Cower in the Light (Deepest Fears Hatching)

[Tashe]

Twitch.

Crossing her left foreleg over her nose, Millieth's other limbs quivered in her sleep, otherwise betraying a peaceful slumber. It was early in the morning, the candles having yet to burn down to the sixth candle mark but quivering just on the edge of doing so. Rukbat had crested the horizon, and the Weyr was beginning to stir. Including the brooding Queen. An eye slid open as something woke her from her dreams, as to what it was she could not fathom. At least, not so soon after waking up. Stretching her wings, Millieth rose to all fours, being careful not to break the thin woven bracelet that her Human had tied around one of her ankles. It had been a gift from one of the Candidates, she wore it because her Rider insisted that it would be cute if they had a matching set, seeing as Kaegan had one as well.

Casting her gaze out over the egg laden sands, Millieth began to hum deeply in her throat. That noise aroused the Bronze Firelizard who had been snoozing near by, he leapt into the air before betweening to wake Kaegan then fly through the Weyr helping to spread the news. It was time for the Hatching, and the eggs would wait for no one. The Feline Attack Egg and the Snake Bite Egg were rocking gently, one was slowly being covered in small spiderlike cracks while the other was still whole and smooth.

It took Kaegan a few moments to realize why Azaran was bouncing up and down on her back but as soon as she did, she rolled quickly out of bed. Shedding her sleeping clothes, the Senior Weyrwoman fished around in the dim light for a tunic and hastily pulled it on over a pair of leggings. Tying a colored cord around her waist as she moved, Kaegan stuffed her feet into the closest pair of boots before rousing the woman who watched Kai whenever she was away. Normally, the woman didn't sleep in the Goldrider's quarters but she had asked her to stay over in the days leading up to the hatching, which seemed to be happening at this very moment. Snatching Dash out from inside of a mass of colorful fluff, the red head tore quietly out of the room. She needed to make it to the hatching grounds before anyone else, otherwise Millieth would be angry with her. Nobody needed her more tense than she already was.

It took her longer than she would have liked to cross the river and enter through the doors to the sands, but at least she made it. Ignoring the disapproval from her dragon, Kaegan paced over to the couch and leapt up, yawning despite feeling alert and awake. Her body clearly wanted to sleep more, but it would have to wait for later. Sitting down so that she was leaning against one of Millieth's front legs, the Weyrwoman splayed out her legs before drawing one up so that it was bent at the knee. Millieth herself had lain down only a few moments before, curling around her Rider she trained her eyes on the doors. She wanted this hatching to go as smoothly as possible.

Death Egg - Bronze Mavenath- Cr'oph
Drowning Egg - Blue Chakraith- Dy'shi
Rejection Egg - Green Posilanth - Casta
Hidden Dangers Egg - Green Nemmalorith - Dyudahlii
Feline Attack Egg - Green Feyrianth - Erilena
Snake Bite Egg - Blue Paglieth - L'nu
Worthlessness Egg - Brown Trilaranth - R'ven
Freezing Egg - Green Harmonyth - Cer'c
Darkness Egg - Green Tuelzanth- Kiana
Burning Egg - Blue Barientoh - J'naes
Abandonment Egg - Blue Craivaruth - J'ash
Poison Egg - Green Eveyth - X'rx
Unknown Egg - Blue Picarth - K'lin

[midnight]

Meagen was sprawled on her bed, sleeping rather restlessly. One arm thrown over her head, the other cast across her stomach. Periodically whimpering cries would flee her throat. The female candidate was having a nightmare, about what, people could only garner a few guesses. Her hair hadn't been braided the night before, so it was a bushy mess around her features, which were screwed up in discontent.

While meanwhile a white feline slinked into the candidates barracks and towards the bunk of the female. Gojii, had been lonely since her human had passed on. She had managed to make it by rather well, but she wanted another human-pet. That's what she needed! She looked over the bunks, and found a girl that looked like she could use someone. From the smell of fear and sorrow that clung to the females skin.

Gojii carefully and daintily jumped unto the bunk, and then perched on the edge of the girls bed. She gave a soft 'mreow' towards the girl, and when there wasn't a response she hissed and lashed out. Her paw slashing over the girls right cheek. That should do it! See that this new human-pet would answer her when she called!

Meagen's eyes flashed open, a scream rending from the candidate's lips, as she lashed out to smack at whoever had attacked her. Her sleep addled mind imagined it to be someone it wasn't. But she hit air, as Gojii had jumped lithely out of the way. Megs felt the leaking of blood down her cheek. Then realized that something just felt off about the way the air felt.

Her eyes widened as she realized that the humming that rocked through her was NOT from the purring cat. Whom was now lavishing affections upon her. There was a collar on the cat, with a name attached, but who did it... Well obviously it thought it belonged to her!

GAH She hadn't the time for this! It was time, it was time! Even though she hadn't heard a voice call for her, she needed to get ahead of the game. Better late then never! The female nearly jumped from her cot, and yanked a brush through her hair. Snapping her hair into a quick braid, she dug around for her robes. She threw those on and then found herself running.

The others would get up on their own right? Not that there had been very many other females in the barracks. Seemed there was a lot more boys then girls. Which wasn't always a good thing. But she shouldn't dwell on that, she needed to get to the hatching grounds! She had to make it, had to make it! She skidded to a stop outside of the hatching grounds, when she realized she had forgotten her sandals.

She ran back, and grabbed up her shoes, hopping into them as she made her way BACK to the hatching sands. Shards, Shards! This wasn't good, she couldn't be late, she wouldn't allow herself to be! She had to make a good impression. All the while, the white cat was FOLLOWING HER. When she reached the hatching sands again, she stopped outside and looked at the cat. She shooed it with a hand, and watched as the cat swished her tail and sashayed away.

What the shards was that about?

She didn't know but she now made her way towards the eggs. Her breathing more regular now, her manner more composed. She could do this! She could do this! She noticed two eggs where shaking, one was cracked, this was wonderful! She knew the drill, at least she believed she did. How different could it be from Weyr to Weyr? She bowed to the queen mother, as low as she could. Showing her respect for the creator of the clutch that she was having the honor of attending.

"Thank you for the honor of standing at this clutch. I hope that I can prove to you that I deserve this wonderful opportunity." She said in a strong and clear voice. She calmly stepped back and hung back a little from the eggs. Hopefully the others would arrive soon? Her perfect demeanor was ruined by the searing pain that came from her face. She had scrubbed it clean while she ran, but that had been about all she could do for the wound.

It would probably end up bleeding a little more during the hatching. But injury or not! She would stay here.

[dragon]

The message the Bronze carried only really had to reach one source. Just as soon as he was warned of the imminent shell-cracking, Emoyan was out of his own quarters and storming up the stairs to the Candidate's barracks with no heed to stealth. What point was there in sneaking when he was fixing to wake them all up anyway? He threw the door to the boy's ranks open, allowing it to bang off the wall it hung from, the resounding thud wakening almost all within. Those it didn't wake were soon roused by the Candidate Master's booming voice.

"Up! Up! The eggs are hatching! Get dressed and down to the river, quickly, now!" He called, before moving on, up the stairs to the girl's bunking. There, he woke them as well, though with a bit more tact as the last thing he needed was a posse of screaming females to deal with. While the youths all crawled out of bed and started dressing, Emoyan went back to his own rooms and put on something more decent for a Hatching. That done, he made his way down to the river, where he rounded up all the half-asleep half-excited out of their wits youngsters. Making sure they got across the river in the murky dawn light that seeped through the canopy above was a task, that was for sure. But before he let them enter the sands, he made sure they were all dressed properly with a cursory glance and lined up. There was no Queen egg, that anyone knew of, so separation was not strictly necessary ... but it was traditional. So he sorted them, and then let them onto the sands at a measured, even but quick rate. No need to mob the sands in a sudden rush of excitement that could make things go altogether badly.

---

Llannu had been awake, if barely, when the thunderous door-banging had happened, scaring the poor lad plumb out of his wits. Why had he been awake at such an absurd hour? Because he had found himself in possession of some things he knew weren't his... he had been planning on dropping them off elsewhere. Somewhere other than under his mattress. When that horrible bang and shouting had started, he'd been dead sure in his gut he'd been caught. But it turned out to be something else entirely.

Eggs were hatching. Okay, so? It took poor Llannu a few minutes to figure out why that was relevant. He really wasn't used to this whole being in a weyr thing, much less as a candidate. Rose, however, was hopping all over the place, squeaking and shrieking in excitement. People were starting to move in the barracks though, so Llannu had to quickly figure out what to do with these things he'd been fixing to dispose of. Scrambling around desperately, he stuffed them into his pillow, out of sight, before following the example of the other lads and getting dressed in those absurd white dresses. Only girls wore dresses! Why were the boys all wearing dresses?? But he followed along, trying to fight Rose off as she was definitely being an nuisance. "You can't come, Rose! Stay! The other gold will eat you up and spit you out!"

Which, naturally, was the wrong thing to say to Rose, as she took that as a challenge. She was better than any other gold, just let the big up-tight one try! Cawing absurdly, Rose flew ahead of the lot, beating them all to the boats. Llannu stayed with the group, his stomach tying itself in knots until he thought he was going to throw up. He didn't know what he was walking into, and didn't know if he wanted to be walking into it... truly ... but he went along anyway. Maybe it wasn't as bad as some of the stories he'd been told. In any event, it would be interesting to see!

When he was finally allowed onto the sands themselves, Llannu tried to remember what all he was supposed to do, taking his cue yet again from the others around him. He made a bow to the Queen, and mumbled something under his breath that might have been a greeting of some sort. Not that it really mattered as he was loudly talked over by the next one in line. Hands folded together behind his back, he scurried aside, following yet again to wherever it was he was supposed to be.

[Requiem]

Humming softly so as not to wake up his fellow candidates, Xerxes was dressed and carefully arranging himself, making sure there were no wrinkles or strange spots, and everything was as it should be. He was on his fourth - and hopefully final - shirt of the morning because the others simply weren't right. A strange discoloration here, a thinning there that needed to be repaired. One had an unraveling hem! Clearly not acceptable. Being more or less broke - a perpetual condition - didn't mean you shouldn't look your best. He fussed with his collar for another few seconds. Ah. Better.

Sliding on the newly made gloves, he tugged them over his palms, smoothing out any wrinkles and making sure the fit was perfect. Xerxes wiggled his fingers, then glanced in the reflective surface he'd brought with him as one of his few possessions to take a look at the mess that greeted him every morning. It was then that the door swung wide open, causing Xerxes to jump and yelp, subconsciously shrinking back toward the opposite wall. He stared at Emoyan for a few seconds, not quite processing what he was saying. Oh!

The young man's stomach knotted. He'd known it was coming, but somehow he'd managed, up to this point, to never fully comprehend that he was a candidate for this latest Clutch. How many Hatchings had he seen over the turns? What if a dragon actually...worse, what if none wanted him? He was, after all, just a drudge. They could probably sense just how insignificant he was.

Even as the thoughts rushed through his head, the candidate turned back to his makeshift mirror, carefully working the knots out of his wild hair. It wouldn't keep it from curling and flipping, but at least it wouldn't look like one giant knot. He braided the side with quick, familiar dexterity, working a few lighter colored feathers into it as was his wont. None of this required any thought. It was simply...relaxing. Though his mind wouldn't stop yammering doubts, insecurities and excitements at him. Sometimes he truly wished he could turn all that off.

That left...really nothing to do. In fact, he stood there staring at himself and poking at his clothing, perhaps just a bit disappointed that it was as nearly perfect as he could get it. Xerxes glanced at the robe on its peg - hung up so as not to get any wrinkles - and slid it over his head. He tugged at it for a few more moments, found the sandals they were supposed to be wearing, then glanced around awkwardly. People were emptying out quickly. He should probably go. It was...just another Hatching. Yes.

The candidate didn't remember much of the trip. His mind was miles away, but apparently his feet knew where to go. All too soon, he found himself entering the Sands. Xerxes blinked at the gathering crowds. Normally he didn't mind so many people, but it felt like everyone was watching him. Butterflies in his stomach. A nervous smile took over his face, and his bow to Millieth was even more graceful than it had been earlier. Old habits really came out whenever Xerxes was nervous.

He edged after Llannu. Glancing at the eggs, his smile twitched. Xerxes brushed the boy's arm. "You look almost as nervous as I feel," he murmured softly. "Gonna be okay?" Just talking to someone else helped some.

[mierce]

“Over there!” Cerdic pointed to a shadow flitting through the thick jungle below. A smile curled across onto his lips as spotted another one. There were two. Two felines. He tilted his head at his bonded, a hand hovering over his bow and the other over his quiver. “Shall we?”

His massive black dragon rumbled in reply and made a graceful arc through the air to get into position. The large wings beat soundly in the wind, letting all below know that there was something large in the air. Something chasing. Cerdic wasn’t concerned though. He was a master hunter! Let the felines be warned by every creature in the greenery; they still would not escape. The dragon lowered itself towards the tops of the canopy, close enough for each push of his wings to force the crowns aside.

The trees were becoming denser, their foliage thicker, but Cerdic was not discouraged. Instead he clamped his thighs tighter around the curve of his saddle and notched three arrows — yes, three – into the cord of his bow. He couldn’t see his marks below, but he knew they were there. And so, he blindly took aim at the blur of green rushing by below him and—

Suddenly his dragon gave a loud, terrifying cry and made a sharp turn upward. “Wha---“ the words had barely an opportunity to leave Cerdic’s lips when he felt himself flung back in his seat. Bows and arrows flew from his hands. “No no no!!” he shouted to the black dragon. “Not up! Down!”

Just as unexpected, the dragon corkscrewed in the air and dived. Just as his rider had demanded. This of course, was equally distressing, made even more so when the large beast dove right into the tree tops. Leaves, branches, and all other matters of things smacked the boy in the face. He flailed his arms, trying to protect himself, then suddenly felt a particular large branch smack him right out of the saddle.

“Rawwwwggh!!!”

BANG CRASH

Pain exploded in Cerdic’s shoulder. Was it dislocated?! He tried to move, but found all four limbs tightly bound against his body. What is going on? His eyes flew open and he wildly looked about the very dim room where large ghastly white shapes were floating about in the blue-ish light. This isn’t the jungle! Where was he?!

“Hey, are you all right?”

Cerdic forcefully twisted around to face the sound, finding himself looking up at a face that was somewhat familiar. He blinked, then focused past the person’s head to see what appeared to be the underside of a mattress. Alarmed, he looked about the room and slowly recognized it as the boy’s barracks, and that the white shapes were actually his fellow candidates dressing up in white robes.

“Whuh---?”

“The hatching. It’s happening now!” A voice exclaimed from somewhere in the room.

Hatching? Cerdic’s mind felt very muddled. But he already had a dra…

“You fell off your bed. Hurry up!”

It took a moment, but the words finally sank in, erasing any lingering thoughts about his dream of a non-existent black dragon. A few curses fell from his lips as the boy quickly struggled to get up. Apparently he had rolled himself quite tightly in his blankets and dragged everything down from his top bunk… including one rather annoyed brown fire lizard that was presently glaring at him from the bottom bunk.

After nearly a minute, he finally freed himself and quickly got dressed. His breath stank, robes were crooked, eyes were lined with crusties, and nevermind his disaster of his hair, but he had no time to be dilly dallying around. Making sure he didn’t forget anything, he quickly followed after the Emoyan.

When the Candidate Master lined them up, Cerdic hung out towards the back of the group and tried to smooth everything out. He didn’t look quite as dashing as Xerxes, but he was certain that it would be all right. He just needed to not exhale too heavily… Or maybe it’d be better if he just kept his mouth sealed.

When they were filed into the hatching sands, Cerdic felt his already frazzled nerves twitch even moreso. He pressed his lips tightly together and somewhat clumsily bowed to the Queen. When he righted himself, his eyes fell upon what they were all here for. There before them was the collection of colorful eggs. Only a few were moving as yet, but he could feel a sort of tension in the air.

A nervous smile crept onto his lips, prompting him to mentally chide himself. This was it!
He had to be steadfast and not freak out.

[lex]

Casta had never been much of a sleeper, even before she had come to live at Selenitas. For some reason she could never make it all the way through the night, and sleeping here in an unfamiliar bed was even more difficult – so she could frequently be seen, at any hour of the night, performing one chore or another. Tonight she had gravitated towards the kitchens, where she idly began to wash the pots that hadn’t been cleaned up the evening before. Her hair and skin still felt deliciously clean form the bath she had taken before going to bed, and she sang very softly to herself as she used sand to scrub stains and dried food from the pan. When she was done she dried her hands, and she was about to tip the used water down the chute before she looked down at it and started in amazement.

The water was…trembling. Just a little, but enough that you could notice it. Casta dipped a cup into it and set it on the side, watching it intently – the water in that was shivering as well, although the cup itself remained completely still. A split second before the audible humming began, it clicked in Casta’s mind what this really was, and she had left the cup abandoned on the side as she ran as fast as she could to the candidate barracks. Her robes were thrown on over her dress, and in a matter of minutes she was on a boat over to the Hatching Sands – trying to tidy herself during the journey. Her hair was still loose, and she gave a grunt of frustration as she discovered no piece of twine in her pockets to tie a braid with. At least I brushed it before I went to the kitchens, she thought to herself with relief at the fact that it would at least look tidy.

But here was she, thinking about her appearance at a time like this! Mentally Casta berated herself for such triviality. Surely none of the dragons would care if she didn’t look completely neat and tidy? It was the middle of the night, after all. Alighting at the dock she jogged to the Sands, joining the steady flow of white-robed young people who were going in the same direction.

Strangely enough, she wasn’t as nervous as she had thought she would be. Instead, a feeling of complete calm had overtaken her – if she Impressed tonight, she would Impress. If she didn’t then she didn’t, and she knew enough about Hatchings to know that if she didn’t Impress then it was because no dragon had warmed to her, personally. She could deal with that – everyone had different personalities, didn’t they? Casta gave a small smile to herself, allowing her practical side to take over. Whatever happened at this Hatching was nothing she could possibly change, so she would do her best to enjoy the experience for what it was. She was here, and that was good enough for her.

Learning from the Touching, Casta had taken to wearing her thick-soled boots at all times, and she was glad for her good memory as she stepped out onto the Sand and joined the line of candidates. Despite her personal lack of worry, there was a distinct feeling of tension in the group that she couldn’t help picking up – as if everyone was holding their breath without realising it. Adrenaline rushed through her and she suppressed a radiant laugh at the situation – a Hatching! Who wouldn’t be happy at the circumstances they had found themselves in? The future looked brighter and brighter, all the time. Casta could have sung for joy. She was standing next to Cerdic, and flashed him a brighter smile than most people would expect to see on a Candidate’s face, before turning her seawater-coloured eyes back to the eggs. A slight smile was still on her lips as she watched them intently.

[absinthe]

A raucous squawk had woken Junaes from a dead sleep. Creampuff had been crouched on his chest peering down at him with glowing, whirling eyes and sending him feelings of hunger. The candidate had rubbed his eyes and sat up; clearly his pet was demanding to be fed. Considering this had been before sunup, Junaes didn’t argue with the little blue lest he decide to make some noise about it and disturb the others. Not an ideal situation, to say the least. So Junaes had dressed and carried Creampuff to the dining hall, where a bowl of meat scraps was provided for the youngling. He wasn’t really a hatchling anymore, having grown considerably since Impression; oddly enough though, he still had that round, vaguely pudgy appearance of baby fat and his human was beginning to wonder if it was something he would actually grow out of.

At the time he’d gone to the dining hall, Junaes hadn’t been planning on getting anything to eat for himself but by the time Creampuff had polished off a small bowl of meat scraps and set to cleaning himself, the candidate’s belly had begun to rumble with hunger. So he’d gotten himself some breakfast since he was apparently up for the day anyway. He’d just been polishing off his third roll when Creampuff started to behave strangely. Suddenly having lost interest in his grooming and uttering a strange humming sound, the firelizard looked to his human almost expectantly. At first the candidate’s sleep-fogged brain just didn’t comprehend what this all meant, which ended up with him staring blankly at his thrumming firelizard… until a memory sprang to mind. The firelizard hatching. There was humming.

So that was where Junaes had been when he realized that the Hatching was underway and he’d shown more energy and haste in the few minutes to get back to the barracks than he had in his entire stay at the Weyr. It wasn’t that he was lazy or lethargic, only that his was a more slow burning type of energy. But he certainly bolted to the barracks then to don the plain robe and sandals that they were supposed to wear on the Sands. Then he double-timed it to the Hatching Grounds, heart pounding from excitement and exertion. He arrived just in time to file onto the Sands with most of the others, taking up a place in the middle of the group and watching the eggs before them with intense interest. Only two were moving, one of which was cracked. It wouldn’t be long now, and he’d made it just in time.

[Ember]

Noise. And lots of it. Dyleshi woke to a multitude of voices and yawned as he looked about for the source. Mention of egg went right over his head the first couple times. Yes, yes eggs were yummy. Was that any reason to...Oh. Ohhh. The boy leapt out of bed and stumbled over to his trunk. He ignored his bunk mates stuff as he searched for that silly white robe (what was the point of it again?).

He saw a corner of white and pulled it and half his other clothes out of the chest. He glanced around at all the commotion and decided no one else would really be looking. Not if they were in such a hurry to reach the Sands. The boy roughly pulled on his candidate robe and finger combed his hair. Now that he was supposedly ready Dyleshi made his way to the boats. It was a shame he was a bit of a heavy sleeper or he could have missed some of the lineup for the boats.

Having taken longer than he'd have liked, Dyleshi finally arrived at the hatching grounds. The very sight of the slightly rocking eggs past all the other bodies made him freeze. What on Pern was he doing trying to Impress? The nervous fear that strong him made him stumble forward awkwardly as the crowd got him into the Sands. The boy bowed sheepsihly to the gold mother before taking up a position near the back.

His insides twisting Dyleshi waited for the eggs. He desperately hoped he hadn't just made a huge mistake in deciding to come to the weyr.

[subtlemystery]

Yelling. Why did people always have to yell? Dragged out of the depths of sleep by teh bustle going on in the barracks, Kaerlin kept his eyes stubbornly closed as he mumbled something about more sleep and needing it and buried his head under the pillow. He wasn't going to get up because a bunch of idiots were yelling and milling about. Snuggled up under his furs, Kaerlin was more than happy to ignore them, until one word caught his attention.

"Hatching."

They were obviously jsut trying to get him out of bed. It wouldn't work, oh no, Kaerlin was smarter than that! Maybe... Maybe they were being serious though? Kaerlin frowned thoughtfully as he continued to lay in utter stillness. Finally moving the pillow enough to peek out, Kaerlin was assured that the hatching was happening by the mad rush to put robes on. He didn't want to be left out! Scrambling out of the bed in record time, Kaerlin was quick to dig through his trunk, uncaring that his hair stood up in all sorts of directions on one side and fell straight on the other.

Dragging the robe over his head, Kaerlin yawned widely as he shoved his arms through what he hoped were the arms holes. Why the morning? Why? It was him, he was sure, the world was against him getting any sleep. Not that he should really be going. Biting his lip guiltily at the thought, Kaerlin peeked out at the other candidates, how many of them had managed to miss the lessons as he had? Probably none, he was so irresponsible, he probably didn't deserve a dragon. He was going to do better though, definitely. Even if he didn't Impress, or wasn't even allowed on the Sands, then he'd just do better next time, that was okay.

Rubbing a hand over his face as he yawned again, Kaerlin gazed blearily at the white garmet that swamped him. He would have preferred something bright coloured, like blue and green and yellow or something. Why white? It was so... Well, boring came to mind. Never mind though, if that was what they wanted him to wear, then that would be what he would wear, simple as that. With that happy thought, Kaerlin followed the masses out of the barracks, already mourning the loss of his bed and the candlemarks of sleep he could be getting. He could be dreaming about food, or sleeping more, or something interesting. He wasn't sure what he'd been dreaming about before being woken, only the sense that it had been strange remained now.

The warmth under his feet was what really alerted him to being on the sands again, and Kaerlin blinked away the last dregs of sleep that clung to his fuzzy brain. He wanted to sleep, but now he knew he had something more important to attend his thoughts to, considering two eggs were already hatching. Two! Smiling widely as the excitement that had been lacking in his sleepy mind took over, Kaerlin wove his way through the boys, looking for a familliar face and eventually stopping by Junaes.
"Oh hey! Look, there's two nearly hatching!"

[rii]

The chorusing hum of firelizards did not go unnoticed, nor did the sudden hustle and bustle in the candidate barracks as the various hopefuls eagerly donned their white robes and made something akin to a panicked dash for the hatching sands. Rulven, however, quietly sat on the trunk at the foot of his bed. Leaning forward the former smith had his elbows set upon knees and the lower half of his face hidden behind splayed fingers and palms.

His hazel eyes watched in a subdued fashion as the other candidates hastened themselves – a mixture of knowing the drill, but have never practiced the routine that left the hands shaking and minds racing. Today was the day. For some, anyway. Others were sure to return, dragging their feet and studying the lines in the floor boards.

They were so.. young. Rulven watched a stick of a boy ran by only half dressed. Softly sighing, Rulven rubbed one of his hands along his jaw – the scratch of callous fingers against the recently shaved stubble was audible, in the commotion, to his ears alone. He felt too old to be participating in this childish excitement. Too holdbred to possibly be making the final step into weyrlife. The hand traveled further, rubbing fingers firmly into the back of his neck.

Maybe they would just assume Rulven was a slow waker. That wouldn't be entirely false assumption, but the truth was that he had been lying awake long before Emoyan barged into the barracks. Sleep just had not been easy for him the past few sevendays. As each day neared this one in particular, Rulven had been finding himself unable to sleep more and more – which in turn seemed to cause him to sleep walk when he did finally pass out.

Only after the the majority of candidates had left did Rulven stand and dig out his own robes, slowly donning them and making his way, in no hurry, to the hatching sands. After catching a boat across the river, Rulven edged his way closer. Despite his somber mood his heart rate doubled in pace. There was also a touch of amusement rising in him as drudges and riders alike purposely stepped out of his way, to clear a path, upon seeing him in the tell-tale robes. Yes, bottom of the totem pole but when the time came the candidates became some the most important people of the weyr – just as Emoyan had told them so many lessons ago.

Ah, Rulven stepped out onto the warm sands, the heat soaking into his frame and making him a little less apprehensive – at least until he joined the group of nervous energy. A head or more taller than the rest did not help to soothe Rulven's nagging sensation of not belonging there. Still he managed a friendly smile to familiar faces, then the proper courtesy to the golden queen and her trembling eggs. His eyes were draw to the lovely clutch, regardless the lingering memory of the fear emitting from their colorful shells. Ever so quietly the smith slipped off to the side of the group. Let the hopefuls and overly-excited candidates impress. Rulven would just.. slowly edge off to be apart and closer to the stand's railing. There were enough candidates spread about that it wasn't too obvious that he was trying to be last likely to be chosen.

[Rei]

Late, late, late. The chant ran through Erilena’s head with each step. Oh she was going to be late and all because she was one of the last to get dressed. Having to catch a later boat across the river she could already see the last of the candidate’s rushing into the grounds. Oh what if they had already hatched? That was probably impossible but in the girl’s frantic mind it was also believable. Erilena could barely keep still as the boat slid ashore with the familiar sound of sand scraping against hull. With the boat safely moored she leapt over the side of the wooden craft and promptly stumbled and fell.

“Ouch.” She groaned before picking herself and brushing ineffectually at the grains of sand that clung to her white robes. Oh well. Erilena dismissed her appearance quickly. Surely a dragon wouldn’t care if she had a few smudges of dirt on her robes. Trying to gain a bit of her dignity back she strode forward rapidly and blanched as the heat from the sands hit her like a brick wall. Taking a few steps forward she began to look for a place to stand. Gradually Erilena gravitated towards the small grouping of females and selected a place next to Casta. She didn’t know the girl but it hardly mattered, they where all sharing the same nervous apprehension. Giving a small smile towards the girl she turned to the rocking eggs. Not one had fully hatched yet. Good, She wasn’t late after all.


~~~

Crystoph had been one of the first to arrive but he was one of the last to enter the sands. It wasn’t that he was nervous, Faranth knew he had been through enough of these, it was more that he was trying to swallow a whole lot of doubt. Would this be just like the other hatchings? Would he be found unsuitable yet again? As the last small grouping of nervous candidates entered, the red head fell in place behind them eyes going immediately towards the clutch.

The dragonets inside the shells would come out quickly and head (for the most part) just as quickly to their chosen. They would be clumsy and a bit irrational as they plowed through anything or anyone that got in their way. Crystoph knew that his best bet against being mauled was to pay complete attention to the hatchlings and quickly move out of the way if any headed his direction. The red head had taken a position to the back of the loose grouping of boys. He could see all his roommates and the clutch nicely. Plus if he had to move quickly he wouldn’t get tangled with someone else. Comfortable in his chosen spot the candidate watched the eggs closely and idly wondered what color would hatch first. A green was a bad omen pretty much anything else ranged from neutral to good.

((Sucks D= but I wanted to finish it right when I got home. I'll make it up in my next posts. *runs to take shower and fix a snack.*))

[Tashe]

A little loud, that first one was. Millieth crossed her ankles and turned her gaze from Meagan and onto the next set of candidates who entered. This procession was familiar now, and despite her anxiety the Gold realized how far she had come with accepting the fact that her babies would be taken away. That they were needed elsewhere than right by her side. Moving her tail as Kaegan stretched her arms and moved to the edge of the couch, Millieth rumbled loudly, greeting the people of the Weyr. She might be welcoming them, but the Candidates hopefully would not forget that she still had teeth and claws.

By the time Crystoph had entered the sands, the Feline Attack Egg had knocked itself over and now was laying quietly as if taking a small break before completely hatching. But as with most breaks, it ended quickly with the arrival of a shimmering foot of Green. Small claws found their way through the shell's surface, rending gouges from the poll of the egg to the base. A final heave sent the rest of the shell to either side, revealing the rest of the Feline Attack Green. Shaking herself off, the Green lifted her head and took in the sight of her Gold mother. She squeaked happily. So happy was she, this small female, to see her mother that she flicked up her wings in excitement. But, it was not just two wings that rose, but four. Oblivious to the crowd behind her, the Feline Attack Green trotted joyfully over to Millieth and Kaegan chirping like a newly born Avian.

Meanwhile the Snake Bite Egg waited for no one, shattering loudly and revealing a small stunning Blue. He was the color of the sky on crisp winter's day, and the blueish white streaks on his hide looked like clouds. Lifting himself gracefully from the remains of his shell, the tall male proudly stepped out and... did a face plant into the Unknown egg, cracking the already weakened shell. Pulling his muzzle out from the small hole he had made, the Snake Bite Blue cheeped in worry at the inhabitant of the Unknown Egg. But his worries were eased when a Blueish green muzzle poked out and cheeped in response. Good! His clutchbrother was not hurt. Now... he needed to find His. Whirling around, the Snake Bite Blue scurried toward the Candidates, tripping and stumbling a fair amount before reaching them. Planting himself in the sand, the Blue stopped far enough away from the candidates so that he could look at each and every one of them. His was here, he could feel it. But he just didn't know who it was!

Exchanging glances with her Rider, Millieth lowered her head so that she could be eye to eye with her four winged Daughter. Other than the extra appendages, the Gold could see nothing else wrong with the female, which was a plus. And the Green seemed happy enough, showing that she was in no pain. She set aside her concerns and nosed the hatchling gently, pushing her away from the couch with a rumble. She needed to go pick her Human, even though the Feline Attack Green wanted to spend time with her. Nosing her again, Millieth watched as the little female got the message.

Flapping her wings to dry them out, the little Green trotted happily toward the biggest group of females. Hers would understand why she didn't come over right away, she wanted to say hello to her Mothergold who was just to shiny and big to ignore. Passing her Bluebrother with a trill, the Feline Green tucked all four of her wings along her back-ridge before using Erilena as an itching post, rubbing her neck against the girl's legs. Erilenamine, you smell good. Smell like soil. I am Feyrianth, an I hunger. But I itch too.

Not to be upstaged by his clutchsister, although he very much was, the Snake Bite Blue romped heavily forward toward Llannu. Rearing back onto his hind legs, the Blue balanced himself by pressing his two front feet against the boy's chest. You are not mine, and you will not feed me. A pause. L'nu, I am sorry. I spoke words that I meant. No! That I did not mean. I am Paglieth, you ARE mine. Feed me?

As the two hatchlings impressed, the Unknown Blue had made progress in cracking a bigger hole in his egg. Using his claws to deftly chip away pieces around the broken area, the male finally made it big enough so that he could crawl through. He got stuck half way into his try. And while the Blue was figuring out how to free himself, the Hidden Dangers Egg gave a violent shudder. A large crack was quickly forming down its side.


(NOTE: I always put the colors into a default Green Blue Brown Bronze. So the people who impress, choose your own color code if you want. )

[midnight]

Meagen watched in fascination, the first egg to hatch was the one she watched closely. But it was the Death Egg she liked the most, there wasn't really anything coming from it. She pursed her lips and looked around, focusing on the eggs that were working their way to be opening. The first to hatch was the Feline Attack. Which produced a Green. Meagen watched wryly as the green approached her mother and flared out her... wings. Yes more then just a pair, there was FOUR wings on that green.

So adorable! She felt yearning rise in her, as it had every single hatching before this. She looked towards the Snake Bite, and it produced a blue. A bouncy rather interesting blue. She watched quietly as the Blue smacked into the Unknown Egg, and producing what looked like a blue-green muzzle. Her head cocked to the side as she braced her hands on her hips. What was happening here?

The Unknown produced a Blue, and as she turned she noticed how the creature was stuck half-way in and half-way out. It made her giggle as she turned her head downwards and gave a wry smile. It was definitely amusing, she wondered how it would fix it's predicament. Her head turned towards the next egg to start shaking violently. It was a violent shudder and then a large crack appeared. The Hidden Dangers egg was hatching.

Meagen didn't forget to clap for the newly bonded. Hatchings were a time of Joy, though the girl was rather annoyed. She noticed a flash of white in the stands, where a certain feline had curled herself up on the back of someone's chair.

[Rei]

Erilena watched as the first egg shattered to revel a brilliant green hatchling. The color of her hide wasn’t what was the remarkable thing about her though. It was the wings on her back. Four perfectly formed wings graced her back making her look for all the world like a dragon version of a butterfly. As the Feline Green bounced over to the gold, the candidate reluctantly moved her eyes away to the next hatchling. The Snake Bite Blue seemed to have a bit of motor dysfunction. As he blundered into the Unknown Egg the girl gasped with the crowd but the egg seemed ok. The muzzle that showed itself from the egg cheeped as if in dismissal and the blue turned to stumble towards the candidates.

As the blue blundered toward the boys, Erilena turned to watch the Feline Green’s progress. She was mildly surprised to see the green bouncing happily across the sands and straight to her! The candidate held her breath as the green stopped before her to rub enthusiastically against her legs. As the green’s rainbow gaze caught hers Erilena was surprised by the wealth of emotions that filled her. Happiness, love, acceptance and above all an overpowering hunger. Then a musical voice followed in the wake of the emotional tidal wave. Erilenamine, you smell good. Smell like soil. I am Feyrianth, and I hunger. But I itch too.

The girl couldn’t help it she literally squealed in happiness. Feyrianth tilted her head up at her new bonded and fluted happily. Squee! Squee! Erimine why Squee? Are you ok? Erilena began to laugh and knelt down to press the slightly damp green head to her breast, burying her face into the baby’s neck and stroking along her back. When she came to the double set of wings she fondled them gently. Her little perfect Feyrianth. Made all the more beautiful just for her. “I’m fine love. Just fine. I’m just so happy I think I could burst.”

The green struggled briefly so her bonded would release her, then she looked up and crooned. Oh I do hope you do not blow up! The new weyrling just smiled and shook her head. “No no love it is a figure of speech. Come now lets get you something to eat darling and I’ll explain.” Gently guiding her new bonded towards the feeding table, Erilena was finally aware of the eyes upon her, both curious and a bit frightened. Well let them stare! Erilena of Feyrianth was not afraid nor was she ashamed of her beautiful green. No Feyrianth was prefect. Absolutely so.

~~~~

Crystoph flinched in surprise at the sight of the newly hatched Feline Green. A deformity. He had seen enough of them at Benden. Most killed soon after hatching but this was Selenitas. This green, for better or worse, would survive. The four winged dragonet seemed to have no problems picking a bonded and she was not his problem. Meagen had not impressed her and it was a relief to him that the green had picked a girl he did not know. Deformed dragons would carry a wealth of problems both physical and mental. Still Erilena and her new charge where not his concern.

The red head turned his attention to the newly hatched Snake Bite Blue and snorted in disgust as the dragon picked Llannu. Seriously? That idiot? The one who didn’t even know Millieth’s name was picked? Crystoph worked hard to from glaring at the newly impressed blue pair. Poor blue. Hopefully he was smart. He needed to be to make up for his bonded’s ignorance. Tearing his eyes away from the newly impressed he turned to the cracking eggs. The Unknown Blue was almost free and the Hidden Dangers Egg was cracking swiftly. It wouldn’t be long before more dragons where spit out onto the sands. The candidate let the heat from the sands clear his head. There where plenty of eggs to go. Hopefully the new green would be the only deformity present in the clutch.

[Ember]

Dyleshi was seriously wondering if he ought to go to a mindhealer. He'd come to the weyr to prove something to himself and his family but he must be out of his mind to actually stand for a dragon hatching. What would happen if one actually chose him? The poor dragon would be forever burdened with a person like himself. He should leave to prevent that from happening.

The boy didn't get the chance though. He found himself rooted to the spot as the first two eggs broke and revealed their respective dragonets. Green and blue. They were cute in their own stumbling-going-to-grow-up-huge kind of way. He would have dismissed them as they moved in a different direction than him but his eyes were caught suddenly on the green. It was surprising that he hadn't noticed before. A four winged dragon. He'd heard of mutated dragons before but he'd never actually seen them.

Dyleshi considered the feelings the eggs had been sending out. The green's egg had been a rather unpleasant one. Hopefully unpleasant feelings didn't mean the dragonet inside had deformities. If so...that meant most of the clutch would be mutated, wouldn't it? Despite the heat, Dyleshi shuddered a bit. What had he gotten himself into?