Hatching of the Chinese Zodiac Clutch

[lokath]

Five days after his aquatic rescue, Lokath was still resting in the Infirmary, supposedly for continued recuperation. Lokath was by now allowed to wander the halls and grounds of Selenitas to his hearts content, so he supposed he was truly being kept there until he was prepared to return to Southern. Noone had spoken to him of his impending return, and so no one knew what truly was to happen.

Interestingly enough, he had been given permission to Stand as a Candidate for the current Clutch, though he had been given warnings that it was highly unlikely he would Impress, especially because he had never Touched the eggs. He supposed it was a kind gesture on behalf of the Weyr's leaders, and that he would be expected to leave soon after if he did not Impress.

Little did they know, he thought, that he intended to stay on as a Candidate as long as possible. Going back to Southern was now, truly, impossible; his ship had sunk, and news should have reached the Hold by now. His parents were, of course, always prepared for such to happen, and his return would be more disturbing and shaming to the family than his loss had been.

Lokath was awake and thinking such thoughts as these when the call came. He hurried from the Infirmary, stopping only to pull on the white robe and boots recently lent to him, and strode at a quick yet sure seaman's pace towards the Halls. Running or jogging was dangerous on a vessel, but speed was sometimes of a necessity. Such a stride was quick while still being safe, and besides, it made Lokath look self-assured.

He quickly arrived at the Sands, taking a place in the growing group of candidates after bowing and paying his respects to the mothering Queen. He'd been taught to do that much, at least, if only because it was to keep him from being eaten alive by an angry mother. He tried to keep his eyes on the largest few eggs, but his eyes kept being drawn to those that were moving. He wanted to Impress as soon as possible, so his future would be assured...

[Lotty]

A hatching! How wonderful!

Despite living a great deal of her life at the healer hall in Fort, and encountering a many dragonrider, Raebeli had never had the great privilege of attending a hatching, and she was just beside herself as she made her way into the stands, probably holding up the human traffic as she did so. She was gawking. Eyes wide, she saw dragon eggs for the first time, and would pause every few minutes to lean over the railing and get a good look. Additionally, this was her first experience seeing a gold dragon, and suddenly she seemed to understand what the big deal was with Impressing one, they were magnificent, and so she seemed to linger a bit longer in the aisles than your Selenitas natives. Poor thing, she didn't have a clue how annoyed she was making the men behind her until she heard their gruff mumblings, and so she shuffled off to pick the best spot in the house, peeping out her apologies in her mousy voice, "Sorry."

Aside from the obvious excitement involved with the general newness of the whole experience, this was a very important case study! What could be more intriguing to the Weyr's newest mindhealer than the ultimate psychological anomaly: Impression. The melding of two minds, the eternal link between rider and dragon; a bond that if broken could lead to the most dire of results including catatonic states or suicide. Raebeli had more experience in dealing with the unfortunate fall out of dragon death than she did with Impression, making the hatching a priceless lesson, had she thought of it sooner, she probably would have brought the utensils to take down notes.

Even in the middle of the night, she did not lack a bit of enthusiasm. In quick springy steps, she climbed the steps, her skirt swishing about her calves before choosing a lone spot and sitting properly: one leg crossed over the other in her typically girly way. Being something of a new arrival, she had not a single chance to properly meet another soul outside of the infirmary, but with her big silly grin she was more than welcoming to anybody who wanted to accompany her.

--

A hatching. Do I have to go?

Of course it had to be at night. You know, when most people try and sleep, especially weyrlings who had already exhausted themselves doing chores and caring for their five month old dragons. They wouldn't mind missing out on any shut-eye at all. So obviously K'sel was going to be up and at em, completely ready to go see the eggs hatch!

Not.

He was tossing and turning and trying his darndest to ignore the gold dragon, and his own brown who had been pleading with him to go. K'selmine, you should really watch the hatching, I'm sure that your sleepiness will be excused in the morning. It is imperative you see who will be joining us in the barracks! The brown only seemed to remind his rider of all the facts he had been avoiding. More weyrlings, cramped confines, waking up in the morning even after having his night chewed away by the glorified festivity that was the hatching. K'sel turned and groaned into his pillow one more time before relenting and getting up. He was going to need klah. A lot, lot, lot of klah.

Picking out a nicer shirt, he trudged along to the hatching sands with zombie like vigor. Oh so exciting...hatchings...there better be beverages...his fashion choice of the burgundy tunic - the one with shiny embellishments people seemed to like - would have been a valiant effort if he had taken the time to actually do his hair. It was flat on one side from sleep, the other ruffled about, he didn't even bother to run a hand through it as he weaved through the growing crowd. Besides, he was still in a battle of wills with Pettahth.

I do not understand why you would be so adverse to going. You should feel obliged to go. You helped defend the eggs. That was all the more reason to not want to go. He didn't want to be around again if that northern weyr tried to pull anything. He mindlessly patted his side to find his knife there, the same knife that tagged one of the enemies in the neck and helped put an end to the attempted heist. He would forever have two memories attached to the sands: his Impression to Pettahth and the deathly white face of the rider he killed. Hmm, batting 500 on good memories isn't too bad he supposed.

He sunk into a seat and hoped for a fast hatching, or at very least an entertaining one. Hey, if they couldn't have gladiator fights then maulings would have to do.

[kysseh]

Calm down, love. was Savitri's quiet rebuke as Hepaticath continued to look quite threatening, the queenrider carefully making her way into the Stands while the humming increased in volume and intensity. Shards, but there were a lot of people present. Her tired green eyes flicked over the gathered crowd, noticing the quantity of candidates on the Sands. Good. There would be plenty of choices for the young dragons, which meant a quick series of choices and Hepaticath getting back to normal that much quicker. See? Plenty of choice for your children. So stop scaring the candidates.

The queen snorted softly but settled that much more onto her couch, her eyes whirling slightly calmer colors as some of the candidates had the good manners to acknowledge her at their approach. She recognized some of them. Some had protected her eggs, they had, and she blew out a snort in recognition of that, her eyes shifting again away from the red. They would not be so foolish as to harm her offspring.

The queen's mindmate was settling in the Stands, all her clothing neat and in order. She was not dressed formally, but she was at least neat, given that it was the middle of the night. Her hair was coiled back into a bun, far away from squirmy infant fingers, and with one infant resting on each side of her chest, a dark-haired head on each shoulder, she was most interested in keeping her sleepy children away from her hair. Even teensy little fingers like theirs could pull hard. One of the infants squirmed, and the young mother hummed softly to comfort her, lightly pressing her lips to the dark, fuzzy thatch of hair. It took work to seat herself with both arms full of heavy child, but she managed it, noting that Hepaticath was calming ever so slightly. Hmph. Savitri owed it to her own presence, but... who knew? Apparently, Hepaticath was approving of some of the candidates.

A sharp crack interrupted the goldpair's silent communication, and Hepaticath turned her head to notice one of the smaller eggs splitting open. Had it even wobbled before? Probably not, for the egg was simply splitting open in spurts, a few cracks and splinters followed by a period of rest. It took energy to break shell, and the little dragon inside was tired.

Before the Rabbit Egg could finish breaking open, though, the Ox Egg stole its spotlight by simply rolling over and cracking. This dragonet had no such struggle with his shell, for an instant later, a dusty red-brown nose shoved through the shell. The Ox Brown bulled his way through the delicate shell and simply flopped onto the sands. Well. That had been a chore, no? His head lifted and turned toward the candidates, a squawky croon of confusion echoing from his young throat. Hmm. What were they doing all the way over there? Strange.

His clutchsister chose that moment to slip out of her egg, and the fragile-looking Rabbit Green squeaked softly as she lay plowed out in the sand, her side rising and falling dramatically as she gasped for air. Apparently, hatching was harder work than she wanted to manage for the moment. Within moments, though, her brother was up and moving, and, not wanting to be left behind, she managed to skitter awkwardly across the sands in spurts, spraying sand everywhere as she fell, tripped, and generally flopped her way toward the candidates. Only when she reached the candidates did she realize that she had made such a spectacle, and she almost guiltily crept the rest of the way to Hers, resting her head against the girl's leg and giving a soft peep of apology. Shame, shame, shame.

I am sorry for making such a scene, Mine. I was so tired and hungry, and I wished to find you so much. I am Nuoth, my NepheleMine. May I have food now, please? I promise to not be clumsy again... the green said wistfully, her eyes, whirling the rainbow of Impression, focused on the face of Hers.

Not at all concerned that his clutchsister had chosen first, the Ox Brown was busy sniffing his way through the boys, accidentally bulling his way into Lokath's legs in his searching efforts. After a rough, awkward noise of apology, he continued his search. Sorry, but he really hadn't meant it. Surely, the boy knew that, and it was nothing personal. That one just... wasn't for him. His was somewhere nearby, though.

A few more of the eggs were beginning to shake, including the Rat Egg which now had a tiny airhole through which a dark, dark hide could be seen. The Snake Egg broke first, though, and a very dark green spilled out, the little creature silently sprawling out on her back on the sand and staring upside down at the candidates. She was oblivious of the fact that she was soaked in egg goo and getting covered in sand. She simply stared.

[lokath]

Lokath, watching the Rabbit Green while still trying to focus on the larger eggs Cat and Rooster, did not notice the Ox Brown until it had actually bumped into him. He stumbled slightly, but did not fall down. For a moment, he thought the brown had chosen him, but he quickly realized it was not so as the dragonet walked away, onwards through the group of Candidates.

He watched the Ox Brown go before turning back to look at the center of the Sands, noting first the Snake Green and then the Rat Egg, close to Hatching but not yet there. It could be anything, though it was most likely a blue or a brown due to the dark coloration. He glanced again at the Rooster Egg, still unmoving, before deciding it was better to focus on the Eggs and Dragonets that were already moving and Hatching... Maybe it would keep him from being bumped again, or worse.

[kat]

Two greens and a brown so far, not bad for the beginning of the hatching.

Kynoath observed the scene below her with interest. It was the first hatching they'd been to at their new Weyr, and she and Rayne meant to enjoy it immensely. Because Rayne had been sleeping, she had sobered up, and so she was watching the hatching with her chin resting on one hand, a look of clear amusement on her face. When she wasn't full of alcohol--which was not often enough!--she was usually quite level headed and in a fair humor. She loved hatchings, and when Kynoath had roused her, she could only think about how much FUN it would be...and how much wine would be present at the hatching feast, of course! Ah, she remembered her own hatching day so well!

There was nothing to compare to the feeling of Impression. Not alcohol, or even sex. No, nothing had compared, and nothing ever would. Mind the fact that dragonflights were quite intense...still, not the same. Nothing completed you like Impression, as if you'd been missing something for years and hadn't known what it was until that moment you Impressed. She really did feel for those young people down on the sands. It had only been three Turns ago that she'd Impressed, so not like the memory was far off and away. She wished them all luck, and gave a cheerful whoop when the first little green Impressed to a girl. She didn't know any of them, but by looking at them she could tell a bit about them, and already she was guessing on who'd Impress what color. It was really quite a pity she'd only arrived just before this. Otherwise, she would have stood to make a few marks betting on the dragon's colors and whom they'd Impress! Shardit...well, there was always next time, for hatchings would occur as they always had.

In the meantime, Rayne watched with silent glee as more eggs cracked to reveal yet more dragons. Thirteen, had there been? Well, that would be thirteen new Weyrlings! She'd just only applied for the vacant spot of Weyrlingmaster Assistant. She'd been drunk when she'd done that, but she wasn't the sort to regret decisions made, even drunk. Being drunk? Just lowered your inhibitions, let you do things you sometimes wouldn't have the guts to do. She had thought it might be a fun experience, and she'd graduated at the top of her Weyrling class, so why in Faranth's name not? She'd make a great Weyrlingmistress. She'd whip all those little brats into shape in no time, and they'd all graduate the better for her having been their Weyrlingmistress. Kynoath snorted, and she waved a hand in her direction. She knew Kyno would have fun with it, too, and so she ignored the green and continued watching the sands.

~~~~~~

L'ian hated being anywhere other people were. Didn't matter if they weren't concentrating on him. Didn't matter that Sevorth wanted him to be there, to the point where the blue had nagged and nagged until he'd cursed in the most abhorrent manner, but caved in and now was here. He hated social places, being around lots of people, being around ANY people. That was why L'ian of blue Sevorth hated hatchings.

It was unfair to say he hated what a hatching entailed. He might enjoy watching what was going on, if he was in the stands alone, or at the opposite side of them from everyone else. Here, he felt crowded, and his palms felt sweaty. Was he agoraphobic or claustrophobic? No, not at all. He just despised being around people. He was a hermit. Hermits did not do well in large groups. They did not play well with others. They did not--

Would you stop your moody, whining thought process and just watch? No one is paying any attention to YOU of all things. Just relax. Let a bit of hot air out of your head, and watch. If you would stop your petulant spazzing perhaps I would be able to enjoy the hatching better.

L'ian shot a death look at his blue, shooting back mentally, I am watching. I'd rather not be, you wherry headed sack of turd. I'm not here for my benefit, so if you don't be quiet, I'll leave.

"I should have just stayed in bed," he muttered to himself, ignoring Sevorth's indignation. Perhaps he was over reacting just a bit. He hated to admit it but that great blue lump was right. No one was paying attention to him, not with dragons hatching out and Impressing. He could leave right after if he wanted to, and no one would miss him. Still, the thought of the hatching feast was making his stomach rumble.

You really should go. You might actually meet someone. You won't get any foreign diseases and I'm sure they didn't poison the food just for you. Who knows? You might actually even enjoy yourself, Faranth forbid.

L'ian had been debating going, but he wasn't about to share this with his blue. He knew the blue tried to provoke him, and so he said nothing, not giving him the satisfaction. Instead, he sighed heavily and watched the sands. Should he go? If only for the food, perhaps? Well, he'd get this silly hatching over with, and then he should have come to his decision.

[Avu]

Mikail’s approach made Rusahre flick a glance at the other boy, a look that was almost amused. How often they’d Stood together for clutches. He hadn’t expected ever to see Mikail again, truth be told, and…this was almost familiar. Rusa nodded in slight greeting, though he didn’t speak; likely it he did it’d come off as distinctly condescending as his only comment would be something along the lines of ‘They look like they’re about to wet themselves’, regarding the other Candidates, and that was not warranted, however much he didn’t appreciate being dragged anywhere in the middle of the night. Admittedly he’d already been awake (a fact which detracted a lot from his irritation) but still. He’d been perfectly fine next to the River, he had. Wet, cold, and feeling like an insomniac, but fine nonetheless. Right, definitely…still, he did have one question to ask, after scanning the Candidates again. Mikail was there, and he’d always associated one twin with the other. Maybe it was because he rarely saw them to begin with, but whenever he’d seen the pair, they’d always been together. And…now…they weren’t? Not that he was displeased by Crystoph’s absence, since Crystoph struck him as very obviously Northern, but…still. Curious.

“Where’s Crystoph?” he asked softly, just loud enough for Mikail to hear him. Nobody else needed to hear. It wasn’t their business to hear. Rusa didn’t even look at the other Candidate when he murmured the question, eyes focused on the eggs instead; was that one twitching…? “Don’t tell me he decided to Stand for whers instead…?” Not that he had anything against whers, strictly speaking, but…it was a Hatching; you couldn’t not be there if you were a Candidate, right…?

His comment fell silent as Anzalorin skittered over to him, and Rusahre turned his head curiously to glance over his shoulder at the smaller boy. Hn. If he was frightened, well…Rusa supposed he could give him the right to be; Hepaticath did look downright murderous and wasn’t it his first Hatching…? He mouthed the word ‘hello’ at Anzalorin – why he was being quiet, Rusa didn’t quite know for sure, but he was; nobody else was being excessively loud, except – Rusahre twitched visibly as Mina entered the Sands, half-expecting the idiot to still be screeching as if all of Pern didn’t already know about Hepaticath’s Hatching. Fortunately, she wasn’t. Unfortunately, someone else had decided to take up the job of resident screamer. Ramen was awarded a downright murderous look, and Rusahre quashed the impulse to go over and smack him upside the head (not enough to really hurt him, just enough to make him shut up) for disrespect to the queen. But…doing so would have been disrespecting Hepaticath anyway, and likely would have gotten him eaten. He’d smack him later, sometime when murderous queen dragons weren’t hovering around. Yes. Good plan.

His glare was broken off as one of the eggs shattered. Not the Rat Egg, which had been quivering, nor yet the Rabbit Egg, but the Ox Egg, shelling a brown dragonet onto the Sands. Rusahre’s eyes were hooded now, fixed on the creature warily. He didn’t expect to be Chosen by him, but he did want to keep an eye out in case the Ox Brown decided he would be good to step all over and maul or something. None of his blood coating the Sands, please and thanks. His gaze lingered for a moment even as the Rabbit Green broke free of her shell, and then his eyes rose to the smaller dragonet momentarily, and though her path towards one of the girls he wasn’t familiar with amusing enough, his gaze didn’t stay long before they went back to the brown, who was much closer to him for the moment, managing to blunder into one of the other Candidates, some kid that Rusa wasn’t familiar with either. The smattering of clapping from the Stands made Rusahre look curiously towards the Rabbit Green in time to see her Impress to the girl she’d been aiming for, and then back towards first the Ox Brown and then the eggs; he clicked his tongue audibly as the Snake Green, too, broke shell, leaving the Rat Egg still unHatched.

Slow hatchling, wasn’t it? Started rocking first, and still hadn’t Hatched. Rusa scrunched his nose silently.

[Sheari]

"Good Evening, Beautiful"

The sound of the voice and the words caught Anusha's attention and she immediately looked up. Quickly finding the source of the voice she didn't know what to think. "Ramen?" she said, half to herself. Could it be? Was he really here, on the sands Standing for the same clutch she was.

Impossible.

She did not have enough time to process that thought because Hepaticath shifted and eggs cracked. She returned her gaze to the clutch and watched as two eggs hatched, revealing a green and a brown. As the Rabbit Green shuffled and tripped around on the sands Anusha watched, almost transfixed. When the little creature found Nephele, Anusha began a little list of people to congratulate after this ordeal was done.

The Ox Brown and Snake Green took on her view when she left the new greenpair.

~*~

"Tahlor! Come here!" Ramen said loudly. Loud enough to be heard but not loud enough to be rude to the clutchmother, or so he hoped. He knew the other candidate was a charmer and always wanted to talk to the women, but at a Hatching was not the time to be flirting. As he waited for Tahlor to come over (if he did at all) he watched the clutch with a seriousness that wasn't unlike Ramen, but not the usual him either.

Oblivious to the daggers that Rusa was glaring at him, Ramen watched the Ox Brown almost intensely. It seemed to be on a mission and if he wasn't the one the hatchling was looking for, far be it for him to stand in it's way. It'd already pushed someone over in it's search and Ramen didn't want to suffer the same fate.

~*~

C'ryl looked up as he was spoken to. "Yes. Pagoth wanted so badly to watch these kids hatch that he practically dragged me out of bed." This awarded the brown in question a half-hearted glare from the man. The brown didn't notice as he was watching the sands from his perch.

He'd never seen southern dragons hatch and was oddly fascinated by the darkness of the Snake Green's hide. However, the first little green looked to be a shade common to green's he'd seen before and he was quite familiar with red-brown. He sported it himself and almost watched the little Ox Brown for a spot of any sort on his body. He had reached the conclusion the southern dragons were superior to most northern dragons and he was proud to be among them. Needless to say, Pagoth was feeling smug and intrigued.

C'ryl yawned and sipped his klah again. He knew he shouldn't be drinking it in the middle of the night...or was it early morning...but he did anyway. "It's safe to assume you were dragged here as well?" He asked humourously.

Child moved her head to the side and poked it a little out of C'ryl's hair. Oh! That's who he was talking to! She knew him! She chittered a little, hoping he'd invent another game.

[Avu]

You look kind of angry, Corinth observed (with an almost obscenely cheerful note in his voice that was not altogether natural). Why are you angry? Humans are /so/ silly. Hatchings should make them happy. It makes you happy to Fly, but not to know that someone is eggheavy…and you don’t like Hatchings. Are all humans as strange as you are?

His musings were answered with a spitefully-hissed curse from T’rid, who, fortunately for those around him, had the presence of mind not to say it out loud and instead simply aimed it at Corinth, along with the image of an obscene hand gesture. Decidedly not the most eloquent nor yet the most elegant response he’d ever made, but it was the best he could do right then, seeing how his Wingleader knots were worn prominently on his right shoulder and in full view of most of the people around him, and it simply would not do for a Wingleader to start insulting his own dragon in the middle of a Hatching. Not only would Corinth be furious because doing so would make him look ridiculous, but the bronze would likely also drop him in the ocean a mile away from shore or something just to see him sputter and leave him there or something. The bronze dragon’s amused mental croon was almost adoring, nonetheless, and T’rid blinked down at the Sands, watching with an expression best described as polite disinterest as the eggs – namely, the Rabbit Egg quivered and shook spasmodically. Pfft, none of these Hatchlings had anything on Corinth; the bronze had been one of the last to crack shell, but he’d done so quickly and efficiently and come right over and why couldn’t these hatchlings be like that…?

Do be sweet, MineTranslator. You have company. Ruskeath and His are coming, Corinth commented unexpectedly, and T’rid blinked in surprise before looking up to catch sight of his brown Wingsecond dropping off G’tor nearby before winging up towards Corinth. The bronze dragon’s croon was undeniably friendly. It was no secret that Corinth was quite friendly to any dragon, and Ruskeath was no exception, even if he’d much rather have had Ebolath join him. Fair skies to you, as well, Ruskeath, the bronze replied, moving sideways politely to give more wingspace to the brown. He was almost the same size as Ruskeath, amusingly enough, T’rid noted from down below (though he did his best to keep the thought away from Corinth; the bronze wouldn’t have been offended, but T’rid would have been annoyed if Corinth took it amiably: Did he have to be so laid-back?). A very good day for Hatching indeed, the bronze agreed, his gaze lingering for the slightest second on His, though there were no words passed between them and no emotions shared. I’m afraid it seems that most are still very…uptight, Hepaticath especially, but that’s to be expected, I suppose… He flicked his tail, and then rumbled quietly, almost to himself.

T’rid’s gaze flicked up and then back to the Sands as G’tor dropped into a seat next to him, the bronze Wingleader glancing curiously at the brown ‘second as he spoke. A new queen? Those dragons certainly had thought so. Their Riders, too, he supposed, or they wouldn’t have let the suicidal beasts come to begin with. High Reaches, he suspected; Fort still was functioning (as far as he was aware) and Benden still had Baith, which only left High Reaches as ‘needing’ a queen egg, so the rumors had said. How reliable said rumors were, T’rid had absolutely no idea, more’s the pity, but he’d take what he could get and rumors were, at that point, all he could access. “Um,” he said, and then, fingertips pressing together under his chin, elbows propped on each knee, the bronzerider shrugged. “For the sake of those Northern idiots, I hope we do. Suicide missions are great ‘n all, but…I don’t know, if it makes them feel better to know that they weren’t going for an overachiever of a green or something…” Not like they really needed a queen, and T’rid was less than fond of goldriders in general, but hey – respect the dead, right?

But there’s no queen egg, Corinth commented, surprised, catching that wisp of thought.
So? We had a queen egg in you and Aslath’s clutch, and it Hatched Jaymith. Maybe it’ll be the other way around this time. Knowing our luck, I bet it will be. Gender-confused queen, ugh…

Oh, yes. Cheerful, was T’rid.

[kysseh]

The Rat Egg finally managed to unbalance itself, falling against its closest neighbor, the Cat Egg. While the larger egg was only cracked by the impact, the Rat Egg shattered, and a dark creature hunched in the wreckage, belly pressed flat to the sand as he turned a wet, very dark head toward the candidates. The claws on his forefeet flexed once, twice, and then the dark and rather large Rat Blue began to slink across the sands with more grace than a dragon hatchling should have possessed. On a mission, he was, and he passed right by his favorite clutchmate along the way, huffing at the Snake Green in passing. He would see her later, he would. He needed His first, indeed.

The Ox Brown was becoming rapidly disillusioned with the boys and was now ignoring them in an utter huff, his tail twitching lightly in frustration. He knew His was present, but the boys were highly disappointing. It was nothing personal; they just weren't what he wanted. Or needed. Still, he had enough sense to turn and get out of the way as something exploded out of another of the eggs and began charging across the sands. He had no wish to get run over, he didn't.

The offending charger was the Pig Blue who had thrust his stout little self out of his egg and was bowling across the sands with all the graceless motions of an uncoordinated new hatchling. After nearly running over the Rat Blue, he faceplanted right into the sands and came to a skidding halt, squealing loudly in protest at the sand in his face.

Sand. In. His. Face.

DIRTY! he declared at the top of his mental 'lungs' to his chosen as he clumsily clawed his way to his feet. It is so dirty, M'kaiMine. Clean your Futh. I do not want to be dirty! He punctuated the statement by throwing himself haphazardly at Mikail--now M'kai, apparently--and clutching at said legs with both forefeet. The pale-colored, chunky blue seemed unaware of the fact that he had blue-purple spots and a few eggshell remnants on his backside. He was more concerned with the sticky sand. DIRTY!, please, clean?!

Hepaticath crooned softly in comfort at her newly Impressed offspring, though she was honestly more preoccupied with the motions of the Rat Blue. He had moved to the same general area as his clutchbrother, but the comical difference between dark and light, chunky and slender, made Hepaticath wonder what they could possibly want in the same area. But the dark blue was busy taking a snap at Ramen's heels. It was half-hearted, at best, but it conveyed his dislike. Hated him, he did. Hated. He would deal with him later too, like he would deal with the one in that egg that had overshadowed him.

Now he twined between Rusahre's legs, making a low crooning noise in his throat. R'ahreMine, the loud one should watch himself. We will deal with him. First, though, your Ahth requires food... and to greet my greensister when she chooses Hers. We must also deal with That Creature in the large egg. Much to do, have we. Feed me first, though, before I starve. And make Futh go away, or he will steal all the food.

He is very rude, clutchbrother Ahth, is he not, Mine? the Ox Brown announced suddenly into the mind of his chosen. The brown got to his feet, quite pleased with himself that he had found his without the need to go sit on the person's feet. I hope you do apologize to the boy that I hit, Mine. Your Chaoth did not mean to hit him; it was quite the accident. It is hard to walk. the brown added as he finally managed to make his way over to the girls. Ahh, there she was. Thank you for making yourself obvious, MerridanMine. I appreciate it. It was hard to find you before. Merridan received a nuzzle, a croon, and a look of absolute adoration. How he loved His, he did. Chaoth loved his Merridan.

[Rowana]

Mer was surprised to hear someone talking to her and turned to face Maya. She grinned and waved. "And to you," she agreed. She wished them all luck. It was just a pity there were never enough eggs for all the candidates to impress. At least she knew what it was like to be left standing. It wasn't nearly as bad as people said. Disappointed, yes, but there were worse things. There would always be another clutch.

As the first eggs cracked, Mer's attention turned back to the clutched. A brown and a green! Mer smiled as the green made it's way to Nephele. This was a good start to the hatching. The brown didn't seem to have picked yet, but he was a polite fellow. It was nice to see him just bumping boys, not hurting them. More eggs were cracking now, and another green flopped onto the sands. This was happening more quickly than Mer had anticipated. Her heart raced. What would the future hold?

Mer was distracted with the antics of the two blues, chuckling as the pale one charged down a candidate. Then a voice entered her mind and all else was lost. This wasn't like Ciceroth or Hepaticath speaking. This was familiar, and yet she had never heard it before. She turned and looked down to see the brown from before, nuzzling her and looking at her sweetly.

For a second she just stared. Girls didn't impress browns, did they? But what did it matter? Her face broke into a wide smile. She didn't care. Chaoth had chosen her! And he was the handsomest dragon she had ever seen. "Don't worry, Chaoth," she rubbed his head fondly, recieved more croons in response. "We'll go apoligize right now. Then I bet your hungry!" Chaoth's eyes lit up at the prospect.

Mer threaded her way through the boys until she found Lokath and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey. Chaoth wanted to say he sorry for hitting you. He didn't mean to." She grinned. "Good luck!" Chaoth's hunger was fierce, so she waved and started to lead him to the piles of meat for his first meal. As she walked away, her voice could be heard saying, "Are you sure you want to call me Merridan? It's such a mouthful..."

~

Ruskeath looked at Hepaticath and crooned in sympathy. I am just glad none of the eggs were harmed. It was a foolish act. And costly. He was thinking of Calistoth. He had never spoken with the green much, but she had been a member of the wing. She would be sorely missed.

G'tor shrugged at T'rid's remarks. He never let the other man's tone bother him, which was probably just as well, or they might never get along. "It was pretty stupid of them. Would be ironic if that egg hatched anything but gold." He turned back to the clutch and clapped as the first candidate impressed. "They must really be desperate," he said thoughtfully. "To resort to such things. We should probably guard the next clutch more closely."

~

T'ke rolled his eyes up at Garaeth, who was ignoring him. "Dragged is right. I don't see why people like watching hatchings. Do you know how messy it is when candidates get mauled? I do." He shuddered at the memory. Why anyone wanted to be a candidate was beyond him. But then, he had to admit, life had certainly changed after he had impressed. And he couldn't say it had all been bad.

[kysseh]

((At the request of those who Impressed...

Rabbit Green
Name: Nuoth
Color Code: 3EAE46
Impresses to: Nephele
Appearance: Nuoth is just larger than average in size for her color, barely bigger than her clutchmate Huath. She is very lean in build, almost to the point where she might appear underfed or sickly while she is growing. Her hindquarters are the most muscular portions of her body, looking rather out of proportion in relation to the rest of her body. Her wings are no larger than the average for her length, but they look rather large, given how slender she is. They do appear rather delicate, though, given their unusual transparency and Nuoth’s habit of fluttering them at any moment.

Nuoth’s hide is a very mild shade of medium green. Her coloration would be thoroughly unremarkable were it not for the lighter overtones to her hide, giving her a certain appearance of paleness and delicacy. Her hide is lighter at her extremities, at her feet, nose, and the whole length of her tail, almost to the point of being pure white at the tips of each. Her rump is covered in small spots of a lighter green shade, though they are just pale enough against her hide that the ‘freckles’ take some squinting or the proper kind of light to be noticed. Her hide looks soft and feels the same, always having the most pleasant of textures when it is properly cared for.

Because of her slender form, Nuoth is very agile and quite speedy. Her stamina will always be in question, but she is undoubtedly a quick creature and could fly circles around many of the weyr’s dragons with very little effort. Despite her delicate appearance, she is quite capable of getting airborne and is more than willing to do so at a moment’s notice. She is fairly well-coordinated on land but is far more agile in the air, so expect her to excel in weyrling lessons and wing drills. Threadfall might be a problem, given that she burns through her energy quite quickly. Always, though, will she be a joy to watch in the air, twining and twisting at such high speeds.

Personality: Elegance personified… or dragonified, rather… Nuoth is the epitome of grace and dignity nearly all the time, a self-assured, though strangely cautious, creature that will stop at little to do a good deed or two or four. She is very soft-spoken and can have trouble making herself heard at times. Never would she be rude enough to interrupt, and always does she think thoroughly through what she says before it is offered forth. This makes her seem rather skittish and withdrawn at times, but the truth is that she is simply careful about what she says and how it is received. If in doubt, she will graciously say nothing, instead listening to what is going on in order to get a better grasp of the situation.

Because she is a good listener and is sensitive to the needs of others, Nuoth can be the best of friends to a creature in need. She makes no biases about species boundaries and will speak tenderly to any being that seems in need of kindness or will listen to anyone with a grudge to vent. Since she takes in more than she expresses, Nuoth can occasionally become overwhelmed by all the emotions that she has taken in from others, making her occasionally moody and quite jumpy when she gets herself worked into a fit. This will usually lead to a stretch of self-indulgent wallowing in her own emotional overload, and, to strangers, she can seem quite detached and uncaring, listening only for the sake of appeasing them in these instances. Those who know her well, however, know that she is in reality simply overwhelmed by the emotions she takes in, and her infrequent moody periods will pass as quickly as they come, if those who care about her will take the time to weather the storm.

Her moody nature and tendency to detach as a mechanism for self-preservation will make it difficult for her to bond with a male as a lifetime mate. She will Rise frequently and rarely pick the same male twice, simply out of fear that they will grow tired with her occasional moodiness and will move on. To those friends (and the occasional mate) who choose to devote time and energy to a relationship with her, they will receive a most loyal friend and secret-keeper in return, a dragon who is willing to lend an ear at any time of day or night and never betray that confidence, save to Hers. From Hers, Nuoth will keep no secrets. Theirs is an open bond from Nuoth’s end, and she will be forever sensitive to Hers’ feelings as well as strongly broadcast her own emotions onto her Chosen. This could prove to make life interesting for them both.

--

Ox Brown
Name: Chaoth (from Chao)
Color Code: 9B454D
Impresses to: Merridan
Appearance: Chaoth is quite large for a brown, long in the body and large in build. He is not so large, though, as to appear bulky or ungainly. He is simply big and a sturdy creature all around, with plenty of muscle to fill out his frame. His legs are thick and strong, particularly his hind legs. His jaw is broad, and his ridges are large, though not sharp. The broader surfaces of his wings will give him extra lift and the ability to turn slightly better than one might expect from a dragon of his size. His claws are a surprisingly bright white, a color that will never fade no matter how much blood and dirt is rubbed into them, and they give him a rather lethal look.

This brown’s coloration is nothing particularly remarkable, though he could never be called ugly. His coloring is a light shade of dusty red-brown from nose to tailtip. The only variations are two irregular splotches of a brighter shade of his same hide color, one splotch on each hindquarter. The effect is that the rest of his hide seems to have been covered in a layer of dust, with the only clear spots being his hindquarters. He looks rather odd, but the benefit will be that his dusty hide will take many, many Turns to show signs of aging. Chaoth will always appear quite young in that respect.

Chaoth, seeing as he is quite the large and muscular creature, will never be very graceful or agile, even with his broader wing surface. Still, he will never appear clumsy in the air, so long as he works hard at keeping his large body in good shape. His flying performance will be steady and consistent, with good stamina, certainly enough to impress a female. Because of his size, though, his movements on land will be far from easy, especially without practice. It is hard to move around a large body, and as a weyrling, he will probably be horribly clumsy until he gets airborne or grows to certain size. Best to stay out of his way.

Personality: Steady and calm, Chaoth seems on the surface to be a simply placid creature, unconcerned with the political workings of the weyr and wholly content to do his job as best he can, wherever and whatever that job may be. To some degree, this is true. Hard work is something that Chaoth enjoys, and he will forever be known for his excellent work ethic and steady performance, regardless of the situation. He is not a highly reactive or explosive creature, and those in his presence will find it difficult to keep themselves in an excitable temper. Chaoth exudes patience and peace, and his resolute dedication to a job well done is a model for more fractious dragonpairs.

However, to say that Chaoth is content to simply do his job would be inaccurate. While he lacks the shrewd and calculating nature of some of his clutchmates, he suffers from no lack of ambition or sense. Chaoth is a logical and sensible creature that evaluates his decision, selects the best option, and level-headedly pursues it to the end. Of course, this can lead to him being slightly narrow-minded about the best possible option. In addition, his ambition and steady presence give him his own special brand of charisma, and he strives, in his own way, to set himself as an example for those around him. This is not to say that he believes himself to be the best; he would hardly claim that title for himself. He simply believes himself to be capable, and others would be wise to follow him.

A generally lovable creature that is only very, very rarely roused to temper, Chaoth will undeniably make a fine leader with time and a smidgeon of guidance. Of course, Chaoth has high standards of performance for himself and those who look to him for guidance, so it will not be unusual to see him gently but firmly lecturing one whom he believes to be under his own tutelage. He expects the most from himself and from His. While His will be blessed with unwavering encouragement and adoration, rarely will a day go by when Chaoth is not reminding His of the things that must be done and be done well. To expect any less than the maximum effort from his beloved would be… unthinkable.

--

Rat Blue
Name: Ahth
Color Code: 0C0F3C
Impresses to: Rusahre/R'ahre
Appearance: Large is Ahth, large enough that he could be assumed to be a very small, very dark brown from a distance. His body is very slender, streamlined, and flexible, giving him a sinuous appearance that makes him nearly a perfect twin to his clutchmate Baoth. This large blue is has positively huge wings, long enough that the ends will probably rub over the base of his tail when closed, especially when he is young and learning how to use them properly. His claws are abnormally long and jet black in color, giving him a frightening appearance to anyone who happens to be on the wrong side of him.

Ahth is so very dark in color so as to appear black in color on first glance. At night, he will be largely invisible, which seems to suit him just fine. His hide lacks the visual smoothness of some of his clutchmates, though, instead looking almost rough despite the fact that it is apparently quite normal to the touch. The effect comes from the almost-microscopic dappling to his hide, making him reflect a great deal less light than if his hide was uniform in color. The only variation is a teeny black spot right at the base of his tail, so small that one has to know where it is in order to find it. Ahth doesn’t even notice it is present unless someone brings it up.

Given the size of his wings and the shape of his body, it is unsurprising how flexible Ahth can be. On the ground, he practically slithers in and around everything, and he is probably found curled in amongst rocks, his body twined about in a most serpentine fashion. He snakes through the air as well, though the size of his wings makes it very difficult for him to turn quickly or do acrobatics, but he makes a good effort of it nonetheless. Overall, Ahth’s stamina is nearly unmatched by fellow blues, but he will never match them for agility.

Personality: Quiet is this blue, quiet enough to be completely overlooked if he was trying hard enough. This is not to say that Ahth is unremarkable or truly forgettable once known, but he has a gift for blending into the background, being able to be places and hear things that he really has no business hearing, seeing, or knowing. Ridiculously clever is this dragon, clever to the point that it is frightening what he can do when he puts his mind to it. Ahth is a schemer, a creature that can formulate a plan on a whim and execute it to perfection. He thrives on melting into the background, on manipulating people and dragons alike into a place where they can best serve his whims.

Since manipulation, scheming, and sweet-talking are what get him to where he needs to be, Ahth is, unsurprisingly, not a physically aggressive dragon. Rare will it be that he raises a claw against someone. He would prefer to convince someone else to do that little chore for him. He works hard at not working, when he can. So arrogant is he that he would rather do more work to convince someone to do a job for him than to actually do the simple job himself, if he feels it isn’t worth his time. Still, his industrious nature does work to his benefit… and the benefit of friends. When he wants to do something, Ahth will pursue it to completion. Half-finished projects or those to which only half the effort was applied… those mortally offend him. He refuses to let himself stop halfway. Some would call this a good work ethic, but, in reality, it’s just an odd sort of perfectionist quirk.

Surprisingly, Ahth is quite the sociable creature and enjoys surrounding himself with company, gossiping away about all sorts of juicy tidbits whenever he gets the chance. His skill at eavesdropping and spying means that he will always have lots of good gossip to share, though none of the gossip will involve himself or His, strangely. He prefers that his friends not know him, perhaps because he does not wish to be talked about. Remaining a mystery is another gift of his, being able to have a completely pleasant conversation in which he reveals nothing at all that is personal. He is quite the vindictive of creatures too, liable to passive-aggressive attacks if someone has wronged him. So long as someone is on his good side, they are safe. Cross him, and you can never be sure what dirty laundry will find its way to the surface. Be careful.

--

Pig Blue
Name: Futh
Color Code: 97F1F9
Impresses to: Mikail/M'kai
Appearance: Futh is just big-boned. Really. The stoutness to his limbs and gut are all muscle and bone, and none of it could possibly be fat, right? Truthfully, most of his bulk is just a bigger frame and shorter legs, which makes him appear just that much more stout, but he is chubbier than most dragons. He is just about average in size for a blue, neither huge nor tiny except for his chunky sort of build. Surprisingly, though, he will be no more prone to overeating than any other dragon, and with a considerable amount of hard work, he will never look as porky as his build threatens that he could be.

Futh’s coloration is an oddly light blue, almost pastel. While it is a decidedly masculine color, it does look rather strange on such a chubby dragon, and it is possible he will be teased about the paleness of his hide. Still, the richness of the color and the generally smooth and constantly clean appearance of his hide will reassure anyone who assumes that the pale color is equivalent to weakness. His greatest pride in his appearance comes from the speckling of spots all across his rump, spots that are a startling blue-violet in color and are enough to make any person do a double-take and wonder if he really is a male. Surely no self-respecting male would enjoy having violet spots on his back, would he?

For all his chubbiness, it is unsurprising that Futh looks a tad ungainly on land. In fact, his motions are a cross between a hop and a waddle, which will be highly amusing to all people and dragons who watch him. In the air, however, Futh is quite the sturdy creature. He is a fairly steady flier, and though he will never be a graceful or acrobatic creature, he will be reliable once he actually manages to get his chubby self up into the air. His trouble will not come from lack of effort but simply from the lack of wing area, as his wings are no larger than normal in proportion to his body size. This will be a problem, considering his heft, but with some hard work, he will manage it. Eventually.

Personality: The stereotype of lazy and unclean could not be further from the truth in the case of this blue. Futh is most certainly a picky and meticulous dragon, much desiring to be clean at all points in time. He will even go so far as to wake up His from a deep sleep, just for the sake of getting a bath if he feels the slightest bit dirty. Such dirt is clearly intolerable and should be cleaned up immediately. For all his neat-freak tendencies, though, Futh is quite the packrat and will happily live with a pile of treasured clean possessions, so long as none of the mess is on his couch. His will probably be driven near to madness by the materialistic tendencies of his dragon. Futh likes to have his possessions, and there is nothing good-natured about it. He simply likes to collect things.

Futh, however, is not lazy. Neither is he exceptionally clever nor stupid. He is a hardworking creature who does his job faithfully as he is asked, so long as no one bothers or throws dirt on him. Aside from his materialistic tendencies, he is not exactly selfish or self-absorbed and will stick out his neck to help a friend. In fact, he can be quite gallant when he feels the need to be. Still, he prefers to just be a loyal friend and enjoy the company of others. He is not aggressive by any means and is most likely to be found sprawled on top of a nice clean rock, sunning and chatting with whatever dragon happens to be nearby. He is not picky about what company he chooses, mostly because he just likes to socialize. He gets lonely quite easily.

While His is the best of company in Futh’s mind, Futh has the unfortunate tendency to choose mostly female company. This is perhaps his biggest flaw, his tendency to flirt and attempt to cuddle with any female that strikes his fancy, be they gold or green, dragon or flitter or ‘mandyr. Whether he could actually Fly them or they be weyrmated or not, Futh has single-minded focus in pursuit of a particular female. Even an outright rejection will not sway him. Only watching said female choose another male… or finding a prettier female… will dissuade him. Males, keep a close watch on your weyrmates when Futh is in the vicinity.

[kat]

Maya registered Mer's words, and nodded curtly before returning her attentions back to the eggs. They were hatching, and the first spilled out a brown and a green. The green was quick to Impress a girl she didn't recognize--not that she recognized any of them, really, by name at least--and she clapped for her, but didn't cheer or call out like some did. She didn't want to draw unwanted attention to herself from dragons that were busy looking for their bonds amongst those remaining. She noticed the brown bumped into someone, and was nearly ready to rush to that person's aid if need be. However, it wasn't a mauling, merely an accidental bump.

She watched as the green Impressed, and then two blues, a darker and lighter. Just then, the girl she'd wished good luck to Impressed...to a brown? Her eyes went a little wider, uncertain if she was mistaken or not. But in the next instant, it was clear that Mer had Impressed to a brown dragonet. She was too surprised to even properly congratulate the girl. Girls didn't Impress browns, did they? Blues, yes. Greens and golds, too. However, this was the first time she'd heard of a girl Impressing a brown--at least here? She wracked her memory, and seemed to recall something being said about it being a possibility, and happening...but rarely. She would have to give out congratulations later, because she was too busy concentrating on the other eggs. They were hatching fast, and she was hard pressed to figure out where they were going. She eyed the green that came out next, wondering if she'd go to a girl or a boy. Boys, too, could Impress greens. Well, only watching and waiting would tell anything whatsoever. So, she waited, and watched.

~~~~~~

"Shards an' shells, a brown to a girl? Now that's somethin' yeh' don't see every day!"

Tahlor was feeling quite relaxed, watching the hatching. It was a great feeling, just being there--he'd been right about that, at least. The excitement which felt like a big rush of adrenaline hadn't died down yet. The green and then two blues Impressed, and then a brown, to a girl! That was unexpected but totally awesome. He'd just gotten to see it from ground level. When his caravan came by he'd have quite the stories to tell his younger sisters, that was for sure. He glanced over at Ramen in time to see a dark blue pawing at his lower leg. He grinned once he was sure Ramen wasn't mauled or anything, then continued to watch what was going on. He really didn't want to miss a thing, and he excused himself and wandered on over to his other friend, motioning Mina to come along, if she wanted. He wasn't about to ditch her just because his other friend had called him on over. So he made it quite clear she could feel free to join them, nearer to where Ramen is. "Would yeh' keep it down, Ramen? You wanna' get us eaten by her?" He jerked a thumb at Hetapicath, obviously in good humor, but kept an eye on the hatching dragonets at the same time. Would either of them Impress today? He wasn't sure, but they would definitely find out!

[Avu]

Whether or not Mikail answer his question was not known, for the Rat Egg had finally exposed a dark blue hatchling, followed shortly by another blue from the Pig Egg. The latter received a slight smirk from Rusahre – the pink shell had hinted towards girlishness and he’d be willing to bet that, if there had been a Touching, none of the boys would have gone within a foot of the egg. But the smirk faded, twisting into almost comical surprise as he backtracked. The blue’s path brought him too close for comfort, and in Rusahre’s need to get away – surely he’d have known if it was his dragon? – he almost backed right into Anzalorin, only barely saving the boy’s foot by being squashed by sidestepping quickly and putting himself almost literally behind Mikail. It wasn’t on purpose, and Rusa had perhaps two seconds with which to blink, lips parting in his surprise, as the pale blue flung himself at Mikail; the Candidate half-expected him to be mauled, but no; he’d Impressed. Rusa tried to be happy for Mikail – he really did. But he wasn’t too close to the Candidate-turned-Weyrling to begin with, and anyway, it was kind of disheartening, to know that Mikail was one of the few who’d been Standing as long as he had, the same places he had, and had…Impressed. And would no longer be among the failures. Fun times?

The Rat Blue was the focus of his attention now; the Ox Brown had gone off and was no longer endangering Rusa’s life, and therefore no longer warranted his attention. One hand rose to rub the bridge of his nose in what could only be described as blatant amusement as the blue snapped at Ramen’s heels, and he snickered out loud despite himself. Ha. Served him right, disrespectful little brat…his head cocked as the blue came closer, and he stepped back hastily again. Just because it’d been funny to see Ramen get snapped at didn’t mean he wanted to be, no no – one hand rose, fingers relaxed but almost in a flat, palm-outward gesture that was clearly a ‘stay away’ signal – a signal that never actually was displayed on his hand, for at that moment, the big, slender blue had closed the space between them and began to twine around his legs.

R’ahreMine, the loud one should watch himself. We will deal with him. First, though, your Ahth requires food…and to greet my greensister when she chooses Hers. We must also deal with That Creature – and the two words were decidedly capitalized – in the large egg. Much to do, we have. Feed me first, though, before I starve. And make Futh go away, or he will steal all the food.

His jaw dropped, and Rusahre – now R’ahre, according to the absolutely gorgeous blue dragon before him – stared. It was to his credit that he did not burst out stammering, as part of him wanted to do; his mouth stayed closed, instead of dropping incredulously. Brown eyes widened, meeting rainbow-swirling ones, and R’ahre (Anzalorin, Mikail – however he was going to shorten his name – and Futh forgotten for the moment) leaned down to touch Ahth, half-wondering if the blue was going to disappear, but his fingers brushed the soft hide, and he swallowed thickly. “I – right.” The words were soft, barely audible – but he knew Ahth would hear him; he could feel the blue’s consciousness. Like Sylph’s – though the green was incredibly sulky at that point in time – but more – more – just more. Somehow. Maybe because it was new, maybe it just was more – whatever it was, R’ahre didn’t quite know. All he knew, at the moment, all he cared about, all he wanted to know, was that Ahth was his.

Shall we go? Ahth encouraged rather pointedly. You do know I cannot feed myself, yes? Mine… That one word did the trick: Mine. R’ahre nodded slowly, and then turned, one hand still on Ahth – the blue would vanish if he looked away, or took his hand off; he knew that Ahth would – because this couldn’t possibly be real. It had been…such a long time since he’d dreamed about Impressing, but this…this had to be the most realistic dream he’d ever had and – Why would you think that I am not real? I assure you that I am quite real, Ahth interrupted, on the testy side even as he glanced back at the Snake Green – wasn’t she going to Impress? Let’s hurry; I’m faster than Futh is and if we get there first then he cannot eat all of the food, the blue went on without a pause, moving a little faster. Undeniably graceful, Ahth was – was it real for a blue to be so graceful – ? His name and Ahth’s was given thoughtlessly to the people waiting for it – “R’ahre and Ahth” – before he chose a bowl of meat that looked like it had the most in it and settled with the blue in a corner, still bemused.

He could not possibly have Impressed. It did not happen. It had never happened. (Sylph informed him rather tartly that of course it had; what did he think she was hanging around for?) I do not see, Ahth said after a moment (still eating; he’d gotten the hang of chewing very rapidly indeed), why you insist on believing that I am not /real/. And yet you believe Futh is real, and you believe that Chaoth is real. He nudged R’ahre’s hand lightly, encouraging more food. Well – at least he was getting fed…

[Sheari]

Again, the voice she thought belonged to her brother called out. She looked again but the man's head was turned and she couldn't see his face.

Dragons hatched and found their bondeds. Anusha saw Merriden Impress a brown and was perplexed. She'd never in her life seen a girl ride a brown. What if the brown decided to chase a queen? She was sure that would make for one awkward flight. She added Mer and Rushare...or was that now R'ahre?...to her list of people to congratulate.

Somewhere in that mess of eggs and eggs shells was either post-hatching elation or post-hatching brokenheartedness for her.

~*~

Since the brown had Impressed to a girl Ramen didn't recognize he had stopped watching it so intently. The seriousness was still there but he was feeling more like his more commonly seen good-natured, hurmourous side.

"Sorry, I just don't know if I'm excited or nervous," Ramen laughed quietly.

It was true, though. Ever since he and Tahlor had talked in the main hall he'd gone over it in his mind and concluded that he wouldn't get mauled if he was careful and stepped from the hatchlings that found him in the way.

~*~

C'ryl turned solemn at the mention of mauling. A few hopefuls had been mauled at Pagoth's hatching. It was horrible mess and was a just lovely way to turn a happy day sour. Death was not for the Sands but somehow it seemed to wander around and find it's way in sometimes.

Mine, the babies of this Hatching are worthy of their candidates. I approve.[/i]
Your approval is required?
No...but I still approve of them. I look forward to flying with them.

With that, C'ryl's generally silent mindmate returned to being generally silent; he returned to watching as if this were a baseball game and it was the bottom of the ninth with two strikes and the star hitter up to bat.

"He's...quite interested in this Hatching." It was an unneeded statement C'ryl said. Child watch T'ke.

[archenstone]

Vraelnîr was just pulling his pants on when he heard the announcement that eggs were hatching on the sands. Wow, this is early! Still dark outside and the eggs wouldn't wait for anyone. He tossed the pants and went for the candidate robe that he knew he was supposed to wear. Every day he still woke early. It was a habit he earned working at sea and had been one of the hardest changes so far. Nothing happened this early.....until now.

Following others, he had quickly made his way until he got on a boat to cross the river. There were no paddles! He quickly looked up but the other boats had already been taken and were crossing. It is suffice to say.....he had to improvise to get across.

Vraelnîr quietly stormed on to the sands. He looked around, seeing that he was very late indeed. The knowledge only made him feel more agitated. Of all the people to have trouble with a boat! Ah well, he walked on to the sands to where the candidates where and looked at what had happened so far.

He noticed the blue impressions and then broke into a smile at Mer and her brown. That's going to be one amazing woman! Was the first thought that came to him. Shaking his head a little to rid the thought he stopped near her and watched the sands. He saw a wobble....from the egg with golden spots. He blinked....those looked like eyes. Looking at the others he saw a green that hadn't impressed yet. He hoped she would find hers soon and waited eagerly to see what would happen next. Seeing the others with their hatchlings drew him into excitement and he couldn't help but grin as he wondered who would impress next.