Occam's Razor [Razorclaw Hatching]

[Ruby]

M'kai was annoyed. Kami had done some sort of mating-dance-type-thing with her sister, Echo, which had ended with a dead rodent in his riding boots. Now, to top everything off, she'd decided that the big, uneven crack in the hallway just outside the Candidatemaster's room was a perfect place for her nest. Echo had joined her, along with their mates (Kami had chosen Raven, Cr'oph's razorclaw, which amused M'kai to no end), and the four talkative birds had not shut up since. They were often visited by their other brothers, too, which just made things more deafening. The two females had built their nests right up next to each other, and each had laid two eggs. The crack they'd chosen was clean enough, but the floor nearby was coated with guano and bits of sticks, and overall M'kai couldn't wait for the stupid eggs to hatch and the birds to move back to their normal homes.

Lucky for him, that day seemed to be today. A quick check on the nest (quick because even Kami threatened to peck his eyes out) showed that the eggs were twitching and rocking constantly, and all four of the birds were examining and worrying the eggs more than they had been. A few birds M'kai didn't recognize came down the hall, but they scattered when the redhead flapped a hand at them. "Shoo, and don't you dare poop on me, I'll wring your scrawny necks," he grumbled. One of the larger males made a rude noise, and dropped a load about an inch from the toe of M'kai's boot before retreating down the hallway at high speeds. "Shit," he swore, then realized exactly how apt that was - only to be distracted from his amusement by a loud CRACK.

Futh! Get people here now, the last thing I want is more of these pests deciding I'm their mama. It was just after lunch; some people would still be eating, others would be preparing for whatever they had to do later today. No one should be too badly interrupted, shockingly enough.

In a much more excited tone than his rider, Futh broadcasted to the Weyr, Razorclaws are hatching, outside of the Candidatemaster's room! Bring food, if you want one; they like food. Smart birds.

01. Continuum Theory Egg - Hatched Male Squawkers, bonded to C'lan
02. Quantum Theory Egg - Hatched Female Shira, bonded to Merridan
03. Unstoppable Force Egg - Hatched Male Biyakhi, bonded to R'lyeh
04. Immovable Object Egg - Hatched Male Pudge, bonded to Ke'von

[cailan]

Cailan was with his new blue dragon when he told him that the Razorclaws we're hatching and he petted his Asiryth before he left the weyrling barracks. He grabbed some leftover meat and some rolls then ran to the place that held the eggs that we're outside the candidate master room. The young man stood there then asked, "Master M'kai I would like a chance to get a egg," as he bowed his head to him to show respect,". His respect was well known and he always addressed older riders with great respect then waited. His desire for a pet was great because he had liked the little Razorclaws since his first day at the weyr. They we're little pranksters and so cute with a small he waited it made no deal if it was a male or female he just wanted one.

His little blue dragon was great and the added company would be fun for the both of them. Cailan waited with the roll and meat in his hand then waited to get the chance to get one of the little creatures. It was one of the few times that he had actually heard of a hatching at the weyr there we're so few hatchings at this weyr. He'd been told that they we're blessed to get what new life they could because of the lack of mating pairs.

[Sebz]

Ke'von had been asleep when Futh called out his warning, so it had been Ontehth who had heard. The brown was interested in the prospect of his getting one of the Razorclaws to call his rider Mom, but mostly he was interested in whitnessing the 'impression' of the birds. So naturally, the brown gave Ke'von a sharp jab in the stomach, which jarred him awake. Up now Ke'von mine, Futh says that the Razorclaws are hatching.

That had Ke'von scrambling to his feet, pulling on his shoes. “Where Ontenth?” The brown's eyes were whirling in amusement. Where you this jumping for my hatching? Ke'von you must calm down, or perhaps oversleep less often. The sun is already up. I was thinking about making this tool that would make you wake up when the sun rises. All we really would need would be a few springs- Ke'von rushed around the room, grabbing anything he thought he would need. He was used to the inventions Ontehth was always coming up with, and had learned to block out his dragon when he started rambling about that, which Ontehth was not to pleased about.

“Is this good enough,” Ke'von said, showing his supplies to the dragon. No. The weyrling waited for a correction, but the brown kept his mouth shut. “Ontehth-” Don't get your panties in a bunch mine, The dragon said affectively, flicking his wings towards the table. Bring food too. But we have to try my idea when we get back. Now hurry up if you want a baby birdie

Ke'von grinned, giving Ontehth an affectiantate caress under his eye ridge before scooping up the snacks that he had smuggled back to the barracks for his night time snackage before running out the door, Ontehth in tow. M'kai's barracks. Ke'von nodded in understanding.

When the pair got there, only C'lan and M'kai were there. Look, over there Ke'von Ontehth said, nudging the back of Ke'von's leg. Thanks buddy, he said a smile unfolding on his face. Anytime... partner The weyrling snorted in amusement at his dragon's attempt at humor. After nodding in greeting to M'kai and C'lan, he hunkered down next to the nest as close as he dared, holding the food. Move, I want to see! Ontehth exclaimed, snaking his head around, actually pushing Ke'von over.

“Hey!” Ke'von exclaimed, rubbing his backside. Ontehth's stomach rumbled in laughter.

[Ember]

Our little birdy's eggs are hatching, Ioth informed His quietly. She rose a brow at the 'our' part but otherwise made no comment. She'd go and watch, she supposed, since she had precious little else to do besides train. Interestingly enough, she'd discovered that one could indeed overtrain. Also it was a pet of hers that had sired a couple of the eggs (she'd kept away this time out of residual fear she'd scare the parents away like she'd done with the first clutch she'd seen) and she was kind of curious what Gawain's children would look like.

Futh also says you ought to bring food for them if you want another one. "One is more than enough but..." Later she would claim selfishness; she simply didn't want to deal with Gawain if idiots got his babies and they died. Iskierka went by the kitchens first and snagged some of the uncooked meat. Not much because, really, baby birds were small and the weyr needed the food more. Food acquired for the younger folks who would probably be interested in the birds, she headed to M'kai's weyr.

She set the food down near the couple of youngsters that had gathered without a word, or even acknowledgement and drifted towards the back. Didn't particularly want to raise one as a hatchling. She'd been lucky to get Gawain as an adult. Still, she knew better by now that if one wanted her because she was in the vicinity they'd make it known and she'd have no choice. Really should just leave. It was still very much an option for her to do so...

[Ruby]

M'kai smiled at C'lan, one corner of his mouth tweaking up further than the other to give the smile a sardonic twist. "Be my guest," he said, gesturing at the nest. "One's plenty for me, so get as many as you can. Oh- and congratulations on Asiryth! He's a lovely dragon." As the Weyrling got himself set up in front of the eggs, M'kai waved at Ke'von (stifling a laugh at the other new dragon) and fell in next to Iskierka instead of the kids. "Another one?" he asked, using a familiar tone despite having had hardly any dealings with the Bluerider in the past. Razorclaw slaves had to stick together, no?

As they watched, the Unstoppable Force egg cracked again, dark lines spiderwebbing across the grey surface. It seemed the most active, destined to be the first of the clutches to hatch. A bit of shell flaked off, exposing a bit of beak...

And then, with a resounding CRACK, the Continuum Theory egg shredded itself instead, drawing eyes over to Kami's nest instead of Echo's. The mother bird made a gentle little cooing sound, reaching down to stroke the ugly little hatchling with her beak. He was brown, darker than his mother, even more so while covered in egg goop, and even though he was ugly now (what bird wasn't ugly just out of shell?) it was clear that he'd be an attractive bird once he grew up. Small, but attractive. Kami fluffed herself up, then reached down to put her nose under the Continuum Theory hatchling's behind, shoving him towards the edge of the nest. Yes, she was his mother, but her momma was a human, so he should have a human momma, too. See? Look what tasty things they brought!

And indeed, the humans had brought tasty things. As the Continuum Theory hatchling (fluffy now that he'd dried off a little) hopped up onto the edge of the nest, his beak twitched once or twice. Glancing back at his mother for a moment - any other day he might have refused to leave her, but he was feeling adventurous at the moment - he surveyed his choices. All but one of them had food, but only one had what he felt like eating right now. With a squawk, he flapped his wings at C'lan, stretching his neck out towards the meatroll. Food please!

As the chaos died down, those paying attention would notice that the Unstoppable Force egg had finally broken, revealing a darker brown hatchling and the first of Echo's babies.

[Ruby]

Continuum Theory Male
Name-
Species- Razorclaw
Gender- Male
Bonded to- C'lan
Physical Appearance- As if to make up for his sibling's size, the Continuum Theory hatchling is tiny. He isn't the littlest Razorclaw ever, but he certainly rounds out the smaller end of the spectrum. His wingspan, while proportionate to his frame, is also very small, giving him great agility and speed but making his stamina next to nonexistant. He constantly seems to be flitting from tree to tree, landing one second and taking off the next. Hardly ever will he truly be 'in flight'; rather, he always seems to be transitioning from perch to sky and back again. Females that prefer elaborate aerial displays in their mates will find all they desire and more in this male, assuming they don't mind his size; those more impressed by speed and stamina will want to look elsewhere.

At first glance, the Continuum Theory male is kind of a solid middling brown, unmarked but for his mother's black eyeliner and the thin, near-black line that edges his father's wings. However, upon closer inspection viewers will notice that actually, instead of the medium brown they expected, he is a smooth gradient from the dark chocolate of his beak all the way down to tail feathers the color of raw umber. The color change is so smooth that individual feathers actually shade almost imperceptibly from darker afterfeathers to lighter tips, and a feather from his head will appear significantly darker than a feather from his tail - but only when they are held up next to each other. Even his beak, legs, and clawed feet blend in, picking up the brown of the closest feathers.

Personality- Bi-polar isn't quite right, but it is accurate in a sense. Rather than bouncing between two extremes, this male drifts from one end of the spectrum to the other. The change in his moods is as smooth as the change in his feathers - you only notice if you only encounter him oh, maybe once a week or so. Maybe once every two weeks. Sometimes, he can be the sweetest, most loving, most well-behaved bird in the world; but soon, he will slowly become less loving, he might start snapping at pets or even other razorclaws, maybe he's spending more and more time away from his human every day. Eventually, his owner will have a true hellion on their hands... but again, only for a short while. Then he will start gradually sliding back the other way. His personality seems to be in a constant state of flux.

Just like the rest of him, the Continuum Theory male changes his food preference... slowly. Everything and anything is fair game, from salamandyrs and flits to tunnelsnakes, rodents, human food, nuts, berries, and even smaller felines on occasion. He won't attempt to take one of those down without help, but when he gets a hankering for feline meat, not much will stop him from marshaling an attack force. Attempts to feed him things that he isn't interested in that week can result in anything from grudging acceptance to polite refusal to physical damage, even for His.

Even his bond seems to fluctuate. Sometimes, his human won't even have the vaguest idea where he is or what he's up to, even if he's being chased down by a predator. Other times, his human may be so aware of him that they almost feel like they can understand the words behind his noises, or find themselves acting on thoughts he's having, like one might do with a Salamandyr. No matter the current level of bond strength, though, he will be nearly impossible to train (for a variety of reasons, not the least of them being his absolutely fickle nature when it comes to favorite foods). He's smart, but he doesn't listen unless he feels like it. Above all, though, the Continuum Theory hatchling can be only be considered reliable in one aspect: his endless unreliability.

[Rowana]

Figures something would happened now, Merridan muttered to herself. She was halfway through her walk around the edge of Burimyu. Though not safe for Chaoth to go far from where he could be hidden, Mer liked to prowl the borders of their new home just in case something started to sneak up on them. After the incident in the Records Room, the last thing Mer wanted was more surprises of a deadly nature. Maybe going alone wasn't the wisest choice, but she had brought both Auran and Vikky to send for help if necessary.

When Futh's call came, Mer cursed the distance she now had to run to reach the razorclaw eggs. It wasn't so much the creatures themselves that had Mer so devoted to her goal. It was that Echo had been attached to Meira, and though some of the eggs were Kami's as well, Mer felt she aught to see this last part of Meira's family hatch successfully. After all, Jingth's children were safe, but for the one that between, and Mer wanted to see the Razorclaws had good homes as well. Besides, they did seem like useful friends to have.

A swing by the kitchens to swipe a small bowl of meat put Mer very late. When she arrived, two of the eggs were already open and showing the fuzzy balls that were baby Razorclaws. One was already demanding the attention of one of the new Weyrlings, C'lan Mer thought his name was. Taking a few deep breaths after her run, Mer gave M'kai and Iskierka a wave before going over to them. She might not have many close friends, but at least she knew these two fairly well. "She eyed the relatively small gathering with a raised eyebrow, used to much larger crowds for fire lizards and salamandyrs back at Selenitas.

"Is there something about these avians people aren't telling me?" she asked, suspicious, but amused too. Gawain had been useful, as far as she remembered, so why weren't more people interested in the young ones? It was also good to have something fun and happy to talk about after the air of gloom surrounding Meira and Jingth's passing. Glancing at the one in Echo's nest, Mer smiled despite herself. It was rather cute, though she would never admit it out loud.

[Ember]

When M'kai joined her, Iskierka's gaze briefly flicked to him before returning to idly watching the hatching birds. "No," she answered curtly. Could have left it at that. Used to do just that all the time...or not even answer at all. Instead she added, "Just watching." She wondered privately if maybe she'd always be involved with Razorclaw hatchings, having found the first nests that resulted in bonding and having been the first to bond to one, albeit a fully grown one.

Iskierka watched as one of the ugly baby birds - really, there ought to be a limit to how ugly something could be - chose one of the new weyrlings. She almost felt sympathy for the blueweyrling. Almost. Raising a needy bird hatchling while looking after a baby dragon would be incredibly difficult. She relied more on her memory as a Weyrlingmaster than from her own long gone days as a new weyrling for that assessment.

The bluerider hid her surprise when Merridan also joined her and M'kai. Was there something wrong with her? She usually repelled people and was comfortable in doing so. She decided to chalk Merridan joining them to M'kai's presence as she stiffled a sigh. People were so strange. The brownrider's question went ignored by Iskierka. Oh, she could have easily answered - was half tempted to still - but she figured it was directed to M'kai. Besides, he'd gotten his bird as a baby. He could answer in a more personal way.

[Sebz]

Ke'von watched in fasination as two of the eggs split open, and one of the Razorclaw hatchlings made his choice known. The weyrling grinned as he watched the baby attatch itself to C'lan, sqwaking to be fed. Not the most attractive things are they. Ontehth noted in a rather detatched tone. Surprised, Ke'von looked at his dragon. The brown seemed to be deep in thought, eyes narrowed on the newly forged pair as well as the last three of the unbonded or unhatched.

The weyrling nodded in acknowlagement as more joined the group that was surounding the nests, holding food out to offer to the hatching avians. Ke'von's attention was torn, he wanted to watch the hatching of the last few babbies, but he also wanted to see just what the razorclaw that had attatched itself to C'lan was demanding. Really, you should ask your friend to shut his bird up, it's quite painful on the ears, Ontehth said, quite out of the blue, still musting. Ke'von smirked, if he was lucky, he'd have one of the loud creatures following him around.

Maybe it's raucious crys would solve his oversleeping problem. Hardy har har, Ontehth said, picking the thoughts out of his riders mind. You think your so clever. "Aww, come on now Ontehth, do I detect I hint of jelo-" I am not jelous. He sniffed, situating his tail so it snaked around one of Ke'von's legs. I just know that you are mistaken. If you manage to attatch on of these birds, not only will it wake you up, rather, it will give you, and me, many sleepless nights. You just better stop and think about what your possibly getting into.

[cailan]

C'lan smiled as the little brown creature came into his arms and he just held him. He was hungry already and immediately he fed him the food that he had in his hand. The blue rider found it hard to even think of anything else except the cute creature in his arms that he continued to feed. "I'll name you Squawkers," with a smile because this was a good day to him. His desire for a pet had started many years ago and now he had a rare one that looked like he was going to be handful. "Your so cute," said C'lan as he stroked the creature that for the moment was content with C'lan. It was a great honor to get a Razorclaw and now he had two babies to take care of.

He loved the younger creatures and smiled at this fact as the little one already demanded more food. The food was gone and just like that Squawkers began to have a mood change. Squawkers immediately began to pull away as if almost offended that he was not given more food and he had to smile at this event. "You do have your moods," said C'lan with a laugh then just looked around at the others not many had come to claim the babies. His desire had been fore filled because now he had two that made up his little family.

[Ivy]

Things had settled down for Roselle since she Impressed. If one could consider the constant care a dragonet needs as well as adjusting to a new voice in her head 'settling down' at all. Still she was a might happier than she had been prior to Impressing her Green, and so when Tserieth informed her of the Razorclaw hatching outside the Candidatemaster's room she smiled - yes, Roselle SMILED.

They do seem popular Roselle-mine. Could be useful. But really why are you so excited?

I just am, I never had a pet growing up - they weren't allowed. My happiness should please you my little green. Or are you afraid you'll get less attention or affection should I get one?

Afraid? You are amusing Roselle-mine.

Rolling her eyes Roselle headed towards the kitchens. Ducking in she managed to get a few chunks of meat that she guessed wouldn't be missed. From there she headed towards where she knew M'kai's room was, coming up on a small group in the hall she rocked up on her toes to see over those taller than her. Where were they anyways?

Nests, Roselle-mine. Birds have nests.

Ah, thank you my little one.

I wish you wouldn't call me little so often.[/color]

Another roll of her eyes - a habit that had become quite frequent since she Impressed Tserieth - Roselle looked along the wall until she noticed the nest nestled into the crack. Ah. There.

So she watched and waited. Not exactly sure how these things went. Keeping to herself she rolled the meat between her fingers and eyed the young one C'lan seemed to have impressed.

[crispypeanut]

R'lyeh was somewhat annoyed. Since his Impression of Keqesith, his time had mostly been spent trying to become accustomed to sharing his mind with another entity...a bossy, attention-hungry, perfectionist entity. Not being of a nature conducive of an overflowing supply of love...or patience..., R'lyeh had been struggling to adapt to his new life-long companion. Keqesith had (inevitably) heard about the expected hatching of the tamed Razorclaws of the Burimyu Weyr and had demanded to see them.

R'lyeh Keqesith addressed her mind-mate with an imperious tone, if we do not hurry, we're not going to see them hatch! Hurry! HURRY! She galloped ungainly forward and swiveled her wolfish head back around at R'lyeh, who was reluctantly following the eager Dragon.

"We are already going to be late," he muttered under his breath as he trudged onward toward the nesting ground, "what difference is it going to make? It isn't like they are going to go anywhere..."

Keqesith glared daggers at R'lyeh. We are only going to be late because YOU won't walk faster!

"Listen, I have other...actually important things that need to be done...why don't you...," R'lyeh felt a surge of anger flush through his mind and observed his Dragon's claws rend into the dirt under her feet. "Ah...fine..." he muttered as he reluctantly increased his pace to the delight of his Green.

Faster! She shouted into his brain, FASTER!

With an annoyed groan and a stifled curse, R'lyeh broke into a sprinting run, his Dragon happily galloping at his heels to ensure his pace did not slack...

A few moments later...

R'lyeh, out of breath and panting loudly, graciously fell to the ground at the nesting site. He was still late, but it appeared that only two of the Razors had hatched, and there were still two left for his excited Green to observe emerging from their eggs. Keqesith focused expectantly upon the remaining two eggs and flooded R'lyeh's mind with exclamations of glee and anticipation, which only added to his overall feelings of annoyance as he struggled to recover. He hoped that all this effort was worth it...as the retribution from HER for anything less than a satisfactory visit would be...unpleasant to say the least.

[Ruby]

Ah, here was everyone. M'kai knew Futh had called the Weyr, but he was still surprised at the turnout - although, to be fair, most of the new Weyrlings (a significant portion of the Weyr's population) didn't have flits or salamandyrs, so they didn't have to worry about losing a mindmate to one of the birds. He waved at each of the Weyrlings that arrived, feeling generally proud; every one that had impressed (with the exception of maybe T'ri) had deserved it, and would make an excellent rider. It was the adults, though, that got more of his attention; Merridan, mostly, who'd been his own classmate oh so long ago. "They're impossible when they're babies," he explained to her, "And they love eating flits and mandyrs. Some of them, anyway. But I guess no one else got the message either?"


That didn't stop them from hatching, though. As Echo urged her own baby to the edge of the nest - apparently she had a similar view of this human mama idea as Kami - her second egg hatched, too, leaving her with two creeling babies. While Echo tended to the Quantum Theory hatchling (mostly obscuring the ball of fluff with a half-extended wing), Kami chirped at the Unstoppable Force male, urging him towards the edge of his own nest. He'd be hungry, and the humans had food while his dam was occupied with his sibling. They could be trusted, she promised.

The Unstoppable Force hatchling eyed her skeptically; they were big, and wouldn't it be nicer to fly free under the open sky, to find his own family group out there? Kami shook herself all over, clearly denying him. Echo was his family group, Echo and Gawain and Kami herself, and her family group picked humans. With a sound that could only correctly be called a sigh, the Unstoppable Force hatchling surveyed his choices, ignoring their offers of food. He'd get his own as soon as he could, he decided. It had to be better than this cooked meat.

A few of the sensible ones hadn't brought any nasty human food. With an annoyed shuffling of his tail feathers, he crrreeeeeked at R'lyeh and Keqesith, reaching out the feather-light touch of his bond to his chosen human. R'lyeh had better not be expecting cuddles.

[Ruby]

Unstoppable Force Male
Name-
Species- Razorclaw
Gender- Male
Bonded to- R'lyeh
Physical Appearance- This male is medium in size at best, but his wingspan is large enough to measure up to those of most males and even of some females. Despite his size, though, he is definitely an impressive specimen; certainly there are few who will look quite as wild as he. His beak curves to a violent point, his talons large and curving into razor-sharp claws; on his head his feathers crest in a vibrant display that looks rather similar to a Terran Mohawk, the feathers along his neck surprisingly stiff and resistant to being stroked flat into any semblance of order whatsoever. (Indeed, pressing too forcefully will cause no small amount of discomfort, and any who attempt it can expect to be missing a few drops of blood in short order.) The feathers along his back are also slightly lifted down his spine, ending in sleek, long tail feathers—it certainly makes him noticeable, not to mention unique.

In color, the male is nothing short of attractive—a rich, glossy dark brown runs over his body, and one should expect no little amount of preening from him, in order to keep his feathers just so shiny. A pure, sharp white forms a ‘T’ shape over his eyes and down his chest and underbelly, while light cream flecks appear upon his breast. His eyes are each accented with black spots just above each, giving him a distinctly four-eyed appearance, and the feathers of his tail, wings, and down his spine where the feathers stand at attention are ticked with black. The male’s beak and talons are saffron yellow, the end of his beak as dark as ink, while his legs and talons are mottled intermittently with black as well.

Personality- The wild blood in this male runs closer to the surface than it does in his sister—his Bond with his human will always be light, to the point of being almost intangible. Fittingly, the male is extremely independent of human companionship. It’s rare that he will feel comfortable perching upon any human, even His, and even when he’s in the company of His, he will always prefer to perch in a more neutral location. However, while he will never fawn over His, he will grudgingly tolerate affections to be lavished upon him by the humans that he is closest to. He is, though, a very vain creature, and prone to impatience if attentions become too stifling—it won’t be unusual to accidentally overstep the line with this male and have him vanish for half a day or so before he returns.

He’s a very acrobatic creature, and something of a show-off, with a fondness for performing intricate loops and tricks in the air without looking like he’s trying—let everyone watch and be jealous, but let none of them come close to touching him. The male is a fearless creature—he’ll never perch on a dragon but it’s not out of fear so much as simple distaste; likewise with whers. When it comes to His having other pets, though—well. It’s not that he’ll actively protest, for that would be an overt show of affection, possessiveness (though he is undeniably protective of His in that any harm will result in an outright rage), but he certainly won’t approve. Firelizards and Salamandyrs will always be appraised as food, not friends, and no amount of training will break him of making a snatch at a passing flit or ‘mandyr if they come too close.

Fortunately, his preference in food veers away from firelizards and Salamandyrs; he despises depending on His for food and will only intermittently accept morsels when they are offered. Instead, he prefers to hunt his own game—and the bigger and more dangerous, the better. It won’t be unusual for him to turn up his beak at smaller fowl and wherries in order to hunt down a feline or canine instead, though on the upside, he’s intelligent enough to know when to pick his battles and does so wisely—the chances of his turning into the prey when he’s out hunting are negligible.

[crispypeanut]

R'lyeh heard one of the little hatchlings crrreeeeek! As he sucked in successively less frantic breaths of air, he brought up his head to see the bird glaring, annoyed, in his general direction. He turned one way...and then the other... and seeing no one else around him, he felt a creeping sensation of dread sweep over him.

"Oh... oh no...," R'lyeh muttered to the dirt as the Unstoppable Force Male impatiently crrreeeeeeeeeeked again at him.

Oh! OH! It likes us, R'lyeh! Keqesith was practically hopping with excitement. Quickly! Go and pick it up! I want a closer look!

R'lyeh looked at his Dragon. He looked at the increasingly aggressive little bird. He looked back at his Dragon.

"No." He stated flatly.

Yes. She insisted.

"No. He repeated.

YES. She reinforced her own repetition with a sub-audible growl.

CRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEK added the Unstoppable Force Male, working itself into a veritable frenzy.

With his Green against him and the Razorclaw Hatchling growing increasingly tremulous, R'lyeh released a heavy sigh. He struggled to his feet and dragged his exhausted body over to the Unstoppable Force Male which had undoubtedly chosen him as its bonded.

R'yleh looked into its bright, fiery eyes. He saw its viscous, curved beak. He knew that under all its fluffy plumage, horribly sharp and pointy talons waited to sink into something...

Pick it up.

R'lyeh's hand twitched slightly as he slowly extended it towards the bird, which eyed his hand with horrid animosity. His fingers stopped their descent just outside of snapping range as he contemplated what was about to happen.

Pick it up, already, R'lyeh!

Clamping his jaw tightly closed and with full realization that what he was about to do was as smart as plunging his hand into a white-hot fire, R'lyeh reached his hand down for the bird.

The Unstoppable Force Male bit him. Hard. It coiled and sprang upon his hand, sank two small feet worth of talons into his flesh and THEN bit him.

Oh! ... That smarts! Drop it! Keqesith declared, sensing the pain surging up R'lyeh's arm from the tenacious creature.

This command, R'lyeh ignored. He allowed the bird the chance to vent its annoyance upon him. His hand, after all, would heal in time. Right now, the bird needed to know that he was not afraid of pain. That he would not yield to it. And that he would not strike back at it in anger (despite every ounce of Northern Blood in his veins demanding that he do so).

After its initial onslaught, the Unstoppable Force Male relented in its assault; too tired from its hatching and furious opening attack to continue. It was then that R'lyeh extracted the bird from his blood-dripping right hand, clutching it securely in his left. Keqesith came closer to her mind-mate, staring down at the new addition to their little family with reverent awe.

Feisty little thing, isn't he? She whispered, as though not to disturb him (even though it couldn't hear her anyway...)

"Aye," R'lyeh replied, the hint of a smile on his lips. "I shall call him... Biyakhi."

Hrmmmph... Keqesith muttered to herself with a touch of jealousy, and you didn't even want to come...

"Shut up," R'lyeh replied with a rare, full smile, "This was your idea, after all."