The Hatching of the 12 Days of Christmas Clutch

[weaving]

Only three eggs had hatched and already a mauling had occurred. It looked accidental, but that didn’t change the fact there was a hurt boy laying on the sands with a split shoulder. Quickly, Jermayan jumped the railing between the stands and the sands, one hand grasping the bag with his emergency medical kit tightly. Wheeee! Manners was certainly enjoying the mad dash as they dodged around the candidates and did their best to avoid the wandering hatchlings. It would do this hatching no good if the healer were to be mauled.

“Excuse me, healer coming through,” he called out politely to those in his way, not wishing to disturb the candidates. Thankfully, Corvin hadn’t been standing far from where the healer had sat, and so their trip across the sands was brief. By the time he arrived, two others were already crouched at the boy’s side and he smiled faintly at the both of them. “I’m Healer Jermayan, everything is going to be all right. We’ll just clean this wound here, numb it and get some stitches in there.” He spoke to both those around the boy as well as Corvin himself, already pulling out the necessary items from his bag as he did so.

Good good. Everything okay. ‘Mayan good healerman. Manners told the boy reassuringly, though it only caused Jermayan to groan. The ‘mandyr’s head peeked out from his hair, eying Corvin curiously as he spoke. “Manners, shhh,” he murmured, reaching up to push the bronze’s head out of sight. The critter complied, though not happily. He liked helping His with the patients.

“Alright, I’m just running some water over the wound to get the sand out,” Jermayan told the candidate, announcing everything he did to Corvin so that the boy felt reassured. “Now I’m putting on some numbweed and we’ll give it a few moments to take affect before I begin stitching. You won’t be able to feel any pain, just an odd sort of tugging sensation. You holding up alright?” He glanced over at Corvin’s face, attempting to gauge how the boy was feeling by his facial expression.

[topaz]

Corvin let out a pained yelp as the little green hatchling ripped her claw out of his shoulder. Blood flowed all the way down to the Sands from his sleeve, which was almost completely torn off, the top of it now hanging loosely around his elbow. His eye's closed as he breathed through gritted teeth. He had seen maulings at Hatchings before, but he had been lucky enough to attain only a few scratches and bruises. But this was painful. He instinctively grabbed the bleeding wound with his other hand, which he immediately regretted, as the contact only proved to worsen the soreness and incredible stinging sensation.

He opened his eyes to notice that two of the other male Candidates had graciously come over to assist him. He looked up painfully at the first one as he spoke. "No, no...I can stand." He said in a forcedly calm voice. He would need a few minutes though... But just then the healer made his presence known and shuffled his way through the crowd to Corvin's side. He lifted his hand off of the wound just as the healer poured water over it, making it sting even more. He winced. Fortunately the precious numbweed was next, which slowly took it's effect and allowed Corvin to finally regulate his breathing, and look around the Sands at what he had missed.

He just barely noticed the Impression of the green from the Candycane Egg. He didn't smile, but he was indeed happy for the girl. She was now a rider. He sighed as the numbweed truly kicked in, and his shoulder had gone completely numb. Remembering his manners he turned to the healer. "Thank you very much. That feels a lot better." He even managed a smile at the two Candidates who had arrived at his side first. "And you too. Thanks. I'm fine now though. You should be paying attention to those eggs." He grinned encouragingly now, his pain gone. Numbweed was truly a blessing.

- - -

Venus gasped as the boy she had just shared a boat with was ripped asunder by the confused green hatchling. Quickly covering her mouth, her wide eyes watchted as the blood poured from his shoulder, staining his robes and the Sands below. A morbid curiosity took over her. She had never seen a mauling before. Truthfully she had never seen any kind of violence of that degree at all.

But the commotion soon quieted as the healer leapt into action, and began treating the Candidate. He sure was efficient, and the boy wouldn't have to leave the Sands and possibly miss Impressing a dragon. Venus cringed slightly at the thought of being dragged off the Sands, just before her dragon hatched, forcing it to go between. it was a terrible thought, and the girl quickly pushed it out of her mind. Seeing that the boy was now fine, she turned her attention back to the eggs.

She grinned immediately as she noticed that the Candycane Green had Impressed to a girl, just a few steps away from her in line. She could see the joy in both creatures eyes, and her spirited was lifted. That's what she wanted! Now invigorated, and no longer apprehensive about the eggs, Venus stood proudly in the Sands, her sandaled toes fidgeting happily amongst the hot grains. There was still a green hatchling on the Sands, yet to Impress. She looked it over curiously. Could it be her dragon? Only time would tell.

[Rowana]

Farryl watched with awe as the first dragon split apart. She hadn't expect so small an egg to hatch first, but the hatchling that emerge was lovely to behold. The light and dark green strips looked like a mirror of her colorful shell. She was very small, but clearly lively and strong. Farryl tried to watch for who she would choose, when another egg drew her attention. A blue tumbled out next, one that was a lovely dark color. He was very handsome, but immediate went for the boys so Farryl lost interest. She wasn't likely to impress a blue anyway.

Another gasp as a second green broke her shell. This one was a lighter more solid color than the first and she was clearly excited as she darted forward. Farryl winced in sympathy as the green tackled and clawed one of the boys. The green seemed upset and the boy couldn't be that happy either. But the second green's arrival drew a cry from the first and Farryl jerked back to see what had distressed her. Almost before she knew what was happening, the two-toned tiny dragonet bumped into her leg.

<Oh, mine-Farryl, I got you! You are mine! I am your Peppeth!>

For a moment the two newly bonded simply stared at each other. Farryl felt overwhelmed with a flurry of emotions only half of which were hers. Strongest of all was a deep love for the young green and a gnawing hunger in her stomach. This, Farryl felt sure, was the reason for her life until now. To reach the point where she could be with Peppeth.

Farryl had to drop to a sitting position on the sand to be level with the swirling eyes, but she cared not for the sand dirtying her robe. "You did get me," Farryl agreed with a happy laugh. She hugged the dragon tightly, but gently. "Thank you, Peppeth!"

Peppeth purred loudly with happiness. Yes, this was her chosen! The best of them all! <Thankful enough to feed me, Farryl-mine?> she chirped in a pleading voice. <Please?> Farryl laughed again and stood. "Of course, silly," she agreed readily. "You need lots of food to grow into a big strong dragon!" Peppeth danced with joy. <Will I grow big?> she asked eagerly. <The biggest of all?> Farryl winked knowingly. "We'll see, Peppeth. We'll see."

Farryl beamed at Saeo and Raylin. Oh she hoped they would impress soon too, so that she could share the indescribable feeling she felt with Peppeth. She wanted to stay and see, but Peppeth was too hungry to wait. "Good luck!" she wished them once more, before letting Peppeth lead her to the exit. From her lessons she knew she must report to Weyrling Master I'fael and then feed her dragon her first meal. So much to look forward to and both dragon and rider were impatient to start.

~

Toumke watched the first few eggs hatched with intense interest. They really were beautiful. Ungainly and unsure of themselves yes, but so magical it was hard to believe they could be dangerous at all. This opinion was soon discouraged though, as the third hatchling tore at the shoulder of one of the other boys. Toumke's eyes bugged and he backed even further away from the squirming hatchlings. He was right, this was dangerous! Why had he decided to come? He considered leaving right then, it would be safer to watch from the stands. But if he stepped of the sands, people would see and then what would they think of him. Reluctantly, Toumke stayed where he was, watching each new hatchling with a mix of wonder and apprehension.

~

G'tor watched the hatching eagerly from his place high in the sands. It was the first since his own in which he actually knew some of the candidates. He could see Saeo and Cloar on the sands and silently wished them the best of luck. With so few eggs, it was hard to tell if they would impress, but he felt sure they both deserved strong dragons. Cloar should get a bronze or a brown at least, and Saeo might have a good chance to Impress the queen, if it was a queen.

G'tor smiled happily as the first few dragons hatched and watched through pained eyes as one candidate was injured. Barely a few minutes into the hatching and already a casualty. He seemed strong, though, and determined to stay on the sands. G'tor thought one of the other hatchlings would be proud to impress to that boy. The first green chose of the girls and G'tor clapped with the rest. At least the first Impression had gone smoothly and still many more to come.

~

Wynmuri sat with her arms crossed next to her green dragon, Jarcith. She watched the hatching with the critical eye of one who had seen many before. Today twelve lucky candidates would join the ranks of dragon riders. Always assuming that a hatchling did not jump between or bond to someone from the audience. Such events were know to happen despite all the best intentions. Dragons rarely followed a predictable pattern.

A green hatched first bothered Wyn a little. It was not the sign of a good clutch and as if to prove it, one of the next hatchlings ripped a boy's shoulder, spilling red blood onto the prestine sands. Wyn was impressed that the boy chose to stay after that. It was the sign of a strong candidate. At least the first green had made a predictable choice, one of the many girls who were probably hoping for the gold. Wyn had never had much interest in being a Queenrider. Jarcith suited her just fine.

[dragon]

His white gown was fitting better, this time. He'd had it altered, to make sure it fit. But other than that, there really wasn't much to occupy Cloar's mind as he followed the wandering flow of candidates to the Hatching Ground. The pulsating thrum of the dragons was all encompassing, permeating even the trees and river.

He had been to a hatching before ... so there wasn't much to set Cloar's nerves to jittering. His wits completely about him, it had taken Cloar awhile to get headed toward the sands purely because he had had difficulty in convincing Storm to stay behind, on Cloar's cot. The little bronze was devestated to think that he was going to be alone. Finally an obscenely large hunk of ham had the flitter laying there and gnawing happily. It would take him a while to eat that ... hopefully.

Cloar ferried several of the later candidates over in a rowboat, having become deft in the opperation of the water conveyance devices, what with all the rowing he had done over his time in the weyr. Once the boat was beached, he tied it off with a quick knot, and then sprinted up to the sands quickly. He was later than he should have been, but he had tried! If he had to choose between a chance at impression and losing his flitter to Aslath ... the flitter he already had came first.

He made it onto the sands before the first dragon hatched, thankfully. And though he was not a jittery bundle of nerves, he did get infected by the excitement by that point. Baby dragons! He made a quick bow to Aslath, and then watched with intense alertness and awe as the miracle of dragons being born happened before his eyes.

It was hard for Cloar to not move to aid Corvin, when he'd gotten hung on the green's claw. But he remembered that no one was supposed to touch an unimpressed dragon ... so moving to help unhang the two was out of the question. He did wince as they came apart with a rending rip.

He could sympathize with that entirely... Cloar had had his fair share of wounds of late. Some worse than others. As of now, the one on his neck twinged in sympathy. But it was itself more or less mostly healed already. Cloar was glad that he was a fast healer ... or they might not have let him attend!

He watched as one Impression happened, and then he turned his attention back to the rest of them ... the two hatchlings wandering around, and the eggs as of yet unhatched.

~~~

E'yan had found a seat in the stands early on, just as soon as he'd heard his own dragon and flitter start humming. Rascal was hidden away in E'yan's pocket, as E'yan had not trusted the flitter to stay put or for Kindrith to not eat him. So the little baby was spirited quietly into his big pocket. And for now, the little brown was just sitting there and humming, vibrating the heck out of his leg.

Sitting forward on his seat, he watched as three hatchlings of twelve made thier way onto the sands, toward the candidates. Ah, he liked hatchings... he preferred when no one got hurt, but ... sometimes it couldn't be helped.

~~~

Aonith had spirited Dorava across the weyr at a dead run, splashing heedlessly through the river and everything. She dropped her rider and her gear off near the sands, and then started industriously climbing the weyr walls, leaving large marks on the stone with her strong claws as she pulled herself up. She was a dragon! And even if she couldn't fly to get there, she was going to sit where dragons belonged during a hatching! She heaved herself up onto the ledge, wings flaring breifly for balance. And then she settled into place, starting up her own hum to match in with all the others pitched across the scale.

Dorava picked up her bags, and set them outside the doorways, one bag by each. And then hung out there near the sands, but not on, to watch. One bag sat at her feet where she was standing, watching from the entranceway as the hatching began.

As Corvin was struck and hung on the little green, Dorava sprang into action. She bent to scoop up the bag she had feared would be needed, and made her way through the candidates to where the unfortunate lad lay. The green dragonet pulled free and moved on ... and two other candidates moved to aid him. And then Jermayan arrived on the scene. Dorava was glad for that ... someone with more experience than she had. But she was there, and she was equipped. And with more than an emergency bag. She'd spent the past week packing these bags. She knew from prior experience that it was all to easy to die on the sands, if things went very badly. Or from a critical peice of equipment being missing and needed. So she had prepared.

She arrived at the scene shortly after Jermayan did, and dropped her bag to the sands, as she moved to aid the other healer. "I brought some things, if you need it and don't have it." She offered, as she used a folded towel to staunch the bleeding after Jermayan cleaned it, giving the young man time to prepare a suture.

"Just hold still, and we'll have up up and good in no time." Dorava told Corvin. "You might want to refrain from using this arm any time soon, though. You might not be able to feel it from the numb weed, but you'll pull the stitches out if you move it too much." She informed the lad, moving aside when needed as Jermayan worked.

[Administrator]

What else was there to do but glare? Shmee did so as T'rid came sulkily to their box. "Weyrleader, you are expected to be on time at these functions," she told him coldly. She was still bitter about their last encounter at the Touching. This idiot boy had to grow up. She wished fervently that S'rei would be well enough at Aslath's next Flight-- or, at least, someone more competent than this brat. She ground her teeth and bounced Shei firmly. Fortunately, the babe was too distracted to see her mother's irritation. Shei was still fixated on the Hatching. The little girl seemed absolutely fascinated by the first Impression of the little green, and even of the little mauling that happened. Shmee wasn't too concerned about the boy. It was building of character. Maulings were perfectly normal. She surveyed the eggs briefly. She hoped they would have many stronger dragonets. That first green looked far too small to be too good...

Peppeth is strong,[/color] Aslath said positively. She may be small, but I have utmost faith in her.[/color] Shmee smiled weakly. She hoped Aslath's mother's intuition proved right. It is,[/color] Aslath replied confidently. Arlo crooned, and nuzzled Shmee's shoulder tenderly. He could sense His' discomfort. But she shouldn't be uncomfortable! It was a Hatching! A day of joy!

Aslath wouldn't ignore her mate, of course. Good morning, Corinth,[/color] she said regally. Our children so far are strong, do you not agree?[/color]

--

The Eggnog Green grumbled irritably as she watched the quicker Peppeth stalk off with what could have been her girl. Well, no matter. What was done was done, and there was bound to be another choice. The green brightened considerably. Yes, she could feel that Hers was in this messy throng somewhere. Making a noise similar to a coo, she stumbled forward, with pudgy green legs (with, it was odd to note, had red accents on her joints), and looked at each girl in turn. Was it... Pasine? She sniffed. No. Not Pasine. What about... Saeo? Another sniff, and another huff. No, it wasn't this odd girl either. Well, who did she want? Then, another epiphany! She crowed happily, bounding along to... Raylin! Ah, yes, her beautiful, beautiful Raylin! She made more sounds, only sounding like purrs. She butted the girl gently. Beautiful, beautiful Raylin! Please feed your little Ebolath, yes, that food looks /awfully/ good![/color]

The Presents and Bows Blue looked over at the greenpairs sulkily. He was hungry, too! Well, he might as well continue on with his search. The sooner he chose, the sooner he would eat, right? Again, he cheered almost instantaneously. Yes! His would feed him until his blue belly was stretched full! He uttered a joyful croon, and as he stood, he was about to make his was toward the boys when a very, very loud crack interrupted him. Even the blue looked back at the Snowman Egg who had burst open at this moment. A pleased-looking brown sat among the shards, flicking them away casually. The blue snorted. Silly interrupting brother! Happily, the blue bounded forward back to the boys, making a bee-line dash for Toumke. Oh, MINE-T'KE! I LOVE YOU! GARAETH HAPPENS TO LOVE YOU VERY VERY MUCH! FOOD NOW, YES?[/color] the blue squealed happily, jumping right on top of the boy. He was so excited! He had his bonded, his food... What else could one dragon need?

The Snowman Brown snorted, clearly amused by the antics of his lower-siblings. But as he was busy watching them, the Jingle Bells Egg took a moment to split cleanly in two. From the shards stepped a dainty-looking green, with a fire in her eyes and a giant hunger in her stomach. Boldly stepping forward, she decided to... examine the girls first. Grabbing a hold of Saeo's tunic, she pulled the girl close to her, sniffing her. But seeing the girl wasn't for her, she hissed, and violently threw the girl to the ground. Displeased, she took her sweet time in stomping across the poor girl with her baby-claws over to the boys. If the other girls were like this one, she did not want to even bother looking. Idiot girl could never Impress a dragon!

As that drama occurred, the Rudolph Egg made a sickening crack. Falling onto its side, it wriggled determinedly before a brown claw, then head, managed to stick up through the shell. He chirruped inquisitively, unsure. Was he doing this right? Was he supposed to do it differently...?

Amused, the Snowman Brown warbled encouragement to his brother before stepping back toward the boys. Well, time's a-wasting. He had to choose. Gently, with much more care than the violent Jingle Bells Green, he nuzzled Cloar. C'oar, I am not like the mean ones over there, but I am hungry. My name is Frosstyth, by the way,[/color] he added with a delicate croon.

Simultaneously, other eggs began to move and crack, but they were unnoticed for the most part-- save for the Five Golden Rings Egg. A large crack began to divide up the middle...

[ladybug]

One of Burena's favorites, the eggnog egg, hatched into an adorable little green. She held her breath as the hatchling sniffed at the girls, then grinned when she Impressed to Raylin. The Snowman Egg burst open next, shattering the strange face on the shell. That left a brown who seemed rather nonplussed at having ended up on the sands all of a sudden. Then the blue Impressed...oh, it was all happening so fast!

The golden Jingle Bells egg revealed a bold green who stepped towards the candidates. Burena let out a little scream when the hatchling grabbed Saeo and then stomped all over her. Ignoring the brown's Impression, Burena ran to Saeo's side, kneeling beside her. "Are you okay?" Well, duh, obviously not. "Um...don't worry, a Healer should be here soon. You can hold my hand if you want." Smiling bravely, she held out her hand.

***

The Hatching started out good, until a small mauling occurred. Alifyr winced as Corvin, the boy he had met at the feeding grounds, was knocked down. Seeing two other candidates and then a Healer running to help him, Alifyr turned his attention back to the sands, where more dragons quickly hatched. Each one was a study in anticipation for him, his heart seeming to stop every time a dragon so much as looked his way. Calm down... he told himself firmly. He was just setting himself up for disappointment.

He shuddered when a green stomped on one of the girls. When she turned towards the boys, Alifyr took an automatic step back, hoping she wasn't about to do the same to one of them.

[Rei]

Danar watched in rapt attention as the green and blue made their choice. He snorted well the gold was still there for Pasine. He turned to regard the other eggs as the Snowman Egg and Rudolph Egg shattered to revel brown hatchlings. He was incredulous his Rudolph egg contained a BROWN. Where was his bronze? His eyes scanned the rest of the eggs. Were any of them big enough to contain bronzes? He thought not. His eyes were drawn to the Jingle Bells Green. He watched as she mauled Saeo and tramped over to the boys. Saucy little thing wasn’t she?

A gasp from the crowd caused Danar to look at the remaining eggs and he noticed the Five Golden Rings egg was beginning to crack. Perhaps it did contain a bronze? He leaned forward expectantly.

----

Raylin’s attention was drawn from the rocking eggs as she felt a gentle head butt to her leg. She looked down to stare into the eyes of her beloved. There was not a more beautiful creature on all of Pern. The rest of the candidates as well as the eggs were forgotten. Raylin had found her soul mate in Ebolath. The girl smiled as she felt the love coursing from both sides of the bond. Accompanied with the love was a powerful gnawing hunger. Beautiful, beautiful Raylin! Please feed your little Ebolath, yes, that food looks /awfully/ good!

Raylin laughed aloud and smiled broadly at her dragon. “Of course Love. Let’s get you fed.” As she turned to walk to the other side of the grounds she stopped horrified. Ebolath let out a confused warble. Raymine what is wrong? The girl was torn inside, Saeo was like a sister but Ebolath came first in her heart now. She settled for yelling for a healer before leading Ebolath toward the feeding area. She reassured her green."It's nothing Love." Saeo would understand right?

[binker]

Zaqx was a bit concerned; the Jingle Bells Egg had been one of his favorites, but the Green that burst from it seemed so much different from the little egg he had patted just days ago. Seeing that the candidate near him was getting plenty of help from the healers, he gave a small nod and a smile to the boy, standing an moving away to allow the healers room to work.

He winced as Saeo was grabbed and stomped, looking at the healers with worry. Hopefully the little Green hadn't done /too/ much damage... The hatchling had seemed to do it out of spite rather than on accident, as her clutchsister had done to Corvin. He wasn't sure he wanted to get close to that certain little Green.

Neikolai, meanwhile, was feeling rather nervous as well; maulings were not fun, and he was hoping to be spared such an attack. Perhaps Greens were the most dangerous on the sands? Thank Faranth they were the smallest as well... Though Queens did plenty of damage too, didn't they? Luckily he didn't have to worry about a Gold wandering through his semi-circle...

He kept his face blank, watching the vicious little Green that made her way towards the males with apprehension. Hopefully she wouldn't maul everyone she found that wasn't Her's; the very idea of it was less than pleasant. Still, there was a Brown impressing that one lad, Cloar, and another Brown hatching. Plenty of chances left for his brother... And perhaps him.

He gave a glance backwards, finding Pepsi in the Stands. Annoyed at being crushed between so many people the wildling was on his feet, leaning on the railing and watching the sands wth a sharp gaze. Neikolai frowned at the sight, but turned back towards the sands before the Wildling realized he was being watched. Pepsi belonged on the sands more than /he/ did... At least Pepsi was keen on the idea of Impression. Neikolai? Not so much...

[nightingale]

It had looked at her. For just a moment, the green from the milky white egg had looked at her...and then gone. It was all the girl could do to choke back a whimper as the creature she had come to believe was her green turned and ambled toward the only girl she couldn't bring herself to resent.
Raylin's. She had been Raylin's all along...

The sudden sharp tug on the front of her robe was enough to draw a gasp of alarm from the girl. Another green? Smelling her? She hadn't even time to ponder if this was how things were supposed to go before she hit the sand. The pain of hitting the ground and getting grit in her eyes had been expected, but the addition of dragon claws raking across her chest was an unpleasant surprise that tore an unwilling shriek of pain from her throat. Mauled. She was getting mauled! The idea would be ridiculous if it wasn't so painful.
When the green finally completed her leisurely, rather sadistic crossing, Saeo lay still, trying to catch her breath. She suddenly realized with a surge of choking despair, that she was crying. Burena's voice filtered numbly through the haze of misery and pain that blanketed her mind. What was she saying? Healers? Oh Shells no...no more humiliation...

"No...no healers..."

She croaked, her voice trembling as she made a halfhearted attempt to sound brave. Come now Saeo, she scolded herself. You've been twice rejected and once mauled in the span of a few minutes. Nobody really expects anything of you at this point, so just lay still and wait for Jermayan. She scowled at the suggestion as it rung condescendingly in the back of her mind. As a matter of fact, she expected something of herself, so if she could kindly focus on getting herself upright...

Standing was painful, but not difficult when she found that all of her essential muscles seemed to be in proper working order. The cuts were painful and numerous, but only a few of them were deep. Looking around to get her bearings? Much more difficult. It meant accepting the fact that three of her best friends had just impressed, leaving her feeling quite isolated on her blood spattered patch of sand. Mostly though, it meant accepting that there were three less eggs on the sand.

In the end, she decided it was better to just not think at all. Until the hatching sands were empty, she had to stay where she was. Thinking about it would just make things harder than they needed to be.

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

A second mauling so soon after the first was unsettling -especially considering that the recipient of the green's abuse was the rather fragile looking girl Keirin taken to ferrying across the river. He was glad when Burena went to Saeo's aid, removing the need for him to leave his semicircle. As much as he hated to see her in distress, he wouldn't want to miss his dragon if it hatched simply because he wasn't in his proper place. On the other hand, that rather angry looking green was stomping their way...

The crack of the red-spotted egg drew Keirin's interested glance. Another brown? No bronze in this clutch then. Well, it had been a rather small clutch, so he supposed that it wasn't really so odd that the only metallic dragon would be the queen. Who's brown was it then? He watched with a vague mix of interest and disappointment as one of the other hatchlings -the one that had hatched from that odd face-like egg if he remembered correctly- waddled unerringly toward one of the other boys. (The one who bunked across the dorm with a bronze flitter, wasn't he?) Well, there was one brown dragonet spoken for. Was the other his? He'd certainly like to imagine so.

[Rowana]

The blue leaped at him and Toumke closed his eyes, waiting for the pain to end all pain. He was sure that it's claws would tear him even worse that the first boy and then it would trot off without a thought to chose some other candidate. The impact did drive Toumke uncomfortably to the ground, but instead of pain in his chest an overly happy voice rang in his head.

<Oh, MINE-T'KE! I LOVE YOU! GARAETH HAPPENS TO LOVE YOU VERY VERY MUCH! FOOD NOW, YES?>

Toumke cracked one eye open and dared to look. The blue was staring at him with excited and eager eyes. No blood to be seen, and only a sore back and a growing pain in his stomach he thought must be hunger. How could he be hungry at a time like this? Eyes wide again, he opened his mouth to speak and gasped. The dragon was heavy.

"Get...off" Toumke managed to wheeze. The dragon obliged, still looked at him expectantly. It bounded round him and nudged him encouragingly to get up. <Is mine ready for food now?> he asked brightly, though a bit quieter this time. Toumke's mind was working rapidly, trying to work out what was happening. Only one explanation came to mind: he had just Impressed. He sat up and addressed the bouncing blue hatchling. "Um...what did you call me?" Toumke asked uncertainly. He still wasn't sure how he felt about the whole affair. He hadn't wanted a dragon, had he?

<Mine T'ke!> the dragon supplied at once. <Garaeth LOVES you!> he added emphatically. Garaeth, Toumke thought, so that's his name; and I'm T'ke now, I guess. It all happened so fast that for once T'ke could not think. The pain in his stomach distracted him too much. <Food?> Garaeth begged again. Oh, T'ke nearly slapped himself. Garaeth is hungry, not me. He took a deep breath. He could worry about the implications of this later. Right now, his dragon was hungry. Everything else could wait.

"Alright..um..Garaeth," T'ke said with a little more confidence. "We can get food." <YAY!> Garaeth practically leaped on top of his bonded again and T'ke had to leap to his feet to keep from being squashed a second time. "Calm down!" T'ke begged and much to his relief, Garaeth did settle down, if only a little. A small, rare smile began to creep onto T'ke's lips. He turned to follow an racing Garaeth off the sands in the direction the other Impressed had taken. Maybe this wasn't so bad after all.

~

G'tor watched several more Impress and applauded politely. When Saeo was trampled by the haughty green, G'tor clenched his fists in worry. He wanted to go down and see if she was alright, but he wouldn't be much help. One of the other candidates was helping though and she seemed alive, if in great pain. G'tor hoped she was strong enough to stay for the rest of the Hatching. He was still sure that her dragon was here and would be looking for her. Ruskeath crooned his concern, clearly also wishing to see, but knowing better than to approach the sands.

His distress was momentarily distracted when the first brown chose Cloar as his bonded. G'tor cheered at the success. A brown was a fine dragon to Impress, as he should know, and Cloars looked to be very sensible and strong. G'tor was proud of his young friend and could not wait to congratulate him in person. Ruskeath added his own bugle of praise at the Impression.

[dragon]

Dorava looked over as she heard another candidate start screaming, and wanted to swear. But she didn't. She held that thought back, and instead offered a smile to Corvin. "You'll be alright, lad. He seems to have you in hand, so ... I'm going to go help someone else, okay?" She took Corvin's hand and placed it on the towel pack. "Hold this, until he tells you to move it. Keep it tight." She instructed, before scrambling back to her feet and dashing toward an entrance that still had a bag laying next to it. She grabbed it up, and dashed back out onto the sands. Finding Saeo was not hard at all. "Hold still." She said, as she reached the girl.

Oh, this was going to be fun. Dorava resisted the urge to shake her head, as she used a wet towel to quickly wipe the scratches clean. "You're not hurt bad, but your gown is liable to be soaked before you get a chance to take it off. You'll live … if you're lucky, you won't get any scars. But …" She glanced around quickly.

"You have two options. You can get up and stand again, and maybe Impress. Standing here in a gown that has its front all ripped to shreds, not to mention your skin. Or … you can come with me, off the sands. We'll get that gown off you, and patch you up quick. The faster you patch up, the less the chance of scarring. What do you want to do? You're not going to die, either way." Dorava asked her, holding a press on the heavier bleeding scratches to get the flow to stop. It wouldn't take much … just a few moments to give the body time to react. Dorava wondered if she should tell her the rest … that if she left, her dragon might hatch out anyway, and then between. Or that if she stayed, the dragon might be slightly traumatized by Saeo's own pains at the time of Impression. Which was worse? Dorava had no idea. And didn't want to put that kind of weight on the girl.

The wounds that had already stopped bleeding, and were now free of sand, Dorava started applying numbweed to, to make the pain go away. Hopefully that would help stall off any problems to a dragonet, if she did stay to impress.

~~~

E'yan shook his head, as he watched from the stands. There sure was being a lot of young blood being shed today. And it wasn't even an overly large clutch. But at least the hatchlings seemed to be coming out whole and healthy. Nothing deformed or dead so far. And so far no betweens.

The looks on the faces of those freshly impressed was making being there worth it, though. E'yan still remembered his first moment of bonding with Kindrith, all those years ago. It was a long time ago. But it was that kind of memory … you just didn't forget something like that.

His pocket wiggled, and he clapped a hand over the opening, to keep Rascal down inside. The last thing he needed was for his young flitter to start creating a ruckus in the stands!

~~~

Cloar watched in silence as eggs hatched and people Impressed around him. He stood still, looking around him at the pandemonium and the cacophony that went with it. What a racket! And it was horrifying and intensely exciting at the same time! He wasn't entirely sure that was a good thing … didn't that tend to indicate a person was a little … weird … in the head?? He wasn't sure, and wasn't prepared for that kind of thought process at the moment.

He shoved it aside for a later date of pondering, turning his attention back to the here and now. Back in the moment. When Saeo screamed, he about came out of his skin. Saeo! He looked around, and across the sands. He knew that was her voice … he'd heard her voice too often to not know that was her. And that wasn't a good sound to be hearing from her vocal chords. He saw the green stomping all over her, and her writhing on the ground underneath… Cloar almost dropped everything he was doing … not that it was much … to go get her out from under that green and back on her feet … maybe to a Healer. Something.

It seemed Cloar was hardwired for rescuing people … and possibly for even getting himself into dangerous situations/into trouble at the same time. He took a mere one step in that direction, and was stopped dead by am angular snout in his side and a voice in his head.

C'oar, I am not like the mean ones over there, but I am hungry. My name is Frosstyth, by the way.

What the -?

Cloar paused and looked back and down, as a whole slew of foreign and alien thoughts and emotions poured through his soul. He just stared at the Snowman Brown for a bit, and then he blinked.

Who the heck was C'oar? And why was his dragon prodding him?? Why couldn't he think straight all of a sudden? He had things to do. And why in the world was he hungry? This was a heck of a time to suddenly decide he was starving!!

These thoughts and a few others all ran through the young man's head in a mere instant. And then it dawned on him. What an idiot he was being! He was C'oar, [/I]that[/I] was his dragon!

Wait. His dragon?

Dragonfires! He'd just Impressed! Shoot. All the lessons in the world wouldn't have prepared him for the real thing … there were no words to describe Impression! And once his mind was on the right track, C'oar suddenly got the full brunt of the reality, the realization of what was happening to him.

"Frosstyth." C'oar said, finally, having completely forgotten about Saeo. Her being forgotten wasn't aided any by the fact that she had stopped screaming by that point. His whole world had just got through a blender, been turned upside down, stirred vigorously, fluffed, and then attempted to be stuffed back into the same old mold. It just didn't work. And it left C'oar just a little disoriented for a moment. That was a feeling that he was not used to at all. He was used to being focused, on track … and in most cases, unstoppable in his direction.

He hadn't even really expected to Impress.

"Frosstyth." He said, again, a second later, as the world started to maybe start making a little sense again.

Yes. That's my name. I am yours, C'oar. Frosstyth replied, having been slightly amused at watching the mess that C'oar's mind had just gone through to get back on the right track. I am hungry. Are you done? Can I eat, now? My stomach hurts. The brown said, poking his snout into C'oar's side again, helpfully.

C'oar cupped on big hand around the brown's head for a moment, before grinning. "Sure thing. Come on, let's get you something to eat. Being hungry isn't a good feeling at all." And that he did know … he was one of those lads that could really pack away the food. He took Frosstyth off the sands, then, and over to where the meat was waiting for him.

[weaving]

Carefully, Jermayan began the process of stitching Corvin’s gaping wound. It wasn’t terribly deep, but was rather long and would probably leave a nasty scar. Well, it would make a fine story someday. The healer hummed quietly to himself as he worked, shutting out the rather loud sounds of the hatching around him. Who impressed what was not a priority at the moment but getting Corvin stitched up certainly was. The boy would even be allowed to continue Standing once he finished closing the wound, though he would tell Corvin to come and see him after the Hatching to better examine it and to give the boy proper care instructions.

Dorava leaving caused him to break his concentration however and as he glanced around to see if something else had happened his eyes landed on the prone body of another candidate. “Shards,” he muttered, shaking his head before returning to Corvin’s shoulder. Naughty word! Naughty naughty naughty! Bad ‘Mayan Bad! Amoung other things, Manners had a high standard of politeness, which included refraining from bad words. Jermayan ignored the lecturing ‘mandyr, tying up the last of the stitches.

“That should do it,” he told Corvin, standing and offering the lad a hand to help him to his feet. “Easy now, you’ll feel light-headed from the blood loss. You can stand for the rest of this hatching, but as soon as it ends, report to the infirmary for a more thorough inspection as well as proper care information, alright? If you need my help, I’m sitting in the front row. Good luck.” Flashing Corvin a last smile, he strode quickly toward Dorava and Saeo to make sure that things were okay.

“Do you have everything under control here?” He asked Dorava quietly, coming up to stand next to the woman and survey Saeo’s injuries. Not lethal, perhaps a few stitches in some of the deeper slashes. It looked as though bruises might already be beginning to form, though it could also be from the lighting. “Check for cracked ribs, just in case. That hatchling looked as though it was stomping pretty hard there, but overall nothing too serious. You’re lucky she picked your chest as opposed to your stomach,” Jermayan added, the last bit for Saeo. If it sounded meaner than he meant, well, he was tired, having been up all night to work his usual shift as well. Who would have thought that he’d have so much work to do in one hatching? Well, hopefully Saeo would be the last of the maulings for this morning. Hopefully.

[Administrator]

The Jingle Bells Green didn't seem to care that she left a young candidate in immense pain. No, she had other, more pressing agenda at hand! With a stately warble, she slowly approached a flirtatious young man named Torea. She flicked her tail sweetly to him. Oh, mine, T'rea, that idiot girl was not for me. No girl could ever be. But /you/... Yes, your Rioth likes you quite a bit![/color] The boy grinned, and smirked at Saeo before stalking off the sands with the harsh green. The Rudolph Brown peeked through his shell over to them, clearly disconcerted. He didn't like her attitude. She'd probably make fun of him... Nervously, he shook himself free of the rest of his shell with his head and wings. Immediately, one could see that, on his poor little snout was an enormous red-brown splotch. Fortunately, he didn't seem to realize yet that he had it, or else the poor thing would probably be a quivering wreck.

As he was getting his bearings, the Icicle Egg hatched in a shower of sharp shards. The blue that emerged was obviously much more confident than his brown brother. Giving him a little hiss of disdain, he strolled confidently-- to the boys. He seemed to be similar to Rioth in the way of examining candidates; he, too, chose to look at the girls first. And, like Rioth, he plucked a girl from the crowd-- Pasine. In what onlookers will feel is a horrid bout of deja-vu, the blue sniffed her. Immediately dissatisfied, the blue shrieked in fury. Only now, his way of letting loose in anger wasn't simply stomping on her. He threw Pasine into the sands and literally attacked her, diving at her stomach and chest with his claws, trying to rip through fabric, to see if she were hiding a new candidate under her robes. It was only when he was able to see that there was blood that he gave up-- and decided to look in her hair instead. Pinning her shoulder down, he seized her hair by his teeth, pulling her impatiently.

Dangerously, Aslath growled from her position on the sands. Innocently, the Icicle Blue looked up, promptly letting go of Pasine's hair as if he hadn't been holding it at all. Without a trace of apology, he clambered off of the unfortunate soul, and walked along to the boys without any second thoughts, straight for Neikolai. He prodded the boy gently, without any trace of violence. Oops, N'lai, but oh well. Kyssith would like food now. Sound good?[/color] he asked conversationally, completely ignoring the fact that there was blood staining his claws...

The Rudolph Brown was staring dumbly at the scene before him. Nonono, he didn't like it. Blood?! He let out a sad croon before walking toward the boys, with his tail between his legs. Anxiously, he prodded Alifyr with his snout. Oh no, A'fyr-bonded, is the girly going to be okay? She isn't as good as you, but your Rudolth doesn't want her to be hurt...![/color]

Two eggs then hatched simultaneously. The lesser-noticed one, the Winter Wonderland Egg, gave birth to a tone little green, who looked around at her crowd happily. The other, the Five Golden Rings Egg shattered loudly and commandingly. Even Aslath looked on curiously as the beautiful golden shell splintered to reveal a...

...handsome young bronze! He bellowed triumphantly. Oh, how lovely, to have everyone staring at him at his hatching!

[dragon]

Dorava was busy cleaning up the last bleeding scratch on Saeo, when the terrified screams of yet another Candidate was mauled. What was this? An unregulated blood feud?! She jerked to her feet again, and looked over to see what was happening this time. Her eyes flew wide at the sight of the blue ripping enthusiastically at another poor girl's belly.

She slapped the towel uncerimoniously into Saeo's hand. "Your on your own now, kid. Do whatever you think best." She snatched up her bag, and took off running across the sands again. As she ran, she considered tackling the hatchling to get it off the girl, before he killed her. Though that would undoubtedly turn out bad for Dorava, too. Thankfully, it did not come to that.

Aslath called the hatchling off, and he moved on, peacefully. But that still left the poor, gutted girl laying on the ground. "Oh, shards." Dorava knew she didn't have the skill for this ... she hoped to all the skies that those were not guts she was seeing, through all that blood. Dragonfires! Blood everywhere!

"Stay with me! Stay with me! Don't you dare go to sleep!" Dorava told the girl, concentrating first on stemming the flow of blood out of her belly. Sand and grit could and would wait. She didn't even bother with numbweed ... the pain would help keep the girl awake for now. So long as she didn't go into shock over it. If she went to sleep ... there was little to no chance of keeping her alive.

Shards! Where was Kalierre, when they needed her? Jarmayan! He was on hand, and more experienced ... Pressing on the wound with the presses with both hands, Dorava looked around with some alarm. "Jermayan! Over here! Quick!"

She knew that Corvin's wound and even Saeo's wounds could wait, with this kind of thing going on. Corvin and Saeo at least weren't going to bleed to death any time soon.

"Somebody go get the other bags!" Dorava yelled, hoping someone would find the bags she had left near the entrances. "And we need a board!" They needed to get this girl off the sands and to the infirmary ASAP.

Aonith! Get down here! I need you! Dorava called, not noticing that Aonith was already gone from the ledges. The green dragon had taken a leap, and opened her wings, despite orders to the contrary. And her wings held, as she made a hasty landing outside the sands. I am here. I am ready, whenever you need me. She answered. Between was undoubtedly the fastest way to the infirmary. And the cold would help the bleeding, as well.

~~~

E'yan saw the mauling take place, and was tempted to leap from his seat to get down there and help. But he was in a bad place to get anywhere quickly ... and likely as not, many others had the same idea. So he wisely held still, and stayed out of the way. He was a Harper, after all, not a Healer. He could have offered little, other than muscle and hands.

[Rei]

Danar’s attention was torn from the Five Golden Rings Egg by the hatching of the Icicle Egg. He watched in horror as the Icicle Blue set upon Pasine. He gave a gasp as her blood soaked the ground. The candidate did not even blink as the Five Golden Rings Bronze shattered shell with a defiant bugle. His eyes were glued to Pasine’s prone form. The candidate forgot everything else and sprinted across the sands to her side.

“Pasine! Pasine! Look at me!” he cried his voice breaking. He ripped the sleeves off his robe and began to press them against the widest wounds struggling to stop the bleeding. His voice wavered. “Stay with me Pasine! Stay with me! It will be ok. I promise.” Where were those Sharding healers? He couldn’t lose her! He just couldn’t! Danar suddenly realized that a healer was present. Could she help? He was unwilling to leave the girl so he settled for grabbing her hand and squeezing it. "Pasine don't you let go! You hear me!" All thoughts of the hatching were banished from his mind as he concentrated on saving his friend. Just please Faranth let her be ok.