Mosaic Tiles {Kalith's First Hatching}

[Admin]

Pictures of you, pictures of me,
Hung upon your wall for the world to see,
Pictures of you, pictures of me,
Remind us all of what we used to be.

It was morning. Rukbat had well broken free of the horizon, but the day was still young; endless possibilities lay in the cloud streaked sky and light soaked horizon. Those who were awake, which was many, went about their business, doing chores and the tasks everyone had to do to make the Weyr work. Those who slept on had time yet before lunch began, and slowly aging food stuff and klah was still out in the dining hall from breakfast for anyone to grab between jobs. There was nothing special planned for the day. It was just another day. A day to wash dragons and pets. A day to do laundry and clean. A day to enjoy friends and have a bit of free time. A day to do what was needed to be done and enjoy yourself a little. There was nothing special about that morning. There was nothing special in the air. There was nothing special about any of the people lounging or busying about the bowl. There was no storm. There was no rainbow. There was no sign or signal.

It was autumn. The leaves were changing colors and falling. At the holds, crops were being harvested and stored for the upcoming winter, safe from when the cold set in. For the Weyr, that didn't mean all that much for everyday life. There weren't many trees or leafy plants in the bowl. The heat of summer had gone, and the briskness of the air heralded the coming of snow and darkness and then a new turn. Rukbat shone brightly from its slowly climbing perch in the sky, but it gave off little heat. The wind whipped lazily about the bowl, slipping and tugging into weyrs and caverns to bring its vaguely chilly but invigorating touch to anyone who wasn't ready for it. But the day before had been similar. The day before that had been warmer, but that wasn't really important. All of them were just days. It wasn't the first lazy, breezy autumn day. It was doubtful that it would be the last. Weather changes; everything changes. That day was just another point in time, another blip.

Twenty-three eggs sat on the hatching sands. Months of the burning heat that the sands gave off and delicate care from their mother had hardened their shells. They were expected to hatch soon. However, it was not exactly known when exactly they would; there was no rough estimate down even to a couple of days. It had simply been said that it was soon and everyone left it at that; anyone who bothered to ask got no answers. The protective Queen guarded the collection of eggs fiercely. No one was allowed more than a glance at them besides her young, collected rider.

Fajra slept. She hadn't left the hatching cavern for more than a few moments in a very long while. The sight of her form curled up in a less than comfortable position on one of the stone benches that was part of the stands wasn't an odd one, though almost no one had been able to see it. She didn't leave Kalith when she could, and the brooding copper rarely left her precious eggs. It was never her intention to simply sleep in whatever place she staked out to keep her dragon company, but it was always what ended up happening. She never thought she was tired, or she could never get to sleep, until she just dozed off and fell into a comatose-like state of sleeping in whatever ridiculous position she ended up in. It was a killer for her back, and most of the rest of her body, but she dealt with it and didn't complain. Things functioned better this way.

Kalith brooded. It was what she'd been doing ever since she'd clutched. It was a state of being, and was something that she'd discovered a talent for; she was better at it than anyone else, just like she was better than everyone else at everything else that she did. Lithe, muscular form spread out behind her eggs, her powerful tail remained carefully curved around the right side of her carefully organized clutch. She had to be able to see them all; she had to be able to make sure that they were all safe at any time. After a moment of looking at her rider to make sure that she was safe, she went back to her staring at the beautiful Queen egg that sat as the most important representative of all the clutch. It would hatch a healthy daughter; she would make sure of it. All of her children would be healthy and safe, simply because they were hers!

One of the eggs moved. Wait, one of the eggs moved! Kalith's head moved a fraction of an inch so her gaze rested on one of the eggs next to the Queen egg, the bronze-brown that was one of the largest of the clutch. Perhaps it had just been her imagination. No, there, it moved again! The large, bulky egg gave a little shudder and then lay still again. Her teeth gnashed together once in anticipation and you could practically hear a grounding noise as she closer her mouth tightly. She remained fixed on that one egg. A moment past, then another. Perhaps it really was just her imagination. But then it was rocking, back and forth, back and forth, before quieting again for a moment. Shudder. Quiet. Rock. Shudder.

Kalith hummed, a quiet noise but it ever so slowly and steadily grew in volume with each passing moment. Her eggs were hatching! Her eggs were hatching! Instinctively, she shifted closer to them, trying to protect them now more than ever. Mine; she said, voice fierce behind a gentle edge and plenty of excitement. The Weyrwoman didn't stir. Mine, wake up. The eggs are hatching; she tried again, more insistent this time. Finally, the redhead stirred, blinking and then sitting up properly. Sitting silently without moving an inch, she could just feel the vibrating of the just beginning humming through the stone. It was an underneath everything else, a subtle noise that wasn't really noticeable unless you were looking for it. Her blue eyes fell on the eggs, noting the singular rocking egg. It was to be expected; her lovely, brooding dragon would never allow even one eggs moving to go unnoticed. It was to be expected that, as soon as they started hatching, she would know.

Assured that her rider was awake and prepared, the Queen, the clutchmother, set about alerting everyone else. Her humming intensified; her strong voice reverberated out through the walls, carrying like an echo through the ground. Everyone to the hatching sands; she said, voice clear and strong in everyone's mind. There was no explanation. There was no care, no fear of consequences for simply ordering what she wished. Anyone who dared not to answer her call would be the one who should fear consequences. Anyway, her humming, her real voice, carried the message to a few, and from there it grew. And it did grow; the humming began to permeate everything. It was inescapable. It screamed the truth and acted as a siren's tempting call, something you had to hear and listen to. Something that you had to follow.

Well her dragon was busy summoning her admirers and minions, Fajra stood. She looked down of herself, mouth twisting in an odd, irritated expression. She'd fallen asleep in the shirt and breeches that she'd been wearing yesterday, and now she had no time to go and change. Letting it go, she ran her hands over the material to get some of the wrinkles out and tried to get the horrible kink out of her back. She didn't look at that bad; she'd been dressed all in loose black, which didn't show what it had been through. Taking a deep breath, composing herself, she strode out onto the sands as she felt the humming growing underneath her feet. She gritted her teeth as she walked and it wasn't because of the searing heat of the sands. It was the prickling in her legs; they hadn't quite caught up with the rest of her body and woken up. They also sort of ached from to many days of awkward sleeping. She hid her exhaustion, fatigue, and stress as she best she good for the soon to arrive spectators and candidates, confidence etched on every feature.

With a stern look, she convinced Kalith to stop clinging so much to her eggs. The copper rose to her feet, sitting with a little more space between her and the clutch. Her tail remained curled protectively around one side; her head and neck hovered firmly over the opposite side. Towering over any dragon in the Weyr except perhaps her mate, who was a good sized bronze, and some Kings and such, she was an imposing figure, making her eggs visible but still guarding them fiercely. Beside her stood a composed, firm looking young woman, the Sr. Weyrwoman, Fajra, her rider. The stood together, a well defined and magnificent pair, as people began to arrive. But they were not the focus of the room. They commanded the room, commanded notice and respect, but everyone was focused upon one set of objects. Twenty-three eggs sat on the hatching sands.

The large bronze-brown egg in the back row was still intermittently rocking. Every so often it would pause, or switch from rocking to an odd shuddering twitch, but it seemed otherwise intent on what it was doing without ever being earnest. Whatever dragonet was inside would get out in due time and was fine with that. However, another dragon confined to one of the eggs seemed to have no interest in staying confined inside for another moment. The last egg in the middle row, near to the shelter of its mother's tail, was shaking violently. Grayish brown in color, it was on the smaller side for the eggs, being no where near as large as its other moving fellow, but wasn't particularly tiny. It was simply small, and packed quite a walloped despite that, moving with such fierceness that it was hard not to notice it. What made it harder yet not to stare was that spider line cracks were starting to appear on its surface, making it seem that it was going to be the first to actually hatch of all the eggs.

Along with those two, some of the others were showing signs of life. The pale orange-gray egg, third from the left in the front row, gave a couple of large rocks backwards and forwards before falling utterly still. Every so often, the dull colored, black-gray-brown egg right behind that one, which was significantly smaller and almost hidden by back one, would sort of bounce, rocking forward and than flinging itself backwards with a little pop, thus garner it some attention even with its larger companion being in front. The second, brown-gray egg in the back row gave a singular tiny, barely noticeable twitch and then seemed to, if anything, get even stiller than it had been before. All of the others, for the moment, did not move at all though. The crowning jewel, the Queen egg, despite her grandeur, was among those and remained stoically stationary.

With a chirp, Afzal appeared from between close to his bonded and settled on her shoulder with an air of excited nobleness about him, amongst all the chaos of people arriving and settling in. He hummed, his voice joining with all the others, drowned out by the clutchmother almost entirely, to welcome the dragonets into the world. Twenty-three eggs no longer just sat on the hatching sands. The hatching had begun!

Confess to me, every secret moment,
Every stolen promise you believed,
Confess to me, all that lies between us,
All that lies between you and me.

[Kila]

It was no surprise that Daidoroth was the very first living thing in the Weyr other than Kalith and Fajra to realize what was going on. For days on end the great Bronze had laid on the cliffs over the entrance to the Sands. The proud sire of the clutch rested like a statue gate that one would have to pass to get to the eggs. He disliked it when his weyrmates brooded, for he had learned early on that they did not like it when he got close to them when they were with their clutch, but despite this he had remained as close to Kalith as possible. She may not have been able to see him, because never had he exercised the audacity of entering her carefully guarded cavern, but his presence was well known to all of the Weyr. None would pass his watch to reach his love and their beautiful clutch without his or her consent. Until now.

Half asleep but ever vigilant in the sun of the breezy autumn day, Daidoroth was instantly alerted by an intense flare of interest in Kalith’s mind. Raising his head he stayed keen to the series of emotions that she was feeling, mapping out the disturbance in her usual brooding low. She was completely concentrated on something… and then all at once afire with protection and excitement. What was that sound? It was faint, but Daidoroth had been listening for it for a long while. A hum. Kalith was humming. Despite its initial softness, the sound thrilled through his whole body and put him on alert- his muscles tense with excitement. The eggs were hatching!

Daidoroth rose slowly and intently to his hindlegs and lifted his massive head to the sky. As Kalith’s hum grew, he added his voice to her. A deep, intense hum filled their air with their sound and emotions combined. Daidoroth’s thrum was deep, captivated attention, and elicited unbearable anticipation to everyone who heard.

Own, come down here at once- my little ones are coming; he called to his rider. There was no question or request in this call. Daidoroth need not expect his rider to be there because he knew that he would be. He devoted his voice fully now to summoning the Weyr, but he let his emotions lend themselves to Kalith. He allowed his strong feelings of love and pride wash her way, hoping that she would know he was there. He longed to go inside and see her and watch his children emerge, but for now he would continue to hold his guard at the gate.

O’sho, once bespoken, threw himself into motion. He had been going over papers quietly in his personal weyr, but the sudden attentiveness of his life mate put him on guard, and he needed only hear the first work to fly to action. Abandoning the parchment, he pulled on a nice shirt for such occasions, stepped into his shoes, and strode quickly down the stairs to the Weyrbowl. He crossed the distance in no time, still keeping up the fast yet dignified and purposeful stride. He beamed up at Daidoroth as he crossed into the Hatching Sands, unable to withstand the elation and high emotion of his bonded.

First and foremost, O’sho bowed deeply to Kalith. It was more than a deserved gesture- he would need to show her his humblness if he were to get as momentarily close as he called for. Approaching the Weyrwoman, he went the side route, not stepping on the sands at all and stepping gently. ”Fajra,” he said joyously with a smile. His voice was quiet but his feelings were loud. ”Many congratulations to you and Kalith on your excellent parenting. I will be nearby if you need me.” He spared her the semantics- how proud a moment this was, how the Weyr would now grow, how wonderful a job she had done, and how beautiful she looked despite her tired state- because he knew she would not want to hear them. Both he and Daidoroth had grown to be as small a bother to people as they liked it to be. Unless it was for necessary business, they did not force or meddle their way into affairs, and that’s what O’sho would refrain from doing now. His part of this would be solely that of the proud and strong Weyrleader, standing by seemingly to moniter to event and make sure it ran smoothly. At least he could free Fajra to only worry about Kalith and the hatchlings. He would worry about everything else.

With another deep, respectful bow to Kalith and a moment of lingering eye contact with the Weyrwoman as he rose, O’sho turned and left them be. He settled on standing in the front of the stands. He knew they would quickly fill, and there he could greet important guests as necessary yet be close enough to intervene with anything that got out of hand. Surely they would begin to pour in any moment now, with the air alive with humming as it had become. The voices of the King and Queen stood out above the rest, but others were alert and had begun hum with them. There would be no doubt in anyone’s mind as to what was happening now. It was time for them to come here. It was time to see the real birth of their Weyr.

[Birdy]

Chelo blinked, not quite believing that the Hatching was happening now. She was perched on the edge of her bed in the barracks, simply listening to the humming, and contemplating the Queens voice in her head. After a moment she shook her head, 'If you don't get there you won't impress wherrybrain,' she told herself, running towards the baths.

She shucked her clothes, and was quickly into the water. She was out just as quickly, wrapping a towel around herself and drying her hair. Grabbing a robe, she put it on, and was off towards the hatching grounds.

Her father had told her about his Impression so many times, she could almost recite it by memory. But her father had been standing at a different weyr, so things would be different. Besides, this clutch was laid by a copper, not a gold, and that was the most noticeable difference.

Chelo stopped, finding herself at the Sands. She ran a hand through, her hair, pushing it onto her back. Bowing to the Queen, she took her spot on the Sands. The eggs were moving! It only made it seem more surreal, knowing that there were dragonets in there. Naturally, her eyes were drawn to the Queen egg, but to her slight alarm it wasn't moving. Sighing, she smiled nervously, hoping to send a good message to any dragonets who were listening. Or thinking. She wasn't quite sure what to call it.

[123notit]

Such a pleasant autumn day. Rukbat warmed the ground and air slightly, but not as it had just a month ago. U’ar was taking advantage of it, playing outside in the morning air with Mu and Mi, his two girls. Mu had enjoyed helping her father with the firelizard and had grown closer to her father because of it. She had eve started talking to others in the Weyr. Especially those with other firelizards. However, again, their playtime was to be cut short.

Odyth was the first of the four creatures at play (he wasn’t much at play, but was watching nearby) to notice the growing vibrations. ~Mine!~ he warned, getting up from his lying position, [colo=brown]~Kalith’s eggs are hatching. We should go see. It is quite an exciting time, Hardly anyone has been able to see the eggs.~[/color]
As U’ar nodded confirmation to his dragon, Odyth joined in the humming, followed by Mi who then hopped onto Mu’s head and calmed down for a moment.

“A Hatching?” Mu questioned her father, knowing the drill. Being a Weyrbrat, she had viewed many. A grin spread out on her face as she ran over to U’ar. They would, of course, be in attendance together. Mu needed as much experience with Hatchings as possible if she was to stand.
---
The day was fine, but there were still chores to be done. Meta was working, a playful smile on the boyish girl’s face. She had allowed her chores to take her to the Dining Hall. “All this work!” she said aloud in a forced voice, sounding much like a bad actor, “Oh my! What’s this? All this food going to waste!” With that, she slid onto a bench and grabbed a pastry that was growing hard. Without seeming to care, she shoved a good half of it into her mouth, tearing quite a large piece off and chewing with the grace of a common street rat.

It took her a good minute for that piece to finally break down enough to swallow. One would think that her lesson would be learned, but she proceeded to stuff the rest of the pastry in her mouth. That’s when she felt it. A light vibration. She looked around curiously, her cheeks bulging with pastry as her chewing slowed even more. Suddenly, Kalith’s command was heard. The hatching! Meta stood quickly, trying to shout out in excitement. Instead, however, the pastry began to flow down the wrong pipe and she began coughing. She was forced to hack away for a good minute before she could get it down, aided much by a mug of cold klah. As she ran to the Barracks, long legs carrying her slender body quickly through the halls and Bowl, her hacking spell continued, slowly her down only a bit.

She slid into her room and through off her vest. This was followed by her shirt. She quickly undressed, trying to put on the Candidates robes as quickly as possible. Her hair was a mess and her face was streaked with some dirt and speckled with pastry crumbs, but she didn’t care; the humming was increasing. To look “her best”, though, she ran her fingers through her hair quickly, not helping too much in that aspect, and rolled up her sleeve to wipe off her face. She managed to get the crumbs off, but the dirt pretty much stayed where it was.

Finally, she was darting towards the Sands, decked out in Candidate regalia. One of the first to arrive, she grinned widely. That should look good to the QueenMother, right? Now, what was she told? Her lessons of Hatchings spun around in her head as she arrived; she could only hope she didn’t mess up. She looked up at Kalith in awe and slowly bowed to her.
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[jack]

At last! The Hatching! Flaet's bright brown eyes shot open and he grinned, rolling out of bed with a gleeful laugh. The dancer got cleaned and dressed in record time, his usual jingle-jangling jewelry carefully hidden beneath his robes and his hair bound in cream.

Run and Ram flew over his head with gleeful squeals and chirps, sailing along with him and egging him onwards towards the sands. Little Queen was draped around his shoulders, her eyes whirling as her tiny claws clutched his shirt and her tail wrapped around his neck. Still very small, the sea-foam green was filled with energy, not entirely sure what was going on but more than happy to be a part of it!

The Sands loomed ahead and Flaet slowed his trot to a walk, Run and Ram taking their places away from the Sands--and on various people--as Queen buried into his tunic, her tiny head all that was sticking out. Flaet carefully tapped onto the sands, his bare feet sandaled at last, and elegantly traipsed towards Kalith, dipping into a performer's smooth bow. "Yours will be beautiful, lovely Queen." He crooned, winking as he sidled over to where he should stand, biting his lip in anticipation as he stared at each egg in turn, impatient and eager!

--

Durian was a bit slower than Flaet to come up and about, her flit snoozing on her head as she sat up dimly, blinking bleary eyes. Reggae picked her head up with a tired chirp and climbed from her Bonded's skull, splaying out on her shoulders tiredly. Durian yawned and shrugged out of bed, the words of the Queen hitting slowly.

The teen had bathed and had begun to slip on her clothes when it finally struck her and she gave a squeak of surprise, eyes widening. "The Hatching!" Fearing she was late she sprung into action, finishing getting dressed and bolting out of the room.

She got to the Sands in record time, Reggae still perched on her shoulders as she slowed to a walk and gently tapped over to Kalith, giving a bow. She'd never seen Kalith up close...the Copper was quite a sight! But the Queen no doubt had no time for compliments, and the Hatching was soon to begin! Durian smiled and walked over to her place, eying the eggs with intrigue.

[123notit]

That infuriating humming was enough to drive someone crazy! This was what was going through Tazar’s head at this very moment as he lay in bed still. He had only been here a few weeks and had managed to slide out of doing most things involving work. After all, it didn’t suit someone who was a Lord Holder’s son…or one that would soon rule this Weyr. Those in the rooms around his were running around to get ready, making much too much noise for his liking. His brown eyes shot open, agitated, and he turned over, covering himself more with the hide and forcing his eyes shut again.

One…two…three…and it connected. He shot up, eyes wide. Shards, the Hatching. His chance to Impress a King. Mumbling curses that he had to get up so early, he got out of bed and hurried to the bath. He might need to be there soon, but he was going to look his best. He was going to look like a real Kingrider.

He got in the bath and vigorously scrubbed. He usually enjoyed taking his sweet time in the bath, but there was little time. He got out in about five minutes, skin glowing from the quick scrubbing of sands he had given it. It was a healthy glow, though, and he felt like it showed his utter glory. He got dressed, scowling gently at the white robes they were to wear. Where was the sense of grandeur in this? This was supposed to be a glorious event and they were stuck in these generic white things?

A sound of disgust escaped his lips, but he walked briskly to the Sands without further complaint. He brushed a hand through his still-wet hair, a smile sneaking onto his lips as it sprung gently back into place- he was still perfect without the grand clothes. As he reached the Sands, he saw a Candidate bow to the Queen. Oh yeah, there were rules. But he didn’t mind bowing. He had to do so to his father, after all. He reached the Sands and bowed low, showing his class in the stiffness and preciseness of it. He straightened and went to stand by the male Candidates, not saying a word to them.

Meta smiled as she stood next to Chelo. “Hello!” she said quietly, not having met her before, but not wanting to insult the Queen, “I’m Meta. Are you excited or what?” Her grin didn’t betray her femininity. It would, instead, remind one of a young, excited boy.

[Nia]

Naturally, Riori was sound asleep in his cot in the Barracks while most were already up and about, doing their chores and other things. The Hatching was supposedly soon, and like someone (Riori had forgotten whom) had told him, by the time the Hatching got closer all the Candidates were used as drudges. But certainly not Riori! He was very good at avoiding work and he wasn't going to give up his sleep time just to do some stupid chores. Besides, he'd swept up the Barracks, uh... about a sevenday ago. Or was it more than that? Well, the point was that he'd already done his part.

So Riori slept on peacefully, completely unaware of anything that might be going on around him. Until he was rudely awoken by someone humming really, really loudly. And they didn't have any tune, either! He slowly opened his vibrant blue eyes, blinking a few times to try and register the scene in front of him. His room, his cot, his stuff all over the floor... nothing out of the ordinary. Except that noise that just wasn't going away! Phareon was stirring as well, he'd been curled up against Riori as the boy slept, and now the Bronze was looking around curiously, until finally he realized what was going on before Riori could fully wake up. The firelizard chirped importantly, sending images of eggs shaking and hopping all around Riori's bed. "Okay, you can stop, I get it... the eggs are Hatching.... oh, wait, the eggs are Hatching!" Now the black-haired boy was fully awake.

First things first, he nearly fell off his cot trying to scramble out of bed, flinging himself on the floor to dig through his belongings to find that sharding robe. Phareon wasn't a very good help, and he actually seemed to make it even harder by insisting on climbing up Riori's arm (painfully!) and finally sitting atop his head, clinging (painfully!) to the boy's hair. Ignoring this annoyance, Riori managed to find his robe easily and pulled it out of the pile. There, that wasn't so hard! The hard part was pulling his robe over his head while not knocking off the Bronze firelizard tangled in his hair, but he managed.

After his robe and sandals were on, he pried Phareon out of his hair, holding the little firelizard and looking at him. "Hmm... I guess you can come. But you have to behave, okay?! Or it's no food for a whole day!" he scolded the Bronze as seriously as he could manage and could only hope that Phareon understood. Starting out the door, he also added as an afterthought, "And if Kalith gets angry you have to run away and hide or she'll eat you," sending the firelizard an image of an angry Copper to further enforce his message.

The run to the Sands didn't take Riori all too long, even with a firelizard in his hair. He approached Kalith and bowed deeply, hoping to maybe get himself back in her good favor (Faranth knows the firelizard Hatching hadn't done any good). "They're lovely. You should be very proud," he attemptd to compliment her as well before ducking back into the male semi-circle. And in his haste to try and avoid Kalith and her rage (if she happened to get angry at him for saying something stupid) he'd ended up right next to Flaet. "O-oh, hello Flaet," he greeted with a slight smile. He was probably going to have to face Flaet sometime or another... but the Hatching didn't seem like the right time. Some decent conversation wouldn't be bad before the eggs started to hatch, though....

-------

Avalle had been awake for a little while already, and she was in the Dining Hall, eating some leftover breakfast. She hadn't waken up early enough, apparently. Even though she'd already been awake for maybe a half-hour, she was still really tired and yawned into her klah. The brunette had snagged some sort of pastry, one of the only few that weren't disgustingly cold. Sigh, that's what she got for waking up so late. Even though it wasn't even that late! Yulari was sound asleep, curled around Avalle's neck in her usual place. Nothing was too out of the ordinary today. Avalle had managed to finish most of her assigned chores the day before, so she was looking forward to a relaxing day before she got assigned any more chores. Perhaps she could try to train Yulari some more....

But the brown-haired girl didn't have much time to think about what she'd try and teach the Yellow firelizard, as pretty soon things started to hum. Things being dragons... and Yulari. Avalle blinked a few times, looking around. The few people who had decided to catch a late breakfast like Avalle were jumping out of the seats and running for the Sands. Or to the Barracks, if they were Candidates or something. Avalle stood up, stretching. Morons, if they rushed they were only going to trip! But Avalle figured that she'd better hurry if she was going to get there before the first few dragonets hatched. She didn't want her lifemate going between because she wasn't there! ... Faranth, that was an awful thought.

So with that on her mind, Avalle picked up her pace and ended up sort of jogging towards her room in the Barracks, pulling a rather crumpled white robe out from under a pile of clothes stacked on a chair. I probably should have cleaned this or something, she thought sullenly, noting some tiny red dots near the bottom. The Candidate who had this robe before her must have been close to getting mauled. What a scary thought... and just her luck, really. Yulari sent pictures of happy dragonets hatching from happy eggs, hoping to maybe help Hers get over her pessimistic thoughts. Hatchings were happy! Hers could Impress! She would get a new friend! Avalle smiled warily and pat Yulari on the head. Well, she wasn't going to be able to remove the Yellow from around her neck any time soon. Hopefully Kalith wasn't going to mind too much....

With her robe on, her hair brushed and her sandals securely on her feet, Avalle started out the door and sort of walked-ran to the Hatching Sands. She looked stupid, she knew, but Avalle didn't care at the moment. For once, she wasn't embarassed! ... and besides, no one was looking at her, so it didn't matter. They were all too concerned with themselves, like usual. And it wasn't like she was running too awkwardly... she just wasn't a very good runner, that's all. She didn't have a lot of stamina.

Anyway, Avalle entered the Hatching Sands and looked around before walking towards Kalith and her eggs to pay her respects. There were already quite a few people there. Good, she wasn't last and she wasn't first. She might have liked being first, though.... Whatever, that didn't matter. She approached Kalith with a hopefully cheerful smile, bowing to the Copper. "Thank you for allowing me to stand before your eggs. They're beautiful," she said, looking up at the huge dragon. Deciding it would not be good at all for her to linger there, she walked back to the girls semi-circle, trying to look confident in herself. Because she was! She was a strong and independant! Nodding to herself, she clenched her hands into fists determinedly and looked at the eggs. Alright... she wasn't going to get her hopes up TOO much, you know, just in case, but she felt confident today. There were twenty-three eggs, surely her dragon was one of them!

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[wirevix]

Alalbar was not roused by the initial humming; he'd been sleeping in a little because he didn't particularly want to face the day, not today. It was not a good day, and if he had the choice he would happily just stay in bed until noon. Then maybe the day would be worth facing again. Maybe. He wasn't going to bet any marks on it. Maybe he would just stay in bed all day. That resonating hum was annoying, though, but he didn't quite place it...

And then came the Queen's announcement that they were to come to the Hatching Sands, and it clicked. Alalbar started up in bed and stood up quickly, rushing to clean himself up a bit--no time for a bath, he just wiped down with a wet cloth and made sure he looked okay, pulling on the Candidate robes over his clothes. No way did he want to possibly be rendered naked if a hatching caught its toes on his robes, that would just be the end of everything.

Shobie flitted down to land on his head and he waved the Purple away, instructing him, "You stay here, Shobie." The last thing he would want was for his crazy firelizard to get him in trouble by pestering somebody he shouldn't on the Sands. He tugged on his sandals while Shobie landed on the bed and just watched him.

At last dressed and ready, Alalbar scrambled to get out onto the Sands, heading past the big Bronze outside and pausing once he reached the edge of the scorching sand. He swallowed and bowed deeply to the Queen, then moved away and stood with the other boy Candidates he could spot, trying to stay slightly removed from them without seeming like he wasn't part of the group. He was nervous. He hoped the dragons cared more about how he felt than what was under his clothes, otherwise the whole disguise could really be blown.

And, of course, as he stood there and waited to see what things might happen, horrible or wonderful things, Shobie appeared in the cavern, wheeling over his head and dropping down to land on his shoulder, clinging to his robes and peering at the eggs with interest. Alalbar grimaced at his disobedient 'lizard, but didn't put up a fuss to shoo him away. He doubted it would work anyway.

---------

Grescan was up and alert early that morning, but he wasn't sure what he really ought to do. He'd taken care of a small amount of chores work, since he figured to get that done early so he didn't have to worry about it throughout the day, and now he was just thinking quietly to himself as he peered over the Weyrlake in the morning light.

But then the humming reached him, and drew his attention back towards the Sands with an uncertain frown. He would rather be safe than sorry, and so he started to head for the Candidate Barracks, just in case it turned out he needed to fetch his robe and sandals.

And it turned out he did, for he was not even quite there yet when he heard Kalith's call for everyone to come to the Hatching Sands. He had to hurry! Who knew what could happen if he was late! He rushed into the Barracks, hurrying up as he washed his face and brushed his hair and pulled on the robes and sandals required to Stand for the Hatching.

He headed to the cavern then, stepping inside and bowing carefully to the beautiful and jealous Queen that hadn't allowed anyone to get close to her eggs. He suspected that would come back to bite them on the rump, literally, when the Hatchlings were more confused than ever due to their lack of exposure to the people they were expected to spend the rest of their lives with.

All he could hope was that no one got too terribly injured. He went to stand with the rest of the male Candidates, keeping his eyes on the eggs where they belonged. Moving and rocking, and that one was already cracking open... it was exciting, he had to admit, much as he tried to keep a stoic attitude about it all.

Sweep flew into the Cavern as well, but she did not decide to go and sit on her bonded master. She was not terribly interested in that. Instead, she wheeled up amongst the Stands, spotting the man sitting there that she did not know. She swooped down to sit beside him, staring up at him with more interest than she had for the eggs. Her eggs had been prettier, after all, although she could barely remember them and was not at all sure which of the firelizards now wandering about the Weyr had been hers.

--------

Edwa had been on her way to the kitchens, hoping for some breakfast that wasn't cold, hard, soggy, or any other number of unpleasant things that the leftover food on the tables displayed. She wanted some hot meat. That would be good, very good! She practically drooled just thinking about it, paying no attention to any thrumming noises or anything like that because she was much more interested in food!

And then Kalith's voice rang into her head. Oh no! The eggs were gonna hatch and she would still be hungry and she might even be late! she would have to skip breakfast! That was a disaster, but she couldn't much blame the hatchlings for starting to hatch now. They couldn't tell what time it was inside those shells of theirs, after all.

And so she raced on out of the kitchens, hurrying to the Hatching cavern--and remembering just before she got there that she needed her Candidate attire. Shards! Shards and shells and more shards! She turned and scrambled back to the Barracks.

Inside, she didn't take time for anything but pulling on her robes and sandals, then she was off like a shot again, rushing back to the Hatching Caverns and scrambling inside, almost skidding to a stop on the Sands. She bowed deeply to the Queen, because she really didn't want to get thrown out after all the panic she'd gone through to get here, and then much more calmly proceeded to her place with the other Candidates.

She was so horribly, horribly nervous, though she didn't let it show on her face as she smiled brilliantly, watching the eggs hatch. Anything--a Green, a Pink, anything at all--would be better than spending another Hatching just standing there, watching everyone else leave with a hatchling at their side while she just had to walk away alone.

But this was a new Weyr. She was sure that wouldn't happen. It couldn't happen. Could it?

[Admin]

As was his habit in the morning, Luven had been up with the rise of Rukbat, the gentle yellow rays creeping across the room to lie quietly, but persistently, on his face, unrelenting until he stirred. He was a light sleeper, and even this placid alarm clock never failed to wake him. So, up he was, and he did what he did every morning like this: silently dress, so as not to wake the others, splash some water on his face and run a comb through his scraggly hair (by the first egg, he needed to cut it again, it was nearly obscuring his eyes!), and ambled over to the dining hall, exchanging a few amiable words with whichever Weyrfolk were also taking their breakfast at this time. He’d taken a few redfruit and a cup of water: he wasn’t particularly hungry after he’d just awaken, and he had no need for klah, as he’d slept well the night before.

So, Luven walked away from the dining hall, perfectly full and alert, ready to begin his day. There was no Candidate lesson that morning, so it was off to chores. Luven had been assigned to archive duty that week, so he was off to the records room, bringing a small handful of glows with him. There was nothing unusual about the job—there were several pieces of parchment on the table, sitting next to new parchment and the ink over which Luven had slaved yesterday. He prodded the ink with a pen, satisfied that it was up to the Weyr’s standards. The older parchments all had something wrong with them: either the ink was fading, the parchment was ripped or nibbled by some sort of creature. Luven just had to copy the records so they would not be lost if the old records became illegible. For a minute, it bewildered Luven as to why Dalibor’s records, a Weyr so new, could have records this decrepit, but then he realized that not all of the records had been made by Fajra. The ones he had to recopy were copies of some old Harper’s tales, and, looking at them, Luven was rather pleased to know that he knew many of them.

’Rise’ Luven began writing in his neat, careful, deliberate handwriting. Every letter had to be correct and perfectly legible, or he’d have to start again. ’in’ yes, everything would be done right. Everyone had access to these records, and while Luven didn’t exactly have to sign the parchment saying he was the one who’d copied it, he didn’t want the shame of having rewritten a tale that people couldn’t read, or was inaccurate. He shuddered at the thought. But, no, he would do it right, no problem. glory, each letter was painstakingly drawn. He was slow by Harper’s standards, but some of the Candidates and Weyrfolk he knew were far less literate than the average Harper, so he hoped he averaged around middle among those in the Weyr. Bronze and Gold, he settled into his work as he always did, focused solely on the parchment in front of him and the tattered one above it. Dive, but how many times had this one record been copied over and over? It seemed to be as timeless as dragons themselves. No doubt that Luven was one in a long line of Candidates to be sitting at a chair, at a table, dutifully writing out this one record for the convenience of all.

Entwined,. As he wrote, Luven felt that familiar, pleasant feeling that only came from doing a job well. Today, it was almost a tingling, a vibrating that extended all the way to his toes. Luven paused, carefully keeping the drop of ink on his pen held away from either of the parchments. That was odd. Was he feeling faint—had the redfruit been enough for breakfast? Luven gave himself a quick physical. No, he wasn’t feverish; he didn’t have a headache; he wasn’t hungry—so what was with this tingling? Was it because he was sitting down to work? No, no, this was hardly the first time he’d worked at studying or recopying his own notes—why should archival work be any different.

And, then, he realized how slow on the uptake he was. He carefully put the pen back in the bowl of ink and stowed the two parchments on a nearby table where the ink on the latter could dry, before suddenly changing his demeanor and sprinting for the life of him out of that room. He’d attended seven Hatchings, and he still couldn’t recognize a hum right off the bat? He smiled, far too full of excited energy to avoid laughing at himself. He arrived back at the Barracks in short time, easily finding his robe and his sandals in his well-organized trunk. He shed his leather boots for the thin sandals and pulled the white robe over his head, tightening the simple rope belt around his waist as he scampered out of the room.

As he ran, Luven felt the humming strengthen, and, finally, he heard it. It was a low, strong noise, and, to him, full of promise. Each clutch was a new opportunity for him, a fresh start. Finally, he heard Kalith’s voice, summoning all of the… well, everyone. She wasn’t specific about why she wanted everyone there, but the reason was easy enough to guess. And, as he ran, he began to feel the nervousness, starting at his heart and spreading to the rest of his body. This was why he was at Dalibor, his raison d’être at the moment. He was here because he’d had no luck at Fort Weyr, and someone had thought that he would have a better chance at Dalibor. He cringed—he had to Impress soon, or he’d be too old. Seven clutches was supposed to be enough for anyone to Impress, but apparently it wasn’t. Was eight enough for him? Would it be his lucky number?

He arrived at the Sands, pausing for a minute just outside of it to just bask in its glory. He panted from exertion, but he ignored that easily. His apprehension was too great. He could easily make out the metallic behemoth that was Kalith, and, if he strained, he could see the eggs in the dimmer autumn light. To some, it might just be a huge expanse of sand with some eggs on it, but, to Luven and all the other Candidates, it was so much more. It stood as a symbol of all things great. It represented infinite possibilities. It was the very definition of hope.

Luven walked onto the Sands, chin held high, strides long and assured. Even though his heart was beating errantly and he could barely keep his breath regular from the nervousness that wracked his body, he put on his shell of confidence. He wouldn’t fool a dragon, who would look straight into his mind, but he might have a chance of fooling himself. Soon, he was at a respectable distance from Kalith, and he bowed graciously to both her and, turning, to Fajra. It was a bow of thanks, of gratitude, showing them his appreciation of the fact that they allowed him the privilege to Stand. He held his position for a few seconds before straightening, swallowing nervously and pivoting away from them to join his fellow Candidates around the eggs.

His vision was nearly blurred from his anxiety. He began repeating a mantra to himself, forcing himself to accept optimistic thoughts, imagining what it would be like to be a Dragonrider. As a Weyrling, yes, he would have little rank; however, he was already dreaming of the days, more than half a Turn from now, when he might take the sky as his own! He and his dragon—what a lovely thought. The fantasy seemed to swallow his nervousness, and it was replaced by an eagerness, and impatience. Some of the eggs were wriggling already, and Luven’s eyes, so pitifully poor compared to a dragon’s, keenly tried to examine them, searching for the most minute cracks. It was not an easy job, as the Candidates had to be kept out of range of errant shards. The dragonets hatched rather more enthusiastically than most would think upon first Standing.

Luven closed his eyes, simply relishing the solid feel of the hot Sands beneath his feet. He was here! Finally, it would be his time to succeed. Surely, it would! After today, a few candlemarks from now, maybe he would no longer be Luven, Candidate anymore, a title worthy of no second glance, a name signifying nothing. Maybe he would be L’ven, Dragonrider! Or Luv’n, Dragonrider! Could he aspire after further titles, further marks of achievement? Wingrider? Wingsecond? Weyrlingmaster or Candidatemaster, or an Assistant to either? Or—his breath caught in his throat—Wingleader? It was possible, but Luven knew to shoot his aims lower for now. He just wanted, no, needed to Impress. The longing to do overwhelmed him, filled his every particle. His gaze returned to the eggs. What was inside of them could determine his destiny! He hoped greater than any hope that one of them was His. Inside one of those eggs could be his lifemate.

Luven didn’t have eyes for any of his fellow Candidates. At the end of the day, it was also possible that he would be filled with the familiar incredible jealousy as they walked off with a dragon at their side while Luven trudged off shamefully alone. He shook his head slightly, refusing to allow that thought to enter his mind. Still, it touched it before flying off again. This was not the time for pessimism! The dragonets would know that he didn’t think himself worthy of one of them, and then why should he Impress them if he thought that? No, no, he would Impress. He had to!

He waited. It would not be long now until the first egg decided to crack open, spilling its treasure onto the Sands. The large one in the back, near the Queen egg, seemed like it might be the first. Could that one hold a King? It was a traditional superstition that Hatchings that began with a King would be lucky. A King… Luven felt a flare of ambition. But he could achieve anything on any dragon… color didn’t matter so much as how well it and Luven worked together! They would be a team, if there was a they.

His future—their future?—would be decided soon. Everything rested on the hard, breaking shells of these eggs. Everything would be decided soon. Luven could only hope that the tables would finally turn in his favor.

[/font]

[Admin]

My my my what a marvellous life,
Wear your patent leather shoes,
Gotta win and never lose,
Oh, then, why, oh, why, Jack, I cry,
Save your life and flee today.

Kimber was having his quiet time. Eyes fully open, staring out into nothing but a dark blue-green expanse, he floated there, suspended in the lake. It was effortless for him. Since he wasn't doing anything but just being well submerged, he could hold his breath easily for over five minutes. Even though he knew that others were swimming somewhere else in the lake, he felt all alone except for the very essence of the water and a few fish. It was so peaceful for him, away to escape reality and the stress of life. He liked being a candidate; he like dragons. But it was so different at the Weyr. Swimming, dolphins, had been his life and now they weren't. He supposed he was fitting in almost better than he had been back at home, where his main friends had been dolphins. However, after that candidate party and the incident there, things weren't exactly utterly peachy for him. He was loving the idea of just fading utterly to the back of everyone's mind for awhile.

Releasing a bit of his breath slowly, he watched the bubble trail slowly up. Then something disturbed his peace. Through the water, he could feel a vibration. It surrounded him, tickled at his skin and traced its way into his ears as a faint humming. Eyes growing wide, he thrust himself towards the surface. Shaking water from his face and hair as he burst out of the water, he could hear the humming, loud and clear now. Some at the lake hadn't noticed it yet but others were quickly leaving. He struck out for shore, swimming as if his life depended on it and he was floundering out of the water at an awkward run in a moment of moments. The hatching! The hatching! He raced towards the candidates' barrack, sides heaving.

Dripping water as he went, he quickly scrambled to his room, throwing open the door and only closing it because he realized he had to change and it would be public indecent to leave it open. His clothes were all neatly folded in his chest and his robe lay at the top, where had tried to give a good place to rest and sit above everything else. He flung open the box as he wondered why the simple latch that held it shut had to be so complicated. Striping of his wet swimming pants, he flung them on his bed. If it got wet, oh well. He didn't mind damp things, and, with any luck, maybe it would be his bed anymore in just a few hours! Holding the robe out away from him, he located a towel, and quickly tried to get himself dry enough and put on some underclothes. It was all done in a rush and didn't take long but it felt like forever and a half for him.

Finally, the robe was on, secured to with a white rope, and he wasn't totally naked underneath. He slipped his feet into the sandals, which were lying by the door, clenching his toes onto them due to nerves. Yanking open his door, he fled the barrack at a run, oblivious to anyone around him. He simply avoided objects because they were going to make him later! Wait, people were still heading for the hatching cavern. He wasn't late yet. This fact sunk in about the time he hit the stairs you had to climb from the ground to get up to the wide entrances where dragonriders streamed in. He wasn't going to be the first but he wasn't going to be the last and that was fine. It would be more conspicuous. Slowing to a walk, he regulated his breathing so he could gain control of it again. His thoughts raced about in his head and VTOLs, nasty and nippy, flitted about his stomach.

Stepping out onto the sands, he tried to ignore the searing heat and not immediately break out into a sweat because of mixture or that and nerves. He had to stand confident. He had to try his best and stand firm. Bowing quietly to the clutchmother, he mentally praised her and Faranth for this opportunity, but didn't feel sure about trying to voice it out loud. He was grateful for this chance, even though he wasn't sure at all if he'd Impress of not. Not to be judgmental, but he got he feeling that some of the others were utterly sure that they'd Impress or were thinking very positively. He contented himself with the knowledge that he would get to see some friends be happy and see some beautiful young dragonets. Even attending a hatching was an honor. Joining the throng of male candidates, though wouldn't exactly say that they were utterly organized like that, he took a place by Tazar, giving the other boy a smile in greeting. His dark eyed gaze fell upon the eggs.

Several of them were moving. None of them really seemed to be cracking yet though. Perhaps it would be the large egg in the back that would be the first to hatch. Perhaps it would be one of the smaller eggs closer to the front, or that reasonably sized one right there. It was soothing just to speculate and let the world fall away. Once again, he was floating. There was nothing but him and the eggs. He was confident; he was sure. As long as he forgot all the other souls that were standing around him, anxious or eager to Impress, and the large crowd, that was growing larger, he wasn't nervous and he wasn't worried. Unfortunately, his brain kept trying to remind him of their presence. His stomach fluttered nervously.

What a life,
Damn your patent leather shoes,
Come the time to pay your dues,
Oh, then fly and fly, dear Jack, goodbye,
Save your life and run away.

[kyrillion]

Though Kyrillion had only recently arrived in the Weyr, it had not taken her very long to acclimate. Life here was fairly regimented - the moment she'd arrived she had been given a place to stay and a list of chores, and time had passed fairly quickly after that. She completed her chores as quickly as she could every morning, then after lunch had plenty of extra time to explore, to familiarize herself with the layout of the Weyr, its customs, and its people. So it was that, before noon on this particular autumn day, the former-metalsmith was seated at one of the near-empty tables in the dining hall, snagging a quick bite to eat before returning to her duties.

She was late for the meal, and the room was nearly empty. It was easy, therefore, to pick out a sudden hum, the moment it began. It was more of a feeling than a noise - a vibration that moved through the walls and the floor like a living thing, taught with anticipation and alive with excitement. It rippled through Kyril, as well, straightening her posture and snapping her head up, her eyes moving unconsciously towards the door in what she knew to be the direction of the Sands. Here it was, then. The Hatching.

Standing, she seized her nearly empty dishes and brought them to the kitchens - it didn't occur to her to leave them behind, and if she were in charge of cleaning up the hall after breakfast she wouldn't appreciate stray silverware lying about, anyway - and only then headed, with appropriate haste, towards the barracks.

Though she moved quickly, she did not run or jog or outwardly appear to be in a hurry. There was a mostly neutral look, highlighted by a certain determination, fixed upon her face, but otherwise no outward sign of her own feelings of excitement and anticipation that matched perfectly that ethereal humming that grew in magnitude with every moment that passed. Upon reaching her room, she promptly exchanged her loose, practical clothes for the crisp white robes that she had received upon her arrival, and then headed without further fuss or delay to the Sands.

She was not the first to arrive, nor the last, and upon entering paused to bow to the copper queen who stood doting over her eggs. She had been told that it was customary to do so, and even had it not been, she thought it suitably conveyed her respect. She was honored, very honored, to be here, and to have the opportunity to stand at this queen's clutch. And when her eyes lit upon the eggs, she couldn't help but smile. They were beautiful.

Moving to fall in line with the other girls, she felt the sand burning-hot beneath her feet, but put the uncomfortable sensation firmly out of mind - there were far more important things happening, after all. Nodding to those around her in a quick greeting - she didn't know any of the other Candidates particularly well, but she recognized a few - she clasped her hands behind her back to try and allay her nerves, and waited.

Falling perfectly and utterly still - no changing of weight, no shifting from foot to foot, no pacing - she regarded the scene around her and tried to take everything in, committing all to memory. Whether she Impressed or not, she knew she would remember this day for the rest of her life - and it would be a good memory. A quiet din was rising from the stands behind her as more spectators arrived, and she could see now that some of the eggs were rocking, a few nearly toppling over in their eagerness to hatch. For the most part, though, they stood quite still. The entire cavern, dragons and humans and eggs alike, seemed to be holding its breaths as all waited for something, anything, to happen.

[fidelli]

I am not a child now.
I can take care of myself.
I mustn't let them down now-
Mustn't let them see me cry.
I'm fine.

;;Everyone to the hatching sands. The words rang through the minds of the Weyr, and had electrifying results. But let's go back, a few turns of the hourglass backwards and focus on what was happening then. Returning from the feeding grounds were two dragons and three people, all of the humans wearing little clothing as they glided to the lake. It was a pretty day, just warm enough to still bathe in the calm waters - soon they would have to go to the beach down at Southern to get anything done, for the cold water wouldn't be fun. The large purple, who bore two riders, was happily looping and playing with the wind, mindless of the much smaller gray that it dwarfed as she lazily glided above him. They came splashing down together, a flurry of mainly wings that were settled as the figures slipped into the shallow water.

;;It was two males and a girl, easily joking around and laughing as Rukbat glinted feebly overhead. The males were an odd pair together, one black haired, one a wheat gold, one with pale spring green eyes and the other with sparkling blue ones. One was slim and narrow, the other built more like a man with wide shoulders. They were the same height, and looked to be about the same age, although one couldn't tell whether that age was later twenties or older. The girl, who was much younger then them, could barely be near her seventeenth turn. She resembled the slimmer male, with the same blue eyes and colored hair. It was noticeable they were siblings - they looked too much alike to be anything else. She looked like a girl at this point, wearing nothing but a breastband - not that she had much to put in it - and a pair of shorts that didn't get in her way. But her hair was shorter than her brother's, a ragged cut that barely made it able to be pulled back - it was a pink ribbon that tied it off, a surprising addition to her generally maleish look. They capered in the water with the dragons, even the aloof Gray taking part in the play, her huge wings stretched open to bat water at them all playfully.

;;In the air above them ran a rainbow of colors - firelizards danced about to join in the games. The largest of the bunch was a Bronze, a large-sized King with a beautiful orange-bronze hide and paler wings, the glittering color running along the contours of the smooth wings. He was the girl's, proven as he lit down her head to croon to her happily and paw at the pink ribbon that he liked so much. Of course he liked it, he had stolen it for her! But while Klepto was a sweetheart, his memory wasn't the best of all Bronze's. Two Green's were also in the air, one a dazzling bright spring green that gave a reminder to new birth, and the other a darker moss green color that seemed to be dappled with sunlight from a thick forest. They were very different not only in color, but in stature - the darker green was a chubby small creature with short wings that stayed the same uniform color as her body. The other green was a young, only half-grown creature that loved the skies and played in and around herself in random coils for the joy of it. Her wings, long but very slender, seemed to be a rainbow, starting out with a dark green and ending at the tips a very pale, almost white color.

;;The slim one, Ribbon, lit down for a moment on the dark-haired male's head, tweeting at him happily and then taking back to the skies, while the chubby one, Bubbly, after only a few minutes collapsed around the neck of the other male, happy to rest there instead. Of course, when water was splashed all over her she objected and sprinted to shore, daintily landing and watching the antics from the safety of far away. Two more flits also took to the skies, a Blue and an Orange. The blue was a beauty, a medium blue sparkling critter that seemed happy to keep a watchful eye on ribbon. Fellis also belonged to the blond male, as did the almost obnoxiously bright Orange who kept a careful eye on the young Ribbon. That silly green better not come anywhere near her. She was Lady, a perfect darling in her mind and a terror to everyone else.

;;The dragons commanded the attention in the lake, happy to caper away in the water. The tiny Gray - perhaps the smallest dragon in the Weyr at this point, was a uniform color, a roughly hewn gray marble. She didn't shine, didn't glimmer, but she didn't mind. Noyth was her name, a quiet dragon who was generally much more happy to stay in the sun and try and soak in as much heat as possible. But Her's, such an active bouncy fellow, had asked her to come along, and she did like bathes... She tucked huge wings back against her body, wings that were almost comical at first glance, more than twice as long as her body. When folded back they didn't even fit against her back, giving her a sharp appearance even as she contentedly used her head to splash Hers, the blond fellow. A'mor, as was his name, lept on her neck happily, using it as a platform to jump on the unsuspecting girl, Anima, who was focused on pouncing on the black-haired fellow. F'del, who was bonded to the large Purple, stayed up as the two went under in a bubble, and the dragon peered over His to look anxiously down at the thrashing spot. As much as Noyth looked normal, Altith was an odd-ball. His main color was a pale lavender, almost a creamy white, and over this was every hue and range of purple their could possibly be, as though many painters had dropped brushes and allowed four turn olds to paint him. His wings, which were too big for him and not normal - Noyth's, as a Gray, were - and had the coloring over them so thickly that the pale under color was barely viable. His head was basically the underlying color, with a rich wine-purple drizzling down his neck as though someone had upended a bottle over it and stained the hide.

;;The family played in the sun, mindless of the momentous occasion that was about to begin. Infact, they didn't hear it until they were all clean and dry, everyone having bathed and dressed and collected in F'del's room - which was bigger and cleaner. The lizards draped across various people and furniture and dragons, with a white and black happy canine laying at Nim's feet, They were clean and happy and lazily eating a mixture of lunch and dinner when the news came through.

;;Everyone to the hatching sands. The powerful copper's voice resonated through their voices, and almost immediately after the flit's all came to attention, beginning the hum. This is where the jolt rang through, as F'del and A'mor both turned their heads to Nim. The girl, who was anxiously calming down a rather excited Bronze, didn't notice it until A'mor hauled her up, one slim hand wrapped around her bicep and calmly tugging her toward F'del, who was holding the white candidate robe. She immediately began to squirm, fighting against the taller and older brother, yelling, "NO! NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!" It was a battle to get her into the robe, and in the end they had to just throw it on over her clothing. She managed to slide from their grip, and ran to put the bed between them and her, arguing with their pleas, and A'mor's yells.

;;'Just go Stand, what's wrong with that?'

;;She set her jaw mulishly and told him, eyes flashing dangerously, "I refuse to walk away by myself. I have Glomp and you all - I don't need a dragonet."

;;F'del's words were quieter, softer than A'mor's yells. 'Nim, love. Please? Both the dragons say you should Stand, and that's unfair to the dragonet that you are meant for if you aren't there.'

;;Nim glared at the two of them, slowly backing for the door and yelling, "NO!" Behind her, as she slipped out and began to ran, she could hear her much rasher older brother yelling, 'GET YOUR BUTT BACK HERE! ANIMA, YOU ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE!'

;;F'del turned, placing a hand on the Grayrider's shoulder and restraining him when he would have chased after the girl. "Leave her. You know it's her choice, in the end." He watched the Grayrider's eyes flash as he stared out after his sister, but knew that he was right. She wouldn't stand if they pushed on her like that. She was just as stubborn as A'mor was. The Grayrider heaved a sigh, snarling softly, 'I'm going to my Weyr for just a moment to get ready - meet you there.' He didn't even have to open his mouth, and A'mor was telling him with a wave of his hand, 'Yes, yes, I won't go after her. She'll end up at the hatching anyway - she can't resist them.' F'del was left alone in the room with only his dragon, and his little Green, who was running up and down Altith's back totally mindless of the drama that had been going on. The purple, who had been watching anxiously, nuzzled the rider and told him, She will be there. She is a good girl. But Mine! THE BABIES ARE HATCHING, PLEASE HURRY!

;;With a chuckle, the man nodded and took one last gulp of fellis laced klah - pulling a face at the fact it was getting cold YUCK - before clambering onto the Purple and allowing him to take off, down to the Hatching Cavern. Outside the top where the dragons would enter stood the Bronze, but Altith only bugled happily at him before slipping inside the cavern to spiral down to a low tier, eager to have the best seats to watch the babies hatching. They were inbetween the clutch and the candidates that were ringing loosely around them - at the perfect angle to see everything. Altith was humming happily, almost bouncing up and down with joy as F'del fought to hold Ribbon down, the little Green excited and eager to get a closer look. Only his firm demands to stay and Altith helping kept him there.

;;Back at his own weyr, A'mor fumed over his little sister, kept only in place by Noyth rustling her wings and eager to be off. Come, Mineown. She is a big girl - she is out of the egg. You cannot control her, and we must be at the hatching. Running a hand through the golden hair, he finally agreed with a huff and mounted the Gray, complaining bitterly the whole way over. You would think that she would listen to us - all four of us agree! Noyth only kept her own council, spinning down the entrance to land next to Altith with a skip and a hop, peering down at the eggs and joining in with a quiet hum. She was scanning the crowd for the girl she had Searched - there, looking just as calm as when she had found her. A quiet pride radiated from the gray, and she settled down closer to Altith, watching. A'mor, still muttering angrily, slid down to land next to F'del, who was sitting at the edge of the tier. His own lizards - who knew better than to flutter off - were ranged over them, Bubbly around his neck, Lady perched imperiously around F'del's neck, and Fellis sitting on A'mor's lap. The flits hummed with the dragons, sending vibrations through the pair who watched and made bets on who was to be the first to hatch, and what colors would be first.

;;Anima had run from the weyr, down the stairs and into the Bowl, tearing off the robe as she ran. Behind her was Aren, the canine refusing to be left behind, and Klepto flew alongside her, alternatively humming and crooning to try and make His feel better. The girl, so tall and proud, ran long and far, although she didn't know where she was going. In her hands was the robe, on her eyelashes were tears, her slim face set and anger slipping from her actions. She ran and ran, only halting when her lungs squeezed out breaths and she fought for air. It was then that she slowed, running past... The Sands. With a frown, she sprinted past the entrance, around a few feet until the entrance curved away and she couldn't be seen. Only then did she slow down, finally gliding to a stop and plopping down in the dirt, still holding the robe. Leaning against the outside of the sands, she frowned at the sky, wiping angry tears from her eyes as more replaced them. Words rang through her mind, ‘selfish brat who only cares about living off of others rather than living at all,’ ‘that love is more than you’ll ever need or want,’ ‘they are the only things you’ll ever want or need to have.’ They scared her, that sense of responsibility. Maybe she would have stood, in the beginning, but she feared refusal more than anything else, and the fact that she knew if two amazing people like F’del and A’mor got dragons… Those are the people that deserved dragons, not people like her.

;;As she sat in the dirt and fought tears, fought anger, Aren and Klepto came to offer the comfort that she needed. “You two are all I need. I do not live off of others – I carry my own weight in the Weyr.” It was true – the Headwoman had captured her numerous times and the girl didn’t complain… Loudly. “We’ll leave – Altith will take us… We’ll go join the trader’s – the trible trio of Klepto, Aren, and Nim!” This was her way of comforting herself as the vibrations rang through the weyr and in the wall behind her, as the dragons fought free of shells and found Their’s. She wouldn’t Stand, despite what sure Yellow’s and aloof Gray’s and happy Purple’s told her. She wouldn’t. It would be torture if she was made to, to walk on the sands and walk away without that bond that she saw A’mor get to have every day, every second. She wouldn’t need it. She didn’t.

I'm to tired to listen.
I'm too old to believe:
All these childish stories.
There is no such thing as faith,
And trust,
And pixie dust.

[lysita]

Felicia was startled awake by the copper queen's call, almost falling out of her bed. Shards, the hatching, it's starting, she thought as she hurried to find her robe. Whisky had been sleeping across her legs and gave a meow of protest at her sudden movement, that dislodged him.
"Sorry Whisky, but I have to find my robe. The hatching is starting and I don't want to be late." She shook her head in disbelief at herself, trying to explain her actions to a young kitten, then she went back to searching. A while later, with hair wilder then before she started, she'd found her robe and aha'd in triumph.

She quickly slipped into the white material and started to rush out the door, but caught herself as she noticed her reflection in the mirror. She grabbed up her comb and hastily began to work on bringing her hair under control, and attempting to get out the tangles. It took a while but then it was done and she was ready. She picked up Whisky and kissed his furry head before putting him back down.
"Wish me luck." She said as she hurried out the door and out into the bowl, before running across it to the hatching grounds. The sands were hot and she was glad to have remembered her sandals as she stepped out onto te hatching sands. She curtseyed to the great copper queen before joining the other females, although she tried to distance herself at the same time.

[/size]

[zara]

Own! The great Iron said to his mine urgently, excitement coloring his usually calm tone. His eyes swirled various hues of excitement. K'nan shot up from where he had been sleeping on his bed, his hair messy and sticking up in several directions. He could tell by teh sound of impatience that the great Iron had been trying to wake him for a short time now. What's wrong, Embraeth?[/i] he asked his dragon urgently, already standing and pulling on his shirt and clothing.

The hatching has begun! the dragon told K'nan, his voice full of urgency and excitement. To him, K'nan could not move fast enough. The Iron wished to add his voice to those welcoming the young ones. He wanted to watch them find their Mines. He knew His wished to see this as well, but he still could not move fast enough for the Iron's taste.

Be patient, Embraeth![/i] K'nan sent to his dragon, but he was laughing as he pulled on his last boot and raced out to the ledge where his dragon waited. He climbed up the great foreleg and pulled himself onto his dragon's back. Embraeth barely waited for him to be seated upon his back to leap into the air and head to the Hatching grounds where he would find a place on a ledge in order to watch this great and amazing day unfold.

It was crowded inside... Embraeth and his rider, however, soon both had their spaces to watch the hatching, each rather excited, but once again calm and cool. The noble nature of both rider and dragon prominently displayed in their very carriage.

His blue eyes held a hint of warmth that was not always there and his even messier hair - abnormaly messy for him - was sticking up in an odd way, which managed to throw off his appearence of dignity. He seemed to realize this and ran a hand through his hair, straightening it enough as to keep his dignity intact, but soon there after his gaze was riveted on the eggs, hatchlings, and Candidates, waiting quietly for the Impressions to come. He could hear his dragon's voice among those of others...

[Admin]

They call you lady luck.
But there is room for doubt.
At times you have a very un-lady-like way.
Of running out.

Annith hummed but waited patiently for her rider to wake up. It didn't take that long. She'd known it wouldn't.

Why is there an earthquake, love?
It isn't a earthquake. It's the hatching.
Oh. PARTY TIME!

P'nay rolled out of bed and carefully surveyed his clothes. After a moments though, he settled on a pair of black wherhide pants and a loose yellow dress shirt. He pulled them on quickly but didn't rush about getting himself ready and trotting to where Annith waited. He had to look fabulous, because there would be a feast later now. Hopping up and snagging one of her ridges to pull himself onto her back, he settled himself and then she was soaring across the bowl. There was something exhilarating about riding a humming, excited dragon.

Picking out a space on one of the lower tiers that stuck out over the dragonless spectators in the normal stands, she landed gracefully and he was slipping off her back. While she hummed, watching the eggs intently and utter happy, he hunted the sands. There, Flaet. He succeeded in restraining him from shouting some excited comment that probably wouldn't have been taken as appropriate for the occasion. He simply glanced at the dancer between looking at eggs, and mentally wished him the absolute best of luck.

Luck be a lady tonight,
Luck be a lady tonight,
Luck if you've been a lady to begin with,
Luck be a lady tonight.

[kia]

(( Gonna have to make this short because I am running around the house right now doing chores and being distracted. I apologize greatly. This weekend is just very busy for me. ))

Lynx woke up to the sounds and sights of the new day. But this was not the normal sounds of dragon waking up and roaring as they yawned from their perches. No, it was the sound of male and female Candidates shouting "Eggs!" and "Hatching!" She laid there for a second and closed her eyes. Faranth above, please let me Impress today. I may have certain colors I want to Impress, but please let me Impress to my lifemate today. That is all I ask of you as of this moment. In her little prayer, her meditation, a small tear slipped down her cheek. The past memories of the previous Hatchings she had attended were stung into her memory. She wanted to Impress and show that she was strong and could help. But only Impressing before the age could prove it. Maybe she could stay here if she went past the age? And she could help some lonely rider ease his mind by offering attention and a warm bed. Maybe if she did not Impress, that was how she could help Dalibor.

She rose from the bed and grabbed her own Candidate robes. She put them on and made it out to the Sands. She bowed once to the Queen, and then twice for luck. Maybe if the Queen approved of her than maybe one of her children would approve. The tears had already dried up and she looked back to normal. She spotted Luven and Kimber on the Sands first. She flashed them her traditional flirty smile. She was still interested in them. Maybe they were of her? She rather hoped so. And where was Tazar, the other young man she was interested in. Maybe he was here too. But she could not tell with all the people who had already started crowding the Sands. She sighed and turned her sights on the smaller eggs. Maybe my life partner is there. I hope to Faranth above that my lifemate is here.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Okeris was sitting in his bunk, stroking Lira when the sounds of hums and excitedness reached his ears. Quietly and without having anyone notice him, he had slipped his robes on and hurried out to the Sands. Lira sent him of an image from an earlier Hatching of a Green getting too close before Lira chased her off. Lira hated Green dragons who tried to Impress to Okeris because she was Okeris` only Green. She was jealous. But Greens that rode other Riders were okay in her books. And, even when Lira was shooed off, Green dragonets were oddly scared of the boy. He sighed. He wanted to Impress. Would he this time? He sighed mentally and furrowed his brows together for a moment as he took his place near the male Candidates. Let the dragonets choose. They know what is best. With that in mind, he relaxed as his eyes went from the eggs to the other Candidates. Maybe there was someone here he knew?

[Admin]

Can I have your attention please,
If you didn't want the garden why did you plant the seed?
Your making promises that you never keep,
Now you deal with the consequences down on your knees.

Fajra inclined her head at O'sho as he became the first to appear and offered his congratulations, not at all surprised given the lurking presence of Daidoroth just outside of the cavern. They wouldn't need him unless there was a problem with any of the attendees, which there wouldn't be if they wanted to keep their head. Until all of her eggs were hatched and all the dragonets had safely Impressed, Kalith was perfectly willing to bite anyone who caused a disturbance. As candidates, and riders, started to appear, she watched each carefully, especially each of the candidates. They remembered to bow. Some of them even commented politely: 'They're lovely. You should be very proud.' 'Thank you for allowing me to stand before your eggs. They're beautiful.' Placated by them, her attention flickered back to her beautiful, lovely eggs.

Crack, crack, crinkly, crack. The small brown-gray egg at the end of the middle row had real cracks in and small gaps were starting to appear as the dragonet inside tried to push its way out. Crink, crack, crack . . . SNAP! It wasn't that small egg that produced that thunderous noise. The bronze-orange egg in the back row, the first to have started moving, had snapped cleanly in half. As the two parts of it and some little shards fell away, a large dragonet stepped nobly forward, leaving his egg behind to lay in pieces where it had been set. His hide was a darker grayish color with touches of green in it. Catching the dim light that filtered into the warm cavern, the slick metallic-looking living surface, covered in a mixture of egg fluid and bits of sand, reflected it back with a dull shimmer. For his color, he was small, but that wasn't very obvious.

An iron had been the first to hatch. Anyone who believed in the superstition that a King hatching first meant good luck for a hatching should have rejoiced. Even though he was only about the size of a typical larger bronze hatchling, he moved well and held himself with great dignity. There was little of the typical hatchling awkwardness that was normal for such a young creature. He moved slowly and surely, as if he utterly knew what he was doing, as if he wasn't some just born creature. Perhaps it was just the mysterious, admirable air that he got from simply being so new to the world and so quiet. With aloofness, he surveyed the crowd and candidates that lay beyond the two eggs of eggs in front of him. He had to go find a rider now, didn't he? He was feeling a bit hungry. But who to choose? Firmly, he started to pick his way forward.

However, the dragonet in the cracked brown-gray was not having any of it. She could hear her brother out there! Why did he get to be first? Why was he so quiet? Silence was stupid! With one final struggle, she shattered her egg and burst forward, tumbling out onto the open sand in front of all the other eggs. Picking herself up quickly, though it was a bit hard for her to get her feet, her tail, and her wings all straight, she let out a loud little roar, simply for the sake of making noise and letting the world hear her arrival. It was followed by a rumble that turned into the bugle as she explored her vocal range, hopping about the little patch of sand she was on. She tossed her head about, reveling in the freedom of being finally no long confined in that little egg. She was free, and nothing and no one was ever going to contain her again!

The boisterous green looked to big too have fit in the smaller egg that she had been in. She wasn't exactly a huge green, and she certainly wasn't a huge dragonet, but she was on the larger side and simply didn't look like she should have come out of an egg as small as hers at been. In color, she was darker but not exceptionally so. She looked a bit forest-like with it but, in truth, she was more reminiscent of the shade usually called myrtle and was rather like a dark leafy vegetable. Not that she had anything at all in common with a vegetable, trumpeting about the sands as she was. Content with the amount of noise she had made after a couple of moments and growing bored, she quieted and lowered her eyes to give wall of people in front of her a piercing look. She wanted food. She wanted it now. Food would make her feel better.

Natural instinct told her that she need her person and she was sure that her person was here. She trotted towards the center of the candidates quickly. Hmm, was her person a girl, like her, or a boy, like her iron brother? A girl. She choose on an impulse, because she liked being impulsive, since it was fun. Veering towards the grouping of candidates she could identify as female, her path took on a sort of arc shape. She looked as if she were sort of just wavering and weaving about, constantly moving and shifting. In order to greet all the candidates, she let out another roar. Perhaps if she wasn't just the size of a canine, it would have sound fierce, but it was intended to be happy. She was just so busy and noises didn't have to make sense as long as they were interesting and new! Confusing people would be fun too.

Was her person that? No, no, not that one! Perhaps that one? No way. She past by a couple of candidates and simply decided that they were not hers. There didn't have to be a reason; she would know who her lifemate was immediately. She didn't want anyone that she could choose on impulse! Finally, she actually really stopped, turning her body to look directly at the girl she was by. Her swirling eyes made contact with the boring but beautiful ones and Impression was made. You, LauraMine. Can you make noises like your Gneith can? Or perhaps you could feed her; the green told her new rider wildly, refusing to use her preferred nickname simply to be contrary. She was a beautiful, strong little creature that did exactly what she wanted, which was typically to destroy the social order and make as much noise as possible. Chaos was fun, and so was Hers.



I don't feel what you feel,
I don't want to feel this incomplete,
No one here can tell me,
How to fill this space between.

[jack]

Riori! Flaet's eyes lit up and he gave the other a cheerful smile, his face alighting with glee. Good! The other wasn't avoiding him. He'd gotten the feeling that he had. But he wouldn't be here if he was!

The teen slunk closer and gave the other a subtle nudge, winking, "G'luck~." He crooned in a soft little voice, tilting his head to give the other a fond look. Laughing cheerfully he gave the other hsi space, humming to himself as he bounced on the balls of his feet.

His own humming did not block the sound of cracks, however, and Flaet's attention was immediately dashed, eyes widening as his heart began to boom in his chest and his musical humming unconsciously grew. Queen gave a soft little squeak but Flaet didn't seem to notice, his attention fully on the eggs.

--

An Iron! Durian couldn't help it--she smiled, her eyes gleaming as she watched the noble little fellow. He was so handsome! She smiled, and tilted her head, watching him for but a moment before the Green's loud interruption made her nearly laugh, biting her lip to hold it in.

The Green was beautiful, her deep green coat positively gleaming as she barreled around, clearly intent on going wherever she was going as quickly as she could! Reggae gave a soft chirp, nuzzling Durian's neck softly as the Green charged towards a nearby Candidate and Durian's heart sank subtly, only to shoot up again.

One was down, but there would be more! And maybe...maybe she'd get lucky. But if not, who cared? Someone else would have one, which is just as nice! Maybe they deserved it more. "Congratulations!" Durian piped up, smiling cheerfully at Lynx, "She's so gorgeous." the girl bit her lip and leaned in, "What's her name?"

[kia]

Lynx watched as an Iron Hatched first on the Sands. A good sign. A good sign indeed. She smiled and clapped for the Iron. Choose well, little Iron, she thought, remembering her past Hatchings she had been to. She smiled and then watched as a little Green Hatched out onto the Sands. She smiled as she saw the Green run around happily. She had energy. She was glad to see such an energized Green. And she was rather big already for a little Green. Maybe it meant she would be one of the largest Greens. She watched as the Green came to the female Candidates. Lynx`s heartstrings were tugged. The Green was beautiful. She sent mental thoughts to the Green, telling her to choose her Mine and go on so she can eat. Then there was that roar. Lynx was spooked for a moment. Maybe the dragon was happy. She rather hoped she was. But, suddenly, the Green turned her attention onto Lynx and spoke to her.

You, LauraMine. Can you make noises like your Gneith can? Or perhaps you could feed her? Lynx`s eyes widened. It had been a long time since she had heard her real name be spoken. But the fact that there was a Green looking up at her made her speechless. SHe had Impressed? SHE HAD IMPRESSED! Thank Faranth above, her prayer had been answered. She did not care that she had Impress a Green, she had Impressed! To Gneith! Lynx fell to the ground and scooped Gneith into her arm. Tears of joy rolled down her cheeks. "No, Gneith-love, I have not the voice to make such a noise as you did. But, please call me Lynx. I much prefer that name," she replied, still holding the dragon in her arms. If you wish, LynxMine, the Green replied. Can I be fed now? Lynx chuckled and nodded. "Of course. Of course." And the two walked off the Sands together happily.

[kyrillion]

Kyril was no stranger to the belief that a king hatching first meant good luck, and by those criteria this particular Hatching was going to turn out marvelous. Her eyes followed the stately creature around the sands - there was no possibility of Impressing him herself, of course, but as the first baby dragon she'd ever set eyes upon, she couldn't bring herself to look away. He moved with a grace that she thought was probably uncommon among newly-hatched dragons, and her suspicions were concerned when another egg broke open.

The little green soon proved to be just about anything the iron was not - just a little bit clumsy and quite noisy. While something of the sort might have irritated her coming from a human, she found the little green a bit endearing, and watched her parade across the line searching for Hers. She blew right past Kyril, but when further down the line she stopped - and Kyrillion was able to see what an Impression looked like.

Grinning, she nodded her congratulations at the girl that the green had chosen, though she doubted she'd notice. Nevertheless, Kyril took the opportunity to glance around at the Candidates standing next to her, surveying their reactions. She saw happiness in some, jealousy in others... a wide range of reactions. Her own had been, more than anything else, curiosity.

Intrigued, she turned her attention back to the sands. The Iron hadn't chosen His yet, and none of the other eggs had hatched, or gave any signs of doing so imminently. Turning, she took a moment to survey the crowd - and eventually spotted Noyth, situated next to a purple she did not recognize. Thank you. Though she 'thought' it as loud as she could, she knew the gesture was absurd - the gray could not hear her. Still, it was because of her and her rider that she'd been given this opportunity to begin with. As exciting as it all was, and much as she hoped that one of those eggs might contain a dragon that would pick her... she was just happy to be here. Not many Holders were ever able to experience something like this.

Turning her attention back to the sands, she kept her hands clasped firmly behind her back and fell still again. Again, with twenty-one more eggs left unhatched, all that could be done was wait.

[Admin]

Filling up my empty days with red wine,
Wonder what you think of me?
Lying in the grass alone and wasted,
Nothing's how it used to be.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kimber saw Lynx arrive and that dragged him back into the real world. His little smile became easier though as she bowed twice to the clutchmother. Looking for a little extra luck and approval, aye? But then she was flashing that flirty grin at him, which meant she had seen him, and he quickly looked away, focusing on the eggs again. One of the smaller ones had cracked, but that large one in the back row had been rocking so intently for so long . . . He tried to distract himself from ending up blushing because of Lynx. With a snap, which one was going to hatch first was decided and then it was so easy to be distracted as a dragonet emerged into the world. Though the girl remained in his thoughts, he suddenly wasn't embarrassed at all anymore. This was a beautiful, miraculous moment and he was caught up in it.

The iron that had just emerged into the world seemed to sure of himself despite his age, slowly and deliberately moving forward. It was a tinge unnerving, knowing that the dragonet had to see him with that distant way he looked about the entire cavern. Still, that noble new bit of life was simply breathtaking . . . But the brown-gray egg that had been cracking burst open, sending egg shards all about. He couldn't help but stare at the green that tumbled forth, a bit worried that perhaps she had hurt herself but also surprised by her sudden entrance. However, she was up soon enough and making quite the racket. It was cute and endearing, and he watched with amusement, the other eggs and the iron forgotten for a quick minute. Huh, there was always a chance she would go and pick him, he thought as she moved towards them.

But she was heading vaguely towards the female candidates, not anywhere near him. He looked back at the iron, who was picking his way forward. A King as the first to hatch was a sign of good luck for a Queen's hatching, wasn't it? He didn't have much faith in superstition but it still seemed good to him. Hatching in general were good though; they were all about insuring a good future for Pern and ushering in new life. His focus on the iron had been singular, since he had just been trying to focus on something to keep his nerves at bay, so had to look about as there was clapping and cheering. There was Lynx, and there was the green. He smiled, a bit of his shaggy hair falling in his eyes, and clapped. He was so glad she'd Impressed; she was happy. He stared at her as she led the green away. Keeping the smiling, he turned back to the eggs.

I'm so happy for you,
I could cry,
Yeah, I'm so elated,
Cross my heart and hope to die.

[Birdy]

Chelo watched as the Iron hatched, a good omen her father would say. But she wasn't superstitious, and it was only another dragon she couldn't impress. That left...she counted the eggs, twenty-two. She knew she had no chance with the Iron, he would impress the male candidates, of that she was certain. With one final glance, her gaze returned to the rocking eggs.

Her eyes were locked on the Queen egg when the second egg burst open, a green emerging on to the sands. She was suddenly more alert, leaning forward slightly, now this was one she could Impress. Her chances became higher as it headed towards the girls. Quite a vocal one, Chelo noted, amused at the green's antics. As it impressed, she sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. She leaned back to her original position, so this one was not hers.

[fidelli]

So I sneak right on The T
The conductor sees me
He's kicking me right off with a frown
I grab my bag and I walk on
Comm. Ave., I hit up Blanchard's
They sell cheap wine, I got six bucks
Bag rips, wine smash
Drink it up avoid the glass

;;Unlike every other Candidate, Kanamar didn't have a fire lizard Weird - not really. Trader's didn't see the need for such creatures. And that's what he was, despite all else. A Trader. Tossing muddy brown hair from out of mahogany brown eyes, the young man leaned against the fence and watched the chestnut runner play in the weak rays of autumn light. He had gathered a small band under him, just two females, but Kanamar was happy to see his creature happy - bloodlines expanded for the Weyr was also a good thing! Anyway, the reason this poor delusional boy should have had a flit was because he was far out of the way from the Hatching Cavern, and he had no idea that a momentous occasion was going on. No, he instead was idly enjoying the boring day, for once by himself in the comfortable silence of his runner and him. This was the way that it was meant to be.

;;Why was he here? He had been asked that before, in several different forms, and now, as his thoughts turned again to the Hatching - which would start sooner or later someone had told him - he tried to puzzle it out himself. It wasn't as though he had been Force Searched - he had heard those were nasty. The rider had been kind - his dragon less so, but in the end the young man agreed to go and try his luck. Why? Even now, as he idly watched the happy young runner play, he didn't really see the creature. He was mulling over his thoughts, trying to understand what he had been thinking. He had a secure position at his home - he was heir to everything he wanted. But something was missing, and this was maybe the chance to prove to himself that he was meant to be a Trader, not one cooped in a Weyr.

;;So, while he mulled this over, everyone else had firelizards who were happily humming and enlightening Their's that the Hatching had started - Kanamar, way out in the corner of the bowl that the runner's were placed in so they wouldn't be scared, didn't hear anything. It wasn't until minutes later, when they really began to create the noise that thrummed through the Weyr did he finally pick up his head, looking around worriedly. An earthquake? Bugs on the move? Or, the smart part of his brain told the stupid half - The Hatching! With a muffled oath dropped, Kanamar turned around, shooting for the Barracks. He scuffled inside, sprinting to his cot and hurriedly tugging out his white robe. He disliked any form of controlling power, but this was uncalled for - the Hatching waited for no one! Generally a smooth man, he fell down once as he was struggling to get his traditional sandals on, and forgo one entirely, in the end, sprinting out of the Barracks with a sandal on one foot and a riding boot on the other, trying to put his head in the arm hole as he struggled up the path. He was late, he was late, he was late!

;;Into the cavern he hopped, still trying to peer out through the white clothe as he fought to find the whole to fit his head through. Shard it, shard it, shard it! Lateness! He tripped on the end of the robe with his boot, ripping the arm hole open enough he could get his head through - only after he did that could he find the right opening and poke it through, all this time running up to the great Copper and bowing hurriedly, tugging his arm straight and not meeting the Weyrwoman's eye. "My apologies, Queen Kalith - for both my tardiness and my appearance;" and then he was escaping to where the males were standing, sure not even his gift for words could make an angry Queen take any less disrespect.

;;Only when he snuck his way inbetween too males did he realize who he was standing next to - Luven. An elbow thrown out, hopefully clipping the boy in the side, he moved over to put space between them and otherwise ignored the dimglow, peering out into the eggs to count them hurriedly. An Iron, silent and strong was gliding among the rows, while a cute Green was just making her way towards the girls, a flurry of sighs of relief and disappointment from the males around him. He realized, hastily, that they were all focused on the Iron, and did the same, meeting the soft whirling eyes with his own silver streaked eyes, trying to discern what made this one so much more special than the Green.

But I can't stop from just smiling
When that damn sun is shining on
Hell, It's just
Shining down all over me
No, I can't help but just smile
While that damn sun is shining on
Dang it's just shining down
Down over me

[Nia]

"Yeah, you too!" There wasn't much time for conversation at a Hatching anyway, so Riori kind of just let it fall flat after that, consciously ignoring the subtle closer movements and wink. He wouldn't mind just standing near Flaet for the time being, though. It didn't mean they were Weyrmates or anything! They were just standing next to each other! ... oookay, that was a stretch. Boys could be friends and it didn't mean anything, even if they'd... kissed... before. Whatever, whatever! He was thinking too hard about this again. Shards, relationships were so annoying, and he'd been trying to avoid that sort of thing with boys. But he tried to refocus his thoughts on the Hatching... dragons didn't like that sort of thing, apparently. Not now at least.

The dragonets fully deserved his attention either way. So he watched the eggs as they began to crack open, his gaze intent on them. Alright! He could do this! The anticipation in his heart made it feel like it was about to burst, but he manged to hold out until the Iron emerged from his egg. Awesome! An Iron first! That was a King dragon, which meant that the clutch was sure to be a good one! Or, a lucky one at least. Riori could only hope this would be HIS lucky clutch. He wouldn't mind that Iron... but surely he wasn't really the leadery type, was he? Would he be able to handle it? Of course he would! Phareon had Impressed to him, right? ... well, that'd been because he had been the one who had the food, but besides, it had to mean something! He was lucky!

Well, the Iron was interesting and all, but now a Green had emerged from her egg and was making as many noises as hatchlings could make. And maybe even some more that Riori hadn't thought that hatchlings could make. But... she was, uh, a girl dragon. And she wasn't... for him. She couldn't be for him! He was going to get a boy dragon, even if it was a Blue or something! Because... boy dragons went to boys, and girl dragons went to girls! Except those that, you know, didn't. ... uh... Riori figured he'd better stop before he confused himself too much.

But the Green had decided to go to the girls afterall, Impressing to... oh, Lynx! He clapped loudly and even cheered a little for his, er, "friend" and smiled. Well, someone he knew had Impressed! And he didn't really know a lot of people. That was a good sign, right? Maybe he'd passed some of his luck on her. But now that she was gone, there was really only the Iron to look at. Well, that and all the other eggs that had yet to Hatch....

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

Avalle glanced around, feeling a little nervous now that there were more people here. She didn't like having such ugly thoughts such as Now that she's here, I might not Impress.... but she just couldn't help herself. Even though she looked confident on the outside, she really wasn't. But she would look it, and she would get over her self-confidence issues! She was a great person and everyone was a little mean sometimes. She could be pretty bossy sometimes, but it was a reflex... she just liked for things to go exactly the way she wanted them to, that was all. The brunette reached a hand up to her shoulder almost awkwardly to pet Yulari's head, needing all the little boosts of confidence she could get. Yulari believed in her... but then again, the Yellow believed in almost anyone.

Those thoughts aside now, Avalle looked at the eggs. They seemed to be breaking open for real now, which only made her fists clench even more. She was determined to Impress this time. She had confidence, she had... friends.... R-right, don't think about that now, Avalle! Focus! Right! So she watched as the Iron broke out of his shell, her brown eyes focused on him intently. Well, Irons didn't go to girls. That was a well-known fact, but it didn't mean she couldn't admire him. Plus, a King hatching first meant good luck! ... if Avalle believed in that idiotic superstition. Kings were great for the Weyr, but luck was a thing that just didn't exist. Except her awful luck. That existed....

Still, he was a very well-built Iron, even if he was a bit on the smaller side. His metalic hide was a pretty color though, it was nice and shiny. But she didn't get distracted by shiny things like a 5 year old or a moronic 16 year old! No, she was mature. But he sure was shiny....

Anyway, she looked around again, noticing another egg was breaking open. There hadn't been a Touching, so she wasn't really familiar with the eggs. That didn't really matter though... Kalith hadn't wanted a Touching, and that was okay with Avalle. It wasn't her clutch, afterall. But while her mind had been pondering this, a Green had emerged from the egg that the brunette had been watching. Ahh, a Green! She was... cute. In a sort of dragon way. Could dragons be considered cute? Well, she was acting cute with her little noises. Simply adorable. She felt a small, relaxed smile spread across her face as she watched the dragon approach. It didn't Impress to her, but to a girl a little to the left of her. She clapped for the new pair, not knowing the girl, but she'd sure Impressed a cute dragon. Not that Avalle even liked cute things, or anything!

[/size]

[Admin]

But I desire them, I confess,
In a strange sort of way,
With no remorse, I may add,
But worry not you need not pay.

Kalith was pleased by the arrival of her first two children, a healthy iron, a King, and a very loud green. Her humming reverberated just a little bit louder as the green Impressed; she said farewell to the care of the first of her children. But then there was a late candidate tripping onto her sands! She growled at him as he bowed and tried to apology. How dare he, and how dare he just go and join the others like that? Lips pursed, Fajra reached out a hand to sooth the Queen with her touch and pass on a silent suggestion of something else for her to do. Settling somewhat, she choose to ignore the tardy candidate for a moment and looked up towards the tiers of dragons and riders. Altith, would you and yours please assist the new weyrlings with feeding and settling my children; she request of the purple firmly.

Some of the eggs that had been showing signs of life were starting to crack. The dark, mixed color egg in the middle row that had been bouncing now had spider line cracks snaking out from one singular point on its shell. Finally, there was a pop and creamy colored pink limb emerged, pointing up word. More little cracks began to appear from another point and then there was a second pop. Two creamy pink legs were extended towards the ceiling. For a moment, they were utterly still, then they began to flail about. From inside the egg, there could be heard a faint rumble of young draconic laughter. The dragonet inside was enjoying herself and found great fun trying to touch her impended legs together and wave them all about in the air. It was odd but enjoyable. The outside world held many possibilities for her to enjoy, but she didn't want to stop this!

The still technically unhatched dragonet tried to pop a third leg out of her egg, but it was too structurally damaged. As she pressed against it, the entire top half shattered into pieces and then she was just lying on her back in the bottom half of her egg with her feet stuck up over her. Her rumbling laughter silence as she stared up in surprise for a moment, but then it returned. Such a pretty ceiling! Chirping, the pink rolled herself out of egg, landing with a sort of bounce. She had so much energy and she couldn't play the leg game anymore, so what was she going to do now? Huh, now that she was out of her egg, her midsection felt empty. She'd have to fix that. But oh well. She sort of hopped, like how a very draconic antelope would move, forward. Then she stopped, surprised to suddenly be blocked by a very solid egg just in front of her nose.

After the pink was sort of set on her way, the second egg in the back row started cracking. It had moved once before but it wasn't even really moving now; it was simply cracking because whatever dragonet was inside was applying pressure to it. The young creature trapped inside seemed to just be trying to get it to break by applying its weight, and that seemed to be working. Slowly, a chunk of the shell dropped off and then another, and, slowly, a gap began to form in the shell. After a while, it became big enough and the blue dragonet within slithered out. Feeling that even doing that had taken so much effort, and horrified at the idea of how much effort it would have taken to really break the egg apart, he sort of flopped into the sands, unmotivated to move. The warm sand against his belly felt very good; why would he ever need to move?

Shockingly blue, he was dark in coloration, somewhere between being a shade that was like sapphire and one that was like cobalt, but still had a vibrancy to his hide. That sort of vibrancy didn't care to his build. Though he wasn't really fat, he had a very wide middle and everything about him was round. Even though he was an average sized blue, perhaps a little on the small side even, he had a very wide, heavy-set build. He was not quick. He was not agile. But he was hungry. Giving a very dramatic sigh, he hauled himself to his feet, the need for food great enough to convince him to actually move. At very laid back amble, he set out through the two rows, which made the distance so great, of his fellows that were in front of him. He noticed his bouncier sister. Why would she use so much energy? Moving in anyway was so tiring and awfully annoying.

At a steady, well set pace, the iron moved forward, passing out into the open in front of all of the eggs where his sisters and brothers would hatch from. Once there, free of the constraints of being surrounded by precious objects, he paused to give the candidates another aloof survey. He was a magnificent sight, hide shining through more now as it dried to its proper metallic coloration, and standing like some king looking over his subjects. Of course, he was a LKing, but he didn't really look as if he were connected to those before him. He lived off somewhere else and felt little for them. There was loyalty to his clutchmates, but not to these humans who might possibly Impress them, nor any of the people, or dragons, in the crowd he did not know. He was all alone. No, no, he wasn't all alone; there was someone he did feel for.

Having made his decision and sticking firmly to it, he strode forward with his head held high. There was someone to walk beside him, someone who would know what to do what was right, someone who could feel. He had chosen and no one would cause him to change his mind. His walk was unwavering, his gaze steadfast. Perhaps he was stubborn; perhaps, now that her felt something, he felt utterly sure about it. Either way, he was not going to be swayed and he had eyes for only one candidate. His path brought him right up to two of the males, Tazar and Kimber. However, he spared not a glance at the Lord Holder's son and positioned his body stoutly in front of the young dolphineer. K'berMine, feed your Detritath; he told the boy firmly and said nothing more. Impression was made and that was all.



I'll influence your decision not,
Merely show you both sides,
Of the invisible line,
Where pain and pleasure collide.