Heroic; Impressively Great (Nitrath's Hatching)

[Zephyr]

Saphor believed what she was saying, honestly. If anyone had a chance of impressing anything, she was sure it would by Ivy. The red head had far better of a chance than she did. Hell. She didn't even want a dragon. During her time in the weyr, she realized that she preferred the whers to the dragons. There wasn't and real reason why...except they seemed to be less annoying?

Saphor really appreciated things that weren't annoying.

Speaking of. Saph's eyes shifted to the man who was standing next to Ivy when the other woman introduced him. Wow. He was really...something, wasn't he? Not really Saphor's type...but he seemed nice enough. Except for...

Except for the fact that he seemed wholly interested in Ivy.

Not that she blamed him, she was a good looking woman, even Saphor could see that. "Hello" She said as politely as possible as the man...kissed her hand? Well. That was weird. She smiled pleasantly at him. "No thank you. Believe me. You wouldn't want me to have a gold dragon. Not that I'd even want one, mind you. Too much work." She beamed at him, noticing the way his gaze was lingering on Ivy. Saphor couldn't help but let her gaze shift to where Canith was sitting in the stands. He...didn't look happy.

Nudging Ivy again, Saphor leaned over to whisper in her ear. "I'm pretty sure Canith's noticed the extra attention you're getting." The words were followed by a giggle that was almost immediately cut off by the sound of a voice in her head. Blue eyes widened and head shot up, gaze twisting to the sight of the absolutely gorgeous blue dragon on the sands. Saphor blinked. Huh. Who would have thought something so pretty could come out of such an ugly egg. Not that she'd seen which egg the blue hatchling had come out of or what it had looked like before...but they all seemed pretty ugly at first.

The woman was too stunned to speak. She just took a sidelong glance at Ivy and realized that she had heard it too. Saphor blinked, "Um. I don't know if you..." She started, stupidly, just as a green hatched and rushed at her brother, causing the blue to step out of the way and crash right into her. She probably fell back into Ivy and Alcherion with a look of pure, comical, wide eyed surprise, but then she was on her back...with the pretty blue on top of her as the green rushed right over them to land at the feet of another girl.

"Dramatic babies, aren't ya?" The woman said with very little humor. "Sorry about this guys." She said to Icy and Alcherion, wiggling under the blue. "Can you get up please, dragon? Go find yours...I think there's something digging in my back." Then impression struck her and her eyes widened.

What the fuck? Was her only thought before the baby's voice entered her mind like silvery thread. It does not matter, I did not want her anyway. Saphor, beauty, will you be mine forever? For I will be yours, your Eldath. Now and always. For a moment, she didn't speak...when her voice came back to her, she almost whined. "Noooo. I don't want you to be mine. You've made a mistake baby. Get off!" She narrowed her eyes, nudging at Eldath. The blue looked stunned for a moment, but allowed himself to be pushed into the sand. I have? He asked plaintively, genuine confusion in his voice. If you aren't mine...then who is? And the dragon looked around, not making any move to get up while Saphor got off of the hot sand and turned to help up Ivy if she needed it and offer a hand to Alcherion if he wanted it.

The blonde brushed sand off of her robes while she snorted and responded to the hatchling. "I don't know who yours is, but it certainly isn't me." She glanced back. Eldath looked like someone had struck him. He was staring at her with wide eyed incredulity. Are you sure? Saphor sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. I thought you were mine...my beauty. "I'm not, okay? I don't know who it is though. Maybe you should go find them."

Eldath made no move to get up off the sand and Saphor wasn't in a hurry to look at Ivy. She hoped the girl wasn't angry at her for impressing...it isn't like she could have helped it. She was a candidate. She had a duty to stand. Didn't mean she actually wanted a dragon though.

---

Oliva beamed at the other girl. "Yeah. The babies are pretty strong. I haven't been hurt too badly at a hatching yet, but last time some people were actually mauled!" Her eyes were wide, and she was smiling...which didn't seem the appropriate response for the words she'd just said. "Just try to get out of their way before they get to you. If they want you, they'll come to you...they just suck at walking right now most of the time." Olivia hoped that the girl wouldn't take her advice the wrong way.

She was only trying to help.

Then she was distracted by the clusterfuck that was Nogoth and Eldath and her eyes shot up. They lingered on the blue for a tad longer than she'd wanted. "Oooo, look Cairenn. That's a pretty blue, isn't it? I bet he wouldn't run..." Well. That was said a little too soon because the blue crashed right into a group of candidates. "I guess he's still finding his feet too."

The green and blue both impressed and Liv stepped back to look at Cairenn. "Don't worry. There's still lots of eggs. I'm sure ours is there somewhere.

Even though she couldn't help but think that maybe she'd be left standing today too.

---

"It would hardly be my fault, now would it?" Dia countered Ka'aen's comment. "Nitrath can deal. I think that I wouldn't be worried about her if I fell." She blinked and let get gaze wander over the giant ass gold dragons on the sands. Well...maybe she would be worried about possibly being eaten...slightly. Half the time, she didn't worry about what was really important anyway, so why should she start now? " Not like I'd hurt the babies." She continued, softer. "Unless I fell on one or something...that would be all kinds of awkward."

She gave him a lopsided grin. "Rhiiseth is something else, isn't he?" Dia laughed. She was probably more in love with the blue than she had a right to be, but in all fairness, he was a pretty awesome dragon. "Though, I think bathing something that big would really suck. Sometimes I'm glad I never impressed. Dragons take a lot of work. Kia is all the work I need right now." Saying the dolphin's name was a pang in her heart and she sobered immediately, turning her gaze to the sands and not talking.

His words about what would have happened if Rhiiseth had been a green made her eyes widen. She looked back at him, a wicked little twinkle developing in her eyes. "Really?" She said in a somewhat incredulous tone. "I dunno. I think you'd be interesting as a greenrider." She teased him. "All those boys and men vying for your attention during one of your flights...wouldn't it be fun?" She was just having fun at his expense at this point. But she shrugged, leaning her head on his shoulder. Her voice was serious again.

"Rhiiseth was meant to be yours. Even if he had been a green, he would have found you anyway." Her brow bunched in thought. "Or would that be she? I dunno. He isn't a green though. He's prefect the way he is...like that blue over there." She said, distracted again, stretching up to look as the blue hatchling impressed.

[Ivy]

Corvin:

The hatching was, interesting to say the least. What was that now? He watched the newly minted Weyrlings and then the dragons still on the Sands left un-Impressed. One... two... Four - yes four Greens. Three Blues. And a Brown. Oh, and that yellow looking one. Glancing around he couldn't tell if any of the other on lookers were as confused by the yellow dragonet's presence as he was or not. They didn't seem to be. Was this normal then?

He had no real way to be sure without asking, but most everyone seemed either completely tuned in to the Hatching or they were paired off with someone else talking amongst themselves. He was content to wait and see though, he was in no real rush.

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

Ruliana:

Describing the dragons as best she could she whispered lightly in her mind to Poe, Show him that lovely Blue. From where he perched he had a very nice vantage point and thus he complied quickly with his bonded's request. Flashing a steady image to Samael for a moment he then went back to watching for himself with some interest.

"Did you see the Blue?" she asked quietly as she leaned in to make sure he could hear her, "That one is my favorite so far. Its color is lovely, don't you think?"

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

Roselle:

The Blues bored her. The Brown was bothersome. The Greens... now those and whatever the one from the Wolven Egg turned out to be - those interested her. Each and every one of those she had tried to direct with her mind to Cairenn, without much success.

You're sure you didn't just Search her because she is my niece? Roselle asked Tserieth as she watched more and more of the hatchlings Impress to Candidates who weren't Cairenn.

Rather than answer, Tserieth brushed her rider off. Of course she hadn't just picked the girl out of all of Hyphen because she was related to Hers. She was offended that Hers might even think so. This was boring, none of the hatchlings were interesting! The people though... Tserieth changed her focus from the hatching to those in the Stands. That big brutish fellow there with all the hair, now he was interesting. What had him so upset? Perhaps it was because his male partner was talking to a girl. That must be it.

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

Ivy:

The rest of him may have been hard, but his lips definitely were not; a fact Ivy became quite clear on as they gently brushed over her knuckles. Blue eyes went wide for a moment and she suddenly felt a bit light headed - no doubt due to the heat on the Sands, but also partially because it seemed as though all the blood in her body had rushed to color her cheeks a dark crimson hue. Perses for once was on Team Cainith, as he hissed from where he was hidden beneath Ivy's white robes. She ignored him as per usual, glad that he at least wasn't broadcasting his displeasure very loudly to those around him. Something about the fact there was a very large Gold mother on the Sands had him keeping to himself.

She couldn't help but giggle a bit, the color finally beginning to drain from her cheeks to return them to a normal hue. Saphor was probably right, Cainith had no doubt definitely noticed and was probably more than a little pissed off. Perhaps she should mention her boyfriend to Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Handsome here? So at least when Cainith knocked him to his arse later he would know why. Opening her mouth to tell Alcherion about her hairy mountain of a man back in the Stands, suddenly a sleek and silvery voice entered her mind. What...?

For a moment she was overjoyed, this was it, it had to be it! Eyes turned onto the Elven Blue quickly and she smiled down at him as he continued to speak. She of course thought his words were just to her, but a side glance to Saphor and Alcherion brought on the crushing reality that he was bespeaking all three of them. Still, just because he wasn't talking to just her, that didn't mean he wasn't hers, right??

Without much warning - to her at least since she hadn't been paying attention to the rest of the clutch and hatchlings - a lumpy Green appeared and nearly bowled the Blue over, he managed to avoid her tackle but in turn tackled Saphor... while Ivy and Alcherion went sprawling onto the Sands awkwardly, Ivy half on top of the man.

Quickly standing up, accepting Saphor's help, Ivy brushed herself clear of Sand and turned to face the Blue. From the look in his eyes and the look on Saphor's face though, it was clear he had made his choice and it wasn't Ivy. "Saph?" at first her voice was quiet, unable to hide the disappointment that was clearly there. Then a moment passed and she did her best to compose herself. He wasn't her Blue, but really would she have wanted a Blue? Probably not. And this was a good thing! Saphor was her friend and now she was a Weyrling. Doing her best to smile and genuinely mean it - because she did, she would just mean it more if she had Impressed too - she looked to Saphor and then the Blue, "Congrats Saph, he's gorgeous. What's his name?"

Her voice may have halted and taken on a slightly higher pitch mid-sentence, but for the most part she kept her emotions in check. It was silly of her to have gotten her hopes up just because the baby had spoken to her.

[archenstone]

Alcherion smiled as Ivy blushed. The lovely blonde had a look on her face that suggested he had made her uncomfortable in some way. Ah well, a man can not please all women! He drew his attention back to Ivy and waited for her to speak, except he felt a presence brush his mind. He turned to the blue hatchling and marveled the young dragon symmetry. The little blue looked perfect and even though Alcherion had started out with other ideas, he felt he would be very happy with this out spoken blue. "I apologize if have given offense." He said politely. Then as he glanced at the women confusion set in. "So to whom..." He never got to finish what he was going to say as a green dragon bull rushed towards them. He went to move Ivy out of the path but was not fast enough as he felt himself being knocked over by the hurtling dragon. Trying his best to shield Ivy from the brunt of sharp claws, he wrapped his arms around her and hit the ground first. "Ooof!" The sand cushioned their fall but even so going backwards from his height was not comfortable. The moment the green dragon passed over them he let Ivy go so she could get up and made to get up himself.

But there was a slim pale hand offering him assistance. He gave Saphor a sheepish grin and took her hand, not wanting to rebuff her. The strength of that hand was more than expected and Alcherion admired that. "Thanks" He said as he looked at them both to see if they'd been hurt. "You both okay?" He then looked at the blue and Saphor. She didn't seem hurt, but she certainly didn't seem happy either. In fact, neither woman seemed happy at the impression.

Then he saw the big guy jump down from the corner of his eye and turned to look. The man moved faster than he looked like he could and soon had himself between Alcherion and Ivy. Alcherion took the opportunity to take a good look at him. So Ivy likes tall men? He thought to himself. Interesting He saw no reason to talk or otherwise interact with Cainith other than to watch him go back to the stands. As Cainith cracked his knuckles Alcherion met his eyes with a cool expression and a hint of a smirk.

He wondered if Ivy had stood before. He couldn't picture the dragon who'd want to pass up on the friendly seeming young woman, but then he didn't know the minds of dragons. "I'm sure there's a little dragon out among those eggs just waiting to burst out and choose you." He said as he set a hand on her shoulder briefly, trying to comfort her but respecting that she seemed taken. It was then he saw blood on the back of his tanned hand and took a look at himself.

Seeing the spots of blood and torn fabric seemed to drain the pain numbing adrenaline from him. There where spots that stung on his chest and a shallow cut along his right side where the green dragon had practically ran over him. He wasn't badly hurt but the salt of his body aggravated it and crimson was spreading along the cloth on his side. He surveyed the damage and pressed this right hand on his side so he could apply pressure. Blood didn't bother Alcherion, but there was no reason the bleed out over the already messed up robe.

______

Grigore stood up when the blue and green tumbled into three candidates. The hatching was definitely chaotic and he wondered how much damage the little dragons could do on accident. Blood had been shed more than once and there where still dragons who've yet the hatch. His gaze wandered from the Queen and across the eggs. Spying the lovely little dragon hiding behind her wings. He couldn't tell if she was a green or gold and that piqued his curiosity greatly.

As his eyes came back to the group that had been knocked over he looked at the girl who impressed a lovely blue. She seemed so unhappy which struck him as a sharp contrast to the rest of the group. Why would this young woman be so unhappy when she had just impressed? He decided to watch her for a little longer to see if he could figure out the cause of her unhappiness.

[Rei]

Lketh chirped once softly to Nitrath as she bespoke him and then brushed acknowledgement across her mind before dutifully passing along the information to his bonded. The albino was glad his sister was fairing well and tilted his head as he watched the next babies hatch and impress, a tendril of thought reaching out to his bonded. Perhaps he could find a better way to distract Nitrath’s now? Er’ani fought the urge to wrinkle his nose at his dragon. A better way? What the hell am I supposed to do kiss her? That will probably get me stabbed. Then again….maybe him being suitably bratty would be a good distraction who knew? If he got decked for his efforts then at least Caden’s mind would be on him mostly and not whatever anxious thoughts were going through her mind. Let it never be said that the albinorider was less then random.

When the goldrider in question pulled away from him and towards R’men Er’ani fought against frowning. He was tempted to say something to the effect of, ‘I would if you told me’ but he decided against it. A conversation for another time. For now he needed to distract her and hey….she was hot and crazy and he still had a skin of relatively cool water in his hand.

Without much in the way of words he uncorked the water and simply dumped it over Caden’s head, fully expecting to get punched in the gut or something. Words weren’t getting through to her much anyway. This would be distracting plus, if he was lucky, he could spend the rest of the night making it up to her by taking care of her.

Lketh fought the urge to hide his head behind his wing and hoped that his bonded did not get stabbed for his stupidity.

~~~~

Erilena slipped in beside K’sel again and leaned against the wall, her hazel eyes flicking every so often to the hatching as she also strove to pay close attention to what the man was saying. It was a good thing she had a lot of practice at multitasking. She did have twins after all. Flashing an amused smile at her adoptive brother the greenrider chuckled. So he had stood for awhile before impressing? She hadn’t known that. But then again she had met him after he had impressed and the topic of his impression had never really come up.

“Well obviously you and Petta where meant for each other. That’s why it took so long. The other dragons probably took one look at your mind and decided you were too much work.” She teased him, making sure to put enough of a lightness in her tone to make it glaringly apparent that she was teasing even if the statement was half true. K’sel was a bit of a wild child. Though having a child of his own would no doubt mellow him out some. “I impressed my first time standing. I thought I was going to be late and rushed out of the boats and totally tripped over my own feet. My once white robes had quite nice smudges of dirt all over them. And ironically I also ended up not being late at all. Feyrianth was the first to hatch. In fact Fey’s first words to me were something about me smelling like soil. I squealed like a little girl when I impressed her too." Erilena smiled. "She was beautiful. Still is.” An almost dreamy expression crossed her features as she remembered that day and and overwhelming feeling of adoration and love pulsed across the bond from Feyrianth.

As the echoes of the sensation died away Erilena’s attention moved to the candidates again as the newly hatched dragonets started to stumble through them. She winced at the few collisions the babies had caused and then paid close attention to those trampled, looking for blood and telltale signs of either shock or strain. There….that one boy who had been taken out by the brown. He was sinking to the sands and... shards was that a canine crossing the sands to him? Not good.

With another apology to K’sel Erilena took careful stock of where the babies were all at and then darted across the sands and towards Kelinale and his canine. As she got closer the greenrider spoke in a soothing tone, both to the boy and the dog. Last thing she needed was to get attacked by the animal. She well remembered how protective her own dog Harper was over her when she had become pregnant. “Hey there…I’m Erilena, a healer.” She spoke in a calm but friendly tone. “I’m here to help out. You’re bleeding pretty good there and I’d like to get a closer look. Are you dizzy? Do you feel cold at all?” She queered as she came closer and allowed the dog to sniff her hand.

To Feyrianth she quickly spoke and in the next moment the green was quickly filling Ismaroth in on the situation so that E’rro was aware. “I just want to take a closer look okay?” As she spoke the greenrider reached into her bag for a pad of clean cloth. Crouching down near the candidate, she quickly cut away the torn clothing near the wound and examined it quickly. Not too bad but it was bleeding nicely. Erilena warned the candidate about the spike of pain he would experience before pressing the pad firmly to the gashes in his hip, applying pressure to stop the bleeding.

“I need you to try to keep pressure on these okay? Can you stand at all if I help you?” Erilena spoke clearly to him before glancing at the rest of the eggs. “It’s bleeding pretty good but it’s not life threatening. If you can stand for me we have two choices. You can try and hold out for the rest of the hatching or we can get you over to the wall and you can try again next hatching.” Glancing worriedly at the canine she spoke again. “It’s also dangerous for her here. If you can shoo her away you better do so now. You’re very lucky no one has noticed yet, especially one of the hatchlings.” The canine was a safety threat. Not only to them but to herself as well. Hopefully Feyrianth’s quiet mental urging to the canine would be enough to convince the animal to head off the sands and out of the grounds for now.

~~~~

Feyrianth crooned happily to her males, brushing Ismaroth’s mind in agreement, before giving the tail twined with hers a quick affectionate squeeze. She happily purred to Freyr in response to his compliments before responding to Pettahth in a laughing tone. Perhaps you should be~ He is quite the charming one. The little bronze cousin belongs to a human who is a friend of mine and Lenamine. I call the human Sky and he is a young blind boy. Lenamine and I met in the infirmary awhile ago. He is a very sweet and kind human. The four winged female was quite pleased with the whole situation yes. So much good conversation and good impressions for the babies as well. It was turning out to be quite a nice hatching.

Or was at least until hers started across the sands. A brief thread of worry swirled through her gaze before Feyrianth calmed herself. Hers was strong, smart, and resourceful, she would be fine. With that thought in mind she divided her attention as best she could between the browns, Hers, and her tiny bronze admirer. Right now she had to try and help the silly four legged furry one to leave the sands. Her mind felt much like that of her bonded’s own furred one Harper and so it wasn’t too strange to try and communicate to the creature. She just hoped it listened. Not all the furry ones were always pleased about having a strange mind invade theirs, no matter how gently one did it, Feyrianth had found.

[Aftershock]

Cairenn looked and nodded in response as Olivia spoke to her, then when she looked back, there was one less full egg on the Sands. She was confused for a moment until Olivia called her attention to where the Elven Blue had snuck over to the group of three Candidates, and said, "Yes, he's quite pretty. I find it amazing that dragons can apparently speak as soon as they are born, even if they cannot walk that well... I wonder what humans might be like, if we started out so smart right from birth?"

Suddenly, the Dwarven Green was charging, and Cairenn made sure to stay well out of it's way this time as it went towards that same group near the center of the Candidate cluster. Realizing none of them were hers, she looked back over at the eggs, noticing that though a couple were shaking, some hadn't moved at all. Speaking sidelong at Olivia, she asked, "Is it normal for some of the eggs to not move at all for this long? Do you think they're okay?"

---

Samael, receiving images from both Feyrianth and Poe, nodded, saying, "Yes, Feyrianth is sending me images as well, though she seems to have distracted Freyr from doing the same, so thank you to Poe," he said to Ruliana, smiling slightly in amusement at his ladies man of a firelizard. "He seems quite attractive, though I'm still learning colors myself... I had never even seen anything as more than washed-out blurs before I Impressed Freyr, so I never learned concepts like color that sighted folk take for granted. It's quite interesting, though difficult sometimes," he said.

Freyr, for his part, noticed the attention he got from Pettahth, and chirruped at the brown dragon, sitting up to display his red chest marking proudly as he sent warm greetings at the larger male. He then sent another pulse of affection towards Feyrianth, noting how many males she attracted with her beauty and grace.

---

The combination of another man being too friendly with his girlfriend and the knockdown from the overenthusiastic Dwarven Green's charge overwhelmed Cainith's logical mind, and ignoring any consequences, he leapt the barrier, landing heavily on the Sands and rushing forward towards Ivy. Putting his hands on her arms protectively, and happening to stand between her and Alcherion, he asked, "Ivy, my love, are you all right? Do you need a Healer?"

Suddenly realizing where he was as his anger and protectiveness (doubled from Rollhead worrying about the Clutchmommy as well) faded a bit, Cainith waited long enough for Ivy to respond that she was all right, then gave her a quick kiss before letting her go and turning to head back into the Stands. On his way, he would crack his knuckles and give Alcherion a meaningful glare, and if no one stopped him or otherwise assaulted him, he would jump up and climb back over the barrier between the Stands and the Sands, returning to his seat to watch the hatching, alternating his focus between the Wolven Green, the remaining eggs, and Ivy.

[Sebz]

Eselda watched the hatchlings critically, eyes darting back and forth between the cracking eggs. The yellow hued dragonet had emerged from it's shell, and more often than not, the girl's attention was drawn towards it. At first she thought it to be a gold, but it seemed to be missing the metallicy glow that it's mother had, so perhaps it was a green after all. She had been focusing so intensely on that particular dragonet, that she didn't notice that there was another hatchling headed right towards her until it was too late.

Hi. Sorry for the rush, I had to beat Eldath. I'm your Nogoth, and... hey, we'd better get to the food before Eldath, too. Could I get a bit of help finding my feet? Eselda didn't realize that the voice in her head was addressing her, but instead on the fact that she was on the sands. The sands were hot. The girl tried to scramble to her feet as quickly as possibly, but she lost her footing just as quickly and plummeted down once again. Well, I suppose you should figure how to help yourself first, Nogoth said dryly before pushing herself up to her feet, clicking her fore paw to dislodge the sand that had attached itself to her still drying hide.

Eselda blinked in confusion, and then in understanding. "Hello there," she said, voice barely containing the excitement that was seeping through her body as she surveyed the dragon. Her dragon. The green was large, bulky, and not at all pretty, but then again, Eselda mentally made a note to never tell Nogoth that; the green looked vicious, even as a hatchling. Well your not all that wonderful looking either, the green snorted, flicking a wing in annoyance. Upon Eselda's confused expression, Nogoth continued on.I can hear your thoughts. Do you not know anything of dragons? The green lumbered in a circle around the new weyrlings legs, testing her footing as well searching out Eldath. Having spotted the blue, Nogoth nudged at the back of Eselda's legs, taking care not knock her over. More kindly, the green announced joyously, We can still beat Eldath if we hurry! Let's go get food yes? And without waiting for a reply, the green walked towards the meat bowls, her thick tail creating a path in her wake. Eselda had to jog to catch back up.

[Ruby]

The Republic Egg flaked. Then the Witch Egg followed suit. None of the other eggs showed any signs of life, but the Witch and Republic eggs seemed to be competing over who would hatch first. It was the Republic Egg's inhabitant that won that race. A patchwork dragon spilled out, three distinct colors camouflaging his hide... but he was definitely a bronze. No question about that, even if some of his hide was bronzer than other parts. He didn't seem to mind, though, shaking his head as if to clear it and going off to sniff at the available boys. Although the Republic Bronze seemed to have been in a hurry to break shell, he didn't seem to be in much of a hurry to choose a mindmate - in fact, he looked practically confused after he'd canvassed a few of the boys, going back to sniff Alcherion and the downed Kelinale a second time. Hm.

The Halfling Blue had certainly been taking his time getting untangled (with the Wolven Green's help), but now that the Republic Bronze was sniffing around his choice, he finally made his move. Sneaking around behind his bronze brother the Halfling Blue bared his teeth at healer and canine alike, nudging Kelinale in the shoulder. Hey, K'nale. What are you doing on the ground there? I'm pretty sure my mama doesn't want anyone on the Sands but us. She's gonna be mad, not that I care much. How come you're leaking?[/i] Huffing at his rider, he pulled his oversized wings up, effectively shielding Erilena and Cleric from Nitrath's view. Have the fixer take care of your hole and then take your Kormath over to the food, ok? We'd better get out of here as soon as possible.[/i]

And then it was the Wolven Green's turn. Left alone on the sands, she started after Kormath, trailing unhappily along at her brother's heels for a moment before it became clear that he was busy with his own things. Swinging her head back and forth, she looked rather dejected, as if she couldn't find the person she wanted. Why couldn't she just Impress to her brother? But no, Kormath had made it clear that that wasn't going to happen, and she'd better find someone else. But nobody... wait. She was sweet and kind, she would do. Head up and tail in the air, the Wolven Green trotted over to Olivia and Cairenn, dipping her head at Olivia briefly in a gesture of apology before nosing around Cairenn's legs, rubbing like a cat. Cairenn? Mine? I'm your Nildath. Would you tell the other one I'm sorry? I wish I could impress to both of you...[/i]

Finally, the Witch Egg hatched, dropping another pretty Blue to the ground in a relatively more graceful sprawl than the one the Republic Bronze had taken. Panting slightly, the Witch Blue surveyed his choices, stretching his wings out one by one as he watched the Republic Bronze become more and more frantic. Eventually, the Republic Bronze flopped down on the sands and let out a keen. Why couldn't he find his? He knew he was here...

Caden ignored the water and whatever R'men was doing. There was someone on her sands. NOT a healer; in fact, he was one of those that had come with Wasteland, and he looked like a mountain. The fact that there was a baby dragon between her and the offender was the only reason Cainith didn't immediately die. Her fingers were wet, after all, and she sure as hell wasn't about to risk one of Nitrath's babies if the knife slipped. Instead, she swore silently, rolling sideways to clear Eldath before launching herself at the man (who had made the mistake of coming within reasonable range of her). She did not care that he was a good foot taller than her, or approximately three times her bulk; she was far stronger than she looked, had surprise on her side, and she had knives. He had a Caden clinging to his back, a knife at his throat, and a very angry gold dragon on his case before he was even two steps from the Candidate. Nitrath didn't move - yet - but she did straighten and say in her most commanding voice, You stop now. Everyone not a Candidate, off the sands. That includes Healers. Wherhandler, I highly recommend that you do not move. I never condone violence, but Mine is not quite so reasonable, and I will not be able to stop her if she decides to gut you.

[Ruby]

Halfling Blue
Bonded To: K'nale
Name: Kormath
Color: Blue (003366), Markings (ccffff)

Appearance: Kormath is an attractive dragon, there is little doubt about that, but it isn't attractiveness in the typically masculine way. He has a distinctly feminine appearance, and 'Dainty' is a word that will frequently be applied to this blue. Small, rounded ridges along his back and delicate looking limbs combine with a long, slim snout and large, wide set eyes to basically eliminate anything male about the blue. He is a thin dragon, too, though that fact is not quite as noticeable as it could be, what with his short legs and compact length. Some dragons are small in bulk and others are small in length - Kormath is both. He is just a touch over the size of the largest greens but manages to seem smaller next to them due to his shorter legs and frail form. The only thing on this blue that seems out of place at all is his wings. In comparison to the rest of him they are positively huge - he could wrap himself in them if he really wanted.

Even if he's green-sized, though, it's clear that Kormath is no green. His hide is half and half - his face, the underside of his neck and belly, the front of his legs, and the tip of his tail are a pale blue, lighter than sky but not quite pastel blue. Instead of bright and cheery, the color shades towards gray, looking perpetually unhealthy. In contrast, a much darker blue drapes from his headknobs, down his back and tail, over his wings, and along the back of his legs, vaguely reminiscent of a cloak. This color is a rich royal blue with just a hint of green, healthy and shiny even without much in the way of oiling. Oiling will make this darker portion look even healthier, of course, but it will do little for the pale part of him. That part will flake and itch much faster than the darker part, and seems much thinner. Kormath would do well to protect his belly from thread and dangerous claws alike.

Everything about Kormath's appearance is unobtrusive - if he wants it to be. He's certainly attractive but the way he holds himself is a little hunched in on himself, wings partially wrapped around him like an over-large blanket. This makes him easily overlooked, and hides his surprisingly pale underbelly in a very standard, unmarked blue. This is usually a deliberate attempt not to attract attention to himself or a subconscious reaction to something that upset him. If he's not trying to mask his appearance, though, this blue is...well, the only word for it is 'open'. Kormath looks like the sort of dragon anyone would like to get to know better, and if his wings aren't obstructing his face he looks like he would be willing to be your best friend in the world. As long as he's not moving anywhere fast, anyway. Those short legs of his? They make grace on the ground awfully difficult. He can move and he can stay upright, but he will never be considered a beautiful walker. And those gigantic wings? They can hold him aloft sure enough but they're too ungainly for the aerobatics characteristic of blues. His slim build affords him little strength or endurance, either. Perhaps this suits Kormath best, though - he simply is and doesn't need any more than that.

Personality: Kormath is something of an unusual dragon. It's incredibly rare to find a dragon with so much desire for adventure that he would actually go and have his own without His. Kormath fancies himself a hero you see. Daring adventures, metaphorical damsels, a whole world to explore - he has wings and all the time in the world, so why not? As a hatchling he'll be prone to daydreaming and trying to convince his closest clutchmates - Nildath, Tirneth, and Quesseth - to accompany him on adventures throughout the weyr, especially while they are still small enough to explore all those lovely tunnels! Charismatic and funny, Kormath makes a great recreational leader among his friends, of which he will always have many.

This blue has the unique gift of being charming. He'll always be able to get along with the females of the world. He just gets them, regardless of species, and is more than willing to help his fellow males out with nudges in the right directions. Kormath will rarely use his understanding of the ladies for his own benefit. The only females he really bothers to chase are Nildath and Quesseth, although occasionally he'll skip the latter's flights to avoid 'fouling another's wings.' Kormath tends to hold himself a tiny bit aloof from his fellows until he gets to know them because he knows he's kind of odd and he doesn't like to be hurt. Betrayal of his trust is one of the worst things you can do to Kormath.

Kormath is an occasionally moody dragon. When he gets in one of his emo moods he overthinks things something fierce and tends to feel put-upon by all the perceived or real burdens he carries. As he gets older his moodiness will begin to be tainted by anger, a desire to strike out at something. He never actually will but he'll come close, so close that he'll horrify even himself. There is little anyone can do for him when he's in his (thankfully infrequent) moods other than stay by his side as silent comfort. He won't listen to words meant to make him feel better nor does he like to be touched in those instances. Eventually he'll pull out of it by himself and be all the more grateful to those who understand that all he needed was someone there for him afterwards.
Kormath was written primarily by Ember, with some contributions/edits by Ruby <3



Wolven Green
Bonded To: Cairenn
Name: Nildath
Color: Green (e2ff7c), Markings (fffd7c)

Appearance:
Nildath almost looks like a dwarf gold. She's built like a Queen instead of a Green, with a long, slim but powerful body whose silhouette is nearly identical to her mother's. Like Nitrath's, her wings are long and wide, giving her a level of endurance that few other greens will ever match. She's got muscle of the best type - the lean muscle that won't stand out garishly, no matter how hard she works. Her well-formed, equine head sits atop a long and proudly arched neck, and her tail is similarly lengthy, making her appear quite a bit longer than her (rather measly) 19-foot adult length. For while Nitrath is huge, Nildath is tiny; if you take just her body into account, Nildath is one of the smallest Greens at the Weyr. She will always look little, especially next to her mostly larger siblings.

Her color doesn't exactly help her look less like a miniature queen, either. She's green, yes, but it is an incredibly bright yellowy green that only looks anything but golden because her wingsails, nose, feet, and tail tip are actually gold. She's surprisingly matte, though, and always looks a bit dull, even after a good oiling. She'll never really glow before or during flight, and she's quiet enough about herself that it will take an especially perceptive dragon to notice her when she is ready to go up (or even when she is actually rising). Her lack of shine is for a good reason, though - Nildath has an incredibly soft hide when it is well cared for, although Hers is advised to bathe and oil her often, because her hide is quite sensitive to dryness and itches.

All in all, she's a pretty little dragon, pleasant-looking in a fairly unobtrusive way. Yes, her color is bright and loud, but something about her quiet, reserved manner and lack of shine make her easy to overlook. It has to be said, however, that there is a reason Greens aren't usually built like Queens. For a green, her endurance is fantastic, and she's got all the power a miniature queen could want, but she sacrifices a bit when it comes to speed and agility. If she were a queen, her long, thin form would improve her speed and agility drastically, but for a Green she's a bit lacking. As a result her flight patterns will be distinctly more queen-like than anything: moderately fast for as long as possible. This could be a disadvantage when she rises, as the dragons most suited to her style will be enormous bronzes; not exactly compatible with her little green body. She'll have a hard time avoiding agile blues and browns attempting to force catch... and she'll have an equally hard time avoiding enemies bent on shredding her soft hide.

Personality:
Nildath's a sweet dragon, quiet and unassuming and somewhat adorable. Her good qualities could fill a book - polite, respectful, kind, compassionate, positive, encouraging, loyal, sympathetic, empathetic, etc. etc. - but somehow she has the eternal bad luck to never be noticed or acknowledged for her goodness. Maybe it's because she's a bit shy, or eternally humble, or because she'd rather see someone else happy than herself... whatever it is, Nildath flies under the radar in a truly impressive manner. On the rare occasion that someone does realize exactly how much she contributed to some successful endeavor, she will immediately give credit to everyone else involved, while taking responsibility only for what went wrong.

Above anything, though, Nildath is an impressive support system for others. She's faithful to those who have shown her kindness, but more important she's faithful to those that need her (whether they know it or not), and once she has given someone her loyalty, it is very hard to lose. Only blatant outright rejection will send her away. Kormath will be an eternal favorite; in fact, the other dragon will get basically a free pass, and even the worst treatment will not drive Nildath away. Quesseth and Tirneth will also be loved from birth, and will be second only to Kormath when Nildath feels the need to choose company. She's a social dragon, though, and when her three favorite siblings aren't around, she's just as happy to lounge in a common area and chat with anyone that is around. She can be shy around the prettier males, but it tends to come out as nerves as opposed to an inability to communicate. Luckily for everyone, Nildath tends to be the best of company, able to cheer and entertain even the most curmudgeonly of dragons - she has a good sense of humor (although she will never tell a joke at the expense of anyone else), a humble sort of country streetsmarts, and a way with words that makes her one of the best storytellers in the Weyr.

In flight, Nildath is even shyer than normal. No showboating for her, no flirting or teasing or imperious commands. In fact, Nildath would rather as few dragons as possible know she's rising. If she could have only one male chase each time, she would be thrilled - that way she has less of them to turn down. Nildath is a monogamous sort, perfectly happy to remain faithful to the first dragon to catch her... as long as he is faithful in return. Few things make Nildath angry (and her anger is more of sharp disapproval than anything else) but faithless mates make her angry. Another thing that annoys her is fighting - she seems to have inherited her mother's dislike for violence, but where Nitrath actively and eloquently argues against it, Nildath just doesn't understand. She'll fight if she must, but she'll fight with a sort of folksy confusion that makes any death or injury she causes seem like a complete accident... because it is. This green is a gentle soul, and will never be truly comfortable in a wartorn world.

[InsaneWhitey28]

The positively gorgeous hue of the Elven Blue's hide was lost on Chandil, partially because he was still distracted by the fact there was a yellow dragon wandering the Sands, but also because, even though he hated the color, the teen would be forever biased toward the teal that had decorated Kerpth's hide. He also had Besyr butt in his face.

"Argh, Besyr!" the boy complained, finally snagging his hands around the blue's body and tearing him wriggling away from his face, "The next time I want to be that intimate with you, I'll let you know." The blue chirped at him, eyes whirrling a compliant green, the smug vibe coming from the creature causing the teen to frown and realize that the blue had in fact distracted him successfully from the Hatching. To the point he had missed, once again, the Impression of the blue and his sister, but not it seems the hatching of the next few dragonets and two more Impressions.

Ignoring the looks being thrown his way, can one really question the mentality of a dragonless candidate after all, Chandil dropped the blue in his hands (also ignoring the angry chittering at his rudeness), and watched as the first bronze of the clutch took a sprawling tumble. Well didn't he just seem to disappear into the Sands? Snorting to himself, Chandil crossed his arms as Besyr settled on his shoulder again, watching as the Halfing Blue made his way over to where the bronze had been setting before, resisting the urge to begin hugging himself again... resisting facial expressions and hugging oneself apparently don't mix well.

Chandil wrinkled his nose, face screwing up in a grimace as Besyr's images plagued his mind while the Halfing Blue and the Wolven Green made their choices, letting him breath a small sigh of relief that the blue at least would no longer be the center of attention, and that there were no longer any blue hatchlings han- oh drat. Another one.

And he was hugging himself again.

The bronze's keen was ignored as the voice of the gold boomed into his minded for the second time, causing his attention to snap to Caden and Cainith. The knife at Cainith's throat... the knife at Kerpth's throat. And before Besyr could do much about it, Chandil had slid down the wall, his memories dragging him down into the pit he always avoided, tears beginning their pooling function even as the blue firelizard stepped on his knees, chirping in distress.

Kerpth's blood pooling, glistening green...

It didn't matter that this time it was a human, or a Wastelander, enough blood had been shed and to threaten someone at a Hatching once again? Unthinkable. Caden might've been thinking in the best interest of Nitrath's children, but the next time this candidate, this ex-dragonrider, got close to her, he was going to shove her up against a wall and give her a piece of his mind.

.:oOo:.

"Hm. It would. Hopefully you have a bit of feline blood in you and will be able to twist away from it mid-air," Ka'aen commented idly, ringing out more of the water in his shirt even as his hair steamed slightly. Running his fingers through it, he commented, "The lake usually does most the job. And if you're smart you get a couple people to help or just tell you dragon to go find to rocks to rub against."

Ka'aen snorted at her next tease about him being a greenrider, but then he paused. It would be quite the change to have all those blueriders vying for his attention instead of wanting to rip his throat out for coming close to a female they considered theirs. Well la-di-da to them, if Rhiiseth Chases it usually means he's set to win, so it's not like he doesn't fight back. Annoyingly enough, Ka'aen started to spout poetry during the Flights, albeit smaller than Rhiiseth's, if the blue had a green hide he had no doubt he'd be spouting the same exact nonsense except he'd be sexually teasing the blueriders instead of teasingly insulting them. Urgh.

Stating as much to Diamonique, he crossed his leg, resting his ankle on his knee before replying to he next inquiry, "I have no doubt that he would have hunted me down, but I would have done my absolute best to avoid him." Oh come now only, you wouldn't have run. If I was a green, I would be the most stunning, outshining even those golds as I outshine the bronzes now. You would be in awe before me.

[/color]

You take far too much stock in yourself.

Ah, but I have well earned my pride while the youngest of those bronze beasts think to pull themselves above my level. Please.[/color]

Ka'aen rolled his eyes briefly, and looked out at the hatching where Diamonique posted. "There seem to be quite the few blues in this clutch. More territorial blueriders during Flights, quite the annoyance."

But how easily they are avoided.[/color] Rhiiseth commented to the pair, rumbling deep in his chest the dragon laugh so well known.

"Well, seems that little fellow can't find his boy," Ka'aen commented with a whistle, "Hope he doesn't between." And if Cainith had been stupid enough to walk onto the Sands with the Junior Weyrwoman in that state, well, Ka'aen wasn't going to move. Besides, two Wastelanders? Please. He didn't feel like getting stabbed today. [/blockquote]

.:oOo:.

My dear Adanth,

[/color] Istartih began, moving herself slightly to allow Taarith more room with her newly chosen, Sometimes the hardest thing to find is the easiest to see. Something Eldath seems to have worked out perfectly.[/color] The green gave hoffing rumble of amusement as she accepted the meat from Rosanna, bumping the girl with her wing to move her forward. No hiding behind her now. Wonderful, Taarith.[/color]

Raylenne, K'dem, it's pleasure to meet my siblings' chosen, the little green replied to the two, the particular emphasis on K'dem's name was more of a correction for herself; his complete forgetfulness of his new name an easy enough forgiveness. It would soon be hard to forget it once those around him began calling him K'dem instead of Kidem, he'd have to learn to respond quick.

"It's not the boat that I have particular issues with," Rosanna commented dryly, handing Istarith another chunk of meat even as the green commented, It seems I startled them, you'll have to comment my pleasantries for me for now.[/i]

"I don't know why you asked their names," Rosa muttered, low enough that the others would not be able to hear, "You'll just forget them." The famed dragon memory was legendary.

Mm. Well, perhaps. But isn't that why I have you? You'll just have to remember for me. Istarith commented, peering back at the Sands with her siblings' comments.

"What am I? Your personal history book!?" the young woman grumbled, pausing briefly to help Istarith chew a particularly large chunk.

If you want to be called that, yes,[/color] the dragonet replied amused, eyes whirling as she titled her head at her rider, before her attention was stolen back to the hatching, commenting to her siblings, Kormath has finally untangled himself it seems, ah he found his. Hm, I thought our bronze brother might have found His in that pair; apparently that was Kormath's. Oh, dear Nildath has chosen wonderful; she was so kind to help Kormath. My, my, it seems our bronze brother can't find His.[/color] [/blockquote]

[Zephyr]

Eldath was still spread out on the sand, looking up at Saphor with this big, liquid eyes of his. Despite her intentions, she was finding it more and more difficult to glare at the blue. Well, tell me who I'm supposed to choose then. Eldath was confused. I'm terribly hungry and I'd like to find mind so that we can go eat. I think Nogoth is already over there. Saphor sighed heavily, rubbing the bridge of her nose as she heard Ivy's voice behind her.

Saphor snapped to attention, half turning to face the other woman. She blinked for a second, offering the other woman a weak smile. "Thanks Ivy. His name is Eldath." She didn't tell her that she didn't really want the blue. That would just be cruel, especially knowing how much Ivy wanted to impress.

Still.

The blonde took a step forward, squeezing the redhead's shoulder briefly. "Yours is here somewhere, I know it." She eyed the blue that hadn't chosen its bonded yet and was about to turn back to Eldath when Cainith suddenly rushed onto the sands. "Cainith, what?" Saphor exclaimed, probably not quite loud enough for the man to hear and she took a protective step towards the stunned blue, just as Caden darted past him to cling to the giant's back, knife at the man's throat.

This was intense. She just hoped Cainith had enough sense in him not to move anymore.

Saphor cast a final glance at Ivy, her eyes narrowing when she looked to Alcherion. He was just causing more trouble than he was worth, but she didn't say anything because she could feel Eldath's hunger, and the longer she denied the blue, the worse it got.

Turning, she started to walk past the blue, looking at him somewhat impatiently. "C'mon then. You're so determined to claim me, I might as well feed you." The dragonet look stunned for a second before he scrambled to his feet and trotted along behind the woman, pressing his nose against her leg.

Hello, Nogoth! The blue said brightly to his sister, bounding towards her when he and Saphor got close. I found mine! She was a little strange, saying she wasn't...but she changed her mind!

---

"I dunno." Olivia giggled to Cairenn. The thought that people might be as smart as dragons was a little strange, but funny. "It would be pretty cool though. Babies aren't all that interesting. They'd be a lot more interesting if they could talk like dragons could." She said, eying the eggs as she spoke.

When the green charged, she beamed at Cairenn. "See, you're getting good at dodging!" Her tone sombered when the girl spoke about the eggs. Olivia shrugged, gaze drifting back to the clutch. "Some babies take longer to come out than others, but they are taking a long time to hatch, aren't they?" She mused, eyes growing concerned. "I hope they're alright."

Her words were cut short by the approach of another dragon...this one coming at a much slower pace than the thick green before...and she was walking straight towards them. Olivia blinked, straightening up as the green padded towards them. The blonde girl's heart stuttered in her chest when the green turned towards her, but it wasn't to be. The baby just dipped her head in an almost apologetic manner before turning to Cairenn.

Olvia blinked a couple times before letting her face break out in a giant grin. "Looks like she chose you, Cairenn! Congratulations, she's adorable! You'd better go feed her now!"

Sure, she was disappointed, but she'd been expecting not to impress, honestly, and she had this amazing ability to be happy for others even when she was suffering.

---

"Nope. No feline blood." Dia grinned from where she was leaning, letting out a quiet chuckle. "That would be pretty cool to see though. I kinda wish I had some." She laughed again at the prospect of bathing such a large dragon. "I don't think I'd be able to do it, honestly. I'd just go make them bathe themselves...or make Liel do it." The mechanics of making a tiny salamandyr bathe such a massive dragon escaped her for the moment, but it didn't matter.

It was also a pretty good thing that she couldn't read minds. There's no way she would let Ka'aen get away with thinking about being a greenrider. She'd probably tease him forever. As it was, she luckily couldn't read his mind. She chuckled lightly, half turning her head to look up at him. "I don't believe that. If he was meant to be yours, he would be."

She poked him, giving Ka'aen a mischievous look. "You aren't jealous, are you? That's actually kinda cute. Don't worry though." She grinned. "I'm sure Rhiiseth gets his fair share of tail. Kinda hard for any female to resist that poetry." She was half purring to Rhiiseth, singing his praises...but she was sure the dragon knew how much she adored him by now.

"I hope he finds his, he's really cute." She mentioned when she looked at the bronze hatchling. Then Cainith jumped out on the sand, and Dia frowned. "That stupid guy's going to get himself killed." She observed absently.

[Rowana]

N'rik was starting to get antsy. He'd been so sure the pretty yellow green hatchling would pick Olivia. Not that he begrudged the other girl. Anyone who wanted a dragon badly enough to Stand deserved one in his mind. He was just impatient for Olivia to share the awesomeness that was being a dragonrider in his mind. At least she didn't looked too upset. The hatching wasn't over yet either, N'rik thought, eying the last few eggs. Olivia's dragon could still be one of them. He was so focused on Olivia and her friends that he didn't take much noticed of other events on the Sands

~

Annatolli was grinning and bouncing with excitement. Phaiden's mother had impressed just like she'd just wished for! "Congrats to your momma, Phai!" she called to her friend. He was such a handsome one too. Anna wondered if her dragon would be so pretty. Not that she would care. All the dragons were wonderful to her. Not everyone looked so happy though and Anna wished Caden would put down the scary knife. It was true that the big man wasn't supposed to be there, but what if she hurt him?

~

Porita slipped silently in through a rear entrance. It was early yet, Posk still sleeping in her room, but Neyki was with her. The fire lizard seemed to sense something that interested her and flew up to where Chandil was sitting, her mournful voice trilling slowly at him. Porita followed more slowly, trying not to look at the young dragons down on the Sands. She had Posk now, but being at the Hatching brought back a lot of painful memories of Jipth and his final moments in her mind.

She'd come though, because she wanted to see if Cainith's friend would impress like he wanted, though it looked like her big friend was having trouble. She bit her lip, not sure what was going on, but not wanted anyone to get hurt. She followed Neyki up to Chandil, though, and sat next to him. She wasn't really surprised to find him here and not on the Sands. He hadn't seemed up for Standing last time they had spoken.

"Chandil?" Porita's voice was soft and nervous as she sat next to him. She really wasn't sure what she aught to say. "Are you...alright" she ventured. It was a silly question she knew, just as she knew what was bothering him. She tried a shy smile for him, hoping it would give him something else to focus on beyond the memories.

[Chey]

I'nos was finally dragged away from the Hatching after the rocking Republic Egg hatched, followed by the flaking Witch Egg. He was at the meat bowls with the Dwarven Green, apparently named Nogoth and Impressed to Eselda, and the Elven Blue whose name was Eldath and had bonded to Saphor. There was a few bits of small talk, not much, but I'nos was forced to suddenly turn when he saw the Halfling Blue nudging at Kelinale. His breath caught in his chest. Would the Halfling Blue Impress to him? He hoped he would. The blue was pretty in a way and I'nos thought it would be positively amazing if Kelinale became a weyrling too.

Excuse me![/i] Tirneth's indignant mindvoice interrupted I'nos's staring, but it had a hint of amusement, as shown by the browns green eyes-and they were seemingly going to stay that way it appeared, as they hadn't changed the entire time I'nos had known the lengthy dragonet. Aren't you supposed to be focusing on your dragonet, not other people's?[/i]

I'nos hastily turned his attention back to his dragonet, petting him affectionately. "I was just checking on a friend Tirneth. We're somewhat close. But you're right. Here's a bit more meat."

[Sebz]

Eselda was hurrying to fetch the food that Nogoth demanded, but the green, seeing Eldath headed her way, decided it was not quick enough. As soon as Eselda turned back around, bowl of meat in hand, the hatchling attacked it, almost knocking over her human counterpart over for the second time that hatching. Sorry about that, it's just you were moving a tad slowly. Look, hear comes Eldath. Eselda grinned in amusement at her dragon's not at all apologetic apology. It seemed that the two of them were going to get along just fine.

Ah ha, so this was Eldath! And the blue had chosen a female to partner with of all people. Eselda might have been new to the weyr, but even she knew that that was quite unusual indeed. "Hello there Saphor," the girl said, pleased to realize that she knew the other girl's name just from passing. Unfortunately Saphor would be subjected to Eselda's zealousness for conversation until she figured out a way to escape her proximity. "What a lovely blue you have there, his name is Eldath, right?"

Nogoth in the meantime, was still chewing her food, she had literally taken off more than she could bite. Well I suppose thats good, what were you planning to do if she didn't? You could have tried to be a little bit more conventional. The green wasn't true be rude, she just was stating the obvious. I did beat you hear though, just like I thought I would! Would you like me to fetch you some food? Your human might be as incompetent as mine in that particular arena. Nogoth moved forward to nudge her blue brother's flank affectionately, before quickly retreating back to Eselda and announcing. Fetch Eldath food. Please? Eselda did not answer her dragon, and oddly enough, not because she was engaged in her favorite activity-talking. No, the steady stream of words coming from Eselda seemed to have trickle off in the wake of the commotion Caden and Caineth were causing on the sands. Was that a knife?

[Lotty]

K'sel snerked at his adoptive sister. Too much work? Probably. Seemed like the woman had him pegged on that one. Pettahth could be exceptionally stubborn after all, and it seemed that it took a special kind of person to butt heads with the brown and vice versa. If only there was a way to ask... a means of inquiring of every dragon who passed him up why he was so unsuitable, even at the risk of being told he was too ugly or dumb. But then, it really didn't matter did it? He had his dragon and that was all that mattered, and maybe he wouldn't be the person he was today if he didn't have to wait all those turns before getting one. Catching the dreamy look on Erilena's face he knew that her thoughts weren't all too far from hers, and breaking from his apathy, he granted her the rare smile.

But then she was off again to heal the wounds from clumsy hatchlings, and K'sel couldn't quite bring himself to leave her all alone. With a few hesitant steps, he began to sneak forward, weary of the gold dragon, and careful to be as unobtrusive as possible. He was the "bodyguard" after all, and he figured he could distract the dog who had run out onto the sands or at least be something of a sentinel and be her look out for charging dragonets. Not that he would make all too good of a wall for her with his skinny little frame, but at least he knew if he were to get hit it wouldn't be too much of a loss. She was the one that needed to be there with her healing skills, he on the other hand had next to none.... he might have a first-aid "merit badge" so to speak, but he was hardly the expert that she was.

Approaching quietly behind Eri he began to kneel a little down asking the greenrider, "Need a hand with anything?" The subtext was that he'd try and lead the canine off without getting bitten, but he supposed he'd do just about anything that needed to be done. The candidate was bleeding pretty well, and that gash in his hip didn't look fun, but before another thought could cross his mind, the rider's dark eyes flashed up to meet the shadow that stormed across the sands, causing him to sputter a knee jerk reaction, "Shit!" His popped up from his lowered position and took a few steps back for the full picture of Cainith bolting to Ivy. Immediately he moved his hand to his knife... or where his knife would be had the paranoid rider and her gold not banned them. Devil woman.

It would have been easy enough he supposed, to make the executive decision to snatch a scalpel out of a healing bag, but K'sel did not even have time enough for that. Just as the brownrider was nudging away the idea of pointy objects - he was taken under the wing of F'ur for some time, he had plenty of experience in thinking of creative ways of fighting without weapons - the dumb schmuck who had ran over to that overly familiar red head had a gold rider dangling on his back with a knife. Then his brain rang with the unwelcome voice of a dragon commanding him and healers off the sands. Sharding goldriders, never buying any points for themselves and ironically serving as a bigger threat to their own clutches than the dumbasses who interrupted them. Without the healers what were the candidates going to do? Bleed to death? For that K'sel upgraded his profane utterances, but made little signs of movement other than switching his gaze to command from E'rro.

Pettahth had just finished crooning at Freyr when his conversation with Feyrianth was interrupted. A shame too since he was quite interesting in the "blind" human. He hadn't thought of such concepts before really, though he knew that Saboth for instance had injured his own eyes... and that K'sel even had his own greenrider friend who lost sight... but for the life of him the dragon couldn't imagine what it was like. He'd ask his rider soon he supposed, but that was the problem, his seemed to be caught up with something of a debacle there on the sands. Why was that big human being attacked by Nitrath's? His eyes spun a concerned yellow, and his rumbles were cut off as he focused on K'sel. Wordless, he gave Fey's tail an extra squeeze.

[Ivy]

Corvin:

Corvin watched the hatching from the Stands with more interest than one would think from looking at him. To be sure the look on his face spoke nothing of interest, but instead of boredom. His eyes were the liveliest of his features, darting this way and that to keep an eye on the hatchlings as well as the eggs still waiting to break open on the Sands.

A smile formed on his lips as he saw the dragonets move this way and that, the smile fading each time a Candidate was knocked over or scratched up. The Harpers he'd traveled with never sang of all the bloodshed Hatchings brought. It was just so interesting. He grinned as he saw the yellow-green dragon pick a girl. And as the blue picked as well.

Then there was some commotion on the Sands, was that a bronze? His hide was dappled with different shades of bronze to the near point of green in some parts - he was quite handsome. Eyeing the Candidates he arched a brow as he heard the bronze begin to keen, why was it so sad? Slight worry began to build inside him as he kept an eye on the little bronze, what if he couldn't find His? Would he between?

Ah but there wasn't much time to think on that - as someone had jumped the railing to help one of the girls who had been toppled over. Perhaps if he didn't look so downright threatening the Jr. Weyrwoman would have let it be, but then he did so it was probably no surprise to the others when Caden jumped on his back with a knife to his throat. Shards and shells, were hatchings always so interesting?! Looking about he saw no one was making a move to help the poor wretch who was so close to having his throat sliced open. While it really wasn't his place (after all he was literally no one to these people) he stood and stepped closer to the railing. He gave no attempt to jump down onto the Sands, he didn't want to die after all. But he did call down to the Jr. Weyrwoman, "'Lo there! I don't think he meant any harm, and do you really want the babes brought into the world bathed in his blood?"

Hopefully she'd come to her senses and let him go, at least pass him off for some of the other riders to remove from the Sands and deal with later. If not, at least he kind of tried?

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Ruliana:

She continued to list off the dragons, the colors, and whom they were looking to when they Impressed. Then a big lug of a man jumped the railing and she stopped speaking. She didn't want to tell Samael what was going on down on the Sands, especially after he told her why he disliked Hatchings in the first place. This really wasn't the most pleasant of things - but she supposed his bronze would be showing him anyways.

"Someone jumped the railing," she said in a hushed voice - but then Nitrath's voice boomed into her mind, "A wherhandler it seems. I don't think he meant anything, was going for one of the girls who fell over."

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Roselle:

Roselle feigned interest with some of the recent Impressions, but for the most part her mind and eyes were set on her niece. Finally the yellow dragonet, or was it green? she really couldn't tell, began moving - right for Cairenn. At first it seemed the beast would pick the other girl speaking to Cairenn but then... then she saw the rainbow hues light up and how it rubbed against her niece. She cheered loudly - which was awkward since she was one of the only ones cheering now - and stood up in her seat. That a girl Cairenn! Now the question was, just what color was its hide?

So focused on Cairenn's Impression, she didn't notice the mountain jumping onto the Sands until Nitrath's voice invaded her thoughts. Looking around wildly she tried to figure out just what the Gold was talking about, and finally she saw Caden on someone's back. What in all of Pern was going on down there?

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Ivy:

Another smile for Saphor and one for Alcherion as well. So wrapped up in making sure her friend didn't think she hated her for Impressing the gorgeous blue, she missed the other Impressions going on on the other side of the Sands. Not that they mattered much, since neither was HER Impressing. Opening her mouth she was about to tell Saphor how lovely the blue's name was, and suddenly she heard a loud noise behind her and then... Cainith?!

Cainith was touching her, wrapping an arm around her in a protective and possessive manner. He was checking on her, glaring at Alcherion and then heading back to the Stands all before she could really comprehend what was going on. Why was he on the Sands?!

He could have made it to the Stands again, if it weren't for the fact the Jr. Weyrwoman appeared and threw herself on his back. Was that a knife?! Nearly shrieking she moved towards the pair in an attempt to calm Caden down but then Nitrath was speaking and she froze. Eyes darted all around - WHAT THE HELL?

Kids were Impressing, her friend was Impressing, some hot guy was hitting on her, and now her boyfriend was being held at knife-point by the Jr. Weyrwoman. None of this was really giving her the 'I'm going to Impress today!' vibe. In fact it was the exact opposite. Stomach turned, knotting up and she glanced between Caden's face and Cainith's. Was that blood trickling from his throat?

Wonderful. This is just what she needed, today of all days! Looking at the remaining eggs, and giving a glance to the bronze crying on the Sands (should she go join him? she certainly felt like it right now) she weighed her odds. There were other girls on the Sands. Other boys too. The Draconic Egg, the Queenly Egg, the Swordmaster Egg, the Wizard Egg, the Empire Egg... None of them seemed to be moving even a small amount. There was a blue on the Sands but he was just stretching - and was a blue. That meant she had five more shots (six if she counted the blue, which she didn't) at possibly Impressing.

It just wasn't in the cards. She felt as though all of this was her fault - everything that was going on right now was because of her. Clearing her throat lightly she looked to Caden, "Junior Weyrwoman Caden, may I be excused from the Sands? Your dragon's clutch is amazing and I am honored to be here but I feel as though my being here caused this commotion. It would be best if I left then, if it was."

Swallowing was painful, it was hard to keep back the tears beginning to well up in her eyes.