The Hatching of the Galactic Clutch

[Administrator]

The first signs of the hatching were nearly unnoticeable when the humming started to thrum out around mid-day. Those walking down in their weyrs or the trees might have been able to feel the deepest vibrations in their feet, yet they dismissed it as nothing. Perhaps a rare few pondered what the source of humming was, but not a soul uttered a word about a potential hatching. No one recognized it for what it was until a pack of wild flitters soared through the hallways, their throats buzzing with the hatching hum.

This colorful cavalcade seemed to alert people that the dragons were also making the same sounds in their own throats- people leapt up from wherever they were, and hastened to the Hatching Ground. The candidates in their barracks immediately flew down the steps of their barracks into their boats, waiting with almost sickening impatience for the next boat to come back so they could get over before any dragons broke shell.

Shmee, punctual as ever, didn’t realize the dragons were humming until she heard shouts coming from the Hatching Ground beside the weyr. Frowning, she walked out, about to tell them off, when she realized what it was. Paling, she ran as fast as she could to the seat reserved for the Weyrleaders, which only consisted of her for now. Only the truly insightful would be able to tell their Weyrwoman was nervous- her bright eyes flickered around at the people and entering candidates, fidgeting with the hem of her white tunic like a weyrbrat.

The eggs were indeed rocking; each at their own pace, but it was clear all of them showed signs of life. The Cosmos Egg was steadily rocking from side to side, and even the Mercury Egg, who many thought was dead, was also giving a feeble shudder every now and again. Cracks were spreading up and down the Saturn Egg and the unseen Eclipse Egg was also silently cracking very generously in some places.

The Hatching had begun.


Cosmos Egg -- Hatched queen Aezanth, Impressed to Paryal
Mercury Egg -- Hatched green Reenith, Impressed to N'vis
Venus Egg -- Hatched blue Clestioth, Impressed to E'nor
Earth Egg -- Hatched bronze Kasraith, Impressed to T'ren
Mars Egg -- Hatched green Llath, Impressed to P'tol
Jupiter Egg -- Hatched bronze Rinth, Impressed to W'liam
Saturn Egg -- Hatched brown Jessereth, Impressed to Z'hin
Uranus Egg -- Hatched blue Ayisseth, Impressed to A'en
Neptune Egg -- Hatched green Phremath, Impressed to Kalierre
Pluto Egg -- Hatched green Liamorth, Impressed to Alene
Sedna Egg -- Hatched green Euciath, Impressed to Q'ell
Ceres Egg -- Hatched green Toryth, Impressed to Ciara
Eclipse Egg -- Hatched blue Adith, Impressed to Uu'n
Comet Egg -- Hatched brown Vemorath, Impressed to V'nus

[Administrator]

Post for Evendar:

“VI!” Narna skidded to a halt in front of her brothers door. “Vi, they’re hatching! Can’t you hear the Humming?” Narna’s eyes were wild, her hair whipping about to gently slap her face. Nevis looked up from his curled position on his cot, a book open on his lap.

“What?” Nevis asked, suddenly nervous. Narna just shook her head and walked forward to grab the young man.

“Come on. Grab you’re robe.” she said, gesturing to the rather unflattering white robe that was traditional Candidate garb. She didn’t even wait for him to put it on, as soon as he had it over his head she grabbed his wrist and dragged him out of the Barracks. It was a headlong dash across the rim of the river canyon to the Hatching Grounds. Both of them entered the Grounds at a run, skidding to a halt as they watched the rocking eggs. With a final squeeze of her hands, Narna dashed off to stand with the other likely girls by the Queen egg.

“She really does deserve her.” Nevis muttered to himself as he tried to find an inconspicuous spot not far from his sister. He wasn’t really here for himself at all. He was here for her; showing his support for his last family member and sister as she vied for that tiny golden beast.

“Please. Please let her get the gold.” he muttered to whoever it was that listened to such internal conflicts. “She needs her so much.” he watched his sister and the rocking golden egg with baited breath, barely noticing any other eggs on the Sands.

[covera]

Verentinus was resting in his cot when a bronze firelizard began to peck him fiercely. Scrambling up, Verentinus tried to flee the bronze, which he recognized as Erro, Covera's bronze.
"Go away Erro! Why did you have to wake me up?" Verentinus cried, shooing Erro away. But the bronze firelizard just continued pecking him and chirping anxiously.

Then he heard it. The dragons were humming! "The dragons are humming, the hatching has begun?" Verentinus yelled and stopped trying to shoo Erro away. "That's what you were trying to tell me?" With a leap, Verentinus scrambled to open his cloth chest and to find the white robe he was supposed to wear. Erro seeing that Verentinus was preparing for the hatching, stopped pecking him, instead he just watched Verentinus interestedly while Verentinus changed clothes.

Finally when Verentinus was clad in the white robe, he ran down the stairs as fast as he could. "Well come on Erro! Didn't you want me to go?" He yelled over his shoulder. Erro realizing that Verentinus was gone, chirped and flew after Verentinus excitedly.

Finally, Verentinus arrived at the Hatching Sands, out of breath. Trying to shake his tiredness out of him, Verentinus stood up straight, he had to be fully alert. Some eggs were even beginning to rock!
"Please let me have a dragon! Any dragon," Verentinus whispered with closed eyes. What if he didn't get a dragon? His sister would be so disappointed in him and then Verentinus would have to back to Weaving. Verentinus shuddered and stepped closer to the eggs, watching them intently.
Erro, satisfied that Verentinus had gone where he was supposed to go, disappeared with a crack, returning to Covera.

[agdragoon]

Korli was in her room when she started to really feel the humming. So deep in her chest. She had been drawing randomly even if it was a bit of a lazy drawing. She walked to the hallway and saw other candidates start putting on robes. Well she better put one on too huh? She took a deep breath putting her hair up plainly slipping off all her clothes and then putting on the traditional white robe. It was quite odd for her... putting the robe on by will and not by force.

She took a step out and she looked around. Well guess she needed to head out huh? She smiled a rare thing. She pasted a few candidates as she went up to the hatching grounds and made her way to the sands. The eggs still looked rather sickly... but alot better. Maybe it was because of the signs of life? Yes that had to be it. She was happy for them. Today they would choose their life mates... their soul mates for the rest of their lives.

She leaned against the wall at the edge of the sands and watched staying silent. She was never much the talker but a listener always and when she spoke everyone usualy turned their heads to listen.

[Requiem]

Kalierre

It was from an exhausted, dreamless sleep that he awakened her, his hand warm on her arm as he called to her softly. Kali growled and tried to knock the hand away. No use. It lingered.

"Kali. Wake up. Fath's last clutch is hatching. Kali?"

The young healer cracked open one eye, regarding the bronzerider narrowly. He had vacated the chair near the cot in the infirmary, the dark circles under his eyes so pronounced she knew she must look horrible. Lauranna had finally quieted just a few hours ago. And the child...the child had been born so very small, its twisted leg sparking a great sorrow in the healer. He was with a wetnurse now. Had been for the tenday the greenrider had been in and out of consciousness, teetering on the edge of death. Too much bloodloss. The birth had been nothing short of disastrous. Even now, she worried that the child wouldn't last. He was so tiny.

"Did you hear?" S'rei gestured to the two flitters, no longer anxious as they had been for so long, but humming deep in their throats. "The hatching has begun." Kalierre shook her head. "I-I can't leave her, Rei." But he just smiled a weary smile, shooing her off with a hand. "She asked me to take her to see the hatching, Kalierre, and though we both like your company, you belong on the sands."

***

Zahin and Mutasim

They were working in the herb garden, the two boys, one built like a farmer and the other like a waif. Zahin had been unable to get the small lad who even shared the barracks with him to speak more than a few words. They labored under the midday sun in silence. While the older boy had removed his tunic, sweat glistening on his broad, barrel chest, Mutasim endured the heat. There had been a buzzing in his ears for the last candlemark. Only as he took a quick draught from the pitcher of water, shaking out his sweatsoaked hair, did Zahin realize this buzzing wasn't really a buzzing at all. He stilled.

"The eggs." Zahin glanced at his companion, who looked at him with an aggravating blankness that could almost make him believe that Mutasim hadn't spoken at all. There was a strange, reluctant soberness about the two boys as they laid aside their implements and exited the garden, falling into the steady stream of humanity making for the Hatching Grounds. Both seemed to realize that this was the reason they were here - though neither boy seemed overly excited. Anxious, perhaps. But not excited.

All too soon, Zahin found himself on the sands, staring up at the crowds of people and dragons and shivering, his stomach clenched tight. Mutasim stared off into the stands. His skin had gone pallid, an interesting feat with their olive tones, his eyes inscrutable as ever though his hand hovered at his back. Zahin followed his gaze to a well-dressed Holder, here for the hatching. Holder? No, Lordholder. He mentally shrugged, then muttered an apology as a tired-looking blonde woman - dressed in candidate white - blundered into him. Sleep deprived eyes met his, before she murmured her own apology, withdrawing from the two lads. All three candidates stood on the fringes, the excitement of the day seeming to have missed them somehow.

[saberlin]

Rodonth and Rontue woke R'ton around mid-day both of them humming pleasantly. R'ton thought nothing of it at first and tried to roll over to go back to the nap that he had been enjoying. But soon he realized what it meant and nearly swatted Rodonth for not pushing him to wake his arse up.

You have been busy, you needed your rest

"But I dont want to miss the hatching you big oaf!" R'ton said somewhat hurt that his dragon could even think of letting him sleep a moment into the big even. Jumping on his dragons back and Rontue curling around his neck, R'ton and crew made their way to the hatching ground. After landing, R'ton went to Shmee and bowed deeply in front of her,

"A pleasure to be at your Weyr for such an auspicious event."


***


Rilliana was settling herself for a bath in the river when she heard the commotion and saw all the flitts about humming. She gasped deeply coming up from the water and nearly choked herself. She made for the shore swiftly, thanking her lucky stars that she had been toting her candidates robe around like a fool for the last couple of days. She shrugged into the simple white tunic and smoothed it down her curvish feminine body. She really did look good in simple white. Maybe when she got the marks she would have something made in the color. With a nod and a few fingers run through her hair she made her way to the hatching grounds.
Seeing so many dragons around made her smile, the Weyr was still comparitively smaller then some of the others in the North, but she had come to like being here very much. The weather was warm on her skin and the evenings were still pleasantly cool. First things first, she thought to herself and made her way over to the Weyrwoman Shmee,

"Thank you for the chance to stand on your sands Weyrwoman Shmee."

and then she turned to the gorgeous Gold that stood by the eggs,

"And thank you Aslath for letting me stand as well wonderful Golden Queen."

With the bows and the formalities done Rilliana walked head tall and high over to the eggs. She was not in the least bit nervous after watching many hatchings and even being friends briefly with some of the candidates up North. She knew that as long as she did not step out of line that no harm could come to her. Rilliana greatly wanted to Impress the Queen and become a Queen Rider. But she did not want the Queen as a token or to say, "look what I have." No, she longed for the sort of strength and love that could come from the passionate and strong Queens. She had always been fascinated with them, and had even gotten the chance to ride one once as a traded gift for singing at a "Weyrmated" ceremony at Ista once.

Now looking at the eggs that were rocking back and forth she had to remember to keep her cool and not let the flitter's in her stomach get the best of her. She looked at the other girls standing near the Queen egg and turned to shake their hands,

"Good Luck, which ever she choses will be the right one."

She said, and in the back of her mind she distinctly hoped that it would be her, but she could not make the dragons mind up, that was there choice. She recalled the feeling of the egg to her mind from the time she had gotten to touch them. The egg had been so warm, so welcoming, so wonderfully feminine and just delightful. She opened her mind to that feeling and to the eggs sitting in front of her. With a final nod to herself she concentrated only on the eggs now and on nothing else that was around her. The eggs, after all, with their precious dragonets inside, were what was important.

[Administrator]

((All right- once you respond, I'll PM you the basic info of your dragon for your own reference. Pick up on the hints of appearance in the hatching post as to what they look like for now. You are -not- allowed to make up their shade, because I worked my butt off on them on my fried compy that I want back ASAP. But yeah- I'll PM the basic info to you once you reply- not before. I want you to see the hatching post instead of a PM so it'll stay a surprise. :D))

In further proof of how closely their minds were linked, Shmee and Aslath, at the same time, shouted at the candidate who made her way over to her. Both in mindvoice and human voice, they yelled, "GO TO THE EGGS, NOT US." Honestly, were candidates truly that dense? Well, at least no other candidate was being that dumb.

She nodded vacantly to R'ton, her mind not concentrating on the good looks of men. Rather, she was focusing her attention on all of the weak little clutch, her doubts about them taking over. What if they didn't live? she thought fearfully. In addition, her lingering concerns over Kaegan and Millieth kept propping up. Indeed, she was frightened for when Benden found out. There had been no word yet, which was a relief to Shmee, but if they did, she may be considered a target.

A loud crunch disrupted her thoughts, echoing throughout the now silent Weyrbowl.

The Saturn Egg gave a shuddering lurch, and splintering shards fell to the glistening sands beneath it. The ringed design was the only part cracking, but it was enough for the creature within. The hatchling seemed to be pushing up the top half of the shell, weakening the ringed cracks. Finally, in one deft motion, the top of the egg broke- a glistening brown, the color of melted milk chocolate, peered through, his red-orange eyes swirling in alarm.

Pushing the rest of his shell from his sticky body, he thudded onto the sands, looking about anxiously. However, he made no hesitation as he approached the boys, peering at each one thoughtfully. One could see his eyes change from worry into a more calm state- green and blue now dominated over the red and orange. He plodded through the eager boys, giving some false hope as he looked their way. With most, though, he was unsatisfied. He needed something... better.

Pausing between Zahin and Verentinus, his decision suddenly made itself up. Crooning a loud noise of happiness that bounced off the walls of the Hatching Ground, his eyes turned into a pink-gold of love as he nuzzled his new-found bonded:

My name is Jessereth, Z'hinMine!

[Tashe]

"Wake up you lousy Candidate!"

Finally waking up from the deep sleep that had over took her early last night, Saraina groaned before looking up at the person who dared disturb her slumber. Starting slightly as her grey-green eyes fell upon the hansom face of the Weyrlingmaster, the young woman shot up into a sitting position. The only time F'rah would ever come and wake her, yet alone call her candidate, was if he needed her for something important. Although all her Questions were answered by the melodic voice once again.

"Come on girl! Up and out of bed! The hatching is about to start and I'm not going to get in trouble for getting you there late!"

Flinging the sheets off her lithe body, Sara stumbled over to her wardrobe and flung the double doors open, frantically searching for her white robes. Wrenching them out along with a pair of sandals, the female candidate turned and shed her cloths before donning her robes. Luckily for her, F'rah had the good sense to exit the room as soon as she had jumped from the bed.

Quickly jumping out the door after making sure she had clothed herself properly, Saraina grabbed the Weyrlingmaster by the sleeve and almost dragged him down the hall. This was after she had made sure her blue flit would stay in the room...

"Sara you... ow... hey!"

Ignoring her older friend's comment, the young woman jogged down the stairs to the bottom floor of the barracks. Kicking the double doors open, Saraina slowly approached the burnt colored brown who rose when the two exited the building

"Styth! You heard correct? The hatching is beginin'?

Watching as the dragon bobbed his head slightly and crouch so that his Mine could climb onto his prearranged saddle, the unusual candidate waited for the Weyrlingmaster to offer her his hand. When he finally did, Saraina hopped up into her place before grabbing hold of F'rah as Styth took off.

A minute or so later the trio landed near the hatching grounds, causing the Candidate to slide off the leather saddle and scurry into the conjoining hall with only a wave to her escort. Hurriedly entering the grounds, Sara made it just in time to view the first of the candidates impress a dragon. It was a brown...

Settling into her spot on the sands, the female yawned and then sighed before casting her gaze upon the rest of the eggs.

---

F'rah and Styth

Everything had almost happened in a flash, from the time he heard the hatching was starting until he had arrived at the hatching grounds with Saraina. But now he knew he must get into the stands to watch the numerous candidates graduate and become the startings of his next class.

Urging Styth to get a spot in the alcoves that were made for their large forms, F'rah skipped a step happily before disappearing into the walkway that lead to the crowded stands. As the blast of hot air hit his face and body, the Weyrlingmaster heard cheers as the first of the candidates became a Weyrling. Joyously, he made his way to his asigned seat near the section for the Weyrleaders who at the moment only consisted of the Weyrwoman, almost as giddy as he had been at his own first hatching F'rah saluted to Shmee before taking his seat.

[neeuqtar]

Uuvaenan had not expected the chaos--silly of him. He struggled into the white robes, which reminded him of nothing more than a nightgown, one of the ones that silly girls wore. Had he ever worn white before? It was doubtful. Nothing in the mines was ever white, or new. Sneering at his reflection in a bowl of water, Uuvee slid the robes down, yanking so hard he heard threads snapping. The Candidate grimaced, splashing the water to rid it of his image. The triple-line of scores down his arm came thanks to Visk, and the stupid slasher had seemed to like the taste of the blood of his master. His brow was split, a y-shaped, puffy mark, stark with the black scab. The mark of a fighter, the more fool he--and his one friend, a vicious creature who had tasted his blood and left him injured and uglier than before.

He didn't match this place, he thought bitterly, striding towards the Hatching Grounds, the thrumm of dragons turning his bones to water. Hands, rough with callus, the nails painted freshly black and hangnail-cursed skin haloing the darkness, clenched, and his jaw worked unhappily. Uuvaenan didn't belong here, curse the bluerider who had seen fit to take him from the stinking maw of the firestone mines. He didn't belong anywhere.

With such dark thoughts, the Candidate strode onto the hot sands, his boots too thin and him welcoming the burn as a remedy for the dark places in his mind. Curse them all, he thought bitterly, watching as the Saturn Egg split, revealing a lovely brown dragon who rapidly Impressed. Uuvee closed his eyes, letting tension run from his body slowly, as he had learned in the mines. Hatchings were usually long, and he could work long hours deep underground.

He opened his eyes deliberately keeping his eyes from the joyful new pair. The amber burned fiercely for a moment before softening, the gleam of anger gone from his eyes, leaving defeat. He shouldn't be here, on the Sands, where joy lived. Yes, he had his little pleasures, but joy? To a child born in the bowels of the stone, one of the last of his family to survive? Maybe Luula was still alive--maybe. But she'd been pregnant, some said maybe with twins, when he'd left, and this her first birth.

Several eggs were moving, many more not, and he saw none of them, eyes unfocused. The dance of the heat caressed his legs and blurred his vision, leaving him to his catalogue of family. Daegan, alive perhaps. He was older though, and Uuvee didn't really know him. All he had was Visk, a slasher who had found the taste of his flesh to be better than the touch of his hand. They always said he would betray me, he thought bitterly, the taste of ash in his mouth. Tears unshed glittered in his eyes, and he almost turned to leave.

There was no chance he would Impress, of course. He would stay, to honor the queen, as his mother had taught him, though her eyes had never seen the gleam of gold, except for the rare glimpses of golden nuggets in the dark stone. But the likes of them were not to touch the minerals worth much. No, for them the hard, poor work of hacking chunks of coal and firestone from the stone. "Rock be yahs lover," his mother had whispered to him once, when his father had died in a cave-in. "She be yahs lover, muther, sister, and oh but she be jealous. Cling to 'er, and she'll cling t'yah, aye, an'take yah t'erself when she wish't." Uuvee leaned against the cool stone behind him, shrouded in the shadows.

How could the sky be him, if the stone was his lover? Could... He shook the thought away. Fly? Him? Unlikely. But some sort of false hope kept him on the Sands, hidden though he was. Maybe he could be something more. Maybe it would be the skies that claimed him, the winds his jealous lover. Maybe... He blinked, slowly, and released a shuddery breath. Stone and death and shield and lover... I should never have left the mines. The love of a dragon cannot be for the likes of me...

[lokath]

Aen waited on the sands, two other Candidates on both sides, both taller than him. But then, almost all the other boys on the sands were taller than him anyway. He had missed the Touching, so he didn't know exactly how much of a chance he stood against the others, who had probably all been there. The brown, the first Hatched, seemed to have made up his mind very quickly, out of all the boys Standing. None of the other eggs had Hatched, though most were moving. One of them, the Mercury Egg, seemed exceptionally weak, only moving very minutely. Aen was kind of worried about it...

Aen thought for a moment about what kind of dragon he really wanted. A smaller one would be better, at least for his height. Any sort would really be good, but he thought he might have trouble getting onto one of the bronzes, or a larger brown, even once he grew more. A blue or a green would be best, really. Or maybe a smaller brown. Aen knew that his parent were a greenrider and a bluerider, so maybe he'd inherited something from them that made him fit for one of those. But he had been raised by foster parents, and he resembled his foster father closely, at least in attitude, and he had never Impressed. Hm, I guess I really don't know.

[ravenmane]

((-trumpets blare- No Muse so post will be short and it will suck.))

Ciara arrived at thye Hatching Grounds in a flurry. Skyler followed her in hot pursuit. They went to there separate circles.

((CRAPPY POST!!))

[Administrator]

This first Impression seemed to be the starting signal for the rest of the eggs to start cracking. Indeed, the pleasant-looking Ceres Egg rocked abruptly, twisting a groove in the sand where it stood in its effort to break free from its prison. The smooth shell developed long cracks that marked up the surface, weakening the outer layer so that the creature inside would have an easier time at making these pieces fall off itself.

Fragment by fragment, the brilliant-looking pieces dropped to the sand like dead weights, a mere castoff of the hatchling. With one final tap, all of the pieces began falling where they stood, in a great flood of shards. Pleased with itself, the dragon- a peculiarly shaded green dragon- stood, surveying her surroundings. However, her curiosity had now gotten the better of her, and she scurried off into the females. Her green hide was a mossy color, with dark patterns that made her appear to be similar to camo. But not today would she need to be camouflaged!

She made no stop as she bolted through the girls, roughly slapping the ones in her way with her tail. Please move! she shouted impatiently, loud enough so every candidate could hear her. You are blocking my Mine and being rude, so get out of my way. Miiiiine! With that final plaintive call, the green leapt in front of Ciara, butting her head between the girl’s knees. Mine, the green crooned. I finally got you! Almost like playing hide-and-seek with your Toryth, yes? Well, we can play that game later- food now! I’m absolutely starving!

As the spectators looked on that Impression with amusement, the Eclipse Egg, off in its silent shadows, neatly split in two, revealing a clean-looking purple-hued blue dragon. Instantly, however, it was clear something was not right with him. The blue’s eyes shut desperately, and he let out a small croon that no one but himself could hear. No one noticed him- not that this new little blue was on the Sands, nor that he was in obvious pain.

The photosensitive dragon stumbled deeper into the shadows, his stomach growling with a fierce hunger, yet found himself unable to walk into the light. It hurt him too much! Yet how else could he find his bonded?

Frightened, but determined to find his bonded that was definitely out there, the blue stumbled into the light, hissing in the pain it brought him. It felt like a fire was burning his eyes out! Unable to step further, he called out to his bonded, panic, fear, and pain lacing his mindvoice. Uu’n, Mine! he desperately shouted. It hurts, the light is hurting my eyes… Come find your Adith in the shadows? With that, Adith retreated back into the shadows, trying to nurse his paining eyes by covering them with one graceful-looking wing.

[neeuqtar]

Uuvaenan wasn't really thinking anymore, though he did smile slightly, not really in any sort of happiness, when a green beat on the Candidates not fast enough to get out of her way, smacking the poor girls with her rudder of a tail. They'd have bruises from that, sure enough. Brooding, Uuvee turned away from the sight, to catch view of a little blue, hissing, his eyes squinted.

Uu'n, Mine! It hurts, the light is hurting my eyes... Come find your Adith in the shadows? Uuvaenan jerked as if he'd been slapped, eyes flying wide. Adith-- the graceful dragon hunkered in the shadows, but Uu'n saw him, and ran over, slipping a little in the treacherous sand to fall to his knees infront of the dragon, his belly gnawing on itself with hunger, his face showing the wonder of Impression. Gently, Uu'n lifted the blue's wing from his eyes to see his soul's completion.

I have lived in the shadows for all my life, he said with his mind, somehow knowing how. Was this what it was like? All fire and weeping? He never wanted it to stop. And now a brilliant light has taken hold of my heart. He was never this poetic... was he? Did it matter? Uu'n didn't care. The violet-blue nudged his gently, his eyes hurting from the light, hide damp from the egg. "Adith," Uu'n whispered, a gift for the two of them. "Don't leave me."

Then the new weyrling stood and ran to the buckets of meat, feeling like he could eat it himself, so hungry! "Uu'n of blue Adith," he called to whoever was there, before running back to HIS DRAGON, his beautiful blue, and skidding to a halt with the meat in the shadows. Hungry? he teased, a smile transforming his face. Oh, yes! the dragon responded, eagerly taking the meat.

[thialyn]

Needless to say, the ex-Runner that was Alene had no idea what the humming met. At least, not until Dusk and Silt disappeared suddenly, both sending obscure visions of rocking round-ish objects. It wasn't until she saw the other Candidates running that she realized what must be happening.

The Hatching.

Running herself, Alene quickly donned the pristine white robe of Candidacy and hurried out the door, binding her hair as she let her long strides take her quickly to the Sands. And there lay the eggs. She noticed with dismay that two had already Hatched. She was late. Perfect. What a way to make an impression.

And so she waited with baited breath, realizing that she knew none of her comrades, those girls and boys Standing near her, equally excited, equally nervous.

As to be expected, Taren was also late and this was his first time ever seeing the eggs. Having been dropped off the previous day, he'd barely settled in with the Candidates before being hurried to the Sands by a passing somebody. Oh well. He was in white and he was clean. Unlike the dragons about to hatch, as shown by the two current Hatchlings with their new riders. Taren turned his attention from them to the rocking eggs, hoping that the runner-boy would have a chance at Impressing the most glorious creature on Pern.

((Grrr. My muse so totally died during that post.))

[ravenmane]

Ciara knelt down to meet Toryth's plaintive calls for food. [Hush, Beauty. You will have as much food as you want, and then we can play hide-and-seek later.] Ok, Mine. Nothing will take us apart. Toryth crooned happily and followed Ciara off the Sands to be stuffed with fresh meat. As Ciara fed her Green, she was left in an awestruck daze. Toryth was a beautiful and unusual Green who acted as though she was prepared to get what she wanted. The female weyrling scratched the eye ridge of her dragonet as she watched other candidates arrive in a whirl of anxiety.