Hatching of the Starry Night Wher Clutch

[nightingale]

Name: Rozsk
Looks To: Rozen
Species: Wher
Age: Hatchling
Color: Gold (FFD700
Physical Appearance: Rozsk is nothing if not gorgeous -- although whers are typically described as ugly, this queen is enough to make up for it. A compact, muscular body is best described as fluid, for it is precisely that; Rozsk has a naturally feline-like way of walking, with a predatory grace that can be unintentionally frightening. However, it displays the best of her body; each step makes the beautifully sculpted muscles in her body ripple like so much molten gold. The typical stoutness of leg that is attributed to the typical wher is apparent in Rozsk, but the short, muscled appendages seem perfectly proportioned to her body -- muscular though it is, Rozsk is not long, and therefore the muscling may give her a slightly chubby appearance, though her sinuous grace and strength will always give lie to this statement. Her neck is thick, leading to a blunt head with angled eyes; somehow, Rozsk manages to pull it off as beautiful, though; perhaps it's the permanent, proud arch of her neck and the way she carries her equally thick, strong, rather short tail, off the ground; never will Rozsk let it dangle when she's walking or standing. Her wings are larger -- longer and wider -- than usual, granting to Rozsk the capability to glide short distances, which promises that her Runs will be ones to remember.

Her hide is perhaps the most eye-catching thing about this wher, and possibly what elevates her from being "okay looking" to "gorgeous". Brilliant, pure gold, Rozsk's hide borders on outright yellow, practically a beacon. Even as a wherling, she seems to have a pre-Run glow about her, perhaps due to the metallic quality of her hide. Never will this queen be mistaken for anything but that: A queen, for the metallic shades in her hide are practically glaring, though due to her nocturnal lifestyle there will rarely sun to make it glow as brightly as it could. The light of the two moons, however, is more than enough for the metallic shade to really pop. Rozsk would probably be perfectly happy had her hide been unmarred, but it isn't, though the "imperfection" is small and generally goes unnoticed: A few, dark goldenrod speckles around her muzzle and nostrils, delicate and out of place against the bright gold of the rest of her hide.


Personality: In one word, Rozsk is a perfectionist. The epitome of a queen, Rozsk demands perfection, and will rarely accept anything less from anybody, even her Bonded, in anything, be it wherling lessons, Thread-fighting at night, or something as simple as bringing her a wherry to eat. However, Rozsk is no hypocrite, and she'll never accept anything but top notch from herself, either. Never can this queen be called a quitter, for she'll try again, again, and again if she's unable to accomplish something. That's not to say she's perfect, though, for Rozsk has a superiority complex and can't stand it whenever someone else is better than she, and will often get frustrated and short-tempered, bent on being the very best. Flying will always be something she attempts to do, for she simply can't accept that anyone, dragons included, could possibly do something that she can't -- until she is unable to move, she'll keep trying; one of these days, she's certain to get it!

However, Rozsk isn't unintelligent, for she's surprisingly observant when she's not trying to outperform someone. Feelings and motions are carefully noted by this wher and she has a sharp memory to be envied. Grudges can be held for horribly long times, but on the upside, so can loves. Though Rozsk doesn't hand out love to any passerby -- and even comes across as aloof and neutral, due to her habit of watching and waiting before acting -- the loves she does have are unable to be broken. Perhaps one of these examples is her Bonded: Rozen. While it is true that whers are capable of changing Handlers, Rozsk will outright refuse. Rozen is Hers and nobody will ever love the girl as much as this wher does. Never let it be said that a dragon can have a closer, deeper contact with their Bonded than can a wher, for Rozsk would die for her Handler.

Overall, Rozsk isn't the type to jump in charge, preferring to wait. However, she does demand that nobody give less than their very best, and should Rozsk ever lead the whers, she'll be a hard taskmaster. Rozsk will never be flirtatious, preferring to keep herself aloof from emotions unless there's a reason to feel them very deeply. Lack of perfection is one of these reasons, and she can become quickly frustrated and agitated -- at herself, at someone else. Never, however, will Rozsk ever take out her frustrations on anything that doesn't deserve it, for she's determined to prove her intelligence by keeping her attention focused solely on the object of her displeasure and nothing but.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Name: Venusk
Looks To: Venus
Species: Wher
Color: Blue (99CCFF)
Age: Hatchling
Physical Appearance: If ever there was a wher who could masquerade as a dragon, this is he. Lithe and sinuous to the point where he looks almost fragile, this blue could quite easily be mistake for a small weyrling if viewed from a distance. His neck is longer and more gracefully arced than that of a typical wher, with lean muscles anchoring his effeminately tapered head in place. His eyes are large and expressive, his neck ridges delicately blunted and his tail long and flexible. It is Venusk’s wings however, that are the most dragonic feature he possesses. They are long, wide and almost proportionate enough to his body to make flight possible. Unfortunately, the muscles anchoring them in place are far too weak for him to ever use them as more than decoration, and even flaring them will be difficult.

Outside under the moonlight, it would be easy to mistake this wher’s pale blue hide for a shade of silvery grey. Tiny pinpricks of navy blue are carefully dusted across him like icing sugar atop a bubbly pie, and may trick the casual observer into thinking they are a solid shade of lighter blue. The membranes of his wings are speckled in a fashion that is almost the reverse, with a deep navy blue dominating and only a few pale speckles scattered throughout. When seen with human eyes he could easily be described as a beautiful creature, but unfortunately many of his kind see his excessively dragonic features as nothing short of absolutely repulsive.

Personality: Quiet and reflective, this wher has a personality most reminiscent of the surface of a still pond. Venusk is a shy and rather downcast little blue who avoids drawing attention to himself whenever possible. He says very little to his handler when left unprompted, even less to members of his own species, and it is very doubtful that he will ever try to communicate with a human being. This is not to say that he comes across as cold or arrogant intentionally, for though his shyness turns meeting new friends into a difficult task, those who do manage to get close to him will quickly realize what a sweet, kind and compassionate fellow he is. He cares deeply for others, and even a total stranger can expect this darling to offer them a long cuddle with no questions asked if they’re having a hard time with something. He communicates more through touch than any other medium, and so a vast array of gentle nudges, head tilts and nuzzles will make up the bulk of his vocabulary.

This little blue loves Venus to a degree of desperation only a human lover could match. Should she die before him, it goes without saying that he would sooner follow her into the darkness of Between than go on living without her. His handler will need to take great pains to ensure he does not feel slighted or unloved when she cannot spend time with him, for he is far more likely to wallow in his own misery than tell her when he is upset. The thought of harming or otherwise upsetting another creature is horrifying to this blue, and Venus will undoubtedly notice the great effort he puts into dispatching his meals painlessly. Venusk has far more lover than fighter in him, though it is doubtful that he will ever catch a mate of his own. Not only do his large wings slow him considerably, but his attempts at catching females are almost always half hearted. Even through the haze of mating lust, this blue simply cannot bring himself to believe that he is truly worthy of being someone’s mate. Still, whenever a female runs, she can count on the fact that Venusk will be there, reminding her how beautiful she is.

[neeuqtar]

Varrana could feel the gold wher's displeasure that people might try to end the green's suffering, and clenched her teeth. Natural or no... it was cruelty to just stand and watch the one die and the other slowly slip away. Gritting her teeth, Varrana shifted slightly to the side, keeping away from the horrible scene, though she could still hear the slowly fading keens. They all could, as they cut through the air and made bones shiver. She turned her eyes to the other hatchlings: a brown and a blue, looking to fight each other. One of the girls got her legs slashed, before the blue claimed His and the brown vanished into the jungle... apparently the loser.

Var sighed. A wher lost to the jungles was disappointing, with so many who would needs be left already. And getting rejected by the queen already... well, it was not a good sign for her chances of Bonding to a wher, at least this time around. She hadn't even attended the Touching... Her mind flicked back to another dark room, in the weyrling barracks, and a queen who, for a time, had been a friend and delight, until her aged and broken body had slipped away from the nights of Pern forever. Varrana shook away the memory. She wanted that sort of love again... but would she find it? Or had she been too late, born half a century beyond when she should have, losing her chance for all but a scant few evenings?

Her eyes flicked to the bronze who refused to leave his dying sister's side: good for him. If she could not be released from her suffering, she could at least be comforted by those near her. Not knowing if it would work, Varrana thought at the bronze like she had communed with the gold so long ago. Thank you, she whispered carefully, tearing her eyes away again to watch the Hatching--and Bonding--of the gold. A flash of jealousy heated her for a moment, but she thrust it away. What had been, might never be again. And a blue Hatched from the egg everyone had thought a dud, taking the girl who had been injured for His own.

Only two left. The bronze, and his dying sister. If only there was a way to save her... but short of a master wherhealer (were there even such things?) amputating the dead head and releasing the living from that horror, she could think of nothing. And honestly? Even removing the dead twin would likely not be enough to save her. But there was nowhere else to look now, nothing else to think of. It was... horror.

[hseru]

The pain in her leg was starting to get distracting as she shifted slightly to ease the ache slowly building in the other. It looked like the last two eggs were going to hatch at about the same time, if that cracking noise was any indication, but the Andromeda Egg beat its clutchmate to the punch, bursting shell in a rather beautiful way, peeling away in three pieces that fell glittering to the sand. Of course, the gold revealed within was much brighter by comparison to her muted shell, heartstoppingly beautiful, even in the dim light of the hatching cavern. Rozen felt some smug sense of rightness at the sight. Of course whers were more beautiful than dragons. This queenling only proved that fact, proud and perfect.

Rozen felt her eyes drawn to the sight as the young queen made her way to the chosen lineup. Her brow creased in worry when the wherling turned back to her mother and barked. Surely she would find her chosen? It would be a shame to lose such a beauty to the wild, no matter who she chose. Her children would turn out just as perfect, and Rozen could all but feel her hope for impression at a later date rise in response.

The older gold urged the younger on with a commanding growl of her own, and she was sure that the young gold's frustration at being pushed only served to make her more unhappy. This seemed all too obvious as she approached the older man a little too quick. She winced in sympathy when the wherling reared up to push him bodily to the sand, the faint sound of ripping cloth following the action.

The next thought was fairly wiped away by the mind that began to blossom within hers, commanding. She would join Hers at the front of the group, and there her Rozsk would blood with her where all could bare witness! Slowly closing a mouth that had fallen open in shock, Rozen began to obey without even thinking, taking a regular step and instantly regretting it as she stepped left foot first. Stumbling, she caught herself before she made a rough landing on her face in the sand when her leg buckled. That stumble had taken her forward a few feet, but it didn't seem to be fast enough for Rozsk. The young gold moved smoothly forward, alert that Hers was hurt. She must have been foolish to allow herself to be injured before she could get there. Rozsk would make certain that Hers was properly taken care of, but first, the blooding. Drawing Rozen slowly forward so that she at least stood within the front line where they both belonged, the gold promptly sat in front of her, waiting, her wings opening and closing in a gentle fanning motion to dry the egg fluid from the membranes. She caught Rozen's hand in her teeth when the girl didn't seem inclined to move, biting down with enough pressure to cut, greedily suckling the wound for a moment before backing off of her own accord, licking Rozen's hand in a brief apology, explaining that she couldn't have waited any longer.

The small pain brought the girl back to reality, and she smiled for the first time since being rejected by the older queen, a bright thing that lit up her face. She kneeled beside the young gold, wrapping both arms around her. Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought she'd impress to the wonderful gold! A breeze of smugness drifted through her thoughts. Rozsk had known, ever since the first time Hers had visited. Silly, that Hers had thought she would not impress. Rozsk had merely been waiting for the right moment. The wherling leaned indulgently into the hug, then nudged the girl, and empty stomach the next problem to solve.

[Rowana]

Lost in his thoughts and memories, Roivao barely registered the young queen's hatching until she was quite suddenly right in front of him. His eyes widened and his mind retreated from her storm of anger. She clearly wasn't looking for him, so he tried taking an unsteady step back. Not fast enough.

Pain lanced through Roi's body as the beautiful gold hide rose at him. Black and red swirled in his vision and, for a moment, he thought he had entered blissful oblivion at last. But no such luck. He was dragged back to reality by pain. He blinked woozily. He didn't remember falling down, but he was now lying on his back on the sand. It wasn't very comfortably, but he didn't really have the strength to move.

It was getting hard to do anything in fact. The pain was fading, and though part of him knew that wasn't good, it was a relief just the same. The world was fading too, a swirl of dull colors that melted away into blackness at the edge of his sight. Maybe he would just go back to sleep. Surely that wouldn't do any harm.

Stay awake, R'vao!
Not now, Iloth. Please just let me sleep.
NO! The healers say you might not wake up again! Please!
But I'm so tired...so tired...
Do not leave me!
I would never...
Then WAKE UP!

The memory jolted Roi to wakefulness again. He groaned and tried to sit up, biting his lip at the pain that caused. Instead he managed to roll over on his side, which at least made it easier to breath. Trust Iloth to watch out for him even now. He could tell that this injury wasn't as bad as the stab wound he's received that day, but it certainly was a lot messier.

Through his hazy vision, he could just make out the girl from the other night bond to the queen, as well as a small blue choosing the injured one. Roi was glad, despite what had happened to him. It would be good to have a queen in the weyr. In they end that was all that mattered.

[topaz]

Venus heard the crack from the Cygnus Egg and watched it rock slowly back and forth. But her line of vision was suddenly overtaken by the large Andromeda Gold bursting from it's shell in a most spectacular fashion. Venus' lips parted, in slight awe of the beautiful wher on the sands. She was graceful and elegant and...clawing her way through some poor soul's chest. Venus winced as the young queen ripped at the man's torso, leaving four long gashes. They didn't seem threateningly deep, but neither was the gash on her leg, and it still hurt like hell. After a quick exchange of growls between the mother wher and her daughter, the new queen had chosen Hers. Venus suppressed the urge to smirk at the new goldhandler as she fell into the Sands. After all, if Venus tried to walk directly on her left leg, she would no doubt fall on her face as well. Plus, she certainly did not want that angry little gold to maul her like she did the innocent bystander. Venus then looked distractedly back towards the Sands. There was another egg, wasn't there? Ah yes there it was.

The last to be hatched, Venus looked intently at the little blue nose that poked out of the shell. Come on little one. All your brothers and sisters are out already. She thought to the timid little creature. Then the egg finally gave way to a beautiful pale blue wher, and Venus smiled. The creature looked more dragon then wher really. Very long and sleek, Venus smiled as he looked over the Candidates. He certainly was taking his time picking. Maybe His was not here, and he would follow his brown brother into the jungle? Venus hoped not. The pretty little blue would never be able to stand up to that big bully of a wher. Still apparently annoyed with her rather unnecessary injury, Venus almost didn't notice that the blue had finally stopped his search.

A faint, breathy little bark alerted the Candidate back to the blue, and her eyes went wide as she watched the lithe wher fumble over to her. Oh how sweet he was! Wrapping his frame around her leg, Venus felt and overwhelming swell of love, affection and a hint of guilt. Kneeling down to the blue's level, Venus threw her arms around the dear little creature. "Do not worry my sweet Venusk. I am just fine. As long as you are with me, I will always be fine." She cooed. Remembering the blood bond that needed to take place, Venus immediately thought of her bleeding leg. But no. That already had redwort in it, and while it was used to disinfect wounds, Venus would never take a chance and have her dear Venusk ingest it orally, since she had no idea what harm that might do him.

"Here, my love." Venus pulled away from her wher and lifted her right hand to the blue's maw. A wave of concern spread from Venusk at the mere thought of causing His any amount of pain, but Venus mentally insisted, and the blue soon gave into the instinctive urge of the blood bond. Taking Venus' hand gently between his teeth he made a quick swiveling motion, slicing the girl's hand open. The laceration was shallow, but produced enough blood for the little blue to have his fill. When he finished he nuzzled quickly into his handler's chest and crooned sweetly. As he did so, Venus took a look at her palm; the cut was in a smooth, soft arc following the 'life line' on her palm, from the space between her thumb and index finger, down to the middle of the heel of her hand. Venus found it rather pretty, in a strange morbid way, and she smiled as Venusk tried to lick at it again.

"Come on. Let's get you some real food Venusk." It was strange, practically calling the beast by her own name, but the sound of it made her smile, and she reached her non-bleeding hand down to scratch the wher's soft head. As the two made there way slowly out of the Hatching Grounds and towards the drudges with food, Venusk helped His as she walked, lifting his head up to her hand as a makeshift cane. Finally at the bowls, Venusk made sure that his was comfortable sitting down nearby as he ate. "Slow dear. Slow." She reminded him, so that he wouldn't choke.

Finally satisfied, belly extended, the blue wher waddled over to His and butted her shoulder appreciatively. He felt so good now! Venus smiled and stroked him for a few moments and then got up. She remembered she had told that other blue wher that she would go up into the stands when the hatching was over to see His. Limping back into the Hatching Grounds, Venus climbed up a few rows of seats towards the Healer, and sat down. She didn't want to aggravate the wound any further by trying to climb too many stairs. Venus knew that the man who had been attacked by the new gold would have to be attended to first since his injury seemed more serious. So she waited patiently, her eyes flickering to the Sands again, resting on the last unimpressed wher; the young bronze.

[Avu]

((Row, I kinda god-modded Roi a bit...lemme know if you want me to change anything, m'kay?))

As the Cygnus Egg cracked softly, Meira leaned forward, noting the motion of the tiny egg will a slightly surprised smile. She'd previously consideed it -- in a vague, offhand manner -- a dud; clearly this was not the case. But it was not to be the Cygnus Egg that Hatched next, for the Andromeda Egg broke open beautifully, and a vibrant golden wherlet emerged. She was...breathtakingly beautiful, and make no mistake about it: She was regal. If only she would Impress, though, and not go wild! Then, clearly, Neisk, the current gold, would have some competition, the bluehandler noted with a small, wry smile, leaning forward to see the gold's choice as she neared the front rank of Candidates. Would it be one of them? -- the old queen had picked those few out specifically. For her daughter's choosing, though, or simply because she favored them, herself?

"Oh!" Meira drew in her breath sharply on the syllable, and Meisk's agitated hiss and wriggle emphasized distress as the gold reared onto her hind legs, roughly pushing the older man, who had been Standing, backwards. Distinctly there was the sound of ripping cloth, and when the man fell, he didn't get back up again. She reacted instinctively, springing to her feet and maneuvering around Meisk, the pale wher drawing back nervously to let her pass, and quickly descending the stairs as rapidly as she could. By this time, the Andromeda Gold had already Impressed to a girl, and so Meira had no hesitations about sliding right to the front of the crowd and sitting down firmly next to Roivao. The old gold might take pardon with her, but Meisk had already cleared her being there with the queen, so she oughtn't to be attacked; and now that the Andromeda Gold -- Rozsk, now -- had Impressed, she wouldn't be attacking anyone, either. She hoped, anyway.

The man had already rolled over onto his side, and Meira promptly pulled out her knife to cut away the ripped remains of the fabric that blocked her way to his chest, already talking matter-of-factly. "This shouldn't be too bad; she wasn't intending to hurt you, by the angle. The Hatching's most over, and I don't like taking Candidates off the Sands early unless it's absolutely necessary, so you get to stay the rest of the Hatching. I'll just wash it out with redwort; that'll take away the infection. Watch out, it stings," she added, tugging the stopper out of the vial and spilling it onto a bandage. The damp spot was applied directly to the man's chest, wiping away the blood and cleansing the wound at the same time. "Give it a few seconds..." She was talking mostly to herself by now; it was her way of remembering things. (Meira also had a tendency to explain everything she did to her patients; it seemed to worry them less, for some reason, but some of them simply didn't care.)

Carefully taking the bandage away, she checked the wounds carefully. Four gashes; deep at the point of entry and then gradually shallower as Rozsk had pushed away and he'd fallen. Deep, and messy, but she didn't have the things she needed to check it now, and as far as puncture wounds went, she'd rather a more experienced Healer check them anyway. "I'm going to put numbweed on these, and wrap them so the bleeding'll stop, for now, but I expect you'll have to come to the Infirmary, later, to get them checked again, okay?" Undoing the cap on the jar of numbweed salve, she rubbed a generous handful against the wounds. "It ought to stop hurting almost immediately, but take care you don't aggravate it too badly," Meira instructed, unwinding a roll of bandage. "This needs to go around your chest. Under your arms...good."

She sat back. "Okay...um, that's as good as I can do right now." Glancing around, she noted vaguely, surprised, that the Cygnus Blue had already Impressed, and it left only the Pegasus Bronze on the Sands, unImpressed. "Do you need help standing?"

[Tashe]

Quietly watching as the Andromeda Queen broke free of her shell, Nautic twitched his nose in an attempt to hold back a sneeze. He felt like going fishing. What had prompted that thought, was lost to him when the little gold pushed over one of the other hopeful candidates. From where he was, he couldn't get a good view of the man, but by the lack of upward movement, he guessed the man was probably injured in some fashion or another. Though the Queen didn't stay long, bonding with a girl in his row, and for the moment her name escaped him. He'd probably remember it a while after the hatching, when he returned back to the barracks, then giving himself a good smack on the for head for not remembering.

The Cygnus Blue broke free of his egg, more than anything, his wings drew Nautic's attention. He was a pretty color, a sort of pale powder blue if a name could be put to it. The little male was awkward looking as it crawled across the sands, letting it's wings drag, but it was cute nonetheless. After looking through the candidates a few times, Nautic glanced downward as the Cygnus Blue drew closer. Disappointment and happiness mixed together in an odd sort of cocktail as the blue, now Venusk, impressed Venus. Well, karma had dealt her a bad sign and then came about and given her a good one. Good for her. Offering her a congratulatory smile as she walked off to the food baskets, Nautic returned his sights onto the sands, for only the Pegasus Bronze remained unImpressed.

He knew that he of all people had the least chance of bonding to a Bronze, he just didn't think he fit the criteria. He would just have to wait until the next hatching to try his hand in luck and fate and maybe that next time he would gain another, more permanent friend. Though, Nautic might as well see if the Bronze bonded or not, it would be something to journal about later.

[nightingale]

Long minutes passed and only the sound of laboured weezing could be heard as it drifted across the hatching sands like a dry desert wind. Death finally seemed to have come for Maisk, and the little green's eyes were slowly beginning to dim as she gazed into her handler's face. She was so tired...so tired...maybe when she woke up, then she could blood with Hers? It was starting to hurt less already...she was sure...sure that when she woke up...things would be better...
Like glow greeting the morning after along dark night, the green wher closed her eyes and felt no more.

Deathsong was unknown among the ranks of wild whers, and so the Pegasus Bronze simply continued to hold his sisters until their body had grown stiff and cold. Still he lingered, allowing the warmth of his body to soothe their former handlers as they came to recognize the new empty spaces that had taken up residence in their hearts and minds. At last he rose, slowly and carefully so as not to jostle his dead clutchsiblings any more than was necessary. The Pegasus Bronze held his wings tucked neatly against his back as he moved across the sand toward the candidates, but he did not turn his head even an inch to take stock of his options. He had decided long ago who his bonded would be, and he moved toward them with resolution

Sitting down next to Meira on the hot sand, the rippling colour in the bronze wher's eyes slowly blended until they were the pale yellow of deep concern. He was sorry that he had not come sooner, but he had known that his Roivao would understand that he could not have left his sisters alone on the sand. His knew better than any that no creature deserved to be alone in their pain. When he was ready then, his Roisk would take his blood and bond with him properly. His did not need to push himself however, for he could wait as long as he needed to. He had after all, been waiting so very long already. The bronze rumbled his affection, allowing his jaw to rest tenderly against his handler's shoulder.

With the sands were empty save for the corpse of the Libra Greens, the elder queen rose from her resting place and flared her wings wide to inform the weyrfolk that they had best grant her uninterrupted passage to the cavern's mouth if they did not want to end their lives before the new sun rose. Heedless or perhaps simply ignorant to the joy, sorrow, love and heartbrake that surrounded her, she moved with an obvious sense of detachment toward the dark corridor that would take her outside. Her tail held high, her neck arced and gistening in the dim light, she moved with the easy feline grace her golden daughter had already proven she had inherited. Without a word, a sound or a backward glance, the wild queen faded into the darkness like a phantom of blood and gold.

Minutes later, a bellow sounded from somewhere far beyond the mouth of the cavern, mingling with the rising sun without a hint of fear to mar it's triumphant spendor. The message was clear, the voice strong; Long live the wild wher, and let no human call her Mine!

-----------------------------------------
Cygnus Egg ~ Hatched blue Venusk to Venus

Sirius Egg ~ Hatched blue Mask to Malara

Draco Egg ~ Hatched Brown|WILD

Libra Egg ~ Hatched green Elask to Elanise(NPC) and green Maisk to Mairen |LETHAL DEFORMITY

Pegasus Egg ~ Hactched bronze Roisk to Roivao

Aries Egg ~ Hatched green Cadisk to Cadil

Andromeda Egg ~ Hatched gold Rozsk to Rozen

[nightingale]

Name: Roisk
Looks To: Roivao
Species: Wher
Color: Bronze (CCCC54)
Age: Hatchling

Physical Appearance: When bringing a bronze wher to mind, one would generally imagine them as a large creature. Roisk however, shatters all expectations in the fact that he is not simply large, but large to a staggering and almost absurd degree. In fact, this bronze is so massive that he will be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with most queens and not appear dwarfed. His build is not lithe, nor is it particularly husky, but his sheer size more than makes up for his unremarkable physique. His wings are large and strong when one considers his species, and when he unfurls them they are quite nearly large enough to fly with. As it is, they are not quite large enough, and so Roisk would only ever be capable of short glides. However, it is unlikely that he will ever use his wings for their given purpose, as he is quite steadfast in his belief that whers were built for life on the ground.

The base colour of his hide is a handsome shade of pale, almost golden bronze. If one were to take a very close look, the might notice that this base shade deepens ever so slightly on his back, face, and the upward facing portion of his tail in a pattern that almost resembles a loaf of bread that has baked lightly in the oven. His neck ridges are jagged and uneven, painted skillfully with a coppery shade of green that shimmers aureately in even the sparsest light. His feet and the membrane of his wings also look to have been airbrushed with this shade of green, and where his neck spines end between his shoulder blades, a thin stripe of the same colour takes over their purpose and runs all the way down his spine to the fork of his blunted tail. While far from typical, it is doubtless that this bronze will be seen as exotically handsome by females and handlers alike.

Personality:
While the metallic quality of his hide assures all onlookers that he is of noble birth, Roisk seems either completely unaware or in complete denial of his own colour. This bronze is one of the most modest, well mannered and self sacrificing whers that you will ever have the pleasure of meeting. His own comfort will always fall behind that of others on his list of priorities, for he believes that the first duty of a strong leader is to ensure that the needs of his subjects are met. While he has only love and respect for Roivao, he will expect nothing less from his handler than an equally fervent devotion to serving those who require strength and leadership. Perhaps it might be argued that this makes him the best sort of leader, for none that he presides over shall ever know favoritism, want or injustice so long as he has breath enough in his body to prevent it.

Roisk views life in a decidedly old fashioned sort of way. He believes in respect, honor and tradition in that order, and while he finds no pleasure in battle he will not shy away from defending those who need protection. Chivalry is not yet dead in this knight, and so it is likely that his good nature will be taken advantage of by those who call themselves his enemies. Any life is seen as more precious than his own, and so it does not require any great amount of impulsiveness to drive this bronze toward foolish endeavors. He is very practical in his belief that there is a right and a wrong way of doing things. In Example: When chasing a female, one must never jump Between nor use their wings. When an opponent falls in battle, one must wait for them to rise before continuing on the attack. Dragons are to be respected, but never feared. It is this firmly unshakeable mind-set that can make it hard for Roisk to accept change, and occasionally marks him out for the stubborn creature he is. There will be no arguing with this bronze on any subject.

[Rowana]

Roivao looked up as Meira approached. He started to nod in response to her explanations, but it made his head spin too much. He had been treated by healers many times before, and knew it was best just to let them do their job. He winced as the medicine was applied, but at least it was a sure sign that he was alive. Life, he knew only too well, was full of pain. He was greatly relieved when she decided to apply numbweed. Soon the pain dulled to a light throb.

"Thanks, um," he mumbled quietly. Speaking wasn't usually hard for him, but he hadn't really talked to anyone is a long time. It was still hard trying to remember the right words. "I think I can..." he started to answer her question, but stopped. A horrible silence had descended on the sands. It took a long moment before Roi realized what was missing. The green wher had stopped breathing. The tears came again, but it was not his own pain for which he mourned. The poor whers were gone at last, and their handlers were alone. At least he and Iloth had had turns of joyous life, but they had had only a few precious moments filled with sorrow. He wanted to say something to them, but he also knew well that there wasn't really anything to say. It wasn't the kind of loss that could be consoled through mere words.

Roi was looking at the greens' body when her bronze brother finally rose. He was moving towards the candidates, to bond at last, Roi thought. Such a noble wher aught to chose well. It took a long moment for his mind to realized where the bronze was going. Without hesitation, he was coming straight for Roivao. The man watch as if hypnotized. The bronze laid next to him and rested his head gently on his shoulder. Another mind entered his that was both familiar and alien. In that moment, Roivao felt that some of the wounds of his heart began to heal. Even now the whole left by Iloth would never fade completely. Yet this new life, Roisk, would be with him.

Roivao managed to raise a hand to rubbed Roisk nose gently. Yes, he did understand. Roi reached his wher's mind with more ease than he had spoken to Meira. His sisters and their bondeds had needed him. Roi didn't mind having to wait and he was sorry he was in such a mess. If Roisk could help him up, Roi would be honored to share his blood. He seemed to have no trouble giving it out today. Roisk rumbled his approval and advised His not to rush. He could wait. It was more important for His not to injure himself more.

With a hand on the bronze's shoulder, Roivao did managed to stand up. He walked shakily, leaning on Roisk for support, and yet his steps were more confident than when he had arrived. He was reborn from the broken man he had been into one with a new life and purpose. Iloth was still gone, but that memory would not always be sad. He felt that a little of Iloth had somehow been born in Roisk. It was almost like having his old friend back, only in a different way. He was sure that Iloth would be happy, knowing that Roivao would no longer be alone.

[lilliana]

Mairen listened as his little Maisk’s breathing became more and more difficult, his eyes not leaving the whirl of her own. Even as the whirl slowed, the handler matched his breath to her own, only breaking the pattern every now and again to tell her to go to sleep, now… that he would be there when she woke up… that it was all going to be alright. The rest of the time, he only took breaths when she did, barely getting enough to fill his lungs.

Her eyes were sliding shut, and her breathing was becoming even more labored. And he could do nothing about it, nothing at all. ‘Ren felt tears forge new paths down his cheeks, knowing that his moments with his Maisk, his very own Maisk, were dwindling down. He would only have a few more seconds, until her eyes shut, and she exhaled for a last time… never to fill her lungs again.

Having been breathing in sync with the green, Mairen only noticed that his breath had stopped, along with hers, when his lungs began screaming in protest. The, now former, wherhandler took a shuddering breath, and began to breathe regularly again. It stopped the sharp pain in his lungs… but not the dull pain of the emptiness that was taking up residence in his heart, in his mind.

It was strange. Only for a few minutes had that emptiness ever been filled. Just a few minutes. This hole had always been empty before… and Mairen had never valued the ignorance as much as he did in that moment. Another shuddering breath, as he stroked the quickly-cooling form of his little Maisk. He was still cradling the beautiful head in his arms, even as the rest of the body stiffened. ‘Ren’s main comforts were that his little, lovely Maisk wasn’t in pain anymore… and the unknown source of warmth behind him.

That source of warmth left shortly after that, no doubt to bond to one of the last candidates. Mairen sat there, still, crying and cradling as much of his little wher to his chest as possible, without disturbing the other head attached… the other head that was being cried over by an unknown girl, a girl who had also lost her own wher. She was the best one to know what he was going through, so Mairen did his best not to disturb her in her mourning.

So, even when the body had completely cooled and stiffened, Mairen was there cradling his Maisk. The tears had finally halted, and the stains down his cheeks had dried. The young man had barely registered when the Queen had dashed off into the wild, and only vaguely remembered the cry she emitted after her departure. He was still completely caught up in his lovelies’ death… of what had been stolen from him.

Mairen would probably be there for awhile.