A Night Viewing (Risk Clutches, Candidates Come!)

[kia]

She was gorgeous as Ridan watched his Gold Wher or what he could see of her in the moonlight. It was no very cloudy tonight, but a stray cloud had moved in front of the moon to block some of the light. Right now all he could see was the glowing green eyes of his beloved partner. She had Clutched the night before, heading down to the Sands and digging out a spot in a small hole she had found. She had made herself a cave so that her eggs would be able to harden and she would be blocked from the sun. She had allowed Ridan to get close enough to count how many eggs she had Clutched from her Run. He had been surprised and excited to see that in her Clutch that there were thirteen eggs of various sizes in her little den. There was no Queen eggs this time around, which did not upset Risk too much. It meant that she would be the only adored Gold for a while longer at Dalibor. He chuckled at these thoughts as the cloud moved away from the moon and revealed the Gold a little more. She had positioned her eggs in an interesting way.

The first egg that he had taken notice of was the largest egg in the Clutch. This egg was bronzish in color with fleck of reddish-brown throughout the shell. He wondered if this egg might hold a King or even possibly a sub-Queen Wher. The next two eggs were slightly smaller than the large egg, and they stood on either side of the large egg, almost like they were standing guard. The egg on the right was a swirl of red to darker red color on the shell, making it look the egg was made of blood. The third egg on the left side of the large egg was a dark blue color with swirls of even darker blue twisting and turning throughout the shell. They were among Risk`s pride and joy, keeping them closer to her and making sure they were safe. Risk loved all her eggs, but these seemed to hold a special quality about them.

The next 4 eggs were smaller that the first three. There was a brown dirt color egg with dark green in blobs around the egg, almost dignifying the earth with patches of grass growing around the land, as if this would be a sign that the little Wher inside would one day experience what it might be like to run on land. To the right of that egg was a medium gray egg with speckles of darker gray in various and random spots. Because of its darker color, Ridan had almost missed it the first time when Risk had Clutch last night. The egg to its right was amazing and bright, a triple-tone colored eggs with red, orange, and darker yellow, almost like the colors of a sunset on days when Ridan would get up earlier before Risk. He liked that egg and he had to admit that one was his favorite in the entire Clutch. Risk liked that egg too and kept a watch on it, but not at much as the first three. The last one in that row was a plain deep grass green color egg which made look at it with confusion on the occassion. To see such a color made him wonder what could be inside.

There was a just a plain, tannish color egg that sat next to the large dark blue and darker blue egg. This egg was smaller than the dirt and grass egg that sat sort of in front of it. Risk has slightly pushed it to the side, but kept it turned so often. Like the small egg next to the blue egg, there was also a small egg next to the blood egg that was also equally smaller the deep grassy color egg that it also sat by. This small egg was as unusual has the triple-tone egg, except this one was dual-tone. The bottom color of the egg was that of a lighter grassy green color that mixed and turned into an even lighter grassy-green color up toward the top. It almost seemed to Ridan that these eggs were wish of warmer days during these cold winter days. Well, seeing the eggs did make Ridan happy and feel warmer. Especially with the idea that there would be more Whers in the Weyr.

The last row held four small, eggs in the group. The first egg was like the tan colored egg, except this one was a medium blue color. The blue was neautral all around the shell, never changing lighter or darker on any part of the egg. The eggs to its right was a deep color like the gray egg, except this egg was speckled. The egg was a dark almost black-purple color speckled with a slightly, lighter purple on the shell. Risk had chuckled at seeing a dark egg knowing that there were no Purple Whers that she had ever seen before. The egg next to it was a dual-tone egg as well, but inside of the bottom being one color and the top being another, the colors were split down the middle. The egg was pinkish-brown on one side, and a lighter brown on the other. The last egg in the clutch reminded him of Green Vediameth`s hide. It was a light pastel green color that, if you moved, seemed to get paler in color in certain directions.

Ridan noted these eggs with pride as he stood up and looked up. Tonight was a good night for the Candidates to come out and observe the eggs and get a good lesson in what to expect. Besides, he needed to get to know some of them. He hoped that maybe Mataike would make an appearance also. But if the man did not come out, Ridan was fine with that. Mataike was probably busy with some things. Risk rumbled lowly at the idea of the Candidates coming out to see her eggs. She did not want their feet throwing sand on her eggs or possibly someone falling on one of her eggs. Ridan shook his head. "It is better they know now than after they Impress. Remember how I was the first few sevendays with you? We better give them a better chance." Risk rumbled again, but agreed. Candidates, come Sands now! See eggs! she shouted, sending the words into the Wher Candidate`s minds.

[Nia]

Kio was wandering once again. He needed more information about Dalibor, it was a craving to him, and he needed it. Information was fun, especially when it was useful to him. And the Wherhandler's quarters were full of extremely useful information to Kio. He smirked as he walked through the various hallways, glancing into empty rooms and sneaking into them as he saw fit. There weren't many Wherhandlers at this Weyr. Good, he could be one of the first few. And one of the best ones, if he did say so himself. Kio snickered to himself as he left one of the vacant rooms, hands in his pockets as he walked. Well, at least this place wasn't boring him yet. He really hated it when things bored him.

People were also interesting to Kio. He liked to inspect them, he liked to mess with their minds. He naturally saw himself as the smartest person in all of Pern, so messing with the "less beings" was fun. He found it difficult to find anyone who could keep his interest for very long, though. What a shame. That boy he'd met by the river and the girl by the lake had proved interesting... but how long could they keep his interest before he wanted to move on to something new? He didn't know. But he didn't really care, either. The most important thing to him at the moment was inspecting the areas around him... because what kind of detective would he be if he didn't know absolutely everything?

So that was where Kio was when the call from Risk sounded. Hmm... a clutching. That was fun. He smirked to himself again and turned, briskly walking out of the Wherhandler's quarters. How ironic... he'd been exploring the one place that would soon be his home. But that brought another issue, and that issue was the Alpha Wherhandler. Kio didn't suck up to others. He teased and he made fun of other people, and most of the times he completely manipulated their small minds, but he didn't suck up. And yet, this Ridan man was in charge of his future. Kio didn't like that. He had to get in on good terms with Ridan if he wanted to Impress a Wher, but he didn't want to suck up. Oh well... he'd just have to be himself, now wouldn't he? He snickered again. It might be fun.

As he approached the Sands, Kio held himself arrogantly, his hands lazily in his pockets and his eyes gleaming with obvious superiority. It was no real surprise to Kio that he was the first one there, as he'd always prided himself on his punctuality. He didn't bother to hide his arrogant smirk as he walked closer to Ridan and Risk. "You're Ridan, yes? I'm Kio. Wher Candidate," he introduced himself simply, stopping a little while away from the eggs to look them over. Risk surely wasn't going to allow him to get very close to them... and she was rather big for a wher. Bigger than his mother's Red.

He drunk in the pictures of each eggs with his eyes, mentally cataloguing each of them. He glanced at Ridan, holding his tongue. He wanted to comment on the eggs... but it wasn't going to be anything nice. Oh, I've seen far larger clutches than this. Oh, is that all? Oh my, is there something wrong with your Gold, to lay such small eggs? But he didn't say any of those comments, just watched the eggs with his usual arrogant smirk, occassionally flicking a loose hair behind his ear in thought. "I suppose it's a nice clutch," he said, voice laced with arrogance. It was a decent comment, though. Better than most of the thoughts that went through his mind.

[/size]

[Admin]

No, I'm not ready for a big bad step in their direction,
No, I'm not ready for downtown trash, avoid collection,
Four blocks, run and hide, don't walk alone at night,
Cityscape, city change before they die, four blocks.

The first voice that Obelir heard on Dalibor soil wasn't that of a person but that of a wher. He blinked in surprise at the sound of the voice, looking up from where he was unpacking his bag in his new room. For a wher, which it had to be, the voice's owner was extremely articulate from his experience, and she had to be strong to speak to a whole batch of candidates. The Queen. Risk. She was calling them. She must have clutched! He hadn't been aware. A happy smile spread across his face. Even after turns of failing to bond to a wher, the idea of getting to see a clutch made his face light up. It wasn't often that a gold or red let anyone besides their handler or mate near their eggs! After making sure that he left his clothes neat, he headed out the door, trying to picture where the hatching sands would be in position from his room and the barrack.

In the hall, Obelir met a girl several turns his younger and only a couple of inches shorter than him. She sized him up in a manner that unnerved him, not appearing to question her own assumption that he was wher candidate. "Come along;" she told him, speaking as if he might be her pet dog. Her actual pet dog, Soc, was locked in her room, since she doubted bringing the energetic canine to meet the alpha gold would be a good idea for his safety. With that, she turned around and headed for the hatching sands, leading the way. Blinking, unable to say anything before she was off, Obelir hurried to follow her guidance. She moved quickly and he had to walk with long strides to keep up, trying to match her speed but always seeming a little bit too slow or a little bit too fast. While she notice his gait, Bri pretended as if she didn't and stayed quiet.

As soon as she arrived on the sands, Bri sensed the presence of someone worth kicking. It wasn't a super power. She merely heard him say something stupid in a very arrogant way. Striding forward, often heavy steps become a glide, she moved towards Kio, abandoning Obelir to make his own way. Standing tall and straight, she faced the smirking boy who had arrived before them. "You're insufferable." Bri informed the other candidate, a less than lovely smile spreading across her face. Feeling her duties were complete for the moment, she turned to smile more sweetly at Ridan and Risk. "It's a lovely clutch;" she said, offering it as an observation as she noted the eggs rather than as some forced gesture. The Queen would know her eggs were beautiful. It did no good to tell her that or tell her otherwise, only to affirm her notions.

While Bri was half playing a game with her words, not a suck up but a manipulator, Obelir sincerely thought the sight of the bakers' dozen of eggs a wondrous thing. "Very lovely;" he intoned with a dopey smile. He kept a safe distance of six or so feet from the eggs, but he paced back and forth along the perimeter of the sheltered, dark den to examine all of them with his brilliant, glinting blue eyes. Hanging back by Kio, because that was where she wanted to be, Bri examined the eggs from where she stood, doing quick calculations as she kept an eye on Kio. How many candidates were their? At least nine. As many as five of the thirteen could be duds, though probably no more than four. Things were going to be very, very close. "Are all of the eggs staying here?" She glanced up at Obelir was he posed the question in a sweet manner.

No, we're not ready for fair distribution,
Just a terminal solution for, no,
We're not ready for hell, hell no, for hell, hell no,
Four days, wide awake, why slide along and say.

[zeis]

Baharl as of late, had become absorbed in the care and company of her still very young Spiral. He wasn't a particularly demanding little creature, as he was quite easily amused and could have readily entertained himself without His around to play with him. In truth Baharl had shortly after his Hatching found herself thinking very logical thoughts, surprisingly logical and responsible for her easygoing self. She had spent much of her life in the off and on company of her father's Wher, Khosk, but she hadn't been around much when the Brown was young. So being around Spiral she thought, and taking special care to observe him might give her a bit of a heads up when it came time for her to Impress. Responsible forethought aside, the Purple flitter was just adorable.

Baharl was currently seated cross-legged on the floor beside her bed, with the object of her affections perched comfortably beside her. She stuck her hand underneath one of the furs on her bed, and wiggled her fingers to make a little traveling tent shape. Spiral watched this unidentifiable swell in the bedding with interest, and slowly uncoiled his tail to free up his legs. What was that? Some kind of intruder? His eyes whirled with gradually growing excitement, and he tensed up into a crouch with his thin tail flicking. Whatever it was, it was something unknown something strange. The unknown should be explored shouldn't it? And he was just the flit to do it. He made a decisive little peeping sound and launched his surprise attack, pouncing down on the unknown only to find it sink back into the bedding beneath his claws. He chirped in surprise, and took a moment to consider the fur, pacing back and forth with his nose searching through the soft strands. It had vanished! How?

Baharl chuckled at Spiral's antics, and was going to make his prey reappear when a voice shouted loudly in her head. She gave a startled yelp, and reflexively jerked her arm up, disturbing the furs, and uprooting her Firelizard who saw the action as the strange bump creature returning violently near a dozen times its size. Spiral gave a similarly startled squawk and launched off the bed into his Mine's lap, hiding in the hollow created by her legs. The girl blinked down at her little friend, and absently tried to soothe him while contemplating the voice. Her first thought was that it was the Queen dragon she had met at the flit hatching, but she quickly dismissed this. That voice had been fairly eloquent, and this voice had a more fragmented way of speaking. Less like a dragon and more like-

"A Wher!" She informed Spiral with a grin, and at once swept him into her arms and rose to a stand. She hastily put on a pair of sandals to make the journey, and was about to go out the door when she stopped to look down at her baffled Purple charge. She frowned and spoke with some regret. "Oh, actually... She probably wouldn't like it if you showed up, little guy." She wandered back over to her bed and set him down on the now rumpled furs. "You stay here and I'll be back in two shakes of a dragon's tail."

She gave the now slightly put-off looking Firelizard a wink, and took off in the direction of the Hatching Sands. This wasn't a hatching, but it was still exciting enough to get her feet moving. Wher eggs! And most likely a Wher queen to boot! Plus she'd finally get to meet all the Wher Candidates, or at least get to meet the ones she had missed interacting with so far. She was determined to make a good impression not only with the one's shed be Standing with, but also hopefully the mother of her future bonded. She slowed to a walk a small distance away from the sands, deciding that she didn't want to arrive too quickly or look too carelessly over-eager. She joined the three people already there, all people she didn't recognize in the slightest. This bothered her a little. Was she slacking in her social skills?

She flashed the three of them a friendly, and obviously excited grin and turned her attention to Ridan, Risk, and her eggs. She bowed her head to Ridan, and Risk and spoke in a clear respectful tone. "Pleased to meet both of you." Her icy blue eyes drifted to the rainbow of eggs and she smiled, adding in a somewhat quieter tone. "And all of you."

[purnip]

That night, Wrynri was in his room reading over the recipes he had written in the past couple of months, trying to determine when he would try to make any of these dishes and if he'd even get a chance to do so before the wher hatching. That was coming up soon, wasn't it? Risk just lay her clutch but yesterday. He looked forward to the event with a sort of dread, as if this was not an event to celebrate but one to avoid. He knew that dragons were partial to certain genders, but as for whers, they impressed to anyone they felt was right. Maybe he'd impress a keen Green or something. He knew that those Impressed to boys and girls as dragon colors as well. No one would be any wiser to him. What did he really have to worry about? He had no idea. It all seemed like some sort of involuntary exposure to him.

But Frino and Rethalt might be there too, if they were wher candidates as well. That would make this experience a lot more bearable. Wrynri was surprised he had anyone to call his friend, let alone two perfectly fine individuals. He wished them the best of luck because they certainly seemed excited. If anyone deserved to impress some wonderful whers, it was those two. If they were able to put up with Wrynri, they deserved metals as well. Badges or something.

Lately he had been feeling rather ill. He wasn't sure what the matter was, but his abdomen ached with a dull and persistent sort of pain. Wrynri knew it was something he should get checked out, but if there was anything he wanted to avoid, more than anything in the entire world, it was to be seen in the buff. Healers can't do their job if they can't see what's wrong. Wrynri would strip for no one. No...for now, he shuffled through his list of recipes, mainly the common remedies for upset stomachs or balanced nutrition. If one ate better, they're likely to get better.

Words echoed into his mind in a voice that he had never imagined once before. His body gave a quiver in shock before he glanced about for the source. The message itself was becoming clear to him. Risk was calling him. Not just him, but all of her Candidates. Wrynri gulped and with brows scrunched in worry he put the notes down and scooted off his cot. He reached for a coat to wear, since the Sands were warm yet still open to the elements. Snug as a bug he exited his room, trying not to make eye contact with anyone. He didn't want them to see how scared he was. Whers weren't terrified or anything, but Wrynri was shy. He didn't like these social gatherings. He didn't want to stand in front of a mother wher and start stressing out about Impression. Not long ago he might have been perfectly fine if they made him into a kitchen drudge instead. Honestly though, he was merely afraid of exposure. The wher seemed kind and the people did as well, but none of them really knew Wrynri. Even Frino and Rethalt didn't know much about him.

The kid finally lifted his head when he got to the Sands, trying to chin up a bit for the sake of appearances. He was a guest after all in Risk's nest. He approached Ridan hesitantly, knowing that it was probably polite to say hello to him first before going over and touching eggs, if that's what they were even called in here for. They might not be allowed to actually approach them too closely. His vacant blue eyes looked to the man and he gave a small bow of his head in greeting. "Hi um...I'm Wrynri. I'm a Wher Candidate." He paused, looking down. When it came to speaking to older people, Wrynri was not nearly as sarcastic or biting as he could be with peers or younger ones. In fact, he was practically neutered. "I'm here because I think Risk called us," he said in a tone that obviously lacked certainty.

While he was failing at making eye contact with Ridan, Wrynri managed to spy a few of the eggs along the edge of the group as well as two taller ones that sat among them. They seemed to possess more character than firelizard eggs. He had never seen dragon eggs, but to him these were huge. He could imagine they were some of the largest he might ever see. It was true that Wrynri was still anxious about a Wher Hatching, but he might just have to have been forced to be a Dragon Candidate. Just imagine if he had Impressed to a dragon that called him by his full name! People would start questioning him. People would start to beg the question why a boy's name remained whole like a girl's. Whers didn't do that sort of thing. They just seemed a lot safer.

[Birdy]

Asterin was in bed and his room was dark. He like the dark, there was nothing to worry him as he couldn’t see any messes and Kire was asleep so…well that was self explanatory. And it was quiet, perhaps tonight he could peacefully sleep the whole night through. Sometimes Kire liked to wake him at inopportune times during the night, usually for stupid things like ‘Look at my hide? Does this look clean to you? Clean me!’ in which case Asterin felt he had to respond with a thorough oiling. Other times it was ‘Look how beautiful I am? Don’t I light up the room?’ and since it was dark and Kire did not actually light up the room, Asterin would lie that yes, the purple could light up the darkest cavern and things of that sort before going back to sleep.

He was almost asleep at this time, eyelids growing heavy and threatening to close at any moment when a strange voice rang through his head. The blond jumped involuntarily, falling out of the bed and lying dazed on the floor. There’s something in my room! It’ll eat me! Or worse…it’ll knock over all my things…what a mess…what am I going to do?! his mind raced as he strained to hear more of this unseem monster. After hearing nothing he replayed the voice in his head, trying his best to recreate the words from his terrified memory. It said something about Sands…that’s where the eggs are? I bet there’s lots of sand there…I hate sand…gets everywhere…ew. Eggs? Oh….it was a wher, no dragon would talk to me…hopefully…

Shakily, Asterin got to his feet, lighting a glow and seeing that thankfully the room was untouched. His few books were still in their neat stacks along with the oil jars. He paused a moment to dust off the cover of one of the novels before heading outside. He had been hoping that Kire would have stayed asleep but as the purple had been sleeping on the bedpost… Falling out of the bed had had more than one negative effect. The purple yawned revealing rows of tiny sharp teeth, why was he going to see some rotten wher eggs. He might be bothered to see dragon eggs but wher eggs? He’d rather be dirty. The blond sighed at his flitter, “If you keep thinking like that the wher will kill you,” Asterin said flatly, the most he’d said in quite some time.

Asterin stopped at the edge of the Sands and planned his advance. He really didn’t want to spend too much time on the Sands. The grains got in his shoes and then seemed to escape out everywhere else. Finding a suitable route, he edged around the sand before carefully walking across, careful to make sure he got as little sand as possible in his clothing. One at the den he peered inside and felt his stomach churn at the sight of the Queen. She seemed ready to attack anyone who came too close to the eggs so he stayed at the back. He had to give the scary gold wher credit, she had arranged her eggs in nice orderly rows and they were very clean. Well as clean as anything touching Sand could be.

Was he supposed to tall the Goldhandler his name? It seemed the others were…Asterin glanced warily around the room not wuite sure how to announce himself. Kire on the other hand refused to look at the eggs and was facing the wall, eyes whirling vainly. With another look at the goldhandler, ASterin cleared his throat, trying to make sure his voice didn’t sound too very scared, he was going to say it. He was going to say it. He was going to… “My name’s….Asterin,” he said in a somewhat quiet voice looking in the handler’s direction then quickly turned his attention to the other candidates…they seemed nice….enough.

[aikastarr]

The day had dragged by for Rethalt, but he didn’t really mind. He had met a black Rider in the morning, Alatira, and they had held quite a long conversation about many topics. Unfortunately, he had fallen asleep soon after he had gotten back to his cot, so the details had blurred together. His sister had gotten herself into a heap of trouble the other night, trying to bash a fellow Candidate’s head in. The reason, however, hasn’t been revealed yet. She normally doesn’t freak out like that, and Rethalt wanted to know the reason to all of her shenanigans.

This was why he and Krysthanine were seated in front of the Candidate’s Barracks, talking the event over. ”I swear, if the sharding fool comes at me with another snide remark, I’ll…” Krysthanine mumbled while her twin rubbed her back. He sighed, wishing she wouldn’t explode like that.
”Saying that won’t make it any better, you know,” he chided.
”So? It helps me feel better!”
”Normally, plotting revenge only gets you stuck deeper in the mud, Krys.”
”And what’s that supposed to mean?!?”
"Ugh, you’re hopeless.”

Just after the small argument, Rethalt felt a small, but firm, nudge on his mind, then the clear sound of somebody’s voice. Was it somebody’s? The broken sentences, talk about eggs... Eggs! Risk had Clutched the other day! he thought matter-of-factly. He quickly got up and messed up his sister’s hair. ”Sorry, sis, but Wher eggs call,” he called, and took off for the Sands.

As he came up to the den and the already dark night dimmed into the shadowy cave, he gave a deep bow to the magnificent Gold and her Handler. ”It is an honor to stand before your clutch, Risk,” he praised, then strode forward towards Ridan. He gave a courteous grin, and offered a wave in greeting. ”My name is Rethalt, and it’s a delight to meet you,” he introduced cheerily. With that, he looked about to find any familiar faces, and was delighted to see that Wrynri was already there. He walked over to him, and poked him on the shoulder. ”Hey, Wrynri! Haven’t talked to you in a while. How’s it been?” he asked, giving the shoulder he poked a good shake. These meetings were not only good for Risk and her eggs, but apparently they were also good for meeting old friends.

[kia]

Durene hurried along the weyr passages, trying to keep up with the rest of the Candidates. There were Wher eggs now! And only a Queen could call on so many Candidates! She was excited. With such a descent clutch, she was bound to Impress one. She chuckled to herself as she remembered what her almost-fiancee had once said to her: Girls were not meant to be WherHandlers. Dalibor already had proven that wrong with there being a few female Handlers here already. She stepped on the Sands and gasped at the eggs. There were many eggs, and her chances were already looking better. She bowed to the Queen Wher in respect and looked to Ridan, obviously the the Queen`s Handler. "They are gorgeous!" she said, smiling with delight. She wondered what kind of Wher she would Impress at the Hatching. But, if she did not Impress, she could always sand at the Red`s Clutch if she Clutched next. The Red was suppose to Run soon, but she was not sure. So Durene could only wait and hope. She looked around at the other Candidates, wondering what they would get. But, no matter what, she was going to love whatever Wher she got.

Risk snapped her head when the first Candidate arrived on the Sands. She growled lowly at Kio, already not liking him. Something about him said that he was arrogant and that he would be a problem for her. She snorted, moving closer to her eggs. She was not going to let those stupid Candidates put their grubby little hands on her eggs! The next two Candidates was a quiet, solemn boy with an enthusiastic girl. They had called her eggs lovely. Of course they were lovely! No egg of hers was ever dull in color. The fourth Candidate to arrive was another girl, but she seemed calm and careful, keeping her distance and respecting all. Maybe this girl was worthy to Impress her eggs. She will have to see. A strange person arrived onto the Sands that made Risk look at the person with slight curiosity. Was this person a boy or a girl? And were they here to Impress one of her eggs? A timid boy came next, looking at the eggs, and then at Ridan with confusion. Risk`s eyes began to whirl. Timid led to nervousness, and nervous people were clumsy! He better be careful! Two more Candidates arrived onto the Sands finally: A boy and a girl. They were both excited about the eggs, but unless they were careful, Risk could easily maul them if she felt her eggs threatened.

Ridan eyed Kio carefully, but did not say anything back. Of course he was Ridan! His knots on his jacket told him that he was the Alpha Handler here. And the Clutch was marvelous, not nice. Nice was too low of a word for Risk`s eggs. But he did mentally chuckle when Risk brightened up slightly at Bri and Obelir`s comment. Well, at least those two had their heads on straight. His attention turned to the entering Baharl. Ridan had to agree with Risk that this girl seemed calm. She may be excited, but she was trying to be careful and be respectful at the same time. That was a good quality to have around Risk at the moment. Ridan could feel Risk`s interest pipe up when Wrynri arrived. Ridan was equally curious, but he dropped the idea of asking. Sometimes it was best to leave people to their business. Ridan smiled down at Asterin as he introduced himself in a timid nature. The boy had better buck up soon if he was going to try to Impress a Wher. Whers were tenacious by nature sometimes, and they were not the easiest to to work with at times. Rethalt and Durene arrived lastly, both equally happy about the sight of the eggs. While Rethalt went off to talk to someone he apparently knew, the Durene stood there and stared at the beautiful eggs.

Now that most of the Candidates were there, it was time to talk to them. He cleared his throat, getting their attention, and looking at each other them. "Whers are different from dragons. I do not need to tell you that. You know that for yourself. But, unlike a dragon Clutch, there will not be an egg Touching for a Wher`s egg. Risk, my Gold, is too protective of her eggs to let anyone get close. I cannot get close without the possibility of her snapping at me. Remember, a Wher does not need a human to live as a dragon does. A Wher can easily go wild. But allowing a Wher to taste your blood ensures a stronger bond between you and your partner. Risk may not desire to hurt me, but she will if she felt I was going to threaten her or her eggs. Depending on if you Impress a female Wher or a male, blood bonds will be important. With that being said, make sure you bring a knife or something so you can prick your finger for your Wher to taste." Ridan then pulled his sleeve up and revealed a long scar going down his arm. "While not uncommon, Whers will maul to get to the ones they want. This scar was not caused from a small Wher. Risk`s mother sliced my arm when I tried to rescue Risk shortly after she Hatched. Risk latched herself onto my arm, creating the bond which has exist even now. If you are mauled and hurt, do not be surprised if your Wher tries to latch onto your wounds to get blood. If a mauling happens, I will make sure that someone from the infirmary is on call. But do expect at least one person to be mauled. Now, does anyone have any questions?" he asked as he pulled his sleeve back down, looking at each Candidate carefully.

[zeis]

Baharl, remarkably, managed to stay quiet while the other Candidates arrived. It was a feat for her to be sure, because she was positive she recognized some of them from her first day. She grudgingly accepted that this probably wasn't the best time to chat it up with her fellows, because they had obviously been called here for a reason. She didn't know much about Wher eggs, but from the general lack of urgency Risk's must have been newly laid. They had been called here to see them, she supposed, and... hopefully find out what to do. She remembered things from her father's treatment of his own Wher Khosk, but the Brown was in no way a young Wher, and she had no idea what at all to do during the hatching. Her father had mentioned something like... a blood bond? Whatever that was, it sounded exciting.

She was relieved when Ridan finally spoke, because it meant having something to focus on rather than trying to stay quiet. Also because he seemed to be explaining the situation she found herself in, and what she and all the others must do to secure a relationship with a newly hatched Wher when the time came. The girl listened intently, and as the Alpha handler spoke she turned her eyes back upon his Queen Risk. That what one protective mother, that even her bonded would lose a finger if he tried to peek at her eggs. Then again, for her, impression was not a matter of life and death, only a temporary partnership. She smirked slightly, and found that she liked he notion. Whers had attitude, an independence that even mighty Dragons lacked. She liked that. They were wild and free, just like her. The possibility of mauling had occurred to her before, and she couldn't say that she was scared. Anticipating it perhaps, but not with nervousness. Standing midst a nestful of possibly volatile draconic creatures, including one watchful mother, sounded pretty exciting. She didn't really hope to get mauled exactly, but she wouldn't be upset if she did. Tough people like herself survived injuries like that, and it might leave an interesting scar with a fond memory behind it.

When it came time to ask questions, Baharl glanced to the others with her eyebrows raised. In one fell swoop Ridan had pretty much put any anxieties of hers to rest, and only one question of hers remained unasked. A question which of course had no real predictable answer and was part of the fun of things. How long would they have to wait?

[theknightwhosaysni]

It was night time. Frino was sleeping, and that was that. He had yet to adjust to the nocturnal schedule of a WherHandler, and he had no intentions of doing so until he had a wher, anyways, so what was the point?

The voice that penetrated his dreams was ignored for a while. He was not ready to wake up yet, and his dream had been quite good. Frino clung tightly to the scraps that had been his dream up until a few seconds ago.

And then the broken speech settled into his mind, finally starting to make sense. Hadn't that gold, Risk, Run not that long ago? Frino sat bolt-right up in bed, his eyes wide, heart pounding in his chest. He would miss the eggs if he didn't hurry, but he was already going to be late at this rate.

The other Candidates had several minutes on him, and Frino didn't even know where his clothes were. "Sharding sharding shards!" Frino muttered to himself fiercely as he scrambled out of bed, scrubbing sleep from his green eyes as he wriggled into a pair of brown trousers and a crumpled, stained white shirt. It would have to do, and now he was sprinting out of the room, panting as he skidded through the halls and around the corners, nearly running into a wall or two (or three or four), until he at last careened around the corner, and onto the Hatching Sands.

Sucking in his breath in preparation as he scurried across the Sands, reaching the group of Candidates just before Ridan began speaking.

He was late, late, late! That wouldn't do, would it? Maybe getting accustomed to this nocturnal schedule of the wherhandlers could be useful...

Frino broke his thoughts off in favor of a wide yawn as he scrubbed fiercely at his eyes as Ridan spoke. He did his best to listen attentively, but he was distracted every now and then by just how heavy his eyelids were...

Frino jolted as Ridan asked if they had any questions. Attempting to cover that motion with a vigorous cough, Frino straightened up, glancing around, trying to spot anyone that he knew. Ah, there was Wrynri and Rethalt...

He gave the two boys a cheerful grin before turning his attention back towards Ridan, trying his hardest not to look like he was as tired as he was. Yup, he was totally wide awake and . . . stuff...

Frino yawned again, wrinkling his nose as he turned his head to subtly examine the eggs. They were quite pretty, weren't they?

[purnip]

Had anyone else poked or shook him, Wrynri might have attempted to spin around and punch the person behind him. He might have spent most of his life as a girl, but he had a bad habit of smacking the other girls around too roughly back then anyways. It was one of the many reasons he had been socially ostracized back at home. Instead he shot a glare over his shoulder that died in a fraction of a second at the sound of Rethalt's voice. This was one of his two only friends here. This person was cool. Still, Wrynri sulked and tried to shrug Rethalt off his shoulder, but he forced a smile on to his face as he uttered a "What's up? Nothing much. And you? Keeping your head away from the walls?"

It was a friendly joke, though his habit of being a little cruel with his remarks shone through. It didn't help that the contact the other boy made put him in a state of discomfort. He still didn't like to be touched and that was never quite likely to change. Still, it's good to remember that it all could have ended a lot worse.

When Ridan began to speak, Wrynri tried to straighten himself out to listen carefully, but his eyes darted away from the Goldhandler to spy Frino shooting off a grin in their direction. He gave a half-wave/salute in the lad's direction before returning his attention to Ridan.

Just as he suspected, Risk wasn't going to be cool about them touching her eggs. Wrynri didn't feel offended in the slightest. As said before, he was very neutral and borderline negative about this sort of impression anyways. They could get mauled? The kid went a little cold at the thought, even in his comfortable coat. At the mention of blood and perhaps even gore, Wrynri was hoping he heard wrong. Blood? He gulped, giving Rethalt a worried glance in hopes that he wasn't the only one who was thrown a curve by the announcement. Surely he didn't know of this as well. Or Frino. Neither of them even mentioned blood bonds. It surely would have come up if they knew of it!

Wrynri had a question alright, but it was stupid. Why? Why did whers have to taste blood? He couldn't cut himself. He couldn't step up to this. That scar on Ridan's arm scared what little bravery he had left in him. Now the kid wanted to turn his tail and flee. He couldn't even bear to look to Risk again. She hurt her own handler. His would hurt him too. How could they? He didn't want to be paired with something he couldn't trust all the time. At least runners were not as dangerous...they don't have sharp teeth and claws. Maybe it was time to reconsider this.

But the stubborn lad within did not want to back down. The stubborn boy that dragged him from the comfort of home to seek a more fitting lifestyle demanded that he took the risks of being a Wherhandler. His worry shifted to pure determination, but the fear was still there, somewhere. He had to face his fears, whatever they may be. He wasn't going to die out there. It was just a little blood. If he was going to be a boy, he'd better man up.

[jack]

They were later to arrive than the others, but as the man and wher walked side by side onto the Sands, neither were too concerned about the issue. Mask took the lead with a low huff of a growl, his attention centered momentarily on Kio. He had heard what the boy had said, and wasn't pleased with the comment. But while a touch of red appeared in the brute's stare, it disappeared to be replaced with a lazy nobility as he strode purposefully to Risk's side.

As the large Bronze took up a spot next to the Gold, giving a soft rumble of greeting followed by an adoring rub of cheek to shoulder, Mataike slid to Ridan, his arms sliding around the other's waist. "So these are your Candidates, then?" He rumbled softly, eying the group with distant interest even as he rested his chin absently on Ridan's shoulder, resisting the urge to nibble at his throat.

Smirking rather smugly, the Bronzehandler untangled himself from his superior handler, and set to investigating the children more noticeably. But his attention was short lived, as he quickly returned to Ridan, leaning partially against him as he eyed the scar lazily. He himself had not had the same issue with Mask, who knew exactly what he wanted. But then, Mask always knew what he wanted. "Interesting little lot...I suppose." He rumbled lazily, purposely mimicking Kio's short little quip.

[Admin]

It's that time of year,
Leave all our hopelessnesses aside,
Tears stop right here,
I know we've all had a bumpy ride.

Obelir waited expectantly for his question to be answered, but he remained less than bothered when he received no reply. Anyway, Ridan's lecture to them basically gave him what information he needed. Risk wouldn't let anyone touch her eggs. Already more than knowledgeable about the process of bonding to a wher, he kept most of his attention on the eggs. He examined each of them, from the largest to the smallest. Some of them would be duds. It was a sad fact of life with whers. However, some of them would hatch browns and blues, little whers of every color. He held no true hope that the clutch in front of him would yield results any different for him than the dozens of clutches for which he had already stood. However, he knew that he did have a chance. He paid no mind to the others, even the bronze who came. He'd seen several before.

Bri paid a great deal of attention to everyone. She carefully noted Ridan's instructions, but she mainly focused on watching all of the other candidates. Kio had shut up, and a bronzehandler had appeared to snuggle with the goldhandler and make stupid comments. She looked at all the others that had showed up, including one boy who'd been late. Nine candidates were present, including her. Her roommate, Talouse, was no where to be seen. Briefly, Bri wondered where the other girl was. Perhaps she was sick. She actually made a note to go check on her roommate, showing some genuine concern though none of it appeared on her face amongst the reddened, patchy skin. She still failed to introduce herself, even though she had noticed that everyone else was telling their names. She did have a fabulous stubborn streak.

In the end, Bri picked Asterin out of the crowd, setting aside her quick calculations. She took several steps backward, glancing at the eggs again without too much interest in her gaze. The hatching would be a wondrous thing. However, until then, the others were more important to her. Turning around, she came to face Asterin and she smiled a wide grin at him. In the darkness of the den, her rashes were hidden. "I'm Bri;" she told the timid boy, ready to gauge his reaction to her sudden introduction. More to the front and the side, Obelir continued to gaze at the eggs, not speaking. He would have been happy to stay on the sands for the rest of the night, oblivious to everything except the heavy presence of the watching Risk. His lips were parted, as if he was ready to say something, but nothing came out. He kept his thoughts to himself.

How did you know?
It's what I always wanted,
You can never have too many of these,
Will ya quit kicking me under the table?

[Birdy]

Asterin kept to the back as more candidates filed in. Another boy and a girl, to his immense relief no one came up to him. While he did like the pitch blackness of his own room, being in this dim cavern was making him paranoid. He didn’t know what would come up behind him. That was part of the reason he was backed against the wall. Kire was still facing the wall, refusing to even look at the stupid wher or her ugly eggs. Asterin winced at the purple’s thoughts. If the wher attacked him because of the purple…well if he survived he would…well he wasn’t sure what he’d do but the purple wouldn’t enjoy it.

The goldhandler began talking and Asterin’s thoughts were pulled from scary whers and sneaking people. He esplained whers, all of it seemed reasonable to him except the blood part. He supposed it would be okay for him though he wasn’t sure if he would be able to watch others do it. He wasn’t even sure he had a knife though he might be able to get one somewhere… Mauling on the other hand...he pushed the thought out of his mind. He was set on Impressing a wher and didn’t need any more reason to be wary of them.

Once the handler had finished talking Asterin looked at the eggs once more. They sure were neat… The entrance of another wher caught him offguard. And the bronze’s handler was close behind. He watched as he got awfully close to the goldhandler. He flinched at the thought of such physical contact, but he supposed that it must have been alright for the goldhandler, the man’s wher must have caught the gold. Why else would the volatile gold permit the bronze so close.

Had Asterin not been distracted by the eggs and the new wher he would have seen Bri coming up behind him. But he was distracted so when her face appeared before him he jumped then froze up, staring at her with wide eyes. Was she looking at him? What did she want with him? Had he done something wrong? He blinked at her introduction; he was hoping she would just move along.He was supposed to respond right? “B-bri…?”he said nervously. “I’m…Asterin,” he added, maybe if he introduced himself she’d go away…

[aikastarr]

”Me? Yeah, keeping my head bump-free,” he retorted, a smile playing on his lips. He managed to get that out right before Ridan called their attention. He listened and watched intently, shuddering slightly at the size of the scar that lined the inside of the Wher Handler’s arm. That must hurt. I definitely don’t want to anger Risk now. Well, not like I didn’t want to anger her before, it’s just that I don’t want to anger her at all! That would be very bad, he conversed with himself, fidgeting his hands. He stuffed them in his pockets, and awaited the closing of Ridan’s speech.

When it came shortly after he stuffed his hands into his pockets, he was allowed to ask any question. What should he ask? Definitely not ‘When are the eggs going to hatch?’, that’s for sure! What about, has there ever been a strange happening at any of the Hatchings? No, that wouldn’t work either. There had to be something that didn’t sound foolish! Rethalt looked about himself and let a sigh of relief escape his lips; Frino made it to the viewing. Another familiar face always always a good sign.

That’s when it came to him. He took a step forward, relieving Wrynri’s shoulder of his hand, and raised it. ”Sir? Has anybody died in previous Hatchings??” he asked. His brown eyes gleamed with a mixture of curiosity and slight dread. If there was a chance that he could lose his friends, he wanted to be prepared.

[zeis]

Baharl, seeing that a majority of the other Candidates were indeed beginning to socialize, felt her will against it crumbling. She was about to turn and speak to a boy who seemed to be staring holes through the Queen Wher herself when the clutch-sire entered the sands with his Handler. She inhaled a little sharply at the sight of Mask, and realized that a question she hadn't even thought about had just been answered. Who was the sire? This Bronze Wher was him, otherwise Risk very likely would have ripped him to pieces once he stepped foot on the sands. She smiled at the site of the two Whers together, and Mask's affections for the Queen. The two of them were quite a sight even in the failing light, dull gleams and flashes of metallic skin and rippling muscle. She didn't know that so many dud eggs were likely a probability in a Wher clutch, and this scene managed to convince her completely otherwise. These eggs were strong, so would be the dragonets that hatched from them.

She looked over at Rethalt as he spoke, and despite his sobering question she couldn't help but smile. Of course people had died before at Wher hatchings! She had heard of Candidates being fatally mauled by young Dragons, so why would Whers be any different? They were smaller than Dragons sure, but just as capable. Perhaps even more so, since they didn't need to bond. She wasn't surprised to think that some of the people around her were scared of that possibility either. It took a lot of guts to stare injury and possibly death in the face, and in the case of a mauling it took a lot of guts to risk spilling your guts. She wasn't worried. She had a lot of guts to spill.

[Admin]

Maybe when I'm done with thinking,
Maybe you can think me whole.
Maybe when I'm done with endings,
This can begin, this can begin.

Wanting Bri to go away is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If one wishes for her to go away, she will not go away. She is very good at what she does, and that's definitely a part of what she does. Focusing only on Asterin, she ignored the idiocies of the other wher candidates, tuning out their sheep-like shuffling and mindbogglingly dull questions. To say that she had a high opinion of her peers wouldn't be totally wrong. She was a highly objective person, in her own fashion, and she tended to make observations as they could be best described in her opinion. Less than sweetly, she smiled at Asterin. "It's lovely to meet you;" she intoned, once he got his name out. The phrase was less than sincere, but she wasn't trying to make him comfortable. He was already nervous and she had no plans of helping him. He needed to toughen up a good bit.

Shifting slightly, Bri squared herself up. She wasn't a lightly built girl and she was tall, especially for her still young age. Her amber brown eyes looked Asterin over with military precision, though their darting quickness and calculating gleam didn't look like them would have any place in an army. "Enjoying yourself?" She posed the question with a careful innocence, revealing nothing, the dim light of the den helping to keep her expression hidden. What light there was only caught her teeth and eyes, making them pop out in sharp relief from her face. She didn't look unnatural so much as very, very unnerving, which was exactly what she was trying to achieve. "Do you like the eggs? Aren't they beautiful?" Her intentions were growing less clear even to her, which was probably for Asterin's benefit. She hadn't yet decided what to do with him.

Obelir looked up from the eggs when someone asked if anyone had ever died before. "Yes. I saw it happen once, with a bronze;" he said, forgetting to curb himself. The memory wasn't all that clear or painful for him, so he didn't mind speaking about it. Perhaps he should have been more traumatized by having seen another boy cut half to shreds by a tiny, bulky, metallic creature only several feet in length and then later having been informed that the mauled boy had died, but he wasn't. He hadn't known the other candidate all that well, and it was just sort of a part of life. By standing for whers, he knew that he ran such a risk. A dragonet rarely meant to kill or even hurt. They might lash out and intentionally strike, but dragons weren't killers. Whers would do whatever they had to do to survive. He gave a short of shrug to Rethalt, wrinkling his nose.

Maybe when I'm not so tired,
Maybe you could step inside,
Maybe when I look for things that,
I can't replace, I can't replace.

[Birdy]

Asterin waited. And waited. And it seemed that the girl wasn’t going to leave. Leave shard it! Leave leave leave! Faranth! If she wasn’t going to leave could she at least not stare at him? Or maybe step back a few feet? She was too close! “Nice to meet you too,” he said flatly, becoming more annoyed than nervous. He was on the right track but Rethalt’s question caught him off guard.Green eyes flicked from the whers to the girl in his face then to the eggs. Oh dear…what am I supposed to do now… He glanced at the whers again, eyeing their teeth and claws … he had always admired them from a distance and he was determined to Impress one! Even if it meant…he gulped. No he would do it! He had been able to talk to the rider at the lake why not here…?

Maybe it was that she looked so sharding scary! He should have had the advantage there right? He WAS taller but somehow…she seemed bigger. She reminded him of Risk… Only sharding annoying! “Well Bri I WAS enjoying myself until you showed up, I was having a grand time staring death in the face actually. ” He paused for a second, wait he’d said that outloud? His face turned bright red (though you probably couldn't tell in the dim cavern), “S-sorry…” he said quickly. “They’re very nice…” he added, cursing himself for not keeping such thoughts in his head.

Kire rolled his eyes, His was an idiot. The only way to go about life was to be the best! He turned around on Asterin’s shoulder, noticing Bri for the first time. He chirped, trying to get her attention away from His. ‘Look at me! I’m handsome aren’t I? Handsomer than those horrid wher eggs!’ he seemed the say, spreading his wings to make himself seem bigger and buffer.

[purnip]

Oh lovely. So someone was mauled to death once, Wrynri thought to himself, bravery slowly fading. He could only pump himself so much before he deflated; he didn't have the full-blown stubborness he might have had if he was simply a man. He stood shorter than everyone, mostly because he hated crowding and he wanted to sulk back to his room as soon as possible. A thought came to mind that it would be nice to get a better look at those eggs, just so long as he kept his wits about him around Risk. He actually stood for a bit, distributing his weight back and forth before finally moving away to the edge of the bunch. Wrynri searched for Risk to make sure he wasn't going to intrude on her space or her clutch's. As soon as he found a decent place to stand on the edge of the Gold wher's personal bubble, he had a chance to finally give the eggs a full once over.

There was no way any of these were meant for him. The longer he beheld them, the lower his spirits sank. What creature would want to get stuck with a freak human anyhow? Maybe a canine or at most, a firelizard. Wrynri might have had better luck with those. Oh, but what was he thinking?

Obviously he wanted one. He wanted to impress one of those wherlings so badly that it ached him inside. Wrynri was just one of those pessimistic persons who couldn't bear with disappointment, so he imagined the worst outcome with the preference of being pleasantly surprised instead. It worked for himself, most of the time, but he hated it when he was right. His gaze moved across, studying each visible egg with contained delight. It might have been to him what finding a bunch of easter eggs might be to us. There was one large bronze-red egg that towered over the lot like a grand-prize trophy, but it intimidated Wrynri. Imagine such a beast! He wished for nothing bigger than a draybeast sometimes. It would not only make for a wher easier to clean, but a more portable creature was so suitable. Once again he wondered if he could ride the things. His attention moved on. The two on either side of the largest were also large in their own rights. They seemed opposite one another--one hot and one cool. He imagined they might have even been just that way to the touch, but he didn't dare budge from this safe distance. The group of four that he followed next all had more intrigue about them. One reminded him of an open field after a heavy rain, where the mud forms in puddles on grass. Another was gray and shy; it reminded him of himself, trying to disappear into obscurity. The sunset colored one was an interesting transition. He wondered what would come of it. Finally, the plain grass green one, probably most interesting due to its near perfect patternlessness, held his eye the longest of the four before he moved on.

Just as Wrynri was getting to the smaller eggs, his attention drifted away as he thought of home, just briefly. The field colored egg sort of reminded him of his trip to Dalibor and he couldn't help but think. He wondered if they were looking for him...his family. In Dalibor, just like in any other weyr, dragons were all cousins and they were never too far from family. Same was said for whers and firelizards. Those eggs huddled together in that clutch nearly made him jealous. Out here he had nothing to cling to. His mother wasn't around and he was no longer alive to them, probably. He was alone, and he truly felt it now. All the sounds of the other Candidates nearly went mute. He couldn't have spent his entire life as a drudge without going mad, but he didn't think he was going to impress either. Maybe he should go back. Maybe leaving home was a stupid decision.

But he'd have to go back to pretending again.

[kia]

It seemed as if no one had questions, and Ridan almost all but forgot that he was on the Sands with the Candidates when he felt someone slide an arm around him. He also heard Risk`s rumblings from where she was, a rumbling that was a mix of warning someone to be careful but also welcoming them near to her. Ridan turned his head and smiled at Mataike, knowing that the only wher Risk would allow near her at the moment was Mask. "Well, they will soon learn what it is like to be a Handler, some more than others," he said, noting the lateness of Frino. Ridan was about to go on when suddenly a question was raised among the group. Ridan would not even have time to answer back before there were answers being thrown around the lot. Yes, there had been deaths before. There was nothing new about that fact. Well, whoever had answered that seemed to have some knowledge of Whers, but this was to let Candidates know that the eggs would Hatch soon and to prepare themselves. Another reason for these questions was to ask things that they were unsure about, whether it was ridiculous or not.

"Yes, there have been deaths, be it from the newly Hatched Whers or from the mother who felt her eggs were being threatened. Like I said previously, expect some maulings. Whers go after what they want and will not stop till they get it. Also, a way for you to know if you have been picked by your Wher is their name. They will take part of your name and adopt it with theirs, adding an "sk" to the ending. Example, I am Ridan and my Wher is Risk. The man here is Mataike, and his Wher is Mask. Also, while I am mentioning Mataike, you will respect him with similar respect that you will have for me. Mask is currently Risk`s weyrmate, making him equal in rank to me. Now, back to the subject of Whers. Whers will be sensitive to light, especially during the first few sevendays. Try to make your rooms as dark as possible until night comes. Once night comes, your Whers will begin to feel more comfortable and free. For the most part, a Handler`s duty in the beginning is simple: Feeding and caring. But, there is much more, which will be discussed when you Impress and attend lessons. Well, that is it for now. You are free to do what you want. Just be careful around the eggs and Risk." With that, he turned to look at Mataike and offered the man a sly smile. "So, should we stay to babysit these Candidates or shall we be off for a little... adventure," he said lowly, enjoying the man`s company.

[zeis]

Baharl nodded in agreement at Obelir, taking his personal anecdote as pure and utter proof of her own conclusions. Getting nervous about what was going to happen wasn't going to do anyone any favors. Being nervous didn't make you more careful, and even the most careful person in the would could still be mauled by Wher going after the blood they willingly spilled. All being nervous was going to do was get yourself worked up and sick, and make the moment that should by all means be a wonderful miraculous event in your life an uncomfortable nightmare. She wasn't going to let that happen, even if she didn't manage to bond a Wher at all.

The young woman's attention was brought back to more pleasant thoughts as Ridan spoke, and she listened attentively to everything that he said. She knew from her father's Khosk that Whers liked the dark, and once they were dismissed from this she'd have to give her room a once over to figure out what might upset a newly hatched Wheret. She grinned at the mention of Wherling lessons. That was something she was looking forward to. A future chance for her to excel with her Bonded, who would no doubt be just as competitive and determined as she was. Her life at Dalibor had been a good one up until now, with new friends, and the hatching of her clever little Spiral. But this was the real meat and tubers of why she had come here. Things were going to get a lot more interesting for her, and it was all going to start with the hatching of Risk's eggs.

She had been about to congratulate Mataike and Mask on their fine clutch of children when she noticed that a boy she slightly recognized, Wrynri, had inched closer to the eggs. The Gold Risk didn't seem to mind, or perhaps she simply hadn't noticed yet, and neither had her handler. Baharl watched him regard the eggs with due reverence, and took a step or two forward to catch the somewhat faraway look in his eyes. She moved to stand beside him, taking up the implicit challenge he put forth by being so near, and regarded the eggs herself a moment. Icy blue eyes cast him a sidelong glance, and she spoke quietly. "You're looking at our new friends here like a hungry man looks at bread. Not long now, my friend." Her expression broke out into a sunny grin. "Not long at all."

[purnip]

Wrynri nearly jumped out of his skin at the skin at the sound of Baharl's voice, completely oblivious to her having been there. Without a noise and only the motion of startling, he turned his head sharply towards her with an expression of annoyance. He hated being caught off guard like this. He was already stressed out about giving Risk her space and the maulings they might received so the other Candidate had him ripe for the frightening.

He didn't recognize her at all, but that was nothing out of the ordinary. It was odd enough that he managed to make a couple of friends. All the other wher Candidates were strangers to him. In all his time at Dalibor, this was the first time he had been among this many of them at once. If his mind had trouble seeking solace in his thoughts he would have gotten claustrophobic out here.

His expression softened as his gaze remained fixed on her. It was as if he still was having trouble processing her existence as she stood so tangibly beside him, but it was easier for Wrynri to stare at girls anyways. Had this been a male Candidate, he would have likely looked away with a scowl on his face. Because of his upbringing, it was just much easier to be around girls.

"You're looking forward to this," Wrynri answered, looking down and away towards the eggs when he realized how stupid that must have sounded. Of course she was. She was a Candidate like himself. He didn't really look forward to it himself but...it was normal for everyone else to. "I just hope I'm not the unlucky sod that gets ripped to pieces out here." That would be a real shame, wouldn't it? It would have ended all the trouble but solved nothing. Wrynri might have hated the confusion in his life caused by what he was, but he didn't want to die. He was convinced he had a destiny of some sort. Someone like himself didn't exist just to die.

[zeis]

Baharl, who was currently riding a mild emotional high that was a mixture of excitement and joy, didn't seem to notice at all that she had startled the boy. Instead she was gazing steadily at the eggs, with a knowing almost smug look. She was almost completely sure that a Wher lay sleeping and growing within one of those shells who would choose her. After all, she had responded to the responsibility laid on her shoulders with as much grace as anyone, and had determination to spare. Draconic creatures could feel that sort of thing, she knew. She simply couldn't see how a Wher could not pick her, and even if not from this clutch at least eventually. She gave a short joyful laugh that was really more of an exclamation at his observance. "You can't tell me you aren't."

She listened to his next comment, and craned her head a little to look at him. She quirked her eyebrows, and the faintest of frowns touched her lips. "Or maybe you can." The girl paused for a moment looking at him, trying to think of what to say. What she had first assumed to be courage in this boy had perhaps been something else, something a little bit sadder maybe, or possibly afraid. Adults always had things to say at a time like this, advice of some sort. Her face brightened with a smile, and she spoke energetically but kindly. "Listen, any one of us in here might get bit or scratched up, and all the worrying before hand isn't going to change it if thats what the Wher wants to do. All we can do is Stand, and accept whatever happens." Her smile stretched into a grin. "Some Risk's are just worth taking. Get it?"

[Sakoru]

It was some time after the initial call that the Candidate realized he had actually been summoned. Curled up in bed, and thinking about all the whers he had seen around the Weyr, he didn't actually register the summons for many minutes. By that time, he had fantasized about Impressing a beautiful wher and what colour it might be, only to shatter his thoughts with sudden realization. "Oh, Faranth! She called me!" With a strangled gasp of horror, Khemres launched himself out of bed, tripping over a shoe, and then yanked on his clothes. Pulling on his shoes, he bolted out of the room, grabbing his wide-brimmed hat and jamming it on his hat as he went. Had he not known this hallway better, chances were excellent that the albino Candidate would have met with catastrophe on the way to Risk and her clutch.

As it was, he had terrible vision in the first place and nearly crashed into multiple walls as he rushed headlong down the corridors. Muttering under his breath, Khemres slowed down only when he entered the less familiar reaches of the Weyr, heading towards the Sands.

Doing perfectly fine and believing he was home-free, the albino dashed along, only to collide violently with a corner. Falling back, he lifted his crippled hand to rub the sore shoulder, thanking Faranth it hadn't been his face. Oh, you stupid boy. You know perfectly well you can't see; Risk won't mind if you're a few seconds later than you were before. "Ow...shards, that hurt," Khemres muttered to himself as he stood up again. Continuing in a more sedate fashion to the Sands, he eventually made it without further incident, though when he reached the gathering, he had to squint not to run into anyone.

Skirting around the edges of the band of Candidates, he tried his best to avoid notice as he circled around towards the clutch. Fifteen feet away he stopped, leaning forward to squint at the eggs. Able to see the general outlines of most of them, he counted thirteen, and his heart leapt with excitement. "Thirteen eggs...! What a beautiful clutch!" Delighted by both the possibility of Impressing, and the success of the gold Risk, he moved over closer to Ridan, catching the end of the explanation about whers. Light sensitive...like me! 'Course, I knew that, but still...I wonder if I'll Impress one? Even if I have to be mauled, it's not like it hasn't happened before, right? ...Right. Go introduce yourself, Khemres! Don't be such a wreck.

Chiding himself for his disrespect, Khemres sidled a bit nervously over in the goldhandler's general direction, noting with some alarm that he had been joined by the bronzehandler - Mataike, that was it. Blushing furiously, the pale boy pulled his hat lower over his eyes, stopping a few feet away and suppressing the urge to hyperventilate. Uncertainly, he looked up at the pair, fiddling with his mangled hand, and smiled shyly. "Hi...I'm Khemres. A Candidate...they're gorgeous eggs, aren't they? Risk and Mask made a beautiful clutch." What he could see of them, anyway. Being possessed of horrible eyesight, he hadn't really been able to tell what colours they were, exactly. That was fine by him; any eggs were beautiful eggs, particularly a wher's. And such a pretty wher as Risk, too! Of course, how a man had come to Impress a queen, he did wonder, but that was of no consequence. Whers and dragons chose their people, not the other way around.

Cheeks flaming, the Candidate took a step back, trying to hide the furious crimson shade of his face. Seeing the two men, Mataike with his arms around Ridan, only reminded him of his own leanings. Secretly he admitted to himself that they looked good together, and that only made his white face turn redder. Squeezing his bad hand with his good one, the nervous smile disappeared, replaced by a humiliated expression that he hid under the brim of his hat. Would it be considered rude to run away and look at the eggs some more, he wondered? Was a Candidate allowed to hastily excuse himself and scurry away to a nice spot where he could simply admire the two whers and their eggs?

[/center]

[skye]

As the mingling between candidate, handler, and Wher seemed to take to a higher level inside the den, another form promptly entered. At first, all that could be seen of the girl was a shadowy silhouette, traveling closer to the group of handler-to-bes rather than the clutch and Whers themselves. It would be stupid, no, suicide to come in late like she was and immediately flock to the eggs without warning. True, if she wanted to, she could have came in earlier when Mataike and Mask arrived without being noticed, using them as a distraction to silently slink to the back of the group. But that would be sneaky, another attribute she'd rather not associate herself with. Plus, she was waiting to come into the den at a time where she thought she'd be unnoticed most, like now, when conversations started to peak.

To subtract additional suspicion from herself, she entered the brightest area closest to her first. It shed some light on her thin frame, just enough to allow whoever was there the ability to see she was indeed a Wher Candidate. But really, if she wasn't a candidate, why would she be here? It was common sense. She didn't need to introduce herself. Once she got near Ridan and Mataike, she dipped her head, as if apologizing for her tardiness and greeting them at the same time. Bland and a bit odd, but oh well, whatever worked. Gradually she approached the right edge of the loosely-knit group of people, turning to face the eggs after giving those closest to her a quick glance.

First, she gave a silent condolence to the Whers. Both Risk and Mask looked as proud as a Wher parent could, and why wouldn't they be? Those first few eggs could have been at least as big as their heads, if not bigger - highly ranked Whers were to hatch from those shells for sure. Dihon smiled, honey eyes managing to soften a little as she shifted her focus from the beasts to the clutch. The first to catch her attention was of course the huge almost bronze and brown spattered egg, which sat above the others. It looked marvelous, but wouldn't it be an upset if it was a dud? She shook her head mentally and moved on to the next biggest things, red and dark blue. Both also equal contenders for the sub-kings and queens, perhaps. As she moved down the long line of imprisoned wherets, the girl made an overall decision that the clutch was quite impressive, if she didn't think that before. Risk knew that - everyone knew that. "Amazing."

Once done with her praise of the large clutch, Dihon paused to assess what she'd missed. Keenly she listened to the conversations around her, picking up bits of information here and there. It wasn't much, but she was able to determine that the first few hours of the correlation was basically information being thrown around about the hatching and Wher Impression: the experienced trying to pass wisdom down to the greenhorns. Good - nothing too informative missed, she already knew most of that stuff anyway. Being late might not have been as bad as she intentionally thought... heck, from what she could tell, there were still candidates missing from the meeting. Dihon clicked her tongue thoughtfully and crossed her arms, gaze shifting from place to place, making no attempt to reach out and talk. Currently, anyway.

[/size]