Hello loves! While I haven't been writing, I have been working on updating some issues that have been hanging around on the layout! The Character change box is now at the bottom of the page, beside the up/down arrows! Green and Gold dragon flight dates have been shifted to the bottom of the page, where the (useless!) discord widget was located. Where the dragon flights were in the header, is now replaced by a Monthly Event box! This will be updated at the start of each month, with a fun mini-event you can take part in, if you want to! Thistle!
16.Mar.12, 01:33 PM
Kerrin only flashed one of his usual bright, cheeky grins in reply to Erisi's confused and scornful stare, apparently not picking up on the anxiety that colored the other young man's every movement and in no mood to exchange any verbal blows with the reluctant and gloomy Harper, besides. There were dragons out there! His spirits would not be dampened! "Yeah, yeah," he answered the other Candidate's sour retort with a dismissive wave of his hand, once he was certain Erisi had surrendered to the inevitable and would not need any physical dragging onto the sands by the wrist. Kerrin was entirely prepared to do exactly that, but he was rather relieved that it wouldn't come to that, as the struggle surely would have made them both late. "Anyway, I'm not gonna risk G'rem's wrath by waiting around for you. See you out there!"
At that he turned on his heels, rushing down the hall shortly after Valerian and his ridiculously tall and boring roommate. He soon caught up to them, and finding them too slow for his liking, squeezed past them and rushed onto the Hatching Circuit with just a few seconds to spare to scan the stands for familiar faces. It was already getting dark, but he thought he could spot R'nd somewhere up front. He couldn't make out the bluerider's expression, and he imagined the other young man would not be able to see his. Kerrin decided that was for the best, for he was suddenly filled with trepidation as he turned to face the clutch of swaying, slowly cracking eggs, the din of Nirinath's steady hum drowning out all other ambient sound and piercing his own thoughts, making it difficult to sort out the sudden rush of emotion the sight summoned within him. After all, this was - despite his age, and the fact that Nirinath had borne Katila Weyr one clutch already - his first Hatching. The first he had missed, through one one's fault but his own... though of course at the time he had been filled with indignant outrage that his father and the Weyrleaders themselves would have the audacity to bar a perfectly good and healthy Candidate from Standing! Well. At least now he could look back on those difficult days and smile at the thought of how far he'd really come since then.
Perhaps now, he could really, officially consider himself a young man worthy of standing before a clutch of Pern's very last dragons.
But would one of those newborn beasts really choose him today? Just because D'ren and Tsuen thought him good enough, didn't mean any of them would. Kerrin shuddered as he suddenly remembered the wordless scolding of the very last egg he had touched... for what if it had been right? Naturally, until this very moment, the weyrbrat had been filled with the utmost confidence that he would walk away from the sands on Hatching day with his lifemate in tow. This sudden uncertainty felt totally alien to him, and Kerrin was confused as to why it had cropped up so suddenly. Even R'nd, close enough to be privy to the very worst moments in his life, had assured him more than once over the years of his absolute certainty that his young friend had what it took to Impress; surprisingly, Kerrin found himself drawing on those words for reassurance where he had never needed it before. He had no time to dwell, however. Suddenly, a shell cracked, and the weyrbrat stood utterly transfixed as a dragonet spilled from its shattered egg and tumbled onto the sands. It was nowhere near him, so he and so he only watched with wide eyes as it Impressed to a young woman whose name he wasn't quite sure he could remember. But it was a green!
The young Candidate grinned. Now it was really on!
Before he knew it, two - no three! - or was it two? - more eggs began to wobble and crack, and Kerrin stared with absolute focus on as many as he could - until a call of his name broke his concentration. He blinked at Erisi, looking almost astonished, as if only just now realizing that there were others on the sands besides himself. "Val?" the boy echoed, sounding puzzled. What in the name of Faranth could Erisi possibly want with Valerian at a time like this? Now wasn't exactly 'hang out with your Harper buddies' time, after all--
Kerrin's train of thought was abruptly cut short, his startled gaze drawn to the same dragonet that had attracted Erisi's attention downward. How had he missed that one?! The little hatchling was only curiously nosing about the Harper's legs, but Erisi's terror was not lost on the younger Candidate. Kerrin was usually pretty self-centered and oblivious to the needs of others, but in this he felt compelled to easily oblige the other young man's plea without any glib commentary or teasing, regardless of how easy a target Erisi had set up for him. Perhaps he felt like it was just his responsibility as weyrbred to distract the little dragonet from the petrified Harper. The boy took one slow step towards Erisi, falling perfectly into place for the miniature beast to nudge at him next. "Hey little one," Kerrin called to the hatchling gently, slowly opening his palm for the dragonet to sniff when it poked its searching nose at his hand. "Who are you looking for?"
He made no other move, simply letting the creature sniff at its leisure. This one seemed slow and careful, not aggressive, and though he remembered their instructors' warnings to exercise caution at all times around the hatchlings, the weyrbrat felt little need to answer its inquisitive sniffs with fear or panic.
At that he turned on his heels, rushing down the hall shortly after Valerian and his ridiculously tall and boring roommate. He soon caught up to them, and finding them too slow for his liking, squeezed past them and rushed onto the Hatching Circuit with just a few seconds to spare to scan the stands for familiar faces. It was already getting dark, but he thought he could spot R'nd somewhere up front. He couldn't make out the bluerider's expression, and he imagined the other young man would not be able to see his. Kerrin decided that was for the best, for he was suddenly filled with trepidation as he turned to face the clutch of swaying, slowly cracking eggs, the din of Nirinath's steady hum drowning out all other ambient sound and piercing his own thoughts, making it difficult to sort out the sudden rush of emotion the sight summoned within him. After all, this was - despite his age, and the fact that Nirinath had borne Katila Weyr one clutch already - his first Hatching. The first he had missed, through one one's fault but his own... though of course at the time he had been filled with indignant outrage that his father and the Weyrleaders themselves would have the audacity to bar a perfectly good and healthy Candidate from Standing! Well. At least now he could look back on those difficult days and smile at the thought of how far he'd really come since then.
Perhaps now, he could really, officially consider himself a young man worthy of standing before a clutch of Pern's very last dragons.
But would one of those newborn beasts really choose him today? Just because D'ren and Tsuen thought him good enough, didn't mean any of them would. Kerrin shuddered as he suddenly remembered the wordless scolding of the very last egg he had touched... for what if it had been right? Naturally, until this very moment, the weyrbrat had been filled with the utmost confidence that he would walk away from the sands on Hatching day with his lifemate in tow. This sudden uncertainty felt totally alien to him, and Kerrin was confused as to why it had cropped up so suddenly. Even R'nd, close enough to be privy to the very worst moments in his life, had assured him more than once over the years of his absolute certainty that his young friend had what it took to Impress; surprisingly, Kerrin found himself drawing on those words for reassurance where he had never needed it before. He had no time to dwell, however. Suddenly, a shell cracked, and the weyrbrat stood utterly transfixed as a dragonet spilled from its shattered egg and tumbled onto the sands. It was nowhere near him, so he and so he only watched with wide eyes as it Impressed to a young woman whose name he wasn't quite sure he could remember. But it was a green!
The young Candidate grinned. Now it was really on!
Before he knew it, two - no three! - or was it two? - more eggs began to wobble and crack, and Kerrin stared with absolute focus on as many as he could - until a call of his name broke his concentration. He blinked at Erisi, looking almost astonished, as if only just now realizing that there were others on the sands besides himself. "Val?" the boy echoed, sounding puzzled. What in the name of Faranth could Erisi possibly want with Valerian at a time like this? Now wasn't exactly 'hang out with your Harper buddies' time, after all--
Kerrin's train of thought was abruptly cut short, his startled gaze drawn to the same dragonet that had attracted Erisi's attention downward. How had he missed that one?! The little hatchling was only curiously nosing about the Harper's legs, but Erisi's terror was not lost on the younger Candidate. Kerrin was usually pretty self-centered and oblivious to the needs of others, but in this he felt compelled to easily oblige the other young man's plea without any glib commentary or teasing, regardless of how easy a target Erisi had set up for him. Perhaps he felt like it was just his responsibility as weyrbred to distract the little dragonet from the petrified Harper. The boy took one slow step towards Erisi, falling perfectly into place for the miniature beast to nudge at him next. "Hey little one," Kerrin called to the hatchling gently, slowly opening his palm for the dragonet to sniff when it poked its searching nose at his hand. "Who are you looking for?"
He made no other move, simply letting the creature sniff at its leisure. This one seemed slow and careful, not aggressive, and though he remembered their instructors' warnings to exercise caution at all times around the hatchlings, the weyrbrat felt little need to answer its inquisitive sniffs with fear or panic.
