Hatching of the Precious Stones Clutch

[caffelatte]

Watching and waiting, it seemed everyone grew more excited as each hatched dargonet tottled off to another candidate. The happy pairs would head for the tables, while those left behind remained fixated upon the hatching eggs. The air was charged with the thrill of anticipation, eager faces peered all around. Well, save for Mavorn, anyway. Calmly, peacefully, he merely observed the goings on around them, as though he weren’t quite a part of everything, despite the fact that he stood for Impression, just like the rest. From the beginning though, his views had been a bit unusual for a candidate, or so he felt, given that he lacked the amount of anxiety the others appeared to indulge in concerning whether or not they walked away from the sands a weyrling. If he Impressed, then he Impressed. If he did not, then he did not. Was it abnormal, to feel so tranquil about matters, even when things were picking up speed all over again?

The Emerald Brown had barely just chosen his lifemate when the Marble Egg had begun moving. That was one he remembered from the Touching, actually. At the time, it had hardly seemed an egg at all, but instead some sort of smooth sculpture in white with black stripes running throughout. It had been the sort of egg that begged to be touched, if only to find out if it was actually as smooth and perfect as it looked to be. It almost looked as though it ought to have been cool, but it had been warm to the touch. The egg had sort of shook twice very quietly, then all of the sudden exploded in load cracks, shards scattering to the sands in a spectacular display. Almost laughing, but resisting the urge, Mavorn almost wondered if he should have applauded that hatching. Awe, but the blue inside looked so embarrassed by it all! Poor thing!

Carefully, the blue plucked the bits of shell from his hide, before looking up, seeming somewhat disquieted by it all. The lovely sky blue dragonet ducked his wedge-shaped head and returned to the task of cleaning away the bits of shell. He seemed to be calm enough, but when he looked up at those gathered, his eyes told a different story. Meanwhile, the Pearl Blue had managed to get himself free of his egg, having a grand time of mashing up his shell, before running off towards the candidates. Perhaps this was encouraging to the Marble Blue, for he finally stopped checking for shards, instead making his way over to the candidates slowly. The poor dear looked so cautious...perhaps he wasn’t as ready as he thought he’d been? Or was something else bothering him? That sad little sound of his didn’t strike Mavorn as a particularly good thing. Whatever was the matter?

A glimmer of concern showed upon his ordinarily so-serene face, watching as the Marble Blue searched some faces, then scurried away from the other candidates quickly. Being on the outskirts of the boys group, he hadn’t realized just where the blue hatchling was headed until ... ... . . Until he was looking down into those gorgeous, whirling eyes. Oh, he was so upset! So worried! That wouldn’t do. That just wouldn’t do at all. Gently, he wrapped his arms around his dear Byrith, enveloping his lifemate in the same soothing serenity that was so uniquely his own.

“There, there dear Byrith. No one will do anything of the kind. I promise. I'm here.” To this, he added a smile, one positively brimming over with the overwhelming joy of finally having all of those cold, empty places filled up, glowing with his new lifemate’s gentle warmth. From that moment on, they would always have one another, no matter the circumstances. There were just no words for the feelings dancing their way through his heart. “Let’s get you something to eat,” he said finally, running his hands over his wonderful Byrith and standing.

Positively beaming with happiness, he led Byrith over to the Weyrlingmaster, so proud to give F’rah their names. “Byrith and M’vorn,” he said, grinning so hard by now that his cheeks were flushed and ached something fierce. He was just happy, so happy! Once all was in order, they made their way straight for the meat tables, with him all the while murmuring soft encouragements to Byrith. Whatever happened in the hatching after Byrith had come into his life, M’vorn was positively oblivious of it.

[melody]

That one green was still moving through the females anxiously. None of the others had taken that long! Was there something wrong? He couldn't help feeling worried for her. She was a lovely dragonet and with such a selection of candidates, there was no reason for her to go /between/ and she hadn't even looked at the boys yet!

He was fairly certain she wasn't for him. After what he had learned about the various colors, he didn't think a green would suit him at all. Wait a minute... She was moving towards the boys... His heart skipped a beat as she barreled in his direction. Could it be?

No. She seemed to be looking right through him and he just managed to fling himself to the side, landing with an "oomph" in the sands before he hurriedly stood up and brushed himself off. Next time (if he was left standing) he would make sure to stand on the edge of the crowd of candidates where there would only be someone standing on one side of him instead of two and no one behind him!

Impression had been made. Again. Well, there were now two more dragons on the sands. Sort of- the green was still sitting in hers, observing the action. The blue Impressed and the green finally stepped onto the sands. He watched her with interest, his eyes bright, before turning his attention to the other dragonets after she had Impressed.

There was another brown, who seemed quite embarassed by his undignified entrance into the world. He basically ignored the green, once again struck with the certainty that she wasn't meant for him. Nothing against greens, of course. He sighed as the brown Impressed.

What was it about him that either repelled the dragonets or called attention of a less pleasant sort to him?! And poor Halyn had been ignored completely. At least the dragonets had been showing some interest in him. Then again, his older sister hadn't wanted to be a dragonrider for nearly as long as he had.

Two more blues emerged, each one of them handsome. And each one of them Impressed. He didn't lose any of his pragmatic optimism. His lifemate hadn't Hatched yet, that was all, and there was a distinct possibility that he wasn't even in this clutch. He had waited for Turns before he had been eligible for Search; surely he could wait a bit longer.

Ooh, the Rose Quartz Egg was Hatching! The hide of the dragonet inside was very dark. What color was it though? It could be a dark blue or a dark brown. Curiousity piqued, he leaned forward to get a better look. That gleam could have just been wetness...

[Requiem]

Sad? It wasn't so much sad as burdened with a sense of unease. Salenth was by no means a pessimist, but he couldn't help but feel there was something dark lurking on the horizon. Until she'd mentioned Benden it had been all but forgotten. Now, though, it very much bothered the bronze. He tried to force himself back into the spirit of the Hatching, with his rider's help, and for a moment had regained his equilibrium. Until she spoke again.

First, he found it - surprising - that she would think of the future like this. His experience with golds had not been particularly favorable. The fact that her plans for the future apparently included him was even more shocking. Salenth had hatched from one of Fath's clutches, had never gotten a chance to get anywhere near Baith, and disliked the self-important Grenostith more than he would care to admit. It would not be hard to see why he was reluctant to think of this as a permanent arrangement. Though apparently Aslath had. In truth, Salenth had walled his inner self up, preventing the inevitable hurt by not making the initial assumption.

He genuinely liked the young gold. Had liked her since before she lavished this attention upon him. In fact, if he had to pinpoint the time when his relationship with her became something more than a casual dragon relationship between two of varying authority, he would say his opinion of her had been cemented when she stayed by him through the poisoning of His. Every action since then had just caused the feeling to wheedle its way down deeper inside him. And it truly bothered the bronze that his attempt to keep some distance from the time when she would be sharing these moments with another bronze seemed to hurt her.

Of course I like you, Aslath. There is no dragon in this weyr that I respect or care for more. I just...didn't want to presume. If at all possible, I would like to have many more clutches like this, the two of us watching over our children as they hatch. He crooned softly, trying to hide his own unsettledness at her distress.

***

S'rei watched his weyrmate with his nephew, that goofy grin finally fading into something softer. She loved Laurie's child so much - and he wasn't even hers. It made it painfully obvious just how much this miscarriage must have wounded her. The Weyrleader had been looking forward to a child, true, but he had not had all that much trouble letting it go after the first few days. It was Shmee's danger that had rocked him - that, and her subsequent listlessness, both of which tore into him and slowly ground his soul into something raw and bleeding with the pain. It was the nature of the bronzerider to ignore his own pains and sorrows in favor of those he loved. Her torture had become his, and that had only grown inside him as he failed, day after day, to restore anything resembling joy.

Miguel had changed all that, giving Shmee the happiness she'd lost and allowing S'rei to begin to live again. If he were honest, though, his own journey back to something resembling what he'd enjoyed in those first months with her was far from over. Though the Weyrwoman didn't seem to need to know who had attempted to destroy her, who had killed their unborn babe, it consumed him in the dark of night. His first priority had been bringing life back to Shmee. Now it shifted. Now, he had to keep her safe - body and soul. That meant the hunt had to pick up in earnest.

Her suggestive words only saddened him, now that he had fallen into a more contemplative mood. Those words would have come so easy to her not that long ago...Another thing the poisoner had managed to steal from them. It hurt, that she could no longer trust him as completely as she had, and even though he knew it was no reflection on him - or perhaps all the more because of that knowledge - his sorrow was palpable. He wanted to show her that she was safe. That he would protect her, and that they could have children who would live and grow strong and outshine their parents. S'rei desperately wanted to restore that dream of hers.

At least now she seemed willing to allow him to try. He cupped her chin lightly in his hand, drawing her face up, and leaned down to kiss her. The kiss itself was chaste. But there was an obvious hunger lurking just behind the gentleness, and he kept her there for as long as her breath would hold out, before finally breaking away. "I adore you, woman." He could feel his sister's gaze on him, but, when he finally managed to tear his eyes from the depthless blues of his weyrmate, Lauranna's expression consisted of no more than a pensive frown.

***

It was sad to say, but Mutasim was actually beginning to get bored. He recognized this as a natural defense mechanism of his, a way to avoid the emotion caught up in a situation by completely shutting them down, and as soon as even his inner self no longer felt the waves of those abhorrent abstractions, he invariably grew bored. Life was just so empty without emotion. Yet it was this very state that had allowed him to endure two turns at the hands of men who saw him as nothing more than a means to an end. This state of emotionless boredom was actually the only saving grace he could claim, and he might have been surprised to find how easily he slipped back into it after the months that had spanned, but...even surprise was beyond him now.

There were very few here - next to no one - who would have recognized this change that had come over the small candidate. Always, there were two buffers between him and those around him. The inner one, his conscious, caught most of the reasons behind the emotions that might otherwise have been a nuisance, consequently limiting Mutasim's understanding of himself and making him believe that he really was something of the heartless demon some saw him as. And the second? His face had been schooled to reveal nothing from as early as memory served him. Even his infrequent smiles were cold and unreadable. This third buffer went even deeper than the innermost one, shutting down his subconscious as well, which effectively cut off even the unexplainable emotions that the first buffer normally let through. It was not something a person could learn. In fact, it was likely a mental handicap, but, in Mutasim's case, it was probably all that kept him relatively sane.

He didn't recognize the figure that faded into shadow across the expanse of the hatching sands from him. Or perhaps he did, only it had no hope of ever breaching the silence in his head. Regardless, something stirred his feet forward, something he could not fight and had no desire to at the same time. Desire, too, was lost to him. Too passionate. Mutasim passed within inches of the Emerald Brown without once seeing him. Nothing mattered. Even where his feet took him, the breaths in his own chest, did nothing to stir him. Not the part of the boy that was aware.

No, he simply walked, a small white figure that breached the divide between the male and female candidates with total disregard for propriety. Past the grouping of girls he walked, directly to the taller, strawberry blonde. The older girl who would have seemed so much younger than he himself had Muta entertained a single thought or impression behind the deadness of his gaze. Yet, despite his state of virtual inexistance, something beneath all his protective buffers had drawn him to her, to the hurt that he understood better than any other. And that same something caused him to embrace Narna under the shadows of the wall, his small arms strong and unwavering despite his small stature.

Even in his emotional deadness, the soft core that dwelt at the heart of Mutasim could not ignore her pain - though that core had no voice.

[melody]

It felt like she was dreaming, watching each wonderful dragonet Hatch and Impress in their own special way. They were all so unique! None of them had so much as glanced her way, though. Some of them had expressed interest of one sort or another in Leyan, though.

Her hands flew to her mouth when the green raced towards him but he dived out of the way so she could reach the boy behind him. Halyn smiled at him once again and was rewarded with one in return. It was a good thing he had been able to evade serious injury thus far!

Hopefully that one boy was all right. Well, there was nothing she could do about it, much as she might have liked to help her fellow Healers. Wasn't he one of them? She knew she had seen him in other places besides the lessons.

There was too much else to focus on to worry about that though. Like the dragonet currently trying to break free of its shell. What color was it? With a hide as dark as it seemed, it could be just about anything. Her smile faded and she pursed her lips as she waited to see.

[Tashe]

More dragnets hatched and impressed, one after another the eggs rocked and shifted, yielding more of the tender young flesh. Greens, Blues, Browns and Bronzes, each as stunning as the next but none of the glittering hides came to her like they had done with her friends. Although Gina knew that even if she didn't Impress in this hatching, there would be others for her to participate in... Although when a shadow passed in front of her vision, the young woman blinked and let her attention refocus on the moving shape. Hissing slightly under her breath, Gina tried to make a snatch at her male friend but missed by and inch. "Muta!"

What the hell was the boy thinking! Men weren't allowed on the female's main side of the arena, and Rawign was pushing the limits himself. But there had been something different about her friend, something she hadn't seen before, but Gina couldn't put her finger on it. Withdrawing her hand from the position she had left it in, the pitch headed young woman sighed unhappily at her younger friend. All she hoped was that he didn't get into much trouble for crossing the line... Fidgeting slightly as she continued to think about Muta, Gina began to take a step toward him, but then stopped. Repeating this slow war between her agitations, the candidate dragged a hand across her cheek successfully reopening the cut that the shard had given her. Wincing as she felt a sharp pain race through her cheek, Gina growled unhappily. Why was this hatching slowly turning into a big frustration!

---

Clapping merrily for each Impression, F'rah continued to write down the names of each new dragon pair as they found their way to him. Returning each of their enthusiastic smiles, F'rah pointed each of them toward the feeding area with a word of praise every once in a while. Tapping the ink pen on the side of the slate with a soft clicking sound, the Weyrlingmaster sighed slightly as the heat of the sands began to seep through the riding leathers that housed his legs.

Glancing up from the names on his list, F'rah was able to catch sight of a candidate moving dangerously close toward the girl's side. Arching an eyebrow and letting his eyes narrow into an unhappy glare, the honey haired man growled in exasperation as the boy crossed the line. Looking quickly up to the Weyrleaders for some kind of command, F'rah quietly waited with a growing agitation.

[Administrator]

Marra snorted. “It isn’t illogical. Aslath won’t notice—we’re too deep into the shadows,” she told him firmly. “But drudgey here is being an ass, so I should get off anyway.” Shooting the man a glare, her look softened as Rawign touched her cheeks. “Either way, I just don’t like thinking about the idea about that stupid dragon ripping open your scars all over again, or making new ones.” Raising an eyebrow at his vain question, she smirked. “Yes, your scars are good enough for me. Just don’t give yourself more in an effort to please me, got it?” Stupid boy. If she found out he’d been intentional scarifying his body to please her, she’d smack him without any restraint.

So it was with a stern gaze she looked at him with as Rawign wrapped the strip of her shirt around her torso. The drudge was looking at her intently, but she could deck him once Rawign left. She’d been meaning to punch something lately, and Rawign was out. She didn’t want to hurt him more than he had already been lately. “I’m no tease,” she told him, her eyes twinkling in amusement. “I just don’t have anything else to wrap—oh, why don’t you just look down my shirt if you’re staring at me so?” she snapped at the drudge. Unable to hold herself back, she sent a hard slap across his cheek. Groaning, the drudge clutched it. Smiling grimly, Marra turned back to Rawign. “Want a turn?” she inquired, gesturing to the drudge, who had backed off to another of his friends, muttering something incoherent.

“Don’t worry, deadglows, I’ll be off in a second,” she told them irritably. Turning back to Rawign, she blinked in surprise. “Your sister-?” Unfortunately, her words were cut off as Rawign darted back into the throng. Rolling her eyes, she shot an annoyed look at the drudges. “Quit staring and get outta my way,” she scolded, turning her heel and sprinting back up to the stands, with Mona in tow, eager to see if any dragons would notice Rawign.

--

His words were slightly reassuring. Of course she wanted him to sire her clutches. I would not just let any bronze onto my sands, even if they sired it. You[/i] are my bronze,[/i][/color] she told him adoringly. Nuzzling him, she crooned a little. At least this was a commitment to Chase. In a state of mindlust, he would have to prove his determination to Catch her time and again, but she had faith in him.

If they could create a clutch this lovely with a short Flight, just think of long ones! Many more bronzes, perhaps a queen-daughter… Yes, she could see a wonderful future with Salenth as her mate. They all look strong like you,[/color] she told him, trying to bring the conversation back into the lightness it had once been in. Just look at how sturdy they are![/color]

--

Shmee looked up at S’rei, a bright smile beaming up at him. Miguel, catching the contagious feeling, also smiled his one-tooth smile up at his uncle. Making a grunting noise, he held up his chubby arms at the man, and giggled to himself a little. Shmee, in turn, chuckled. “Want to hold him?” she asked her weyrmate lovingly. Miguel gurgled merrily, as if supporting Shmee’s question. Bouncing the babe in her lap, Shmee spared a glance back over at the Hatching. She was proud of the hatchlings Aslath had produced, and from what she could tell, Aslath was even prouder.

Her thoughts were nowhere near as dark as S’rei’s were at the moment. They had been dark after her miscarriage, where she wallowed in her feeling of inadequacy, how she was undeserving, how stupid she had been to not realize she’d been poisoned. But now, her whole life revolved around Miguel and S’rei, clinging to the hope of being able to carry her own child, and do it to full term, a child that belonged to her and S’rei. A cousin for Miguel, she thought fondly.

Watching this Hatching only fueled her desire for it more. Seeing Aslath’s children hatch, the glorious births, made Shmee almost achy for it herself. Chewing her lip for a moment, she looked up at S’rei, smiling a little. Patience, she told herself. If she was meant to do it—if the miscarriage truly wasn’t her fault—then she would carry again. “Only adore me?” she asked teasingly. She paused, and then an almost mischievous glimmer was hinted at in her eyes. “Well, perhaps, if that’s it, then I should… make you wait a little longer.” Pleased with herself at managing to sound adventurous again, she kissed the top of Miguel’s head absently.

--

The Rose Quartz Egg had more cracks running along the shell, though none were so wide as the one where the dark hide was revealed. Shaking a few good times, the hard shards finally dropped, a few at a time, to the sands, littering them with the pink shards in the golden sand. It was then the color was truly revealed: The dark hide was the color of dark chocolate, a rich, handsome shade of brown. In contrast to this hide were the eyes, which were glowing red and orange in anxiety.

As that egg made his slow entrance to the world, another egg came out more quickly. The Platinum Egg shattered quickly and easily, and out of the shards stepped out a handsome, powder blue dragon confidently and daintily. He was surprisingly fine boned, almost like a green. Fluting softly, he looked around curiously. Looking down at his shards, he warbled happily. His egg was such a pretty one! Bringing his eyes back up to the candidates, he didn’t even hesitate before lightly stepping towards them, his eyes alight with babyish delight. Approaching Garieon, he crooned. G’eon, mine-love, please feed your Ellath? I would absolutely adore a few nibblies!

Fortunately, the Rose Quartz Brown wasn’t the least bit irritated. He didn’t want that boy. He surveyed the candidates from where he stood, blinking in silent nervousness. A long pause, and a couple more eggs were wriggling as the brown weighed his choices. Finally, soundlessly, he briskly stumbled over to a boy. Sk’ler, I am Triniath.[/color] Trust this one to use few words.

One of the eggs that had been carefully trying to hatch was the Pyrite Egg, the one that looked deceivingly like a queen egg. However, her charade ended by the time her yellowy, olive-green head thrust through, shattering her shell. Bugling to herald her own entrance to the world, the green busted through the shell, her head held high in dignity. Did she think she was a queen? It certainly appeared so. Though her body was enormous—as large as a blue—her hide was green. Looking around haughtily at the crowd, she made a straight-line dash for Gina. Feed me now![/color] she demanded forcefully, nudging the girl. I am Dasmonth and you are mine. Feed your queen or I will change my mind.

Another double-hatching occurred with the Malachite Egg and the Lapis Lazuli Egg. The former broke cleanly in two, the jagged edges narrowly avoiding damp bronze hide. The bluer egg, however, broke into a million tiny pieces, with some clinging to a gorgeous little green beneath, a handsome contrast to her forest green hide. The bronze was one to get right to the point. Trumpeting a cheerful greeting to his sister, he wasted no time hobbling over to the boys. C’lyrns! I am Minoath! I also happen to be a bit hungry, you know…[/color] At that moment, his stomach rumbled, a testament to his little bit of hunger.

The Lapis Lazuli Green looked around with quiet pride. Looking around at her sibling eggs, she crooned gently, but it changed to a different note as her multi-faceted eyes came to rest on the Tourmaline Egg. Snorting with what seemed like pride, she walked in its direction, made a clucking noise of disgust at it, then proudly carried herself away, to look around at the candidates, debating to herself on which one was Hers.

((For non-queen hatching, boys and girls don't have to be seperated...))[/size]

[Tashe]

Watching quietly as one of each color of dragon broke free from their eggs, save a queen of course, but the one that caught her attention most was the large green. Bugling her way into the world as if she were a Queen, the female looked as if she took a moment to gaze at all the candidates in contempt before making her way to the girls side. Thinking that the unusually large green was going to someone else, Gina looked past her to the rest of the hatchlings. That is until a powerful nudge made her step back and a voice erupted in her head with a commanding air to it. /Feed me now! I am Dasmonth and you are mine. Feed your queen or I will change my mind./

Arching an eyebrow at the young dragon and cracking a smile, the new greenweyrling placed a hand on her hip before responding to her life bond. "Is that so Dasmonth? Change your mind you say? Well then..." Nudging the female slightly, Gina lead her large green to F'rah before grinning ruefully up at her cousin. "Gina of Green Dasmonth." Following the directions and praise that the Weyrlingmaster gave her, the pitch headed weyrling lead her life bond to the feeding area.

----

Grinning as he watched the hatching continue, F'rah was once again over joyed to see another one of his charges impress. But this time it was his cousin Gina who had gotten her life bond, although the fact that both of their dragons looked to be trouble was noted in the back of his mind. Tracking the young woman's progress over the sands and toward him, the Weyrlingmaster grinned down at the pair as they approached. "Gina of Green Dasmonth. Congratulations." Pointing to the feeding area, F'rah watched his cousin leave the sands before switching his attention back to the rest of the hatching and the new weyrlings.

[ravenmane]

Skyler had lost his train of thought as the Hatching progressed. Most of the eggs had Hatched and with each Impression, Sky 's chance of becoming a rider diminished. As he waited for the Hatching to end, a to-the-point voice sounded in Skyler's head. Sk’ler, I am Triniath. Shocked, the newest weyrling fell to his knees, silent tears falling down his face. Ignoring the heat of the Sands, Sk'ler wrapped his arms around the dark brown neck. "Hello, Triniath. Let's go get you some food." The Brown crooned happily as his Mine brought up the topic of food. "Sk'ler and Triniath, Sir." The weyrling made sure to check in with the Weyrlingmaster before walking off to where the drudges had set up food. He had Impressed and now it was time to care for his dragon.

[evendar]

Narna jumped as she felt Muta's arms about her, but then relaxed. While she would have preferred to be alone in this, sharing it with Muta was something she had little problem doing. His arms wrapped around her navel and his head came barely up to her slight chest, but she accepted the hug none the less and returned it, wrapping her arms about his head and holding on as if she'd never let go. Just his very presence gave her a kind of confidence she lacked so much these days. With Muta there she felt almost like her old self, able to concur anything. Well almost anything.

"But what about your dragon?" she couldn't help but ask as she watched the Rose Quarts Brown with worried eyes. What if he was Muta's? And here, surrounded by the girls in the shadows, would the baby dragon be able to find Muta? Narna didn't know, but she didn't want him to loose that chance. A dragon might be something she wanted, but it was something Muta needed. He needed that bonding with another mind, that part of ones soul that always knew what had happened, and always knew how you felt even if you hid it as well as the scrawny lad did. She couldn't deny him that.

"You should get back out there Muta, what if your dragon passes you by because your here in the shadows comforting little old me? I'll be fine, I was just tired of all that attention, all those eyes. Really Muta, I can't let you loose your dragon over me." there might not be a dragon out there for her, but there was certainly one out there for Muta, if he was willing to accept him.

[Requiem]

Her...bronze...? The concept was rather foreign to him. Of course it was ridiculous for a bronze to be possessive of a gold, as she dominated all the dragons of the weyr, no matter how infrequently she used her commanding tone. But a gold being possessive of a particular bronze was also something rather unheard of, at least from his admittedly short experience. His understanding of their relationship had been a mutual understanding and trust. Though, he supposed, that was likely what these humans called love, or part of it. His mind balked at so abstract a concept.

It was enough simply to know that Aslath wanted him at her side, regardless of who won the Flight - now if that wouldn't cause problems with whoever succeeded him! - and that his intent to chase her and only her would not go unnoticed. He'd never voiced such a thing, but she knew it. She must. Salenth was not an open dragon, and did not express sentiment freely, but he was a firm believer in that old, tired saying. Actions speak louder than words. He'd thought that it would take work and turns to show Aslath just how serious he was, but it seemed that would not be necessary.

Not that he wouldn't do so anyway. It was, however, something of a relief to find himself already at the top of the hill, rather than struggling up a steep slope. I think you see what you want to see, Salenth teased the gold gently. Though they are certainly healthy. With these, we may restore the weyr to some of its former glory. Again the pride had crept into his mind-voice, the bronze pressing close to Aslath as his tail tightened on hers.

***

At first he didn't understand what she was driving at. To S'rei, saying 'I love you,' was an overused and somewhat ineffective phrase, as the people who spoke it rarely meant it. A manipulative phrase. Though he didn't always prickle at its use, he himself was rather loathe to speak something that had lost its magic for him long ago. No, adore was a better word. It meant to esteem highly, to love unconditionally, to respect, to honor, to worship. S'rei did not simply love Shmee. He adored her. He admired and cherished, delighted in and doted on, exalted and glorified, honored and idolized and venerated the woman who went by Shmee. But how was she to understand all that was caught up in that small word if she did not recognize it for what it was? To say all those things was to lessen their power. He could only show her what it meant, show her that this was something far deeper than that fickle love.

It was perhaps an over-serious response to her teasing, but the fact that she would ever couple the word 'only' with his adoration, even jokingly, proved to him that she was not aware of its significance. And of course it bothered him that she hadn't understood his meaning. He did not at first respond to her light words, instead reaching out to gather Miguel into his arms, who was reaching for his uncle with that innocent trust such babes often expressed. Rubbing his face lightly against the soft skin of the giggling infant, S'rei's gaze lingered moodily on the hatching ground below, dotted with blood and the birth fluids of the hatching clutch.

After a moment, he let out a soft sigh that sounded suspiciously like resignation. So be it. He couldn't let something this silly spoil the mood, even if it did annoy him. "I would wait an eternity to just feel the warmth of your touch," he responded, a wry smile transforming his sober features. The babe chose that moment to reach out and latch onto one of his ears, causing the man to chuckle as he gently pried the small hand with its vicelike grip from his ear. Miguel made as if to reach for it again, the Weyrleader swiftly changing tacts to tickle along the babe's sensitive inner arm. He giggled, flinging his limbs in an attempt to escape the sensation. S'rei's smile was soft, his gaze shifting toward Shmee once more and lingering upon the woman who'd stolen his heart. They should create something like this...

***

The voice was familiar, and the scent, too. Perhaps it was the familiarity, or maybe it was just the complete lack of true danger to Mutasim, but he blinked and found himself plastered against Narna. How had he...gotten here? Her arms enwrapped his head, nearly stifling, though he trusted her enough not to panic. What was this about a dragon, though? Mutasim would never Impress a dragon. Narna might. She was still strong, still capable of returning from the dark of her despair, but Muta knew he was irreparably broken. Why would a creature as sublime as these beasts ever choose him when there were whole boys and girls, strong men and women, at their disposal? If he were the last on the sands, maybe...as a means of survival. But otherwise he could not fathom it.

He pulled back as she spoke again, the confusion in his gaze still readable for a few moments before it flickered into nothingness. Had he come to comfort her? Truly? He could not remember doing or thinking such a thing, but the fact that he was here, now, a few paces from Narna and in the midst of the girls, was undeniable. To Mutasim, who had to validate everything by finding a selfish reason behind his actions, was at a loss to find a reason like that for this. Temporary insanity, perhaps? He certainly couldn't remember ever crossing the sands. Yes, that must be it. He must be experiencing bouts of craziness.

It was no wonder the hatchlings chose to pass him up, with such a sickness.

If he'd thought it would do any good - that he could speak his thoughts to Narna without distressing her - he might have impressed upon her that she need not worry about something that would never happen. "Why do you wish to hide in the shadows?" he finally asked, genuinely not following her reasoning. "Everyone is only watching the dragons, not all of us left standing around. And if you do Impress, do you think you'll really care about the attention?" Yes, he did somewhat romanticize that bonding. Mutasim secretly wished for a companion of that intimacy, but he couldn't imagine that ever taking place. The small boy tucked the desire safely away until he could get off to himself.

[glamourie]

As long as he didn't Impress first...? Keliris blinked, then looked at Lennae again, turning his full attention away from the Hatching. He didn't expect to Impress. Sure, part of him wanted to, but resignation was something that he'd finally embraced. If even firelizards didn't want him, no dragon surely ever would. The fact that the amount of eggs on the Sands had minimized so much hadn't been lost on him, either. Lir wasn't an optimist. K'ran had Impressed, and Beka... once Lennae did, he'd be fine. Maybe Rawign, though the fact that the other boy was terrified made him fairly sure his chances were diminished. But... him? No, Lir did not come to the Sands expecting to Impress. He'd be left standing around on the Sands, and he was fine with it. He had his plans for once the Hatching was over, anyway. While her vote of confidence was somewhat flattering, it was completely undeserved. And Keliris didn't know how to response, except with a look that bordered on confused.

"You're next," he said softly, though his voice was considerably more leveled than he felt. That was fortunate, too, as he'd been on the verge of curling up into a ball and hiding from her for her words. He didn't want reassurance. He'd accepted there was no chance of him Impressing and the last thing he wanted was for someone to convince him otherwise, not when it seemed so obvious he wasn't going to. No matter how good her intentions were, it wouldn't do for him to get his hopes up just to be crushed. He wasn't sure he'd be able to bear it, really.

He turned back toward the Hatching, his arms wrapping around his lower stomach. His expression was guarded again, his eyes on the eggs. Green, blue, brown... All the hatchlings did seem to be very handsome, or beautiful, whatever term fit them better. Three more Impressions. The amount of eggs left had diminished quite considerably. Keliris lifted one hand to brush his hair out of his face and stopped, just shy of actually doing so. The strands were worn long to hide his face itself, and he hid behind the curtain of red-brown as his gaze moved to the Lapis Lazuli Green, the last of the group to Hatch. That one's egg was the one that K'ran had touched, before being burnt by the Tourmaline Egg. Head tilting, Keliris glanced from the little green to the Tourmaline Egg itself, trying to decide which held his interest more. But that egg was his favourite... It was hard to decide what to focus between, the remaining dragonet and the only egg he'd touched... though, her actions toward the Tourmaline Egg made him narrow his eyes just slightly. Pfft. (Trust Lir to be protective of the unhatched Egg... weirdo.)

* * *

Perhaps fortunately for Marra, there was very little danger of Rawign actually hurting himself to please her. He couldn't stand the idea of being scarred accidentally. To do so willingly would be utter madness and he wasn't quite accustomed to that just yet, thanks. He smiled over his shoulder at her as he walked back toward the group, though again he lingered in the back of the remaining candidates, privately of the opinion that keeping them between him would help prevent any more maulings. But his mind wasn't on the Hatching anymore. He kept flashing back on Marra's skin underneath the shirt and the vaguest desire he had to wander back across the sands and proceed to beat the drudges guarding the entrance to the Sands to a bloody pulp. How dare any of them touch Marra, look at her, at all? His, roar. Which... probably wasn't the best way to Impress anything, but jealousy was apparently a strong suit of his.

He'd have fun explaining about Religna to Marra later, though. Once he found out how she got to the Weyr, anyway. He'd been well and truly prepared to go and find her himself, and she somehow showed up...? How had he missed that? Then again, hurt as he was, staying in Marra's apartment, it wasn't going to be easy for him to recognize most of the other candidates. He hadn't spent enough time in the barracks to know for sure who all was there or not.

Where had Lir gone?

Back with Marra, Li shrieked at one of the drudges looking at her, loud enough to actually be heard on in part of the Stands. The little bronze spat irritably and then followed the Harper, his eyes still whirling red. He was upset, and that person had tried to touch Mona's personthingy. He couldn't go sit on his, so he would follow the Harper girl around and make sure no one else tried to touch her. His person wouldn't like it if he let anyone get away with that. And that person had upset them both! It was a wonder Li didn't sweep down and peck the poor drudge's eyes out in his agitation.

[boober]

Chlaryns had stood patiently watching the Hatching from his vantage point toward the middle of the Candidates. He shifted his weight back and forth thanks to the scorching Sands underfoot, clapped for Impressions, but his attention was truly on the eggs. The dragonets were absolutely stunning, but really, one would have to be a fool to expect anything less from Aslath and her bronze mate. Both were magnificent in their own rights. He admired the Rose Quartz Brown as well as the Platinum Blue as they broke shell. They were beautiful creatures, and he'd have been honored to have Impressed either of them, though he didn't really think he was a match for a blue. But they moved on to Impress, for which he was glad.

While he was busy admiring the brown, however, another egg hatched, then another. He quickly looked in the direction of the clutch, his attention gained by the sounds of cracking shell. That green was positively adorable, but the bronze... Chlaryns smiled to see him. And the hatchling was wasting no time, either, seeming to know precisely who he wanted. This only increased the lad's approval of the little creature. Why dawdle when ones knows exactly what one wants and how to get it? But his thoughts took a change in direction as he realized the hatchling was heading for him. Him. Oh, surely not... surely he was not intended for such a magnificent creature. But nonetheless, a feeling of giddiness swept over the Candidate, even as he made room for the little dragon to pass by him if he so desired. But, apparently, he did not so desire.

The Malachite Bronze stopped and looked right at Chlaryns, capturing the lad with his wonderful whirling gaze. Elated, Chlaryns... but it was C'lryn now, wasn't it? knelt down, mindless of the scorching sand, and embraced his new lifemate enthusiastically, earning a squawk that sounded more like a croak. Minoath then crooned; he was happy that His was happy, but... Mine! I am very glad to see you too, but I am hungry! Please may we get something to eat? After all, they had the rest of their lives to marvel at one another. C'lryn pulled back--of course, of course--before getting to his feet and leading the dragonet toward the edge of the Hatching Grounds. He hadn't said a word through the entire Impression, though he hadn't needed to. Everything he felt shone clearly on his face.

"C'lryn and bronze Minoath" was stated clearly for the Weyrlingmaster, however, and once he was sure that nothing more was needed, he immediately led his poor starving lifemate toward the food bowls.

[Administrator]

Aslath snorted. I see truth![/color] she protested playfully. It isn’t any bronze that could sire hatchlings this muscular![/color] Watching proudly as very few of her eggs remained, she pointed out, Not even a stillborn! Fath had many. We will have none,[/color] she added excitedly. He was right about restoring Selenitas to glory. With their strong younglings, they could breed out deformed hatchlings and create such strong fighters! Thread—as well as Fort and Benden—could never dream of defeating them!

Squeezing his tail gently, she nuzzled him. She was happy he was feeling better. He loved their hatchlings as much as she did! Only further reason to produce more with him, she thought proudly. Other bronzes might just dismiss them, or perhaps even forget they sired them. Well, Salenth never would! Shells, he was proud. Pressing herself against him with equal force that he did, she crooned. The younglings below her were her little ones. Her little family, just like Hers had S’rei, Miguel, and Laurie. Though she probably couldn’t give them all individual attention, she would still be full of pride whenever they were thought of.

On this joyful thought, she watched the clutch intently, positive to watch as each one broke his or her shell.

--

Shmee had always grown up with the stories of rich holder heirs rescuing a damsel in distress, and how they always fell in love. She had learned “I love you” was the only way to express this sort of commitment to someone. Naturally, she didn’t understand an “I adore you” was better in S’rei’s eyes. Handing off the babe anxiously, her eyes sought his. He had that look on his face again. She had seen it too many times, and she found herself putting up defenses again. What did “the look” mean this time?

Watching him handle Miguel, a shadow crossed her features. Perhaps she had become over-sensitive to things as a side-effect to her poisoning and miscarriage, but Shmee didn’t know. It wasn’t necessarily the words that bothered the Weyrwoman; it was the look on his face, his sigh… Forcing a smile as he spoke again, she didn’t reply this time, only watching Miguel as he proceeded to grab at his uncle’s ear.

She had lost this for S’rei the first time around, she thought, slowly sinking back into something less fun than she had been becoming. Catching herself, she wanted to slap herself. She told herself she wouldn’t wallow in guilt anymore, but she couldn’t help it. Guilt just kept coming back, fluctuating like the tide. She sighed, looking back onto the eggs.

--

As the Lapis Lazuli Green inched around the candidates, it seemed she had provoked her supposed enemy—the Tourmaline Egg—into hatching. With an indignant shriek, another green tore from her shell, sending shards every which way. Without any pause, she stormed angrily off after her sister. Hissing, she swiped at the Lapis Lazuli Green, who retaliated by headbutting her sister none too gently. Screeching in fury, the Tourmaline Green backed up, then charged at the other, tackling her into the ground. Ichor began to stain the sands, but it was unknown from whom it came from.

As these greens tustled, the Turquoise Egg quietly broke opened into a brown with little fanfare. As he crooned gently, he was interrupted by a furious squawk from the angry greens. He looked over and chirrup inquiringly. Though he wanted to help, he knew better than to get in the middle of this brawl. Edging away visibly, he instead distracted himself by looking at the candidates. Feeling around the minds, he met one that slid in perfectly with his. Crooning, he announced, R’lor-mine, I am your Yiminth![/color]

…And still the greens fought. It was apparent now that it was the Lapis Lazuli Green who had the first wound, a nasty scratch across her side. However, she did not seem to notice it, but rather had her revenge by lashing at the Tourmaline Green very hard with her tail. The younger of the greens screeched angrily, as the Lapis Lazuli Green took this moment to seize her sister with her claws, leaving punctures in her hide.

At last, the Tourmaline Green broke free. Giving one last snarl of warning but not surrender, she sulkily stalked over to the candidates, watching them all with a grumpy gaze. The Lapis Lazuli Green crowed in victory before going back to the girl she had chosen. Rielana, do not go anywhere near that stupid green,[/color] she advised her new bonded. Else your Jeminorth will not be very happy. Look at the scratch she gave me![/color] Turning, she showed Rielana the scratch on her. It hurts![/color] she added pitifully.

The other miserable green paced for a moment. She couldn’t let her annoying sister be the only one to be bonded with someone! Swerving to the candidates, she crooned determinedly at Keliris. K’lirmine, can you help you Calistoth destroy her?[/color] she asked sweetly even as the ichor at her little punctures welled into higher blobs.

After this adventure, another of the four eggs was rocking hard, with cracks running all along the shell, yet the Jade Egg hadn’t broken. It must be a hard shell, with not even a square inch of pristine shell left on it![/size]

[glamourie]

Hey! Keliris's attention was quite successfully pulled away from Lennae as he took a step forward, just as the Tourmaline Egg hatched. The two greens fighting back and forth sent a hint of anger through him and he had to stop himself from moving forward to try and yank them apart -- not that he would have had much luck, given that he was rather small in stature. His gaze lingered on the older of the two greens, almost accusingly. He'd been biased toward the Tourmaline Egg right from the start and nothing about his posture remotely hinted that he'd changed his mindset. It didn't matter which of them started it (the Lapis Lazuli Green had!!), clearly the younger of the two greens was right. Another step forward was taken, actually putting him near the middle of the crowd as a swell of annoyance that no one was moving to separate them filled him. What if one of them got hurt? And - ichor - one of the greens was hurt. He stopped, and looked back at Lennae almost desperately, as if to ask her for help.

But the two finally broke (Keliris had completely missed the brown hatching, ironically enough) and the older of the two greens moved off. His gaze followed her almost accusingly before flicking up to Rielana, but it was broken a second later in disinterest. He turned his head, just in time to see some of the candidates in front of him move to reveal the younger of the two greens, looking right up at him. A hint of surprise crossed over his face before the redhead cocked his head to the side, an amused smile coming over his face at the little dragon's words.

"Is she truly worth destroying, or even a speck of your interest?" he asked, unable to help himself. If his words weren't enough to make it clear which of the two dragons he thought was superior, the tone did. It implied the other green was inferior - but then, the beautiful little green in front of him had been his favourite since before she hatched. It was all he could do to keep from actually losing his balance and hugging her, and the only thing that stopped him was a glance at the injuries lining her sides. Without any hesitation, the redheaded boy grabbed the sleeves of his robe and tore both right at the shoulders, leaning down to press them onto the injuries with force enough to stop the bleeding. "You're hurt..."

She's hurt worse, came the immediate response, though it wasn't necessarily true. Both of them were hurt equally, but the little green was not about to admit that. No, she may have broke free first but she won. Let's get to the food before she eats it all.

"We have to stop by the Weyrlingmaster," K'lir whispered, still holding his sleeve against her injury. The worry he felt was visible on his face. "There should be one of the Healers over near the feeding table." His words to Lennae were all but forgotten in his concern for the dragon before him and he did not so much as glance at her as he lead Calistoth away. Later he would feel guilty, but his beautiful green was hurt, thanks to that other green menace. He had to get her fed and her injuries checked out. She seemed to ignore them, but that didn't mean they didn't hurt. K'lir knew that better than most people, given that he was the same way. He never, ever would acknowledge pain if he could help it.

The two reached the Weyrlingmaster shakily, with K'lir constantly glancing at the injured dragonet beside him. He stopped and looked up at F'rah with a slight nod, respectful but not quite fully focused. "K'lir and Calistoth," he said without any hesitation, though he had to bite back the urge to add, easily the more beautiful of the two greens that just hatched. His unspoken words earned a squeaky croon of approval from the hatchling next to him, as if she was pleased by the praise. Then the two moved off to the feeding tables to find a Healer to tend to her injuries.

* * *

The greens were fighting. Rawign blinked, twice, in obvious worry. He started to step forward to try and stop them, but he was far enough away that by the time he reached the crowds at all, the two greens had broken apart. People crowded his vision, making it hard for him to notice who it was that Impressed, until he saw Keliris -- K'lir? -- leading one of the greens away. He brought one hand to his mouth and smiled, catching sight of K'ran near the food bowls looking nothing short of elated. K'lir didn't seem to notice him, though, and that was just fine. Rawign was too busy being happy for his friend, though the redhead did not appear to even have any idea of what was going on around him. That was okay, though; if he'd just Impressed, he probably wouldn't either. But that left very few eggs remaining. From what he could make out, only three were left, but there might have been more. It was hard for him to tell through the crowd of people who just would not move. Not that he blamed them. It was exciting.

But not exciting enough for him to keep from glancing back toward the Stands. Every time he caught himself, Rawign bit his tongue and turned back to the eggs, but it was hard, oh was it hard, to avoid actually turning and searching through the crowds for sight of Marra. Why did she have to tear up her shirt that way? How was he supposed to Impress anything when all he could think about was how her skin looked, revealed by her shirt as it was? He crinkled his nose, then pressed one hand firmly into his freshly injured side. Well, fine. Maybe pain would help keep his senses focused. If that didn't, nothing would.

[kaedryn]

Kaedryn had been shocked when the two greens had started fighting, tussling with each other and even causing both to bleed. It was only a few minutes before the fight was over and another dragon was hatched during that time, but all eyes were drawn to the snapping and snarling greens. The egg which had hatched during their fight turned out to be a brown who quickly found his Own. The Lapis Lazuli Green and Tourmaline Green finally withrew from each other and each went to trot over to their bonded, sending furious glances to their sparring partner. She gave a tight smile and clapped for the newly bonded, but her attention was soon given again to the ones left on the sands.

Of all the eggs since hatched, only three remained... The cracking Jade Egg, and the two unhatched Citrine and Opal egg… She sent her thoughts winging to the gleaming light green of the Jade, to the rainbow glow of the Opal, and the bright orange of the Citrine... All her hopes rested on these last three, but she knew her chances, already slim, were slowly dying each second... But no matter. Even if her partner was not here, he or she would be there next time... Or the time after that. She would never give up her hope and with this a radiant if somewhat sad smile lit her face and she turned her face skyward, tears attempting to crawl from under her eyes which she would not allow.