Mosaic Tiles {Kalith's First Hatching}

[Kila]

Sol was mystified by the continuing daydreams of the remaining Cyan. Perched ethereally on her self-proclaimed throne of sand, the limitlessness in her gaze as she mooned around the cavern transformed the seemingly ordinary stone, sands, and stands into something wonderful. What an amazing gift, Sol admired, to be able to see things so spectacularly.

Similarly, another Blue allowed himself to fall out of his egg and calmly made his way towards the Candidates. This dragonet had a serene air about him, as though he and his Cyan sister were meant to produce enough calm between them to offset the violence that had been produced by the recently impressed Brown and Black.

Sol’s heart picked up a little as the dear, blind little White moved in her direction, but, as those that had come that way before him, he passed by. Rather than passing by her, though, he pushed through the girls ranks and feeling his way, seeing somehow, towards the Sands. Surprisingly, the dragonet picked a person out of the crowds. The girl he chose, though, Sol remembered as having seen as a candidate anyway. Funny how things worked out like that. The grin she happily wore as the White dragged His onto the Sands was replaced, as was most of the caverns, with a look of surprise when he announced that the Weyrwoman was pregnant. Unlike the rest of the cavern, however, her smile sprung right back. How wonderful!

The antics of the Weyrleaders and spectators were instantly eclipsed in her attention by the hatching of the Queen egg. Had so much not been happening before, this would have been noted in great detail and waited for with bated breath. However, the final cracking of the egg was the main indicator of the glory that was soon to come. The emergence of the Gold was by far the most spectacular event of the day. She was a beautiful creature, rich in color that reflected the light in the cavern and reflected it brilliantly off her metallic hide. It was breath-taking; she was dazzling.

What was this, now? It was a royal sucession of hatchlings! The next to emerge was a Bronze, healthy and noble. It was almost as though he had known his sister had just hatched and he had quickly followed for the sole purpose of being close to her. Right away he flanked her admirably, becoming as much her guard as Daidoroth was Kalith’s and his children’s. They looked impressive standing together, despite their small stature.

If the sight of the mini King and Queen standing together wasn’t enough, the Cyan woke from her daydreams and elegantly glided over to flank her Golden sister, clearly intrigued by her coloring and flashy entrance. She was dwarfed by the other two, and they didn’t seem to notice her much, but she was firm in her purpose. How noble she seemed, devoted to defending her beloved sister despite her tiny frame. She followed in the royal train as it moved forward, but was quickly distracted by the entrance of another sister- an electrifyingly colored Green. The Green seemed hurried and angry for some reason, and the Cyan paused, clearly wondering why.

When she turned back to follow the train, the Cyan’s attention was diverted yet again, this time by the candidates. At long last, Sol thought laughingly, for the Cyan had been on the Sands for a long time, after all. The dragonet started to dreamily inspect the candidates not far from Sol, and like before, the hopeful Candidate’s heart picked up speed as one of Kalith’s clutch grew close. Though it was a short distance, time seemed to move slowly and it took forever for the dragonet to come to her. And yet she was there all at once, in no time, almost floating in her gaiety. The Cyan’s dreamy eyes finally focused- in Sol’s- and she gave a draconic smile as a foretold impression was made.

We have so many things to do, SolMine, but the first thing you should do is feed your Eccolath; the Cyan informed her with the utmost content. The voice that filled her head was soft and fantastical, it was warm and soothing, like rushing water. Sol’s heart swelled, as though joyously making room for the new part of herself that had just been found. Sol had lost home, and she had lost purpose since she had been uprooted, since her beloved canine companion had died, since she had been forced to bake. Uck. Sol had never known this feeling of camaraderie before, and she had not felt so complete a love for anything or anyone in some time. This was an emotion that, in the whole world, she had felt up until now only for her small siblings whom she loved and who needed her. But Eccolath somehow was her.

“Eccolath,” she breathed, managing to squeeze it out with such an inflated heart and soaring spirits. She felt rather dizzy. “Yes, yes of course, Eccolith, let’s go. I’ll feed you... to your heart’s content… we do have so many things to do, but nothing at all right now.” Before actually leaving the Sands to feed her new life mate, Sol sunk to her knees and wrapped her arms around the Cyan. It was no joke: This was real, breathing happiness.
Thank you, Mine; Eccolath sighed, resting her head over Sol’s shoulder with her eyes whirring happily.
“Let’s feed you now, though,” Sol said, pulling herself away and back up to her feet. They had all the time in the world.

[4horseshowgirl4]

"Aww, that's no fun!" Pratyba pretended to protest, though secretly glad for a reason to sit down after such a stressful morning. How was it that her dragon had been born more fit than Pratyba was? She was winded from chasing that spunky thing around! She gave a last half-hearted lunge at Oorth's tail, but the Pink was too quick for the exhausted new Weyrling. "Bah, fine! You win!" Pratyba said, smiling, at the Pink's vanishing tail. Still, the Weyrlingmaster (if he was the Weyrlingmaster, that is-- Pratyba wasn't entirely sure if the position was temporary or permanent) had a point: Oorth needed to eat, or she might crash later. Pratyba had seen enough people come off of klah highs to know that the fall when the sugar was low was not pretty. Experiencing that in infant dragon from could not be fun.

"Oorth, come eat!" she ordered, pointing at the half-eaten pile of meat in front of her feet. But that's not fun! Oorth protested, spinning agilely in a one-eighty to face Hers. Let's play some more! The Pink lowered her front end on bent knees, her tail weaving mischievously in the air behind her, ready to spring. "Oorth, if you...!" Pratyba said threateningly, being cut off as Oorth dashed off again. The Pink spun around again, obviously confused as to why Hers wasn't playing with her. "Sorry, Mister Dragonrider Sir!" Pratyba said to F'del with a sheepish grin. "It seems that my dragon is having too much fun to deign to such things as listening to me!" She laughed, hoping that F'del would have a sense of humor.

She turned away from the Purplerider to hunt down her dragon and make her eat (she didn't want the Pink to die of starvation... she was rather fond of her, as it happened, Pratyba thought with a wry grin, enjoying the understatement of it all). However, Oorth seemed to have finally decided she was hungry and had half of her pale orangeish-pink head buried in the meat in front of her, eating twice as fast as she should have because it had taken her twice as long to figure out she was hungry. "Slower, you!" Pratyba said, tapping Oorth firmly between her wings. Oorth grumbled but did slow down. "Hello and congratulations, Flaet! Oh, I suppose your name's different now! What is it? You too... Chelo, right? I think I remember you from the party. Doppelith and Seisuth are beautiful!"

Oorth, full and happy now, and just about as settled down as she'd ever be, withdrew her head from the meat and wandered over lazily to lie down on the warm sands. Pratyba sat down, too, grateful that sleepiness was catching up to the Pink, too. She reclined against the Pink's side, following the Hatching. The Cyan was still doing nothing, the Queen and a Bronze hatched... a Blue Impressed to a Candidate Pratyba didn't know...

Sol Impressed! Pratyba scrambled to her feet, rousing Oorth, who could do nothing but chase after her suddenly-active bonded. Pratyba grabbed Sol into a hug while Oorth put her front foot on Eccolath's head playfully, the small Pink having to rear onto her haunches to reach the larger Cyan's head. "Can you believe it? The crazy child and the Baker's apprentice-- Weyrlings together! Congratulations, Sol! What's her name?" Pratyba simply could not have been happier. Not only had she Impressed to the best dragon on Pern, but her best friend had walked off the Sands with a lifemate as well. Friends, dragons... what more did anyone need, really?

[4horseshowgirl4]

The Hatching wore on and on. At times, every agonizing moment of waiting, every slowly ticking second of not being able to do anything to help his chances than just Stand, passed about as quickly as grass grew, or as rapidly as water boiled when one's stomach was clawing in hunger. At other moments, time rushed by, a Green eager to chase down that piece of Thread before it hit the surface of Pern and wreaked havoc upon anything living, just as hasty and just as desperate to finish the thing at hand. Every dragonet Impressed was another strike at Luven's chances, and the Impressions seemed to be happening faster and faster, as if taunting Luven, saying, 'we'll all be gone in a minute, and you'll have nothing! Haha!'

Luven pushed these thoughts out of his mind. They seemed to invade his head like kudzu: taking everything over so swiftly that he could do nothing but be surprised of how quickly they had taken over and exterminate them once he'd identified them. The pessimism seemed to be his curse at the Hatching-- though anyone would be pessimistic at the eighth, Luven thought cynically. Still, he refilled his mind with the warm, welcoming thoughts that a string of Candidatemasters and their Assistants had promised the Candidates would attract dragons. It wasn't difficult to do that: Luven would welcome any dragon. Even the Impression of the blind white, just a hatchling now, would serve as a stepping-stone to aid both Luven and his dragon (if, no, when there was one: optimism was promised to bring dragonets, as well) to greater heights still. He kept his eyes on the Cyan, on the Black, on the Blue, all healthy and fine in their own way, though the Cyan seemed a bit too... distracted to buckle down to any real work.

It was not to be. The White went to Anima, up in the Stands. Luven smiled slightly to hear that Fajra was expecting-- women were usually happy about that, no? His small smile faded fast when he saw that Fajra's body language was anything but happy and excited. Oh, was she going to be sick, or was she just recoiling from the humiliation? Luven guessed the former: Fajra was not one to allow herself to be so outwardly humiliated by something that was a common after effect of Flights. Past that, Luven didn't care much. He doubted he would see much of the child. He turned his attention back where it should be, the dragonets, just to see that the Black had already Impressed to a Candidate he didn't know. Again, Luven brought his hands, now slightly red from the frequent Impressions, into a polite clap. He was trying to be happy for them. He was trying!

He was pleasantly distracted by the hatching of the Queen egg. Even though Luven was male and therefore had not even the remotest possibility of Impressing the Queen, her Impression would still be one of the most defining moments in the Weyr's history. However, Luven was far more interested in the dragon that hatched after the Queen. A Bronze! A second King! Luven felt the familiar lurch of emotion as his mind took off, drowning in his own ambition. Fighters were fine and good, but...! Though he felt rather guilty for allowing him to get ahead of himself (if he couldn't Impress a dragon after seven tries, why should he hope for a rare King?), he welcomed the hopeful thoughts. They were far more comforting than his forced thoughts, interrupted periodically by anxiety that there was no hope in this.

Looking at the trio standing there, so regally, couldn't help but lift Luven's spirits. The Gold, the Queen; the Bronze, her King; and the Cyan, the newest of the dragons' ranks: they represented the future of the Weyr. They looked so young, so fragile in their infancy, but promise shone from every pore in their small bodies. Hints of their future strength rippled under their hides, muscles not yet developed by work and toil. Whom would they pick as their lifemates? It would be decided soon. Ah, the Queen had chosen! It was Avalle! And the Cyan, with Sol! Luven clapped for them again, the lucky new partners of the Weyr's future leaders and Pern's future protectors. He eyed the Bronze, noting the Green's appearance as well. Who would they choose as Theirs? Who would be their guides, their helpers, in the journey that they were about to undertake? For the first time that day, Luven stole a glance over to those gathered around the meat, perfectly contented with a beautiful dragonet at their sides. Who would join the ranks as the next generation?

He could only hope that it would be him.

He could only hope that there was a future for him, somewhere on these Sands.

[/font]

[Kila]

Ah, the long awaited arrival of the Queen. Duilios watched with a face full of whole-hearted approval as the brilliant Golden dragonett broke free of her egg and into the world. She was a beautiful, healthy specimen and would serve the Weyr well as both a leader and a mother.

Her arrival, though, was overshadowed almost completely by the emergence of the Bronze. Yes! Duilios rose to his feet subconsciously, both to study the dragonett and so that it could clearly see him. This would probably be the last King of the clutch, but what a King! He wasn't the biggest that baby Bronzes had ever been measured, but there was no doubt as to his nobility. He would do just fine. Come here. Choose me, he urged with ever fiber of will in his being. The Gold, whom he so gallantly protected, impressed off to one of the girls in short other, as did the silly Cyan that had been staring off into space for a while now. And that left the Bronze on the Sands. There was now a Green, an obnoxiously colored Green at that, but she was not important.

Come here. Choose me. Come here. Choose me.

[wirevix]

Alalbar glanced about across the eggs and hatchlings, watching each one emerge onto the sands. The Blue that made his rounds amongst the boys was interesting, but he didn't stay long and Alalbar didn't worry about it, returning his attention to the eggs.

He didn't really know what to think about the Gold--she wasn't his concern, she was the concern of whoever she'd chosen to bond with. And off she went, eventually, once she'd made up her mind, and he didn't really watch because he knew he wouldn't recognize whichever girl she'd picked.

He felt about the same about the Bronze. He didn't have any delusions of grandeur that would lead him to believe a King would ever choose a person like him. He just watched the eggs quietly, and waited to see what would happen.

-----

G'can smiled a bit, a smile that he hadn't expected to wear for quite some time, as he listened to the chatter of the other Weyrlings. He didn't really talk himself much, not yet, because he was preoccupied--Tecarracath was, in his own sleepy but insistent way, keeping hold of all his attention right now. The floppy Blue took quite some time stuffing his belly, right through the Impression of his Gold sister. He glanced over at the Sands, but only yawned widely, looking satisfied.

Then, finally sated, Tectec just flopped over, his head occupying G'can's hands. The Blueweyrling laughed softly as he rubbed his dragon's snout slowly, holding his head up obligingly since Tecarracath wanted to be able to watch the Sands while he laid splayed out on his belly.

-----

Edwa bit her lower lip. All these hatchlings, picking and choosing among the girls, and leaving her standing there alone. She fidgeted and wrung her hands together, looking over at where the Weyrlings gathered with their new dragons, then back at the eggs. The Blue coming around may not have intended to be upsetting, but there was no helping it when she was already so on edge.

But he went somewhere else, of course, they all went on and left her standing there. Had she really thought being in a new Weyr would make any difference? She was just another drudge here, somehow stuck onto the Sands when she clearly had no purpose being there.

Those thoughts made her feel both despair and anger. Why was she not worth the same as those other girls? She certainly wouldn't expect the Gold to really pay attention to her, Golds were so high-class and not really her style anyway. But there were other dragons than Golds out there, and she didn't mind if they were Green or Pink or Blue or anything else. Even a Brown had gone to a girl--though that Brown was rather disagreeable in temperament--and still, she was just standing here.

She was going to end up being the only girl left on the Sands, at this rate. And there was really nothing she could do about it. It made her bitterly angry, and she would find a way to vindicate herself once all this was over. Nobody would just forget her in favor of all the shiny new Weyrlings.

[Admin]

With every year that came to pass,
More clouds appear until the sky went black,
And now there's no sunlight.

The red-yellow egg at the very center of all the eggs had a hole in it. That hole had been made by a tiny green foot. That hole was quickly joined by a few others as more tiny green feet made short appearances. That hole also got bigger as the egg rocked all about in its little patch on the sand. Kick, kick, shake, shake, then freedom! The green dragonet that fell out of the egg as it broke was all spunk and attitude. She faced the world with quickly swirling eyes and no fear, a bit of mischievousness evident upon her face. That look on a full grown member of her color typically meant flirting. One could imagine what that tiny, little green was going to become when she grew up; she certainly knew what she wanted and wasn't going to back down. At a floppy, awkward trot, impended by skinny limbs and long wings, she was off on her way.

Compared to the other green that was on the sands still, she was a lovely shade of spring green. It was easy, sort of, to ignore the fact that pretty, dull, natural looking color flared into a more brilliant shade, that was only slighter darker and more green than the larger, brightly colored dragonet had, on parts of her hide. One had to at least appreciate that the two different shades on her hide, despite being very different in intensity, seemed to just naturally go together. And it was nice too that the flashier of the colors was kept to just small patches on bits of her body, legs, tail, and wings. As she past her sister that had hatched just a bit earlier as they both headed for the candidates, she gave the larger female a daring, challenging look. Both of them let out a cry made a race of it, bringing up a friendly rivalry. Or less than friendly rivalry to the larger green.

Another of the eggs was hatching in a much less forceful manner. The purple-blue little one at the end of the first row was displaying plenty of energy with the way that it rocked and swung about, but there seemed to be little physical pressure from inside as no cracks appeared at first. But there's only so much movement such fragile object could take. With something more akin to a ripping or tearing sound than a cracking noise, the egg hatched. In order to insure the blinding of all those in attendance, the pink that was held within was fuchsia, or a very bright shade of magenta. Despite her being a very nice light fuchsia pink, or a very nice pale magenta if you wish to call it that, it was still brightly colored. Yes, it could have been worse, and it was arguable that bitter large green had a much brighter hide, but it was still so . . . pink, so utterly pink.

Once she was out of her shell, she peered about her with watching, darting eyes, searching for someone. There wasn't anyone about near her though and she looked a bit forlorn to the fact. Giving a little cough to clear her throat and shaking off her wet hide a bit, she looked up the at entire cavern with more interest. Then she chirped and tilted her head towards everyone. More little chirps, some croons, and a bit of rumbling followed as she seemed to go on and on about something. It was impossible to really tell what; she was definitely just talking about something in the only real way she could figure out then. She quickly grew a tinge frustrated when she got no proper response in any of her very short pauses and that she couldn't get it all out fast enough. Falling surprisingly silent, she took a few steps forward. And chirped hopefully again.

The chartreuse green, the bigger of the two on the sands, raced forward, streaking towards the candidates just to beat her annoying, irritating little sister. Turning sharply, she slipped in the sand again but dug in her claws determinedly, hissing in annoyance at the sand and the world in general. She was running towards the girls now, eyes constantly searching, while slightly narrowed to express aggression, for which one was the right one. When they'd started, she had a slight head start and she planned to keep it! She was going to win, just because she wanted to beat something into the ground very much. Dissatisfied with the circumstances, she headed towards the very first candidates she really saw, leaving the smaller green in the dust. But, as the small set of girls came into sharper focus, she realized that none would be her lifemate.

She could still win! Turning sharply again to try to get closer to any of the other candidates before her sister could, she slipped again and fell, head over heels, into the sands with a growl. Feeling very frustrated now, she hurried to pick herself. Then she realized that she had, in fact, won. Her eyes met the eyes of the girl she'd ended up falling right in front of and Impression was made, thus insuring her victory. Let's go, KaileaMine, feed your Succoth; she ordered her weyrling rider tartly, still glowering slightly despite her success and her joy at having already quickly Impress. Energy and bitterness wasn't the best mix, but that was who she was. She liked when things went her way but was generally just dissatisfied even when things did. However, she had beat her disrespectful sister, so she was at least a winner.



The Weyrwoman felt stupid, not being up to date on the most recent events of the hatching and busy being ill. She stiffened when a hand gently rubbed her back. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that it was O'sho, which didn't really help to sooth her any. Was he talking up the hatching? Faranth, the hatching would be fine! Left to their own devices with a request to F'del and Nim, Kalith, Daidoroth, the purplerider, and the redrider could easily handle the last of the hatching! And she was fine too. Everything was just fine! Realizing she was angry, she swallow, ignoring the disgusting flavor in her mouth, and closed her eyes for a moment to get a handle on things. It didn't work that well, and she was blaming the small thing in her abdomen for it. "Just leave me alone;" she told O'sho, voice stiff, harsh, and frustrated.

Once his gold sister was taken care of, the bronze turned his head to look at the two squabbling greens and then the talkative pink. The appeared to be sorting themselves out and he had to go find his own rider now. He waited, not resting or relaxing his inch, after his cursory view of the sand to look off after his leaving sister, like a soldier saluting. With a flick of tail, he finally started to move, by himself now. He kept his noble, valiant way of marching and headed across the sands towards where his pick of the candidates would be, opposite of where the gold had selected her lifemate. Like she had done, he started at a point and carefully inspected from there, surveying each like a new recruit to some service. But that slight bit of cheer and joy flickered there still; he was not an entirely serious creature, nor one that was at all really angry.

Some of the boys garnered a bit of attention, and he was not as subtle about where he was looking as his golden sister had been. He was more to the point than that. Riori received a sniff as the large dragonet was momentarily intrigued about one quality of the boy, but he moved on. Tazar received a noticeably longer look over than most of the other boys had too. To the bronze, there was two things about him that were interesting, but there was far to much of one of them. He marched on in time, but, the next time he stopped, he rumbled with pleasure. This one was better than those two for him; he just needed his wonderful, shiny bronze, of course! And that was fixed with a look and Impression. Isn't golden Callistath so beautiful, L'venMine? Your Valleth certainly thinks she is; he said with a cheerful, enamored voice.



You disappeared with the same speed,
The idealistic things I believed,
The optimist died inside of me.

[fidelli]

Starry nights city lights coming down over me
Skyscrapers and stargazers in my head
Are we we are, are we we are the waiting unknown
This dirty town was burning down in my dreams
Lost and found city bound in my dreams

;;It never slowed down - F'del didn't know how much time had passed. Outside Rukbat slowly spun overhead, but inside time stood almost completly still, every moment counted by an egg rocking, or a dragonet Impressing. The Cyan stood on the Sands, as did the White, and they stood still for just a moment, a picture. Egg shells littered the Sands, some whole, other's (depending on how much the inhabitant had destroyed the outside) a hollow reminder of the child that had been carried there for so long. It was a picture that F'del caught in his mind, and refused to let go - the picture of the hatching he would do. A single dragonet sitting still, dreaming of bigger worlds. A blind, proud creature that refused to give up because of one disability, surrounded by the life and ending, a timeless sentinel watching over them.

;;But as quickly as the image was born, the world had swept past it. It stayed in F'del's mind, but it was for another sleepless night. Now, he let Altith show him the rocking egg that spilled forth the little Blue, and smiled. The Weyr was growing. But he had more to do than stare at the Blue that spilled from it - he had eleven weyrlings to watch over until Weyrwoman made the announcement of who was to be the Weyrlingmaster. Altith would insist they help out, and he didn't mind. It was a fun thing, although a little nerve-wracking as he watched the carnage at his feet. So intent was he on slowly walking through the happily eating pairs that he didn't even realize that the White was moving - not until Altith rumbled, MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE LOOKIT! Used to this, and not really wanting to, F'del ignored him - he was making sure that the Black didn't eat to quickly, making rather annoyed snaps at the meat in His's hand. The poor boy looked exhausted - he would need more sleep than his dragon at this rate. Altith wasn't used to being ignored - with an uncharacteristic sign of annoyance he growled, causing the purplerider to snap up, quirking a single dark eyebrow. LOOK. He did, grudgingly enough, until he saw what the dragon was pointing out.

;;"Nim?" For indeed, the little girl he considered his sister was looking down into the eyes of the White, face shocked, as the creature very carefully dragged her back onto the sands and declared for everyone, You'll have to forgive Mine everyone. She got tired and had to sit down. Anyway, isn't to great how clutchmother's got a little one in her belly now. He couldn't see the girl's face - but he could see the Weyrwoman, as she looked like she would kill the little blind White. Shocked, F'del only stared at the sands, the hush that followed seeming to weight down heavily on them. But, thankfully, the Hatching would go on, and he didn't get to deal with them yet, as Altith murmured, The Queen hatches. That was what he fixed his attention on - good timing on the Gold. A Bronze after, standing proudly as a figure to protect, but he had to watch the hatchlings inhale their food.

;;The Blue Esketh Impresses now. A Green hatches... And the Cyan moves towards the Candidates. She Impresses a girl - her name is Eccolath. And... A happy sigh from the Purple as he looked back down at his charges, content as a dragon could be knowing the Queen had found Her's. She Impresses, Queen Callistath. The Purple watched as they walked over, intent on making sure she didn't choke - imagine if the little Queen chocked under his watch! - and F'del nodded to the new Rider with a gentle smile, leaving Altith to greet her. Welcome to the world, Callistath. I am glad you found Yours - but be kind to her. It is hard to train them at first. Altith was firmly convinced that dragon's trained their Rider's to do things properly - after all, he trained F'del to play with him, and to fly with him, and to sleep when the man stayed up! But his attention was split - back to the hatching, watching as the vibrant green Impressed, and then the Bronze! They are Succoth and Valleth.

;;The purplerider had found his problem child.. er, dragon, already. 'Aww, that's no fun! Bah, fine! You win!' Smiling down at the poor girl that had managed to Impress such a hyper Pink, F'del realized that the girl loved every minute of it - good. She would need all of that energy in the turns to come, for Oorth wasn't slowing down any time soon. 'Sorry, Mister Dragonrider Sir! It seems that my dragon is having too much fun to deign to such things as listening to me!' He was amused, and lucky for the girl - and with Altith how could he not - completly fine with humor. He had a dragon that couldn't sit still either... Just much more of it. "It's alright. Just make sure she eats." The smile was bright and kind, laughing in a gentle way as he stepped back to make sure she was alright. Altith, drawn by His's focus on the pair, watched the pink - who hadn't listened to him the first time. Well, it was her Hatching day, so he wouldn't mind it right now... Content with the fact that Her's was careful to make sure she ate slow, he focused back on the sands so he wouldn't miss another one hatch - so many babies, so little time!

And screaming
Are we we are, are we we are the waiting
And screaming
Are we we are, are we we are the waiting

[4horseshowgirl4]

Luven's heart pounded faster as the Bronze, the young Prince, approached. Like the Queen, he seemed intent on thoroughly examining every Candidate before he made his decision. The Bronze moved down the haphazard line, coming closer and closer to Luven. He stopped-- Riori was the newest Kingrider! No, no, the mental declaration was premature. It was Tazar! No, it wasn't. Luven frowned, tempted to close his eyes. It was so difficult for him to watch this, to watch some other boy walk off the Sands with that Bronze. He still felt a faint throb of hope that the King would choose him, Luven, but the dragonet still seemed so far away, a few feet and a couple of worthy Candidates standing between him and a chance of Impressing, a wall as impregnable as the walls of the Weyr themself, if the Impression was not to be.

A frown hardened on Luven's face. A small smile, more grim than anything, flickered on his mouth slightly whenever the dragonet passed over one of the Candidates. Every time the Bronze did that, he brought Luven that much closer to Dragonriding. Yes, Luven knew it was horrible to think like that, that another's misfortune could bring his own luck, but this was a Hatching, a time for ambition and strength! The others would not be hurt by his thoughts-- only the dragons could read his mind. Even Kanamar would not know the difficulty with which Luven had muffled gleeful thoughts when he'd been mauled by that Brown. It served the wherrybrain right, at any rate, for trying to cause trouble at the Hatching earlier. Still, being vindictive wasn't a trait for which dragonets looked in Theirs, so Luven would not dwell on it now-- he would save the happy image for later. Well, it would be a happy image if Luven Impressed as well. At the moment, he could hardly say that justice had been served because the mauling had ended with Kanamar's, or K'mar's or whatever his new name was, Impression. The insolent, lazy dimglow still ranked above Luven, much to the smaller Candidate's irritation.

His eyes were still fixed on the Bronze, but he was barely seeing the dragonet anymore. It wasn't fair! It was him, Luven, who was the hard-working one! It was him who had toiled at the Weyrs for however-many Turns, breaking his back for this chance to Impress! It was him who had drilled limitless information about dragons into his brain, absorbing and analyzing every bit of information so as not to do anything wrong if he did Impress! And yet, why was it that he was the one left Standing and the lazy ones and the latecomers, shards, even the ones in the Stands who Impressed? Indignation filled him, threatening to spill tears of frustration into his eyes. He was Dragonrider material-- he knew it! He had to be or he wouldn't've been Searched, right? He'd done everything correctly! What more could his Candidatemaster ask of him? He'd left no stone unturned, no... he was too antagonized to think of the proper proverb!

And, just as Luven's anger reached its peak, he was suddenly bowled over by a highly irrational feeling of bliss and love. He stepped back, staggering, as if the sudden turn of emotions had been a physical blow. He was staring into the whirling rainbow eyes of a dragon. Eye contact. Impression? Impression! And the Bronze! The Bronze was standing right in front of him!

Huh. Would you look at that!

Isn't golden Callistath so beautiful, L'venMine? Your Valleth certainly thinks she is.

[/b] The magic words floated into L'ven's head. His mouth parted slightly in amazement as he reached out a tentative hand to touch the dragon. His dragon, his Valleth! His beautiful, Bronze Valleth! L'ven fell to his knees, throwing his arms around Valleth's neck, tears of happiness running down his cheek. He knew he didn't look dignified; he knew he didn't look strong, but he didn't care. He was a Dragonrider, a Bronzerider, no less, and from now on, no one could say that he was worth nothing! And his Valleth, his Valleth would be there for him, always! "She is beautiful, and no dragon less wonderful than you is worthy of her!" L'ven murmured quietly to his dragon, wiping his face with the baggy sleeve of his robe. He stood up, proud and oh-so-happy, shouting to the crowd, "His name is Valleth!"

And he is forever Mine! L'ven wanted to add, but he didn't. Valleth stood straight and tall next to him, his movements graceful and strong despite his age. He waited a moment before moving off towards the other Weyrlings, just admiring his Bronze. He was shocked but deliriously happy that he'd not just Impressed, but walked off with a large King. Suddenly, something about Valleth's comment about the young Queen struck him. Valleth could chase Callistath one day, and that could make L'ven... it would make L'ven...! A smile spread across his face. Valleth wanted to win Callistath's love, and L'ven wanted to win a position of prestige. His ambitions seemed far more attainable now.

The two struck off together towards the other Weyrlings. Despite the growing hunger in his stomach, Valleth did not rush, nor did L'ven. L'ven nodded respectfully to F'del and Altith before following Valleth to a position nearest to Callistath. L'ven followed. He didn't know Avalle much beyond her name, but Valleth seemed quite intent on talking to her, and L'ven had no good reason to avoid the other Weyrling. Radiant Callistath, how are you? Valleth said courteously, dipping his head into the food before being mentally blocked by L'ven. The Weyrling plunged his hands into the meat, pulling out the highest-quality scraps for Valleth. L'ven had been given the responsibility of a dragon, and, by Faranth, he would treat the responsibility like it out to be. Valleth was amused by His's unnecessary pickiness, but he said nothing. "Congratulations, Avalle. Callistath is beautiful-- Valleth is quite enamored with her." L'ven said affably, handing the choice meat scraps to the ravenous Valleth.[/right][/font]

[Admin]

Oh you know, you know you're so sweetly,
Oh you know, you know that I know that,
I love you I mean I,
I mean I need to love.

The next dragonet to grace the sands made a soundless entrance. She made no fuss about cracking the bottom of her egg and splintering open a hole she could pass through. Her egg, the second in the first row, was complete one moment and then there was a pink dragonet in its place. A soft rose color, she was very gentle on the eyes in comparison to the fuchsia pink that had hatched not to long before her. She wasn't built like any sort of normal pink though. Her shoulders and back were wide, giving her a strong, square frame. Her wings were not delicate, but rather both long and broad. Her tail and neck were thick, and stumpy in their length. Along with that, she was a large pink. She looked more like a pink-colored, small green-sized, blue-built funky designed little dragonet, certainly very interesting in appearance.

But she was an utter sweetheart. She looked around her with softly swirling green-blue eyes, gaze falling on the candidates. With a delicate step for her build, she took a step towards them. Then she noticed her pink sister, far down the eggs from where she was. She looked so sad and lonely, all by herself! Turning with a darling caring look upon her young features, the pink changed the direction of her delicate walk to carry her towards the other, smaller dragonet. She seemed determined to look just as soft and dainty as all her other pink sisters had looked. No matter what she herself looked like, she was not a tough, harsh creature, and she was just as delicate as any of them. But perhaps not, because she cared to help others. The weight of her wings, the awkwardness of her tail, none of that matter to her as much as another person.

Someone to talk to! The fuchsia pink eagerly closed the distance between her and her sister so that, of course, she didn't have to walk another step. She cleared her throat again with a little sneeze and drew in a deep breath. Then she set off into a new series of chirps, croons, and rumbles, communicating, rather loudly for her size and the types of noises she was making, some point to her new, listening friend. It made utterly no sense to anyone, even as she wiggled her wings about and made a gesture with one of her front feet every so often, except for the oversized, bulky rose pink who listened silently to her talkative sister. There were moments when she would offer an ever so quiet and gentle little chirp, a single word reply that was placed in whenever the other dragonet had to draw breath. She was so encouraging, so sympathetic.

The green who had been charging towards the candidates in her little race to beat her sister slowed when she lost. She didn't seem to mind all that much, plenty of feisty energy still in her step and that touch of mischievous spunk still in her expression. Trying to tail her sister, she'd end up in front of the girls. She stopped and fixed the couple of them that was in front with a quizzical expression. Then she gave a snort that just sounded amused and sarcastic. She didn't want one of them; they were so, so, so, so, so, so boring, times a thousand! With a flick of her tail, she turned around and eyed the male candidates across the way with dangerous, playful little eyes. She wanted one of those, and she was definitely going to get what she wanted this time. Showing off the edges of her teeth in a less than comforting grin, she trotted towards them.

It didn't take her long to find the best of the bunch. If he thought he was such, obviously he needed a fabulous dragon such of herself! It would fun to pick him too. Her choice was almost made upon the idea of which she could sense would be cruelest for her to pick. Not that she meant to cruel; she just had that mischievous, feisty, spunky streak that was very strong. She at least was quick about it, leaping around the one boy she held between her and her lifemate to make sure he couldn't avoid Impression. Not that he could; she was getting what she wanted and was going to have plenty of fun. Hello T'zarMine. Isn't your Brecciaeth so wonderful; the little, tiny green asked him coyly. She did love him, her lifemate, so, but he was such a silly, silly, silly creature. It was going to be such fun teaching him how to deal with her.



Oh no, you girls'll never know,
No you girls never know,
How you make a boy feel,
How you make a boy feel.

[kyrillion]

Kyril looked on with a faint smile as the gold, the bronze, and the cyan moved shoulder-to-shoulder across the sands and towards the Candidates. Just hatched, they were already a team - watching them, she realized just how much she missed that feeling. Knowing that you were around people you could trust, friends you could depend on... That sense of unity that gave you a purpose.

She hadn't been staying in the Weyr very long, but try a she might she couldn't help but feel... cut off, whenever she observed the other Candidates. By the time she'd arrived, they'd long been divided into teams, with their own friends and enemies, alliances and rivals. They had their own 'people', and Kyril hadn't gone to great lengths to integrate herself into that system. Her 'people' were all back at crescent hold - most of them smiths who she would be effectively cut off from, should she Imperss. As much as the thought of becoming a dragonrider took her breath away, it did not escape her notice that she had no 'people' here. Perhaps, she reflected idly, that would change given time. She hoped so.

All three of the dragonets soon Impressed, and already there were more Hatching. The neon green was blinding, but more so was the fuchsia - but then, pink wasn't exactly a color that was easy on the eyes. Or on her eyes, in any case. For that reason she kept her attention focused on the greens, and looked on in amusement as the second to hatch initiated a challenge, and both came barreling towards the line of female Candidates just as fast as their little legs would carry them. She found herself taking a precautionary step backwards, to avoid being run over.

Both were soon Impressed, and when she turned her attention to the eggs she found herself becoming increasingly uneasy. There weren't many left. Despite A'mor's assurance that no Candidate Searched by Noyth had ever been left standing, she couldn't help but worry that she might be the first. She was loathe to let the pair down - despite not having spoken to either since being Searched, she had taken a liking to both of them - but she knew that it was becoming increasingly more likely that she would not Impress.

Squaring her shoulders, she forced these thoughts to the back of her mind and focused on the goings on around the Sands. Whatever happened would happen, and worrying would accomplish nothing - she was never one to waste time on useless endeavors or emotions, and that was not about to change.

[Nia]

Huh. Maybe this Hatching was going a little faster than Riori had thought. There was a blind White, the Weyrwoman was off throwing up and the Queen had just hatched and was moving towards the Candidates along with a Bronze and a Cyan. It was an interesting sigh, the three of them all together. But quickly enough they seperated, with the Cyan and Gold heading towards the girls. Riori watched as the Gold Impressed a girl he recognized as Avalle. They got along alright, and he clapped either way for it. She seemed like the type that'd be up to the challenge of being the next Jr. Weyrwoman.

But the Gold and Cyan didn't really concern him, so he looked at the Bronze, who did concern him. Hmm... he really wouldn't mind Impressing a Bronze. Sure, it was a lot of work and he was far too lazy, but it'd be cool. Power never really appealed too much to the fun-loving boy, but he wouldn't mind it. It'd be fun. He could prety much do whatever he wanted, since he'd be in charge. Yeah... come on, Bronze! Impress to him!

Nope, it wasn't to be. Riori had figured it wasn't going to Impress to him and clapped for the boy who'd got him. Ah, Luven. He vaguely remembered meeting the boy on one of his wanderings around the Weyr, though they weren't close enough for him to consider them really "friends". Acquaintances, more like. But he'd seemed like the Bronze type too, so Riori wasn't too surprised. Huh, maybe he should have placed a bet on who was Impressing what, he was obviously very good at figure out who was going to get what. Not that he'd figured it out beforehand, but he probably could have. Probably. Maybe.

Anyway, the Bronze was gone and now there were a bunch of other dragons all hatching. It was confusing, and Riori found it hard to keep track with his mind. There was a really, really bright Green on the Sands. It attracted a lot of attention. Jeez, how obnoxious! And the next dragon to hatch was even more obnoxious with her bright pink hide. Shards! He couldn't even imagine Impressing one of them (not that he was going to, because he was a boy) he'd never be able to look at their hides! Maybe after some oiling the color would fade a bit. ... no, wait, when dragons were oiled the opposite happened....

Another egg had hatched and revealed a Green. She looked calmer than her last few pictures, and a little more mischevious too. She just had that look in her eye, like she was up to something. The Green and fuschia Pink were "interacting" as much as dragon hatchlings could, and then the Green was on her way. She didn't waste a lot of time and Impressed to one of the boys Riori didn't know. But definitely not one he would have pegged for a Green. There were... lots of cross-Impressions. Riori wasn't sure what to think about that, and instead decided to ignore the whole issue.

---------

Avalle glanced out at the Sands to check if the Bronze had Impressed yet, but he hadn't, so she continued feeding Callistath, who wasn't interested in if the Bronze had Impressed and was more interested in the food. But she ate daintily, well, as dainty as a dragon could, and barely got any of it on her shiny gold hide. She was going to still need oiling, as all dragons did after they hatched. But she especially did, she couldn't be seen with dirt on her hide! Or blood from the meat. She did take great pride in her beautiful hide, afterall.

But she wasn't one to just snub and ignore those talking to her, so she turned to face the Purple as he spoke. I am not being unkind, I am pointing out her flaws so that she may fix them,

[/color] Callistath responded, her mindvoice precise and calm. She was being very kind! It was very nice of her to fix Her's flaws, because if she didn't, who would? She was definitely doing Hers a favor. And she also very much agreed with Altith: dragons had to teach Theirs to do things properly. It was one of their duties as dragons!

Avalle continued to feed the dragon as carefully as possible, trying to avoid getting anything on her dragon's hide. She didn't really say much, just admiring the Gold in front of her, mind still in a daze. Yulari had chirped indignantly when she hadn't been given food too, so Avalle fed her a few pieces until the Yellow was satisfied. The little one is amusing,[/color] Callistath commented, watching the flitter with whirling eyes. They seemed to accept each other, at least, so the Gold didn't mind her food being shared with the fire-lizard. It wasn't lady-like to whine.

So intent on feeding her dragonet who didn't seem to want to stop eating, Avalle had missed the Bronze's Impression. But she did see the two of them walk over to where she and Callistath were. She knew the boy's name, and that was it. Well, good. She figured it would be a little awkward if she'd already known the person to Impress the Bronze... she had a sneaking suspisicion that he was going to be the one to eventually fly Callistath. But Avalle wasn't even going to think about that now! It seemed so far in the future, way too far for her to start worrying about. Still, it wouldn't hurt to get to know L'ven better.

I am fine, Valleth. And you?[/i] the Gold responded pleasantly, taking another scrap of meat from Avalle. She noted L'ven's careful chosing of the meat, and wondered if she should be doing the same. What she'd given to Callistath had seemed fine, to her, but perhaps she should have been a little pickier. She didn't really think dragons cared too much, though. "Thanks! Congratulations to you too!" she said with a cheerful smile and a small laugh, "Yeah, she is. I'm trying not to let her ego get too big, though. Valleth is very handsome," she responded, feeling a little bit of indignation come from Callistath with the comment on her ego. L'ven seemed like a nice boy, she wouldn't mind becoming friends with him, she was in far too good of a mood to snap at anyone anyway.[/blockquote][/size]

[Admin]

When the wind picked up the fire spread,
And the grapevines seemed left for dead,
And the northern sky looked like the end of days.

There were only two unhatched eggs left. Both of them were moving but the very first egg in the last row was being very insistent with its rocking. The dragonet contained in the medium sized egg was intent upon getting out; it saw the shell around it as the walls of a prison like some of its brothers and sisters had before out. It wanted out and so it pushed, hit, and kicked with all its might. Then there was finally light as it cracked it. Pressing against the opening now, a blue hide could be seen outside. With firm determination and a good stubbornness against the idea of not succeeding, he put himself into and pushed his way out onto the sands, ending up on his back. He blinked the outer lid of his eye in surprise, suddenly very relaxed and calm. Taking a moment to gather himself, he rolled onto his stomach and got to his feet.

A large, slender blue looked about the cavern with a very composed look to him. He was an light azure color. Having very little green in comparison to what was in a typical shade of his color, he was very close to the color of a cornflower. There was an interesting swirling effect to it as a light version and then an even paler version mixed about his hide with the dominant shade of the color. Though much slighter in build in comparison to his two sturdy brothers, he was a strong enough fellow for being just born and a very fine sized blue. At first, he remained very calm, but his expression slowly to changed to one more serious and set as he eyed the candidates across the sands. He set his jaw firmly, gritting his teeth together, and set off, his gaze no wavering once he set it upon a point. He was going to be a very obstinate one.

Sensing that her sister was feeling better now that someone had listened to her, the big rose pink murmured a chirp to cut in and excuse herself. As daintily as she could, she turned and set off toward the candidates now. She looked at them with utter love and adoration. Like blue Esketh had, she radiated one pure emotion, as clean and simple she was. She was not soothing but comforting. She was a sympathetic and, every single she time cast you a look with that sweet, youthful face, she made you know that she cared about you. Why should it matter if you were to be her rider or not? Everyone needed love and she easily felt what others needs. She was an empathic character, beyond the simple fact that she was a dragon. Each candidate she past by with her slow, sort of delicate steps got to understand how she welcomed all of them.

With the only person for her to talk to gone, the smaller fuchsia pink turned her attention towards the candidates as well. She made her way over to them and started looking about them, taking the opportunity to croon to herself the entire time. At first, she peered around the few remaining female candidates, thinking maybe her lifemate was amongst the small few that were left. That turned out to not be true, so she chattered away to herself about that and turned over towards the boys. She didn't seem all that focused on the task, too busy continuing her little rambling, continuous conversation to really buckle down on the world around her. Every so often as she moved about, she would almost trip because of that. But she finally managed to inspect her way about and finally locate who she'd been looking for. There he was!

For a moment, she was silent as she savored Impression. Then all hell broke loose as she finally had someone to speak with in a way that didn't even need breath. There you are, A'narMine! Your Zyyenikkichikith was having such a wonderful conversation with her sister. I was trying to explain to her about how corrupt Succoth and Brecciaeth are, racing about like that and planning such affairs. No good will come of it, though I'm sure they'll be great fun to talk to. And isn't like some of the others are any better. Valleth won't end up any better than them, I'm sure, the way he goes about things. Come on, let's go over there, where they and the food on. And you will try to behave, A'narMine, won't you? Being rude and so angry won't do any good; she chattered away, a completely unstoppable force of talkativeness.



And we watched the plumes paint the sky gray,
But she laughed and danced through the field of graves,
And there I knew it would be alright.

[4horseshowgirl4]

L'ven continued to dig through the meat. He wasn't bothered by its squishy rawness or the blood and fat that oozed from it when it was squeezed. As a Candidate, he'd dealt with many things of a similar, odious nature: old, rotting food, vomit from a hungover Weyrling, the inescapable dust of the firestone mines, for example. If the worst with which he had to deal as a Weyrling (A Weyrling! The term, now applied to him, had not lost its shininess, nor would it for several good sevendays) was some raw meat, proper nutrition for his growing dragon, then L'ven considered himself a pretty lucky boy. He silently thanked all the work he'd done in the kitchen now, as he was easily able to discern what he considered fit for his dragon, who was obviously the best, not that he was biased, or anything, and what wasn't. Valleth was patient enough to avoid snapping L'ven's hand off for being slow, but he nudged His restlessly in the back, urging him to get a move on!

I am wonderful, to have found Mine and that our brothers and sisters have all found Theirs, Valleth said, trying to appear gallant and intelligent for the beautiful Queen. L'ven smiled, quite amused by how entranced Valleth was, but he didn't particularly mind it. Avalle was nice enough, and as long as Valleth didn't go bouncing from dragon to dragon in his enamoured way, rather like P'nay, L'ven could care less. Surely paying attention to the future Jr. Weyrwoman wouldn't do any harm?

"Thank you," L'ven said genially, smiling back at Avalle. "Good luck with that, though. Everyone fawns over the Queen-- they just can't help it." He gave a look over to Valleth, who was straightening and shooting looks over to Callistath to see how much attention she was paying to him between scraps of meat. "It's pretty impressive, though, you Impressing the Queen and all... I'm shocked that you haven't been swarmed by people offering their congratulations." He was pleasantly surprised at how friendly Avalle was. He was almost expecting another Fajra-- cold and business-like. Avalle was open and amiable, and L'ven hoped that he could be friends with her. He wasn't attracted to her like his dragon was-- thank Faranth, the last thing he needed in Weyrlinghood was an illicit romance.

[/font]

[jack]

While Durian was very gradually--and completely unsuccessfully--trying to squirm free from Mesreath's choking grip, the Brown's crimson gaze was turning, the soft blue swirling in the very depths completely drowned out as he glared in the Purple's direction. The red whirled faster and Durian gave a yelp as the Brown tightened his grip on her, his fury directed at Altith and yet transmitted on her.

"M-Mesreath!!" The Brown paused at her panicky voice, glancing up at her with a worried stare, only to quickly unravel his own coils when he realized exactly how tight he was clinging to her. ....very well. As though rewarding the Purple with a great honor he delicately removed himself from around Durian, taking a mouthful of her robes--he wasn't about to let her sneak away by mistake!--and carefully walking her towards the feeding area.

Durian rolled her eyes and leaned down, Mesreath giving a surprised blink as she carefully removed his jaws from her clothes, patting him softly on the nose. "I won't get lost. I promise." Grinning she gently moved forwards, Reggae watching Mesreath carefully as Durian moved.
The Brown stared at her for a moment and hesitantly followed, his nose right at her hip--making him look a bit like an annoyed, over posessive puppy.

Don't trip, Mine. Mesreath suddenly demanded, pausing to stare with a mixture of love and disapproval as he resisted the urge to snap at Durian's robes again, dragging her the way he wanted.
"I wont' trip." She replied with a laugh, relaxing at his both worried and annoyed expression, "I've been around, you know!" She winked and leaned over, rubbing his eyeridges playfully.
Mesreath gave a subtle hum, showing the glimmer of cheer in his eyes for a moment before they turned back to their usual red. Such an angry little fellow!

But they'd reached the bowls now and Durian took a place near Kimber and Lynx, only to give a soft 'whoa' as Mesreath snarled at the pair, gently pushing His towards a bowl nearer the Queen. Clearly uninterested in her rank or beauty he spared even her a soft snarl, although it held less scathing as the previous as he--double checking to make sure Durian was at hand and not close to anyone else--gave a huff and plopped down.

The street rat merely shook her head in disbelief, unable to hide the lop-sided grin. As tough as he was, this dragonet was such a worry wort! She would hate to see what happened if she got hurt. But she wouldn't--not with this big bodyguard--and she smiled, sliding towards the bowl and selecting a few pieces, gently handing them to her little dragonet.

Mesreath paused in hi observation of the building--inspecting each and every dragonet in the process--to take the meat, swallowing them quickly. As if realizing his hunger he rose to his feet--taking a particularly long moment to glare at the Weyrling he'd mauled as well as his puny--as far as Mesreath was concerned--partner, before turning his full attention to his rumbling tummy. More?

[Kila]

As Sol and Eccolath ambled happily off the Sands, Sol saw Pratyba jump up and barrel towards her. Completely unable to contain her excitement, Sol took off in a run and launched herself at Pratyba, getting neatly caught up in crushing hug. Despite being challenged in her balancing abilities, Sol had faith that her friend could easily hold her weight.

“Pratyba! Pratyba! Can you believe it? Can you believe it? I know!!! I can’t!” she blathered. “Who woulda thought the two of us? No way! But we’re both Weyrlings! We’re Weyrlings together now like we hoped we would be! Congratulations indeed!” Sol threw her fist in the air with triumph, almost losing her balance in the process. She opted to climb down for safety.

“This is Eccolath, Pratyba. Isn’t she lovely?” Sol said, kneeling next to the Cyan and touching her hide in a mesmerized kind of way. “What is your Pink’s name?” Introductions were certainly in order. Eccolath momentarily stopped playing with Oorth to nuzzle Sol’s cheek gently. The Pink interested her- everything interested her. Surely Eccolath had an extreme case of dragon ADD. With far less difficulty than the smaller Pink dragonet, Eccolath mimicked her action and placed her forepaw squarely on the others head. Hello sistermine- you have such a pretty color. Mine and Yours seem to get along very well; she said in a dreamy, yet oddly observant kind of way.

A long, drawn out rumble clawed at the air awkwardly. Eccolath looked down at her stomach as though she had forgotten it was there. Oh! I am hungry. She looked up at Sol imploringly. Feed me, Mine? There is so much to do.
“Yes! Of course! I’m so sorry, Eccolath!” Sol exclaimed, horrified to have been so easily distracted to forget such a thing. Turning on her toes and dashing off, she was back in a flash with some meat and wave to F’del.

[Admin]

The dreamers get punished most by truth,
They say it's all in a little ways,
One reveals their love's gone away,
Love's gone away.

There was only one egg left unhatched on the sands, the brown-gray egg in the very middle of the front row. And it didn't waste its time in getting around to hatching. Poor thing didn't quite seem to succeed no matter how hard it tried, but it was bound to succeed at some point. Fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh, the egg cut through the air and a handful of minuscule cracks appeared. Thump, thump, thump, it beat against the shell and a small sliver or two fell off onto the hot sands. Crash, crash, crash, it caused the whole thing to roll over onto its side, which didn't cause more than a few more cracks. Poor, poor thing, but there was one last effort and that was the one that succeeded. A single clawed finger poked through and then the entire thing splintered away around it, turning into nothing but a couple dozen jigsaw like pieces of egg.

There were no more unhatched eggs anymore. A green was the last dragonet on the sand. With her egg finally gone, she remained lying on the sand with one foot, with one digit extended, stuck out into the middle of the air. Her vision filled with sand, bits of eggs on it, a wall, and the ceiling, she stared whimsical at it, curious about every little detail. After a few moments, she got to her feet, but her eyes remained fixed on one little thing, then another. Everything was so new and so interesting. A very light, pale shade of spring green, she was a lovely, skinny thing. She was very slender, very elegant, and very delicate, so slight in build with all of her features designed to match that. She looked around the eyes, filled with a strong curiosity, that swirled a vibrant mixture of blue and green against her softly colored hide. So many questions, so many things!

The blue, at first, just headed right towards the candidate. As he made his way forward, he began to cut out more and more from his goal. He didn't want any of the candidates over way on that side, or over way on that side; they fell away as his visions narrowed to a more select group. He drew closer. None of those over there, none of the males, were right for him; his vision focused in on the girls he hadn't ruled out. There were only a few. His steps slowed but he drew yet closer. He wanted to just pick, but he had to still pick the right one. Each step he took forward slowed down slightly but he refused to go to a dead stop. He sniffed at the air, testing it to try to draw out something about these possibilities to make his decision more clear before he got to much closer. His eyes, still intent, searched faces and bodies slightly for little clues and signs.

There, that one. He made his decision and then there was no changing it for him. Each of his steps after that grew slightly faster until he was trotting right across the final gap. His eyes were only on one person; they never wavering even slightly anymore. Then they were locked with one person and colored exploded in them with Impression. Your Ripariath is glad you could wait. You are home, KyrillionMine; the blue told his new lifemate, voice stubborn and sure. What was home but as they were now? He would always be by her side too, loyal enough to be ever present to her, so she would always be home. There would be no loneliness anymore. He would always be a friend; he would always be her family. She would do the same. He had been intent upon choosing, as he would be intent on everything else, and he was happy.



The Weyrwoman once again stood beside her dragon, jaw set and expression composed. She stood as strong and firm as ever, as if nothing had changed in the slightest. There was a fire in her eyes, a gleam in this cold blues, but she had her usual control once again. Beside her, the Queen watched her few remaining children closely, but she was in good cheer; her golden daughter and second King son had Impress safely. Despite being as pleased as was necessary, Fajra had other concerns once again. Accepting her current state and processing the new information, she was busy coming up with a new plan of how to proceed after the hatching had concluded. She would just speak to Avalle; it would be for the best if she tried to rest during the feast. Others would be spoken to, but small groups could be done by different people very quickly.

The loving, bulky pink ambled amongst the candidates, spreading her adoring affection with an awkward spring in her step and plenty of good cheer. Past the few remaining candidates she went, taking her time about it and enjoying showing how she could still be there friends even if she didn't pick them. She embraced the world with open arms, welcoming all to her even though she was just moments old. No one was to broken as could not be broken. No one was to evil to not be turned to good. No one wouldn't be accepted by her. It wasn't that she didn't understand the world, which would have been excusable by her youth. There was something about her that did seem to get that everything was rainbows and flitters, but the rest of her rebelled against accepting that as that. She was a pacifistic fighter. They could happen.

There was one person she embraced more than the others. One that was just for her. A brief moments eye contact and she expressed her utter love, that would last an entirety, with a simple flurry of emotion and feeling, and then words. EdwaMine, your Baserath loves you very much, you should know. I also adore, admire, prize, cherish, and treasure you, just so you know. I would love it if you would feed me too; she said sincerely. Ever so gentle, she rubbed up against the front of her new rider's legs, her feline-like way of showing affection without causing harm. If she could have hugged her without possibly hurting her, she would have, but this seemed like the right way to do it, as it seemed like it would be very difficult to get on her back legs and wrap her front legs in such a fashion. Dragons just aren't designed to try to hug.



Fools like me,
We love blindly,
And the cracks don't count,
It's gotta break in front of me.

[Kila]

O’sho felt Fajra stiffen under his hands as he tried to soothe her. He should have expected such a reaction. When she rigidly stood up, he pulled away his comforting hand and stepped back. ”Just leave me alone;” she told him in frustration.

It will be just fine, Own, Daidoroth chimed in, his voice soothing and reassuring. He loved his life mate like he loved his beautiful, Copper Queen, and regardless of any unrequited love he may face from other humans, the Bronze would be with him for as long as they lived.

Thank you, Daidoroth. I’m not worried, but it’s good to know, O’sho replied warmly. He could feel the waves of love being poured forth from his dragon washing over him.

Returning to his present rejection by the Weryrwoman who had, by that point, straightened up and returned to her usual cold self, he nodded acceptingly as she pushed him away with her words. He returned, unhurt, to his place by the stands. There was not all that much more left to the Hatching, for now only one lonely dragonet was left on the Sands. All of the other dragonets had impressed happily to candidates and left their shells behind. None had betweened yet, nor should they have, nor would the last one. And for that last dragonet, O’sho would faithfully stand guard. Soon there would be a rush of people and congratulations as those assembled moved towards the Hatching Feast. He would have to speak to Fajra again, unfortunately, to see what she needed him to do. But O’sho was patient, he would take her coldness in stride because it was who she was and he would not try to change it, regardless of how it merited his treatment.

[kyrillion]

One of the pinks Impressed, and then there were three left on the sands. Only three. Kyril did not think about the odds, nor the future - she simply composed her expression and reigned in her emotions, prepared to be left standing. She would not be disappointed - whatever happened was for the best, and if she was meant to return to Crescent Hold and live out her life as a metalsmith, so be it. She had been happy before, and she would be happy again - all of this she said to herself, over and over, until she believed it. What else was there to do?

But it wasn't as if the Hatching was over just yet, and it was quick in re-capturing her attention. She watched as the last egg revealed a whimsical and fragile-looking green, who did not seem to be as dead set on Impression as her blue and pink siblings were. Both of the latter, in fact, seemed to be headed towards the Candidates in earnest, now - the pink faster than the blue who, though his focus was clearly on the choices he had left, was taking his time.

The pink moved down the line of girls, though Kyril spared her only a quick glance as she passed her by. The blue was the focal point for her, now - he seemed to be methodically eliminating his possibilities, going through logically and calmly to narrow down his search even as he moved closer to the broken and empty line of those remaining. She was intrigued by this - you could nearly see what he was thinking as he weaved back and forth, and it wasn't long before anyone could see that he was beginning to center on someone...

His distracted gait became more purposeful, and he sped up his pace. He had chosen, she realized. He was set on a single course now and, sweeping her feet along that trajectory and across the sands, she ended up staring at... her own two feet. Her eyes widened nearly imperceptibly with surprise, and she shot her head back up almost before her mind had time to catch up. She found herself locking gazes with him, his eyes swirling opalescent colors, and for what seemed like ages it was all that she could see. She felt herself suddenly brimming with wonderful, sweeping emotions - love and acceptance and happiness - all far too strong and untamed to be her own. They were potent and all-consuming, but she realized that in their own way, they were really hers as well.

That sensation was back again, that pressure in her mind that she had felt first from Noyth and then from Kalith - and his voice was different than either of there's had been. Though they had both been beautiful, his, in her mind, was perfect.

Your Ripariath is glad you could wait. You are home, KyrillionMine.[/color]
"I would have waited for you forever."

Grinning with total abandon, now, she reached out a tentative hand and set it gently, almost timidly, on the top of his head. The little blue crooned softly, shutting his eyes in what she recognized as contentment - not that she needed to observe him to read his emotions. She could feel it, too.

You won't break me, Mine.
His mind voice was colored with amusement as she trailed her hand softly down his forehead, a little bit shell-shocked still and captivated by him completely. Her eyes radiated the delicacy, focus, and attention to detail that was usually reserved solely for her work - the various blades and knives that demanded undivided attention and were becoming her specialty. As if to illustrate his point, Ripariath tilted his head up and pressed the top of his muzzle squarely and indelicately into the palm of her hand - his equivalent of a hug.

This was all it took to snap Kyril out of her reverie.
"Of course not. Never. You just took me by surprise, that's all."
We are not easily taken by surprise.[/color] The blue sounded almost puzzled by her admission.
"No, we're not - but you pulled it off quite nicely."

Still beaming, ear-from-ear, she moved her hand to scratch affectionately at his chin, subconsciously moving away from the remaining Candidates and towards the far end of the cavern, where she knew meat was waiting for the newly hatched. Ripariath was starving - he hadn't said so, but she could feel it for herself. Sensing their new destination, the blue sped up his pace, and she immediately mirrored his action. Soon, they were both striding purposefully towards their goal, the blue hovering as near to his rider as he could get without tripping her. As they passed, Kyril glanced briefly up into the stands again, catching one last glimpse of Noyth and A'mor before turning her attention fully to her new lifemate.

[123notit]

((This is going to be the saddest post I have ever written… ))

This was it, the Bronze was coming towards him. He looked at each boy in turn, studying them for a moment. But he passed each of them by. He watched as the Bronze stopped at one boy for a slight moment longer. His heart stopped for that extra couple of seconds. But the Bronze moved on, towards him, without Impressing and he felt his heart start again.
As the Bronze approached, he straightened up even more, head held high. He had to look presentable for his new lifemate. A smile, one of his few completely genuine ones, crossed his face as the Bronze stopped in front of him. He started at him for longer than the others. Surely, Impression was about to come. Tazar waited…did it usually take this long? Seconds seemed like hours as Tazar waited for the beautiful Bronze voice to enter his head. It did not come. The Bronze continued on. He Impressed another boy near by.

For how happy he was when the Bronze was studying him, he was ten times as disappointed. What if that was his last chance? Kings were rare. There were already two. No. He wouldn’t accept it. There had to be one more. One more King for him. That is what he was meant to Impress after all. It was in his blood, right?

Now, only greens and pinks were left. He paid them little attention. Those were his least likely Impressions, he thought. He watched, trying to appear bored despite his pounding heart, as a green bounded over to the boy Candidates. Another cross-Impression? Poor fool. He looked around, trying to guess which the green would Impress. That’s when he heard it.

Hello T'zarMine. Isn't your Brecciaeth so wonderful;

Where was it coming from? Tazar, now T’zar he supposed, looked around. There were no male dragons here. Just the Green. The Green staring right at him. Come to think of it, the voice in his head was distinctly feminine. Coy and sweet. A sudden sick feeling swept over him and he felt like whatever was in his stomach might come up.

T’zarMine! The green called to him again. Why was he being so quiet? Why didn’t he tell her she was so wonderful? After all, she chose him! She loved him so much! Surely, she was wonderful for that.

He finally spoke. One word. Aloud. “No” It was not a denial to her question nor of the Impression. T’zar knew there was no avoiding it. He had Impressed Brecciaeth, a Green. Instead, the word was mixed. It was definitely cold. It had the bitter sharp edge of a knife plunged into your flesh. It was as if T’zar was trying to stab at the Green with the word, to kill her with it.

But it was also a “no” of despair. Utter despair. The despair of a dying man, of a man facing damnation to the most wretched corners of the world. This was his last chance. His last chance to be someone in his father’s eyes. And he had failed. Cazar was a superficial man. He would never speak to his son again. Not for the shame T’zar had brought their family. T’zar was an outcast within his home; he knew it. He would never speak to even his darling sister, Zara, again.

A wide range of emotions ran through him. First, confusion, coming both from him and his dragon. On his side, he didn’t understand why he Impressed a girl. Only gay guys Impressed girl dragons, right? He wasn’t gay. Nowhere close to it. He only liked girls. No, he wasn’t gay. How could this be? A green? From Brecciaeth, he felt the disappointed confusion. Why wasn’t her greatest love accepting her with open arms? What was the problem.

Then, T’zar felt utter hate. This came only from him. He felt a twinge of hate for the green creature in front of him. Why did she have to choose him? Why? There were plenty of others to chose. Why was the green so cruel? He almost wished she would just between. Almost.

Then, purely from his dragon, he felt love. He, somehow, loved the little thing. He didn’t know why and he didn’t like it, but he knew that he loved her. She was sweet and, indeed, wonderful.

Breccieath, of course, felt all these emotions too. Did Hers not want her? A cry, a pitiful, wanting cry, came from her maw. It was as if she was begging her lifemate, begging him to accept her. She was perfect for him and she knew it. And she knew he knew it somewhere deep down. It was just something that she would have to watch grow. He didn’t really want her to go away.

Through this whole time, three other Impressions had taken place. T’zar was refusing to move, his head down as hot tears welled in his eyes. He wouldn’t let anyone see. As his dragon, his dragon, cried to him, though, he decided. There was nothing else to do. Without saying a word and without looking up, he turned and walked off the Sands. Brecciaeth, knowing that he had accepted her, followed after him. He would love her. Eventually he would. And they would be the best pair ever. Hers just needed to learn. Learn to love.

[fidelli]

Once upon a time in a faraway kingdom
Man made up a story said that I should believe him
Go and tell your white knight that he's handsome in hindsight
But I don't want the next best thing

;;Fate was such a funny thing - some denied that it existed, and others pretended that the world was balanced delicately on the wings of a butterfly. Anima wasn't sure what she believed - the girl knew that life was a chain reaction, and one thing done would lead to another. If this happened than this would follow - if the Black had gone forward first to Impress, would the Blackrider had been mauled? It was something that you could only think about when you had time - Nim was in the middle of carefully holding down a hyperactive eager Green who didn't really want to hold still. It didn't give her much time for the Hatching - she saw the Cyan's only when the second one hatched, and glared at the murmur's from the crowd. They were beautiful! Just because they were new didn't mean they were anything to be scoffed at!

;;Infact, she was so busy that the girl almost missed the White hatching. It was Klepto who - bored at this point - cheeped merrily to the little Green and took off, winging between - and Ribbon followed behind as they went to play. Suddenly, Anima was all by herself, and able to look at the sands. It had quieted down at some point, and Hatchlings were making their way off of the Sands. She looked up just in time to see one of the eggs rocking, and fixed her blue gaze on it eagerly. It was the smallest in the back row - the cream was was slipping back and forth like a steady metronome. She found herself silently rooting for the little creature having trouble inside - the hole began to widen slowly, at such a basic pace that Nim couldn't help but laugh - maybe the dragonet was musical. There! A nose, a leg, one dainty step after another, and the White slipped from it's old life and into the new one. Around dragon's all her life, she scanned it with an expert's eye. The white was a good size, looked healthy, legs strong... Wait. It's eyes were the color of Noyth's hide, a dark marble. She realized with a melancholy air it was such a yellow creature... But the eyes held the ending about it, the faint tinges of black that weren't necessarily bad, but saddening all the same. The dragonet was beautiful... But surely the little creature would between.

;;But, even as she silently keened for the life that would never be, the girl realized something - it had spirit. The dragon stood straight and tall, and it almost seemed as if the eyes were whirring a happy excited color. The young woman could only smile, watching and cheering silently as it tottered forward - white wings and a tail were used to orientate itself, balancing with the careful dainty steps of a young child. She worried though - what would the creature do after it left the eggs, and took his or her first steps onto the empty sands? Apparently, it was sure of itself, for although it paused, the white began to make his way firmly for the girls... And right through them? Did it miss them entirely? But no, it was continuing, and Anima worried that the white didn't realize the Stands were in front of it. Should she jump down and try to divert it away? AnimatamoraMine. Apparently it didn't need help. No, not it. He. With a shocked expression, the tawny blond girl only stared down at the creature standing in front of her, the very joy and love that he was feeling - it almost drowned her like the raging river she had often swam in, rushing through her mind as she looked into the cold eyes and felt such a happy warmth. AnimatamoraMine, you're going to get your Zucherroth in trouble.

;;Anima couldn't comprehend it - she had impressed? Her mouth working soundlessly, the girl only stared down at the perfectly happy dragonet, shocked rarely into silence. She let him grip the robe she held, still blankly staring at the white, and let him pull her forward, out onto the sands - right smack dab in the middle. You'll have to forgive Mine everyone. She got tired and had to sit down. His explanation made her want to deny it, but she couldn't even remember her own name right this thirty seconds. She only stared down at the little hatchling as he quite sweetly explained to everyone that... Anyway, isn't to great how clutchmother's got a little one in her belly now? Nim, at this declaration, remembered where she was. With a half chocking noise that was her covering up the laugh, she glanced over to the Weyrwoman - and recoiled from her glare at the White. Opps. Well... "Zucherroth, hush!" But the little White wasn't to be silenced - he only asked the girl, Why AnimatamoraMine? Isn't it wonderful? First things first. "Stop calling me Animatamora - It's Anima, or Nim." The little White looked up at her happily, carefully stepping forward to twine around her legs and lean on her. But AnimatamoraMine, you have such a pretty name.

;;The girl was in shock. Why had this creature Impressed her? Love was welling in her heart, so much she couldn't fight it, but even as she let a hand softly brush on the creature she began to worry. He was blind - how would he live? I have you, Mine. Seeing is not everything. And indeed, for him, it wasn't. The declaration was simple and sweet - he didn't understand why she was worrying, but he needed to convince her it was alright. Rash anger at Impressing was quickly quelled like nothing else could do, and she could only feel shocked. She had impressed. Her. Of course you did, silly AnimatamoraMine! You would always Impress me. Still intent on twining around her like a cat, the girl stood there and watched the dragonet for several heartbeats, trying to understand. It wasn't until the dragonet took pity on her and told her cheerfully, I wish to meet my siblings! Would you take us over there, AnimatamoraMine? That she could move, and contrary to his words, the dragonet started forward - under his paws the sands was warm and he delighted in the simple feeling. It was a few degrees hotter than when he had been curled in his egg, but that was understandable. His, the silly girl, was wavering - her confusion was predominant in his mind, and he felt her mind dancing and whirling in misunderstanding and comprehension. He knew that she was alright - first off, she was His and she was perfect, but the complex aura that he felt was tentatively wrapping around his mind and accepting. He snuggled into it, curling around her as much as he had done physically.

;;He led her over to the food, each paw step careful and deliberate but faster with a dancing gait - much faster than what she thought he should be going. He was interested in food, but not as much as his hungry clutchsiblings - it was the people that he found fascinating. He could "see" Altith, larger than life - his neck moving through the warm air made a faint shushing noise, and the young White froze, eagerly "looking" upwards as the Purple snuffled him over gently. Hello, young Zucherroth. As happy as he was to greet the purple, with a cheery, Hello! the White was more interested in turning to F'del - Animatamora's mind was full of him, and the aura on him was just as interesting. He was such a calm feeling... And ugly taint to it, a twisted part of the flickering presence that stained the calming, relaxed part. He was all tranquility, patience, except for the part that slowed it down to a sluggish blur. He didn't understand, but greeted him all the same, telling Animatamora as he leaned against her in a sweet voice, I like him. But now he was off to greet his siblings, even as Anima swept up a bowl of meat and followed - the White was heading to where the Pink and Cyan were greeting eachother. He moved deftly among the people and dragons but tripped over a bowl and landed sprawled on his back - she almost had a heart attack before he righted himself with a giggle. Oops. I shall be more careful. Or she would - now she scanned infront of him as he walked, only breathing when he stopped next to them and greeted his sister's and Their's with a cheerful, Hello clutchsister's and Their's! This is AnimatamoraMine! While Anima smilied at the two girls and told them, "Anima. This is my Zucherroth - sorry about him."

So I sing and hold my head down and I break these walls round me
Can't take no more of your fairytale love 'cause I don't care for your fairytales
You're so worried about the maiden though you know
She's only waiting on the next best thing

[Nia]

One egg left to hatch and only a few dragons left on the sands. Riori's heart fell as he watched the dragons walk around. They weren't meant for him. He could already tell. The last egg... maybe that one was meant for him? He could only hope as he watched it shake, praying that the dragonet inside would be able to get out of it's egg and be nice and healthy. And she did. Only it was a Green, which was certainly not meant for him. Despite what had happened with Flaet (or was it F'let now?) he didn't like anything other than girls. The Green wasn't his.

The only dragon that seemed to be meant for him was the Blue. It was a pretty shade of blue, not as vibrant as his eyes, but closer than the others had been. They would match nicely, he figured. So he watched as the Blue... went off towards the girls. Shards! The girls were stealing all the male dragons! HIS male dragons! The ones meant for HIM! Riori was getting irrationably angry at all the cross-Impressions. That wasn't what was supposed to happen! It didn't even cross his mind that with all these cross-Impressions there was a much higher chance of a girl dragon ridden by a boy being flown by a boy dragon ridden by a girl, meaning it would be quite heterosexual. But he didn't even think of that.

There was only a Pink and a Green left. The Pink was off... towards the girls, right. As she should. He felt a twinge of saddness as he watched her Impress though, as well as jealousy. He wasn't jealous, though! Female dragons Impressed to girls, and not to him. He watched the Green apprehensively, not even sure where she was going to go. Males, females, what did it matter anymore? He wasn't Impressing. That was it. He felt dejected and upset. Whatever, he'd been left Standing for other Hatchings before. This one just felt even worse than before.

Looking around, Riori tried to pick out people he knew that had Impressed, and his heart only dropped further when he realized that pretty much everyone he knew had Impressed. Everyone except him, that is. Fine! He didn't need to be a dragonrider. His face contorted into something that resembled a pout as he watched the Green. She needed to hurry up and find Hers already, Riori was sick of standing here now that he knew he wasn't going to Impress. How... depressing.

[/size]

[wirevix]

Alalbar saw the last eggs Hatch and knew that he wasn't going to Impress this time. It wasn't that he thought it utterly impossible a Green dragon would choose him--while he didn't know how he would adapt to the personality that Greens were usually mentioned as having, he supposed he would if it came to that. But he was quite sure that he wasn't going to be chosen.

It didn't particularly bother him. He was here to get away from his former life with people who refused to recognize him as who he was, not necessarily to become a Dragonrider right away. He could take the time to study something else without having to worry about caring for a young dragon. He could learn to do something more appropriate than the crafts his mother had tried to get him into.

In fact, he was smiling just a little as the Sands emptied of dragons. There would be a lot fewer Candidates now, and maybe he could get to know someone amongst the smaller group. He wouldn't have to worry so much about every single person's view of him because he could just deal with a few.

-----

Tecarracath looked up a bit when the Green Impressed to the boy who said no. Sleepy as he was, that still got his attention--it wasn't a usual happening that someone actually said no to an Impression. It worried him a bit, but not enough to make him get up. He figured it would resolve itself and that was good enough for him.

G'can glanced that way as well but only because it had attracted Tectec's notice. Other than that, he didn't worry himself about it yet. He was busy petting his dragon and thinking. Tecarracath was a big lazy boy, that was clear, and utter laziness wasn't that great for the work they would need to do together. Practice, classes, just general work...

But he was sure all Tecarracath needed was some guidance in how to properly direct his focus. The Blue was not too fond of those thoughts, eyeing G'can and grumbling a little, but even he admitted that they probably would be required to actually do things in order to become a true Dragonrider pair. He just didn't want to.

----

Edwa had been so absorbed in her own anger, she almost didn't realize when a Pink dragon was walking right up to her. She saw the pretty hide, and something in her mind registered that that dragon was coming awfully close, except the other one had come really close too and nearly taunted her for being not quite acceptable.

And then the Pink that had approached her made eye contact, and the rainbow gaze caught her, fascinating her. The words came to her in the most wonderful voice she had ever heard;

EdwaMine, your Baserath loves you very much, you should know. I also adore, admire, prize, cherish, and treasure you, just so you know. I would love it if you would feed me too;

And she just sort of sank to her knees, wrapping her arms about Baserath, hugging the hatchling since Baserath couldn't really hug her. She tucked her face against the strong pink neck and actually cried. Baserath was a bit confused--Hers was so happy, she could feel that joy, but she was crying?

EdwaMine? Are you all right, EdwaMine? she asked, lifting a paw up to pat at the girl awkwardly, very careful not to snarl a claw in the fabric of her robes.

"Yes, I'm all right," Edwa replied, at last standing up again, keeping her hand on Baserath's head, not wanting to break the skin contact with her dragon. "I'm better than all right. Baserath." She smiled hugely as she said the Pink's name.

That is good, EdwaMine, the dragon replied, looking up at her adoringly, but also very hungrily. I love you so very much, Mine, but I am so hungry now... Edwa nodded eagerly, already starting to lead Baserath off the Sands to join the other Weyrlings. She told her name and her dragon's name as proper, smiling brilliantly all the while.

She'd just started to help Baserath eat, delicately as she did everything, when T'zar spoke his soft "no." Edwa ignored it, too absorbed in Baserath, but the Pink looked up from her meal with concern. She wanted to go back onto the Sands and try to help.

In fact, she did start to head back that way, much to Edwa's concern. "Baserath, wait, I don't think you're supposed to be allowed to go back out." She wasn't sure. It wasn't something that happened very often.

And because her Mine was the world to her, Baserath paused and then agreed, going back to her eating, though she still watched T'zar and his new Green with concern.

[4horseshowgirl4]

"Sol, this is just so amazing!" Pratyba squealed, lifting the more slender Candidate with ease before plopping her back down on the ground. "We'd better be roommates! I claim a room with you and Eccolath! Hey," Pratyba said, grinning. "Claiming something seemed to have worked last time!" she added, gesturing to the Pink dragonet at her side, fascinated with her new playmate. This one was much more fun than that old Blue! "But, still, I can't believe we Impressed together! We'll go see B'nyur after the feast-- Oveth will be so proud of you!"

Oorth shook her head playfully at Eccolath's touch, ducking her head to make the other's paw slide off. She liked Eccolath! The Cyan was fun! Oorth shot off to Eccolath's left side, nipping mischievously at the other's tail before skipping off to the side, hiding behind Pratyba, as if one short, chubby Weyrling could hide even a small Pink hatchling! Pratyba smiled at the dragon lurking behind her, stepping to the right to expose the Pink to Eccolath's retribution, if the Cyan cared to do such. Oorth squeaked in protest, struggling to stay guarded behind Hers as Pratyba danced around, unable to smother her giggles. The Hatching was nearly over at this point, and Pratyba had tossed the general rule of staying quiet and out of the way out of the window quite some time ago. Like when she'd Impressed; or, when she'd entered the Hatching Sands, if one considered being late in the way.

"Eccolath is gorgeous!" Pratyba gushed generously, laughing from sheer happiness. "That Pink menace is Oorth." Oorth glared up at Pratyba, announcing, But I am not the one that's gonna get a talking-to after the Hatching 'cause I wasn't late! She let Sol and Eccolath hear that as well. Her mock irritation had turned to playfulness yet again, and she was hoping that Pratyba would chase her around some more for making such an ignominious comment. She was not disappointed: as Sol went off to feed her dragon, Pratyba pounced on Oorth, just grabbing her tail as the Pink shot forward to evade the attack. "No one gets away with that type of talk, missy!" Pratyba joked as Oorth tried to drag her around by her tail. Fortunately, the Pink was still too small, but Pratyba knew that it would not be long before roughhousing like this would be difficult. Except me! Oorth called cheerfully as she sprinted forward again, pulling her tail out of Pratyba's grasp with sudden swiftness and nearly bumping into a new arrival.

Sorry! Oorth apologized hastily, backwinging in an instinctive maneuver to avoid running into what was right in front of her nose. This is PratybaMine! What's wrong with your eyes? Why are they grey? Are you in pain?

[/b] Oorth said rather insensitively, but her tone was perfectly harmless, more curious than anything. She liked Zucherroth already, though. He was friendly and fun and small, like her! She decided he was her new friend.

"Anima! Congratulations!" Pratyba bubbled happily, pulling the other girl into an enthusiastic hug as well. This was too happy of a time to not be perfectly friendly and familiar with everyone! She was sure that Anima would feel the same way. Everyone deserved a hundred hugs for Impressing, right? It was a big deal! "Yours is so handsome! No need to apologize, really, it's fine. No harm done! I'm sure I'll be chasing people all over the place trying to apologize for things that my ball of energy and I will have done in the next few weeks." Pratyba grinned devilishly before her face lightened again. "I'm Pratyba, by the way, if you don't remember me. I think I've seen you around."[/right][/font]

[123notit]

Meta gently scratched the eyeridges of her very full Topeth. The cyan was happily full and eagerly staring around the room, studying all her brothers and sisters and Theirs. Meta, too, was looking around. There were three cyans in all. She hoped the other boy and girl and her could all get along and become friends. After all, they were the firsts of a kind. It was something to be proud of and something that could keep them together.

A hand brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes as a few more came in. The last to enter was a boy. Meta had recognized him from earlier. He had appeared confident and a bit cocky. Like he was sure he'd get what he wanted. Now, he looked broken and defeated. Had he not Impressed? Why was he here then? No, a little green trotted after him, almost sadly, but hopeful. Did he not want his dragon? Why wouldn't he? A dragon was the perfect lifemate.

She gently stroked her own Topeth, as if to assure the lovely, shiney cyan that she, indeed, wanted her. Meta turned to avoid staring at the depressing boy and instead returned on her search for the other cyan riders. She felt the need to introduce herself.

~T’zarMine.....~ the green spoke up again as the pair walked into the room. An almost pathetic pair. ~T'zarMine, please feed me? I do love you so. And you'll see, we'll be happy. But I need food now!~ Her words were cautious, but true. Brecciaeth gently walked forward, nudging T'zar gently.

He shot her a look. But it wasn't of anger or love or anything that would be expected. It was an empty look. Quietly, though, as if he was whispering to her, he said, "Alright Brecciaeth...." He grabbed a bowl of meat and dropped it in front of her. She slowly ate, keeping an eye on him. T'zar didn't move from that spot though. He didn't talk to the other new Weyrlings. He didn't talk to Brecciaeth. But his mind was whirling. Whirling with confusion and a million thoughts.

U'ar and Mu watched as the Hatching kept going. It was going fairly normally. There were quite a few cross-Impressions. More than normal. That could have easily be explained by the candidates chosen or the fact that Kalith was a Copper and had, herself, produced a new mutation. The rarest thing they saw was one boys reaction to his Impression.

All the other cross-Impressions happily walked off the Sands. This boy, however, appeared to have Impressed a Green. But he stood there. He didn't embrace the dragon, he didn't rejoice. He just stood there, seeming defeated.

'Ungrateful boy,' U'ar found himself thinking. Why would he do that? U'ar would have been happy with any dragonet. Of course, he had gotten Odyth and was extremely happy with that. But if Odyth had been a Green, he would have loved him all the same.

~Not all are as good as you, Mine.~ Odyth reminded gently. ~Some hope high. They cannot help but be disappointed. Impressing changes your life forever. Maybe that boy had a bit more riding on a certain Impression than the others. He shall warm up. See? He has accepted her. They walk off the Sands together. She did not between.~

U'ar nodded his head slowly in agreement. He still felt like the boy needed to get over it. He had a healthy dragonet. A pretty green with a lovely and interesting color combination. There was nothing that he shouldn't love.

[Kila]

Duilios stood confidently as the Bronze dismissed the boys one by one. The one with the dark curly hair held himself well, so when the draongett passed him, Duilios felt little fear. He was calling the creature towards him and it would come. What fragile King with such capacity and potential for greatness could pass up his power?

Apparently this one.

Duilios sat down furiously when Valleth looked up with adoring, rainbow eyes to one of the young boys instead of him. What a wasteful impression! He quickly composed himself, hiding the seething feeling that was boiling over him. He shot a quick eye over to the Weyrleaders. Fortunately, they were still occupied with one another and did not see his reactions. Fools.

Unhappily, the Lord Holder returned his eyes to the Sands. There was no promise in this clutch for him now, but it wasn't over, and he wasn't stupid. He had made note of every dragonett that had stumbled from its egg until now, and he still considered that information need-to-know. What did he care- it was only one King at one Hatching. There would be more Hatchings. There would be better Kings- stronger, faster, smarter Kings. This Bronze was a foolish one not to choose him. Duilios could lie in the shadows and bide his time- and would.

---

Daidoroth was highly offended by the actions of one boy towards his Green daughter. She may be mischievous, that was clear, but she had chosen him out of love! Why did he not accept her? Did he not hear her pleading cries? How could he not love her, even in the least?

MineOwn! Do you see how this boy treats my daughter? If she betweens I will eat him alive; Daidoroth raged threateningly. Over his many years with the Bronze, O'sho had found that he was the best Weyrmate, best lifemate, and best father there could be. His was not an idle threat. Daidoroth was very proud of his children and would not have anything go wrong so close to the end of the Hatching.

It will be fine, Daido. I will go out and speak to him if need be; O'sho quickly reassured him. She will not between.

Fortunately, the intervention of the Weyrleader was not necessary. T'zar trudged off the Sands dejectedly with the Green in tow. He was not happy, but he had accepted her. That was all that mattered for now.

O'sho felt an intense wave of relief for this fact. Daidoroth was still ruffled, but had calmed considerably. O'sho chanced a glance over at Fajra and Kalith. If Daidoroth was upset then the two females on the edge of the Sands must be burning with Hell's fury. There were a lot of Weyrlings that would need to be addressed soon. Fajra must be on her last limb, Faranath help her.

---

Eccolath started in surprise when Oorth nipped at her tail and danced away, daunting her to follow. This was fun. Was this a new game? She would try! Hopping to her feet, Eccolath padded up to Pratyba, seeking her playmate. She tried to look around either of the chubby girl's sides, but the Pink evaded her. Oh no! She was no good at this game. It was ok, though; there were plenty of other things to do. Pratyba moved to one side, exposing Oorth, but Eccolath had already been distracted by the sight of Hers quickly returning with food.

Flapping her wings excitedly, she ran to meet Sol, ending up following her back to the same spot. Smiling at her dragonett's antics, Sol placed the bowl down on the ground. She was unsure if she should feed Eccolath or not, but the Cyan seemed to have the basic instinct of eating down. She watched with interest as Eccolath nosed the meat curiously and then ate it slowly, savoring the taste of each piece and exploring the flavor. She was in no hurry. Mmmmmm...

As soon as she finished, her White clutchbrother came over and greeted them cheerfully, introducing them to His proudly. Eccolath was pleased that he had come to introduce himself, and sat beside Oorth to study and question him. I'm Eccolath, Mine is Sol. What's your name? Why are your eyes like that?

Sol too was pleased that someone had come over to introduce themselves. "Hello, Anima. It's nice to meet you!" she said very genuinely. "I'm Sol... I don't think we met before. Congratulations on impressing Zucherroth."