Heroic; Impressively Great (Nitrath's Hatching)

[Aftershock]

Cairenn's attention was stolen from the Stands when activity began at the eggs, looking on with interest as the grey-green limb emerged from the Maester Egg, then disappeared once again, and her eyes widened in wonder as the... yellow?... tail emerged from the Wolven Egg. She was just about to move forward from her position in the middle of the group of Candidates, her short stature blocking much of her view of the proceedings, when the Barbarian Egg exploded suddenly, sending shards of egg shell ripping into the front ranks of Candidates. She squeaked as small shards of egg, mostly robbed of their momentum by the time they got to her, speckled her, then watched the Barbarian Blue with interest as it approached the crowd, then began moving through it. It was so small... she thought blues were larger than that, from the lessons she had attended so far.

Unfortunately for Cairenn, she was deep in thought and watching the tiny blue as it approached her when it decided she wasn't the one it wanted, and shoved her roughly aside. Her lightweight body wasn't strong enough to resist even the pygmy blue's force, and she tumbled to her bottom on the sands, yelping in pain from both the impact and the heat on the palms of her hands. The heat searing through her, she quickly scrambled to her feet, watching her assailant move towards the back of the Candidate group to sit before another Candidate girl Cairenn didn't know too well.

Biting her lip against the pain in her scratched palms and seared skin, she began picking and brushing the sand from her hands and arms as she looked out in the Stands once more, this time spotting Roselle and waving at her aunt excitedly, letting her know she was (mostly) unhurt from the encounter. She then moved her attention back to the eggs, both interested in what might emerge next and wanting to avoid another near-mauling in case another dragonling came her way with no intent to Impress to her.

---

Freyr looped around the Stands for only a moment until it found Ruliana, and chirruped as it led the young woman towards where His sat with his bondbrother. Having done his job, Freyr noticed Feyrianth's presence as she sent images to His, and flew over to the four-winged green, chirruping pleasantly as he landed beside her and noted how attractive the green dragon was looking this day.

Samael, for his part, smiled as Ruliana greeted him and he felt her sit beside him, Heimdall wagging his tail and moving his heavy head towards her to get scratched. In response to her words, he said, "Hatchings are difficult for me. At my first hatching, I lost my sister to a Wastelander assault... her throat was slit when the dragon she Impressed was found imperfect..." He paused then, the pain of having to repeat the events of that day in detail still painful, then swallowed and continued, "Then, at my second hatching, a girl I liked Impressed a dragon, and immediately caught the attention of another dragonrider, who was obviously superior to me, and I pretty much never saw her again... she had forgotten about me."

Heaving a deep sigh, he concluded, "So, I come to the hatchings still, as a way to honor my sister if nothing else, but they're not happy things for me like they are for everyone else." Reaching out with one hand, feeling around until he found Ruliana's leg and placing his hand upon it, he said, "I'm glad you're here, at least... a friendly presence will help me deal with it all a lot better. Thank you, for being here."

---

Cainith grinned as Ivy saw him and her smile got larger, hoping she wasn't just doing that for him and that his presence actually was helping her feel more confident about her chances of Impressing. He then turned his attention to the eggs as activity started occurring, and saw both the blue-green leg emerge from one egg, and the yellowish tail emerge from the other. A gold, perhaps? Either one could be Ivy's dragon, he thought, and he was slightly disappointed when neither one made to hatch any farther.

Suddenly, though, the Barbarian Egg exploded, and as he saw the pained reactions from the front row of Candidates from the sharp shell fragments, he looked down at Ivy once more, crying out in worry as he saw blood on her ankle. He nearly leapt the wall to go check on her, but contained himself... it was only a small cut, after all, and even though two other non-Candidates had already jumped the barrier earlier and been untouched, he did not trust his Wastelander status to not get him in trouble, and so he stayed, body tensed in worry as he looked at Ivy, hoping she would avoid any further injury this day.

[archenstone]

Alcherion looked up from his work as humming resounded through the Weyr. The hammer in his hand stayed above his head as he listened to the Gold's voice. "So it has begun..." He mused. Eyeing the redness of the steel, he swung a few more times then bathed the hot steel in water. The pipe he was hammering would go to the kitchens, to replace one that was aged and worn. He set the pole in a rack where it would be safe until his delivery and banked the coals.

Sweat poured down his broad back and face. He wiped his brow though it did little good and made his way out the smith's work area and towards the Candidate barracks. He was quiet as several passed by him in white robes. He would catch up to them later. Things might have taken a wrong turn for him shortly after entering the Weyr but he had chosen not to go home. Instead, he had taken on several duties that kept him so busy he had barely spoken to any of the others.

He entered the barracks, treading faster as he reached his destination. The chest had been left open and a single white robe was crumpled up inside. He glanced to where the bath was, wishing greatly he had time to clean up and cool off before presenting himself at the hatching. Instead he stripped and dressed into a not so slick pair of pants and the white candidate robe. From there he hurried until he reached the sands and entered quietly. The Gold towered above them all and even though he thought she wasn't looking he made a bow to her before moving closer to be with the other candidates.

He noticed one of the healers walking with a tiny blue hatching and for the first time it cut through his ego that he may not impress. He paused near the others and looked over the eggs while pondering this new revelation. What would he do if he did not impress? He could stay amongst those who possibly disliked him. He had certainly not impressed them with his snap of anger. Since then Alcherion had been trying to repair the damage he had done to his reputation as he saw it. What peace he had mended with Kelinale was as fragile as a tiny flame against a raging storm. After making an appropriate apology he had sought to distance himself from the other man. His extra duties had kept him from working to improve his relations with the other candidates.

Alcherion tore his mind away from the past and focused on the dragonets. He quickly saw that the blue from earlier came from one of the eggs he had liked from afar. He watched them with keen interest, idly rubbing the new puncture scars on his left arm for several moments. His height made it easy to see over the head of one of the female candidates but after a moment he walked up beside her and saw it was Ivy. At least, that's what he thought her name was.


~~~~~~~
Kalina was sitting in the stands and watching everything eagerly. She hadn't spotted Max so she had sat near of the brown riders. Today the hatching was a mix of excitement and nervousness. She loved seeing the baby dragons and watching who they picked... but the culling that happened before tinged her enthusiasm. She fervently hoped nothing of the sort would happen here, and if anyone tried she was willing to leap down in the defense of the little babies. She felt a warmth of love and comfort brush against her mind and smiled. Uminth was sitting as close to an exit as possible, the only way she could stand the mass throng of people and dragons.~~~~~~

X'vier watched the blue dragon burst forth from its shell and grinned. That one will be a little warrior Mirazeth. He commented. He sat next to a couple of pretty greenriders and was quite content. Passion poked his head out from his hidey hole to look too. Need pretty greens, lovely ladies The mandyr had chosen not to broadcast for which X'vier was grateful.


~~~~~
M'ze watched quietly as the eggs rocked and the blue burst forth. It was good to see another hatching. Ever the optimist, he believed this hatching would go much better than the violent one he remembered. He watched the blue as it bonded with a healer then turned his eyes back to another of the eggs. He thought he had seen a yellow tail earlier, but that couldn't be right?

~~~~~~

Asharra sat as high in the stands as she could manage while being close enough to help the other healers if need be. The goo the hatchlings came out covered in grossed her. She preferred clean and sterile. She had come to like her dragonriders, but for the most part she was still reserved about her feelings towards Dragonriders in general. She had disliked Dragonriders for sixty years, and wasn't sure she would be able to ever completely change her views. Still, sitting here willingly made her realize she had come pretty far from where she was before coming to the old Selenitas.

[Rei]

Leaning back against the platform, in the space she graciously left open for him, Er’ani frowned. It wasn’t really the words he disliked, it was the tremor in Caden’s tone. This really was messing her up something awful wasn’t it? Er’ani would admit that he had his nervous moments but above all he trusted the council and the weyr they now resided in. Nothing would be allowed to happen to Nitrath’s babies he was sure. Yet he couldn’t just tell Caden that obviously. After all he had tried before to no avail. He was honestly really worried about her. She was one of his best friends after all.

Finally he sighed and was about to say something then the first egg exploded. The albinorider’s eyes traveled briefly to the small blue and then, upon seeing that he seemed healthy, his gaze went back to Caden. There was something to concern himself about going on behind her gaze and he wasn’t sure what he could do to help. As the goldrider took a step forward and then paused Er’ani’s hand shot out and seized her arm.

“Caden. Caden!” He raised his voice just slightly. “Hun. Look at me.” He waited to see if she would comply before going on anyway. “I will watch out for them for a few minutes okay? Right now do us all a favor and drink some of the water I brought you. It will help clear your mind and you can’t help anyone when you are dehydrated. Please just trust me? Trust Lketh? Let us watch too. I swear nothing will happen to them while we are all standing here okay. Just please drink the water that’s all I ask.” He kept his voice firm but with an imploring undertone. Damn the woman was freaking stubborn. It was a quality to her that sometimes annoyed him to be honest. But he was stubborn as hell too so he understood it at least.

Lketh merely crooned softly to Nitrath and bushed an affectionate thread across her mind. He was watching dear sister.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Erilena closed her mouth as soon as K’sel addressed her and offered him a bright smile tempered only a little by her tiredness. With a small giggle her eyes glinted with a bit of playful light before she looped an arm over his shoulder and responded. “Oh this little ol outfit? I rolled out of bed and tugged on the first clean thing I found that wasn’t wrinkled to all hell. Good nose on the scent though. I think it rather fits nicely don’t you?” With a small playful flick to K'sel's ear she outright laughed. “Fey is very happy to see him. He’s one of her all time favorites you know. She’s been getting a bit sad that she hasn’t seen him in awhile. This is sure to make her entire day. Pettahth on top of a hatching? Best day ever for her.” A glance was given the hatching before her gaze returned to her adoptive brother.

“Well then. With your time so limited Daddy dearest I will treasure what time we do have here dearly.” Turning her head she gave the brownrider a peck on the cheek. “You can be my hatching bodyguard for the afternoon.” The greenrider would have punctuated that with a wink had not the Barbarian Egg exploded right then showing the candidates with shards. Ah well it seemed her services were needed after all.

“I’ll be right back K’sel.” With a quick glance over at the approaching E’rro she hailed him and then waited for the blue to impress before pushing herself off the wall and winding her way quickly through the candidates. Most of them had minor scratches and could wait for now, but those few with deeper ones were treated quickly before her and E’rro danced off to the sidelines again to see what the rest of the hatching would bring.

If it was all just tiny scratches she would be thankful but Erilena knew from experience that that was highly unlikely. Regaining her place by K’sel she gave him a small smile. “At least hatchings are never boring? Feyrianth’s sure wasn’t.”

The four winged green was nearly ecstatic to see Pettahth and as he burrowed under her wings she crooned affectionately to him returning his lean in kind as she tucked her wings over his form like a living blanket. It is a very nice clutch Pettalove. Only made all the better for your company. Feyrianth’s whirling eyes turned a little faster as her hum increased in volume. Oh so many littles! I have yet to see yours. Is it as adorable as mine says it is? I am skeptical. My littles were funny looking the first time I saw them. They have gotten much cuter though.

The green was interrupted in thought by the arrival of Freyr and she greeted the little flit warmly before her attention was again stolen by Ismaroth’s arrival. The large brown was given a warm greeting as well before Feyrinath commented playfully to them all. My, my. I am quite the lucky lady to have the pleasure of basking in the company of so many wonderful males as I watch our new bothers and sister hatch. Her hum never let up as she spoke though her tail did seek out Pettahth’s so she could twine it with the sandy colored brown’s. He was still her favorite of all gathered after all.

[Sebz]

Eselda was of course late. But she hardly thought it was her fault. It was just by coincidence that she had started a conversation not to long before Nitrath's clutch began to hatch with a drudge whom she had happened to bump into quite literally while she was prowling the kitchens. Eselda of course loved to talk, and she kept doing so even as the golden dragon announced that her children were arriving into the world. The poor drudge probably wanted to go watch the proceedings, but Eselda wouldn't let her escape until she had gotten in the last word.

By the time she had gotten into proper attire and made it down to the hot sands where the now-hatching eggs, one dragonet, a blue one, had already impressed. Eselda looked tentatively at the golden dragon, cowed for perhaps the first time in her life. The queen dragon was larger than the candidate had thought- she had only ever seen Nitrath from a far. "Hello," she said quickly before joining the growing rank of candidates.

Most of the eggs seemed inactive at the moment. Eselda scanned the large clutch, looking for the quivers that would indicate that the baby dragon was attempting to escape the confines of its egg. An egg seemed cracked open, but the dragon had failed to emerge. Perhaps it was tired, breaking out of an egg must be exhausting. And was that a yellow tail?

[Sheari]

(Chey can’t get to a computer in time for the next round so she said I could post for her.)

Ilaxnos laughed at Kelinale, shoving the shorter boy off of him. “Not a leaning post, lazybones,” he said. He would have replied if the clutch wasn’t so distracting. The egg shattering suddenly was not something the boy had been expecting. Taken by surprise he wasn’t quite able to dodge in time and got a good shard in his palm. When the blue hatched, Ilaxnos couldn’t take his eyes form him. His hide was so dark, and he was so small! Were baby dragons always that small? The creature was probably shorter in length than he was tall!

Moving out of the blue’s way, Ilaxnos took heed of the pain in his palm. Lifting it, he examined his right hand, blood running in a slow, steady flow down the right side. With his uninjured left hand (and a hiss), he plucked the shard from his flesh, tore a strip of cloth from his robe, and wrapped it around the wound. It was superficial, but it still hurt.

“You okay, Kel?” he asked of the boy that had been standing next to him. Well, at least he hadn’t been mauled…yet.

~*~

There was a spark of disappointment form Weith as he watched Adanth hatch. He’s…he’s so…small.[/I] There was concern as well. The bronze had never seen such a stunted hatchling. The creature moved, however, among the hatchlings as though he were perfectly healthy. He appears healthy. I think he will be fine.[/I] With the judgment passed, Weith nudged his rider. The sands are for dragons, hatchlings, and candidates. Run along now and got sit with Nitrath’s.[/I] R’men shoved the big shiny nose away, set his empty soup bowl down, and moved off to the seats. He had had his turn on Sands and he still didn’t like the heat.

R’men pointed to a seat next to Caden and without asking, sat down. He didn’t know her, they had hardly spoken since the Flight. As far as he knew, she hated him and he would move if she wanted him to, but until then he would sit here. “Hello,” he said, feebly smiling in an effort to make her hate him less. He nodded to Er’ani to acknowledge he was there and wasn’t being blatantly ignored. That was as far as he could go though, and was content to return his attention to the Sands.

~*~

If you knew what to listen for, you would have heard a whine and a bark form the edge of the sand where Cleric was pacing. She had seen her person get playfully shoved, but then saw blood come from her person’s leg. Kelinale had been standing probably way too close and had gotten hit quite nicely above his knee. The shard had been particularly dull, however, and the scrape hadn’t sliced anything important. It did sting like the cold of between on a sweltering day and he tentatively poked at the shell protruding. “I’m fine,” he laughed at Ilaxnos, limping back over to the other candidate’s side. Following the taller boy’s lead, he pulled the shard out and tore strips of cloth to make a crude bandage. IT just didn’t do to go bleeding everywhere on the Sands, now did it! Looking up, Kelinale saw Alcherion, and suppressing a glare, he gave the other a cheeky grin and a double thumbs up, blood seeping through the clearly visible bandage.

When Adanth passed through, the boy froze, letting the blue sniff him before moving on. This tiny dragon wasn’t his. He felt the same nothingness from the blue that he felt from other dragons, and from Cleric. He tried to imagine taking what he felt from Morrigan and magnifying it, but his mind simply did not have the ability to add to itself a large conscious. He applauded with the others when Raylanne Impressed to the miniature blue. Now he turned his attention the clutch. “So, I wonder who Yellow-tail and Green-foot will Impress to.” There was an anxious, giddy excitement in his voice. Did the yellow tail herald a new Queen?

[Ruby]

Things were picking up quickly. The gray-green in the Maester Egg started picking away at the edges of the hole her arm had made, eventually forcing a wing through, then a hind leg, then eventually her whole torso. Her head came out last, and she shook it to remove the last flakes of shell, revealing her only marking: a 'third eye' on her forehead that was practically glowing. Once she was out, though, she didn't seem to be in any rush to impress; rather she sat in the remains of her egg, licking egg goop off and occasionally fixing a candidate that caught her eye with a particularly intense stare. Each of the girls was examined, and the Green seemed intent on looking through each of them before she discarded them as almost.

As the Kingly Egg and the Halfling Egg both started showing signs of life, Caden did her best to ignore Er'ani, but when he grabbed her arm she shrunk away. THAT was a thing the Bluerider had almost certainly never seen the goldrider do. She finally looked over at him, eyes full of what had to be fear. "I can't," she gasped, eyes snapping back to the hatching. Another gray-green dragonet had emerged; the Kingly Green seemed to be as relaxed as her sister, equally concerned with her lighter hide as opposed to things like impression. A blue wing had punctured the Halfling Egg now too, and other eggs were beginning to shake. The greens seemed healthy and whole, though, and so far everything was fine. The only other riders on the sands were Legatus members and R'men; Caden didn't trust them, per se, but they were unquestionably loyal to Selenitas, so they got off with a glare and were allowed to stay. For now. Until Caden really lost it. She did take the water from her clutchmate, though, uncorking it and taking a few small sips before thrusting the skin back in Er'ani's direction, loathe to have anything in her hands in case she needed her knives.

While she was busy with Er'ani, Nitrath replied to her various greetings, then dipped her head, apparently checking in with one of the Greens. The Kingly Green huffed at her mother, then glanced over at her sister, raising a wet wing in a dragony shrug. The Maester Green gave her sister that same penetrating look, which seemed to be enough for the lighter green. The Kingly Green surged to her feet, awkward hatchling limbs tangling her up briefly while her sister tended to her own feet. Eventually, both girls were up, although the Maester Green simply stood, waiting on her sister's choice.

The Kingly Green slunk forward, ignoring every female with singleminded determination. Not for her, the girls with their changing moods, one day this and another day that. No, she needed a steady partner, one who would understand her. Slinking around Ilaxnos, she sniffed him briefly, then moved on. No, not him. There he was - she should have known. At the back, waiting, watching. K'dem. We are destined for greatness, you and I. All of a sudden, the baby green pounced, eyes swirling blue as she attempted to pin her new rider to the ground. I am Taarith. My sister will follow; shall we go see how Adanth's is doing?[/i]

Once Taarith had made her choice, the Maester Green got up, making a beeline for another candidate. She had looked deep into Rosanna's eyes not long ago, then passed over her to examine her other choices. It had been clear then, though, and it was clear now. Rosanna was the obvious choice. You... the Green murmured, observing the candidate with a cocked head and whirling green eyes that exactly matched the marking on her head, My rider is a prankster and a thief, is she not? No matter, I know what I am doing. I always do, she said, face wrinkling up in a warm baby-dragon smile that took any sting out of her words. Come, Rosanna. I am Istarith, and I am hungry.[/i]

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

Of course Tenlie was at the hatching. Where else would she be? Rajnith was busy sulking somewhere (most likely she'd be bother Kierjaarth shortly, but for the moment he was free), annoyed that all attention was not on her as usual, but Ten had no such issues with shiny hides. Shiny hides made babies, as if there weren't enough of those at the Weyr currently. The Creche seemed to have exploded! What the Greenrider wouldn't give for a child of her own...

But no, that's not why she was here. She was here for Nitrath, and Nitrath's babies, and - someone slid into the seat next to her and put a hand on her shoulder, breaking her train of thought. Looking over, she beamed at Mi'rah. "Aye, of course!" she said, sliding over to make room for him on the bench. "It do remind me of when I impressed Raj. I was late, did you know? She was practically out of her shell before I did even arrive. What was Kierjaarth's hatching like?" Clearly the greenrider was excited - she talked right over Mi'rah's awkward moment, not even noticing his mild discomfort. She was simply too happy to mess around with all that blushing today.

[Ruby]

Maester Green
Bonded To: Rosanna
Name: Istarith
Color: Green (3f5740), Markings (00ff0b)

Appearance: On average, Nitrath's babies seem to tend toward the large end of the spectrum for their colors, and Istarith is no exception. She's big, but she's not just big - she's statuesque. That's true in the strictest sense of the word: it does not necessitate beauty, and Istarith is not necessarily beautiful. She is imposing and dignified, though, proportional for her size with the exception of long legs, long tail, long neck, and long wings. 'Perfect' is not the word, because honestly she looks a tad masculine and harsh for that, but no matter what she eats, she'll always give the impression of being carved from stone. Sharp ridges protrude all the way down her back, her eyeridges and headknobs are exaggerated, and even her claws look like chips of obsidian, not something part of a living being. A dragon statue, if you will.

Her hide is as mysterious and intriguing as her form is harsh. You might expect it to be cold or rough, but in fact, the opposite is the case. She's warm and soft, provided her rider oils her adequately. Her color is mossy, an absolutely natural tone that blends perfectly with the dimmer northern forests. Smudges of brighter green seem to dance across her body in sunlight, appearing primarily where joints and bones are visible but possible anywhere if the light hits her correctly. At night and when she rises, these smudges give off a very faint light, like the bioluminescence sometimes found in southern flowers. Alone, the glow might not be noticeable, but Istarith has one very obvious marking: a spot on her forehead, between her eyeridges, that looks disturbingly like a third eye. It is the same bright green as her eyes when she is happy, but the light is stronger here, giving off a yellow-green glow even in the shade.

Her movement, on the ground and in the air, isn't particularly what one would expect, either. As a larger green, people often peg her as a strong, steady flier, and that isn't false, but her true abilities lie in her speed. How fast she can get herself from place to place is truly shocking. Of course, she can't keep it up for long, but if you aren't paying attention it can seem almost like magic. Her endurance and agility are acceptable, but this dragon can move when she wants to (although, honestly, it's rare that she does). She never rushes in to things without reason, though, and her zippier green counterparts might get frustrated when she does not take advantage of her abilities.

Personality: Istarith can be a fairly bizarre dragon to spend time with. She is preternaturally intelligent, and her insights into the personalities and histories of people she's never met are disturbingly accurate - almost like she had a book in front of her that told her everything about them. She sounds like a book, too; every sentence is complete and grammatically perfect, even if her words are simple. She seems to be able to convey semi-colons with tone alone. To make things even weirder, she rarely keeps her thoughts to herself, no matter how difficult they may be for her audience to hear, although she will make exceptions if she is planning something or to spare her friends undue emotional distress. She probably knows the answer to everything, but she's actually not that fabulous as far as being a source of information goes - she generally doesn't have the patience to explain how she knows what she knows, or why she is correct, although she'll put you off nicely. (She's always correct, in case you were wondering).

She's not arrogant, though. Actually, the green couldn't be much less arrogant without selling herself short (she's too smart for that). She appreciates the little things in life, and often finds the most apparently simple things the most fascinating; a blade of grass, for example, can occupy her time for days. She is absolutely not discriminatory with her company, either, and will associate with the highest and lowest forms of life as long as they are pleasant to her. She figures she has something to learn from everyone, as long as they are willing to teach. In fact, she seems to prefer the company of the humble as opposed to the mighty, although she is just as comfortable in the presence of Bronzes and Golds as she is Weyrlings and even the Unimpressed. This is one dragon that has no compunctions about speaking with humans without her rider's assistance.

Istarith is one of those dragons people tend to trust implicitly, whether she's earned it or not. She is good at stepping forward and taking charge of a situation calmly and without fuss, and people look to her as a natural leader despite the color of her hide. She's decently suited to the position, although she would prefer to pass off the front spot to another if at all possible (or maybe that's what makes her a good leader in the first place). Overall, though, the green will do what is necessary to ensure the safety and success of her weyr, even if that means manipulating and tricking with the best of them. She is more than capable of that, if need be.


Kingly Green
Bonded To: K'dem
Name: Taarith
Color: Green (a2b39e), Markings (a8ff91)

Appearance: This green's hide is primarily grey-green, light and slightly variegated as if she actually was covered in dust. Her skin actually feels a bit gritty, even immediately after she is bathed, and the tiny slightly raised bumps only increase the dusty look. If that was it, Taarith would likely be one of the plainest and, frankly, least attractively colored dragons in the Weyr. Luckily for her, though, that is not the case. Scattered all over her hide are places where it looks like the dust has been scraped or fallen off. Below the 'dust', these patches shine a pretty mint green, and they really do shine. They are smooth to the touch and nearly metallic, glimmering in sun and moonlight alike. Each 'clean' patch is vaguely flower shaped, like the tiny, star-shaped blooms that can be found in Pernese meadows. There is no rhyme or reason to to their pattern - they are just there, distributed as randomly as flowers in a field.

In build, Taarith is average enough, on the large side of middling for a green without approaching the size of any blue. Her limbs tend towards slim and strong, and she will find it easier than most to stay in shape. With all the long-distance flying that she does, Taarith will find her wide wings more than adequate, and their shortness help with agility, giving her above average scores on both without her even really trying. The one area where she will be below average is her speed - no races for this green. She'll have to rely on her agility in flight and battle, because the blues and browns will easily be able to keep up. Luckily, her endurance should stand her in good stead, allowing her to keep her tricks up longer than usual.

Due to her particular wing shape, Taarith will likely never enjoy flight for flight's sake. She's a steady enough dragon, and she CAN pull off basically any trick she wants, but just because she can doesn't mean she wants to. She likes that she can fly, and she is perfectly happy to take a long-distance flight to find a new beautiful place or to visit the sea, but flying in circles just for the joy of flying? No thanks. She needs a goal to get her in the air, otherwise she's just as happy to stay on the ground, usually loosely curled but mostly alert. Taarith even seems mostly alert when she's sleeping, something few dragons can pull off. She rarely sleeps deeply, which leads to a particular affection for naps, especially in beautiful, natural places outside with weyr.

Personality: Taarith is a lover, an old soul, and a true romantic in the older definition. The connection between two beings is not solely her obsession; rather, any strong emotion captures her attention, be it negative or positive. In part, this may be because Taarith herself rarely feels anything stronger than vague positivity or negativity. She is not a passionate dragon, as much as she would like to be - things have to be truly spectacular to get any reaction from her. Still, she can appreciate beauty and power and overwhelming fear, and she does. She also goes out of her way to try to create these feelings in others. If Taarith were human, she would surely be an artist working in many disciplines, but as a dragon she will have to be a bit more creative about how she gets the reactions she desires, but get them she will. She can also often be found seeking out spaces of truly impressive natural beauty, and the ocean will draw her as it draws few other dragons.

Born with the maturity and thoughtfulness of a much older dragon, Taarith will always seem years beyond her age and miles ahead of her peers (and likely her rider). While that might make it sound like she would have trouble relating with dragons her own age, the opposite is true. While she will always be somewhat quiet around unknown dragons (mainly because she is usually lost in thought rather than because she is shy), she opens up when talked to, and will be pleased to chat, or better yet take a quick flight to one of her favorite places. She can even be a bit of a flirt, especially with the sharper males, or those that tend to be on the passionate side. Grand displays of feeling are certain to get her attention, even if she herself does not have a grand passionate feeling in return. She's not likely to take a permanent mate unless a male makes a SERIOUS impression, and the same goes for true friends - she'll have friends certainly, but acquaintances that want to cross in to the best friends category will have to do something dramatic.

Despite this, though, Taarith is a particularly dogged dragon. She will go to any ethical length to complete a task she thinks is important. It is rare for her to set tasks for herself, however; usually those tasks will come from others, especially natural leaders or forceful dragons like Istarith and Adanth, at least from within her clutch. Once she has a task, she transforms. Rather than a quiet, sometimes solitary dragon, she becomes a charismatic figurehead who inspires loyalty though her actions - she is the first to volunteer for anything, the first into battle, first to offer a kind word to those who follow her. She is generally loathe to take on this personality unless she must, however; wide open, beautiful, solitary spaces shared with one or two treasured friends are much more her style.

[Ember]

Kidem paid little attention to the goings on of the hatchlings. He had more than enough time to focus on any babies from his position at the back. He was more interested on the candidates. All the hope and fear and naked longing on their faces...he just couldn't quite understand what would make dragons seem so appealing to those people. Especially not with that mix of fear in it all, too. Surely some, if not most, were apprehensive about giving over their minds, their entire life to some bumbling creature covered in egg goo?

Well, maybe not all of them positively covered in it. A glance at the hatchlings proved that two greens were content with cleaning themselves off. Well weren't they at least smart about it. Their mother decided to heckle them though, or so it seemed when they both decided to move only after she bent towards them. Of course, one of them decided that moving through the crowd of candidates towards him was a good idea. Kidem took a defensive crouch, quite ready to spring away from the dragon because, yeah, not getting mauled, thanks much.

Except...except she spoke to him. To say that she flooded his consciousness wasn't quite right. More a gentle easing in at first, until she pounced at him. Surprise at the sudden burst as her eyes spun rainbow the young green managed to knock him on his ass. "I...really? Taarith, right? Why pick the one who didn't want a dragon in the first place?" It is our destiny, our fate. You can feel it too, can you not? It is for that reason I chose you, K'dem, Taarith said in warm, powerful tones. Also, I know I only mentioned Istarith and Adanth's, but I would also appreciate a repast.

K'dem huffed a laugh and shoved at the green lightly to get her off his legs. "Whatever, then. Yua will like you, I'm sure. I withhold judgement," he said, almost warningly, almost teasingly. Taarith hummed a quiet understanding. She was quite right in choosing him, he was indeed a solid foundation, a kindred spirit. The newly minted weyrling stood up, dusting the hot sand off the ass of his robe before drifting over to the food with his green. A green! Ha. He knew plenty who would laugh at him for that. Adanth, Taarith greeted when they arrived at the food. Beyond that she allowed him the first words.

[Zephyr]

The girl’s hazel eyes widened at the sight of N’rik up in the stands. She didn’t know if he had been up there the entire time or not, or if he’d just gotten there, but his wave caught her attention. Olivia beamed up at him, trying to keep herself from bouncing where she stood as she waved at him. She only looked away when the eggs started to break. There was a blue. That was the first thing she noticed since the blue was already out of his egg by the time she looked back. He was a handsome blue, if maybe a little small. His height wasn’t that important though, he could still grow, and even if he didn’t, what did that matter? As long as he was happy and healthy. She beamed when the blue chose a girl. Even if his entrance was a little gruff.

Her attention was brought back to the eggs. Things were happening in dramatic fashion now. There were greens, and Olivia couldn’t help but hope one would come her way, though she wasn’t vocal about it. She just fixed the hatchlings with a look that was intense, almost as intense as that little green over there, she noticed by chance, but not quite. One afted the other, both greens impressed. One to a girl Olivia had never spoken to, and the other to Kidem! She beamed at the older boy, waving her hand at him. She hoped he would see her, but as he walked back, she realized he didn’t. The girl just shrugged, still happy for him. She’d have to go see about more pranks with him later and meet his baby.

For now though, she had to stay until the rest of the babies hatched. Hazel gaze swept over the remaining candidates with unconcealed interest, falling on a smaller girl she hadn’t met who seemed to be having problems. Blinking and tilting her head, Olivia approached Cairenn. “Hi!” Olivia said brightly, smiling at the other girl, who didn’t look to be too much younger than her, but she was smaller, so Liv couldn’t judge her age properly. The blonde’s voice was low, not wanting to bother the babies. ”You okay?” She asked at last, concern in her eyes. “Need a healer?”

Oh yeah. She should be polite.

“Sorry. I’m Olivia. Is this your first hatching?”

Was it sad that she’d been to enough hatchings to be good at avoiding maulage?

---

Saphor wasn’t impressed by the babies so far. Not that she disliked any of them…it was stupid to dislike something that could grow up and eviscerate you. No, there was just a tiny blue. A really, really tiny blue, and Saphor couldn’t help the sidestep she took as he passed by, trying to disappear in the other candidates. A tiny blue was really the last thing she needed. Though, it hadn’t wanted her in the first place, she noticed as it went and bonded to a girl Saph didn’t know. One of the older candidates. She gave the girl a half grin before she looked over to make sure that Phaiden was still in the sands with Nautic, smiled and waved at her daughter before she noticed a familiar fiery red head.

She didn’t know what it was about Ivy, but Saphor liked her, and she liked that the girl was so nice to her daughter. Grinning at the girl, Saphor moved from where she’d been hiding from the blue…but don’t ever accuse her of that, she was not hiding, shut up, and casually went over to stand near Ivy. She didn’t say anything at first, was just a supportive presence for the other girl as greens hatched any made their way to find their riders. She couldn’t help but hoping Ivy would impress one. She knew how much it would mean to her to impress. But no. One of them impressed to a boy, and the other one to a dour girl that Saphor had never spoken to. Not that she’d really spoken to many of the candidates, really. She lived apart with Phaiden.

After the greens had chosen, the blond snorted, casually bumping against Ivy with her hip, knowing how disappointed she must be right now. There were still plenty of eggs. Plenty. She knew Ivy had one in there somewhere. “You’ve got this.” Was the encouragement she hissed in Ivy’s direction, finally turning her head and offering the other girl a grin. Saph didn’t usually get along with other girls, but Ivy was cool. She was more passionate about the dragons than Saphor would ever be.

And what could she say?

That passion was infective.

---

Dia was entranced by the hatching. The eggs were rocking and despite herself, she found herself drawn forward until she was not so neatly hanging off the edge of the rail, eyes wide as she watched. She felt Ka’aen show up and sit next to her before she heard him and when he spoke, she pulled herself back in her seat, crossing her arms in front of her on the railing and resting her chin in the crook of her arms, turning it to eye Ka’aen with barely concealed amusement. “Well, if I fall, it’ll be the most exciting part of my day.” She smiled and laughed a little, her expression turning serious after a moment and she let her arms fall, leaning far over in her seat and letting her head dangle over the edge again. “I dunno. It isn’t that far up.” And she leaned out further. “I think I’ll be okay if I fall. How hot are the sands again?”

Then she felt Ka’aen not so subtly grab onto her and she laughed, sitting back in her seat. “I was joking. I’ll try not to take any flying leaps off onto the sands anytime soon.” She noticed his appearance and an amused smile quirked the corner of her mouth. “You’re all wet. Did you know that? Decide to take a pre hatching swim…with your clothes on?” Dia sighed dramatically and clung to the bluerider’s arm. “It’s okay. I was just waiting for you in your weyr alllll day. Not like I’m important or anything.” She flashed him a mischievous grin, still not bothering to let go of him. “Oh, and Liel’s still in there. I don’t think he’ll get into too much trouble. He’s pretty good about not.”

The woman hummed a pleased note and leaned her head against Ka’aen’s arm, silent for once and watching the hatching. “That blue is really little.” She verbally observed, mostly to herself. “I hope there’s nothing wrong with him.” There was concern in her eyes but it disappeared when she looked to the greens. “Aw. They’re cute. Look, that one impressed to a boy.” She turned her head to look up at her companion, wickedness in her eyes. “Can you imagine what life would be like if Rhiiseth had been born green? Wow. That’s an interesting image.” She teased him with a grin.

Licking her lips, she leaned her head against his arm again, still smiling faintly. “Hey. Thanks for coming.” Her voice was lower than it had been as she continued watching the hatchlings.

[Tashe]

As Raylanne manipulated a knife with disturbing precision Adanth tapped his tail against the ground and simply observed. His attention was only broken when His offered him meat pieces. Look Raylanne, two of my sisters have hatched. The Blue watched as his Human repositioned herself so she could watch the hatching AND feed him at the same time. He did not speak of his appreciation but he knew that Raylanne could sense it. The male continued to watch his sisters until each of them Impressed wherein he turned his head to take a piece of meat. Adanth pretend to be incredibly interested in the meat so as to appear unaware of the Greens' approach. The Blue was chewing dutifully when his name was spoken. Ah, Taarith. Adanth turned a swirling eye to her. You Impressed at last I see. I wondered to myself what took you so long. His gaze moved to her Human. He has... appeal I suppose. Was he hiding from you?

Not like His hadn't been near the back of the crowd as well. Mine. "Yes?" Mine, this is Taarith, and her Human. The Healer looked up from the piece of meat she was holding, "Kidem right? I am Raylanne, if you don't remember. I would shake your hand but..." She lifted the knife and meat slightly. "And this is Adanth." She tossed him a piece and watched as he caught it midair.

Will you eat with me? The Blue spoke to Taarith again. Or shall you wait for dear Istarith to arrive?

[archenstone]

Alcherion watched as the greens hatched and settled themselves in. "They are quite pretty, aren't they?" He spoke to Ivy as the dragonets started making their way towards the candidates. It seemed an appropriate thing to say and might get the lovely young lady talking to him. He took note of who they bonded too then turned back to the hatching. Was that a wing he saw? One of the smaller eggs had a blue wing poking out of it. He wondered when the other dragons would hatch...maybe a strong bronze or a steadfast brown. He knew what he wanted, but one thing had been made clear to him since he first got here. Some things where beyond his control.

~~~~~~

Meanwhile in the stands, Grigore had been watching intently. He was very interested in all the hatchlings. This was his first time at a hatching and he was very curious as yellow tails, blue wings and little green and blue dragons made their appearance. When he first sat down he had looked at the Night watchmen egg, something about it drew his eyes though all the eggs where fantastic. There where a few others that drew him such as the Draconic Egg. He wondered what it would be like..to ride on dragon back; but he was a Harper and knew he would be a Harper for the rest of his years.

~~~~~~~~

Kalina watched happily as the little greens made their way with their bonded. That was you and me once. She said to Uminth, remembering that day with a smile. Yes indeed. I saw you and I knew that we where meant to be together, but I was so...so nervous! The hatching seemed to be going good so far and Kalina relaxed, enjoying herself.

~~~~

X'vier watched with a humored smile as the greens went off. There goes your future conquests Mirazeth. And he chuckled. From Mirazeth he got the impression of one shrugging his shoulders. Yours too. So what does that make you Mine? He teased. X'vier was silent for a moment then said A very lucky man.

[Chey]

[HEY!!!! I get to make one real quick post before I hand the reins back over to Sheari. I'll try like hell to post later. ]

The cut on Ilaxnos' hand hurt like hell. He didn't hold it against the hatchling or anything; so a dragon egg shard embedded itself in his hand? It wasn't that big of a problem. Kelinale had been his as well in the leg and his dog was whining worriedly for him, but stayed put like a good dog. Ilaxnos' panic rose in his chest. What if he didn't get one? What if His wasn't here? He wanted a dragon hatchling so bad it almost hurt. He remembered his childhood friend Elynael and her semi-hatred for dragons and all they stood for, but he couldn't help but love the magnificent creatures.

The Green sniffed Ilaxnos and his blood nearly came to a standstill in his veins. The dragon then left, deciding that Ilaxnos wasn't Hers and there were no words to describe the bitter disappointment but joyousness he felt when another Candidate was chosen and bonded to the Green.

[Alright, Sheari, you're on deck!]

[Sheari]

Kelinale watched the greens hatch. Looking around at the other candidates he saw some of them move reflexively away once the shells broke. He didn’t blame them. When one began moving he saw its sister observe. As the green neared himself and Ilaxnos, he stood stock still as she sniffed the other boy. Did she seem to linger? Too soon she left, and wandered over to Hers. There was a register of disappointment on his friend’s face and Kelinale smiled, putting his uninjured hand on the taller boy’s shoulder. If Kelinale didn’t Impress, he could either Stand again (or possibly spend the rest of his life doing so until he aged out), or continue on with his Harper training.


“Well, that is one beautiful blue wing,” he commented. So far only the smaller eggs seemed to be hatching. It made sense, since he was anxious really, to see what this clutch yielded. Kelinale was no archivist but it was a branch of the Harper craft to keep records. He kept a mental tally of the two greens, the blue, and the blue wing. Morrigan scolded him, implying that the best hatch last and that he should keep decorum. The giant queen seemed to be content to overlook the breach in him mutilating his robe, but he should still behave. The green’s agitation bled a bit into the dog she was riding and Cleric huffed, eliciting a swat from the fire lizard.

~*~

Weith hummed his approval at the greens. Indeed, they were marvels. That they seemed to be taking their time was better yet, after all, one couldn’t rush perfection. Lucia, from her perch on R’men’s shoulder hummed her approval and winged her way over to the bronze, landing delicately on his head. Yes, from this vantage point she could see everything quite nicely! Typically, Weith would have been told to not to be so full of himself had this not been the clutch he sired and R’men wasn’t distracted.


“Caden?” he asked hesitantly. “Are you alright?” The bronzer looked to Er’ani with a look of ‘what’s going on’. He regretted knowing nothing about the girl, and felt obligated to help. Even if he didn’t feel obligated, it was clear she still needed help. Weith, could you ask Llketh if Er’ani knows what’s wrong with Caden?. He didn’t feel comfortable asking out loud with the woman right there between them, even though he didn’t like having to go about in such a sideways fashion. The bronze took a moment to find Llketh and miss the Impression of the second green. Llketh, Mine wants to know if Yours knows what is wrong with Nitrath’s.[/i] Weith didn’t know why R’men hadn’t asked Nitrath’s himself, or even asked him to question to gold. There were pauses between hatchings and Impressions in which he could easy nudge Nitrath. Either way, he did as he was told and returned his attention to the blue-winged egg.

[Rei]

He couldn’t help it, when Caden actually shrunk back from him Er’ani gave her a look like he had been slapped. What? When had he ever hurt her? Well maybe he had with the words he had uttered at times but to him Caden seemed to take his comments like water off a ducks back. Just let them roll off. The fear in her eyes was strong and for a moment the albinorider wasn’t sure how to react. Then as she thrust the skin back at his chest he decided he had to figure something out. The albinorider was grateful that she had at least taken some of the water but he needed a way to try and quell her fears.

Er’ani was so focused on Caden that he didn’t catch R’men’s look though he did catch the question. Problem was he didn’t have time to waste on the bronzer right now. He’d just have to get his answers elsewhere. Instead Er’ani took a step forward to draw up alongside Caden and he looped an arm around her waist. “Caden. For a second just look. Really look. None of the dragons in the stands would let anything happen to these babies. The babies themselves are all healthy and impressing well and Nitrath is doing an amazing job. You are freaking out over nothing and if you keep freaking out you could accidentally do something that would hurt someone either by upsetting Nitrath or doing something you will regret. Everything’s fine.” His words where firm but uttered calmly and on a level that wouldn’t carry far beyond her. “Have I ever lied to you Caden? Has Lketh ever lied? Nothing will happen I swear it.”

For the life of him Er’ani was trying to understand he really was. If anyone should have PTSD from that day it should be him honestly. Lketh had been the only one of his siblings set to be culled that had not been culled. And that was only because Er’ani himself had had to face a Wasteland rider on the sands and because of intervention from both Millieth and Behruth. If not for them Lketh would be dead like so many of his brothers and sisters. That day still gave him nightmares on occasion. So in a way he could understand Caden’s fear. She was afraid Nitrath would spout out mutations and they would be executed. But honestly? Nitrath’s genes were diluted. The gold didn’t have much in the way of mutations herself and the sire had no mutation lines whatsoever. Her fears were baseless. Er’ani just didn’t know how he could communicate that to her….

He did know one thing though. After this fiasco he was taking her back to her weyr to care for her complaints or not and he was going to make it his personal goal to help her through whatever it was about this whole thing that had her so scared.

Lketh didn’t take his whirling red eyes from the hatching below was he answered Weith. Nitrath’s is afraid. She is afraid that the babies will be murdered for being different as our brothers and sisters were. Like I almost was. But it is a silly fear mine says and he is right. Selenitas has never culled the ones who are different. Just look around and you will see that that is true. The albino extended a wing towards Feyrianth in example and then closed it. Besides mine says that though we have our dam’s genes the chances of a bad mutation from my golden sister is close to nothing. She never had the drugs directly used on her as our dam did. So it is impossible for her to have such different babies. Maybe slightly different yes but never enough for anyone to notice. It will take time for her to realize this however and none should force her. It might make her worse. A soft soothing hum left his throat. Mine will do his best to help her further after this hatching goes off without a hitch. In fact just this hatching going off without a hitch will help her some.

[Ruby]

Nitrath might have been mostly consumed with watching her babies hatch and impress, but she knew when dragons were whispering around her even if she had no idea what they were saying. The body language between Weith and Lketh, as well as R'men and Er'ani and Kaegan's reactions to her rider, tipped her off that something was wrong, and she might need to intervene. Sparing a soothing thought for Caden (which made the Goldrider visibly relax, albeit only momentarily) she reached out to Weith and Lketh, nuzzling the Bronze momentarily to reassure him. If yours are concerned about me, please let them know that I am well enough,[/i] she said, careful to keep her words from Caden. Mine has good reason to be unnerved by the hatching sands, but it is deeper than you think. Please thank Yours for their help; the more they can keep her distracted, the easier it is for me.[/i] The Gold rarely sounded anything but perfectly happy and well-rested, but today her mind-voice was strained, although she remained pleased. So far, all her babies were doing well...

The dark blue wing from the Halfling Egg was quickly followed by dragon, a half-and-half Blue that, compared to Adanth, looked practically huge. Compared to his Green sisters, though, he still seemed rather smallish. That didn't keep him from rolling out of his egg and getting himself all tangled up in enormous wings, big eyes swirling from green to embarrassed pink as he struggled to free himself. Luckily for the Halfling Blue, though, two more eggs decided to hatch right around then, re-directing the audience's attentions away from his struggle. The Wolven Egg had finally spilled its contents: a smallish dragon whose hide seemed like it couldn't decide if it should be gold or green. She immediately swung a wing up in front of her face in a dragon equivalent of a blush, looking to the Night Watchman Egg, which had just dumped a light-speckled dark brown hatchling who promptly tangled himself up so badly that the Halfling Blue looked practically graceful.

As the Wolven Green headed over to make sure the Halfling Blue was back on his feet, the Night Watchman Brown finally got his too-long limbs under control and staggered towards the Candidates. Well, in theory he did. In actuality, he somehow tripped over his own tail (?) and rolled, taking out Kelinale and landing on top of the Candidate. Whoops! Sorry! I didn't... wait. You're not mine.[/i] Looking around in confusion from where he was draped over the downed boy, the Night Watchman Brown blinked at Olivia and Cairenn momentarily before swinging his head around the other way and... aha! Leaping off Kelinale, he tackled Ilaxnos, licking the young man's face with a very slobbery tongue. There you are, I'nos! I'm Tirneth, clumsy and at your service![/i]

Other eggs were shaking, but Caden had lost track of which ones were moving and which ones weren't. Oddly enough, it was R'men she got closer too, moving back from Er'ani. Maybe it was Nitrath's nuzzle for Weith, or just that she'd come to trust the Bronzerider over the past few weeks, even if they hardly ever spoke. Of course she trusted Er'ani - she always would - but he wasn't a clutch parent. And, as far as Caden knew, he'd never lost a major mindmate. "Don't get it," she murmured, refusing to look where he wanted her to. "S'not just that."