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 Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2010 1:11 pm
The day had dragged by as painfully as possible; it was hot outside and miserable. The day seemed long with drills and chores for almost everyone in the Weyr. Even when the light outside began to fade in a mild sunset, weariness sank into the bones. It was going to be a very lazy night. Even though the warmth of the day was fading, it was still far too hot. In the kitchens, a drudge wiped the sweat from his brow. In the Hatching Cavern, the Weyrwoman cursed quietly at the heat coming off the sands. The eggs had been hard for far too long. She sat with her dragon day in and day out, waiting for the moment when she could see what would come from the ten eggs.
A low hum caught her attention. It was quiet, barely hanging on the air. Looking out into the clutch, Hannele watched Elenneth's head sink so low that it almost touched the ground, her eyes focused front and center. The small, gray egg twitched once, twice. Hannele held her breathe as it ceased for a moment. Impatience gave a violent shudder and began to rock. Elenneth's head lifted, her hum growing louder, singularly filling the cavern. Castor and Pollux joined in as best they could, their higher-pitched voices reaching out. Upon hearing them, Elenneth turned, giving them a warning glare. For a moment, Pollux's eyes flared red as he puffed up. But the bronze felt his resolve wane under the scrutiny of the gold, joining Castor as the brown darted toward the ceiling. They found their perches and Hannele listened as the sound grew.
Outside, dragons were answering their queen's call, joining into the welcoming song. Other eggs began to rock, but Impatience was commanding the attention, eager to break. It would be first! Soon, weyrfolk and dragonriders began to appear, taking their vantage points in the stands. At the entrance, an attendant ran up and down the row of candidates, checking for appropriate dress, giving them the thousandth crash-course on manners, and banishing firelizards from their bondeds. Even the young ones could find somewhere else to be for the hours that the Hatching was sure to go on. Eventually, he relented, and the candidates were led out to take their places, the commanding Impatience egg taking in the limelight as it began to shudder, the first thin cracks breaking across the chaotic streaks.
((If anyone has a problem with their candidates being mauled, please post saying so as soon as possible. Maybe just tack it to the end of your post. All the candidates are entering together, so anyone who doesn't post will still be counted as present and there will be no "late" candidates. I'd prefer if you posted though. <3))
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Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2010 1:33 pm
A crack. Then another. Then another! Lenri's patients were waining thin as she grew more and more excited. The sands were hot and she felt sticky in the humidity of the day. Having raced to the sands, it was no surprise she was out of breath, and leaning forward in anticipation the heat only smothered her further.
Others were grouping around them, and all were eager. Lenri hadn't failed to take precautions this time either. She was fully ready to meet a few large lizards that were nothing but hungry and eager themselves. And after having felt their presence before she knew this would be the most amazing clutch. She could hardly wait.
((Erm.... I don't really mind if she gets a few gashes in some places and a bunch of bruises all over, but please don't chew her face off ^^ ))
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Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2010 1:38 pm
Ayna was shuffled in with all the other candidates. Her stomach tied itself into tight knots and though she felt completely deserted she knew at least some of the other candidates must feel the same. She regretted now listening to the stories of the weyr children. Tales of unworthy people being mauled to death by frantic hatchlings. In her heart of hearts Ayna knew it wasn’t really the dragons fault, they must be confused and scared yet the idea still sent prickles winging across her back and turned her legs to jelly. She folded her arms over her stomach as they walked in. The worst thing she could think of to happen right now would be for her to vomit her lunch before the first dragon had even escaped its shell.
Ayna held her breath as the candidate attendant rushed past, checking her attire quickly. She almost thought he had stopped to shoo her from the group as he did the firelizards. She released her captive breath when they were eventually let into the cavern.
Looking around she twisted her fingers together. The cavern seemed so much bigger, so much hotter than she remembered. She saw the shuddering egg and clasped her hands together. A scowl flickered across her face as she realised what she must look like. She pinched herself on the arm, harder than was really needed, somehow thinking the pain would dispel her nerves. Of course it didn’t so instead she was just left with a painful arm and unchanged nerves. Attempted to ignore her nerves she made herself promise not to shift to the back as she had in the firelizard hatchings she’d taken part in. Stiff as a board she held onto her own hand for comfort, eyes following the cracks across the shell.
((As long as she isn’t dead or permanently crippled or horrifically scarred by the end I’m good.))
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Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2010 2:01 pm
Aethian
Aethian hated bronzeriders. All of them. The whole scurvy lot. Drying his hair on a towel as he made his way to his cot he very nonchalantly sniffed his hands for any remaining reek that they might carry despite his best efforts during his bath. Stupid E'ch or X'itch or whatever his name was. Aethian couldn't understand how exactly that man seemed to know when he had something planned, but lately he'd been running into the bronzerider almost everywhere. Latrine duty was becoming a part of his daily routine - and that thought made Aethian shiver with disgust. He had to figure out a way to thwart that man or he'd never have fun again in his life. His newly awakened small-voiced-conscience offered a mild protest, but as Aethian flopped down carelessly onto his bed he simply told it to shut up and leave him alone. At this point all that he wanted was a nap. A little peace and quiet...
Odd. His matress was vibrating.
Humming! Shards!! Covers went flying as Aethian leapt to his feet and began shucking his clothes off frantically. He grabbed the white tunic that had been handed to him and tried to pull it down over his head as fast as he could, mussing up his wet hair in the process. They'd give him greif for that, but who cared - really?
Apparently the attendant in the hatching caverns cared. Aethian endured a good long talking to about his mussy hair, his sloppily tied sandals and his general air of being unkempt. He had to work hard to stop from rolling his eyes. Really, who did this fellow think he was? Oh well. Sooner or later he'd shut up and move on to someone else and - oh, he was wrapping up; time to smile and nod. Which Aethian did. Convincingly.
"Good, I'll expect better from you in the future then." With that the attendant was gone and Aethian could focus on the rocking eggs. The group was led out, and Aethian gladly split up with some of the others as they began to ring in the Impatience Egg. With some misgiving he eyed the rocking shell before glancing around at the others and up to the golden queen. Impatience Egg hadn't struck Aethian as being the ideal partner, and his eyes were drawn to the eggs he was most curious to see hatch.
(OOC - don't kill him please, though I have no objection to injuries )
---------
Others
N'mar wiggled unhappily in his cot, hearing the hum of the hatching in his ears. Blast the shell and sear the skin he wanted to get up and go! Zavir and Wren circled around his head, chattering back and forth with each other, sensing his frustration.
Calm down or you definately will open the wound up again, Alreth said chidingly.
Something wrong, Alreth? A joyous voice asked as a green dragon landed breifly by the infirmary. Ghinath was there to pick up her rider, who had been visiting with Vay, and to take her to the hatching cavern.
N'mar wishes to attend. But I cannot fly yet, so I cannot carry him. Alreth's tone was one of deep shame for this shortcoming.
I shall take him if you wish, and bring him back afterward.
That would be appreciated, if the healers will allow it. Most gracious of you.
So it was that, when Ghinath landed in the caverns she deposited two passengers: one leaning very heavily on the other.
"Blast it all, N'mar, you need to lose some weight!" Ixiara said, gasping slightly but smiling as she helped N'mar to limp towards his seat, both of them staggering a bit.
"Well drop me on that tier there and my weight will no longer be an issue," N'mar said teasingly.
"He-ey!" An earnest call came from their right. Ch'har was sitting there with his cane. "Another invalid? Drop him here - I'll look after him!" The young bronzerider was grinning from ear to ear and it was too obvious that he was caught up in the joy of the occasion. N'mar gingerly lowered himself down into the seat and rubbed at his leg. "You're in good company, my friend. No worries," N'mar said, giving the brownrider a friendly buffet on the arm. Ixiara walked back up to her dragon and leaned against Ghinath's leg, smiling and looking down at the sands.
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Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2010 2:14 pm
Cal waited in line to enter the hatching caverns, the butterflies in his chest now feeling like rampaging firelizards. He'd zoned out on the whole hatching etiquette lecture, since he'd heard almost a dozen times before. Now the attendant was once again walking up and down the line, checking their clothes and sending away Candidates' firelizards. Cal hated to part with them at a time like this, since the two always had a way with banishing his nerves, but rules were rules. He had left Gale at his bunk, but however many times he sent Chase away, the hyper-active brown just kept popping back. As Cal stood in line, Chase once again appeared in front on him from between, throwing images at him that had something to do with Gale being boring and him wanting to know what was going on. Cal sighed exasperatedly, "Chase, you can't be here!" he tried, for the tenth time. He glanced at the busy-body attendant who was coming this way. He'd already told Cal twice to get rid of 'that pesky Flitt'. "Chase, please!" he begged. Chase gave an annoyed squawk at being brushed off, but he did at least leave.
The attendant made it down the line, and, finally approving of them, allowed the Candidates to enter the Hatching Caverns. When at last, Cal got close enough to see the eggs, he was surprised to see that almost all of them were already starting to shake. He looked around, not sure which egg to focus on, until he got to the Impatience Egg. Shuddering so violently it practically demanded their attention, its shell began to crack, and he heard several candidates near him holding their breath. He too turned and focused on the egg, waiting hopefully. Would this be the one?
((Maul away. I don't really mind, although poor Cal will be pretty unlucky if he is, since he was injured at his last Standing too. XD I'm pretty cruel to my characters.))
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Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2010 4:44 pm
She heard the humming as it spread across the Weyr. She knew what the meant. She had remembered that sound from Rylies impression. That name, she had gone a while without thinking it. Now it made it ache just to move. She did, remembering everything she had to do. She pulled the dress over her head, replacing it with the white and formless candidate robe. She carefully tied on her sandals, not wanting her poor feet to get burned, and carefull checked to make sure his necklace was straight around her neck. What would happen if she didn't impress this time? Maybe she would just go home, like her parents had wanted. Maybe though, she could find some purpose is staying here. Could she make use of herself?
She started out, joining the group of other candidates. She had forgotten to fix her hair and quickly pulled the ribbon out, and strapped it around her wrist in a loose knot. She walked along in a daze, entering the cavern as she brushed her fingers through her hair. It feathered around her shoulders, clinging to her neck where sweat had leaked up. Even her palms were sweating. She knew it was worry that caused that. She felt disconnected from her body, each motion something not her own. She kept moving forward as much as she wanted to go back.
There were eggs already shaking and she felt . . . disconnected. She was a candidate, but she felt as though she stood alone from the rest. She was just Rita, not the candidate Rita. Her own thoughts made so little sense to her. They just rambled on in a muddled cloud. Something blue flashed at the corner of her eye and she turned, seeing the young man rush forward to wrap his arms around the blue fledging. "Rita! He says his name is Gabranth! Haha, Gabranth!"
She was insane, completely and utterly insane. She was seeing phantoms and she quickly rubbed her eyes. His smiling face still looked back at her, blowing away in a puff of sand and fog. Almost in a fantic way she glanced around, actually looking for that phantom.
'Think about yourself for once Rita. This is your standing, you know. I'm not allowed to stand with you. Don't worry! You'll be perfectly fine!" She was so terrified by the voices she kept hearing, and yet she groped for them. What was wrong with her? What did she actually want to do?! Her mind was so full of muddled confusion. She started chewing on the nail of her little finger, eyes turned down at her toes. They were starting to burn from the sand, and she shifted uncomfortably. There were so many bodies huddled around, so much heat flowing around her body. She felt like she was just going to blow away in the sand as well, just as the phantom image had.
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Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2010 5:45 pm
Mari Mari had raced towards the Hatching Ground the moment she had heard the humming, taking on the briefest moments to pause and tug the white candidate tunic on and tie her sandles properly before running off again. No way was she going to be late - again - she had gotten in so much trouble for being late once and was not planning on repeating that expirience. Quickly she slipped into line with the rest of the candidates and waited as the attendant ranted about how to act. Blah blah blah, shards he just never shut up! Mari was bouncing with impatience not listening, though she did quickly run her fingers through her short hair when she heard one lad being chewed out for the state of his hair. Tif took some convincing to shift. She didn't want to leave her girl, she wanted to protect her; and also the little firelizard was curious about what was going to happen in the big cavern. Though she did eventually relent when Mari caught her jaw and looked directly into her eyes, ordering the little green away. A little miffed the green vanished and went to find some of the other firelizards who had been sent away. Down the line Mari saw Cal having trouble with his Chase and grinned, and waved a little to him. When finally they were allowed into the cavern Mari thought she would burst with excitment and anticipation. For some reason this hatching felt different to the others she had stood in and she desperately hoped that it would be different and she would leave the sands with a little dragon in tow. Walking in and towards the eggs Mari saw that it was the Impatience egg that was shaking the hardest and smiled. She was glad that the egg was getting the attention that it so desperately craved. Soon, soon everything would start. ((Feel free to maul. Id rather she didnt wind up dead or completely crippled but otherwise Im all for it.)) Aleerna When Aleerna heard the humming she almost jumped out of her skin before she realised what the sound was. Hurrying out of her weyr she stood on Sidheth's ledge for a moment, watching as chaos erupted throughout the Weyr. As she watched she saw the occasional flash of white, streaking towards the Hatching Cavern. The sight made her grin, remembering her own panic when she had been in that same position. Just a single Turn ago, it was amazing how fast time went, she thought as she headed back into her weyr to quickly get changed. Much can happen in a turn. Sidheth's misty voice was excited as she waited for her rider. People come into your life and people leave it.Very true Aleerna replied as she pulled on her favourite pale green tunic, embroided jacket and fitted pants. Once she was ready she hurried out again and vaulted onto Sidheth's back. Ghinath has taken N'mar, Alreth cannot fly still. There was sympathy for her favourite brown beneath the excitment as Sidheth flew towards the hatching ground and depositing her rider. Sit with N'mar and stop him reinjuring himself. Aleerna smiled and rubbed her dragon's muzzle briefly before making her way down to where N'mar sat with Ch'har. "Hey!" she called out to the two men, as the candidates began to file in.
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Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2010 7:51 pm
The Impatience egg continued to shudder and shake, determined to be first. Those who had felt its frantic need to be noticed and remembered surely saw the egg getting its much-deserved time in the spotlight, but, curiously, it slowed. The creature inside seemed to have suddenly lost its urge for violence. It gave a solid shudder, a darker chasm forming down the side of the egg. It was almost free! It ceased moving for a moment as the hatchling readied another go. Nearby, Humility began to rock with the same energy that Impatience had experience, Honesty receiving some of the same excitement. The large egg rumbled back and forth, but Humility seemed eager to race as the creature inside Impatience slammed against the confining walls. The large crack shattered outwards and the first dragon toppled onto the ground.
The Sorceress Green Hatchling
The Sorceress green's yellowed hide simply seems to make her stand out from other greens, almost like she is somehow faded, not completely part of this world. Her face is a bit longer than usual, her build being generally lithe and small. She is small, even for a green, but she holds a certain dangerous presence about her. Her hide is marked down the back by an odd set of darker diamonds with a lighter border around them. These only seem to add to the general feeling that she is not one to be trifled with. Speed is her ultimate weapon, given her size, and one can bet that she knows how to use it.
The Sorceress green picked herself, every bit as indignant as she had a right to be. Her eyes whirled red as she turned, swatting at the egg shell that had confined her. For a moment, her eyes turned towards the Stands. Her wings flared open, flinging egg goo away as she displayed herself. They seemed... less than impressed. The small green hissed unhappily before turning her attention to the candidates, aware of the hunger that gnawed at her stomach. She abstained, for the moment, from going near them.
Nearby, Humility's raging was sure to not go unnoticed. The egg turned over on its side as the dragon inside fought to get free. Would this one have a better omen than a green? The egg fought and writhed, cracks forming along the base. The large egg did not ever stop, unlike it sibling. Instead, through one of the brown circles, a large crack took form. The circle broke, splitting the egg up the side. Pressing himself against the ground, the Designer blue wiggled his way free, completely ignoring his former prison once he was released.
The Designer Blue Hatchling
The Designer blue is pretty big for his color, but his bone-structure sets him apart. He is thin-boned with elongated legs that make him taller than other dragons. His neck and tail are longer to help him maintain balance. His movements, even when young, are rushed. He doesn't stand still, moving with uncertainty due to his longer limbs that will eventually evolve into quick grace. His hide is very pale in color, but the pastel is marred. One of the darkest shades of blue forms a splash over most of the left half of his face, the same-side wing, and his front-left leg.
The blue cast his gaze over the other eggs, stalking over to Honesty, which continued to have a steady rhythm. The dragon circled around the back, prowling around it and Meekness, the former inhabitants of his tightest circle. The first pangs of hunger struck him, and he turned to look at the Stands. They were all so... same, weren't they? Not as definable as the white-robed, silly-looking creatures that co-inhabited the sand. The blue turned his head towards said offenders and snorted, returning to his examination of the other, unmarred shells.
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Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2010 8:01 pm
Lenri jumped as the green burst from her shell. She couldn't help but coo a bit as she saw the confusion in her eyes. Red with hunger and the need for attention, the poor thing looked starved of all the necesities of life out there on the sand. Of coarse Lenri knew better than to think that the frail and soft natured apearance of the dragon meant it was gentle. She fully intended to keep her whits about her in this sweltering heat.
Paying all her attention to the green, she was again startled when the next shell popped cleanly open. The blue that tumbled almost indignently out of his egg seemed almost identical in reaction to his older sibling. He too had that hungry look about him.
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Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2010 9:11 pm
Aethian
As anyone with half a brain could have predicted, the impatience egg cracked its shell first. Out came a little green, pale but lithe and quick on her feet. Aethian's flat, emotionless eyes glimmered slightly as he watched her vent her frustration on the shell she had come out of. Well, even if a green first wasn't such a good sign she was healthy enough and had spirit enough for ten bronzes it seemed. Contrary to what he had first thought, he liked her: in a weird sort of way. He wasn't prepared to go all gushy-feely over her, though. She was still only a green. His eyes were drawn away when the next egg cracked open. It was a blue, Aethian realized.
The young dragon was colored quite oddly, it seemed. Whatever maniacle hand had created it seemed to have let the paint slip and drip a bit with no care for continuity of color. The odd blotch of dark blue made the dragon seem off balance a little, and his shaky movements were no help in correcting that impression. He circled the other eggs, ignoring his green sister. The tone of the crowd as a whole was not happy. A green and a blue first. Despite himself, Aethian felt a twinge of spiteful amusement that he quickly tried to suppress. The boy was watching the two dragons carefully, but niether seemed inclined to approach the candidates at all. The impatient sorceress was suddenly full of patience, holding herself aloof, and the designer blue seemed, if anything, disdainful. Aethian felt a p***k in his ego at that thought.
Others
"Hey, pull up a seat, it's just starting!" Ch'har said, glancing at Aleerna and then glancing away so quickly that it was more of a twitch than a real movement. It was obvious that he was caught up in the hatching. "I can't believe how lucky Ichidou is!" He groaned. "If Tsareth could have flown these might've been his babies!"
"Got the top spot in mind have you?" N'mar said, holding an arm out to Aleerna. "Come and join the cripples, my dear." He said with a grin.
Ghinath, and Tsareth - who was perched up with the other bronzes, finally healed enough to fly - were humming in earnest now. Both delighted with the new arrivals.
They are strong, they are healthy. It is a joy, Ghinath said, turning her nose down and bumping Ixiara's elbow lightly. The girl had been staring with a slightly unfocused gaze at the hatchlings as they broke shell, her face blank and her thoughts far away. One day you will have little ones yourself. Do not cheat these younglings out of their special day. See them? How beautiful they are? How fragile, yet how strong? How unique, how sure of themselves: even minutes old? Be glad for them, Ghinath said, her words flowing together with an almost rhythmic quality as she swayed her head back and forth, humming a birth-song to the new babies. Ixiara smiled, and shook the sadness out of her thoughts. Ghinath was right. Hatchings were days of joy.
X'ech was sitting close by Umwarith, high in the stands where he could get a good view of the hatching. As he was fond of both Hannele and Ichidou he was especially eager for this hatching to turn out well. When the Sorceress Green slashed out at her shell he laughed briefly and slapped his thigh. There's one you don't mess with, eh big fellow?
Indeed, small fellow, Umwarith said, amused.
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Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2010 11:03 pm
Cal saw Mari down the line and waved back. 'Good luck!' he mouthed, smiling excitedly. Everything about this hatching was different from his last one. Here he was surrounded by friendly faces, instead of strangers, and the small number of eggs gave an engaged, personal feel to the Hatching, even though it meant daunting odds for all but the lucky few of them. Even so, he was optimistic and waited eagerly as the first egg began to shudder and crack. Right as it was almost free, it seemed, the egg stopped, the dragon inside falling silent. Nearby, two more eggs began to shake violently, drawing his attention. Yet, right as he was turning away, there was a sudden rupture and the Sorceress Green hatchling burst out of her shell.
She looked like some sort of poisonous reptile- small but deadly, beautiful but deadly. She flared her wings and hissed at the crowd, only making that impression stronger. Not wanting to take his eyes off her (in the same way you don't want to turn your back on a crouching feline), Cal mostly missed the shaking of the Humility Egg, only seeing it out of the corner of his eye. He turned only in time to see the Designer Blue wriggle out of its shell. This one too was a beauty. Dark blue colored one side of its pastel body like a stain, or a scar. Neither one of them seemed particularly impressed or interested in the Candidates, so Cal turned his attention, like they did, to the un-hatched eggs, holding his breath and waiting.
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Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2010 8:02 am
Stuck somewhere in the middle of the group of Candidates as they were ushered into the great cavern, Auren was jostled from side to side as others tried to reach the front, hoping to improve their chances. Wiping more sweat from her forehead, she wondered if it might not be a good idea to get a haircut. This heat felt stifling! Still, she rather liked her long hair, and it wasn't so bad today, what with it being in a braid and all.
Shifting slightly to get a better look at the swaying motions of the clutch, she wondered which of the unique eggs would crack first. For some reason, it reminded her somewhat of the hatching of her firelizards: watching with high hopes, not knowing what colors were hidden within the depths of the shells or who the hatchlings would choose. Only this time, she was watching dragons hatch, not their much smaller counterparts. Still, she wondered where Syndil and Lia had disappeared to. Probably gone to join the Weyr's flits in watching the spectacle, she thought. I hope they behave themselves. As it was, the girl still had a knot on the back of her head from where Lia had snuck up on her and made her fall backward into a stream.
Suddenly, the first egg burst open, and Auren watched a lovely green emerge from the Impatience egg. Even newborn, however, that one seemed to exude an air of menace. Wondering if that danger was supposed to be meant for them or for anyone opposing the green one, she became aware of another hatchling on the Sands. Shifting her attention to the newcomer, she marveled at the blue's coloring. He was marvelous to behold! Still, though, she found her attention wandering back to the first green of the clutch. In her mind, she could almost see Tirlan greeting the green... No, she told herself firmly. Yet, her eyes began to film over with tears. No, he's gone. I know he is. And that's not Vonni! Closing her eyes, she tried to hold the tears back, hoping that no one would notice.
((I don't mind if she gets injured, as long as it's not serious or lasting.))
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Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2010 11:14 am
Squeezing her hand harder and harder every moment Ayna watched as the egg shook more and more, she didn't know the total strength of a dragon egg but she was sure it would shatter soon if the hatchling didn't manage to get out. She remembered the touch of that hatchling. So wanting and desperate for attention, well, it was the center of everyone's attention now.
But then, it stopped? Maybe the hatchling was tired after all that shaking about. Ayna really didn't know and just watched as it gave one more shudder and a large gap formed down the side of the shell. Ayna was certain now was the moment the hatchling would immerge but instead another egg began to shake instead. She looked at the Humility egg and remembered the feeling that egg had given her, everything was unimportant. Nothing had mattered in those few moments, even her, which still made her feel slightly unnerved. Then another egg joined in, she remembered the Honesty egg very well. She'd told that egg things she hadn't told anyone else and now, away from the comfort of the egg, she regretted it.
Because of the excited movements of the two eggs Ayna briefly thought one of them would beat Impatience to first place but no sooner had the thought entered her mind that the hatchling exploded out of the egg. A green. Ayna spotted a few disappointed faces and frowned. True the green seemed a bit small but she was beautiful, Ayna wasn't even sure if she was small for a green hatchling. She wasn't aware that a green hatchling first was not considered the best sign. She did know that the dragon was a character, the greens very first action had been to punish the egg that had imprisoned her. Next was to flare her wings at the stands as if to say 'you will look at me and you will look now'. Her appearance was just as striking as her behaviour, diamond shapes that were clear and sharp against her paler hide, Ayna could just make out the lighter surrounding of the shapes. To her, the green was a vast improvement from the egg. She was slightly disappointed when the hatchling decided not to approach the candidates.
Drawing her eyes from the green she looked at the other eggs. The Humility egg was still shaking, never letting off. As she looked Ayna thought that nothing had changed but then spotted all the little cracks and the big crack inside one of the circles. She wondered briefly if it was the one she'd laid her hand on. Unlike his sister the hatchling wriggled out of his shell and discarded it, clearly not bothered with it at all.
Ayna saw him from the right hand side first and thought he was a very pretty colour. It wasn't till he turned that a smile crossed her face. He looked like someone had thrown a pot of paint across his face and side. She found the 'imperfection' endearing in its own way. He was bigger than the green by far and seemed unusually leggy as well as having a long neck and tail. His uncertain moves coupled with the asymmetrical markings made him seem somewhat lopsided.
Like his sister he also did not approach the candidates, apparently more concerned with the other eggs in his clutch. He suffered a quick glance at both the stands and her and the candidates before returning his attentions back to the eggs.
So there she was; two eggs had hatched and she wasn't dead! True neither of the hatchlings had approached the candidates but that would come later.
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Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2010 5:53 pm
Her heart pounded as she gazed at the two dragons that had hatched. She was frightened of the sharp green and turned her eyes to the blue. It made her insides soften, and she smiled. Had she expected him to be like her brother's dragon? There was no similarity. This one was so leggy, while Gabranth hadn't been. It was unfair of her to expect any blue to be like Gabranth. It was as if she were looking for his replacement. One of them would take his place in a wing, but they couldn't take his place in her heart.
Neither dragon rushed the candidates, searching out their riders. Rita glanced about her, her mind wandering back. She was stuck in the past it seemed, disconnected from this hatching. She felt like she was just a special observer, someone fortunate enough to stand on the sands as the dragons paired off. Which two would belong to these dragons? She was full of envy already. They hadn't even been impressed yet. 'There's something wrong with me. Do I even stand a chance? Should I really stand here?' She found herself looking about again, and hesitantly took a step back.
She tucked her arms behind her, and just watched. How quickly would the dragons decide? She found herself impatient. She wanted everything to end. 'I want to impress . . . but is it only because I want his Weyr? I want no one else to have it? What a shallow reason it has all become. I have no right, no right to stand here anymore.'
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Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2010 6:56 pm
Rita's self-conscious behavior had drawn the eye of a nearby candidate who had snuffed out their own uncertainties with an almost manically cheerful facade. Now with the sultry heat of the sands competing with the electric atmosphere, Kurta had once again begun wilting on the Sands in a rehashing of the mixed-bag Touching Ceremony. Her hand-tailored robes (she was simply too short, and too...fat to fit any of the existing sets) were bunching in the most uncomfortable fashion around her plentiful waistline while her sandals rubbed fresh abrasions on the callused soles of her feet.
And despite her own discomforts, and the initial eye-catching appeal of the gangly dragons currently feigning complete disinterest in the Candidate body on the whole - Kurta was concerned for the quiet, pale girl. The way their bodies were positioned she couldn't quite see her face, but body language spoke fluently for what wasn't visible. "...are you all right?" It was more of a rasp than a whisper, plainly audible to those around them. Kurta didn't care so much; clearly those babies weren't interested in them just yet, and that wisp of a girl looked terribly uncomfortable in her own skin.
They were all Candidates, all separate parts of the same entity. And in a roundabout way, a family - as much a family as the Kitchens staff had been to her. They all stood fair chance of Impressing, and Kurta didn't want to see an opportunity wasted or even danger strike because one of them wasn't steady on their feet. A hatchling could very well lash out if a Candidate's thoughts weren't complimentary, fickle babies that they were.
- -
"It's about time they showed themselves." It wasn't so much an evaluation as a verbal sigh of relief, a loosening of muscles she hadn't known had gone stiff in the first place. The Weyrleader's appraisal was delivered with a thoughtful stroke of her chin regardless, her face settling into a smug twist of the lips. Ichidou had been silently stewing about the clutch whilst Elenneth fussed, her interest and attention fully invested in these now wobbling eggs as Ursidaeth's get ambled precociously about.
They're healthy, at least. Remarking to her dragon, roosting a short distance from anxious Elenneth and the Weyrleaders, Ichidou glanced pointedly in his direction as the brown broke his resonant hum to rumble dismissively. The firstborn was a green - but at least she was a lively one.
<< Healthy, yes. >> The sire was gazing avidly at the hatchlings, enthralled as though he were an impressionable youth once more. They were all so tiny!
"So, what do you think those naysayers are thinking now?" Still partly linked to Ursidaeth's fount of youthful enthusiasm, Ichidou made a playful jibe at the potential threats lingering in the stands - dragon rider and Holder alike. Surely some of them were waiting with baited breath to see what these ten b*****d eggs held in store for Telgar's 'dim' future. Without a doubt.
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