Hatching of the Blooming Flora Clutch

[Administrator]

The sun hadn’t quite risen, though the sky was turning a faint purple with the early morning. Most likely, all of Selenitas Weyr was sleeping. Except one member. Aslath was circling the edge of the Hatching Ground, her multi-faceted eyes ever-alert as they whirled a mild red shade. Today was different from the past month. Usually, Aslath would lie in the sands, clutching her precious queen egg close against her body, while surveying the rest of her clutch with a watchful eye. But not now. She had actively left her queen-daughter in her rightful place at the center of the clutch. Today was so much different.

Quietly at first, a low hum began to resonate from her golden throat. Unconsciously, other dragons began to do so, stirring from their stone beds to warn their riders. At the same time, Aslath put her words into the heads of all the candidates. Candidates, it is time to wake up. My clutch is Hatching,[/color] she told them, oddly calm. At least, she would be calm if everyone got up and calm to the sands on time… If nobody came, she would be far from calm. But they needed to get dressed, hop on a boat, and arrive in the Hatching Ground. If not, it would cost them their future.

Next, she brushed her mind against Shmee’s, stirring the sleeping woman. Her blues opened slowly, and it took her a moment to register what was going on. A light vibration ran through her cot and her body. Then, remembering what humming meant, she shot out of bed. Frowning a moment, she looked over in Shei’s bassinet. The three-month old was sleeping, but Shmee couldn’t leave her alone. Throwing on a blue tunic and tan pants, she quickly picked up the babe.

“Your first Hatching,” Shmee whispered to the flame-haired daughter. Shei didn’t wake, and instead snuggled instinctively into her mother’s chest. “Aslath, can you tell S’rei he can join me in the Weyrleaders’ seats?” she asked. Right now, it was only her and Ka’rys who could sit there, but there was plenty of room. She wanted to be with him. Aslath rumbled, displeased that she needed to pass the message through Salenth.

Mine says Yours can sit with her for my Hatching.[/color] she grumbled, her eyes never leaving the slowly rocking clutch. Without hesitating, Shmee walked from her room onto the sands, then up to where she would sit. She cuddled Shei close to her body. She hoped S’rei would sit with her…

Ciceroth, you may come on the sands to watch them Hatch,[/color] she told the sire-bronze. It made sense. He, above any other bronze, should have the best seating in the Hatching Ground.

Only a few eggs had begun to rock yet; the Buttercup Egg and the Forget-Me-Not Egg were rocking the most urgently, but the Tulip Egg had a few shadowy cracks running down the side. Aslath stared down at the clutch. It was so close. The candidates had to get here now.

---

Sunflower Egg -- Hatched gold Hepaticath. Impressed to Savitri.
Birch Egg -- Hatched green Rinagth. Impressed to J'on.
Poison Ivy Egg -- Hatched green Sairmonath. Impressed to Aminadra.
Daisy Egg -- Hatched bronze Risith. Impressed to K'dran.
Pansy Egg -- Hatched blue Sheyath. Impressed to Roshya.
Lilypad Egg -- Hatched blue Bivroth. Impressed to L'nos.
Honeysuckle Egg -- Hatched brown Silvytreth. Impressed to APC Gl'myr.
Rose Egg -- Hatched green Tiaeth. Impressed to Liassa.
Forget-Me-Not Egg -- Hatched blue Vomath. Impressed to C'ralt.
Tulip Egg -- Hatched brown Origoth. Impressed to M'ritz.
Venus Fly Trap Egg -- Hatched green Pipsissoth. Impressed to Lyelle.
Buttercup Egg -- Hatched green Emerith. Impressed to O'dan.
Lady Slipper Egg -- Hatched blue Stillith. Impressed to As'lin.
Thistle Egg -- Hatched bronze Idith. Impressed to R'aro.
Iris Egg -- Hatched blue Tepidoth. Impressed to M'kier.
Dandelion Egg -- Hatched green Foglith. Impressed to Celeyn.

[marissa]

Raen didn't have time to be dwell over the upcoming event that would grace the Weyr. She was too busy. Hence, she had now crashed onto her furs, and had burrowed in them throughout the night. Shirk had found her own little nest in the furs, and they were both sleeping contently, both unaware of the words that were passing through the bond: Yes. Hum. Yes. The words didn't register in either of their minds, so both continued to sleep peacefully, until the next word passed. Hatching.

Now that got Raen up. "Hatching, Shirk? What? Hatching?" She didn't really expect the green to wake -- she never did, and it was probably just the creature's regular mutterings. However, she was fully suprised with Shirk did, indeed, wake up. The little creature's head turned up, and the hum reverberated from her throat. "Wait, wait, wait. Shirk? What? Is the Hatching...?" Hatching. Yes. Hum. Yes. The green continued to hum, although she curled up in the furs once more.

"Alright, love. Stay here." Like Shirk would go anywhere! Blinking her eyes drowsily, she slid her robes on, a smile slowly forming on her face. This could very well be one of the most important days of her life. She bent down to secure the sandals on her feet before heading out the door, making her way on to the Sands. There was no way, no way whatsoever, that she would be late to her very first Hatching. It simply wouldn't, couldn't, happen.

As soon as she entered the Grounds enough to be easily spotted, the candidate bowed first to the woman who was bonded to the clutchmother, and then she turned to Aslath and bowed even deeper. There was only a slight pause between the latter before Raen also bowed to the Weyrleader, and then his bronze. After all, it was Ciceroth's clutch, as well. Keeping the slight wince from her face and allowing a small smile form on her lips, the girl quickly, drowsily, stood beside the rest of the candidates, once again keeping near the back of the group. She would be wary.

She had to be.

She still wasn't altogether sure that she was ready for the responsibility of Impression. It had come to her last night, in fact, before she fully drifted off. If Raen did Impress, she would have the responsibilty of a baby on her shoulders. Albight, so it wasn't a human baby. The dragonet's life would still be just as important as the life of her own child. Was she ready for that? Raen had no idea, but apparently she was willing to risk it. She was very determined at this point in time, and she wanted to go through with this hatching. It was important to her.

Gazing at the eggs, Raen recognized her feelings for the first time: ones of utmost longing. Alright, so she had finally figured it out. It seemed that she wanted to Impress. Wanted to see if she was, in fact, ready. Well, time could only tell. For right now, she could only wait, and see if she would get the chance to wonder if she would be a good, responsible figure for the newest little one in her life. And if her new dream came true, she could only hope that she was.

{Nice and sappy. XD}

[lilliana]

What could Lyelle really do, but wait around after the Touching in anticipation of the upcoming Hatching? She had fallen asleep late last night, looking up at the bunk above her as her body twitched in anticipation. She couldn’t wait, and she was so… eager for it to just happen. For one, she was worried whether or not she would Impress. It wouldn’t be horrible if she didn’t, persay. It simply wouldn’t have been the most spectacular.

It was even harder, not knowing when the Hatching would occur. You couldn't be ready for it, couldn't be expecting it... at least, not 'expecting' it, like being able to block out a time in your mind that this is when it would happen, how long it would last, and what would happen in it. Other than, of course, the hatchings and the Impressions. That was just a given when it came to a dragon Hatching, after all.

Now, however, she was dead asleep. She had tried to hard to go to sleep, making sure that she wouldn't wallow in anticipation. Now, however, Lyelle didn't realize the hum that slowly arose throughout the Weyr. It was gradual, and soft, and the candidate certainly didn't catch it until Ril's head cocked up. The little flitter untangled herself from the furs and began to circle around the Barracks happily, her own hum finally making Lyelle aware of what was going on.

Oh, shells! The candidate awoke, and she practically flew to where her whiterobe lay… or, at least, she made her way as quickly as a girl that was asleep a matter of moments ago could. As she hurriedly adorned the robe and stumbled into her white sandals, the girl was already making sure that Ril wouldn't follow, a large smile on her face. Alright, so she was excited. Send her between. Maybe it wasn't that she was so excited or worried about the Hatching. But she was certainly curious about how a Hatching would be from a different perspective. After all, never before had she been to one that she hadn't viewed from the Stands. This would be a completely different experience for her, and she was curious.

Although, a Hatching seemed to be a great place in the Stands for gossip.

Oh well.

Shoving trivial thoughts out of her head, Lyelle hurriedly made her way out of the Barracks and towards the Sands. Of course, Ril didn't listen to her instructions and had followed her, now circling around her head. The hum she was emitting was louder than ever, and Lyelle paused for a moment to shoo the flitter back to the Barracks. "Aslath will not appreciate it if you try and protect me, dearest. Go to the Barracks, and I'll be back soon." Ril regretfully chirped, pausing in her hum, before picking it up again and spinning around to make her way back towards the Candidate Barracks.

Meanwhile, Lyelle continued to make her way towards the Hatching Grounds, a mixture of excitement, curiousity, and happiness coursing throughout her body. As she entered, a grin became evident on her face, and she bowed first to the golden mother, and then to the Weyrwoman. This was bound to be one of the most important days of her life - whether or not she Impressed. Lyelle was bound to make the best of it.

Joining one of the foremost ranks of Candidates as they conglomerated in front of the eggs, Lyelle waited as the eggs trembled and shook. This would be amazing, she was sure. Yawning, and finally noticing that the Rukbat hadn’t even risen yet, the candidate realized. This was bound to be a long day. Eh, at least it’d be fun.

[ryanne]

Liassa sat outside on a rock, marveling the stillness of the sky. With the turmoil of the life around her, she was amazed that something so natural could be so still, so serene, so dark. She couldn’t sleep, there was too much still happening, still turning over, in her mind. She took in a breath slowly, trying to calm herself. She didn't know what was going on with her body and she didn't like it. She constantly felt like crap and she wasn't sure what kind of flu came without a fever. She was two minutes away from going to the healer, but she really couldn't if it was going to keep her off the Sands. Like hell if she was going to let that happen. This hatching was her chance. Sure, it'd be one of many still left to come, but she wasn't going to let a single one of them pass her by. She needed to be on the Sands or she'd never be able to live with herself. She'd always think that maybe, just maybe, her lifemate had been on the Sands and had gone between or chosen another. She couldn't live with that.

So she just sat there, blinking her eyes rapidly. Maybe if she cleared her head, her headaches would go away. Maybe if she got everything off her chest, told someone what happened during the Flight, her nausea would disappear. Maybe, just maybe, she could fix this with talking. But the truth of the matter was that she really didn't trust anyone. They would make her go to the infirmary. They would judge her for losing her virginity in Flightlust. It just wasn't going to work. She needed to find someone she trusted to pour her thoughts and feelings onto and that probably wasn't going to happen before the hatching. And it was killing her to know that.

And then something hit her. There was a noise, a buzzing in her head. No, it was humming. She never jumped to her feet faster! She needed her white robes. And they were in the barracks.

She began her sprint, ignoring the fact that her head was still pounding. A headache was trivial in comparison to a hatching. She needed to get dressed and get on the Sands. It was happening. It was finally happening! Hopefully Aslath wasn't angry with her for leaving the Touching!

She decided not to think about that now. Instead, she finished her run to the barracks and joined the mass of candidates struggling to pull on their robes. Used to the process, Liassa pulled them over her head with shaking hands. Maybe this was her chance, maybe she would finally Impress. But she refused to think about that right now. She just needed to get on the Sands.

So she pulled herself together and made her way, making sure that her sandals were secure. Her mother was sure to scold her later if she burned her feet. That wouldn't do for her. The wheels turning even more rapidly in her mind, Liassa tried to still her thoughts, tried to concentrate on the one thing that truly mattered right now. At this moment, she should care about one thing, and one thing only; making her way to the Hatching Sands would be the number one priority. She shoved the thoughts of this strange flu, the thoughts of Aslath’s anger at her leaving early, and anything else, out of her mind.

Sandals firmly on, she made her way to the Sands. Respectfully, she made a fluid curtsey to the gold dragon and then her rider before joining the female semi-circle, finding a place near the center. She was far from too shy to take the front positions. But she wasn't thinking about that right now. Her eyes were glued on the eggs, waiting for the hatching to truly begin. This was yet another chance, and Liassa was determined to make the best of it.

[ryanne]

Like any sane person at this hour, Coralt was asleep. He wasn’t having any crazy dreams, or trying to figure out his life. No. It was early, and he was sleeping. But he was a fairly light sleeper, so the second movement erupted around him, he joined the mayhem, welcoming it. This was his chance. Sleep no longer fogged his mind as he hastened into his robes, trying to keep himself calm, cool, and collected. Even though he was making a tangled mess out of the simple white robes.

Though his mind should have been focused on successfully clothing himself, instead it dwelled with the thought of what was to come. The next few hours could determine the rest of his life, and it scared him. Walking out onto the Sands could lead to him walking off a changed person, or just disappointed. He could find a soulmate, a mindmate, someone who would live and die with him. Or he could have to just return to the barracks, hoping and waiting for the next time. It was a lot for him to process. That would explain the trouble of the robes.

But finally he pulled the garment on, sighing when he realized it didn’t exactly fit. It seemed the candidate before him had been a bit rounder in stature. He supposed it didn’t matter, but it irritated him nonetheless. With the flow of boys leaving the barracks, he couldn’t afford the time to worry about it. So he just bent down, tied on his shoes, and began to trek to the Sands.

Able to adequately walk and think at the same time, he managed to make it to the Sands without tripping. All throughout the trek, though, he couldn’t stop thinking about how life altering this morning could be. He remembered touching the eggs, feeling the unique personalities inside of each. He couldn’t imagine how the hatching would actually go. How it would feel to impress to one of these unique dragons. What it would be like to become a dragonrider of Selenitas, of Pern. Time and time again, his small little fantasy had played over in his mind. Impressing to a healthy, beautiful dragonet, color changing each time he played it through his mind. In the end, though, he realized it wouldn’t work anything like that.

After candidate lessons, he realized just how dangerous this would be. Coralt knew that stepping onto those Sands also put his life in danger. He could deal with scratches, or blood, but death… how was he supposed to deal with that? How was he supposed to walk out onto those Sands knowing that he might not walk off again? Those thoughts only added to his fear and anxiety.

But long before he could sort his thoughts out, he reached the Sands. It was decision time. He knew it was worth it. He never second-guessed that. To be able to fly high above the Weyr, on the back of someone who knew him better than he knew himself… that was a chance worth dying for. That was more than worth having to walk off dejected. He would be more disappointed in himself if he didn’t take those few steps, bow, and then join those waiting for the Hatching. He couldn’t even entertain the notion of not doing it, of not Standing. It was his dream, and he wasn’t going to let it pass him by.

And so with a smile, wavering only slightly, he made his way onto the Sands. Pausing for a moment, he bowed to the queen and her rider, recognizing the leaders of the Weyr. He took his place among the male candidates, head held high, with his hopes even higher. His eyes swept among the eggs, wondering which would hatch first, and wondering which, if any, held his future.

[rynnti]

Moritz leapt out of bed as Aslath’s voice rang through his mind. At first, he couldn’t quiet comprehend what was going on. Had he been having a strange dream? Honestly, there was no way the hatching was happening already. No, it was safe to curl right back up and go back to sleep. Moritz closed his eyes, pulling his furs tighter against his body. He probably would have gone back to sleep too, until he heard the humming. Moritz sat straight up once more, rubbing all the sleep out of his eyes. There was no way this was a dream, you couldn’t just fake that sound. The young candidate forced himself off of his cot and into his white robes. He had to hurry up. For one, he was not going to be late to the Hatching. He had worked too hard for this, he wasn’t going to give it up. If he didn’t Impress at this Hatching, and got sent back to Blossom Hold? He didn’t think he could run up to another dragon and just touch it without permission again. Especially after seeing Aslath react to Malkier’s rudeness at the Touching. For two, he had to be one of the first candidates to the sands. For some reason, he was of the belief that showing up earlier would somehow aid him in the Hatching. It would give him more time to calm his racing heart. Shoving his feet into his thick boots, for he remembered the heat of the sands on his feet the one day he wore sandals, Moritz dashed out towards the Hatching Sands as quickly as his short legs would allow.

As Moritz reached the sands, he had to stop and look around for a moment. Had he really thought this whole dragonrider thing through? He had heard horror stories of what might happen on the Hatching Sands. Dragonets, on the way to their chosen rider, could trample over other candidates in their way. He had never seen a hatchling’s claws before, but he knew they would be sharp. Just being pushed out of the way by a dragon’s body mass would probably leave some bruises. And those tails… This was just starting to look like a whole mess of dangerous. Moritz clenched his teeth together. He had to do this. He was not going back to Blossom Hold, unless it was on the back of his own dragon. He walked briskly over to the Weyrleaders and their dragons, bowing deeply in respect. He joined the other candidates, biting the inside of his lip.

Was he really doing this? Was this really happening? He still couldn’t believe it as he looked over the shaking eggs. One of the dragonets inside those eggs could be destined for him. He could be one of the great dragonriders of Pern. No, he would be. He had to be. Moritz knew that he had to Impress a dragon. This time, it wasn’t because he wanted to prove himself to the boys at home, or his parents, or even the Weyrleaders. It was because he wanted to prove himself to…himself.

[mashiara]

Min was having trouble sleeping when a voice-would she ever get used to that?-that seemed to spring the candidate barracks into action. The eggs were hatching! She’d been fretting and steaming over having to sit around waiting and now so soon they were being summoned for… Oh shards! Now that the time was upon her Min wished she’d have had more time to get used to the Weyr, to learn what others doubtlessly had already learned. Her stomach felt like a family of firelizards was playing in it. Silently trying to will herself to ease Min quickly got out of bed and threw on the simple dress required of the young women who went to the Hatching. Her hair was down…she hesitated in the act of grabbing for her comb. No time. Giving herself a brief glimpse in the mirror Min grimaced before dashing down the hall, her fingers raking through the long brown hair that went to her waist.

No time. No time to fix her hair. What a fool thing to worry about! By the sea she was acting like a wherryhead…Yet Min didn’t slow her pace and didn’t consider it for a moment. She had never seen a Hatching and every tale good and bad was currently racing through her head. Not that she believed even half the tales. Of course not. Surely a dragon wouldn’t…No. She WAS being foolish. The dark eyed girl reached up to yank her braid and fond only a wavy mass. Bah!

Schooling her features to what she believed to be calm-more like perturbed stone-the young woman hurried to the sands. She didn’t know the decorum of such things…but it was always wise to be overly formal than not and those ahead of her seemed to give a decent example. Offering a deep curtsy to the Weyrleaders and murmuring a thanks for being allowed to grace the hatching sands she repeated the gesture to the great Queen dragon before walking over to the assembled girls. She didn’t know them nor did she truly care. She was familiar with no one and nothing in this Weyr…But with head held high and pride in her eyes Min waited.

She WOULD be strong. She WOULD Impress! And if she didn’t….if she didn’t she would not cry. No she would not! Forcing the fear away Min’s face hardened.

“I will weather this storm…”she whispered softly, wishing it didn’t sound more like a prayer than a command….
-------
Malkier had hastily thrown on his Hatching clothes before dashing toward the sands at full speed. He was not an easily excited young man. Rational. Calm. Detached in many ways… Yet he was also proud and the shame of what had happened at the Touching still burned his heart. He would not give that Queen dragon-not give ANYONE a chance to send him away again. Of course he knew full well he had made an error. In many ways the fact it was his fault made the shame very much worse. He had been a smart lad in his craft. He was not used to being on the wrong foot with his elders and by the egg it bothered him!

As he dashed toward the sand Malkier made sure the Splotch knew not to come too close-and mentally repeated the command to bow and ask. Such a fool mistake he’d made…It irked the youth, his usual cool aloof manner gone in his focused attempt to get on the Queens good side again. His mind had even for the moment forgotten that he claimed this was merely research. In the heat of the moment it appeared he could not lie…he wanted to stand on the sands!

When he finally reached the sands Malkier bowed deeply to both Weyrleaders and Queen dragon, asking permission to stand…Only than it clicked in the youths mind, determination suddenly sliding to anxiety. Would the golden queen remember him…? Would she….? Could she….ban him from the stands? He could not remember being afraid much since being old enough to leave his mothers side. Fear was a useless and rarely logical thing…Most emotions were… But in that moment it was fear that surely commanded his heart.

[kysseh]

Savitri had been awake for nearly a candlemark, and now was simply lying on her bed and staring off into space, her mind mulling over a number of things that she did not care to voice. She had gone to sleep early after a long day in the infirmary, and now she was awake very early, finding it hard to sleep with so much on her mind. Several people had asked her why she was not bouncing around in excitement to Stand for the upcoming Hatching. Even Aliscia had made a rare show of arching an eyebrow and asking the healer-turned-candidate why she did not look more excited. The young woman had briefly wondered if something was wrong with remaining calm. It was not that she did not look forward to the occasion. Truthfully, she could scarcely wait. The difference was in noting that hyperactive behavior and squealing would not make the eggs hatch any sooner, so she preferred to keep her excitement internal. The hatching would come soon enough, and then she could use that saved energy to be alert then. It all made perfect sense, at least to her.

She sat up and quietly slid out of bed, taking a comb from her trunk to lightly brush through her still-damp hair. It would dry quickly enough, so she left it loose and tucked the long strands behind her ears. It made her look a few Turns younger, but she cared little. Her mind had switched gears, and now it was going through a list of the eggs in her head, remembering the appearance, the feeling she got from each of the eggs. The thistle egg had undeniably been her favorite, though she was a female and unable to resist the pull of the coveted queen egg. Did she want to Impress the queen? She admitted to herself, in those early hours of the morning, that she did. It would mean a sacrifice of a lot of freedom, but it meant the gaining of other things too: responsibility, power... status. The idea of social status did make her nose crinkle. As much as she wanted respect, she would rather earn it than have people fawn in search of favors. How irritating!

Whatever thoughts she would have had from there were abruptly disrupted by a flurry of mental images from Shadow that showed a few of the eggs rocking, and the healer made for her trunk with barely a second glance, reaching it just before Aslath's call registered in her already-alert brain. Eager as she was, the healer did not rush helter-skelter, taking a few extra seconds to settle her robe--she hated the sharding thing, as it fit in a way that hampered leg movement a bit--and her sandals before making quickly for the boats.

It took her a few moments longer than she wanted, and she was unsurprised to note that several candidates had arrived before her. After pausing at the entrance for a courteous bow toward the queen and toward the weyrwoman, she made her way toward the gathering of candidates, settling for a spot a pace or two off the group so that her view of the clutch would be unhampered. Being vertically-challenged had its disadvantages, and regardless of Impressing or not, the healer was eager to see what hatched from the eggs. She knew the large gray egg would not hatch into a dragon she could Impress, but she was hopeful to see it nonetheless. She rather liked that one. For the moment, though, her eyes were focused on the rocking eggs, and she straightened a bit, noting a bit too late that her shoulder-length, fluffy hair was still loose. Shardit. Hopefully, the straight stuff would stay behind her ears and not get in her field of vision. She inhaled and exhaled deeply to calm her quick heartbeat, no less excitable than the rest but refusing to show it outwardly.



//They Hatch, Mine.// Tanith's mental voice stirred Aliscia from sleep, the rider slightly startled by the tone of her dragon's humming. Groaning softly, the greenrider tossed back her furs and slid from her warm and comfortable bed, easing her scarred and sore body into a comfortable and halfway-decent set of clothes. She refused to dress formally. There was just no point to it. Satisfied that she was dressed nicely, if not in her Gather finest, the greenrider swung herself up onto her diminutive green's neck, barely making it there before the green charged from the weyr and launched herself into the air.

Tanith was among the first dragons to be present, and she folded her overlarge wings to land on one of the higher tiers, not willing to get near the broody queen. She wanted to watch, and she did not trust the queen to go cranky again. Arching her neck, the green extended her foreleg to allow her rider to dismount a little easier, conscious of Aliscia's stiffness. .//You need a massage slave.// the green remarked casually to her rider before turning her attention to the eggs, humming with the other dragons while her eyes whirled excitedly.

Aliscia simply leaned against the green's shoulder and looked down, content to be high up. She could see just fine from here, and she did not want to be flocked by freaked-out candidates. She briefly wondered if she needed to be closer, deciding Shmee or Aslath would pass the message if her presence was wanted or required, for any reason. She hoped most of the candidates would Impress. It would get them out of her hair, which delighted her to no end.

[reqqy]

And again with the 'let's hatch in the dead of night so you get trampled in the crush while half-asleep' routine. Mutasim might have been excited if he actually had any hope of truly being tramped to death, but, with his luck, he'd probably just end up crippled for life. Jabari scratched at his head in mild scolding. No, Muta never woke up happy with the world, particularly when it threw off his biological clock. It didn't help that everyone else seemed so sharding excited. The boy stifled a yawn and casually slipped into the oft-worn candidate robes, actually making it out of the barracks before most because he wasn't bumbling or tripping all over himself in his hurry.

He could feel his mind coming fully awake as they began to ferry the candidates across the river. Hmmm. The sky was actually lightening, wasn't it? Stretching, he pretended not to notice that he'd nearly knocked a couple of the others crowded into the boat out into the river. They were smart enough to let it go once they saw who it was. Oh, he was so proud of these pampered ninnies. Too bad dragons seemed to like pampered ninnies. That drew forth a mild scowl, but he let it pass. What was...simply was. No changing it.

Before he truly noticed it, Mutasim was back upon the Sands, at the heart of one of his repeating failures, and he took the time to take it in like a man might watch an old flame across the way in bittersweet longing. A step, another, and there he was, standing amidst a small gathering of boys - they always seemed to have a shortage of males at these things, though that didn't seem to help his odds any - his heartbeat quickening despite himself. It was the humming. That awful humming just pushed your pulse to an all-time high, he lied to himself, and, because he knew it was a lie, he could maintain the illusion for just a while longer.

The small candidate turned his wary gaze upon Aslath, his hands resting comfortably at his sides. No knives but the one typically strapped to a thigh. Common sense dictated that he didn't want to be perceived as a threat, even though he radiated menace like the sun gave off heat. He should have bowed. Should have made his obeisances. Most likely, though, no one would notice the tiny creature amidst all the rest. Some part of him, too, wished that he might not leave these sands, that part which was just a step away from suicidal.

After a moment, his eyes were drawn to the rocking eggs. He greatly missed Z'hin's stolid presence right now. Though the brownrider had never joined him on the Sands once their friendship had been forged, all Mutasim had to do was seek out the steady, bolstering gaze, and he could bring himself to face the repeated rejections with some measure of dignity. Of course, he would anyway. Anything less and he would not have been Mutasim.

***

S'rei was already awake.

No, that was somewhat inaccurate. He had never slept. Salenth, too, was in a fitful state, and though he'd managed to get some rest, the quality of that rest was in question. Both were immediately aware of the Hatching. For once, Salenth had given in to his hurt pride, and decided that he really didn't care to see the clutch Impress that another had sired. No. That wasn't quite true. He didn't want to look down onto those sands and see Ciceroth in his spot next to Aslath. That S'rei thought the whole attitude was childish did little to deter him.

So it was that he was rather slow to relay Aslath's message. It was - bothersome - that S'rei was the only one mentioned in her invitation, even though he half-expected it. Salenth was in a downright foul mood. He wouldn't have complied at all, but it was a gold's impatient command. The most he could do to fight it was put it off an extra moment or two. His rider's head came up from where it lay pillowed on his arms, a brow raising in silent inquiry. Don't make me repeat myself, the bronze grumped. I suppose you'll want me to take you as well.

And spend another moment with your surliness? I'll walk, thanks. They'd retired to an abandoned weyr that Shmee had found for them earlier, the action itself tasting strange in the bronzerider's mouth. Things between them were easing, but she still obviously didn't want him around. He was mildly surprised she'd even invited him to the Hatching - and was smart enough not to go without such an invitation. No need to create a scene amidst what was already sure to be chaos.

Dressing in the slowly growing light, the man chose dark colors, perhaps influenced a tad by Salenth's mood. His trek wasn't very long-lived once he'd gained the waterfall's heights. Slipping past the trickle of later-arriving candidates, the former weyrleader was conspicuous in his overbearing height, the sense of remove reflected in both the grim set to his lips and the dusting of grey at his temples. As usual, he'd forgone knots. Those who didn't know him by sight would just have to learn.

S'rei didn't seem to be in a hurry, but he still managed to find the seating for the Weyrleaders in record time, the man pausing to stand a few paces back as he surveyed Shmee. Looked like she'd just rolled out of bed. A small smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. She probably had. S'rei strode forward, making a show of surveying the sands when all of his attention was truly on the Weyrwoman of Selenitas. He was at a loss for what to say or do until she gave him some sort of clue as to her mood.

Women. So complicated.

[Ruby]

Asterlin had not been sleeping well, which was rather uncharacteristic for him. He loved his sleep. It seemed like the Weyr brought out some other side of him, though. Sleeping poorly was one thing, but Asterlin had been tossed in to new social situations throughout his whole life, and every time he had managed to make them work to his advantage without really being uncomfortable or worried about anything. That was nineteen years of sheer confidence, backed by a sunny demeanor and charisma that made people like him- and him like people- right off the bat. But the dragons had thrown that off somehow. Reysalth, first, had so awed him that he could barely function- he had had dinner with Lord Holders (well, one Lord Holder, and an ex one, but still) and insulted their daughters and gotten away with it, because he had made everyone laugh. He was not really an aweable person. And then, he was ushered off to the Candidate barracks, only to discover he had been searched after lessons had concluded and the Touching had already occurred. Many of the candidates seemed to know each other already, and normally this wouldn't have bothered him in the slightest, but within minutes of his check-in, a messenger arrived from the stables saying the Stablemaster had gotten clearance for him to complete all his chores there. He had been given time to store his stuff, but literally had not even gotten to ask anyone's name before he was back in the stables again, shoveling the same muck as ever. Having gotten a late start, he wasn't finished and allowed to go back to the barracks until everyone was in bed. Most of the boys appeared to be snoring already, so Aster had undressed and tried to sleep.

But he couldn't. It wasn't exactly excitement that was keeping him up- a day in the stables without having anything to do with the runners will kill anyone's fun, and no doubt that's why he had been assigned those jobs today. I mean, who wouldn't be excited to be searched? But Asterlin could control himself enough to handle a little of that. He could sleep through it for sure. So what was keeping him up? Truthfully, he missed his parents a little. This was the first time in his life that he'd been away from them, and although it had only been... really, only four days? Yes, he had arrived four days ago, in his father's tow, and had been left three days later to work at the Weyr. That left the day he was searched, which led right up to now. He didn't even know if he was eligible to stand! Never having had any teaching in anything but music, he didn't know what was expected at a hatching, how he would know, or anything. There were rumors about some sort of sacrificial robe, and he'd been given a pure white one (which was NOT designed for someone as tall as he was, but fit as well as it could, he supposed), but that was all. His father had claimed that the young dragonets were terrors, mutilated and mutilating beasts out to kill all the candidates that weren't theirs, but after meeting Green Reysalth he wasn't so sure. This was the main musing that kept him up- what was true and what wasn't.

Near dawn, he gave up on trying to sleep altogether and instead hopped down to stand by a window at the far end of the long dormitory, hoping to watch the dawn. It had been his least favorite time of day when he was a younger teen, but for some reason he really wanted to see it this morning. He began singing- in his head, he knew his voice was awful- an old tune about the rising of the Red Star, but it started creeping him out and he stopped. Only... the sound didn't. A hum seemed to be vibrating out of the floor, and Asterlin had NO idea what was going on. Then the most disturbing thing yet happened- a voice, not his own, ripped through his head, informing him that the hatching was imminent. Aster's jaw dropped- he had been counting on two more days, at least! Some time to find out who the Weyrwoman was, even, and if he was even allowed to stand! But no such luck. At a loss for what to do, he headed back to his bunk and watched as the other boys woke and struggled into their robes. Following suit, he put his on and followed the group to what could only be the hatching sands.

If he thought the Green had been an awe-inspiring sight, she was nothing next to the Queen. Aslath towered above everyone there, humans and dragons alike, looking like the sun that had not yet risen. There was no question that it was her clutch. Once again watching his fellows for cues, he bowed to the Weyrleaders, holding it probably longer than he needed to. But there was no harm in being gentlemanly, especially when the Senior Queen could have crushed his head with her tiniest toe. Sublimating the fear, he turned next to the clutch, getting his first sight of the eggs that would hatch out dragonets sometime in the next few hours. A few seemed to call to him, but as he hadn't touched any, he wasn't sure where to stand so as to be close to an egg he liked. So he positioned himself arms length from the very young boy who had been Searched with him, giving him a reassuring smile.

Although Asterlin's chances looked grim due to his lack of preparation and major setback of not touching the clutch, he stood tall. Dragons were mighty, wonderful creatures, the protectors of Pern- how could their younglings be as horrible as his father had suggested? It simply wasn't possible. If he did not impress this time, he would simply prepare better next time. In hopes of a bit of support, he searched the Tiers quickly for a familiar face (i.e. Lauranna's, all the stable hands were asleep or busy he was sure), but they were really too far away to see anything. There was another green, but not Reysalth, and he wasn't that surprised. Stablehands weren't the only ones with things to do before dawn- most people slept. He turned his attention to the door for a moment, just because he felt like he should, and then focused on the clutch once again.

Only then did he realize his feet were on fire. What a way to start a day.

[darcy]

Unlike many of the other candidates, Lienos was unlikely to lose sleep over anything. And in this case, not even a hatching. After his evening meal last night he had wandered back to his room and fell asleep the moment he lay down. Unusually, however, it was not a restful sleep; he found himself waking up at the quietest of sounds, mind whirring with dreams of Hatchings and Dragons, often in the most bizarre of circumstances. In one, he had impressed a dragon that looked to be rather more like a runnerbeast with three pairs of wings, and in another the weyrwoman was chasing him, followed by an army of golden firelizards. Needless to say, he was glad when he could finally sleep no more.

He woke immediately at Aslath's announcement, yawning quite ungracefully. With slight embarrassment he noticed his roommate still sleeping, though figured he would have to wake soon at any rate. Unsurprisingly, he had put very little thought into preparing the night before, and had to dig around in the dark for his robes and sandals, swearing in hushed tones more than a few times, and in... less hushed tones on several occasions. He finally managed to clothe himself appropriately, and luckily had not again made the mistake of losing his comb. He hastily tied his hair back, mustered the most awake look he could manage, and set off for the grounds.

He was half asleep crossing on the boats, and nearly fell asleep on the shoulder of the candidate next to him. He normally slept for a half-day, at the very least, and was unsurprisingly unable to function on a short and restless sleep. His thoughts were in quite a muddle, and several times he found himself dozing off then waking up and scaring himself out of his wits because last time he remembered he was in a bed, and now found himself on a boat. Even as they approached the sands, he could hardly hold himself awake, despite the excited chatter on either side of him. He moved off the the boat in a daze of fear, lethargy and excitement, and was barely aware of his surroundings; that was until they moved onto the sands, where the eggs were rocking.

And then adrenaline took over, unlike anything Lienos had experienced before. In terms of intense feelings, this was skyrocketing, and Lienos very rarely experienced intense feelings. As a rule, in fact, he avoided them as best he could. But this was a hatching, and he was here, and there were eggs and... The candidate suddenly realized he had been holding his breath, and imagined he looked quite stricken indeed. So with a nervous, hasty chuckle, he moved forwards, bowed as deeply as he could to Aslath, and pushed all thoughts out of his head, as best as he could manage.

[ravenmane]

Candidates, it is time to wake up. My clutch is Hatching. When the Queen's calm voice reached her, Kalushka was already awake. Sleep had evaded her that night, dancing just out of reach. It was a relief to have something to do to if she couldn't rest, but then a sudden rush of nervousness overcame the candidate for a moment. She had not Impressed at the clutches she had Stood for, and even the Whers had rejected her. A quiet peep from beside her bed alerted Kal to Fog. Her hand drifted up to stroke the small salamandyr as she willed herself to sit up. Jashta joined the two and curled up on Kalushka's lap. "Sorry, Sweetie. You and Fog are going to have to stay here. Aslath doesnt like fire-lizards on her Sands, and I don't think she would appreciate salamandyrs either."

Jashta chirped quietly before remvoing herself from Kal's lap and curling up beside Fog. "It's your job to watch over him, Jashta. If you do, I'll make sure to get you a special treat." The Green simply chirped again before going back yo sleep. Bad. Fog stared up at her blindly as he tried to convince Kalushka to take him. Please? "I'm sorry, Fog. Aslath would kick both of us off the Sands forever." The light blue salamandyr slowly slinked over to curl up with Jashta as he finally realized he couldn't come.

Kalushka smiled at the two before striding out the door and towards the Hatching Sands. Light was already coming to the world, and Kalushka could see other candidates assembling. Already, the ferries were being used toe shepherd those waiting to Impress to their final destination. Kalushka sighed quietly, knowing full well (or believing so) that she wouldn't Impress. She had been rejected countless times, and the thought of Impressing was only a distant hope. When the candidate arrived on the Hatching Sands, she politely bowed to Aslath before joining the other candidates.

[Administrator]

((I should probably say: When you have a candidate, I'm assuming I can maul any of them in a Hatching. If you object to that, plase PM ME.))

Shmee yawned, still half-awake. Her attention was divided up among so many things that it was hard for her to keep track of it all. For one, the eggs were rocking, and some were cracking. Any moment, a dragon could hatch out of them! Candidates at the same time trailed in, with their white robes clinging to their bodies. This day could change their lives forever. Shmee smiled a little, remembering how that day was for her. She was smaller-- so much smaller-- with waist-length black hair and a loud laugh. She knew she wouldn't get the queen because the queen had been promised to Seresta, the future Weyrwoman. But as soon as the little queen Aslath broke shell, she knew that Seresta would never be Weyrwoman. She sighed dreamily at the memory, rubbing Shei's little arm. The babe stirred a little, but didn't wake completely. And then, Shmee was also looking for S'rei. Rubbing at her eyes with her free hand, she found him slowly entering through the sands. Waving at him to join her, Shei gurgled a little, waving her own little hands at her mother's movement. Shmee bit her lip. She hoped Shei wouldn't start crying in the Hatching. This was a time of happiness, and if Shei started bawling, it wouldn't seem so joyful.

Aslath, however, paid no attention to anything except her clutch. The candidates were here, so all was well. Now, it would be just watch and wait. Except one thing did bother her. There was one dragon missing from all the excitement, and it angered Aslath. Salenth, give me one good reason why you are not watching the children I laid hatch,[/color] she growled to her old mate. She didn't understand why he wasn't coming, but he was rapidly losing points with her. She must be right, then. He truly didn't care about her anymore, which was why he refused to come watch her clutch hatch. It was infuriating. How could she ever have once loved being around the grumpy, stupid bronze Salenth? She hissed.

Then, spying one of the bowing candidates, Aslath snorted. Fortunately for Malkier, her memory was poor. He was safe... for now. To her, he was just an overly-formal candidate. It was amusing to anyone that would remember, considering last time, he hadn't been formal enough.

Yet everything, every emotion, movement, breath, all came to an abrupt halt as the rocking Forget-Me-Not Egg suddenly increased in violence. The shuddering egg rocked in uneven beats, faster and heavier, in its little groove in the sand. One looking at it might say that its movements were spastic, but the general consensus was that though this egg's erratic movements were on the brink of crazy, this egg would be the first to hatch. Deep cracks began to run down the sides of this violet egg. Then, with one final rock, the egg managed to propel itself so that it fell sideways across the sands, but the hit against ground was hard enough to shatter the fragile thing. The fragments dropped to the sands, now useless as being the encasement of this dragonet. This small, blue dragonet.

Its actions were mimicked with the Buttercup Egg. It, too, fell to the sands, shattering its vivid shell on impact. But from this egg, it was a dainty little light-green dragon who looked up curiously from where she lay. Clumsily rising, the green slipped, squealing as she collapsed onto the sands. Her blue brother rumbled in amusement, but now was not the time for nonsense. Oddly graceful (unlike his sister), he stalked straight towards the boys. He had absolutely no hesitations or reservations about who he wanted. He just knew that who he was about to choose was the perfect choice. That dumb green could be as indecisive as she wanted, but he, unlike her, was confident. Approaching Coralt, he nudged the boy's head with his maw. C'raltmine, I am your Vomath, and I am very hungry,[/color] he said matter-of-factly. Hopefully, this boy wasn't too stupid so he would know that this was quite an urgent matter.

The green squeaked nervously, trying to pull herself back up to her feet. Who knew walking was such hard work?

Meanwhile, the Tulip Egg, which was already cracking, didn't need the ungracefulness of the previous hatchings. This one didn't have to fall for it crack open! Instead, a dark brown head pushed its way out of the top of the shell. Already, one could see three dots below his eyes and a line above each of them. It gave him the peculiar look of war paint, but apparently, the brown didn't notice, for he warbled anxiously-- not at all in an intimidating way. Wrestling his way out of his egg, he looked straight over to the candidates. One of them was his future lifemate. His movements became more urgent as he busted through his shell, bolting straight towards the candidates.

The poor little Poison Ivy Egg was the next to show signs of life. The itchy shell wiggled in anticipation in the little groove of sand it was kept in. It could come out! However, its hard shakes didn't attract attention to itself that much. It was just a rocking egg in the background, even when the first little cracks began to run down in vertical stripes down the egg shell.

The brown was going to be very careful in choosing who he wanted. Carefully plodding among the boys, he sniffed an interesting boy here and there. Odian seemed particularly intriguing to the brown, for he would keep coming back, time and again, to smell the boy. However, each time, there was something wrong with him, so the brown would continue his search for the perfect Mine. And then... here he was! Crooning, he bent, nuzzling Moritz's abdomen. MineM'ritz! Your Origoth is very hungry![/color]

Aslath bugled, heralding the birth of the first children from this clutch. All strong, all fine... but what would really matter was the birth of her queen daughter. It was rocking slowly, regally, on the sands. The green, hearing her mother's bugle, squeaked out a little trumpeting of her own, and Aslath snorted. That green was a little ham, to be sure! But what that green really needed to do was Impress...

[Kisha-Ra]

Wraith scurried up her humanpet’s body; he needed to be groomed, right now, in the early hours of the morning. Unfortunately for the salamandyr Jarathon shot upright as soon as Aslath broadcast her message to the candidates, inadvertently catapulting the green down the bed again. NO! Wraith objected furiously to this treatment.

‘Sorry Wraith’ Jarathon muttered an apology to his pet and slid out of his bunk. Wraith knew better than to try and perch on him while he was dressing but muttered a commentary from where she landed as Jarathon shoved his robe over his head. Tafith snaggle flarg bugs. See?

Jarathon shook his head at Wraith’s attempt to be allowed to come with him. ‘You know you can’t come with me.’ He said ‘you’ll have to go where the dragons watch from if you want to watch the hatching.’ Wraith curled up into the tightest ball she could, which was probably a measure of disapproval. Jarathon didn’t worry about that for now, he had a hatching to get to.

At the hatching grounds Jarathon straightened his robe carefully and walked onto the sands with as much dignity as he could muster, he made the required formal bow to the queen, and hurried off to take his place among the other candidates.


Redaro blinked sleepily, was that a real voice or just some sort of dream? The momenments of his bunkmate rising and dressing convinced Redaro that it must have really been Aslath’s voice. How considerate of her to let the candidates know it was time to get ready!

He slipped out of bed without disturbing his firelizards, though the six multi faceted eyes that followed his movements let him know that his trio of greens were awake. He had been careful with his hatching clothes so that he wouldn’t have to search all over the place for them when the time came and he was glad of that now. It made it simple to just get the robe on and belt it and shuffle into the sandals, he hesitated over combing his hair for a moment before deciding to just not bother and tying it back quickly.

The heat of the sands hit him like a hammer as he walked through the entrance but since there was nothing he could do about it Redaro bowed to Aslath and shuffled off, hoping he wouldn’t trip over his sandals.


Roshya had been awake anyway, since in her book it was nearly time to get up let the runnerbeasts out to graze, and start cleaning stalls, so when Aslath announced the hatching she stretched and jumped out of bed in a way that might have annoyed people at another time.

Since there was no point in panicking about the whole business Roshya dressed in the required clothing quickly and told Riss to stay in the room. The flitter agreed readily and utterly; he didn’t want to go anywhere Aslath. Sure everything she had to dp was done Roshya strode out of the barracks.

For the second time Roshya entered the hatching grounds and bowed to Aslath and her rider. However this time she would not be taking a lesiurly walk through the eggs and stroking them, this morning would be a great event. Sixteen lives would be changed forever. Roshya fixed her eyes on the shaking eggs waited with baited breath.


Once again Odian felt he was too calm as he prepared himself for the hatching, and once again he reflected that it was very strange that he only ever felt like this when any sane person would at least be nervous.

Once again he took up the white robe of a candidate, noting as he belted it that it was not as big on him as last time he wore it, with his footwear in hand Odian headed off with the rest of the crowd.

He sat in the boat quietly as if were a normal day, though not many days started this early, walked to the hatching ground calmly and bowed without a wobble. It was only when he stood among the other white clad figures that his sense kicked in and his fingers twined nervously together as the shaking eggs drew his eyes.

[kysseh]

((Maulings are fine by me, as long as no death is involved. <3))

Savitri was surprised by the speed with which the hatchlings emerged, one after another it seemed. The beautiful blue dragonet seemed to have no trouble getting himself coordinated and making for the candidates without any hesitation. Shards, but they did not waste time, did they?! She had to wonder, however briefly, if they came from their shell knowing exactly whom they wanted, for there had been no uncertainty in the blue's choosing. The little green, however, did not seem to be choosing anyone yet, and she frowned slightly, stepping a half-pace to the side to get a better look and wishing she were just a little bit taller. So many candidates in the way!

The brown took longer than the blue and seemed to be giving the boys a good sniff. She watched him take his time, one eyebrow arched as he kept returning to one boy in particular before choosing another one. Odd little things, weren't they? She had to give a rare, genuine smile as the brown finally chose his lifemate, turning her eyes back to the clutch. It seemed another few of the eggs were rocking, and the queen egg was taking its time, to say the least. She turned her attention to the little green in the sands, her smile widening a bit as the little green echoed her mother's bugle... or attempted to, at least. Attention hog... she thought quietly, wondering why the little green was not getting on with the business of choosing like the other two had. Was her lifemate not here, or was she just taking her sweet little time?

The candidate guessed the green was just in no hurry, and though she continued to keep glancing at the little green, hoping maybe on some level that she or one of the other dragonets would wander in this direction, her eyes flicked over the clutch again for signs of movement and more hatchlings emerging. She could feel herself getting excited and managed to contain it, if only barely, shifting her weight lightly from foot to foot. Her feet were hot even through the sandals she wore, and that helped to keep her calm, gave her something else to focus on. She got the occasional update from Shadow and knew that the white 'mandyr had secreted himself in the wall somewhere above the heads of the people in the Stands. She would never find him; levering him out of cracks and crevices was generally unwise. He would come to her for food later.

It did, briefly, occur to her that she may not Impress at this clutch. She had mulled the idea over before, but it had never really crystallized in her mind until now. Though she felt a pang in her heart at the thought, the healer shoved it aside with a great deal of anger, furious at herself for doubting. If she Impressed, she did, and she would be happy beyond all measure. If she didn't, she didn't. There were other clutches. She tipped her chin up a bit. There, that was better. None of this emotional whining and self-doubting. She had more sense than that.