Fate's Choice (Jingth's Hatching))

[Ember]

Nephele grinned at Ke'von. Must be tough having to elide one's name so suddenly. Girls' names tended to get shortened to a nickname of some form during important moments - though she rarely ever heard Nuoth slip and call her Neph it had happened - but they didn't have to live by a new name. "Pleasure to meet you both, though I wish the circumstances were more favourable. You might already know of me, but I'm Nephele. My dragon is Nuoth." She let conversation drop from there as she finished with the redwort and applied the numbweed. Only a little. Then she was onto bandages.

"Arms up a little, please? I need to wrap this around your torso." When he complied she started the wrapping. She rather disliked wounds near the core. Extremities were far easier to deal with. Once she was done wrapping the wounds (including, of course, the shoulder one) she nodded satisfactorily. "Good to go. Be careful. I'm not entirely sure about the shoulder one so you should ask E'rro to look at it later and see if it needs stitches. I don't think so?" She didn't much like admitting that but it was the truth. The greenrider moved on to N'rik's blue after that, smiling at the boy. "His name? And your new one too, Nabrik."

Spotting her sister's leg, the Forests of the Night Green finally picked herself up with a huff. What was her sibling doing? She moved over to the offending egg and with a squeak the Touch the Skies Green withdrew her leg into her shell. The hatched green buggled demandingly only to receive silence as a response. Oh really? The Forests of the Night Green backed away and perhaps all thought she'd given up. A moment later she proved everyone wrong by ramming into her sister's egg, sending it toppling over and shattering.

Immediately a keening picked up from the Touch the Skies Green. The hatching sands grew silent as people watched the rapidly greying hatchling. Didn't her sister see? She had wanted to hatch because Hers wasn't here. Oh but she knew there was no waiting and so she would go in search of her Bonded. The hatchling's keening ended abruptly as she stood and disappeared between, forever lost to the world of Pern. Spooked, the Forests of the Night Green rushed to her bonded while trying not to seem too upset by what had happened.

It would seem my sister's was not amongst us. I am grateful that you did not make me search very hard for you, R'lyehmine, the green hatchling informed R'lyeh - formerly Rigelyeh - in tones as calm as she could manage, I am your Keqesith. As Keqesith made her Impression, the final egg broke apart neatly to reveal a final green. She did not waste time with her Impression as she waddled over to her chosen and creeled at their feet.

((Feel free to speed along Neph's healering actions, Row <3))

[Ember]

Forests of the Night Green
on what wings dare he aspire?
what the hand, dare seize the fire?

Name- Keqesith
Color- Green (#114118)
Looks to- R'lyeh
Appearance- Large for a green, is Keqesith, and with a very defined form, too. Her chest is deep, her forelegs well-muscled despite the rare use that a dragon will have for them, and her hind legs strong as well. However, she’s long enough that she won’t look bulky – she just looks strong. As it is, Keqesith has a particular posture that will look quite out of place on a dragon, more often seen on a canine of some species, or some types of runners: She pushes her hind legs out behind her when standing still, tail, thick and long, held parallel to the ground, a blocky head held high at all times.

With brilliant, sweeping wings, Keqesith will be beautiful in the air. Fast and with an impressive stamina, the green’s Flights will certainly be incredibly involved for the Chasers – no half-competent dragon will be able to keep up with her. And Keqesith is always perfectly willing to flaunt just how naturally she can take to the air. On the ground, the green has some semblance to order, but really, her place is definitely in the sky – she’ll have the same awkward hopping gait, even if Keqesith is too impatient to allow it to hinder her and instead tends to bounce along as fast as possible, making it look, if possible, even stranger.

In color, Keqesith is definitely two-toned. It’ll be hard to decide which color holds dominance, really. A dark shade of green, deep to the point of gleaming black, covers the top half of her head, neck, and covers most of her body, trailing down the outsides of her legs and the upper half of her tail. A slightly milder, more forest-colored, shade of green trails from her bottom jaw, covering the bottom half of her neck, her underbelly, the insides of her legs, and the bottom half of her tail. Her wing membranes are a stunning mixture of both, even though the darker color outlines the joints.

At this point, Keqesith’s ability to see in the dark shouldn’t come as any surprise. Her first eyelid, typically transparent in dragons, is, as usual, transparent – but it’s also reflective. Not mirror-reflective, but still reflective enough to catch whatever small light there may be, and give Keqesith the ability to see at night, see and even fly without undue risks, if she should so wish to.

Personality- Keqesith is a very hard dragon to like, upon initial meeting. Strict, demanding, a perfectionist – the green will not be at all deterred by the rank denoted by her color. She’s a bossy creature, tending to insist upon control and organization to a level as to be considered a complete brat. Arrogant, Keqesith isn’t above rattling off a list of her attributes (intelligence, beauty, leadership skills, strength, agility, and intuition tend to make the top six quite a lot) if it means that she’ll be in control. Overbearing, Keqesith likes to have a backing of at least two with her at all times – her strength lies in numbers, more often than not.

It’s not to say that she’s not quite a force to be reckoned with on her own, of course. Keqesith is certainly snappy enough to demand attention – even if she has a particularly roundabout way with her words, more formal and more carefully controlled than most dragons – and she is perfectly capable of pulling of threats and insults with just the right level of venom. Even her lackeys will be treated like that – slaves, servants, below her. They serve her because they know she can lead, do they not?

However, pit the world against her and Keqesith is but one creature, and she knows it. She has a very strong pack mentality, even if her ideal spot would be the alpha of that pack. Those that dominate her, truly and undeniably, will be treated with a level of respect that one would not usually attribute to a creature as devious and sharp as Keqesith is. Hers will always fall into this category – but precious few others. Indeed, few things short of public humiliation to an unbearable degree will earn that from Keqesith. After all – if they don’t deserve it, why on Pern would she give it? [/font]

[Rowana]

Ophiuchusth raised his head when he noticed his brother coming closer. His eyes tinted with sadness, looking past and Ke'von being bandaged. I am sorry, brother Ontehth, he said sincerely. I did not mean to hurt Yours so much. N'rik looked up at that, in time to smirk as the brown flopped on his face. Really he shouldn't have. It wasn't like Ophiuchusth had been any more graceful on the Sands. Just then, he heard someone calling him, and by his new name too. Well, it probably shouldn't be so surprising. You could only shorten Nabrik so many ways.

Grinning, N'rik offered the older boy a wave. Inside he was relieved that Kaevon didn't hold and grudges against him and that it looked like he was going to be just fine. "Thanks! Yours too!" he called, ending in a scowl as his voice jumped a few octaves. How long was that going to keep happening? Well, he was too excited not to talk, so N'rik decided to ignore it for now. "Ophiuchusth says he's sorry," he added, looking sincere. "And I'm sorry too." Sure, he liked jokes and pranks, but he hated seeing people actually get hurt on his account.

Further conversation was interrupted by Nephele finishing with Kaevon and coming over to them. Ophiuchusth was delighted to meet this new person too, immediately moved to give her a friendly nuzzle. N'rik rolled her eyes at him while he tried not to think about how a pretty woman was going to be checking over his chest. "He's Ophi, um, Ophiuchusth," he managed to say, his voice still cracking every other word. He hoped his dragon didn't mind the nickname. It was just so much shorter and easier to say. Grinning proudly, N'rik continued. "And I'm N'rik now. Ophi'll be alright won't he? You can help him?" N'rik leaned closer, eyes tight with worry, and succeeding in making himself wince over his own wound.

~

Chaoth watched each of his children hatch with a proud eyes. He wasn't really a prideful creature, but he could still be proud to see his and Jingth's offspring take their first steps. To him, each one was perfect and chose wisely and well. Merridan was shifting where she stood in apprehension. The Hatching was going well, she knew, but she couldn't help but noticed that none of the young ones were bronze or gold. She knew that as a brown, the chances of Chaoth siring a gold were so small it was almost unheard of. Yet she couldn't help but hope for it. They really needed that miracle.

Chaoth's sudden cry brought her back from her thoughts and Mer was alarmed to see one of the greens vanish into between. Chaoth's eyes wilted to grey and he keened loudly for his daughter. Mer fought the tears. So they hadn't had enough Candidates after all. She watched the last green find a girl with a breath of relief. Six greens, three blues and one brown. She had hoped for better, but they had to take what they could get. Besides, this was Jingth's legacy. They probably had some surprises that mere color didn't reveal. Chaoth was happy for them, so that would have to be good enough.

Turning to his mate, Chaoth offered Jingth a comforting croon. Nine of her children lived and they would be strong with their chosen. She had done well to care for them for so long. Now she could join her Meira whenever she wished. Chaoth was sorry Dsoleth and Behruth were not here to say goodbye too, and felt deep sadness for what must come. Farewell, Jingth, he whispered. May you find peace with Yours.

[crispypeanut]

Rigelyeh was focused so intently upon the final egg to hatch, that he hadn't noticed that the second of the greens had not yet hatched. He barely caught the movement of the hatched, charging green out of the corner of his eye; his head swiveled with alarm as she shattered her sister's egg, revealing the rapidly greying hatchling contained therein.

Never before had he endured the shattering screech of a Dragon's keening wail. Its shrill, high-pitched whine pierced him in a way no blade ever could. He winced in physical pain and felt a sudden surge of sickening grief flood over him. He dropped to one knee, woozy from the unexpected onslaught. He watched helplessly as the Touch the Skies Green vanished before his eyes.

'Odd,' he thought as he struggled with the inexplicable surge of emotions now drowning him in woe, 'I've not felt like this since,' his eyes locked with the Forests of the Night Green, 'Cethulahu... ' Immediately, the Green rushed to him...and he could hear her with perfect clarity: "It would seem my sister's was not amongst us. I am grateful that you did not make me search very hard for you, R'lyehmine," the green hatchling informed R'lyeh - formerly Rigelyeh - in tones as calm as she could manage, "I am your Keqesith."

It struck him like a ton of rock...to the face. He almost cursed in the realization: he'd impressed. To a Green...of all things. Already kneeling, he quickly found Keqesith eye to eye with him, her eyes echoing the shock and sadness so evident in the empathetic link forged between the two of them. His own buried feelings, carefully sealed by the scars of time and pain, erupted from their respective places of rest.

In an awkward scene of uncharacteristic compassion, Rigelyeh shakily raised his hand to his dragon's head and gently caressed her jaw. "It's alright," he whispered, "What is done is done. Such is the nature of life. She has gone to find hers beyond; but do not fear. As sure as I still draw breath, I shall never leave you." Rigelyeh granted his dragon the slightest hint of a smile as he rose to his feet. "Come," he stated gruffly, though Keqesith could feel his warmth flowing through their link, "if you are to be mine, you must feed. We will show these...Southerners...how it is done."

"Yes, R'lyeh. We shall." She replied matter-of-factually, and followed closely at his heels as he led her towards the food.

All in all, she seemed an impressive beast. Though a Green, Rigelyeh was amazed by her physical prowess; her sheer strength was beyond what he could imagine for one of her youth. Her coloration was remarkable; she was perfectly suited to the forests, to the sky, and even to the night. Her gait was awkward for a dragon, it was true, but she held a certain grace within that somehow seemed to suit her.

While he was now tied to another in a way he had never hoped to be, and was to be forced to undertake additional lessons as a true rider, Rigelyeh felt unquestionably pleased with the outcome of the day. "Those cat traps would have to wait," he thought as he eyed his new charge, "he had more important things to attend to..."