedly. “They’re hatching! They’re hatching! I almost slept through it but the sharding humming woke me up. You were right about the humming,” she said quickly, flitting around the room. “It’s nothing like a person humming.”

“Come on! The Hatching won’t wait for us!” she chirped, looking at the door. She shot forward, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him out the door. “ I know you’ve been a to a lot of Hatchings but I will NOT be late to my first!” she said, still speaking quickly. She pulled him down the hall and outside towards the Sands, quite a feat for someone so small.

She let him go once they were on the Sands. “Good luck!” she told him with a grin, resisting the urge to hug him in case it was taken wrong by the spectators. “Don’t get eaten!” she giggled before flitting over to the Sands. She curtseyed twice, one for each Queen before taking a spot on the girls side.

[Reky]

On such a summer day, Lin was thankful for the inner caverns of the Weyr. They were cool, shaded, and a nice break from the beating rays of the sun above. Back at home, there would have been trees plenty to provide cover, but this wasn't home... her old home, at least. This was her new one. She had been diligent around this new home, following the candidate chore schedule religiously to pass the time. She had been occupied since the early morning, and when she wasn't she made sure she was again by volunteering to help the lower cavern drudges. The walk back to the candidate barracks for a rest, under the sunshine, was slow and leisurely. That is, until the humming started. It was getting loud enough for her to hear it outside. It didn't take her long for it to click. Humming. Deep, throaty, Weyr-shaking humming. Oh, she'd been told what it meant. Her heart leapt to her throat, then, and she ran.

Any other time, she might have worried about looking out of place, sprinting across the bowl, but not now. Everyone else was buzzing, too, hurrying to the Sands, and she had to be especially fast. She knew that. Candidate lessons had prepared her for that, "The eggs won't wait for you!" Excited squealing from the barracks only confirmed what it was. Oh, Faranth. The Hatching. She liked to pretend she was some strong, unfazable person, but this was making her heart go like it never had before, and her stomach... She didn't even want to think about her stomach. Her best bet was to ignore it.

The robes and sandals felt very out-of-place on her body. The white, draping fabric... It was something she'd never wear any other time, but she wasn't about to spit in tradition's face. She put a few stray thoughts into at least looking somewhat presentable and meant to be in candidates' attire, and tied her dreadlocked hair looser and down farther. It still looked odd. Wait, why was she worrying now? She never fussed over her looks. Why was she doing it now? It must have been the importance of the event.

Hatching.

Swallowing her heart back down (she was cursing it, now, multiple times over - she was too sharding nervous!), she ran to the Sands, feeling the warmth through the sandals, and fell in line with the other girls. Without really meaning to, her hands were cupped over her nose and mouth, eyes on the eggs. The rocking, swaying eggs... The hatching eggs.

[theknightwhosaysni]

It was midday, a time for doing, well, things, apparently, not that Tylar was, really. He was dozing lightly in the Candidates Barracks, curled in a little ball that could've been called cute if it had been anyone else. No one called Tylar cute, he was fairly sure of that. By each shoulder was curled two firelizards, Black Akal, and Bronze Meggo, each one dozing fitfully with Theirs.

It was the distant thrum that brought Tylar jumping out of the bed, displacing both flits. Meggo took it fairly well, his wings flaring in time to catch himself, but Akal looked fairly furious about having been woken up. The Black drew himself up to his full height and hissed at Tylar, but the boy wasn't paying the two any attention.

No, instead, he was frantically pawing through a chest at the foot of his bed, muttering under his breath furiously, "Where did I put those robes? Where?" his fairly panicked voice rose until he was nearly squeaking, until at last, Tylar pulled a crumpled ball of white clothing from the chest.

He threw it across his bred and smoothed it out fiercely, throwing it on over his head, his heart thudding unhappily in his chest.

The Hatching was starting, with or without him, and he had to be there. Two clutches, twenty-two eggs, he believed, twenty-two chances for him to Impress, even if the two Hatchings didn't occur at once.

Those had to be all right, if not pretty good odds. There weren't that many Candidates, were there?

Tylar didn't let himself dwell on that for long, summoning Akal and Meggo with a snap of his fingers, and striding purposefully down the hall.

He hardly noticed that his hair was still a mess, sticking up on one side, and his blue eyes were bleary - he hadn't managed to sleep well the night before - and his shoulders drooped slightly with the weight of two firelizards resting on them.

It wasn't long before he'd arrived on the Sands, though, and Tylar straightened his shoulders, and drew himself to his full - if rather short - height.

-------------------------

Silence swirled around her, an almost palpable thing, and Amara lay on her back, eyes tracing shapes in the sky, shapes that reflected her excitement about the soon to arrive Hatching - all the cloud shapes she could find looked like Hatchlings - but she didn't really want to think about it too much, half worried that if she dwelled on the thoughts of Impression for too long, she would jinx her chances.

The ground beneath her vibrated distantly as she continued to daydream, caught in another land where she'd already Impressed, and this was all behind her, Amara rode on the back of a beautiful dragon, though the colors of that dragon varied instant by instant. One moment it was a Green, the next, a Pink, and on and on in an endless circle.

The ground vibrated beneath her, reminding her distantly of the humming of a Hatching -- wait, a Hatching?

Amara sat up as quickly as she could, sprinting back into the Weyr, and into her room in the 'Barracks. The Hatching had to have started, there was no other reason why all the dragons in the Weyr would begin to hum...

Amara threw the door open as quickly as she could, nearly panicked as she headed straight for the neatly folded bundle of white cloth at the base of the bed, near where her feet would've gone if she'd slept at all the past few nights.

When she hurriedly unfolded the robes, she hardly noticed the creases and wrinkles in the fabric, putting them on callously, hardly pausing to make sure that she'd managed to cover most of her clothes.

Her feet, already in sandals, were fine, Amara decided, pausing a moment to glance around her room, trying to remember if there was anything she needed to do.

She'd gotten everything she needed, Amara decided a moment later, and she burst out of her room with a wide grin.

But before long, the hallway was behind her, and she was out onto the scalding Sands, wincing slightly, and quietly walking forward, her eyes seeking a familiar form.

Any familiar form, really.

[jack]

Carefully...steadily...fingers twitched against the tiny tool, flexing it with deep concentration until it gave a soft click, and the pieces--held unsteadily in his grip--were suddenly interlocked together as firmly as a wherry would cling to its meal. Bright eyes widened and a grin spread onto the boy's lips, a soft squeak of victory slipping from his mouth before he suddenly went quiet again, back to concentrating. Upon the teenager's shoulders, the brightly whirling stare of Cogs was even more intense than ever, his head cocked to the side slightly as he rustled his wings subtly, and looked away.

Sprocket too lifted his head after a moment, his goggles down as he gave a slight frown, blinking. "...what's that noise..?" Cogs was silent for a long moment, and the Smith's eyes lifted to him, staring quizzically...before widening subtly as a hum sounded in the tiny creature's chest. Quiet at first, it grew louder and louder, and even Sprocket--thanks to an image from his little flit--was able to figure out the situation.
"Hatching.."

All at once, the room exploded into noise and action. Not from Sprocket, who was at the moment imagining the great, "angry" form of the girl dragoness that was Kalith, but from the people all around him. Candidates and drudges alike, all were scurrying about and making loud noises, exclaiming and demanding and making general fuss. Reluctantly, the boy found himself wrenched to his feet--having fully considered staying right where he was--and gave a yelp as he was shoved into the tell-tale white robes by a particularly insistent drudge. Before he could make his complaint--not that he really could, when it came down to it--he was pushed out of the room and into the crowd of people, forced to follow along.

Cogs led the way to the Sands, a gleaming Bronze arrow that glided above the heads of the people and distracted Sprocket enough to make it so he didn't notice most of the women around him. By the time he actually stumbled up to the Sands themselves, however, he was shivering in terror from too many close encounters with the "fairer" sex. Swallowing deep, only a sharp thwack in the back of the head by Cogs's tail forced him to shuffle up to the dragoness, bowing deeply out of pure terror before retreating to the boy side of the Sands, almost clinging to the nearest one.

==

That...was a distracting sound. Brown eyes lifted, quizzically staring out into nothing, far away from the haphazard sprawl of doodles that an absent hand had been working away at. Suspicion bled into the girl's stare as the sound--was it a buzzing?--grow louder, echoed by dozens of other buzzers until it filled the entire weyr with sound. The teenager--crouched beside her bed with her paper pressed against the floor--stuck out her bottom lip in an annoyed pout, her eyes narrowing subtly as her free hand curled into her dog's fur.

The canine lifted his head--not seeming bothered by the buzzing--and blinked at her, his flopped over ears perked with lazy attention. Her grip softened, stroking the curled fur, and with a long sigh the merle laid his head back down, drifting off to sleep easily. But Javyk, already rifling through a world of 'how to save my tail' scenarios, was not so easily soothed.

Curiously, she rose to her feet, stepping easily around Bodie before approaching the doorway, sticking her head out. Almost immediately, she was shoved right back inside, her roommate barreling through for a half-instant before stampeding off again. In his wake was one of two robes, white in color and easily recognizable. Hatching! Her frown flipped itself easily, a grin taking place once more as she shrugged the thing on and with a quick "you have to stay here or you'll get eaten" to Bo, was off down the Halls.

Moonii--who according to an image had been napping on Joskep's head--appeared in her way for a moment, giving a soft squeak of encouragement before she betweened, selecting a small nitch in the sands to hideaway and watch. Javyk herself reached the Sands several minutes later, joining the mass of Candidates. In her haste, however, she was not so foolish as to forget one particular beauty. "I look forward to standing for your children, Kalith." Smiling--beaming, even--she dipped low into a bow, respecting the Copper as proudly as she could before skipping off to her place. The Hatching was about!

[purnip]

It had to happen midday.

Not that expectations had the right to be made with great ease such as the current, but Lyam was nearly certain of himself that the humming would have penetrated the cool of the night. Silly him, right? Where he was located during the calls and the beginning of it all was rather safe however. For the last few days he remained in close vicinity to his room, and today he was inside of it. Face burrowed in his arms. Dozing over letters and manuscripts from home and about. Not so blissfully unaware of any humming or the scuffles outside. Dead to the world and completely unaware that he had let himself slip into unconsciousness. During the day he was a little easier on himself. Today he would regret it.

Suede did the honor of waking the boy with a sharp screech. He didn't bother with crooning or chirping. He knew His would appreciate the wake up call a lot more when he realized that the Blue was giving it early. He screeched the moment he sensed the sounds from the Queen herself. Lyam was just coming to, groggy, but his eyes widened when he finally registered the cacophony of sound. "Ha-HATCHING! I'm missing it!"

As if shot with a jolt of electricity, he stood suddenly, knocking over his chair and with unexpected agility he hopped over it like a runnerbeast. Nearly crashing into the dresser, he stuck his arms out to prevent collision and pulled the second one down open, hastily removing the Candidate robes folded neatly on top. "Shardsshardsshards... he cursed to himself in a sing-song tone with his great lack of ease. Suede had perched on top of the dresser and relayed that the boy wasn't late at all, and that he'd expect to arrive early at his rate, but His didn't listen. Lyam threw the robe over him, snagged his comb, and bolted out the door still combing his mess of hair. It wasn't nearly as terrible as it would have been had he slept on the bed, but for whatever reason it always looked a mess when he woke up. Suede didn't accompany him, on strict orders not to do so. Instead, the Blue worried after Lyam, wondering why His would rather do this alone. It made him so stressful...he couldn't hide it from Suede, so the flit did not know other people easily believed his fake attitudes. He gave a sound similar to that of a whine and put his head down, hoping only the best. He loved all the Candidates, or at least the ones he met. He wished them all well, even by name. Paralee, Rhysia, Jasra, Tylar...

Lyam was able to maneuver himself well through the crowds though he sped through like a freight train. He didn't push a single person, still attempting to keep his image whist dealing with the anxiety of being late. When he reached the Sands, sweaty and out of breath, he attempted to regain his composure as immediately as possible. It was very, very difficult. For the first time in his life, he was facing extreme difficulty at something he was normally able to do with ease. No one made him feel this way. He glanced up at Kalith and his gaze searched for Nikilaneth. He straightened up his robe and bowed deeply. His weariness was washed away the moment he had woken up, so Lyam found himself super-charged. Ready, perhaps more than ever, for this event he had endured for. He was actually not one of the last, but one of the first to arrive, aside from a few others who had actually been awake. Managing through, he stood tall and made his way towards the male group. It was strange that they still separated the genders...perhaps to minimize maulings. He wasn't afraid of such a thing. The only thing Lyam feared was to be left Standing.

He might as well be in court.

He spied Tylar as one of the ones to have arrived and mentally grimaced. To be shown up by a guy like him...it was mildly disappointing. Still, he wished the other well in spite of his quirky mood. With just a small smirk of a smile. He couldn't manage a 'good luck' at the moment...and he then decided he simply had to. "Hey, good luck guys." There, to the whole group. And they'd need it. He needed it. He really, really did.

---

Rhysia on the other hand, was wide awake and organizing her room when she heard the call. At first she wondered at it and took a while to decipher it for what it was. Then the other girls started to pour out of their rooms. She was about to follow when she noted that they were all in their robes. "Oh! I better get that on!" No time to waste; her lifemate could be waiting for her on the Sands at this very moment wondering where her Rhysia was at.

With a calm that Lyam would have killed for, she searched through her stack of washed clothing that she forgot to put away until she found the robe. The sash was nowhere to be seen. She placed the robe aside, delicately, and began to dig. In her digging, she did not notice that she had already flung the sash aside with her robe, and so she wasted about three minutes looking for something that wasn't there. When she did notice, she slapped her forehead with her palm, a "Fancy that", and began to put it on. She didn't think it was necessary to get stressed about it. If hers was there, it was destiny that they would be together. They would be bonded whether or not Rhysia was there first.

Once she was ready to go, she walked out the door and towards the Sands. Other Candidates rushed past her. They would get there before her. She simply kept herself at a comfortable yet quickened pace until she too reached the location. She stood for a moment there, fascinated with the clutch and all its beauty, until she was ushered in by an elder. Rhysia came back to reality and nearly skipped on ahead, not forgetting to bow for the clutchmothers in a half-decent curtsey. It was the best she could do, really. Rhysia was quite the tomboy when it came to manners. She meant all respect though. With that, she joined the other girls in place. When she spotted Paralee, she waved. "Hi Paralee! Good luck!"

[carolin]

Javert smiled as he walked towards the candidate barracks. He had told Sprocket that he would check on him from time to time to make sure that other candidate was eating and not starving himself. He was happy to have at least one friend in the Weyr. It made him feel like he might actually belong. It was such a nice feeling to have.

Just as he made it to the barracks he heard a hum. He knew that for some reason he should be reacting to the hum, but he had been so startled that he had almost went to hide under his bed. It took him a second to register what he meant and that he should be making his way to the hatching grounds. "Oh no!" He ran inside and grabbed his candidate robes and quickly tossed them on. In his haste he got stuck in them and had to take his time to remove the article and then put it back on so it wouldn't look bad. He fixed himself up quickly and left the barracks.

Scared that he was going to be late, he quickly ran towards the caverns. He knew that he needed to get there quickly. After all the eggs wouldn't wait for one candidate who had gotten a little caught up in something. How would be feel if he got there and all of the eggs were hatched and all of the dragons impressed? He had heard that they went by quickly. Maybe he was missing it.

He saw others heading towards the hatching grounds, that calmed him down a little. At least he wasn't completely late, others were still ariving so he had some time, or so he hoped.

The sand was hot beneath his feet as he made his way over to the other male candidates. He had nearly tripped over his own two feet on his way in. He looked around nervously. His heart racing in his chest. It was time, and he wasn't late. Now it would just take some more time to see if he impressed or not.

[seddo]

Eali lay with his eyes closed in the hammock outside. The bright sun beat down on him, burning his skin. It felt nice. Warmer than he’d been in awhile. He drifted in and out of a light sleep. This whole place, this new Weyr, it was too alien to him. When it wasn’t eerily quiet, it was loud with Paralee’s high pitched yelling.
In fact…
Wait…
Was that her yelling just now?
His sleep had muffled his hearing as though reality had become less vivid. Slowly, he rose, eyes still closed and listened harder.
…
They were hatching. He could hear the hum that Remiel had spoken of – metallic and unnatural – the buzz in the distance and he knew it could only be that hatching.


Eali sucked in a huge breath and let it out his nose. He ran his thick fingers through his long hair. (I need to cut it again. He thought) and began his sprint towards the noise.


His strong legs beat against the ground as he bolted through the barracks. The wind felt good on his face. He felt strong. Not confident, but strong. Eali doubted he would be Impressed upon. What kind of a magnificent creature would Impress to a bumbling fool like him? But, inevitably, he would bare witness to something fascinating, something unique, something beautiful.
That, in itself was an honor.


Eali finally made it too the sands, where Paralee and Lin had gathered. Only then did he realize that he’d forgotten his shirt. In his delightful sprint through the inner caverns, he’d totally neglected the simplest of tasks.
“Oh, shard. Sorry. I was in a hurry.” Eali thought he saw Lin let out a quiet smirk, but he wasn’t sure.


The eggs shook and Eali felt such deep admiration for the creatures. He ran his eyes up and down each egg and then he looked at Kalith. He could feel her breath, even from so far away, he could feel her life bathe the whole place. Eali ran his fingers through his hair again…
“Here we go.”

[kia]

The humming was very distinct in her ears. Even Nix and Flare were humming, which was a sign that the eggs were Hatching. But whose eggs were Hatching? Kalith had Risen first, though Nikianeth had not been too far behind. Her Orange`s eggs were surely not Hatching now! It was too early for them to do so. Nia stood up and walked into the part of the weyr where Nikianeth would have been sleeping if the Orange had not been too preoccupied with her own eggs. She inched closer to the edge of the weyr ledge, wanting to try to look out toward the Sands. Her foot shifted a small rock, causing a reaction of the rock rolling over the side of the ledge, landing in the Weyrbowl, and smashing into small pieces. Nia wondered if it was a sign. That Nikianeth`s eggs might be Hatching too. She could see dragons, Riders, and Candidates gathering toward the Sands, all equally curious about what those round, fragile-but-strong, gorgeous eggs held inside. Nia reached her mind out to her lovely Orange. Are your eggs Hatching now? the woman asked.

The Orange, who had been eyeing the Copper Queen, lifted her head slightly. She had not been eyeing the Copper with disapproval or anything. In fact, the Orange was having a slight conflict with emotions inside herself. She was happy that Kalith`s eggs were Hatching now. They were strong and they would reveal strong dragons. The Weyr was growing more and more with each Turn. But Nikianeth was worried over her own eggs. What if one of Kalith`s beautiful children stepped over to Nikianeth`s eggs and smashed one open, killing one of her own gorgeous children? She could not let that happen. As much as she would adore Kalith`s children as much as her own children, Nikianeth was a mother at the moment, and those instincts were very strong. No, they are not rocking. It is Kalith`s eggs. They are Hatching. But what if one of her children accidently knocks into my eggs?

Nia could hear the hint of concern in the Orange`s voice. She loved her Orange very much. I am coming, Niki. Just hold on, love, Nia said, turning to leave the ledge and head out the weyr. As she walked down the stairs and down to the Sands, she wondered what Nikianeth`s eggs held inside. She hoped they would be strong. The red and orange egg was already the largest, but she doubted that Nikianeth would be able to produce a large ranking dragon on her first Clutch. She reached the Sands and quickly moved around Kalith to reach Nikianeth and her eggs. The Orange was humming with the arrival of Kalith`s eggs, but she rumbled happily at the sight of her Mine. She lowered her head down to Nia, letting the woman caress her muzzle comfortably. "It is all right, Nikianeth. I am proud of you and your eggs will be fine. They are strong too," Nia said reassuringly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was humming in the air. The humming excited all of N`tal`s Fire Lizards, all of them chattering happily and starting to hum in procession. N`tal was quick to get up and grab his sword, tying it to his waist. He was out the door before Gulath could ask him why he was asking this. N`tal was never excited about the idea of this Hatching. Unless... Gulath remembered what had happened exactly. The Blue stood up and moved toward the ledge at the end of the weyr. Spreading his wings, he flew off to find a ledge close to the Hatching so he could see clearly. He knew that N`tal would need him and want him to be close by to observe as well. Gulath was right, and N`tal grinned at how fast his dragon had picked up on it without a single word. He walked casually toward the Hatching, Ian around his neck possessively. The man found a spot t sit down and sat down, toward the front, where he could see everything clearly. Get ready, N`tal said to Gulath mentally, reminding the dragon of what he must do.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gneith had decided to stay in their weyr knowing that many dragons would be attending the Hatching to see what Hatched. But Gneith did not have to worry. She sat at the ledge in her weyr where she could see part of the Hatching. Besides, Lynx would let her know what Hatched. But Gneith was very excited about this Hatching. Even though she was a very large and very fast Green, she was older than these Hatchings. When she Rose, she would be an inspiration to the Greens to be better and to improve themselves. Gneith crooned at the idea. New eggs equaled new dragons. And new dragons meant more friends and the Weyr growing. Lynx chuckled at her Green`s idea of glory and inspiration. She and Gneith would be good, but there would always be someone better than them. She found a seat and sat down, noticing the first eggs to rock back and forth. The Orange`s eggs were not shaking at the moment. Would her eggs Hatch today? The eggs that could have been fathered by... Lynx did not want to think of that. She was done crying and being hurt about it. She wanted to look toward the future. Yes, the future. She forgave L`ven, even though it took time. Would he start avoiding her now?

[hatori3070]

Jasra was laying in bed, reading a particularly interesting history that she'd found in the library. Geree, Anthe, and Dioia were racing about the room in a wild game of chase. It was them halting and humming softly in their throats that alerted her to an odd noise. She felt it more than heard it, and for a moment she had no idea what it was. Then it clicked. Dragons. Humming. Hatching! She tossed the papers aside and scrambled to the chest at the foot of her bed. Her white candidate robes were in there, along with the plain sandals she would have to wear on the sands.

Luckily, her hair was already in its customary braids on either side of her face, so that wasn't anything she would have to worry about. She hastily shook out the robe, freeing it of the few wrinkles it had gotten, and pulled it on over her head. Her three flitts were now going nuts, acting like a bunch of wherry-brains as they whizzed about her head. "Be quiet! Settle down, all of you, or I swear I'll lock you up in here until after the hatching!" That sure got their attention. They were instantly in their customary positions, Pink Geree cuddled in close to her neck with her tail wrapped around it, and Greens Anthe and Dioia perched on either shoulder. They all creened apologetically, and Jasra gave them each a quick stroke.

Now she really needed to hurry if she didn't want to bring the wrath of possibly two clutchmothers down on her. She hurriedly slipped on her sandals and ran out the door. This was the most exciting moment of her life, but it might soon be eclipsed by an even greater moment. Impression. It was what she had lived for since the moment of being searched, and now it might actually be happening. She had never truly admitted to herself that she might not Impress, but it had been a nagging uneasiness as the hatching got closer. It had even robbed her of a few hours sleep in the past week. She reached the sands and paused for a moment, taking a deep breath to steady herself. Her heart was racing and her breathing was slightly labored from her mad dash to the sands. She needed a moment to regain some sense of composure. Her mind finally stilled, her breathing returned to normal, but her heart only slowed slightly. That was the best she was going to get, so she stood up straight, showing all of her odd height, and strode as confidently as she could out onto the sands. Not too confidently, though. Arrogance would make unwanted enemies, and could even cause the Queens to bar her from the sands.

She bowed respectfully to each in turn. It was truly an honor to be allowed to Stand, allowed the opportunity to gain a lifemate, a mindmate, a partner that would always be at her side and in her mind. The three flitts chose to ignore her last thoughts, as they were busy keeping their eyes on the great Copper Kalith. She had gotten very angry at them when she had first clutched. With a quick cuddle into Jasra cheek, Geree took off to find a spot in the stands. Anthe and Dioia soon followed after their own hasty farewells. Each quickly flashed her the image of an irate Kalith, and Jasra really couldn't blame them as she took her place among the female candidates. She smiled encouragingly at Amara, who seemed to be looking for a familiar face, then directed her attention to the two rapidly moving eggs among Kalith's clutch. This was it. They were hatching.

[heytarsar]

Kjara was panicking. There was commotion coming from everywhere and she was beginning to receive a headache from the stress. Kadassh was barking beside her, people were running around to get to the Sands, and Kjara was standing here, lost. But soon, everything cleared and she yelled, “Kasassh!” and he stopped barking instantly at her tone and the glare he received at the same town. Kjara quickly ordered him to her room and quietly left, making her way to the grounds as she followed other candidates like herself. Excitement filled her veins as she made it into the grounds with the others, her eyes wide at the sight of the rocking eggs. Her eyes scanned the crowd before her and found a familiar form and quickly made her way past others and came up beside Lin. She touched her arm gently, her nimble hand trembling slightly. “Lin,” she whispered, fear overwhelming all emotions. “I’m scared.” But she knew it would be stupid to not be scared. Here before her were little baby dragons about to take their first step—wobbly steps, mind you—into this big world. She dropped her arm from Lin’s shoulder and gulped at the sight until her eyes caught the form of the yellow egg; her mother had ridden a yellow dragon.

Her heart clenched in her chest and she looked at the other candidates, some she had seen in the lessons, some she had never laid eyes upon. Kjara found it funny, how out of all these people, she had only met Lin; and she was her only friend.

Her thoughts went to the time she had witnessed hatching's; people were often injured and occasionally died because the poor little creatures had accidentally tripped or stepped on one of the candidates. Kjara clenched her jaw in fight and shifted, feeling odd in the white robe and sandals; she had wished she was able to wear breeches and a tunic instead of this; what if she had to back away from a looming dragon who’s claws came to close to her? She could trip!

But look at where you are, her mind rang. You’re in the Sands. At a hatching! A hatching that might make you a Dragonrider! Despite the fact that it was cooler in the Weyr, Kjara was happy. She could be like her mother; magnificent! No more of the harsh way towards others who made her feel uncomfortable. No more having to worry about being alone. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she looked at the beautiful scene before her. Patiently, she waited for the dragons to hatch, her eyes lifted towards the mother dragon with a smile as she rocked on her feet, enjoying the feeling of the dragon’s hum that vibrated through her body.

It was only a matter of time.

This is it Kjara. This may be your only chance…

She turned to the Weyrwoman, an expression of gratitude on her face. Thank you, her eyes read. Thank you for bringing me here.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[kyrillion]

Remiel was enjoying another lazy day. Hatchings were always heralded by lazy days; the Candidates didn't want to do anything important or time-consuming, lest they be interrupted half-way through. The same, he supposed, went for most of the other Weyr workers. Even the dragonriders, who could blink between in an instant to anywhere they wanted, tended to find excuses to hang about the bowl, or the kitchens, or the lower caverns when a Hatching was afoot. Everyone wanted to be close, ready at a moment's notice so that they wouldn't miss the Big Event. And the excitement was always infectious - it was a nostalgic time for riders, a life-changing (and never-racking) one for Candidates, and an awe-inspiring (or even jealousy-inducing) one for just about everyone else. Hatchings were the future - and everyone wanted a piece.

Stretched out on his cot in the barracks, arms pillowing his head and one leg crossed over the other, he let the heavy summer heat - which had set upon the weyr just after breakfast and had only tightened its suffocating grip since - lull him into a doze. He wasn't sure how much time passed, but eventually something began to register, somewhere in the back of his mind, as being not quite right... Something was up. Blinking blearily, he sat up and tilted his head to one side, eyes narrowed in intense focus. That wasn't what he thought it was, was it?

But of course it was; he'd been expecting it for days, and it was getting louder all the time. That tell-tale Hatching hum, deep and all-encompassing and entirely familiar. Well, here it went again - trying to cover up his nervous excitement with pessimism, if only because he knew it would sting less later if he was left on the Sands, he jumped out of bed and rushed to where his white robe was hanging, neat and pressed and looking as though it had never been worn. As he tugged it off the hook it'd been resting on, he noticed a strange, more high-pitched noise floating down the corridor, rising above the humming... and a moment later, resolving itself into words.

"Hatching, hatching, hatching!" He knew that voice, of course; it'd been the same one that, only a day ago, had shouted his own name at the shore of the lake. A grin finally conquered the mock-scowl he'd been trying to maintain, and he slithered into his Candidate's robe just in time to turn and watch Paralee go flying by his open doorway. When she came bouncing back into his room, he grinned and reached out to lay calming hands on her shoulders, intending to tell her to take a deep breath... But then, why should he? It was her first Hatching, after all. She should be ecstatic! And he should be getting into the spirit of things, too - what right did he have to act like a cynic and ruin her fun? A playful twinkle lit his eyes, and he turned away just long enough to grab a comb and run it through his hair a few times; he need to look meticulous for the Hatching, of course. That was something that, after so many years, had never changed.

Satisfied that he was perfectly presentable, he turned back around and shrugged, a single eyebrow quirked and an almost mischievous grin firmly in place. "Of course I was right." He watched her, amused, as she paced around his room, and he was about to say that they should get a move on when she beat him to it. Taken off guard, she was able to pull him bodily out of his room with no resistance, her hand like a vice around his arm. He dissolved into happy laughter as he stumbled and tripped and followed her down the hallway at a full-out run. "What, you think I'd make you late? Give me some credit, here." He joked, even as he tried to keep up with her without running full-force into anything.

In no time at all, they were wading their way through the crowd that had already gathered in the bowl, moving in a massive conglomerate towards the Hatching sands. Fighting their way between people and dragons and runnerbeasts, they at last staggered into the welcome shade of the cavern, already filled to the brim with dragons and spectators alike. When she released her grip on his arm, and went to join the other girls with only a good luck, he grinned and reached out to grab her hand. Tugging her back towards him, he enveloped her in a quick hug, tugging her off the ground and twirling her around once for good measure. Setting her back down, he returned her sentiment with a grin.

"Good luck! And don't be nervous - I still think one of those eggs is yours, for sure." He winked, and then chuckled sheepishly when she warned him not to get himself eaten. "I'll do my best!" And with that promise, he turned and bowed dutifully to Kalith and Nikianeth, before hurrying quickly over to join the line of boys already assembled. Standing at the end, towards the middle of the cavern and with his back to the stands, he nodded a greeting to the semi-familiar faces. He even returned Tylar's good luck with a nod. "You guys, too - you all ready?" He grinned mirthfully; he was sure they were all as excited, if not more, than he was. Nineteen eggs - twenty-two, counting Nikianeth's clutch, and no telling when those three were going to hatch. This was shaping up to be an interesting Hatching, at least - but Remiel's genuine grin was now hiding, as per usual, behind a carefully-constructed expression of cool nonchalance. Even now, he looked as laid-back as ever - he could go with the flow. Bring on the chaos.

[Kila]

O’sho felt privileged that he was in all probability the fourth being on a complete list of the Weyr to be alerted to the rocking of the eggs. Daidoroth was perched atop the entrance to the Hatching Cavern, as he had been since Kalith had clutched. Occasionally the Bronze had left at O’sho’s urgings when he was desperate for food and water, but as long as his Queen had to stay, he would stay. The patient sire of the clutch had not minded. Had been close to Kalith all along, and though her obsessive possessiveness of her eggs had never wavered, her brooding had not been constant. As the shells had hardened and they had rested in one anothers proximity she had warmed up to him. Daidoroth had been kept up to date on all of the smallest happenings within the clutch. Even when Kalith did not tell him about it directly, he could see it in her mind as she saw it through her eyes. And it was just in this way that Daidoroth came to be one of the first to know.

He and Kalith had been calm. The eggs were due to hatch at any time, but it was midday and the heat was sedating. He was thankful it was not hot enough make him wither out there in the heat. His hide was dry and battered from the elements he had withstood during his sentry. When his children had all chosen their lifemates he would climb down at last and have His oil him all over. It would be one of the most gratifying events of his life.

While he dreamed of oil baths and basked in the sun, all the while keeping one eye out on all activity below, he suddenly felt Kalith become alert. He in turn snapped back to the present, crooning in question and reading her emotions. She was tense, attentive, and focused on something. All was dead quiet for a while, and then excitement and triumph flared up in her. It could only mean one thing! Mine. Kalith began to hum lowly and Daidoroth lent her voice to hers, joining in and intensifying the hum that immediately began to vibrate throughout the Weyr. The other dragons took up the hum too and soon everyone knew- the eggs were hatching!
O’sho had been in the Dining Hall reassuring one of the cooks when Daidoroth bespoke him. The breathless excitement in his deep mind voice told the whole story. The Weyrleader gave the cook an encouraging pat on the shoulder before excusing himself and swiftly disappearing. He had been going to retrieve Osro and take him out to play in the sun, but he could put that off until another day. He buttoned up and straightened his shirt as he went, deeming himself proper enough to pass at a public event. As he hoofed it to the Cavern, the humming began. He made eye contact with Daidoroth as he entered and strode over to Fajra and Kalith. He stopped and bowed the mighty Copper before he approached her Rider. They rarely communicated with many words, so, true to form, he only greeted her with a fond, crinkled smile. It said enough. ”After everyone arrives I will be in the front row.” If you need me. Even though she wouldn’t.

O’sho walked back towards the entrance of the cavern, prepared to greet important guests and direct people as needed. Predictably, the Candidates, nearly falling over themselves with excitement and nerves, were the first to arrive. Daidoroth approved of each young man and woman robed in white that hurried into the cavern. Those were the ones they really needed. It was nice to have an audience to provide atmosphere and support, but they were only really a formality. Soon enough other weyrfolk hurried in too. He bowed to Nia as she hurried by to be with Nikianeth and greeted a few of the recently-graduated Wavewalkers as they entered. One in particular brought a smile to his face. With a flash of golden curls, Sol bounded up to the entrance to the cavern, Eccolath settling eagerly onto a cliff behind her. The Cyan longed to be able to go inside and watch, but she was willing to settle for the play by play from Hers since there was really no better option. ”O’sho, hello!” she cried, her eye alive with excitement. She craned her head backwards and beamed up at Daidoroth. ”He must be proud. How exciting! Are all the candidates in?” she asked, peering back into the Bowl. In the crook of one arm was a fat, grumpy Pink flitter that chattered her complaints to deaf ears. Her Black, Hally, had escaped, terrified by the humming let alone a room full of people. She had insisted on bringing the Pink along so she could get some exercise. She was far too fat for her age. ”Oops, no they aren’t; I can see some of them hurrying over now. Guess I’d better get out of the way.” She moved to the side to let one frenzied candidate rush by. ”See you afterwards,” she said with a brilliant smile and a courteous bob of her head. Turning her back to him, she danced over to the Stands, picking out a seat near the middle. She hoped someone would come sit with her, but at the moment she was completely preoccupied with the shaking and shivering eggs on the Sands.

[Nia]

Engrye laid back on her cot, watching as Twee and Dee twirled around in the air for her, performing a little show for her. Or just practicing to perform it in front of someone else, Engrye really didn't know. Either way, it was rather entertaining, which was something the red-haired girl really needed right now, considering the fact that she was bored with reading records and couldn't find any books to borrow. While they were annoying and usually put her into a lot of awkward and embarassing situations, the two Greens were growing on her. She was actually smiling and even laughed in a good-natured manner at their comedy.

As if on cue, as soon as Twee and Dee had finished their little show for her, a soft humming began that then got louder and louder. Soon the two Greens even joined in, grabbing at Engrye's hair to pull her up into a sitting position. "The Hatching...." she mused out loud, sitting crosslegged on her cot. Her insides felt like they were pulling her in all different directions... actually, that was probably her flitters, who had decided that the best way to get her up and moving was to drag her clothing in different directions. "I'm just thinking, calm down, I know what to do," she attempted to soothe them, but the Greens wouldn't be persuaded to stop until Theirs was up and changed.

Deciding that what they were doing was probably for the best, she pulled Dee off her clothes (Twee had already let go, but the less intelligent sister hadn't gotten the mental cue to let go yet) and got up to change into the Candidate robes. Hers were clean of blood, thankfully, which hopefully would grant her some good luck, though she did notice a slight tear in the sleeve. ...maybe she was just nervous and was imagining that. No, she might have a strong imagination, but it wasn't anything to... oh shard it, who cared! Her mind was trying to find distractions to rid itself of the nerves, she could tell, but Engrye really couldn't afford to get distracted right now. After she was changed and had adjusted her half twintails, she turned towards her two Greens with a serious expression on her face. "You two had better behave. I mean it, if you try to steal the show, Kalith will eat you," and she conjured up a rather elaborate image of the Copper Queen chomping down on the flitters. By their panic and rush to jump up to her shoulders to hide in her hair, she figured they knew not to act up.

With that all settled, the red-head stepped out of her room and began to walk at a brisk pace towards the Hatching Sands. She wasn't late, persay, but she wasn't exactly early. And she was nervous. She was so, so nervous. But none of that showed on her carefully collected calm expression as she walked to the Sands, hoping that her aura radiated her usual emotionless and not the fact that she felt like she was going to throw up. As she approached the Sands her heart pounding only began to cause her to shake even more, but she walked it off and approached the Queen and gave her a polite curtsy before heading over to the girls semi-circle.

The mass of... well, love was kind of odd for her, and Engrye felt even more detached than she usually did. She didn't really connect with any of these girls, even with their little get-together sleepover thing, so she would feel just plain awkward wishing any of them luck. Besides, she was known for her coldness, not her happy luck-giving... ness. So she wasn't going to make people weirded out by ruining that image. Not that any of them would care... but still, it would bother her on the inside. Not that she wasn't already bothered on the inside, shards, she felt like her stomach was flipping over inside her! Even so, she still managed to keep her expression as cold, her eyes as narrowed, and arms crossed slightly across her chest. She was ready for this Hatching... yeah, no problem.

~~~~~~~~

Avalle was sitting out by the Weyr Lake, leaning against the extremely large, gold body mass known as Callistath. Both were dozing off into a faint sleep. Kalith and Nikianeth were both on the Sands, both with clutches that seemed ready to hatch at any moment. But unlike the last one, Avalle didn't feel that odd bunch of nerves, and even laughed at herself for fretting so much. It had turned out... well. Sitting by the lake gave her a lot of time to reflect on the past months she'd been with Callistath. How much she'd matured, how sharding big Callistath was, and their new power as Junior Weyrwoman and dragon. But she'd reflected far too much and was now just happy to enjoy her dragon's company and sleep. She'd gotten far too little sleep lately, and it was nice to just get away from it all.

Yulari was the only one of the trio that was awake, and she was flying above the water, sometimes skimming it to make a game. She was about to wake Her's with a splash of water when she sensed the eggs beginning to Hatch and let out a soft hum. Callistath also awoke, beginning a hum as well. Mine, Kalith's eggs are hatching,

[/i] Callistath softly woke hers with a very polite tone, and the girl opened her light brown eyes, blinking a few tiems to clear her vision. So they are.... she said, going quiet for a moment. Well! she thought with a large grin, Let's go watch! I can't wait to see how nervous all those Candidates are, she laughed mischeviously, climbing on to Callistath with a practiced... well, it couldn't be called grace, but it was practiced. Yulari quickly joined her, the yellow content to wrap herself around Avalle's neck once more.

You were a Candidate once, you know. One with bad posture and very, very nervous thoughts,[/i] Callistath commented as she took off. Yeah well, that was then, this is now! I've changed. No you haven't.[/i] Have too. I fixed my slouching for you and everything! You still slouch when you think I'm not looking.[/i] I do no-, wait, you can't NOT be looking, you're always looking! Avalle laughed mentally and the Gold even let out a light laugh of her own. The two were in good spirits. With all the stress that came with being a Junior Weyrwoman... well, they'd take that over being a Weyrling any day. Besides... it was kind of nice to be recognized and to actually be someone, not just another face in the crowd. Avalle still had plenty of pride, and Callistath certainly wasn't doing anything to help that.

The pair landed in the Stands, Callistath's large body taking up quite a bit of space, but she made sure to stay out of the way. Avalle watched both Fajra and Nia; she felt she'd rather clicked with the Orangerider back when Kalith's flight had gone on, and she got along fairly well with Fajra. You wanna take bets on who will Impress what? Avalle smirked again, leaning forward to see the Hatching better. Mine, please, try to show a little class,[/i] Callistath scolded, and Avalle just rolled her eyes. They were both in a good mood and couldn't wait to see what this Hatching of Kalith's was going to hold.[/blockquote][/size]

[mangonumnum]

It was certainly a bright day out. Lasd was happy about that. The pang of missing his family was slowly easing away in the sun. Why had he been shunning it so much? He sat, lounging near the lake, shirt and shoes abandoned next to him. This was how he truly liked to be. Of course, he still missed his family. He was too much of a family boy not to. But he felt like being away from them was alright. He would see them again soon. Perhaps they could even come to the Hatching-it would be any day now!

His thoughts turned to daydreams of Impressing. What kind of dragon would chose him? Would one chose him? He desperately hoped so. He hadn't even had a chance to settle in and meet people. Impressing would certainly help him do that. There was just so much going on. Just a buzz, buzzz, buzzzzz.

Wait.......His eyes sprung open. The brown shining with revelation. That wasn't the Weyr buzzing with excitement and activity. That was humming! "Shards," he cursed, springing up, grabbing shoes and shirt as he did so. He had to admit, swimming gave him fairly good leg muscles. Still, though, he felt that no matter how hard he pushed himself, he wasn't getting to the Barracks quick enough. As he slid into his room, he saw others runnign past him already in their white robes.

Another silent curse emanated from his mouth. He had been daydreaming way too much here. He hurried to put on his Candidate robes. It was probably the fastest anyone had ever seen Lasd put on something that covered more than half of him. He hurried to finished getting dressed, quickly re-tieing his hair back. He frowned as he passed his reflection. He certainly wasn't the handsomest Candidate that was going to be out there. He certainly didn't even look his best in his hurry. But...a dragon would see past that, right? The dragon for him would.

He nodded his assurance and a grin erupted on his face again. It was time for the Hatching! In full Standing regalia, though slightly disheveled, Lasd raced out of the Barracks and into the sun. He looked up. It would be brutal standing on the hot sand in this hot weather in the middle of the day. He knew these things could take a while. But he certainly had seen worse by the sea.

In his pondering, he found himself at the Sands. He continued to run until he was on the Sand. He could feel the heat through his sandals and it was one time where he was ok with wearing shoes. He looked around for a moment before he bowed to the clutchmother. It was a slightly awkward bow, but a sincere one. He, of course, wasn't well versed in the fancies of court life.

As he straightened, he looked to see the boys forming in a semi circle. Now, he really wished he had made at least a few more friends. He picked Lyam out of the crowd though and hurried over to stand next to him, straightening his robes. He grinned as he reached the other boy, saying in a tone quiet compared only to the commotion, "Good luck!"

[Admin]

I'm late, I'm late for,
A very important date.
No time to say hello, good-bye,
I'm late, I'm late, I'm late.

Kalith fluttered her wings in impatience, but it had nothing to do with her eggs. She stretched out her neck and looked down at the assembling candidates. With a hiss, she lowered her head, twisting her neck. She demanded respect of them, and some of them seemed to be forgetful. Part of her wanted to cover her eggs again, hide them from their unworthy eyes, but Fajra firmly, without even twitching, dissuaded her of the idea. So, she settled for giving some more hissing at them without breaking her strong hum. Jasra's despicable fair got a fierce flurry of thoughts, backed by her Queenly, draconic might. Due to their presence, she, in fact, ordered all the firelizards she saw away with a fury. One candidate, Kjara, who was looking overly stupid in expression got a sharper, closer hiss. Her children deserved better! What were they thinking?

Nearby, Fajra turned at the presence of O'sho. She greeted him coolly, despite the warmness she could detect in his eyes. A curt nod was her only reply to his explanation. Words, with all the dull and excited talk, seemed unnecessary things then, and she had more pressing matters with which to deal than him. Turning a shoulder to him, she brushed her fingers over Kalith's shoulder to calm her and surveyed the scene. She spied the only yellow of Dalibor arriving in the wake of a simply colored purple. P'nay and W'al. An iron arrived a moment later, a small but strong iron. K'ber. Her eyes skimmed over others, but then turned to the candidates. While she was less vocal than Kalith, she eyed them carefully. They were her business, the business of a Weyrwoman. Callistath and Avalle had arrived, but she could only spare them a quick glance.

On and on, the hatching eggs rocked. The core three of the event at that point remained the ones at the ends of the middle row along with the one at the center of that row. However, as the crowd began to fill out, the one at the start of the back row, which was still fairly protected near Kalith's tail, began to join in more energetically with a little bit of time. The golden yellow and brown one in the front row seemed to have mostly subsided, but it offered vague contributions. Most of the eggs remained quiet for the time being, any movement in them undetectable to anyone in the outside world. Which one was going to hatch first? None of them had even cracked. It was impossible to guess. Perhaps one of the unmoving ones would be the first, even, if it joined in soon! Eyes darted between the eggs. Something needed to break the tension.

Osro beamed to himself, and to everyone. There were so many people! He peered into the hatching cavern and then toddled forward. It had been so hard to get away from the woman his mother sometimes let watch him. Over and over, he'd had to try before they weren't there where he had been. However, in the end, as was usual, he had succeeded. There had been all of that odd humming, in the ground and in the air. He had gone to investigate. The hatching cavern looked different than how he had seen it before. There were so many people! Not just his mother and Kalith and the orange. Everyone seemed to excited, so he made his smile extra big, so they would see just how happy he was to see them as he moved out into the center of the cavern, out onto the sands as if he was somehow a very young candidate.

"Eh. Eh'm;" he mimicked, beaming up at the crowds. He wiggled forwards. The sands were hot and uncomfortable. He stood on the edge, away from the candidates. His mop of bright red hair made him quite obvious. Anyway, no one was expecting the son of the Weyrwoman to be there. She wasn't expecting him to be there. Taken aback, she stared without words. For a moment, he paused. His lips moved behind his smile. His brow furrowed, but he didn't seem unhappy. It was simply a challenge. It took hard work, but he could do it! "Mommeh;" he said, without even looking over at her. He beamed even wider as he said it. That was right! Fajra would have gaped, but she didn't gape, so she simply continued to coolly stare. He'd said mommy! He'd spoken! A tinge of a proud smile tugged at her face, but she was mainly surprised.

However, he wasn't finished. He smacked his lips together, trying to get used to the feeling of these word thing. He wasn't done! For a moment, he had to concentrate, as he forgot what exactly he had been planning. What was it again? Oh, yes! All the lines of his intense face faded. He had it! Wiggling, he straightened up to his insignificant height, still beaming. "Mommeh. And. Daddeh. Sittin' in a tree;" he started. He spoke in an odd sort of rhythm, unable to sing but managing the words as he remembered them. He was very good at mimicking people. Of course, the next part was harder. He forged on valiantly. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G." At the end, he tilted his head, eyes wandering. Then he nodded happily. Yep, that had been right! He turned around, and raised a hand in an awkward wave to his mother. She just kept staring at him.

Finally remembering herself, Fajra scooped him up as he concluded his performance. She didn't bother to scold him. She focused on keeping a blush from her face. Why had he done that? Who had taught him a song like that? She didn't have time to come up with an answer. A rather flustered and embarrassed young woman was hurrying across the sands, and, with a sharp look, she handed him over to the errant crecheworker so he could be whisked away. The little toddler waved to everyone in farewell. That had been fun! In the crowd, a certain harper named Paget, sitting at the back and to the side, tried not to snicker too hard. Fajra ignored all such things and moved swiftly back towards a tensely amused Kalith. Such a matter as that, which she was pushing back from her mind, would have to come after the hatching. Her body and jaw were tense.

Hatching dragonets, of course, waited for no man or woman. The moment Fajra was back near Kalith and Osro was gone, the large, bright yellow and brown egg in the middle of the middle row cracked. It was a single snap, and then it was another. After that, it just continued rocking for a few moments. Finally, another crack appeared, and the egg broke apart into a neat pile of pieces on the sands. A brown emerged neatly from the wreckage. Stoutly built, he greatly resembled a tree trunk, with a hide that was a medium, warm brown. There was some red to the color, a terra rosa and venetian underneath the very heavy influence of simple, clay-like brown. In truth, he wasn't that large, but he looked solid. It didn't exactly make him a very graceful dragonet, but it did mean he was strong. With his manner, it made him endearingly intimidating too.

For a short time, he looked about it all, assessing everything with his previously unused eyes. Then he started to trundle forward, with a purpose to his steps, off towards the candidates. He didn't move fast, each step ponderous. Behind his strong manner and focus, something in his manner suggested a gentleness. He wasn't going to hurt anyone. However, he had something he was supposed to be doing, and he was going to do that. It didn't matter that he had just broken free of his shell, and that his feet were so heavy. He looked in front of him, carefully memorizing the sands and the sights. He had a good head on his shoulder. That was where his gentleness lay. He was a thinker far beyond anything to do with the idea of physical violence. Nothing, however, distracted him from what was in front of him. Behind didn't matter.

Anyway, the next dragonet didn't care about attention. The brown wasn't left alone on the sands for long either. The swirly, dirtier yellow and lighter brown egg at the end of the middle row cracked, and, from there, it hurriedly went about breaking. A nose of one color appeared and disappeared. A foot of another color flashed about after that. The dragonet within worked diligently for the process. Work, work work, crack, crack, crack, break, break, break. Nothing else to do but try to get out, and the young dragon within tried very hard. The egg was stubborn, but the dragonet didn't let the fact it refused to simply go and shatter stop the work from working. Just a moment after the entrance of the brown, a blue emerged onto the sands. He pulled his askew wings closer to his body, laying them fairly flat where they would be out of the way.

The blue had a very neutral, unsaturated, impressively obsolete and unimpressive color for his hide. He was a light cobalt, with some influences of a non-photo blue in the color. It was a simply less than simple color. A contradiction that was easily overlooked due to other elements of his appearance. Each of his feet was decked in a deep, dark blue. Another spot of the same color was on his nose, and more coated the end of his tail. It was natural transition on each, the lighter color blending into the darker one. In size, he wasn't large, but he was quite finely designed. He also didn't care. Quicker than his bigger, browner brother, he set off, heading towards the candidates. He had a sedated energy to him. He wasn't jumpy. He wasn't crazy, but he moved. Each of his steps was made with vitality. He was only slowed by some awkwardness.

The blue got to go off for several moments to catch up with his brown brother, but, while nothing cracked for those few moments, neither of them got to reach the candidates before a third dragonet broke into the world. Spiderweb cracks formed on the smaller egg at the start of the back row. They were hard to see in the creamy, mottled gray shell. However, then it gave a firmer pop, and a long crack split across the surface. The crack grew, and then a cyan dragonet slithered free of the mostly intact egg that had been her prison, pushing it out of the way with her motions as she emerged. It wasn't questionable, what her color was. She was definitely a cyan. The fourth cyan of Pern. She hung back, regarding everything with a careful, mysterious air. She revealed nothing in her motions, because she didn't move. She sort of just leaned a little back.

Like the other two, she wasn't large for her color. She was the size of an average green dragonet, small for a cyan, and she was slenderly designed. However, her glossy hide looked quite healthy in her youth. She was fairly green in color, but the deep midnight color definitely had some blue to it. It also moved in waves across her body, darkening into subtle stripes that moved slithering across her body before disappearing into others or back into the original green. The slight, subtle motions that she did allow herself made the waves move, as if she was an ocean or the surface of a deep lake. Even as her two brothers forged onward, she stayed where she was. She didn't appear to have any interest of moving. Of course, she made it very hard to tell. Except for a touch of red from hunger, her eyes remained mainly a placid, unreadable pale blue.

Moving quickly, the blue got to the candidates first. He hurried along the boys for a minute. Then he was onto the girls. That was right! So much work to do, so much work! It wasn't an easy job to do, but he was attentive. Even as he trudged eagerly onward, he looked at each of the candidates. None of the boys had been right. He was sure of that. The girls were harder to pick from, given they were all so much more interesting. None of those boys would pull their weight. His brown brother would pull his weight, but that didn't exactly matter. Perhaps her? Nope, nope. He didn't even pause. He knew what exactly he needed. Each step was made with an enthusiasm. He liked life, as it was, but for specific reasons. His manner was a little odd, but he was a solid individual. He wasn't insane. He was hungry. There was work to do! He had to find her.

Only one of them was right, and then he found her. He stopped dead with no question and turned on his dark little feet to face her. He stretched out his body to gaze at her, catching her eye so that she would know. Of course, there was talking to do too! I believe your Tomarth needs food, ParaleeMine. And there is so much to do! So much, so much! Will you do it all with me? He spoke with enthusiasm, but he didn't sound as much like a young child as he could of with his words. It was honest and steady, making it seem likely that he would always sound like that. He stared fixedly, entirely intent on his new rider and attentive to what she might say. Sitting still wasn't really his style, but he only twitched a little, no more than what Paralee was doing. If she was standing there, he could stand there too. With any luck, they could then go and get things done.



I run and then I hop, hop, hop,
I wish that I could fly.
There's danger if I dare to,
Stop and here's a reason why.

[4horseshowgirl4]

Ooc: YES, THIS IS ABSOLUTE CRAP. I have about five minutes to get this up before I leave... I LOVE YOU ALL AND I WILL MAYBE FIX THIS AND, YOU KNOW, ACTUALLY POST THIS WEEKEND!

Dekistee was still dozing when the hum came. The teenager had no qualms about sleeping in until noon. It wasn't that hard, really; there were many days when the Candidates were simply called to lessons or chores instead of actually brought to them. All Dekistee had to do was ignore their calls. And, apparently, she could ignore humming, too. When she first heard it, she pulled the pillow over her head and groaned. However, she try as she might, she couldn't ignore the racket Jasra's flitters were making (despite her best attempts, she hadn't managed to kill them yet).

Dekistee got up slowly, seemingly immune to the excitement of Hatching. They'd been told it didn't look like there was a Queen egg, and she was questioning whether she should even go. However, she was already moving towards the mirror on the side wall, putting her hair in workmanlike (though still unnecessarily extravagant) braids. She didn't hurry. She didn't do hurry. So this was how Dekistee was all but the last Candidate in the barracks, carefully applying makeup. When she was done, she walked serenely, not ran, towards the Sands. When she arrived, she wanted to look pretty and well-put-together. She was on the verge of being late, arriving just as Osro finished his song. She bowed primly to the Queen and took her position, half-hidden among the others.

[purnip]

It was certainly no less than a show--an elaborately plotted drama unfolding before the eyes of an audience of suspecting actors. So he had to think it was. As smoothly as the events were transgressing, all the details were as exposed to Lyam as a newborn child. Kalith was displeased, as she might as well be, for the lack of respect a few Candidates were showing on the Sands. He had a feeling some of the firelizards might have been a catalyst. As long as she didn't seem to be frustrated with him in particular, he felt just above sub-par standing before her. As stated before, he was not afraid of dragons in the least, but he did respect them. No dragon would simply tear a human to shreds and mean it.

That was the extent of the eye of the storm, that calm to his inner turmoil. On the outside he may appear unphased and nearly as laid-back as the ever laid-back Remiel, but he still stood at full height and still held that posture with difficulty. More eggs were rocking, more often they rocked, and it appeared as if the lot of them would soon be greeted by young dragonets in the nearest of futures. Judgment was calling and all Lyam could do was wait. Would the dragonets see through him? See his victories and...his defeats? His strengths and weaknesses? The warmth of the Sands was the least of his concern; he hadn't spared the slightest attention to his feet and he kept them still. He needed to stay strong. A pillar, if he must, but not too stiff. Oh, but liveliness is the hardest thing to fake when one lacks it. He had energy, but he needed to control his actions precisely. No mistake was to be made, absolutely none.

Rhysia was worried about the Copper Queen's anger, not because she was afraid Kalith would lash out at them. She simply felt bad for her. Watching her children leave on the day they're born...many animals were fine to part. She wondered if dragons were the same. She attributed so much human to them that she couldn't help but think that Kalith would miss her children. That's pretty absurd though, considering that the children will be in Dalibor always. Well, most of them.

Even on the Sands her imagination wandered to a distant land. Rhysia would be riding on dragon back, a colorless dragon only because she did not know what her lifemate's hide would look like. Would it be that surreal Cyan? That pearly White? That playful Pink? Rhysia was thinking on it and believed it was little likely that she would impress a Queen or Sub-Queen, but if she did, she'd still have the same tender love and care for her. Her lifemate was just out there...and someday they would sail on the clouds like a couple of rambunctious pirates of the sky. Just like The Bandit.

Both Candidates looked to Osro when the wee weyrborn appeared on the Sands. Lyam quickly ignored him; if there was one group of people he had the most trouble communicating with, it was children. They were so predictable that they bore him no amusement. Occasionally, one will be up to something surprising. As it went, the little boy made himself present to sing a little song for his mother. He would have paid just a little more attention of there wasn't already a world of stimulus around him. As for Rhysia, she was captivated for a moment longer than her Fort friend. While she had missed witnessing the birth of the first dragonet, Lyam certainly hadn't.

A Brown born to the world. Lyam grew a little tense. All of his attention, every good will and thought reached out. That was an exercise, wasn't it? Was it good thoughts or thoughts of companionship? At the moment the difference meant little. Rhysia caught sight of it after her attention was shifted by the boy and gasped. Such a sturdy looking young one! She admired the Brown, though his color wasn't that impressive to her eyes. He was still beautiful in his own way.

The Blue hatched. Lyam found his heart a little closer to his throat. Two dragons at once? And then a third managed to get a breath of fresh air, a Cyan no less, and joined the fray! Not fray...more like feast for the eyes. Now Lyam had no idea what to do next. He didn't know which, if any of those, dragons belonged to him. He didn't know who to send good thoughts to, or vibes, or whatever. With that, he ended up resorting to something quite expected for a sort like himself. He analyzed them, to the best of his abilities. Rhysia was bubbly when the Blue and Cyan followed; both colors were a delight to her! So beautifully blue, like sky and sea and blue cakes with that funky coloring in it. She loved all dragons, but the color blue and cyan was her favorite only by attraction to the hue. She knew not of the personality behind the dragon, and in all honesty she cared not what the color of her lifemate might be. She gave all the dragonets on the Sands equal attention.

As did Lyam. The Brown...well, it's hard to say. Something admirable. He seemed, if this was not merely a dragonet's way of seeing the world, to be looking forward with a mission firmly in his claws. Or that could be hunger. Hard to tell, it certainly was. Dragons always seemed more multi-faceted than humans. He seemed more serious and calm however. He wondered if dragons picked people like themselves or people they could support or better. Time would tell...maybe. Then the Blue...quick and decisive. Before he could make a full analysis, the Blue had chosen his charge. He forced himself to smile and applaud for Paralee, but his eyes kept darting back to the hatchlings. He didn't want to be distracted any longer than necessary.

Rhysia clapped enthusiastically. Her friend Paralee Impressed! She couldn't have been more excited if she had impressed herself. Paralee was still her best friend here, and so Rhysia showed it with vigor in her congrats. "Hey! Great going, Paralee! He's beautiful! Magnificent even!" Now distracted by the fortunes of her friend, her eyes were no longer on the eggs at that moment. A sure thing had happened right beside her!

Lyam examined the Cyan next...calm and serene. Another likely one. Her eyes betrayed her hunger, but only once in a while. They stayed blue for the most part. He had the hardest time deciphering her. Time would tell then...as it only could. His stress was calmed by his old game of analysis, but his heart still beat rapidly in his chest. The one muscle he couldn't control. It pained him as much as the fate he also could not.

[theknightwhosaysni]

Tylar inclined his head as Lyam's voice sounded, "Hey, good luck guys." and absently he replied, more an affect that the Hatching was having on him than anything else, "Good luck to you too." he muttered, his attention mostly claimed by the rocking eggs.

He hardly noticed the toddler on the Sands, hardly noticed as the same toddler was carted off the Sands, noting him only vaguely, Is that Fajra and O'sho's son...? he couldn't bring himself to say it, focusing steadily on the eggs.

They were rocking, if he wasn't careful, he'd miss it when they hatched, Tylar reflected absently, shifting his shoulders about to return feeling to them. Akal and Meggo had become dead weights, focusing on the eggs as much as he was, and their claws were pricking into his shoulders, drawing a few drops of blood from his skin.

Tylar paused in his thoughts as he reached a hand up to rub his sore shoulders, realizing as he did so that he'd forgotten to get shoulder pads.

Well, that would explain why his shoulders were bleeding, wouldn't it?

Tylar grimaced, though he was thankful that Akal and Meggo weren't going after each other right then. That was good, he thought with a small smile, but it was fated not to claim his attention for long.

The brown was the first egg to Hatch, and he began to amble slowly towards the Candidates, though the blue Hatched not long after, and moved briskly along, Impressing to a girl, though he wasn't sure exactly who that girl was.

There, one color he didn't want to Impress out of the way, only the brown left, though it didn't look as if any of the other eggs --- wait, that egg of the row was cracking!

A cyan tumbled from the egg, but she didn't make a move towards the males, or for that matter, the females.

Just as long as she didn't come towards him, Tylar was fine. A cyan dragon wasn't really the kind of color he wanted.

A sub-king he could live with, at least, but a dragon like a cyan, he wasn't as sure about. If he rode a cyan, not only would he be riding a female dragon, he'd be riding an unproven color.

He hoped that the cyan would go for the females, someone like the girl the blue had Impressed to. Or even the males, just not to him.

The brown, however, Tylar could certainly see himself riding. Browns weren't quite as good as Kings, but if that was all there was...

--------------

Amara had finally reached the girl's circle, heading towards the outer edge, and lurking there, mostly hidden by the taller girls who wanted the attention of the Hatchlings. She wasn't so hidden that she could see Jasra, though, and when the girl offered her a smile, Amara offered her a shy one in return, nearly missing the sight of the first egg Hatching.

A brown, who didn't typically Impress to girls, and thus did not claim her attention for long, was striding slowly, if purposefully towards the Candidates.

The blue that followed after came faster, Impressing to a girl, Paralee, she believed, before the brown had reached the Candidates, but in watching the blue Impress, she'd missed the cyan Hatching.

The cyan reminded her of a deep lake, which brought another smile, this one less guarded to her face, and she craned her neck, edging to the side of the pack of the girls just to be sure that she'd be able to see the cyan Impress.

Cyans were one of her favorite dragon colors, and she wanted to see who Impressed to the cyan. Amara's eyes were locked on the little dragonet with a singular attention, but not even thoughts of a cyan could claim her attention for long.

Before long, she'd already lost herself in her own little world, in which this Hatching was long forgotten, and she was on the back of her own dragon, soaring through the skies.

Would this be what Impression was like? Would Impression be like taking to the skies, flying with nothing to stop her, nothing to keep her from taking a handful of stars from the sky?

Or would Impression be more like something grounding her, tying her to the ground and keeping her from taking to the sky, teaching her that the ground was a beautiful place, as beautiful as the sky?

[mangonumnum]

Lasd was glad that, as he looked upon the beautiful eggs, he saw that none had even cracked. He guessed he wasn't that late. As he continued to study the eggs, he felt the tension in the air. Which one would hatch first? What color would it be? Who would it Impress? The questions resounded through the Cavern though no one actually asked them.

But there was a momentary relief from the tension. Not in the form of an egg hatching. At first, Lasd didn't notice the toddler sneaking onto the Sands. Soon, though, everyone's heads were turning to the little boy and a quiet commotion started. Lasd turned his head as the others did to see what was happening. A large grin broke out onto his face. He loved children. He thought that they were so cute and adventurous. And that was the trouble with being the youngest- you never got any younger brothers or sisters to play with.

Then there was the song. Lasd watched the boy struggle with the words- which were probably just a little advanced for his age. But...he got them out. He held back a laugh, recognizing the boy as the Weyrwoman's son as she hurriedly escaped to the Sands to retrieve him. Lasd watched her as she returned Osro to the crecheworker. Well, that was an interesting way to start out a Hatching, surely. Lasd had to let out a little chuckle. It was like all the tensions of the Weyr were relieved by the young boy. There was an air of mirth among the excitement. At least to Lasd.

And there wasn't too much waiting to do after that. The excitement grew as one of the eggs began to crack. Soon, there emerged...a brown! Lasd smiled more. No, a brown wasn't as lucky or whatever as a bronze or an iron. But a brown was a solid dragon. This one looked very solid indeed. It took slow, purposeful steps. It knew it's mission. But it couldn't get too far before another egg cracked open to reveal a blue.

The blue wasn't as slow and purposeful as his brother. He seemed to want to find His as quickly as possible. He couldn't make his choice yet though before another egg hatched. It was a cyan. Lasd had heard news from the Weyr after Kalith's last Hatching that this new color had emerged. It was certainly an interesting color- very pretty. But it seemed in less of a hurry than even the Brown. Perhaps Hers hadn't shown up yet?

But there was no time to think of that. The blue seemed to look towards the boys for only a brief moment before hurrying over to the girls. That was interesting to be sure. A cross Impression for the first? And it was. Lasd didn't know the girl that the Blue stopped in front of but he thought he had seen her next to Rhysia at the lesson. He watched, making sure that the two were now truly Bonded or if the blue was just having trouble.

[carolin]

Javert watched the eggs shaking. It was a site to see, and he had never seen anything like it before. He held his breath every time one of the little dragons tumbled to the sands. Each one had it's own special qualities and there were only three on the sands! He wondered what the other eggs held.

Javert was startled out of his thoughts when he noticed the little blue walking along the candidates. He watched as it passed right by him and the other boys and went over to the girls. He watched as the a Candidate he had only seen from afar impressed. A smile formed on his face. So that was how it worked. He hadn't been all together sure what to expect. He had never been to a hatching before and this was his first time ever standing on the sands.

The hot sands were uncomfortable under his feet, but he tried his best to ignore it. It wasn't that difficult since there were other distractions. He looked back over to the other two dragons that were on the sand, and the eggs that were rocking. The Brown seemed to be taking his time, he wondered if he was just looking for the right person and that was why he was being slow? Or maybe that was just the way he was. The Cyan also seemed to be taking in the whole seen. He wondered if that was just how all of the dragonetts were, or it it was just these two.

[Kila]

Osro had entered the cavern when O’sho was escorting a Lady Holder, one of the last guests to arrive, to a seat in the Stands. He helped her to it cordially, seeing D’lios out of the corner of his eye as he turned around. The young Lord Holder and now Weyrling of the Renegade clutch was rubbing elbows with the upper echelon of snobbish Pernese society one again. He spoke with a devilishly handsome smile to another Lord Holder and his wife. More Holders sat around him and listened with interest to whatever it was he was saying. D’lios was dressed in his fine Hold clothes rather than his normal Weyr attire (which was still nicer than what everyone else chose to wear) and the stocky White firelizard he had impressed a few sevendays ago sat up on his shoulder in a dignified sort of way. The White was enjoying the rich company and conversation nearly as much as is bonded. O’sho did not think he would try to pull anything funny during the hatching since he had impressed Perbiath at the last, but he marked the younger man’s position in his mind so that he might check on him occasionally anyway. D’lios clearly had some grand scheme in mind, but O’sho did not know just what it was or when it might be put into action.

When O’sho turned back to the Sands and began to descend the Stand stairs, he was halted in surprise when he saw his own son wavering bravely on the edge on the Sands. He was beaming as usual and seemed to be excited by all the people gathered at once in the cavern. But how had he gotten there? Osro screwed up his face in concentration and finally opened his mouth. O’sho expected the usual half-intelligible babble, but he read the word he was too far away to hear on his son’s lips. Momma. O’sho’s face split into a wide smile and he continued down the stairs towards the boy. He stopped again as soon as he was in listening distance because Osro began to sort of sing a song. “Mommeh. And. Daddeh. Sittin' in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G.” His mouth dropped open a little, though it still showed mirth, and looked over towards his Weyrmate. Though her cool, calculated exterior he could see she too was stunned; he could tell by the way her eyes opened wide and her body froze even more completely than before. She recovered in an instant and quickly scooped him up. O’sho laughed heartily, putting his hands on his hips in good humor and observing the woman who was supposed to be in charge of Osro hurry in and take him from his mommy. He stopped her when she rushed back out towards the exit with Osro in her arms. ”What a clever boy. Who taught you that?” he chuckled, ruffling the boy’s hair. That his first words were an embarrassing song was at least ten times better because it had no doubt mortified the Weyrwoman. K-I-S-S-I-N-G her Weyrmate couldn’t be a pleasant thought. ”This is the second Hatching you’ve embarrassed your mother at. Behave, now,” he said, kissing Osro on the forehead and allowing him to be taken away.

Back in the Stands, Sol rocked with maniac laughter. Oh Faranath, where is Pratyba? she thought, not willing to believe that her friend had missed their master plan come to be. She and Pratyba had taught Osro that song when Pratyba had, by extreme fortune, wound up babysitting him during Kalith’s flight. They’d wanted to teach him some memorable first words, and oh how memorable they were turning out to be. Ecco, you won’t believe it; Osro just sang his song in front of all the people in the Stands! she informed Eccolath hysterically. The Cyan outside rumbled with laughter. The Weyrwoman must be furious. I can imagine all the things she’d want to do with you if she found out….

But then the eggs began to hatch and the little song was quickly forgotten. The enormity of the event sobored up Sol some, bringing her down from the excitable state she had been seized by for the past few days. She had been this excited when she stood too, but she had known nothing about dragons and weyr life then. Perhaps it was because she fully understood the magnanimity of what was happening that she was so thrilled. Her Pink was perhaps the only unexcited one; she lay asleep in Sol’s lap, oblivious to what was going on. The first egg has hatched, Ecco. It’s a Brown! she informed Eccolath. It was the first announcement in a long line of many. She relayed the Blue’s hatching next, but was again thrown into excitement when the third egg to hatch was a small, perfect little Cyan. Eccolath! You have another Cyan sister! she exclaimed, peering down at the dragonet with joy. Would there be many more Cyans in this clutch? Sol could tell that Eccolath hoped so. This way they might establish their color, might make a name for themselves and prove their worthiness to a doubting Pern. Sol clapped encouragingly for the first impression, but her eyes trained on the dragonett that shared the color of Eccolath’s hide. She was just sitting there. Was she daydreaming like Eccolath had been?

[basile]

Cilnah had taken to the lake to escape the devilish heat of the day. Her flitters where playing happily in the shallows together, Makamae's fear of the sometimes snappish Green creature long forgotten. The two seemed to have become good friends. For her part, the girl was out in the deeper waters, diving and swimming peacefully. Her head was ducked under, and she was about ten feet from the surface when the water around her started to vibrate. In an instant, curiosity took hold and her head popped up, only to be filled with a low, barely perceptible humming that was steadily growing in intensity. Her eyes widened. "The Hatching!" she sputtered, scrambling towards the banks as fast as her limbs could carry her.

As she sloshed out, the girl cast a quick glance around. There was no one about except for her pets, so without modesty she pulled of her soaking undergarments and slipped into the dry pair she had brought along with her, the material sticking to her wet skin in a way that would have made her displeased had she the time to think about it. But as it was, she had no time to worry about such things. She had to hurry, lest the dragonets start to make their appearance in the world without her there to see. Once she thought she was semi-presentable, she reached down and scooped up the white robes she had been keeping with her since the eggs had started to harden out on the Sands, in case of a time just like this, where she was not near enough the candidate's barracks to dash back and change in time. Lucky for her she had thought to grab it.

The thing clung to her skin, unfortunately molding to form, and where her wet hair fell down her back, shining a dark blue in the midday sun, there was a definite bit of moisture spreading across the material. "I hope I do not offend, showing up like this," she confessed to her companions, scooping up the flitters and setting them in the direction of the barracks with a stern 'home' that they knew meant they were supposed to go back to thier sleeping place. Cilnah watched them off for a few paces before donning her sandals and picking up her dripping clothes, taking off full sprint towards the hatching sands. She dumped them in an obscure corner as she came closer to the cavern.

Heat came down on her in an even more oppressing manner as she dashed out across the Sands, dancing from one foot to the other in an effort to keep the soles from burning. This was the third time she would stand for Impression, but it never ceased to amaze her just how hot the place was. Even with the unbearable heat though, she knew better than to be rude to the Queen-mother and Weyrwoman. As she came closer to then, the girl stopped and gave a low bow, low enough that had her hair not been stuck to her back, it would have fallen into the sand. After an apologetic look down at her clothes, she continued on. She couldn't help but continue to shift her weight from side to side as she took her place among the other candidates, her eyes firmly on the shaking and shuddering eggs. She could feel her heart beating faster and stronger than it had in a long, long time. Maybe, just maybe, she would finally join the ranks of the Dragonriders.

But if not, there was at least one good thing about the day. At least her clothes would be well dried, she though as the dragonettes began to appear, clapping politely when the Blue bonded to a girl not too far away from her. Then her eyes turned to the solitary Cyan that sat contemplating something or other near her hatched egg. Pretty dragon, that.

[hatori3070]

Jasra winced in sympathy as her flitts quietly left the sands altogether. She showed them her open window back at the barracks and promised to keep them apprised of what was going on. It wasn't as though she could really blame Kalith for her anger. Her three had tried to see her eggs far too early after they'd hatched, and now they were being banished from the hatching. The poor things looked so forlorn on their silent way out.

She was glad to see Amara smile back, even if it was a small one, but she was quickly distracted as one of the eggs began to crack. Osro's presence registered in the back of her mind, but far more important things were happening right now. She spared him no more thought as he was ushered off the sands.

Her eyes were glued to the egg as it continued to crack until a Brown spilled out. He was solid and purposeful. One of the boys would make a good match for him, she knew. Browns rarely Impressed to girls, so she moved on to look at the Blue. She hardly had time to examine him before he made his choice. Paralee Impressed! She applauded as a huge grin spread across her face. One of her friends had Impressed, and from what little she had seen of his behavior, he would make a good partner for her. One more dragonet decided to enter the world. A perfect little Cyan. She was gorgeous. That beautiful bright blue seemed to shimmer with her slight movements, and her eyes held only the slightest tinge of red. She just sat there, observing the candidates. At least one of her friends had Impressed already. What would happen next?

[Admin]

Your face saving promises,
Whispered like prayers,
I don't need them,
I don't need them.

The tiniest egg in Kalith's clutch, at the very end of the front row, gave a valiant shake. Then it gave another, and another. Once it started moving, it didn't stop. Even when a crack finally formed on its pink and brown surface, it didn't stop. The dragonet inside seemed quite intent on getting out, and get out he did, with a great deal of wiggling and whacking. The black that had been trapped within emerged without a sound. He blinked the outer lid of his eyes, clearing a few bits of goo from them and looking about with curiosity. So many things! Hot little bits of rock were under his feet. There were so many people and dragons. All of it was bigger than him. Small for even a black, he was a tiny, scrawny little creature. He didn't mind. It was just all so much bigger than him! He craned his neck, silent but trying to see more of what there was.

In color, he fit with most blacks. He was black. That was pretty much it. His hide was healthy, with a nice mix of matte and gloss for a just hatched dragonet like him, unlike his skinny appearance. Ready to strike out, he stepped forward, and he started to look healthier then. He moved with a confidence that seemed entirely out of place with such a creature. Why should an almost runt-like little nothing have any confidence? He was silly and stupid! However, that was exactly it. He wanted to prove any such thoughts completely wrong. He wasn't going to do that by speaking. Words didn't come into his head. He got no strong urge to go find a candidate. All he knew was that he wanted an adventure. Where would he find one of those? He drew his courage about him, and he struck out, to adventure, and beyond!

The brown had reached the candidates, but he didn't choose quickly like Tomarth had. He worked meticulously, inspecting each of the boys with care. In fact, it took him a moment, a few steps back, to even decide on the boys. It wasn't entirely wrong to choose a girl. Not right, in most ways, in ways he didn't understand, but it wasn't wrong. Why would anyone think it would be wrong? It seemed wrong, to him, the idea of it, but only on one level. He left the questioning of such quandaries for later, and set about looking over the very first boy. He stopped as he looked over that possible choice. It was easier for him to stop, and more effective. He had to do it properly, and he had no idea what he was doing. Such a troublesome lack of experience on his part! He needed to rectify that, but only a steadiness would fix it in the end.

A steadiness came easily to him. The first boy wasn't right for him. He stepped away from Javert, but he did it with kindness. The boy was a good boy. An almost fatherly look seemed to pass over him for a moment, in the swirl of his red tinged eyes and the way he moved his cumbersome, squat body. Then he was onto the next candidate, and his focus returned, pushing away at gentleness and kindness. He did his inspection exactly the same. In his mind, things were ticked off. He didn't skip a single step, even when a picture began to form. He would give them every chance. That was what they deserved. However, in the end, Eali fared no better than Javert for him. Again, with kindness, he moved onto the next, briefly glancing all the way down the line of boys. He didn't care how long it took. He could be patient. He would do it properly.

All of the events were regarded from the side by the cyan. She did not partake, an enigma about them all. A shroud of mysteriousness was pulled around her. That was how she wanted it, and she did it well. In her mind, it made sense, to behave aloof. That was what she was. Her dreamy detachment seemed proper to her. Then she heard some little noise. She bolted, fleeing away from it all, across the sand with no concern for where she was going. Away, away, from all threatens and worldly bounds! Her simple existence lay far beyond mundane things, and she couldn't help it. Somewhere, she saw the sense. An intelligence lay within what she could understand, but she let it be. She drifted between things, and, right then, she ran, thinking of nothing else. Nothing would hurt her. Nothing, not ever, for away she would go, so light and free!

Eventually, she slowed, short of the candidates. She wavered towards the boys. Her eyes, still swirling a placid blue, so unreadable for a dragon's eyes, flickered over them. There, she wasn't sure of a choice, and she knew she needed to make one. After a bit of time, she wavered over towards the girls, away from her boring brown brother, who dragged on her mind. She felt a connection to him, a faint concern. She approached one girl, a little girl, younger than many of them, Amara, but then she skittered away, flighty and wavering. Finally, she felt a strong connection, one she could be sure on in her mind. She stepped forward. While she still swayed on her feet, she had chosen. Hello CilnahMine. I am your Bobeth, but that isn't all I am, is it? Her voice was quiet. It was a beginning. A bit of happy green finally came into her eyes.

The energy of the brilliantly mottled green egg at the start of the middle row finally transferred into some real. One crack appeared, with a bit of force. Then all action around the egg subsided for a moment, as if that action had killed whatever lay inside. Of course, in the end, that wasn't at all true. The dragonet within the egg redoubled efforts after a short pause, and soon the green was free, stumbling out into the world. Even compared to her brightly colored egg, she was brilliant. In fact, in some people's minds, she was liable to be blinding. In truth, the color she had wasn't ugly. With a healthy dose of a funky green and a heavy dose of lime, it was an attractive shade. It was simply very bright, far brighter than the much more dour hides of all the other dragonets that had already hatched. However, to match them, she wasn't a big green.

Whisking her head about in a ridiculous manner, a little clumsy in her movements, she spied the black. She chattered to the smaller dragonet, and only looked confused when he didn't responded to her talking. Didn't he have something to say? She quickly became distracted after he moved away, not looking in the least big upset about his reaction. After she sorted a few more things out with some looking, she decided to go try to go across the sands, towards the candidates, like all the others. She took a few steps. Her wings rustled on her back. She looked them with mild interest. Then she took another step forward, before she paused. Wait, what was she doing again? She stopped, and tilted her head. Something. She had forgotten. How silly of her. She let out more cheerful chattering, in a flyaway voice, to no one in particular.



I'm a slow dying flower,
Frost killing hour,
The sweet turning sour,
And untouchable.