Divine Beginnings (Risk`s Clutch Hatches!)

[kia]

The sun was starting to set, creating a beautiful scenary in the sky above Dalibor. Risk was shifting from where she slept, obviously slightly bothered with the setting sun and her constant worry over her precious eggs. The sun dipped below the horizon, and only the purples and pinks were left in the sky, following by the dark blue of the night in the sky. Risk sniffed over her eggs and the Sands, raising her nose to the air and growling lowly. A Gray and an Orange had risen recently and they had already Clutched on the Sands. She did not want her eggs Hatching so close to a dragon. SHE did NOT want to share these Sands with a DRAGON as long as she was here. But she was located against the side of the Sands, in a little cave she had made, her eggs were fine, and her Mine had seen to that during the day. While Risk slept while the sun was up, Ridan was awake on and off during the day and night to check up on the eggs. Mask was helping considerably too, bring Risk food often so she would not have to leave her precious eggs. Ridan leaned back against the stone wall, his mind gradually touching Risk`s mind to see how she was doing. Annoyed, tempermental, loving, and everything in between. She was being a typical Wher mother, but he had grown use to it from past experience.

Suddenly, Ridan picked up a hint of curiousity from Risk. He moved to poke his head into her den. She growled lowly at him from being caught surprised, but she backed off when she saw it was Ridan. She needed her Handler more than ever right now even though she was still picky with him checking her eggs three times a night. So far, Ridan had just barely touched the eggs to make sure the were at the correct temperature. He left everything else to Risk to ensure her children`s safety. Risk turned her attention on the little sunset egg. Something had caught her attention. She was not completely sure what she saw. If some bug or creature had disturbed or even touched her eggs, she would kill it within a second! She growled lowly at the egg, waiting for whatever creature to poke its ugly head out at her. Her growl was met by a soft wriggling moment of the egg. The growl turned into a slight primal croon as she gently touched the egg with the end of her head. The egg responded with another shake, this time more definate than the other times.

Risk roared with delight! Her children were coming! And just in time. She absolutely refused to share her Sands with any dragon! She would attack them in a matter of seconds. She stood up and moved carefully around the eggs, sitting down protectively at the side of the entrance to her den. Her children would Hatch now, and they would make the most important descisions of their little lives. She would stand guard to make sure no stupid Candidate would try to grab the eggs with their grubby fingers. The Whers would decide who they wanted, not the Candidates fighting over eggs. Ridan had to agree as he watched the little eggs. The little gray egg had started to move too. And one of the large eggs as well. He looked over at Risk. "Darling, you are going to have to call them here. They do not not have an inate sense to know that the eggs are Hatching," he said, explaining it to her.

She snorted. That was the only thing she noticed about humans. They lacked in several things. Raising her head, her eyes whirling green with happiness but with orange around the corners of protectiveness, she called out the the Candidates. Eggs Hatching now! Come fast! NOW! Bring knives to blood. Babies need strong Mines! she said. She would stand guard and take out anyone she thought was unworthy. As Obelir had pointed out several nights ago, there were deaths. And to protect her children, she was not afraid to take down those she thought were not worthy. Ridan looked at her, picking up on this thought. Ok, she would attempt to chase them out first. If they did not go, then she had every right to maul them until she was satisfied. Ridan sighed. Risk would do as she pleased. He looked back at the eggs. The little gray egg already had a crack in it. He bit his bottom lip. When would they be here, he thought.

[littlefishman]

Lenir heard the call, packed his knife in his pocket, and hurried down to the hatching sands. He would not miss this moment for his life.

He stood near the entrance to the sands and watched the tiny whers emerge from the eggs. It was a beautiful sight, the beginning of new life. He had always dreamed of this day and now it had finally come.

Lenir patted his pockets, making sure he remembered his knife. Sure enough he felt a lump in one of his pockets, Good, he thought, still there.

After that he just stood still and watched in silence as the tiny creatures emerged from their swirling, beautifuly colored eggs.

[aikastarr]

As Rukbat slowly dipped below the horizon and shrouded the world in night, Rethalt let his senses converse with the world. How that was even possible, he doesn’t know. It just seemed that this particular night was going to be special. Again, he didn’t know if it was because of the hardening eggs, or what was going on between him and Frino. However, he didn’t want to think, for that would mean bringing himself back to reality, rather than staying in his little fantasy world. He quite enjoyed his little dreams, and not much could change it. Unless, of course, a creature of some sort obliterated his friends or sister in the near future. Then his dreamland would dissolve into nothingness. If only-

His long thoughts were cut short by a slightly familiar voice ringing in his mind. It was powerful, strong, excited, and proud. It took a few moments and the scrambling of a Candidate or two screaming “The Hatching! The Hatching!” for the boy’s mind to process what was going on. Once it did, he clambered to his feet and dashed to his room. Recalling what Risk’s Handler had told them, he left his seashell pendant on his bed and changed into thicker attire. Instead of the dragon Candidate’s traditional robes and sandals, he was garbed in a blood-red tunic with a heavy jacket over it, with thick black pants adorning his lower half. He began to reach for his boots, but then stopped; if he was to have a permanent reminder of the power of whers, why not just go with the bare minimum? He gave himself a curt nod before removing the jacket and replacing the pants with shorts. Looking at his shelf, Rethalt suddenly remembered that there was the slight chance he would have to do harm to himself to form the blood-bond, so he snatched the knife and belt from its resting place and fastened it just above his hip and under his tunic. He gave himself a quick look-over in the mirror before setting out, abandoning the discarded clothing on the bed.

The trek to the den was quick, and he managed to be one of the first to arrive. There was only one or two Candidates in the den, which meant that there was a chance to stand wherever he wanted. Krysthanine and her flitter, Whiting, were unable to attend due to the hazard, and were currently asleep in her cot. He gave a Candidate that was standing just outside the Hatching grounds a ‘good-luck’ wave before striding into the designated spot. He fingered the knife at his side, and gave Risk and her Handler an admiring glance as well as the customary bow, before riveting his gaze onto the wriggling eggs.

[Admin]

Laying everybody low with,
A love song that he made,
Find a streetlight,
Steps out of the shade.

Bri hadn't been sleeping. She rarely was sleeping, more than what was necessary, and she certainly wasn't going to be sleeping at that hour. As soon as Risk's call went out, a call which was made so primal by the sheer influence of the wher, she was aware of it and alert. It was time. She wouldn't say that it was finally time. She wasn't that impatient. The eggs were finally ready. Not thinking too much about Talouse, who she hadn't seen much of lately, she hopped to her feet and twirled about, surveying her room. Brilliant energy enlivened her muscles.

Briefly, Bri considered her options for what to wear, but she was quick to decide. It was an easy choice. A dress? Nope. A robe like the dragon candidate wore? Nope. A shirt and breeches? Nope. Without a single bit of clothing on her body, she stepped out of her room and ambled down the hall. The stone under her feet felt cool and firm. She moved lightly across it, skin brushing quietly as she sprang forward with each step. Moments before, she had, in fact, stripped off what clothes she had been wearing, abandoning a loose shirt, short breeches, and underwear on her floor. She was deliberate about her choice. Reaching the end of the hall, she pushed open the door and strode outside. Fearless, she didn't even pause at the chilly spring breeze that tickled at her skin. She had a hatching to attend. Rashes traced along her arms, legs, and the entirety of her body, but she didn't care. Half hidden by her hand, she held a knife. It was the only thing she carried.

Elsewhere, Obelir had also been roused. He had been resting lightly. Risk's call briefly disoriented him and he tumbled out of his cot without an ounce of grace. Once he righted himself, he moved with more purpose. The eggs were hatching! The eggs were hatching! Unlike a certain female wher candidate, the slender boy with the bright blue eyes actually picked out something to wear. He didn't put too much though into it. As much as he enjoyed thinking, he wasn't much of one for considering clothes. He changed into clean tan breeches, a nice dark blue skirt, and his boots. Patting his brown hair into place, he paused for a moment. He took a deep breath. Was he forgetting anything? Right, a knife. He grabbed his off his chest, checked the blade by sight, and then he headed out his door.

Outside of the barrack, Obelir met Bri. She was several steps in front of him. At first, he stared, trying to confirm what he was seeing. Having heard his steps, she glanced over her shoulder at him, offering him a wide smile. No shame or blush came to her face. She didn't stop, continuing towards the hatching sands without pause. Obelir gave a sort of shrug to himself, and started forward too. If she wanted to go without clothes, that was her choice. It didn't bother him. Most of the actions of girls didn't bother him. The hatching preoccupied his mind too much for him to spare much though to the idea of nudity. Bri was enjoying the little walk to the hatching sands. She'd never had a problem with nudity, though she didn't usually practice it. There was something freeing to walking with the chill of the night against every inch of her. Her red-brown-blond hair fluttered in the wind.

Striding out onto the sands, Bri passed the two sleeping dragon mothers without fear. She strode into Risk's den and then she stopped. Keeping near the back, she dropped into a bow to the golden wher. Her posture had become more rigid and military, but her expression remained free and unashamed. Straightening, she kept one eye on Risk as the others drifted towards the eggs. She wasn't stupid. She knew she had made a choice, and she didn't want to come off as aggressive. She was no threat. While she would neglect to mention it or believe it, the hatching was sort of like her rebirth. Coming naked was fitting. She would not be afraid for herself. She wouldn't be scared. She wouldn't be ashamed. She never had been and she never would be. She ignored the heat on her feet. The hatching was starting, and she was there, naked.

Behind Bri by several steps, not minding her but too oblivious to seek her company, Obelir ambled into Risk's den. He settled off to the side, nearer Rethalt, starting a second sort of chain. Knowing his hatching manners, he quickly dropped into a bow to Risk. Once that task was complete, he finally dared to truly look at the eggs. Several of them were rocking. The tiny little gray egg had already cracked. So, it wasn't going to be a dud! That was good. He smiled a little smile to himself, easily falling into his own little world. Having already gotten over the shock of Bri's lack of clothing, he thought nothing towards her. He was here for the hatching, and it was going to be a wonderful occasion. Cheerful and thinking only towards the eggs, he stood with patience. Would the gray egg hatch first? What color would it produce? Green? Though silent, he was full of questions.

Well, you can fall for chains of silver,
You can fall for chains of gold,
You can fall for pretty strangers,
And the promises they hold.

[zeis]

Baharl's clever plan of attuning herself to a Wherlings nocturnal nature beforehand... had backfired. Like anyone accustomed with Whers, she had been up all the night previous, much to her Spiral's discontent. Her nocturnal exertions had left her to be blunt... absolutely fried. The girl had collapsed into her bed, and slept like a loud snoring stone until just this moment. She had intended to sleep late into the cool spring evening, and was having a particularly leisurely and entertaining dream when something rather bluntly insisted against her mind. The girl grumbled and rolled over in her furs, dislodging her Purple who lifted his narrow head with sleepy curiosity. The Firelizard flapped into the air, too tired to be really annoyed by His, and settled down to resume his nap on her back. The unfortunate little flit had barely managed to curl his tail properly when Baharl launched up onto her hands and knee's from her previously prone position.

"Eggs!" She yelled in a voice filled with excitement and mirth, not seeming to care if the whole Barracks heard her. Baharl lunged out of bed toward where she had stashed her clothes, got a bare foot caught in the furs, and promptly slipped flat on her face to the floor. But nothing like that was gong to keep her down, not tonight. With a surprisingly acrobatic twist, the girl rolled to her feet with a grin, not seeming to have a care at all for the minor abrasions caused by the fall. She rushed to put on clothes fitting the occasion, and grab the supplies she'd need. Spiral landed back on the tangle of fur that was once his neat and orderly resting place, and watched her prepare, trying as hard as his little Purple self could to look unimpressed though his spade-tipped tail twitched in contagious anticipation.

In moments, Baharl had wormed her way into her chosen attire for the night. Thick breeches, boots to protect her feet from the blistering sands, a short-sleeved tunic, and a thick leather vest. She hadn't really given much thought as to what she should wear, and in that sense her widely touted sense of 'responsible forethought' failed her. Her legs, chest, and neck might have benefited from the protection of cloth and leather, but her arms were exposed. The possibility of mauling, though of course present in her mind, was pushed far to the back of her current priority list. Why?

"Eggs!" She laughed over her shoulder to her little Purple companion, as if he didn't already know as she hastily fastened the clasps on her vest. The girl either didn't hear or chose to ignore the slightly anxious little snort her Firelizard made. Instead, she snatched up the short dagger she had picked for this very occasion. The girl paused in her frantic preparations to turn the blade a little in her hands, and caught the reflection of her determined icy eyes staring back at her. She grinned fiercely down at herself, and hastily lifted a leg to stash the knife in the cuff of one boot, hopping a little off balance on one foot. Baharl spoke loudly, and with determination, intending fully to pump herself up. "Tonight's the night, Spiral. Just you wait and see. By the time I'm back from this, I'll be a Wherling. And you, you'll be..." She turned to blink at him, and chuckled. "A Wherlings pet, I suppose! Stay here and guard like a good little fellow. I'll be back!" Baharl shot him a wink and dashed out the door, only to dash back six or so seconds later to startle her little friend from his briefly settled calm. "With a Wher!"

Baharl took off like a force of nature toward the Hatching Sands, though as before she slowed to a brisk if pretty sedate walk as she neared the entrance. Tonight was her chance. The only chance she might get in a long while, and she intended to seize it. There was no time for stupid mistakes. She entered the sands calmly, and as her gaze lit on Risk it took all her effort not to just break out into joyous laughter. She didn't of course, because that might startle both her and her hatching children, plus it might seem... inappropriate. However she did offer the Queen a sunny smile, as she could not hide the sheer pleasure of being there. The girl stopped a respectable distance away, and bowed to both Ridan and Risk in greeting. The movement looked a little silly and unpracticed on her, and perhaps a curtsy was more appropriate, but the message was clear. She spoke briefly to Risk, her voice calm but brimming with respect. "A fine first night for your children."

[Sakoru]

Khemres had only just woken up when he heard Risk's call in his mind. Just as he had for the Viewing. Startled, he kicked his legs out of bed, and tore through the small chest that contained all his belongings. Dragging out a tattered leather jerkin, he pulled that on and then covered it with his usual patched brown shirt. Managing to find some grey trousers that were sturdier than his usual ones, he pulled those on too, and followed up with his scuffed boots. They're Hatching! Risk's eggs are Hatching...! Excited, he stood up, cinched his belt around his thin waist, and seized the belt knife on the chest with some hesitation. For a moment he paused, turning it over in the dim light, wondering how that sharp blade would feel against his flesh. What if he didn't even Impress? What would he do? Would he have to cut himself open anyway, and just stand there bleeding in humiliation?

He sure hoped not. Shoving the knife into its sheath at his belt, Khemres paused for just a moment, considering the wisdom of putting on a coat. Deciding he could do without - he wasn't afraid of being mauled by a baby wher, seeing as it had already happened to him - the candidate was out the door in a flash. Amazed that he hadn't managed to crash right into it, the albino fled down the hall, feeling his way along but running as fast as he dared. The Viewing had at least allowed him to learn the way to the Sands, and now he dashed to attend the Hatching, vaguely remembering each hazardous doorway before it foiled his progress.

He almost made it the whole way without incident, but entering the Sands proved to be difficult. Not that there were candidates swarming through the entrance, although some had already arrived, but the albino's foot somehow got caught between the sand and the tunnel facing it. Crashing down facefirst, Khemres muttered but pulled himself up, dusted himself off, and resumed motion, more slowly this time.

Entering the den, he bowed to the beautiful Risk with a small smile. "Hello, Risk. Your beautiful baby whers are about to be born!" All but the 'hello, Risk' was spoken in a whisper, as the candidate knew that she had already figured this out. After all, why else would she have called them? And look! The little grey egg was hatching, if he identified it correctly through his fuzzy vision. Selecting a spot next to the wall, not far from the eggs but also not close to them, he admired the little things as they rocked back and forth. Would he Impress? His heart leapt at the idea, and he foolishly hoped for a little green. They were small, and beautiful - and they were braver than he was.

This train of thought was interrupted when Khemres realized that someone, a fuzzy blotch in the corner, couldn't have been wearing anything. Even with his terrible vision, he could tell that the colour of the person didn't vary anywhere, as it would have with clothes. Face suddenly bright crimson, he turned away, adjusting his hat nervously and focusing on the eggs. What was the crazy candidate thinking!? Coming naked to a wher Hatching? They were mad! He couldn't tell the gender from this distance, and for that the albino was glad. He didn't want to be looking at a naked person! What on Pern was going through that naked one's head?

But naked people were no concern of his. Returning his attention to the eggs, he barely suppressed a girlish cry of delight, squinting at the clutch. They were hatching! They were really, honestly hatching, and he was here to see it! Even if he didn't Impress...at least he'd see everyone bond to the beautiful baby whers. Theoretically, anyway - they'd have to be standing relatively close for him to see them properly as they Impressed.

[/center]

[Nia]

Kio was, for once, sleeping rather than walking aimlessly around the Weyr in hopes of finding something interesting to keep him occupied. He'd pulled a few all-nighters already and it was time he got some well-deserved sleep. He'd done quite a lot in the recent days, and he was very full of himself. Even more so than usual. So he was deep asleep, dreaming about how he'd one day run the Weyr from the underground. He didn't need fame or acknowledgement, he just wanted control. It was a simple dream, wasn't it? Very simple. Very realistic. And quite possible.

In the black-haired boy's mind, at least. Either way, he was very rudely woken up by the movements of people around him and a call from the Gold wher whose name escaped him. The eggs were hatching. A wher. His... former dream. But now he had higher goals, though a wher could help with that. Just a typical wherhandler that completely controlled a Weyr? Perfect. Just what he wanted. And just what he needed to show that he didn't need to be a dragonrider to be the absolute best there was. Kio sat up with all those thoughts swimming around in his head, a smirk crossing his face.

He took his time getting up and ready, thinking carefully about what to wear. Did he want to make an entrance, or did he want to protect himself? Well, he hadn't made a very good impression on the Gold or the Bronze... so wearing something a little heavier would be good. He ignored his cherished fur-trimmed jacket, there was no way he was letting that anywhere near violent young whers. He did grab his favorite blade out of the pocket, though. That was important.

Instead he put on an interesting looking flight jacket, one covered with shiny metal that he'd found while digging around in random, empty weyrs. There! This should protect him and show off. With a cocky grin on his face he started out towards the Hatching Sands. On the way, he attempted to shove his hands into the pockets of the strange, armored jacket, but found that there were none. How disappointing. Oh well, he still walked towards the Hatching Sands with a swift step, even humming a little. Ah... he wanted to Impress a wher to shove it in his mother's face. And, of course, for his own goals....

He walked past the dragons without even sparing a glance at them, and made his way towards the den where Risk's eggs were. The first sight he saw wasn't an egg, though, it was a naked girl. The very girl who called him "insufferable". In fact, he could recognize almost everyone here! That was good. But his shiny, metal jacket was definitely overshadowed by the naked girl. Kio raised an eyebrow at her, face contorting strangely as he tried to hold back his laughter... but it didn't work. He let out what could be described best as a cackle, a mean laugh that was definitely direct at her and not with her. But he quickly managed to silence himself, getting his laugh down to at least a small snicker in her direction. He stood near the back of the group, annoyed that he couldn't put his hands into his pockets, but satisfied that at least, if he were mauled, it wouldn't hurt nearly as bad as if the naked girl was mauled.

He gave a small nod to Risk and Ridan, not exactly wanting to get mauled, and moved towards the eggs a bit more. They were shaking. He moved his gaze around a bit and spotted another familiar form, moving over to Khemres to stand by him. He was the only one Kio could recognize right off, though he did spy Obelir and a few others he knew. "Good luck," he said without even looking at Khemres, though rather than sincerely meaning it his tone had a sarcastic bit to it. He wasn't really wishing the boy luck, he just wanted to antagonize him more. Ah... what was it about this albino that made him so easy to make fun of? It probably wasn't him, just the fact that he happened to be the closet to Kio at the time. Oh well, it sucked to be him, then!

[/size]

[Birdy]

Kire was up early. Sleeping through the day didn’t suit him well. He was perched on the edge of Asterin’s bed, eyes whirling boredly. He was entertaining himself by clicking his nails against a tiny scrap of metal he’d found a while back. Click. Click. Click. The sound echoed around the room, just loud enough to wake a light sleeper.

Luckily, Asterin was NOT a light sleeper, he hadn’t been able to fall asleep until noon and had been up since sunset the day before. He was sprawled across the bed, not even bothering to get under the furs. In fact he hadn’t even bothered to change out of clothes. If it hadn’t been for Risk he wouldn’t have woken up for another few hours. The golden wher’s voice had almost the same effect on the candidate as it had when she’d called them for the viewing-only a bit more entertaining for Kire. The moment Risk’s voice passed through his head he jumped up, hitting his head on the head of the bed. With a cry of pain, he curled up into a ball on the floor (he’d fallen off shortly after hitting his head) holding his head. “Shards…shard it…” he moaned before looking up at Kire who was making an odd raspy noise that he took to be laughter.

“I’ll feed you to Risk…” the blonde hissed, struggling to his feet and pausing for a moment to regain his balance. Kire screeched defiantly, but quickly shut up. Risk DID have sharp teeth. Asterin shook his head, trying to get rid of the ache in his head. He quickly changed out of his dirty clothes, throwing on some of his clean ones, in this case dark pants and a black shirt. This way he wouldn’t be a bright target for wherling claws. Now what had the wher said? A knife! Did he have a knife? Yes he had one over there, by the books. He fumbled around in the dark, finding the little knife and slipping into his pants. Kire flitted to his shoulder, and Asterin headed out into the hallway.

He took the same path to the Wher’s den as he had during the viewing, across the least amount of sand as possible but he could already feel it getting in his shoes. Shuddering at the feeling, he stepped into the den bowing quickly to the queen. He would have bowed longer but the idea of exposing the back of his neck to more whers than necessary didn’t appeal to him. He quickly took a spot by the entrance. He was looking around at the eggs when something caught his eye. …he quickl,y shut his mouth. Faranth! Faranth sharding faranth! That was Bri…why was she? Why would she? He couldn’t wrap his mind around the thought and quickly looked back at the eggs. This was going to be interesting.

[purnip]

After his chores, Wrynri had the habitual exercise of roaming around the weyr at sundown like a phantom. No one ever stopped to speak to him and he never spared his attentions to no one. Occasionally he would look up to see if Rethalt and Frino were about, but lately he had been doing so less and less. It had been too long since their first and only meeting. They never finished that tour they went on. Oh, and there was that brief greeting at the Sands just a few sevendays ago. Too long ago.

Since then, Wrynri hadn't made another friend. People could sense he would be difficult perhaps. His first impressions were never any good. Normally he didn't mind being lonely; it gave him time to think and time to ponder his life and his decisions made. Mainly he thought about his appearance and his possible roles. After spending a lot of his free time cooking some of his newest recipes, he was getting to be a formidable chef. At this very moment on his stroll, he carried some left over rolls from his last project. By incorporating some fruits and berries into the dough and special spices, he created a both sweet and spicy sort of flavor. He was so fond of it that he didn't mean to share this recipe with anyone else. He wanted the credit for this delectable jewel, but Wrynri wasn't ready to start trying to vend this. With the wher hatching hot on everyone's heels, it was hard to concentrate on long term projects such as those.

Speaking of whers...

A familiar voice echoed into his mind, just like the voice he heard to summon him to the viewing. It was Risk and according to her it was time for her children to hatch and her Candidates to come. He stopped and panic slowly built up in him. Now?

His mind reeled with planning, bringing him to a physical stop as he made sure he knew what he was doing before he did it. He thought up the fastest path back to his room, where his blooding knife was kept, and what he planned to wear. In less than a minute he had it all down and he started his steady jog back to the Barracks. Once he reached the place, he started to search for clothing first. It would lessen his chances of losing the knife that he'd have to put back down to get dressed. Amongst the selection of clothing was nothing near a feminine nature. Wrynri dreaded to wear anything that could be suggestive in the slightest. He was afraid someone would mistake him for a girl and he'd panic and get defensive, as he had first gotten with Rethalt way back when. He chose his only clean pair of brown cloth pants, as the rest had holes or stains from chore work and cooking, and he found himself with no clean shirts at all. Not one. Not one that he would dare wear to the hatching. Once again Wrynri's heart was thumping against his chest like a powerful drum. He rummaged through a pile of discarded 'girly' clothes he had rejected long ago that were actually pretty neutral. From that pile he chose a very light sleeved shirt that was actually quite formal in appearance. It was a bit wrinkled because the material was thin and the color was nearly pristine white. Well, it's not red, but when I bleed all over the thing it should be noticeable, he thought to himself grimly. He slipped it on, his eyes cautiously glancing about when he dressed. He made sure no one had even caught a glimpse of his body. His door was mostly closed but he did not want to waste time to close it. He simply stayed out of any line of sight. If someone tried to see him, he'd know who they were and he'd likely try to attack them. His body was something he was most self-conscious of.

It was on. Wrynri couldn't find a reflective surface but he didn't bother looking for one. If anyone called him a girl, he'd surely put them in their place. He was just too stressed right now. Why? When he didn't think he'd impress? The whole blooding and mauling thing surely had a hand in it. He was already thinking of adopting some cold feet. I could just...not show up. But then what? He had to know! He was happy to hear that he was a Candidate when he was first told of the offer so why was that changing all of a sudden? He was scared perhaps. Yeah, scared. But the inner macho in Wrynri refused to give in. Stubborn and frightened the kid went along trembling, his eyes narrowed in concentration as he started his search for the blood knife.

Nowhere. Where is that thing? It wasn't in the drawer that he distinctly remembered storing it. He couldn't keep wasting so much time. He was going to be late! Wrynri abandoned the search and tore out his room, making a dash for the kitchen and arriving there short of breath. He nicked a knife from the buckets of utencils and dashed his way back towards the Sands.

By the time he got there, he was a mess. His hair was somewhat frizzed, though it was sulking back down into its usual shapely state. He was gasping for air, tucking the knife into his pocket. Wrynri was pale with both exhaustion and fear. His steps were heavy as he paced himself onwards toward Risk's clutch. He gave the Gold wher a long bow, mostly because a short one would have taken more energy. "I'm...thanks. Thanks for letting me stand." He was still out of breath and there was every possibility that Risk would chase him away. Faranth, that'd be terrible. He glanced up again cautiously and slowly made his way towards the group of boys. Heh. Boys. It would have been more appropriate for Wrynri to stand between the groups.

Rethalt was there, but Wrynri's mood was so screwed up that he merely acknowledged his presence with a nod his way. The other boy might not have seen it. His attention returned to Risk and he clutch, feeling the weight of the world start to descend on his shoulders.

[kia]

Shards! She was late again! Or maybe she was not as she caught up to the rest of the group and looked around herself. So many Candidates were here, waiting to Impress. She turned her head back to check on the dragons to see if they had noticed all the strange, night time people coming for a different sort of Hatching. Durene looked around after that, taking note of the Candidates that she had met and seen back at the viewing. There were two Candidates who had come... she blinked with disbelief. How could they do that? Did they not know that Wher babies, though small, were still very tough, made of pure muscle at birth and until they reached full size. Then she looked over at Kio, who had layered himself in many levels of "armor." She almost giggled at him, not be cause he looked silly, but because he probably did not have a full understanding of Whers. A Wher would find a vulnerable spot without problems. Whers were equally curious and would search for what they want until they were either happy or frustrated with their search. The other Candidates seemed fine and reach. Durene clutched her knife to her side. It was about to beginning.

As the little gray egg with darker gray speckles began to shake, the dual tone brown egg began to shake as well. Equally in step with the gray egg was grassy green egg that sat next to bloody egg. Risk noted her future children with happiness, but kept a strict eye on the Candidates. They needed those knives to make strong bonds with their Whers, but someone could trip, fall, and kill one of her babies. If they did that, then she would kill them in a heartbeat. She looked at Bri and the other naked person, snorting with unhappiness. She was about to move and go chase them off her Sands. How dare they show up naked or half naked! She was a Queen! She should be respected! It was an honor to be here and attempt to Impress her babies! She growled as she turned her attentions on Kio as well. Armor? Nothing would protect him from her wrath. She was smart. Like any animal, she would just aim for the neck and head. She hunched low, growled at them, until Ridan gave her another look. He was not happy with the situation either, but the eggs were Hatching now. There was nothing they could do right now.

The gray egg was almost done Hatching, followed by the grassy egg, and then the brown dual tone egg. Almost shaking among the group of eggs was one of the large eggs, the dark blue egg with darker blue swirled into its shell. They shook violently until a little muzzle managed to push through. It was a dark-ish colored muzzle, but it was still unsure what it was until the rest of the little Wher managed to push it body against the shell, breaking the egg in a weird, oblong circle. The first egg revealed a Green! A very dark colored Green! She gave a primal crooned as she looked around herself, spread her wings to test her muscles, and then stood up slightly wobbly. The grassy green egg had a claw sticking out of it, the claw very light in colored. With a final push, the second egg revealed a Blue, but a very light blue in color! The Green squealed and ran to her brother. They examined each other, touched noise, and seem to regard each other with sibling interest. She was smaller than him by an inch or two, but he was a Blue and meant to be like that.

The brown dual tone egg shook rather violently sudden. As if hearing its brother and sister, it wanted out... NOW! It shook and shook, chirps could be heard from inside, until the egg fell over and broke with the shear weight of the creature inside. The little Wher stepped out of its egg and revealed his color. He was a Black, and looked rather unsure about it as he began to look over himself. Yes, he was a Black. He snorted he turned to look at his siblings and an egg. While his siblings were "socializing," they were not noticing the deep blue egg shaking. It occasionally began to rock back and forth, sometimes hitting the largest egg next to it, but the egg as not doing any damage to the other. Finally, like the grassy green egg, a claw broke through. Then another, until it looked like the egg had arms. The Black rumbled in a way that he was laughing. Silly Whers. The claws were medium color as the Wher inside pushed harder. Finally, with a crack, the egg shell moved away and there stood a Brown among his siblings.

The Black snorted and moved away from his siblings. The Green said her goodbye to her Blue brother, while the Brown sat there, taking in everything that was around him. The Black, not happy the Green had decided to follow him, growled. But he would not take it out on her. It would take more time and energy to get rid of her. Instead, he turned his red eyes on Durene first, the girl that been among the first to be late. He growled and charged, jumping the best he could and landing on her leg and knocking her down. He claws went into her leg until a cry rose from her throat. His next victim was nearby. Wrynri! He growled and did the same this time, charging the boy or girl (even he was not sure), and attacked his leg. But, instead of leaving it at a leg, he climbed over the person he knocked over, his claws digging in where his feet stepped on, causing puncture wounds on the body. The Black was content and happy once more. He felt better. The green and blue returned to his eyes as he went search for his Mine.

The Green was horrified at this scene. How dare he attack people that were going to take care of them! She shook herself, the moonlight casting off the green in her dark hide, as she moved forward to the Candidates. She pushed the naked Green away as she made it to who she wanted. As she passed by Bri, she wondered why some of the humans had come naked. There was a good chance of them being mauled as well! She quckly moved through the crowd with the same litheness of her mother. Some of these Whers would inherit things from Risk, the others from Mask. And speaking of Mask, where was the Clutchfather? The little Green stopped at her person and looked down at the wound on the leg. Her tongue slide out to lap the blood away, thinking that if she could lap the blood up, the wound would get better. The blood caused an instant bond between the Wher and the human, the human that she now called her Mine. She looked at her Mine with love and devotion that a Wher could give. DureneMine hurt. Need help! Dusk food too, the little Green said to the girl.


(( HEX is 263B2F ))

The little Black made his way through the crowd, growling menacingly at the people around him. He would attack again if he desired, but these growls were warnings. He was not hungry, his eyes green and blue again, and he knew who he wanted. He stopped in front of the feet of the person he had chosen, looking up at his new Handler with a similar look that cats gave their humans when they were thinking, "I am not amused by this." He would claw his Handler if he had to in order to get his Handler to listen to his current demands. LenirMine! Food Lesk now! he demanded, his little tongue sliding out of his mouth. If his Mine would not feed him soon, he would take it out on legs. He did seem to have some sort of leg fetish, did he not? But it was more of the fact that legs were the only thing he could reach at the moment until either the person fell down or he got a little big. Either way, he wanted food now and he was not going to be very patient about it.


(( HEX is 1E1E1E ))

The Brown, who had been sitting there and having a stare down with his Blue brother, had heard the cries of Durene when the girl fell down. He looked over and saw his Black brother turn and attack one of the people in the boys group! The Brown squealed as he stood up and began to run the best he could over to the Candidates. He was about to run head first into his Black brother before he stopped. He ought to think these things over. He dare not get close to his brother right now, not while he was in this mood. The Black finally moved off and the Brown sniffed the air. The smell of blood was starting to become prominent with the attacks of two people already. He ran to the side of the boy who had been attacks. He nuzzled the boy, getting blood on his nose, which felt strange. This red, bloody stuff was warm on the humans body but cold once it was away from the body! The Wher liked it and came to a realization! This human would die of coldness unless something was done. He nuzzled the boy again. WrynriMine, Wrynsk save you. You get cold! Need help and food! he said.


(( HEX is A0522D ))

Durene stared down at the little Green who stood near her. Dusk, she had said her name was. Durene smiled as she noticed that her larger Brown brother had Impressed to Wrynri. But Durene`s leg was in pain. Ridan came over as Durene took the little Green in her arm. The blood bond had been sealed already when the Green had tried to lick her wounds away. Ridan looked over the leg and sighed. "You are going to need to see A`mor or B`nyur about this. And since Noyth is on the Sands, it would be best to bother A`mor." He looked over at Risk, who was already calling to Noyth to ask her Rider to come out to the Sands. Ridan excused himself over to Wrynri to look the person over. So many Impressions and mauls had already been made. Even though Durene was in pain, she was happy to be holding her Green in her arms. O`ris would be very proud of her. And so would her family! Dusk chirped in her arms as the Green kept a cigil eye out from any other Whers that might attack them.

[littlefishman]

Lenir was overjoyed with his accomplishment of impressing a wher. He took out his knife and cut his finger giving the black a taste of his blood, he did this quickly as Lesk looked very hungry and Lenir didn't dare keep him waiting after what he had done to Wrynri's legs.

Lenir got some food and tossed it to the black, who gobbled it down quickly, and growled,

LenirMine, food Lesk more now, Lesk hungry! Lenir complied with the impatient black's order for fear of losing his legs. He tossed another hunk of food down to Lesk and said telepathicly to the food gobbling creature,

I can't tell how full you are, you're going to have to tell me. To this Lesk simply looked up at Lenir, growled, and returned to chomping the food. Moments later the black had finished all his food completely.

Lesk full now LenirMine.

You sure are an eater, aren't you Lesk? I haven't seen anyone eat that much that quickly before in my life!

Apart from being afraid of his legs being torn off, Lenir loved this wher. Sure, he was a little impatient and had a thing for attacking people's legs but it would be an interesting time raising such an amazing creature. It would be an experience he would never forget.

[purnip]

The Hatching started off deceptively sweet, like one of his rolls before the spicy kicked in. Wrynri watched as Risk slunk around her clutch, growling at various Candidates for reasons that were beyond him. She was both upset by one girl who lacked coverage and a boy who was practically armored. So what was wrong? Silently grateful, he was relieved that Risk wasn't picking on him. It was likely that one growl in his direction might just put his cold feet into motion. Wrynri was locked in such terrible indecision that he could hardly stand himself. Why couldn't he be certain like everyone else? Nothing about him was certain, like his damned gender. Wrynri probably appeared small amidst the group of males, an oddity. In his wrinkly shirt he looked like a kid who just escaped from being marooned somewhere. He was just finished catching his breath, but he was still breathing rather heavily. Stressed? You bet.

Not much time to think about all of that though. The first egg broke way for a particularly dark Green. She was a curious sort in all her glory and her hatching was then followed by a brother Blue, a Black, and finally a patient-looking Brown. So soon in this Hatching and four babies roamed the Sands. All of them seemed to be perfectly different from one another. The Green and Blue seemed to be hitting it off like two old pals. It made Wrynri a little less wary about the wher breed in particular. It was their Black brother, a rather boorish wher, that suddenly put him on edge. The wee Black creature had a lust for blood in his eyes. He was closer to what Wrynri pictured a wher hatchling was than his Green sister and Blue brother. The more frightening aspect about him was that one sort of chuckle he gave witnessing the amusing hatching of the Brown just before arrogantly turning away.

Then he came charging towards the girls. One of which he couldn't remember having seen around was his first victim. The Black was so quick on his feet that there was no way to dodge him. The intent in his eyes almost froze one in place. Well, Wrynri would learn all the better himself, for after Durene was felled, the Black turned his sharp gaze his way and began to charge. Paralyzed in place by the shock of it all, Wrynri felt the force of a speeding bulk sprinting into his leg and knocking him back, raking through his flesh with ease with aid from such needle-sharp claws. He gave a sharp yell that sounded too much like a girl's. It was pretty spot on actually. He didn't think about it since he had more to worry about, like the wher that was poking holes into him like a pin cushion.

Lying on the ground like a wher's welcome mat, Wrynri tried not to think about the pain that he was feeling and remained completely still, fearful of attracting attention. Stupid, wasn't it? After being torn up from torso to toe he was embarrassed about nearly getting mangled by a beast. He wondered briefly at how badly he had been injured. Now he had a valid reason not to wear this shirt again. On the bright side, if a wher still bothered to impress to him, he didn't have to cut himself. He wasn't sure how he was going to go through with it anyways. So thank you, raging Black thing from the pit. You make standing a little easier.

The Sands were getting uncomfortably hot, but Wrynri was starting to feel colder. How much was he bleeding? No one was rushing towards him right away, so he was probably just being dramatic. After that thought crossed his mind and disgusted him, he decided to attempt sitting up. He exhaled and then with whatever strength he could muster, he quickly leaned up and propped himself steady with his elbows. This was all just in time to see a Brown shape running towards him. Wryrni's eyes were going wide as his life flashed before his eyes. He wasn't ready to die. Oh Faranth, not like this. He thought of the autopsy. He thought of future clutch mothers and fathers telling the tale of the awkward hermaphrodite getting trampled by two whers for simply existing. In a sense he wasn't seeing his life flash before him, but his afterlife. Wrynri shut his eyes tight and waited for the end.

He felt the pressure of contact, but this was nothing like the bulldozing Black. This was but a nudge.

WrynriMine, Wrynsk save you. You get cold! Need help and food!

Wrynsk...does that mean...or am I...

He was on his back again, only because his elbows slipped away when he shut his eyes and braced himself. Wrynri dared to open his eyes to gaze upon the world he thought to have left. The cavern above was still there, but a large brown muzzle tainted with red obscured his view. Was that his own blood? Judging from where he was nudged, he was bleeding pretty badly to have left that much on the wher's nose. He gave a groan and nearly turned away, but as close as death felt to be creeping, it could just as likely be in his imagination. He'd hate to be that kid who played dead and lost a wher due to his cowardice. Once again, he attempted to sit up and prop himself up with his elbows. This time he looked himself over in the process.

It wasn't as bad as he thought. The shock was what really did it for him. Wrynsk eyed him with concern, idly licking at the blood on his nose. Wrynri glanced about for a moment to get his bearings before attempting the next step. Sitting up he was already a bit dizzy, but if he held this position just a bit longer, he might be prepared to stand again.

WrynriMine? Better yes? Warm are you? Man is coming. He bring helpfood? The wher turned to watch Ridan coming on over, but his attention was reclaimed by his chosen when the boy was starting to stagger back on to his feet.

The world seemed to be shifting under his feet, but Wrynri fought back the onset of vertigo with a strong mental goal to get Wrynsk something to eat. He didn't notice Ridan as he was making his way over. He didn't notice that his shirt was torn at the chest, exposing him more than he would have ever liked. Fortunately the pant leg that the Black attacked only ripped up to his thigh and no higher, but then again, he didn't care. He had a mission. "Food...I'll get you some food, Wrynsk," he muttered, beginning to take steps towards the feeding area and sore as hell about it. He was limping of course, but in his eyes shown determination. He just survived a mauling. It was bad but once it was over it felt like earning wings.

The Brown didn't follow right away at first as he watched the boy stagger off, but then he ran over to catch on up. He liked the determination in his, but he must be getting colder now! The sands were nice and warm at least so if he was still lying down he wouldn't go cold so fast. Fortunately he thought it through a bit before he did something rather drastic. His impulse was to tackle the boy back down and keep him there until he got proper help, but his nails were just as sharp as his brother's and he didn't want to make matters worse. Should sit, you! Man help, he was. Wrynsk find food? Not that he knew where to look right away, but his nose was catching the scent of meat in the air. Surely he could detect it like he detected the blood from his.

But Wrynri didn't seem to be listening. He continued limping in the lead, getting towards those that held buckets for Candidates to feed their new whers. Once he got there he was quick to snatch a slab and weakly hold it out for Wrynsk. "Mind if I sit again? I can still feed you like this." He motioned for the assistant with the bucket to leave the bucket there on the ground beside him. He was getting really dizzy and he didn't want to faint.

[Birdy]

Asterin watched the rest of the candidates trickle in. There were…maybe ten of them? And how many eggs? Around a dozen it seemed. He scanned the eggs and was conflicted at what he found. The wher candidate in him was excited to see cracks forming on the eggs but the other side of him was horrified that their perfect shells were being ruined. This was definantly not a good thought, he concluded because if they didn’t hatch there would be no wherlings!

He managed to pull his eyes away from the eggs and glanced at the Queen. She seemed ready to snap! In fact, is her egg hadn’t hatched…well he saw blood in that future. Asterin winced as the gray egg split, the perfection! Oh how he wanted to take all the pieces and put them back together! It took him a few seconds to actually think to look at the wher that had caused this mess. A green! Another pop and there was a blue on the Sands and another mess of eggshells. Asterin bit his lip, resisting the oh so tempting urge he’d felt when the last egg had hatched. This time it took him a little less time to realize the color of the wher, a blue! Ignoring the mess he’d made, he seemed like a decent wher. He got along with the other green and didn’t so prone to violence as his mother.

At the arrival of the black, Asterin was getting used to the mess. Perhaps this hatching wouldn’t be so horrible! And another wher was on the Sands. A brown this time. Ha! He hadn’t even looked at the eggs shards this time, what an improvement! Yes this was looking to be a…oh. Oh faranth, that sharding black. Asterin quickly looked away from the bloody creature, feeling his stomach churning. Oh. He heard another yell, so the black hadn’t been satisfied with one candidate? What if he was next? He didn’t want to look, knowing that the likelihood of remaining conscious for very long with so much blood around wasn’t high. He definantly didn’t want to faint and be more of a target for tiny sharp claws.

He was relieved to hear no more cries of pain of ripping of flesh from the black or it’s siblings. Instead, he quickly glanced over at the candidates and found that a trio of the four wherlings on the Sands had Impressed. The black (who he noticed quickly was covered in blood) to a boy, the green to a girl who’d been attacked by the black ( he quickly looked away as Bri was nearby not to mention more blood) and the brown to a boy…or girl that had been mauled by the devlish black. Now the blue was left on the Sands, he seemed alright…right?

[theknightwhosaysni]

The Gold's voice rang through his mind in the middle of a particularly good dream. All the interruptions came in the middle of the dreams he enjoyed. Not during the nightmares, no, that would be too hard, but during the dreams where he was enjoying himself.

As Frino still hadn't really settled into the more nocturnal schedule of a wher handler, he'd only been asleep for a few hours when the Gold's voice shocked him into wakefulness. "Just a few more minutes..." he muttered, pulling the furs over his head and welcoming the darkness and solitude they provided. The Gold could wait for him. If something pressing was happening, someone would fetch him.

...Wait...

The Gold...

That meant...

"Oh shards!" Frino growled, sitting straight up in bed and throwing the furs back with a wide yawn, trying to find the energy to get out of bed. It didn't take long, but he still felt like he'd hardly gotten a wink of sleep as he dragged himself out of the bed, yawning again as he moved towards his clothes. A simple tunic and breeches should do it. If a wher was intent on mauling him, not much was going to stop it. Might as well just wear what he felt comfortable in rather than something that looked nice.

Hey, was that a stain on the tunic? Frino frowned, pausing and lifting up the offending stain into the rapidly fading light. Yup, sure was. Shrugging it off, Frino just hoped that no one would notice it as he hurried out of his room, grabbing his knife as he went, and down the halls, pausing as his bare feet slapped on the floor. Had he forgotten sandals?

Muttering under his breath, Frino whirled around in the already nearly empty halls and stalked back into his room, grabbing the sandals and jamming them on his feet. Sandals probably weren't the best choice of sharding shoes, but he didn't have time to think twice.

Hurrying out of his room again and into the halls, this time, his feet were the only sounds in the empty halls as he picked up his pace, breaking into a brisk jog down the halls, until he at last approached the sands.

Eying the sleeping dragons for a moment or two, Frino carefully began to make his way across the sands, arriving just as Wrynri stumbled off to find food for Wrynsk, Frino eyed his friend and nodded a congratulation before hurrying closer, hardly noticing the blood and chalking it off to a mess-up with the knife, though it had seemed a little bloody. He hadn't been paying all that much attention, really... Hoping that Risk wouldn't notice him, he dropped into a hasty bow, hurrying into place beside Rethalt. "How much did I--- by Faranth, who is that?" he whispered, attention jerking towards the entirely naked Bri before he'd been able to fully finish the sentence. And then, of course, he noticed Kio, with his jacket made of metal. How odd. Did he think that would protect him from a wher on the warpath?

And as for all that blood, well, it looked like someone had already been mauled. Maybe that was why Wrynri was so bloody. Whoops. Frino was just glad it hadn't been him.

Of course, it might just be, considering how late he was. Oh, Faranth... This was not going to go well. Risk was not going to be happy with him... Hopefully he'd Impress or something before she could go after him.

Though that wasn't very likely...

[Admin]

You’re the color of a storm in June,
You're the color of the moon.
You’re the color of the night, that’s right,
Color of a fight, you move me.

Bri very carefully kept an overly bright smile from her face when she wasn't mauled by an angry clutchmother. Oh, sure, Risk had growled, but the gold had growled at some of the other candidates too. It seemed that several other individuals had decided to dress in less than suitable attire as well. One boy had forgone some of his clothing like her, though not to the same extreme. Kio, who had laughed at her, as if she cared about his insufferable opinion, had decided to come in full armor like it didn't make him look utterly stupid. In the end, she let a huge smile slip onto her face when the first egg hatched. Others soon followed it, and the little wherets quickly occupied her attention. Dark green, light blue, black black, nice brown, the sands quickly filled up with the young whers. She found them such an adorable sight, despite their squashy ugliness.

That was when the danger started to become clear. Bri had known to expect it, and she watched with cool eyes as the black attacked two of the other candidates. Eventually, the violent bugger went to bond to one of the boys, and he left the two he had attacked injured but alive. Blood was on the sands, but it was only to be expected. Only to be expected. Slightly more reserved and thoughtful, though not by much, Bri turned to survey the eggs again. The green had already bonded, and the brown was quick to follow. Both of their handler's turned out to be one of the two that the black had hurt. Life had funny ways of working out. Not that the young candidate believed much in fate and destiny. Whers weren't something anyone could control, but that didn't have anything to do with destiny. Calmly, she turned to watch the blue.

From his spot, Obelir watched the proceeding with a detachment that had nothing to do with lacking emotions. When four wherets broke free of their shells, it overjoyed him. When the black in the group mauled two of the other candidates, it saddened him. When the green and the brown bonded to the two candidate who'd been injured, it gave him hope. However, he'd been through it all before. The blood on the sands was no new sight for him. He'd seen classes of wherlings at a third of the Weyrs on Pern walk away without him amongst them. He wasn't discouraged. He was still standing, but some of the emotions had bled out of the experience. Emotions always confused him and he felt like he was feeling the same things over and over again. Hope, and then nothing for a bit. Hatchings were like his drug, but he was becoming immune to them.

Still, there was a thrill to the experience, tracing through his veins with the thud of his heart. The blue was left, the blue who had bullheadedly tried to stare down his bigger brown brother. There were plenty of eggs left too, and many of them were rocking, meaning they weren't duds. Oh, it had happened. A clutch of eleven from a beautiful golden Queen and five duds, leaving just six healthy wherets. One runs off to the wild, and five bond instantly, and then the hatching is over. Thought after thought, memory after memory, hope after hope, things upon things wove through his mind. Which egg would hatch next? What would it hold? The same old questions, the old childish excitement and endless wonder. He wasn't dead yet. He hadn't even been scarred at any of the hatchings where he'd stood. He scanned the eggs.

Turn the close shave into a hoo-hoo.
What I say is true, make a fire, gotta burn a few,
Make a fire, gotta burn a few,
We can do what we want to do.

[zeis]

Once she had made her respects to Risk, Baharl turned her attention fully on the hatching eggs. Or at least she meant to. As she turned to face the clutch, she fleetingly noticed that someone out of the corner of her eye was naked. It didn't seem at all strange to her for a few seconds, but she soon did a double-take, turning abruptly to stare at Bre in a mixture of shock and amusement. To come here in front of all these people, and not to mention in front of all these Whers. The sheer guts that girl must have had! Baharl grinned, and felt a nagging temptation to rise to this girls challenge. She could have showed up that way too, if she had thought about ti before hand. She managed to squash any temptation to strip down, because right now her attention needed to on those beautiful eggs.

She shot the daring girl, who's name she didn't know, a wink, and turned her gaze back towards the clutch just in time to see the Whers truly start hatching. Her grin widened, and despite whatever danger the young Whers may have presented she couldn't help but chuckle softly at their over-large heads and claws, and the wobbly awkward way they took their first steps. Even such regal creatures as Whers and Dragons had their humble and tiny beginnings. So far, there was a moody looking Black, a friendly Blue and Green, and a curious looking brown. She observed them with obvious satisfaction, as though she were as much of a mother as Risk was. Despite having never really been around Wher eggs or even young Whers that much, she had known they were going to be healthy and strong. And they were! Their color were beautiful too. A dark foresty Green, an inky Black, a warm rich Brown, and a light sky Blue.

It was then that things started happening very fast. The Black, for one reason or another but with a cold decisiveness, savaged the leg of a girl she didn't recognize. Baharl winced slightly, but that contagious grin didn't leave her face. Such a fiery little fellow! She wondered briefly what had set the youngster off, but before she could give it much thought he turned on someone she definitely did recognize. The day-dreaming boy from the clutch viewing, who had been so apprehensive about being mauled. There he was... being mauled. Her brow furrowed in sympathy, but maybe his fears becoming a reality would help him a little? Wake him up and realize that well, whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Unless it crippled you, she supposed. Maybe just stronger in spirit.

In the destructive path left by the Black, she noticed the Green hurry over to the wounded girl, and subsequently Impress. Baharl gave a quiet but hearty congratulatory noise, and relaxed a little in her posture, putting her hands on her hips. The Impressions didn't seem to end there though, for moments later the Black, having rid himself of his current violent urges, impressed to another she barely recognized from the viewing. She grinned and offered him a thumbs up, silently wishing him good luck. He was going to need it with that little spitfire on his hands. Baharl's icy eyes flicked to the Brown, who was bearing down on the wounded Wrynri. In the seconds in took the Brown to reach the floored boy, she told herself to stand her ground and not help. Whatever happened was meant to happen, and interference was only going to cause more violence. As if to prove her point, the Brown impressed to the worried boy, and she laughed quietly. Nothing good comes free.

The other eggs were still rocking, but only the Blue was left on the sands. She turned to face him and continue her Standing, waiting for her chance with no real apprehension or worry. If she was meant to get mauled, then she would get mauled. And if she was meant to die, then she would die. Same thing with Impression. Baharl smiled down at the remaining Wheret on the sands, and for once in her life managed a good extent of patience with no effort at all.

[aikastarr]

Rethalt had given a curt nod to Obelir as he shifted from foot to foot, awaiting the small mob seize of the rest of the Candidates to arrive. He glanced about, only to turn his head swiftly, a blush not far behind. Apparently, one of the female candidates felt she was powerful enough to come to the Hatching absolutely nude. Although the thought of coming in breeches alone had crossed his mind, he had decided to allow some cloth for his upper body in case he needed to bandage himself up. Sure, he wanted permanent reminders of his escapade on the Sands, but he didn’t want them getting serious!

His gaze was seized once again as the small grey egg fell apart to reveal a deep green wheret, and was followed by a pastel blue from the grassy egg. The croons were joyous and inquisitive, and the pair immediately began to brother-sister bond in a way. Then, seconds later, the dual-tone egg shattered in a small explosion as a lightly shaded black toppled from the former prison. He was followed by a brown, who in turn plopped down on his rear to examine each and every one of them. The black had begun moving towards the Candidates with the green following slightly behind him, but he just let a growl escape him before lunging. First to fall was a new Candidate that hadn’t arrived not too long ago. Then, the volatile creature turned on him and Wrynri, and lunged.

A scream almost ripped from his throat as he threw his arms in front of him, thinking that that would shield him from the wher. Instead, he heard a thump as the person next to him crashed into the sands. Rethalt lowered his arms and peered down, allowing a moan of terror slip from him. One of his dearest friends was taken down by the black, and was currently being walked upon, as if he was a bridge. Half of him wanted to reach out and attempt to throw the monster off of the other boy, but the other half dominated, reminding him that he would probably get killed by Risk if he laid a finger on her child. The Black hopped off of his victim to trot over to another Candidate and Impress, while the Green came to the female’s aid.

The Brown came darting towards Wrynri, and Rethalt began to take a step forward to block an impending attack (if there was going to be one), but froze as the wher lapped up some of his friend’s blood, sealing the Impression. A smile appeared on his features and he relaxed, knowing that his friend would be all right. As he saw Wrynri and his wher off, Frino had staggered his way into the spot that was just recently vacated. He listened to the fragmented question, and let out a sigh. ”Well, four eggs hatched, staring with a green, then the blue, a black, and a brown, the black mauled a new Canidate and our friend, the green, black, and brown Impressed,” he rattled off at a whisper. ”The nude child? Not a clue who she is. All I know is that she’s got a lot of guts to do so.” He held some respect for her, which was true. Did he want to follow suit? Not really. He didn’t want Frino to think he was as strange as her.

[Sakoru]

Khemres wouldn't have noticed the black-haired boy from before coming up beside him if the voice hadn't alerted him to his presence. Focusing harder on the rocking eggs, he tipped up his hat slightly to see better, diligently ignoring the other candidate. Not so much as bothering to respond, though a slow blush appeared on his cheeks, he squinted at the eggs, and watched in delight as the grey one split open. Out of it climbed...a black? No, a green! A dark, rich green wheret, and one that didn't even look in his direction. She made friends with her new brother, a pale blue, and then went to Impress the girl the black had mauled. A boy was next on the dark wheret's list, apparently, for he knocked him down and ran right over him. Immediately afterward, a brown he hadn't seen hatch Impressed to the bloody figure on the ground.

Wondering what the blue was doing, Khemres trained his blurry gaze on that one instead. Was the un-Impressed wheret going to choose someone, or would he go wild? Probably the former, though to whom, the albino had no idea. At last he returned his attention to the eggs, most of which were now rocking. Are there any duds, I wonder...? I hope not; they're such pretty eggs. I think. ...Is there a little wher for me in one of them?

Focused intently on the unhatched eggs, the candidate took a little smug satisfaction in remembering how Risk had growled at the long-haired candidate beside him. And how none of the four hatched wherets had chosen him yet. Imagining what the other boy would look like if he didn't Impress - and him with all his disturbing arrogance - made him hesitate to decide whether it would be terrifying or funny. "There's four...three have Impressed. I wonder who the blue will pick?" he mused to himself, under his breath so that the boy from the kitchen couldn't hear. No way did he want to be called out on that again! He'd probably only make himself look stupid as he had before, although he had meant to.

Which egg was going to hatch next, he wondered?

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[Nia]

Kio stole a quick glance at Khemres to see if the boy was paying attention to him, but no, he was just mouthing to himself and completely ignoring the boy standing next to him. How rude. Kio clicked his tongue in annoyance, but decided that it was probably best if he focused on the eggs. The Gold had growled at him, probably for trying to protect himself. Hey! At least he was prepared and not naked. He did take great pride in his appearance and manuevering skills, so being attacked by a Wher would be an awful blow to his pride. And appearance. And he liked his appearance. Plus, the heavy armor he was wearing was weighing him down uncomfortable and he was begining to regret it. He was normally quite good at dodging and moving quickly... but with this armor... he wasn't so sure.

But he wasn't worried. He kept watching the eggs with his usual arrogant gaze, though he wasn't smirking. A light blue and a darker colored Green had hatched. Wonderful. Good for them. Kio wasn't sure what he'd do if he were to Impress a lower ranked Wher. Did he really care all that much? No, he could run the entire Weyr from the underground with a Black. But his pride might hurt and he was sure the others would all sneer at him if he Impressed low. That wouldn't do. It wasn't as though he could help it, all he could do was smirk arrogantly at the eggs and hope he Impressed. No, he was sure he'd Impress. How could he not?

There was a mauling. A girl, then a boy. Kio stared fixedly at them, not letting his gaze falter at all. Maulings were common at wher hatchings. He didn't care. They weren't going to come to him, and if they were, he'd be fine. Nothing could hurt him, because he was Kio~! And he was the best. Both the ones who had been mauled had Impressed, which Kio figured was a waste. Why Impress to broken humans? Perhaps they were just as interested in the way people worked as Kio was. He was itching to investigate, but now was definitely not the time. He could wait until the Hatching was over. And if he didn't Impress... well, Kio certainly wasn't going to think about that. All but the Blue had Impressed, but there were still plenty of eggs.

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[kia]

Ridan had approached Wrynri once the boy had finished staggering off. But, he had believed Wrynri to be a boy until... well, Wrynri must have HIS reasons for doing what he did. Ridan walked over to the boy as he sat down, bring the bucket of meat over to him. Durene was fine. She had already limped over to the buckets and was feeding Dusk. Ridan took his jacket off and pulled his much larger shirt off of him, exposing his chest and lean body. He put his jacket back on, but held his shirt to Wrynri. He smiled at the boy and then as Wrynsk. "Here," he said, giving the boy his shirt. "I have plenty. Do not worry about. You need it to hide those nasty wounds until A`mor gets here or we can get you to A`mor. Just put it over your current tunic," he said. And then, making sure no one else would not hear him, he said quietly, "Also, if you want to keep a certain thing a secret, it would be a good idea to take it. I promise I will not say anything." He put the shirt in the boy`s lap and would let Wrynri take his time putting the shirt on. Ridan offered Wrynri another genuine smile and moved back over to the Sands. There could be more maulings soon.

The egg that had reminded Ridan of Vediameth began to shake. The egg shook back and forth almost daintily. At the same time, the largest egg of the Clutch was beginning to wiggle some. Unlike the dark blue egg next to it, the little Wher inside seemed stronger than its Brown brother. The bronze-ish red egg easily gave way as the muzzle and then a head poked out of the egg. It was an Iron Wher! The Iron chirped at his Blue brother and then the blood. The Blue chirped back, as if conveying what the Iron had missed. The Iron immediately pushed harder against the egg, determine to get out and make sure everything else was okay. As the Iron was making his escape from his prison, the little pastel-Vediameth egg finally began to crack. A tail had managed to poke out from the shell, revealing a medium colored hide. The little Wher inside the egg managed to escape before the Iron could from his. The little Wher was finally completely revealed. It was a little Green, slightly larger than Dusk. She chirped with happiness and bounded over to her Iron brother as he had escaped. She ran around, happy, excited, energetic, and making sure her two brothers were okay.

The little Green then ran over to the Candidates, moving in and out of their legs, no hint of evil in her eyes. She was happy and excited! She wanted others to see her, to see how happy she was, and to be loved by all of them. She may not have witnessed her Black brothers deeds or Impression, but she was nothing like him. She was completely opposite of him. She chirped as the green and blue in her eyes whirled with joy. Of to be free and alive as the moon was rising in the air. She finally stopped and looked at the Candidates. She was hungry now. Maybe one of these nice people would feed her? She moved in and out between legs, crawling under Bri`s legs, passing Rethalt, and standing before her new Handler. She chirped with happiness and hungry. She wanted her new Mine`s attention now! She would worry about others later. FrinoMine, Frisk hungry! Fisk happy! You make happy! Love! she said happily and quickly, almost purring like a cat with love and adoration for Frino.


(( HEX is 5F946A ))

The little Blue watched as the Iron made his way out of his egg. It was a bit of a struggle, and the Iron was determined once the Blue had explained to the Iron what had happened. Now that the Iron was free and their Green sister had ran off and Impressed, the Blue felt it was his time. He wanted to make sure his Green sister, Dusk, was okay. The Blue would never feel anything more than sibling love for Dusk. But he needed to find someone for him so he could make sure that his Mine would be fine. The Blue also wanted to learn, wanted to know what more was out there beyond these Sands. He made his way over to the boys, obvious that he wanted a male Candidate to be his Handler. There were several to pick from like Khemres and Rethalt, but there was one that had caught his attention. Walking behind the Candidate that he had chosen, he headbutted the boy. He was content with his choice. He believed that he had made the right decision. ObelirMine ok? Obelisk content with you, he spoke calmly and happily to Obelir.


(( HEX is 839CA5 ))

[theknightwhosaysni]

"Ouch..." he muttered a soft reply, referring to the who had been mauled, smiling at the mention of Impression. "Yeah, I saw Wrynri heading off. He has a lovely little brown." Frino meant it, honestly, but he couldn't help being a little (okay, a lot) jealous of the other Candidate, who'd Impressed and left the sands already.

He smiled again as Rethalt went on, "Well, yes, I do have to admit that she has guts. Still, if she gets mauled, I don't envy her." there was no protection from a wher's claws on her body... Mauling could be even more painful like that than it would be with clothes.

The little green egg rocking back and forth was nearly swallowed by the movements of the much larger bronze-ish egg, which split open to reveal a young iron wher. A few seconds later, the green egg split open to reveal, surprise!, a green wher! Or maybe before. Frino couldn't honestly say he'd been paying attention to the small egg.

The young green came sprinting over to the Candidates, though the Iron showed no intention of wanting to leave the space near the eggs, so Frino watched the young wheret, just in case those eyes gained a gleam of red. Stifling a snort as she crawled under the naked girl's legs and passed Rethalt. Frino expected her to pass him as well, but instead she stopped, chirping.

FrinoMine, Frisk hungry! Frisk happy! You make happy! Love!

Frino froze as her words touched him, fingers tightening around the knife. He was supposed to cut himself now, let his blood seal the bond between the two.

Oh, Faranth... Gritting his teeth, he glanced at Rethalt, and pressed the bade of his knife against his left palm, wincing as it drew blood, and extending his palm towards Frisk as he knelt on the sands.

Her tongue swiped out to taste the blood, and slurped back in her mouth. Frino blood good taste.[/b] she commented, crooning.

He hadn't drawn much blood, and, while Frino didn't have issues with blood, he didn't need to enjoy self-mutilation, even for the beautiful green, Frisk, standing before him.

Frisk hungry. Want food.[/b] Frisk spoke up, gazing at Her's.

"All right, all right." The smile on Frino's face was hard to miss as he rose to his feet and headed towards Wrynri and the food. Mainly the food, of course, but he still wanted to congratulate his friend.

Frisk tagging along, they reached Wrynri not long after Ridan left. "Hey, congratulations." Frino grinned a little wider at his friend as he reached for a bucket.

Frisk hungry.[/b] she announced again as the scent of food wafted under her nose. Yes, she loved Her's, but food was good, and her stomach was rumbling. The world around her was pretty and would require some exploration at a later point, and the brown before her would need a greeting, but first, she demanded food.
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[zeis]

Baharl was happy to see Wrynri and Durene limp off with their newly Impressed. They weren't too hurt then, which was goods. Bonding with a draconic creature and then spending the first several weeks under critical care in the infirmary did not sound fun, she admitted. More from being unable to truly look after your Bonded rather than the pain and injury. She smiled in the new Brown Handler's direction, and focused back on the single Blue left on the sands. More eggs were rocking, and soon a determined Iron, as well as a perky light colored Green entered the world beside him.

She grinned at the sight of the Green, who seemed determined to have a good time. Baharl didn't blame her. This was the day of her birth after all, and not many beings were sentient enough at birth to remember much of their first moments. In fact... she could think of none but draconic creatures. The Green was just frolicked about, this way, and that way and.... Right under the nude girls legs. She snorted with laughter, and put a hand to her mouth. That had to have felt gross. As beautiful and breath-taking as the baby Wher's were, they were still slimy and sheening with whatever was inside their egg with them. The fact that the little creature didn't seem to notice at all the state of the strange naked girl made it all the more hilarious. They may as well have all showed up naked for all these Wherets cared!

Baharl was still snickering when the Green impressed into another Candidate she vaguely recognized, and she offered a quietly amused congratulations. His sisters impression seemed to get the lovely little sky Blue moving, and he chose a boy she recognized as well from the viewing. All such peaceful Impressions after that Black, as if all the malice in the group had concentrated into one egg. Still, everyone else was having a good run of luck, maulings of not. She watched the Iron curiously. It was a color Wher she had never seen before, and besides the newly hatched shine his hide was very metallic. He was fairly large too, which was quite fitting for a King. She had seen a single Iron dragon in her stay so far at Dalibor, winging down to feed one day in the Weyr Bowl. He had been very majestic, and she figured this little guy wouldn't disappoint.

"Welcome to Pern." She mumbled quietly in greeting to the little Wher, and all the eggs still remaining.

[purnip]

Wrynri tilted his head to glance up at Ridan, a pained expression on his face. Now that he had been sitting for a while, he had given himself more of an opportunity to assess the damages. He wasn't mortally wounded but he was scratched up and slightly bruised, as if he fell on some sharp rocks. He had one cut in particular along his thigh that hadn't stopped bleeding yet, but he was busy feeding Wrynsk and he didn't want to stop. All he had to do was refrain from staring at the wound and he'd be alright.

As Ridan began to take off his shirt, Wrynri was looking away, trying to fight off a blush as he idly dipped his hand into the bucket for another piece of meat. The wher's head was actually hovering over this bucket, as he had learned that his food was actually coming from in there, but he still took whatever his handler had picked out of it instead of helping himself. He was still concerned for Wrynri, but not as much as before. His was getting food and help, so now all he had to do was eat.

At the corner of his eye, Wrynri noticed the shirt dangling next to his head and took it hesitantly, halting the feeding process to glance up questioningly at Ridan. He hadn't quite processed that his own shirt was torn down the middle, but this was a reminder that caused him to realize his own plight. He seemed to hunch forward and hold the shirt near his chest, trying to hide the body he was so ashamed of. He didn't say a word, eyes steadily focused on the Goldhandler with a mixture of fear and wariness. In his state he probably looked like a frightened rabbit that had been cornered. Wrynsk chewed his last chunk of flesh and also gazed up at Ridan with prying eyes. He seemed to wonder why his handler was feeling so uncomfortable around the helpful man. Was the man helping or not?

"Here," he said, giving the boy his shirt. "I have plenty. Do not worry about. You need it to hide those nasty wounds until A`mor gets here or we can get you to A`mor. Just put it over your current tunic," he said. And then, making sure no one else would not hear him, he said quietly, "Also, if you want to keep a certain thing a secret, it would be a good idea to take it. I promise I will not say anything."

Wrynri gave a slow nod, as if locked in a daze, and held on to the shirt with his expression slowly calming. This was too much input all at once. Wrynsk gave his handler a nudge. Mine okay? Man help?

"Yeah," the kid muttered, still clenching the shirt to him as if he feared to reveal himself even for half a second just to get the shirt on. He let Ridan walk away without looking back at the man. He wasn't sure what to do next, but he knew that Wrynsk was probably still hungry. With a quick glance to the Sands, making sure all the Candidates looked busy with the newly hatched Iron, he slipped on the shirt at an instant.

Warm now, yes?

"Yep. You need to keep eating," Wrynri replied, reaching into the bucket and resuming his handler-bound duty. He wondered how many people got to see him out there...how many were paying attention. How many saw a girl instead of a boy out there? How many cared?

[Birdy]

The eggs were still shaking, cracks ruining the perfectness of their shells. Another one, a reddish bronze one, broke open revealing a shiny Iron wher. Asterin knew that Queens hatched Kings but hadn’t expected one from the clutch. He hadn’t really expected anything but whers. Impressing an Iron somewhat terrified him. Sure he’d get over it, but their claws were so big! They were so big! A shiver ran down his spine thinking of the daunting size of the Iron’s dragon counterpart. He’d seen one rather terrifying Iron flying about the other day.

Another egg burst open, a green one, revealing a chipper green wherling. She sure was happy, running through the candidates. When she came close he noticed something about the wherlings he hadn’t before. They were covered in some sort of slimy residue, from the eggs he presumed. Faranth if one of them touched him…ew! That was absolutely repulsive! Shards! They really needed a bath! He vowed that, besides feeding, that would be the first thing he did if he Impressed.

The green went off and Impressed to a boy Asterin had seen at the viewing and the blue (who he’d been right about being nonviolent) Impressed to another boy he’d only seen once. Now there were only the Iron and the eggs. Well not to mention the Queen herself. So many claws!

Kire yawned, he was bored of this. None of the whers were even going near Asterin, His was his and wouldn’t Impress to anyone else obviously. With a haughty snort the Purple jumped off of the boy’s shoulder and darted out of the cavern. Within a minute he had made it back to the room and was fast asleep on Asterin’s pillow.

[Sakoru]

Five wherets had Impressed now, each leaving the den in turn with its new wherling. Excited for them, though he knew none of their names, Khemres smiled particularly at the exuberant scurryings of the green. She darted around, obviously happy to be out of her egg, and soon found someone standing near the back to Impress. "Six left," he murmured to himself, gazing towards the remaining eggs. It was then that he realized with a start that an iron had hatched, and a thrill of nervousness shot through him. Oh, please let it be a kind one. I don't want to see anybody get mauled by a wher that big...

Unconsciously taking his right hand in his left, the candidate twisted his crippled fingers about, needing to do something to stave off the terrible wave of apprehension that washed over him. There were six whers hatched; seven were left yet to be born, with the possibility of a dud or two. Beginning to hope more fervently that he might actually Impress, the albino felt his face flush with feeling, hearing the newly bonded green and her wherling leave the den. Despite the anxiety flooding through his blood, however, a small smile still clung to the candidate's lips.

The black's maulings had been bad, that was true, he reflected. But none of the others so far seemed inclined to attack anyone, choosing only to lap their chosen candidate's blood instead. Not all wher Hatchings were so tame; he knew. The question was, were they going to stay that way? Had fierce Risk birthed a clutch of good-tempered, mild whers? Or were there aggressive ones still to come, ones like the black, who would cheerfully mow down anyone in their way to get to the ones they wanted to Impress? It was impossible to tell.

But the big question right now, the one no doubt on everyone's minds, was whom the iron might decide to Impress. Nervously Khemres eyed the metallic blob in front of him, still hoping it wouldn't go on a rampage as its brother had done. If he hoped for the iron, nothing about him indicated it. He knew that such big, powerful creatures didn't pick shy, spineless candidates like himself. Two greens had already hatched, and they were one of his favourite colours - would there be more? These thoughts crossing his mind, the albino flicked his gaze to the boy next to him, the one who had antagonized him in the dining hall just last night. What would it do for his ego if the iron picked him...? He's got a huge opinion of himself...with an iron.... Khemres trailed off his own thought, shuddering at the very idea. Instead of focusing on such disturbing prospects, he returned his gaze to the iron and the shaking eggs behind him, forcing down his own hopes and telling himself to take it easy. If a wher wanted him, they would come to him. If not, they wouldn't. You can't force one to pick you. Be happy for the new wherlings; they deserve it. Especially the ones that got mauled, he scolded himself. And, following his own advice, the albino concentrated on the happiness of the new wherlings, still smiling softly under the cover of his hat.

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