sweet beginnings do arise [Fire Lizard Hatching!]

[Avu]

The recent rash of poisonings and people in the Infirmary had in no way influenced Zesa's choice of clutching sites, and she had returned to her favored one: The small, lonely cabinet, perched just in the corner, diagonal to a window so that the sunlight that streamed through the glass warmed the old, pale brown wood and the clutch inside of it. The contents of said cabinet had been rearranged by Meira, since the containers and vials had seemed too delicate to put next to a Hatching flitter clutch. They had been replaced by tightly, carefully tied bundles of dried herbs: Fellis, comfrey, numbweed, and others. The cabinet, a good six feet off of the ground, was just above a counter, which jutted out a bit farther than said cabinet, and several wisps of herbs had been pushed by the fire lizard queen out of her clutch-site, and dropped to the surface of the counter, so as to accomodate for the large clutch of eggs that had been laid a few tendays previously.

And a lovely clutch it was. Twelve eggs, some far larger than from her previous clutch, sat, carefully arranged, there, always tended by Zesa. The queen had become increasingly agitated and paranoid as the Hatching time drew near, refusing to be pulled away from the cabinet. Luckily, MeiraHers had been willing to allow this, and brought food regularly. She had just been fed; a half-full bowl of meat was perched on the edge of the counter where Hers had been pulled away hastily to tend to another patient -- a Drudge who had just been fed the wetted-down charcoal. She was expected to make a full recovery, and normally Zesa might have been fluting encouragment from her perch on the cabinet -- but not now. Instead, she had tucked herself inside the cabinet, her body nestled against the eggs to warm them still more. Her head was resting on the largest of the clutch, the Fellis Egg, cocked slightly as if to listen to the hatchling's movements.

However, it was not a movement from the egg upon which her head rested, but from one near her midriff, which made her whip her head around, eyes focusing intently on the rocking egg before she sprang up with a warble. They were Hatching! The Weyr had to know, they were Hatching and soon there would be no more of the vibrantly-colored eggshells left. And if they didn't hurry, there wouldn't be anything left to remember her second clutch by! MeiraHers looked up distractedly, and Zesa chattered her distressed urgency, and the flash of the eggs, wobbling slightly, flashed through to her Bonded, whose eyes widened in comprehension as the bluewherling spun anxiously on one heel -- one hand instinctively snagging the arm of the person nearest to her: Savitri. "Oh, I'm so sorry for interrupting, but Zesa's clutch is Hatching and -- and can you get Hepaticath to call the Weyr, please?" (She was rather glad it wasn't R'wign she had to ask; he was like a magnet when it came to fire lizards and she wasn't sure how many more she thought one person could support.)

There are little flitters Hatching in the Infirmary. Please make yourselves present with meat if you would like one.

As the queen's voice addressed the Weyr, Meira exhaled in an excess of relief. People would hear -- and it was notably more articulate than Checkoth's call had been -- and people would come. People wanted flitters, didn't they? Zesa rattled her wings uneasily, talons clicking against the top of the cabinet as she settled, eyeing the rocking eggs with clear anxiety; finally, as Meira offered her arm to the queen, she left the cabinet and dropped to her Bonded's arm as the girl glanced back at Savitri. "Thanks..." The quiet syllable was the only word uttered before she moved tentatively close to the clutch, Zesa whistling sharply as the eggs came into focus, their outlines obviously quivering against each other, against the herbs on which they had been piled. Meira rolled forward nervously on the balls of her feet as Zesa left her arm to settle on top of the cabinet again, a Hatching hum vibrating from the little queen's throat...

Cayenne Pepper Egg- Hatched blue Hobbs; Impressed to Farryl
Numbweed Egg- Hatched bronze Brass; Impressed to W'ri
Redwort Egg- Hatched green Ras; Impressed to Savitri
Comfrey Egg- Hatched brown Zeek; Impressed to Rozen
Borrago Egg- Hatched blue; WILD
Chamomile Egg- Hatched green; WILD
Peppermint Egg- Hatched brown ??; Impressed to Kalushka
Spiceroot Egg- Hatched blue Bane; Impressed to J'on
Aconite Egg- Hatched green Mandyr; Impressed to Dorava
Fellis Egg- Hatched bronze Hero; Impressed to Danar
Whitebulb Egg- Hatched blue Doc; Impressed to Burena
Whitethorn Egg- Hatched green Liette; Impressed to Ka'rys

[Avu]

Gold Zesa and bronze Storm
proudly present
The Herbalist's Clutch

Cayenne Pepper Egg- Bright is this egg, sticking out from the dominantly greenish hues of the rest of the clutch. A vivid red is what pops out to most people first, and indeed, the Cayenne Pepper Egg is almost entirely red. The shade of red exactly, though, varies greatly from a dark, nearly black red near the base and the tip of the egg, to a bright orange-red color. There are other markings on the shell, though it's quite unnoticeable: Orange dots, much like powder, dust lightly over the Cayenne Pepper Egg's shell, almost melting into the vivid red hue entirely, but just barely visible in the right light. However, though this brilliantly-colored egg might be attractive, it's also rather small, and is unlikely to produce a large f'lizard. Nevertheless, this egg is settled snugly in the front, off to one side of the Fellis Egg, as befits its vibrant coloration. This is one egg that can never be ignored, no matter how small it is.

Numbweed Egg- Quite large, and nestled near the front of the clutch, directly in front of the Redwort Egg, the Numbweed Egg brings to life the phrase "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." A grayish-green color dominates much of the shell, only subtle shifts in the shade defining arrowhead-shaped markings, layered on top of each other until the Numbweed Egg very much resembles the view from a faceplant into a particularly boring bush. However, contrasting against this are soft lavender-colored dots. These dots are not randomly spread; rather, they are carefully, precisely, gathered together into long, triangular arrays that closely resemble the flowers of either a numbweed plant or of a sea lavender. There is a sense of importance about this egg - but perhaps that's merely because it's sitting upon a bunch of one of the more important herbs used frequently by healers: its namesake, numbweed.

Redwort Egg- Though the Redwort Egg is rather small, it's seated in the middle of the clutch, one side half-hidden by a neatly tied spring of some kind of herb. What can be seen of it is far from exciting, being generally an odd green shade that is best described as reddish. Likewise, a darker shade of red laces through the entire egg in thin lines that resemble veins. These "veins" are well-spaced, and upon close inspection, not a single one ends up trailing off by itself; they're all interconnected to form an odd reddish "web" over the entire shell. Spread out around the shell, too, are splotches. These range in color from a deep purple to a rose color, and closely resemble a child's painting of the flat-topped flowers that are typically found on a redwort plant come flowering season. Each of these splotches - though no two are precisely the same color - do not change in shade, which gives the egg a rather flat appearance.

Comfrey Egg- On the large side for an egg, but possibly described as medium in size, the Comfrey Egg is one that is quite attractive in a floral way. Leaning against the Borrago Egg, it shows surprising similiarities to its clutchsibling - perhaps intentional, that they are right next to each other? Near the bottom of the egg, dark green seems to split in the center and fall away, emerging from which, against a paler green base, a few tufts of darker green emerges. Along these, splotches that are either solid purple, white, or yellow, but never anything else, dot the tufts of color, and along the one thick stem-like stream of dark green that shoots upward to the tip of the egg and back down again on the other side, smaller dots of similiar colors appear. However, the Comfrey Egg's colors are flat, which detracts from the egg's attractive quality, making the egg look, despite the soft colors, much like a drawing rather than an actual egg.

Borrago Egg- Leaning against the Comfrey Egg, the Borrago Egg shows some similarities to its larger clutchsibling - indeed, they could be almost exactly the same, for the Borrago Egg seems to lack creativity - or perhaps it was the other way around? - when it came to shell design. A dark green encases the lower part of the egg, and they fall apart from the center in jagged lines, letting the same dark green tufts start upwards. Unlike the purple, white, and yellow splotches on the Comfrey Egg, the Borrago Egg sports designs of a pretty blue color. In an almost exact mimic of its clutchsibling, this egg has a dark green line that splits the palest, pastel grayish-green of its base in half, looping over the egg's tip and then receding back down on the other side again, the same blue dots rimming the line. However, in a contrast to the flat colors of the Comfrey Egg, the Borrago Egg is many-shaded, giving the illusion of having many different curves and angles to its shell.

Chamomile Egg- "Sweet" is an often-used description of this egg, and, small though it is, it's pushed towards the front of the clutch, for its colors are highly attractive. At the top, taking up the tip and a bit more of the egg, is a white display that caps the top of the egg and then sprawls downward irregularly to end in several points. At the center of this white - coincidentally, at the very tip of the Chamomile Egg itself - a vibrant orange starts, a mimic of the white on which it rests, though it only takes up perhaps a half of the space that the white does, deepest orange at the center and fading outwards till the shade is the same as the white below it. Below is a pale, if cheerful, green color that is vaguely reminscient of spring, which takes up the entire base, save for, tossed haphazardly upon the egg, small orange-and-white splotches that look like miniature versions of the bigger 'flower' on top of the Chamomile Egg.

Peppermint Egg- Hovering somewhere between medium and small, the Peppermint Egg is, all things considered, unimpressive. Dark green in color, it hovers to one side of the clutch, squarely seated in the middle of a pile of its namesake - peppermint. The dried herbs seem to have given this egg a minty scent, possibly one of the most appealing things about it. Otherwise, the deep green color blends into the herbs on which it perches. Subtle shifts of color present the illusion that this egg is wrapped 'round in leaves of an oval appearance with jagged, toothed edges. All in all, the Peppermint Egg isn't one that's often noticed, due to its lack of vibrant colors and because of how perfectly it seems to hide in the herbs on which it was laid.

Spiceroot Egg- Arguably the plainest egg of the clutch, the Spiceroot Egg rarely draws any attention from spectators - and not surprisingly, either, for even Zesa seems to overlook this egg in favor of the other, more vibrantly-colored, ones, especially since it's pushed to the very back of the clutch, seated in a handful of dried, knobbly roots that have a distinctly repulsive smell to them. For the Spiceroot Egg is a solid, uninspiring, unenthusiastic, light, golden-brown color. The shade is extremely unremarkable, and doesn't vary at all throughout the egg. Not even the slightest blur of shade marks it out as unique, or different - indeed, it looks much like a child drew it. Though the golden-brown shade itself may raise the question of whether this is a queen egg, its size - leaning towards the small side - quickly counters this.

Aconite Egg- Quite a small egg, the Aconite Egg sits near the middle, overshadowed by some of the larger eggs - namely, the Fellis Egg, which is directly in front of it. This egg has an odd, distorted appearance, as if the two halves wanted to be different; there is a straight, diagonal, hair-thin line that runs down the egg, cutting it neatly in half, and on the upper half of this is a dark, shadowy green color. Near the bottom of the top half, thick, grayish-white, root-like twists decorate the egg's shell, and as one moves further up, bright blue peeps out from behind hood-like, darker green shades. On the other half, it's startlingly similiar, save for the fact that near the bottom, the root-like twists are much more slender than its counterpart, and the blue, the same showy color, while still hiding behind a green hood, is noticeably larger. The green color, too, is lighter, but the shift in hues make it look as if shadows were dancing across the Aconite Egg's surface.

Fellis Egg- Easily the largest of the clutch, the Fellis Egg sits front and center of the clutch, and it's obvious that this egg is always carefully tended, nestled as it is in a bunch of dried fellis. Closely resembling its namesake's flowers are the small patterns on the shell of this egg, though the designs are all oddly blurred, and pinpointing the exact color is difficult. Spotted at random - there are four in all - are small, golden-yellow splotches, each of them unique, but all of them framed, too, by green. The green spreads to form something that looks rather like a five-pointed star, the center hidden by the yellow. Brown blooms behind each splotch and its star-like gathering of green, but the brown quickly fades into a kaleidoscope of colors. One might say that the variation of colors, ranging from a soft, pale purple to white, but all of the colors pastel, have absolutely nothing to do with fellis, but they give the Fellis Egg a dreamlike quality, each shade instantly fading into another. White always frames the brown, green, and golden-yellow of the splotches, though the rest of the egg is a positive whirlwind of color.

Whitebulb Egg- The Whitebulb Egg is noticed mainly due to a surprising roundness; rather than having the typical egg shape, it's almost a sphere, with only the slightest tip to prove otherwise. At first glance, besides the odd shape, it's plain, coming across as white with the slightest tinge of yellow. Upon closer inspection, however, the Whitebulb Egg can be either dizzying or endlessly amusing. Threads, ranging from golden-brown to pale yellow in color, almost completely cover this egg's surface, though they're tiny enough that the dominant hue of the egg is still the white, with a slight gray to it, that appears behind the thin hairline designs that make the illusion of this egg having many thin layers that overlap gently.

Whitethorn Egg- Small is this egg, definitely the smallest of the clutch by far. Crouching in the back, prone to be forgotten or overlooked, as it sits in the shadow of its larger clutchsiblings, the Whitethorn Egg is actually quite pretty - assuming one likes small eggs. A soft grayish-green color, this egg can accurately be called "pastel," for it is exactly that. Though the gray-green hue swirls and varies across the egg's surface, it never gets anywhere dark enough to be even considered otherwise. Even in the shadows as it is, the Whitethorn Egg will always be the egg that has the softest coloration of the clutch. The green, however, is broken by small, white triangular markings placed at regular intervals around and about the shell, just enough to be noted while not crowding the egg at all. The pattern, while surrounding the egg entirely, is placed in lines that run vertically up and down the egg's shell, and always, the color of the triangles is a stark white, without even the slightest hint of change.

[kysseh]

"You're welcome."

The words were not spoken in the friendliest of tones, but they weren't entirely rude and impolite either. Savitri's tone was simply... brisk. The young woman should have been more enthusiastic about hatching firelizards; she always enjoyed new life and the emotional high that came with it. At the moment, though, her thoughts were too preoccupied to be very focused on the young flitters. She was exhausted, having been in the infirmary and working for far too long, but she did manage a nod and a flicker of a smile for Meira, trying to soften the hard edge to her words with an attempt at politeness. The young woman just was not in the mood to rub elbows right now.

Mrow? came an inquiry from near her feet, and she glanced down to see Fish twining around her ankles, the feline's amber eyes fixated on the bowl of dried fish in Savitri's hand. The goldrider had made a trip to the kitchen to snag some food for herself and her pets, and she settled herself on a chair to watch the ensuing chaos. She didn't want one, of course. The white 'mandyr that crawled out of her shirt and seated himself on her shoulder was enough of a headache, and Shadow was currently demanding his food, sitting back on his hind legs and pointedly opening his tiny little mouth as if that would hurry Savitri along. Rolling her eyes at his demands, Savitri plucked a little morsel from the bowl and offered it to him, amused when the little white 'mandyr grabbed it with both forepaws and dropped back onto all fours to begin munching. Good thing it was dried meat and not fresh, she noted. Her shirt would have been a mess otherwise.

Fish had hopped up onto Savitri'si lap and was rubbing her head shamelessly against the young woman's chest, more patient than the little white beast that she loved to chase after. Chuckling at the silvery feline's supposed good manners, Savitri obediently offered forth a few tidbits, glancing over at the plate of food she had brought for herself and wrinkling her nose at the realization that she had absolutely no appetite. Hmph. So much for staying healthy. You will eat something, or I will tell Ciceroth to tell His, and RysHis will /make/ you eat, SavitriMine. Hepaticath was scolding her sternly, and Savitri did the gold the discourtesy of ignoring her. This was becoming a constant argument, and Hepaticath had yet to carry through on her threat. It wasn't Savitri's fault she had no appetite, after all.

"It's a lovely clutch," she said quietly to Meira, feeding Fish another tidbit to keep the feline from eyeing Shadow as a possible meal. The silvery feline and the white 'mandyr had been at constant odds since Fish had come into her possession, and it was nothing short of a headache to keep them apart. Fish saw Shadow as food. Shadow saw Fish as a threat to his coveted position of supposed power. Ridiculous, both of them. "Hepaticath offers her congratulations too," she added, as the queen impressed upon her the need to add that. Hepaticath always had to give her opinion.

((Sucks, I sorry. x.x I SORRY.))

[Rowana]

Peppeth was outside the Weyrling barracks exploring with Tille. She was unusually thoughtful this morning, however, and not entirely focused on the game. Hers and the the other weyrlings were all worried. So many friends were getting sick and some were even going between and never coming back. It was all very confusing for the little green and she didn't know what she could do about it. Hers was still healthy, but she was also sadder now than Peppeth had ever known her to be. It was worse even than when Sel'n had made her cross the river in class. Peppeth wished she could do something to cheer her up, but what?

The answer came in a message from Hepaticath. Fire lizards! Tille whistled with excitement around Peppeth's head as the young dragon's mood brightened considerable. Hers loved Tille, surely she would like a new friend? New friends always made Peppeth happy! Farryl Mine! she called sweetly. You should go to the infirmery! Right now!

Farryl was in the midst of eating breakfast and had been about to bite into her second meat roll when Peppeth's call came. Instantly she was alert and her mind voice full of worry. Why, Peppeth? Is something wrong? Please let no one else be sick, she thought, or worse. No. Peppeth assured her, entirely too pleased with herself and her surprise. But you should hurry! Farryl frowned suspiciously. At least she was sure no one was hurt. Peppeth wouldn't sound so happy if they were. Snatching a few more rolls to eat while she was there, Farryl trotted off for the infirmary.

When she got there, it didn't take long for her to realize what Peppeth had been talking about. Oh, Peppeth, she shook her head with a smile. She actually hadn't been thinking about getting another fire lizard. Tille and Peppeth apparently had other ideas. You like it? Peppeth asked hopefully. Peppeth thought hers needed a new friend. New friends always make Peppeth feel better! Farryl chuckled. Guess I could use some cheering up, she admitted. Thanks, darling. Peppeth crooned with pleasure.

Well, no point in being moody on such an eventful day. "Good morning," she greeted Meira and Savitri with a smile. "It's a lovely clutch, Zesa!" she congratulated the little queen. It was even bigger than the last one. She was sure that she and Storm must be proud.

[ravenmane]

There are little flitters Hatching in the Infirmary. Please make yourselves present with meat if you would like one.

Triniath blinked sleepily as he heard Hepaticath's announcement and shifted to glance at the snoozing form of his rider. His had not been eager to get an more pets especially after the death of his Blue, but Trin was determined to force His out of their weyr even if he had to go along. Which would be quite a discomfort for the anti-social Brown, but Sk'lerHis needed more friends and companions. Flitters didn't count even if Sk'ler insisted the did.

Wake up, SkyMine. There is a flitter Hatching in the Infirmary and you will go. The Brown's voice and sternness shook the rider awake, and Sk'ler stumbled out of his bed and nearly fell flat on his face because he had momentarily lost his balance. Sk'ler managed to steady himself and turned to glare at his life-mate. "I am not getting another fire-lizard. Joolree is already enough trouble." You will get one if it means I have to drag you there. Why in the world are you so interested in fire-lizards? Sk'ler reached down to stroke the sleeping Joolree and the fire-lizard stretched happily.

Well? Bolli isn't coming back, and you need to get out more. Triniath growled with annoyance and trained one large eye on his rider. Fine. I will go just to shut you up. Sk'ler glared at Trin and stalked out of his weyr. He may have been a quiet anti-social person just like his dragon, but it always seemed like Sk'ler had to attend every single Hatching that popped up in Selenitas. It was rather annoying.

After stopping by the Kitchens to gather a bowl of fresh scraps, Sk'ler headed for the Infirmary where Triniath had said the Hatching was occurring. Muttering silently to himself about pesky and insistent Browns, Sk'ler arrived at the Infirmary and promptly plopped down near the Hatching but not so close that he would easily attract a fire-lizard. He was obeying Triniath, in a twisted way, and that was fine by him.

[antinanco]

There are little flitters Hatching in the Infirmary. Please make yourselves present with meat if you would like one.

The bluerider looked up from his desk where he had been scribbling out the next lessons late into the night—or was it morning, now? He had lost track of time, working into a trance of the over-enthusiastic. Now that trance was broken, though, by a golden mind-voice resonating through the air mentioning fire lizards. The bluerider had never really had a f’lizard, believing them too childish or time consuming for riders, but now that he felt comfortable and stable with himself, the appeal of a life-time companion was alluring. Besides, he already had one in Angth and loved it, so why not another? The time was ripe with change in more ways that one…

I’d love a little sister or brother, too! Please do it, W’ri-mine!

[/i] Angth added with a slight mental nudge that decided the topic for his rider. He would try for a flitter!

Hopping out of his chair the squat little man waddled at top speed towards the Main Hall in search of a bowl of meat. It wasn’t too hard to find; the kitchen staff had heard the Weyr-wide announcement as well and was prepping numerous dishes. Quickly saluting to a few Candidates on chore duty with internal delight, W’ri nabbed a bowl and was out in ten-seconds flat, a new record for him.

W’ri was Candidate Master. He was man, now! And the swagger than he possessed as he entered the room with one bowl of meat nestled under one arm positively oozed pure confidence, however a confidence that would most likely wear off with time. His wrinkled, day-old attire subtracted from his overall appearance as well, though he was too eager to be aware of it.

“’Ello ladies,” he greeted with a loose salute, an old habit of his that died hard, “Fine day fer a fine clutch, isn’t it?” He wasn’t really expecting an answer. In fact, it was unusual for him to say anything more than ‘‘ello’. But today he was in an extraordinarily good mood. It was hard for the blueruder to stop from whistling along with motherly Zesa’s hatching hum, but he knew the standard procedure so he stood silently admiring the herbal clutch.
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[glamourie]

"You're an obnoxious little mongrel," Ka'rys oh-so-kindly informed the bronze salamandyr that had decided it was a-okay to hitch a ride on his boot. There was a surprising amount of scorn in his voice as well. Showoff was up to something. The salamandyr was never nice to him. Yet when he'd hitched a ride, the little creature had proclaimed, Thanks, Pretties! which sent off many, many warning bells. Of course, it was entirely possible the stupid little monster had the mistaken opinion that 'Pretties' was an insult, but... The thing was evil. He just didn't know what it was up to yet -- but he was sure to find out and probably end up apologizing because of how horrible that salamandyr was. If K'lir was smart, he'd have -- well, Ka'rys didn't know what he'd have done. Contained the little monster somehow. There were boxes for that sort of thing, and salamandyrs other than Savitri's little white beast didn't go between... as far as he knew. "You're lucky Ophelie hasn't eat you, you know."

The green firelizard was eyeing the salamandyr with a look of utter disdain. While she was normally very mild-mannered, kind even, Showoff struck a chord with her. He managed to offend her when few else could. However, he was behaving... for now... which meant she didn't need to drop him into the stew. (She'd done that before, much to the rage of the kitchen staff.) Still, like Hers, she knew he had to be up to something. But what?

As he reached the door of the infirmary, a voice he didn't recognize sounded through his mind and Ka'rys froze. Firelizards hatching in the infirmary. He happened to be going there for two completely different reasons. One of them was Kalerary: the little girl was starting to improve, and Ka'rys wanted to return some of the herbal teas that R'wign left in his weyr. The second was Savitri, because despite himself, he'd wanted to check on her and make sure she was all right. She'd been acting... off... ever since Shmee... and he was worried about her. Not that he'd ever admit it, and if anyone dared ask, he'd say his whole reasoning was Kale rather than any concern. It bothered him for people to know that he really was worried about someone else, truly did care for another living being that wasn't the seven-turn-old that frequently shot him baleful glares. He fidgeted slightly. Who had Meira gotten to alert the Weyr...?

That was Hepaticath, Ciceroth informed his rider, with no small amount of fondness in his voice. Ka'rys was beginning to suspect his dragon was entirely too fond of the youngest queen. And I believe you may have now found out why the little bronzeling has latched onto you -- erm--

At that exact moment, Showoff leapt off of Ka'rys's boot and zoomed into the infirmary. The maniacal gleam in his eye was undeniable. The salamandyr zoomed across the floor at a speed that was remarkable for his size and as he reached proximity to the cabinet where Zesa had laid her clutch before, he threw himself forward... only to land right against the side of the cabinet door. Little claws scraped to get his bearings, but he managed to secure himself. Wiggling slightly, he climbed up the side of the cabinet door until he had a secure anchor and was in no danger of falling. His head peeked over the edge to get a look at the ends that the gold firelizard laid, and he hissed softly. However, unlike with Darling, Showoff didn't climb into the nest to throw his tantrum. He hadn't meant to with the other gold, either. Baby uglies were very scary things indeed. He wished they'd stop having babies, too.

Daelmine's BETTER, the salamandyr informed all who were there. Winged uglies NO WANT!

Ophelie scolded loudly before flying off of Ka'rys's shoulder. She glided with ease over to sit... directly on top of Showoff, earning a loud shriek of protests from the salamandyr who flailed in agitation. The green ignored his noise, pinning him down most efficiently with her talons to the cabinet, as though to prevent him from coming nearer to Zesa's nest or hurting the eggs in any way. Her eyes whirled as she hummed, though she offered a sweet flute in the direction of the gold -- as though to compliment her on the notably lovely clutch.

"My timing is always flawless," Ka'rys said softly as he edged his way over to Savitri. "Are you going to eat any of that, or do you intend to feet it all to the feline?" There was an underlying accusing tone to Ka'rys's voice that suggested he may have been on the same wavelength as Hepaticath - completely unintentionally. Though, part of him was tempted to steal some of the fish, too. It smelled good.

[Rei]

Danar was preparing vegetables for a stew when the call for the lizards came. He dropped his knife and gave a whoop of excitement scaring the poor drudges out of their wits. Grabbing a large haunch of meat he sprinted for the door. He ignored the angry yells thrown his way. They could prepare more meat later he had a hatching to get to! The lad threw the meat into the boat and proceeded to row to the infirmary.

The candidate hoped they had knives there. He had plenty of meat for everyone if someone forgot. He was sure they would. Someone always did. Finally arriving he bowed to Hepaticath as he passed and threw the haunch of meat down on an unoccupied table ignoring the barbed look a few healers shot his way. What was their problem? “I brought some meat in case someone forgot. Anyone got a knife?” Danar was distracted by the colorful rocking eggs. “Nice going Storm they all look healthy.” He scanned the room. Where was the bronze anyway?

----

Raylin and Ebolath were halfway to the infirmary when the call came. Oh mine! Didn’t you want another little cousin? The weyrling looked down at her dragon. “Yes but perhaps it would be better to let other people have a shot first. I already have one.” Nonsense mine you were going to have your ankle rewrapped anyway. It is good we decided to come. Perhaps one of the little cousins will find you pleasant. I would like to have another to help with bathing. Raylin laughed and rolled her eyes as they approached the infirmary.

Ebolath crouched so hers could dismount and then the green turned to the large gold. An emotion close to awe whirling in her eyes. Oh you are so very large. I am Ebolath. Are you Hepaticath? Vega landed on the Raylin and chirped filling her head with an image of the infirmary. Mine is going to try for another little cousin. Does yours want one as well? Raylin shook her head and commanded Vega to stay put as she entered the infirmary. The little blue trilled and obediently winged to Ebolath, perching on one of her neck ridges.

Raylin took a position towards the back of the group and smiled at Zesa. “Such a lovely clutch again Zesa. You have outdone yourself. Congratulations. I am sure they will all be wonderful.” She examined the eggs carefully. Although they were all rocking hard none had broken shell quite yet.

----

Malara stormed into the infirmary and weaved through the crowd until she was at the forefront of it. At least she had been close when the blasted dragon called. Unfortunately she had no meat. Stupid planning on her part. Good thing there seemed to be plenty here. The hatchlings would not go hungry then. She greedily eyed the eggs wondering what color she would impress. Showoff’s ranting caught her attention and she examined the little creature from afar. What in Faranth’s name was that. It definitely wasn’t a firelizard.

She approached Showoff hesitantly. “Hello there. You speak? What exactly are you? You don’t like fire lizards do you. I must admit they can’t speak, so you are by default more impressive than they are. You actually seem to own a brain.”

(Sorry my posts suck. I wanted to get them up before Avu posted again Dx)

[Kisha-Ra]

You come see. You come see. A salamandyr voice repeated this litany endlessly. Darya followed her noisy pet along, trying not to tread on him as Imp insisted on making his own way… wherever he insisted on leading her. Normally she wouldn’t have followed the little bugger along, it was far too silly, but he’d been rushing around and chanting the command for to come and see all day. She was very tired of it and it seemed that Imp wasn’t going to shut up until she saw.

Darya looked up curiously, while Imp paused to get his breath back. The infirmary? Was someone she knew sick? But Imp didn’t sound distressed, which he surely would be if that were the case, in fact he sounded kind of excited about whatever he wanted her to see so badly. ‘What’s so important for me to see in there Imp?’ she asked the little bronze. Not tellin’. Secret. You come see. Imp replied mysteriously raising his frill and scurrying off again.

Imp was very proud of himself, pretty Zesa had eggs, good eggs, although not as good as they might have been. He was taking his pet to see them, she should know about the eggs, maybe when they hatched she could get a pretty little one just for him. Imp scurried through the door and snatched his tail out from the path of his pet’s foot. Here they were at last! He turned to inform his humanpet but the big shiny beat him to it. There are little flitters Hatching in the Infirmary. Please make yourselves present with meat if you would like one.


There are little flitters Hatching in the Infirmary. Please make yourselves present with meat if you would like one. Oh shards, shells and scorch it! Just what she didn’t need. Darya groaned and turned away, only to have to step back for the people who were entering the room. Pleaseplease come see! Imp picked his moment to beg skilfully and looked up appelingly. ‘Oh get here before someone treads on you stupid.’ Darya snapped and scooped Imp up off the floor. What was his game?

I no Stupid! Imp objected. Insulting pet! He was a wonderful bronze not an idiot brown! And he had gotten Darya to stay, at least for now…


There are little flitters Hatching in the Infirmary. Please make yourselves present with meat if you would like one.

Don’t go! Don’t listen to her! Rinagth instantly jumped on her rider, figuratively speaking, after Hepaticath’s announcement. He should listen to her not that silly gold, besides if he went he might come back with another one of those vile little annoyances like Wraith. She was nothing but trouble; always taking time and attention that was rightfully Rinagth’s!

J’on sighed, because he wanted to go, not necessarily to Impress a flitter, Wraith and Rinagth were probably enough, but for the experience, he’d always enjoyed seeing little firelizards hatch. Come on Rina. I want to see them, I’ll take Wraith, I can’t imagine a firelizard that would come to me while she’s sat on me.

Off you go then.[/I] Rinagth grumbled flareing her wings in a way that stated louder than words that the green was angry.

A lift would be nice. J’on hinted broadly gathering up Wraith into one pocket and a meat pie into another.

FINE! But I am not staying near her one moment longer than I have to![/color] Rinagth stalked out to the weyrleadge and lifted her foreleg with reluctance. As promised she dropped J’on off and left as soon as her was on solid ground without bothering to exchange greetings with any of the other dragons.

J’on whistled a cheerful tune as he wandered in, quite a crowd had already gathered to see the baby flitters.

[ladybug]

There are little flitters Hatching in the Infirmary. Please make yourselves present with meat if you would like one.[/color]

Burena had been wandering around the weyrbowl, looking for something fun to do, maybe a guy to flirt with for a little bit. She had some free time and she wanted to use it wisely. When the gold's voice sounded in her head, she jumped. Burry still wasn't used to dragon voices. Once the message set in, though, her steps immediately turned to the infirmary.

A fire lizard all my own! she thought to herself, grinning. Burena didn't like salamandyrs at all, but she loved fire lizards. They were so cute and playful! Well...not always playful, she amended, thinking of Laef. But Laef was still cute. Burena picked up her pace, hurrying to the infirmary. She was glad to see that none of the eggs had hatched yet. Burena gave the gold fire lizard a small bow, smiling. "Such a pretty clutch!" She exclaimed, looking over the eggs. Funny, they almost looked like the herbs they sat around.

***

A'fyr had heard about the flitt eggs, and he had been waiting for the Hatching. Since coming to the Weyr, he had thought about Impressing a flitt, and here was his chance. He thought Rudolth was old enough now that he wouldn't mind his bonding to a pet.

He left the brown taking a nap and went to the kitchens first. He gathered up some meat and then went to the infirmary. When he got there, he found that a small crowd had already gathered around the eggs. A'fyr settled behind two people, lifting up onto his toes so he could see the eggs.

[hseru]

Lanthos was fortunate enough to have partially seen the clutching of the small gold Zesa. His unfortunate reason, was his prolonged stay in the infirmary. Swathed in bandages mainly on his arms, particularly the right one, which was in a sling, and some few bandages on his legs, he was in decent cheer. Pep was asleep on his shoulder as he lay upright in bed, the little blue's own small scratches mostly healed, though his poor wing was still mending.

He could see the high nest from his bed, but he was some distance across the room, and as people began to file in, his view steadily began to decrease, though he could still see the cabinet for the most part. If any hatchlings made it to the table, his view would be completely obscured, but for the most part, he'd have a fine show. He'd tried saving a piece of meatroll from his meals for the past two days in anticipation of the event, but he doubted any of the delightful flitter hatchlings would or even could make it to him through the crowd slowly gathering.

Still, he was ready today, with a fresh bit of meatroll held lightly in his good hand, and he couldn't help being a little excited. As if catching his excitement, Pep stirred, waking just a bit to eye the gathering of nothispets. Squirming, he slipped into Lanthos' shirt and went back to sleep. It was nothing exciting enough to miss out on a nice nap, in his opinion.

-------

What, flitters were hatching? Rozen paused as she swept the floor of the Main Hall, suddenly excited. She had wanted one for a long time, but things just never seemed to work out. Well, this time would be different. She quickly stowed her broom in a small closet off to the side, and dashed for the kitchen. Snagging one of the already prepared bowls, she spared a brief 'Thank you' to the cooks who had thoughtfully done such, and veered for the infirmary.

Her quick steps brought her to the slightly crowded infirmary in short order, and she eagerly joined them, willfully ignoring most of the people around her in favor of the gloriously lit flitter nest, and the brilliant little gold guarding it. Of all the creatures she'd met, flitters were her favorite, even taking the first place from her beloved whers, though only by a little. She tried to slip closer, her height a serious disadvantage when in a crowd. Finally finding a space to situate herself in, Rozen settled to wait until the last egg hatched, whether she managed to impress one or not.

[Avu]

Oh, people...three of them, plus Savitri. They were the only ones close enough to be considered by the fire lizard hatchlings, from what Meira judged; the babies would be entirely too ravenous to consider anything but their stomachs, and when food was so close, she didn't think any of them would venture any farther without the need to. She sighed, squirming backwards uncertainly, gaze lingering upon the clutch as she bit her lip, wrapping her arms around herself vaguely as Zesa crooned happily at Savitri, catching the goldrider's comment in what was clearly a 'thank-you', quiet as the words had been. The croon was only heightened, pride clear in the queen's tones, as Farryl, too, commented on the clutch, Zesa rustling her wings slightly as she bounced excitedly.

They would Hatch soon, oh, yes, they would -- her humming broke off into an indignant hiss as a bronze Salamandyr crawled into the cabinet. Her cabinet, no less, with her clutch in them! The queen uttered a distressed cry which turned swiftly into a hiss of anger at his broadcasted words, which made Meira jump, biting her lip nervously as her glance darted towards the bronzerider who had entered, instinctively assuming that it was he who the Salamandyr looked to. (It made sense, didn't it? She thought it did.) However, just as Zesa's hiss verged on full-out scolding, a green fire lizard promptly arrived and sat on the bronze troublemaker, which made Zesa quiet down, peeping curiously at Ophelie in response to the flute she was given.

Others came, too, Candidates and Riders both, but the one who congratulated not she, but the bronze sire, for the clutch -- who wasn't even there! -- recieved a hiss from Zesa, the queen flaring her wings indignantly. What right had he, to come in carrying not one, but a few bowls of meat, and then congratulate the sire of her clutch, who wasn't even there? It was her clutch and she, therefore, recieved the congratulations --

Her attention was stolen, however, by a loud crack. The Numbweed Egg shattered, and from the shadows emerged a bronze fire lizard, glancing around at the crowd that had gathered first, and then at the two fire lizards and salamandyr that shared his cabinet. Zesa and Ophelie were both awarded with smug croons. Wasn't he lovely?! Small and slender, yes, but that would be well taken care of with a few meals. And he was hungry, and -- what was that?! The Numbweed Bronze puffed up indignantly as he caught sight of Showoff, squashed under Ophelie, and he flared his wings, hissing at the Salamandyr and chattering angrily in his direction. What was an ugly doing in his cabinet? He had no right to be there! Bad, he w --

Crack!

The sound startled the Numbweed Bronze into loosing a highly undignified squeak as he darted for cover, interrupting the posing, hurriedly latching onto W'ri as he looped himself around the bluerider's neck and hissed defiantly at the green who was busy discarding the rest of the Redwort Egg from her body. The Numbweed Bronze bounced in agitation on W'ri's shoulder, barely registering his perch, and then was sent shooting down the bluerider's shirt with a bad-tempered keel as the Redwort Green burst into indignant shrieking in his direction, her large green form whipping towards the bronze as her wings flared in anger. Bad, bad, bad clutchbrother! The shrieking was so shrill that Zesa jumped, and then whipped around on the Redwort Green with an admonishing nip, which sent the green into renewed complaints.

Zesa hissed disdainfully -- stupid noisemaker -- as the green finally stopped, huffing in exertion as she stumbled towards the edge of the cabinet just as the Numbweed Bronze resurfaced, nipping at W'ri's chin with a demanding hiss. Food! Now! The Redwort Green spat at the bronze, and promptly tripped over one wing, toppling into the Chamomile Egg, which rocked violently away from her, unbroken. Hunger forgotten, the Redwort Green righted herself, casting a furious glance over the crowd who had seen the mishap. It wasn't her fault, it was the egg's fault, it was! To emphasize, she turned swiftly on the twitching egg, shrieking indignantly. Bad, bad, bad egg! Bad!

Meanwhile, the Whitethorn Egg broke quietly in the background, and green hide was visible as the fire lizard inside carefully disentangled herself from the shards of eggs, unnoticed by most in the commotion that was the Redwort Green. Unfazed by her clutchsister's vehement protests, the Whitethorn Green wandered towards the light, peeping in surprise as she noticed all of the people. So many, there were! The green folded her wings, glancing around with intense interest, again, and then, edging away from the Redwort Green (still busy chattering and scolding the Chamomile Egg), she leapt off the shelf, half-gliding and half-dropping towards the crowd as she stretched her wings -- and was promptly distracted by the light shining off of someone's hair.

Ooh, so shiny!

With a delighted peep, the green landed on the ground and shot swiftly towards Ka'rys. Once at his feet, the Whitethorn Green blinked vaguely, hopefully, at the bronzerider, butting his ankle with her head. Food, please? She was ever-so-hungry...and oh! A bronze shiny, there! Her head whipped around eagerly to eye her clutchbrother, but hunger reasserted itself and with another hopeful peep, she butted at Ka'rys.

Soooo hunrgy!


Cayenne Pepper Egg-
Numbweed Egg- Hatched bronze ??; Impressed to W'ri
Redwort Egg- Hatched green; scolding Chamomile Egg
Comfrey Egg-
Borrago Egg-
Chamomile Egg-
Peppermint Egg-
Spiceroot Egg-
Aconite Egg-
Fellis Egg-
Whitebulb Egg-
Whitethorn Egg- Hatched green ??; Impressed to Ka'rys

~*~*~

Numbweed Bronze
Looks to- W'ri
Color- Bronze
Appearance- Put bluntly, this bronze is feminine - though the more sensitive might describe him as "slender" instead. Feminine, though, is undoubtedly the more accurate of the two terms, for this bronze is exactly that, no matter how much he, His, or anybody else might protest the fact. With a long, whippy body, he seems almost unproportionate, for his neck and tail are both long and rather thin. The ridges on both aforementioned appendages are blunted, soft, and almost melt into his hide, being little more than barely discernable bumps along his spine. He's not angular in the least, for each normal curve is there - simply less so than is considered absolutely healthy. His ribs are gentle, and can be felt along his sides, and no amount of feeding will ever bulk him up - he's simply made that way, exceptionally slim. To top this off, he's quite small, hovering somewhere between "slightly smaller than average" and "absolutely tiny." However, his wingspan makes up for most of it, long but slender - added to his form, this makes him extremely adept at aerial maneuvers that might usually be lost to a bulkier bronze. His eyes are larger than normal, and whirl faster, more intensely, than an average f'lizard's do, which often makes people mistake him for interested in everything; they're set into a small, refined head with a gentle, tapered muzzle and wide nostrils. His coloration marks him as clearly bronze, so nobody will ever mistake him for a female of any color. It carries no trace of the "greenish" shade that is prominent in some bronzes, being a deep, pure, dark bronze color, unbroken in any way, thick and calling to mind the adjective "creamy".

Personality- In a complete flip to his delicate appearance, this bronze is anything but. A blustering, tough front is almost always displayed, and along with an arrogance that no dragon can hope to compete with. He acts as if he was the greatest thing ever to grace Pern, and his attitude usually convinces any onlookers that he is completely, irreversably self-absorbed - not incorrectly, really, for this bronze puts himself first in any situation. If you call him feminine, you sign your death warrant - or at least, your sanity warrant, for this bronze goes to ridiculous lengths to exact revenge on those who have wronged him. Luckily for the Weyr, this vicious streak has its limits - despite the tough-guy act, this bronze really isn't as brave as he pretends to be, ocassionally startled into undignified squeaking by loud, sudden noises (though he usually compensates for this by loud, indignant scolding) and is easily told off by even a green f'lizard should they have the courage to "backtalk" him. However, if this fire lizard recognizes his own lack of courage, he puts his whole heart in trying to hide it, coming off as irritable and snappy. Very much a party-spoiler, if this bronze is in a mood, then everybody around him had better drop any ideas of having fun, for there will be no fun if this bronze has a say in the matter! Prone to sulking, the only thing that can make this flit's mood go up is the promise of food, for food is the one thing that he will do nearly anything for.

Whitethorn Green
Looks to- Ka'rys
Color- Green
Appearance- An apt description of this tiny green - for she is tiny, dwarfed by most other green flitters and even possibly a large Salamandyr queen - would be plain, for she is precisely that. Everything from her color to her body is simply plain. There is nothing that stands out about her, marks her as special, or even is remotely noticeable about her. As it is, she tends to fade into the background and slip away from notice. There are, however, subtle things to note about her; the long, slender wings that she no doubt inherited from her mother, granting speed and agility; an aerodynamic build, slender and whippy, that flows easily into a neck and tail that are neither arched nor drooping. Each appendage is carefully aligned with her overall body, so that not a single part of her is unproportionate despite her small size. Her coloration, too, is not particularly outstanding or striking, being a plain, warm green. It never varies in shade, pure throughout her entire body; even her wing membranes are the same, rather cheerful green. She is, quite literally, the stereotypical green - aside from the definitely odd size.

Personality- This green is a dreamer, extremely vague on all counts, and has a habit of staring blankly at whatever everybody else is staring at - or the nearest inanimate object - when she has nothing to do. It's rare that this green's attention will stay on anything for any length of time, and as thus, she's exceptionally unreliable, prone to loosing messages, her own train of thought, and just about everything else that comes into her grasp. Nevertheless, she's affectionate enough, often cuddling against Hers before she gets bored and moves on, and this is also displayed in a rather ironic maternal streak - any eggs that she does clutch, if ever, will likely be instantaneously forgotten if she glimpses anything shiny, but oh, does this green adore little ones - of any species. Be it dragon, human, flitter, or 'mandyr, any young thing will be spoiled rotten by this green until, as aforementioned, she catches sight of a shiny, for she adores shinies, too. Earrings, necklaces, little glittery stones; everything and anything that can be described in the faintest way as "shiny" - it will be hers! (For approximately five minutes, before she puts it down and forgets about it.) Because of her lack of concentration, this green rarely goes between - it takes too much focus to make the transfer, and she's just a bit lazy - and, as a result, is usually flitting around after Hers, getting lost, and making Hers come and fetch her with emphatic messages before wandering away again in a wild, exasperating game of hide-and-seek.

[Rowana]

Farryl chuckled warmly at the antics of the new fire lizards. She had forgotten how funny they could be when they first hatched and this bunch seemed even more amusing then the last. A bronze too! Zesa must be so proud. None made their way over to her yet, but she was not disappointed. She always had Tille, Mikka, and, of course, Peppeth. She would never be lonely, hatchling or no.

New friend yet? Peppeth asked eagerly, making Farryl smile. Patience, dear! she scolded gently. You know, if you had told me to bring food, I might have a better chance at attracting one. Farryl eyed the one and a half meat rolls in her hand. She had eaten some on the way up and she knew the hatchlings would probably be more interested in the fresh scraps that some people had brought, rather than her cooling breakfast. But that would have spoiled the surprise! Peppeth explained, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Farryl laughed again, this time more at her dragon than the young fire lizards. Peppeth had managed one part of her goal. She was at least cheering up!

[hseru]

Oh, it had started! Lanthos couldn't help shifting further upright to try and see the action, wincing a little as the move hurt him, but forcing it a bit anyway. He didn't like being in bed in the first place, and it was even worse being stuck so far back when something so exciting was happening. Just what kind of luck did he have, being mauled in the first place, only to do so days before a flitter hatching!? He could at least feel good about it being so close in proximity, and that this wasn't a dragon hatching. The small queen could have very well chosen to clutch in the bowl, or the stables, or some other equally difficult to reach spot for an invalid forced to remain abed by a cruel healer.

He got a delightful eyeful when the small Whitethorn Green glided out from the nest to chose her new bonded, but he was terribly depressed at how little he could actually see of the happy event. Ah well, he could see enough to know that this was just the beginning of the fun and ensuing chaos, and he looked forward to it even if he didn't get claimed, grinning at the antics of the small creatures.

-----

She couldn't keep her eyes off of them. They were just so beautiful that her eyes darted from one to another and back to the clutch, then to Zesa and back to the bronze now clinging to the neck of their Candidatemaster. She smiled, truly thrilled with the event, and happy for the Master, despite the undeniable twinge of jealousy.

Then the smaller green passed just over her head, and she watched as it chose its new pet in the bronzerider behind. She gave a mental snort. Dragonriders Hmph. Well, she guessed she could be glad for anyone receiving their new bundle of 'joy', and she turned back to eye the rather loud green at that thought. A handful, that one was going to be.

[Rei]

Danar flinched as Zesa hissed at him. Whoops. Way to go. He had upset the clutch mother. Ah well no help for it now… Holy crap was that a bronze? Danar’s attention was successfully grabbed by the small flit and he frowned as it chose the blue rider. Darn yet another bronze had rejected him. It riled him a little. What in Faranth’s name was wrong with him? Maybe there would be another in the clutch? He was hopeful as he scanned the rest of the eggs. Ignoring the rest of the goings on around him.

---

Raylin watched with rapt attention as the little flitters made their choices. The bronze and smaller green chose readily enough. The noisy green seemed to be more interested in scolding the egg beside her. Her hunger would drive her to choose soon Raylin was sure. She faintly heard Ebolath chattering away outside. Ignoring her dragon for the moment she concentrated on the rest of the clutch. It was always so thrilling the birth of new babies.

---

Malara was torn away from the mandyr at the hatching of the first three flitters. Malara sidled up to W’ri and nudged him gently, handing him a few small chunks of meat. “Congratulations Candidate Master. You have impressed the highest ranking flitter that has hatched! He obviously has good taste.” Sure she was being a horrible suck up but if it got him on her side it was worth it. She may very well need him for something some day.

She turned to watch the green scold the egg and a smile played across her face. Such spunk that one had. With all that energy she had to be useful. Commanding to. Commanding was good. Much better than sickly sweet.