[G] [C] 731.06.04 | Wish Upon A Star [HATCHING]

For future reference, Farlint did not laugh when the Bittersweet Tundra Hatchling tripped in its wings. Nor was he laughing when the dragon flung itself at a short new figure standing among the Candidates, sliding up and down the soft body of one of his fellow Candidates. He didn't notice how suspiciously short the body was, or even think about how they hadn't been there last time he looked in that direction. Instead- he was frozen. Paralyzed. What should he do? What could he do? Why was he thinking- he should be acting. There was hissing, and blood pouring onto the sands. Bile rose in his throat, and he took one hesitant step in the dragonet's direction. What would he do? What could he do? Oh shards, what was he talking about? Why was he thinking this out?

Farlint had never been this determinedly reactive before, and in the few seconds that could have made a difference, he found himself torn between who he was, and the trouble he'd get into if he misstepped and caused some kind of mental trauma to the dragonet. What if he pulled the sharding beast away and it went Between? Would it be his fault? Maybe not, but he would feel guilty about it for... who knew how long.

Too late he came to the decision that he'd take that guilt. He lurched forward as Nirinath roared, and the dragonet released its prey and shrieked in frustration.

Farlint could do the same.

The dragonet flung itself another direction, and for a moment he could imagine another Candidate bleeding out onto the Sands. But the other one- the pretty girl he'd met a couple of times- got off fairly lucky.

And then the ball of anger was hurtling his way. Farlint took a step back, away- but it wasn't enough. The dragonet was small, but Far's knees were low to the ground (compared to his head anyway). The impact didn't seem that serious at first. Far heard the sound, but didn't feel it. He felt wet, and wondered if he'd pissed himself? or if maybe the dragonet had cut him- he'd been cut before and sometimes it took a while to realize it. He tilted his head further, to try and see what had been done, and was startled to see bone jutting. Was startled to find that the leg wasn't going to-

Support him. Farlint felt woozy, and the world spun briefly. He tried to lean back on the other leg, but the dragonet was still there, and he... He should play dead. Animals reacted well to playing dead. The beastcrafter let himself go limp, let himself fall towards the Sands, hearing cries for people to make it to him. I'm okay! He wanted to yell, but until the dragon was done with him, it wasn't okay.

Was Ilveriath going to be sad that Farlint might not have a friend to show him? And how was Far going to help give the Blue baths if his leg was... Maybe when he opened his eyes, he'd realize this had all been a nightmare.

Unlike Farlint, Jada was intimate enough with the figure that was being mauled that she knew, and she screamed, not caring if it attracted the dragonet's attention. Indi wasn't supposed to be on the Sands! Shards! She broke the line as Indi shrieked, turning towards her young friend; and that was why when the dragonet spun, possibly seeing in her the loud noise, or another target... it flung itself her way. If she had been closer, it could have been worse. Jada flung up her arms, tried to make herself small, balling up her hands into fists to protect them as well; claws raked her forearms like knives, and she felt warmth trickling down her skin. Blood, her own, mixing with Indi's blood that had been on the dragonet's claws, and the sand that had been gathered as the small beast had fallen, gotten up, fallen and then flung itself in Jada's direction.

Blood was good, Jada thought inanely. It cleaned the wound, didn't it?

The Hatchling hissed and Jada pushed to her feet, forcefully shoving the rest of the way to Indivara. The child was crumpled, but the screams were silent, at last. There was blood everywhere, a metallic stink hat the Harper wasn't trained to deal with. Her face went pale and she was hard-pressed to keep herself from vomiting. "Indi? Indi?" she pulled the girl upright, and was glad to see that the child was breathing, that her heart was still beating. Were the wounds deep? What could she do? She reached down, tugging at her robe. Where were the healers? Were they coming?

White cloth tore, and Jada grabbed Indi's hand, pushing white cloth into it. "Press this to your face, honey, as hard as you dare." She heard a sickening crack from behind her, but didn't turn to look; didn't see the girlishly handsome man fall to the Sands. She was more worried about what was in front of her- and if his situation was worse, well, they'd get to him first. Before she could rip her robe any more, a Healer was there, pulling her and her self-appointed charge to their feet and tugging them to the edge of the Sands.

The Harper started shaking when she looked down at her arms. Thank goodness. It wasn't her hands. She needed those to live. Amber eyes went to the Sands, to the blood-soaked places where Indivara and- Farlint? Oh, poor man.- had been standing. To the dragonets on the Sands.

Jada smiled wanly, then hissed as they cleaned away the blood to gauge her wounds. Not too deep. A numbweed salve, and a bandage, then she got to return to her friend's side, anxious for the verdict on Indivara.

---

Note: I got the okay from Homey to PP Indi some in this.

R’nd had barely taken his eyes off of Kerrin since spotting the man as he ran in. The fading light was annoying and R’nd was tempted to complain about it or send Ayyonth off to find some glows to light the grounds but he held his tongue to avoid being sent to play fetch and let his eyes adjust with each dimming ray of the sun. While he still couldn’t see as clearly as if this was happening in the daytime or at least properly lit, R’nd was able to see what his friend was up to. Surprise nearly floored him when he saw Kerrin and Erisi talking and moving closer together. Were they conspiring against him? No, he was being paranoid. If it was any other time he would have had reason to be worried over those two chatting but he didn’t think anything other than the rocking eggs was on anyone’s mind. He hoped.

When a dragonet emerged and made its way to Erisi, R’nd held his breath but then nearly choked on it when Kerrin intervened and held out his hand. Was this it? Was this where Kerrin became a rider and possibly their weyrleader in several turns thus ending the charmed life he knew and loved so much? As his mind started tripping down that horrifying path once more, the dragonet walked away and Kerrin didn’t follow along or call out a name, showing he hadn’t Impressed that little curious guy. R’nd struggled to breathe and released the hem of his shirt that was being strangled in an unknowing death grip. That was a close call! Was he happy or sad over that failed attempt though? He had said for turns now that Kerrin would Impress and R’nd fully believed it and he did want that to happen but the nightmare stuck with him and in his less than mint condition state right then, the bluerider couldn’t help but have a small hint of worry with every crack of shell.

In the silence that stretched out, R’nd had nervously finished off another glass of wine from the bottle he had tucked into a bag slung over neck and shoulder before racing out the door. It didn’t matter, however, when R’nd decided sober, hungover, or drunk wouldn’t help what played out next. That hint of worry became full blown fear after the quiet lull before the storm when that vicious dragonet darted right for Kerrin, Erisi, a tall gorgeous man he would have to introduce himself to later, and a couple of others he couldn’t make out but one seemed to look vaguely familiar. Relief hit R’nd when the tiny creature lunged not for Kerrin but the smaller form beside him before panic set in at the mauling he was witnessing. Maulings were a part of Hatchings, he knew that, everyone did, and it was expected not everyone would come out free of bruises, scratches, or broken bones in a worst case scenario, but they were never pretty. He had survived Standing for two clutches before Impressing Ayyonth and came out untouched and had hoped for the same for the Candidates he knew on the Sands and even the ones he didn’t know. But now it seemed that was just a fool’s wish.

When the dragonet released its first victim, R’nd’s stomach flip-flopped. He knew who that was and she wasn’t supposed to be on the Sands! He was on his feet but didn’t move, didn’t even look around for a healer. He knew better than to scream out her name lest he further anger the aggressive little beast, frighten another, or send the entire weyr after Indivara either concerned for her well-being or enraged at the audacity for sneaking out there. Oh, but that feisty little beast wasn’t finished yet! R’nd gave a strangled gurgle of a shocked sound at seeing Jada come under attack but relief hit him, along with guilt, when it seemed she got off a lot easier than the young weyrbrat. Thinking that had to be the end of the rampage and someone would Impress and calm the dragonet, R’nd started to sit back down, waiting for Indivara to receive medical attention.

Too bad it just wasn’t his day for anything to go smoothly with his thoughts. R’nd winced at the collision and the way the man went down, showing that his leg had clearly been broken. As concerned as he was for all those that had been attacked, including the beautiful blonde – another Candidate he had to make time to meet - he had caught a glimpse of earlier during the time of little action, grey eyes zeroed back in on Kerrin and hoped his friend wasn’t too rattled.

Weren’t Hatchings supposed to be nostalgic? Shouldn’t he be basking in the memories of Impressing Ayyonth like the older riders had told him they experienced with their own bonded at every Hatching they attended? Instead all R’nd felt was fear, a sense of impending doom, and a lot of nervous energy. He didn’t even feel this nervous at his own Standing! All of this was enough to make him drink himself from hungover to drunk.

Assuming he had enough wine with him.

Shards but he hoped he had enough wine.

Lymsleia froze. The rampaging little hatchingling had left her shocked and scared. The violence of a new born dragon was something truely terrifying. Why had the hatchling behaved that way. It'd decimated a sibling- or so it seemed to her- and injured someone-- she'd heard the scream and she had seen the blood. The healer in her wanted to g to Indivira and Farlint and she did.

She strode accross the hatching sands, Please wait for me if you're out there. She thought expectantly. The hatching for her left a bad taste in her mouth. The little dragon's rampage had set her off and Lymsleia was a healer. She looked around, where were they? It'd happened so fast, Indivra, and Farlint were both injured, the healers should have swarmed the sands.. wait why was Indivra here. She wasn't a candidate. The actions of hatchling hiding amoung the eggs made her smile a bit, Its ok, I know that was scary, I'd hide too she told herself, moving across to try and help Farlint and Indivra. She realized Jada had helped Indivra a bit. "She's breathing?" she asked in a worried tone.  She'd passed Farlint, shooting him an appologetic look, as if to appologise for being  in triage Healer mode -Indivra needed help, much more. The dragon had thrown her.

"Indivra!" she called out to the young girl. She swallowed, as she realized, the young bronze hadn't been just vicious it'd been... cruel? She couldn't tell. She glanced back at Farlint and then back to Indivra, as the thought dawned on her mid-step, she didn't have her bag. She'd left it all behind with the other healers... as a candidate.  She was almost powerless without it.  Break the rules and care of Indivra- leaving the sands to get her bag, and potentially miss out on a bond that could change her world--- or remain standing and watching someone in pain. Time felt slow and sticky.

As the healers did arrive Lymsleia frowned, no one had brought her bag that she could see, she flexed her fingers. They were doing their jobs. She turned back to Farlint, Indivra was receiving the attention. Maybe she could help him... "F---Fa---farlint..." she squeaked. " Lets get you to the healers... that's bad...." she guess considering the sickening sound and the jutting bone that would be some serious treatement. She crouched down to help him up. "You can lean on me, I'll get you off."

The look Valerian received was vaguely accusing, as if demanding where the other Harper had been this entire time and why he was only coming to Erisi's side now. He was sure a few people were genuinely enjoying the Hatching, but Erisi was definitely not one of them. Shells, Valerian was probably even enjoying watching dragonets squawk about and terrorize young Candidates. Erisi, however, had no shame in dampening the man's mood with his own concerns (which were numerous, if he were to list them out). His anxiety levels were high, because while some people may think that today could be the start of a new life, Erisi saw today as a day that could end his old life. And he liked his old life, a lot. There had been nothing wrong with being a traveling Harper, picking up marks where he could by singing and playing music. That was the life for him, where he was free to make his own decisions, do as he pleased when he pleased. The scheduled and strict lifestyle for a dragonrider was hardly appearing to someone who enjoyed a certain amount of liberty with life.

"Actually, I did, and after all I've done for you, too." Valerian apparently was already working as a soothing effect for Erisi, since his tone was mildly more playful and indulgent than downright sour. He at least believed that Valerian cared enough about him to prevent him from being mauled to death, and there was a great deal of comfort in that knowledge. He didn't trust these creeling dragonets, and for good reasons too. Other Candidates were proving to be less lucky.

A very pissed off dragonet had hatched, and Erisi found the equivalent of the dragonet's anger in the time that he had been mad enough to punch I'shan. Erisi had a scare more than he was ready for as the angry hatchling dashed past him to a girl that had come up behind Kerrin. The creature latched onto a girl that was young enough to be considered a child, and while Erisi did not scream, his horror was apparent. There was a small desire to try and help the girl, but Erisi was the kind of person who only put a few select others before himself. For Indivara, no aid would come from Erisi. He was too scared and shocked to move from where his feet had sunk a little into the sand. Only when the dragonet relinquished its hold on the girl did Erisi make the obvious move to put Valerian between himself and where the dragonet had wandered off to claim its next victim.

"Shells," his hissed, waiting for someone more suited to dealing with heinous injuries to come help those who had fallen. It didn't surprise him that Lymsleia tried to help, she was the type of person to try, even when she could be of little aid. Erisi just had no idea what to do to begin with, and beyond that, the sight of so much blood was making his stomach churn. "Do they cancel Hatchings due to numerous casualties, because now I really don't want to be here." Erisi's gaze naturally tried to search out an escape route, any possible way that he could get himself off the Sands and away from bloodthirsty dragonets. "Faranth sharding wherry ass Hatchings," he groaned.

He could hear feet, murmuring voices, someone screaming for the healers to get to him. He could hear another voice chiding, and more sounds that blurred together until they were insdistict, and just that. Sound. He waited longer, not daring to even open his eyes until he suspected the dragon... "F-Fa-Farlint..." came a voice, familiar to him. Ahh, she said his name so nicely, he reflected woozily and looked to stare at the familiar face of his favorite Healer. She always cleaned his scratches so nicely, and had such a cute scowl. Yep. She could get him off any time.

"Lym." he groaned her name, and blinked up at her. "It doesn't hurt." he said dumbly, and then pushed up onto his elbows when it seemed like a dragonet wasn't going to attack the woman's pretty face. "I think it just looks worse." He was lying, of course. It felt like a thousand knives sticking into his knee. He waved away the stretcher, allowing Lym to help him to his feet. "I want to keep Standing, Lym." he told her urgently. "Want to stay. Help me, please? This may be my only chance." He'd take her help getting standing, but no, no; He couldn't get off the Sands now.

It had been four years since Nirinath had Risen last, and he was already 24 turns. He had to stay here. "They can t-treat me on the edge, and give me fellis. I'll keep the weight off. But I have to stay. Have to."

Breccan's eyes were lingering on the one hatchling that didn't seem disposed to choosing, though it seemed him -or her?- was content enough to stick by one Candidate's side. Odd behavior, that, or so she supposed. This being her first Hatching, she was hardly an expert on dragon-hatchling behavior. It seemed to be making noise, but she was far enough down that its sound was lost in the general hum of hundreds of people talking in the stands. She had no idea what those sounds could mean, anyway; it was probably better she didn't dwell on trying to translate every growl or squeal.

Two Eggs broke abruptly, distracting her, and leaving two dragonets who looked like they hadn't the slightest idea what they were supposed to do now. One of them eventually moved quietly off, and when a girl moved forward to pair with her, she had to conclude another dragonet was gone, and hadn't so much as looked at her. She fought down any sense of disappointment; two Impressions was hardly significant. She could not expect to Impress first, after all, and second was just as presumptuous. Instead of following the unbonded dragonling, she watched the other one, the one paired with the girl, for long enough to be sure it, too, was a Green. Well, Greens were the most populous of dragon colors. Most of them would probably Green, when sand and dark were removed.

The hatchling who had been longest on the Sands had moved towards Lymsleia, paying her an awful lot of attention. Breccan was nearly ready to start clapping for her friend, pleased she'd Impressed, when she saw the young creature move steadily onward. Disappointment was all over the girl's face; Breccan leaned forward enough to shoot her a sympathetic look. Even if she hadn't been sure she wanted to Impress, now she was feeling her own fear keenly, a knife in her belly.

A sudden, stumbling movement caught her eye, and she watched one of the recently-hatched dragons fumble its way towards her. Her belly tightened, drew inward; she had never known such an intensity of hope. A bark was all the warning she had before she was dragged abruptly downwards by claws caught in her robe. There was no warning, only an odd clarity as she watched the dragon's claw move unsteadily upwards, the movement deceptively tender as it stroked her face. Two lines of fire opened, and she held still with all that was in her, jaws clenched against the shocking pain. There was a particular intensity of pain that was reserved for facial injuries, and an atavisitic, protective response that wanted her to shove the dragon away. Some lesson had drilled into her not to touch the dragonets, and she could do nothing but clutch her hands together, listening to the dragonet's shocked squeal as it tumbled away from her. As it backed away, a sudden rainbow alerted her that it had Chosen, after all, and a glance sideways identified the lucky Candidate as Echlerov. Almost numb, she clapped her hands for a moment or two, waited until light identified the dragon as a fine Blue.

Then it was down to business. Some awful part of her mind though perhaps the dragonet had wanted her, until it had gotten closer, seen what she was, and then it had clawed across her face instead, shocked by what it had found. She had to push that thought away. He could not have wanted her, and it remained yet to be seen if any of them did. There was still time. Matter-of-factly, she ripped a long piece from her torn robe, binding the cut above her eyebrow tightly, more to keep blood out of her eyes than because the slash needed tending. An anxious Healer was moving her way; she waved him off coolly. She was fine. There was nothing to do about the cut on her cheek, so she allowed it to stream blood onto her white Robes, doubtless ruining them. Ah, well. No one would be wearing these shredded, bloodied things to any other Hatching. She probably looked a fright, she reflected, arming what blood she could off of her face. Hopefully dragons weren't scared away too easily.

It seemed, in the meantime, that the steady dragon had finally Chosen, and was wandering towards the lights. Another Blue, with a man in tow. Two Greens with girls, two boys with Blues; it was so symmetrical. Some part of her found that pleasing, and she ignored the throbbing pains in her face, returning her attention to the Eggs. Unfortunately, they gave her little to focus on. For nearly an hour, by her reckoning, nothing happened. She let her mind drift, her eyes returning again and again to those Eggs that she'd Touched. And then, a violent shriek interrupted the lazy calm of her thoughts, and a big hatchling shrieked displeasure with the world. Snarling and stumbling, he lurched roaring, and then leaped atop a Candidate. Breccan was shocked by the hatchling's savagry, but didn't realize she knew who the ravaged Candidate was until the hatchling leaped at a second girl. Then something about the small size and long dark hair clued her in: it was Indivara.

She moved towards the girl quickly, but the other girl who'd been attacked reached her first. The stranger was behaving competently enough, and a pair of Healers soon swept Indivara away. She refused any offers of numbweed for herself, and simply returned to her place, feeling useless. Lymsleia was tending to a man, doubtless another casualty of the angry hatchling, but she hadn't managed to do anything that did anyone any good. Some kind of Healer she was. She really just had to pray she'd Impress; her incompetency in her craft had just been displayed to anyone. A bright blush climbed up her face, and she burned with shame. It didn't occur to her that probably no one had noticed in all the chaos, much less even recognized her as a healer, and it wouldn't have mattered if it had. She should have done something for the bright little Weyrbrat she'd gotten to enjoy once, or at least for the man-Candidate. Instead, she'd done nothing.

She stared resolutely at her feet, sneaking glances she couldn't help up through her lashes. The Egg she'd Touched had Hatched, a second Hatchling stalking snootily through the Candidates doubtless from that shell. She regarded it with faint distaste. More interesting was the hatchling who'd suddenly leaped up to seize a Candidate and drag him towards the big one who'd done such damage; Impression was abruptly made. The boy's voice, authoritative even so early, boomed through the Sands, and the hatchling positively cowered. As had been her habit, she watched the hatchling until she could determine it was a Bronze, a little appalled. That could lead the Weyr one day?

She was more interested in the determined hatchling who'd removed the dangerous Bronze from the Sands, and watched that one, ignoring the one from the Egg she'd Touched. A third hatched, but strutted only a moment before hiding from the determined one she was admiring. She found that one uninteresting as well, and continued to track the movements of the Fire In My Mouth hatchling avidly.

The Fire In My Mouth Hatchling stood and watched the proceedings intently, envying the speed of the humans when it could only sputter along because of its outsized limbs. Then it turned and caught sight of its sibling, the Hate Me Love Me Hatchling, hiding timidly from everything. The more bold sibling creeled softly at the Hate Me Love Me Hatchling, and then made a more demanding noise. One could only imagine that the former was ordering the latter to come out, or telling it that it was taking too long! Red eyes shone as the temper of the Fire In My Mouth dragonet flared and she ran as smoothly as she could manage to skid to a stop by Hate Me Love Me Hatchling. Growling, it grabbed hold of one head knob and pulled at it like a canine with a tug toy, eliciting grey whirls and sad sounds from the poor baby who'd been hiding.

Up to now, Thrice Born Hatchling had largely ignored its siblings on the Sands, instead carefully studying the Candidates who had not been injured, but the cries of pain from its sibling sparked something and she raced to help, nipping sharply at one of Fire In My Mouth's wings to urge it away. As it turned its frustration at the Hate Me Love Me's slowness to the Fire In My Mouth Hatchling, the latter made good on the chance to get away, coming up short when it collided with Corraidhin's legs. No injury occurred (past some bruising, of course) but when the little dragonet looked up into the boy's eyes, the dragonet's shone a full spectrum of colors. "It's okay, Coroth, I won't let anyone or anything hurt you, ever again!"

Bolting Hare Green Coroth to Corraidhin

Meanwhile, the other two hatchlings had reared up to their hind legs, front paws on the other's shoulders, taking turns nipping at the neck and face of their sibling. Whether the Hate Me Love Me Hatchling pushed, or the Thrice Born Hatchling simply fell back, none could say, but in the next instant the latter was on their tail, its head knobs stuck in the Strong Soldiers egg and a large crack spreading around the circumference of the shell. A small head popped up, flipping the top off to nearly strike the "help" and the Terror of the Skies Hatchling peeped as though he had been woken from a deep sleep.

O'wain stood watching the hatching, sipping at a mug of ale he had brought from the kitchens. Whilst it was interesting to watch the impressions and bet on the new dragons he was more interested in the girls. There was inevitably always at least one pretty young thing that doesn't impress and when that happened he would make sure he was there to comfort them. As such he had ensured that he was standing near the healers lurking at the edge of the sands, just in case he was needed to swoop in to the rescue for some poor lass in danger.

So far the hatching hadn't seemed out of the ordinary, a few scratches here, an impression there. How ever as soon as the Bittersweet Tundra Hatchling broke from it's egg it was apparent things were going to go badly. As it ripped a tore it's way through the candidates O'wain knew that at least one conquest was going to present itself. With a sickening crunch and a yell he saw a moderately attractive young girl hit the dirt, prompting someone to call for a stretcher. The healers sprinted out with a stretcher in tow O'wain saw another girl helping the injured candidate to their feet and to his surprise the injured girl tried to wave the stretcher away. "What the hell was she thinking!" O'wain screamed in his head. It was only a matter of time before another hatchling barreled through them. Without a second thought for his bare feet O'wain sprinted out onto the scorching sands. As he reached the candidates how ever he let out an exasperated sigh.

"Far you knuckle head get on the sharding stretcher!" The brown rider was pratically kicking himself now. He'd come running all the way out here for what he thought was a girl. Even so he was here now and he did have a certain respect for the young fool.

"You there, candidate." O'wain growled at the girl holding Far up as he swung the young mans free arm over his shoulder "Get out there and find yourself a dragon, you're not needed here."

With its fiery sister headed off the sands, the Hate Me Love Me Hatchling crooned ever so softly, its eyes slowly turning green. Suddenly it jumped up, darting out into the Candidates. Its nose was thrust left and right into legs and stomachs, somewhat forceful but not enough to cause any sort of pain. Touching Razzah it froze, everything about it completely still. Creeling it flopped to the ground, curling up pitifully beside the man. A female Candidate called out to the hatchling, trying to convince it to get up and keep searching. It raised its head, staring at her. An Impression? The hatchling jumped up, awkwardly cantering forward to her. But it didn't stop, instead pushed her aside to stare at Dogul. The disgusting man, finger in nose, froze just as the hatchling had, staring at the twin rainbows glowing at him. "What do you mean, you don't want meat? Glieseth you need to eat! Wait… now you want meat? I, I… oh you silly thing." His words made it clear that this was a very indecisive dragon. Rather apt it seemed.

Decide Another Day Green Glieseth to Dogul

Staring at Glieseth, the Thrice Born Hatchling gave a little nod, content that its sister had Impressed safely. Standing, it shook itself off, giving the Terror Of The Skies Hatchling a little hiss for getting in its way. Throwing its snout in the air it stalked off again, returning to the loose circle of Candidates in the exact place it had left them. Green eyes narrowed, it sniffed at each Candidate's hands before moving off and deciding they simply weren't worth the time. Reaching the pool of blood that had come from Indivara it curled its lips back, hissing and stepping around it as if it might be poisonous. Sniffing a male it growled at him, giving him a flick with its wing, something, Faranth knows what, was displeasing about him. Spying another beside the displeasing one, it pounced forward, crouched down much like a feline preparing to pounce. Bugling it leapt forward, landing on the Candidate's chest and kneading their chest. The claws didn't pierce the robes, though they threatened to. It looked to the side, eyes flashing rainbow as it took in the Candidate beside the one it now perched on. A long, thin whippy tail reached out and wrapped around their legs. Wait, who did it Impress?

Reigning Blades Green Charath to Erisi

Aghast at now being the only hatchling left on the sands, the Terror Of The Skies Hatchling bolted forward, an awful-sounding shriek ripping from its tiny lungs. It beelined to a group of male Candidates where Farlint was attempting to try and stay within reach of the clutch, but the hatchling wasn't going for him. Creeling it collided with Tirydin's leg, curling and wrapping itself thoroughly around it. Tirydin's eyes were wide as he stared at the hatchling's, before reaching down to stroke its head soothingly. "Hey there little bud, it's okay. Terth, that's a great name! Let's get you some food." Tirydin cooed softly to the fearful hatchling.

Old Ruins Blue Terth to Tirydin

---

There is now a 15 minute break with no hatchlings on the sands.

"Get off him."

I like him. Why should I? He's almost as good as you.

"He's not me."

Are you jealous? the dragonet's dark voice nearly purred with amusement. While she didn't actually purr, Erisi was pretty sharding sure that she at least was trying to.

"No."

He's not you, you know. And you are mine.

"Then why are you on his chest? You're sitting on his sharding chest!"

Are you upset? She was sharding purring. The lithe green dragonet was practically preening as she remained perched on Valerian's chest. At least she wasn't so large as to crush the other Candidate's ribs. Her attention to Valerian was relatively harmless, and likely contributed to the small amount of glee that she got from seeing her new bonded complain.

"Not if you get off his chest."

I am almost sorry. He is nice, but you are far better.

"Charath," he hissed her name with limited patience. Erisi had no idea how he had ended up in this situation, with a wicked little dragonet talking in an almost unnaturally dark and hoarse voice in his head. Charath's earlier approach had nearly frightened him, considering the tendency to tear into Candidates that some of her siblings had developed. The way she had avoided the pool of Indivara's blood shined some hope for his safety, but that thought had been quickly wiped clean out of his mind as Charath practically tackled Valerian onto the ground. His friend clearly wasn't hurt, and when Charath's eyes whipped over to him his anxiety and fear had dissolved.

It wasn't any romantic sharding crap like that. It was just, well, he had some things to worry about now. Actually, it was just one thing, and she was already demanding. Fine, if you insist. The dragonling gently climbed off of Valerian, giving him another considering look, as if lamenting over the loss of a suitable Candidate for herself. Really, Erisi was better, but if she could have had both, there was little doubt that she would have decided to. What Erisi had failed to realize, during their entire conversation, was that her tail was wrapped around his calves, and the moment she climbed off of him her tail tightened around his legs. He didn't have time to even yell her name to scold her before he was flat on his back on the sands.

And there Charath was, looming over him, dark laughter echoing in his mind. Her body even shook with the glee she gleamed from her bonded's minor suffering. Will it make you feel better if I sit on your chest? Before he could answer, or even sit up, she proceeded to do just that, satisfied with a clear victory over her bonded. Apparently, while they would eventually make it to the side of the Hatching Sands to get Charath properly fed, it was going to take a while.

"CHARATH." was the only thing Erisi groaned out from underneath his dragonet.

The girl let her hand fall to her side as she peered around curiously, taking in those she could see clearly and squinting past those she could just make out. While the child wasn't particularly afraid of the dark, she wasn't all that keen on it either which she portrayed by her close stance beside Kerrin, blue eyes alive as she gazed around. The last Hatching had occurred when she was only seven, and had spent the course of it sitting with her friend in furious anger at being denied.

"Ooh," she whispered, thrilled, as a sudden shriek detonated the soft murmuring of the crowd watching the Hatching, and the young girl's fingers wrapped around Kerrin's forarm in excitement, her gaze focused on the shifting shadow she could see, and the wildly whirling eyes of the Hatchling as it scrambled to it's feet. She giggled, "someones pissed."

As if the Hatchling had heard her very words and the soft giggle, suddenly it was upon her and Indivara's hands flew up, not making it past her stomach as the vicious little creature gripped his sand hardened claws into her face. Her scream was filled with pain and shock, but very little actual fear as she staggered, the weight of the baby dragon driving her back so she knocked into Kerrin; the momentary wall of flesh behind her offered a counter balance and she gained her own. She was unaware of anything but the feel of claws slashing through her flesh. Blood soaked her chest and arms as the creature's feet slashed, and the girl drew a fresh breath in shock, the sound ripping from her throat in a high pitched scream of pain as the claws ripped open her chest and arm.

Then he was gone, thrusting himself off her and sending the girl flying backwards, landing with a breath stealing oomph on her back, where she stayed. Her icy blue eyes were huge in her pale face, contrasted sharply by the deep slashes that went diagonally across her face, from above her left eye - and shockingly close below it, across to her right cheek. Her lips were shredded, one claw having gone straight through and sliced both top and bottom open. Typically for facial wounds, there was blood everywhere; what skin was still intact was pasty white, with the girls freckles standing out starkly.

Indivara was oblivious as the Hatchling made for Jada, then mauled a Candidate, and finally Impressed. Her eyes were blank, staring at nothing as her entire body shut down and began to shake, shock setting in. She was oblivious as Jada hauled her to her feet, blue eyes incapable of taking in the sight of the harper woman before her as she blankly took the piece of cloth passed to her and held it with a robotic motion to her lips. She didn't respond as the healers and Jada swept her off to the side, nor when her A'din came shoving through the little crowd of people and flung herself at her daughter.

"Sweet Faranth Indivara! What were you thinking?" The horror in the greenrider's voice was apparent as she sat beside her daughter, carefully brushing away hair that had come loose around the girl's face. Indivara, in deep shock, simply continued to stare at nothing with blank eyes as the Healers fussed over her and attempted to implement some kind of damage control.

Kuminari had read all about Hatchings. Of course she had! Anyone who was anyone at the Harper Hall read up on the Hatchings, and there had been a lovely collection of records stolen from the abandoned Weyrs to fill the Harper libraries with. The girl, like many of her fellows at the Hall, had taken to reading them in the dead of night, revelling in a world that was believed to now be long gone. As a result, the young woman had read all about Impressions, mauling, and even those few deaths that occurred on the Hatching Sands of various Weyrs. She had, at one point, come to the conclusion that it wasn't a real Weyr until someone was killed by a newly hatched dragonet.

Of course, such things were not supposed to happen while she was on the Sands, standing for a clutch that wasn't meant to exist to Impress dragons that everyone had believed to be extinct. But it was, and as wrapped up as the young woman had been watching her class mates Impress to the little blues and greens that had broken shell (wasn't it bad luck, for a green to crack shell first?) the woman had been totally unprepared for the bronze that had decided taste the blood of human before he linked minds with someone.

Standing so far away, the harper was unaware of the young dragon's colour, but at the time she was also completely uncaring. All she could see was a child that certainly wasn't meant to be anywhere near that group of boys being torn to shreds like a piece of steak as the furious hatchling used claws on her face, and the blood curdling screams of the young girl made Kuminari's stomach churn and her blood turn to ice in her veins. The screaming stopped as soon as it started, the child being flung aside while the young dragon attacked two more before finding his life mate. Kuminari's brown eyes were huge, her face more pale than was natural, and her stomach was rolling in a very unsettling manner.

When Indivara was ushered past her, the dignified Harper felt her entire body convulse at the image the child's face burned into her skull, and she spun away, tottering several steps before she hunched over, bringing up her dinner in harsh coughing heaves, randomly thankful she'd tied her hair back in a tight braid, and that it was - for the most part - too dark for anyone to really see. Coughing and spitting as delicately as possible, Kuminari brushed her hand over her face, feeling the chill tickle of cooling sweat. She took a deep breath, and stepped away from the mess of stomach contents she'd left half a length behind the man grouping of Candidates.

Woozy, but oddly dignified, the young woman slipped quietly back to stand with her room mate, exchanging a horrified look with the other girl before her attention was obtained by Erisi's distinct voice echoing out suddenly. Turning in the direction that was apparently where to be if you wanted to be right in all the action, Kuminari's eyes narrowed as she watched the exchange between the young man and the dragon he had obviously Impressed. The one sided conversation was a remarkable pick me up after the horrendous sight of the weyrbrat - an image that Kuminari just knew would be burned into her memories forever - and the young woman lifted a hand to stifle an amused giggle.

That was what Impression should be - enjoyable and amusing, not horrendous and bloody! The young woman's empty stomach churned and she shuddered. That child was going to look like a monster!

Once Terth had Impressed, the sands was empty of hatchlings that hadn't Impressed. During this time, eyes turned to both Indivara and Farlint. The blood-soaked girl was hauled off to the side of the sands as quickly as the healers could manage with Jada's help, leaving a trail of blood in their wake. At the edge of the sands there was a small platform made exactly for this event, to protect both healers and the wounded from the burning sands. The healers laid Indivara down, their shouted orders straining to be heard over the dragons' hum and the din of the crowd. Assorted herbs were brought to her side, including fellis. One lifted her head, pouring a water and fellis mix into her mouth. "Swallow!" He ordered. Scraps of cloth were brought, used to clean the excess blood off before being packed on and held down firmly. "You, hold this one down." A healer instructed Jada, pointing to Indivara's left shoulder. She quickly wiped sand from the scratches on the older Candidate's arm before returning to Indivara.

The healers with the stretcher scowled at both Lymsleia and Farlint. "Lymsleia you're a midwife!" One exclaimed, confused as to her presence, while the other tried to shift Farlint into a position easier to get him onto the stretcher. As O'wain arrived and grabbed Farlint, one of the healers walked to his feet. He reached down, counting to three to signal when to lift Farlint onto the stretcher. The other healer gently supported the leg with the broken knee, making sure it was moved as little as possible. "Hey, Brownrider, lift the other end of this stretcher, you're stronger than I am." She ordered, choosing instead to use her sleeve to dab at the sweat beading on Farlint's forehead. "It'll be alright, just breathe. We'll get you some fellis." She soothed as the healer and Brownrider lifted the stretched. As quickly and smoothly as they could they took him to the platform where Indivara and Jada already were, setting him down gently. Copious amounts of fellis were poured down his throat as soon as he touched the wooden planks, setting this bone wasn't going to be good. "Shards, where's Talian? We need him here now!" One of the healers hissed, of half the mind to lash whoever's idea that had been to keep him locked up away from the sands.

Close to fifteen minutes had passed, including a rough setting of Farlint's leg to many screams, before the eggs picked up their pace again. The Detailed Presence egg fell apart, earning many gasps from the crowd. Having been so small, rumours had filled the Weyr that the egg was unlikely to hatch and certainly not with the ease that it just had. The Tiny Weaves Hatchling peered about, seeming to stare at everything but the Candidates. An encouraging rumble from Nirinath did nothing to coax the hatchling forward off his shell remains.

Beside the Tiny Weaves Hatchling, the Love Thy Neighbour egg shuddered, as if sensing its clutchmate's lack of interest in finding its destined rider. The egg rocked and shook quite violently, struggling much more than the tiny egg had beside it. After a few minutes it managed to start its escape, first with a foot, then with a wing point. Eventually the egg was weak enough that it crumbled around the gangly hatchling within, who immediately turned and crewed at its sibling. The Love Is In The Air Hatchling clearly disliked its sibling's disinterest in Impressing, but made no violent moves like Green Coroth had. Instead it reached out, nuzzling the other hatchling, trying to coax it into standing. It appeared to work, as the Tiny Weaves Hatchling stood, stretching out its cramped wings, accidentally knocking its clutchmate in the head. Squealing it dropped down, covering its head with its wings submissively. The Love Is In The Air Hatchling rumbled deeply, amused at the meeker hatchling's behaviour. Nuzzling it again, they finally both stood, warily navigating their way through the remaining seven eggs. The Love Is In The Air Hatchling, clearly the bolder of the two, guided them over to the closest edge of the Candidates, snuffling gently at any limb or fabric it could reach. Its sibling followed a step behind, mimicking its moves but with considerable hesitancy. Suddenly they stopped, staring up at Silute. The bolder one bumped the other with its rump, sending it nose first into the sand. Silute gasped, crouching down to help the little hatchling up, though somewhat hesitantly given the destruction Hoth had wrecked upon his fellow Candidates. As the Tiny Weaves Hatchling raised its head, its eyes whirled with the tell-tale sign of Impression. "Teegarth, why were you afraid? I will never let you down." Silute murmured gently, cradling the small hatchling. Content, the Love Is In The Air Hatchling strode off to find its own rider.

Cheap Dreamer Blue Teegarth to Silute

Kerrin held his breath when the dragonet that had been curiously inspecting his hand looked up at him and crooned, watching the slow swirl of colors in its eyes... and released it when the little creature plodded on, its search evidently not over. He smiled as he watched it go, knowing instinctively that such a cautious and gentle being would never have been looking for someone like him, but nevertheless feeling oddly honored that he had earned its approval for even that brief moment. He felt almost relieved when the dragonet finally plodded over to another group of boys and, judging by the swirl of rainbow that suddenly flooded its big eyes, found its match in another Candidate. It was an awful cute little thing, and Kerrin was eager to see how it would grow. He tried to remember the face of the Candidate it had Impressed, as he was still unsure of the color of the newborn dragon's hide.

As the new pair walked off, Kerrin looked up from his reverie just in time to see a slightly more familiar face - that of Echlerov, who had been in several of his classes - kneeling down before a rather excited-looking dragonet with joy wreathing both of their faces. He couldn't give that pairing much thought, though, because Erisi had chosen that moment to take a few verbal snipes at Lymsleia over the top of his head. The boy sighed, not at all surprised that the Harper apparently cared so little for the moment that he would use it as yet another great opportunity to say something nasty to the girl, who for some reason stubbornly continued to make the mistake of speaking to a man who very clearly hated her. Just as he was about to say something to that effect to Erisi, regardless of whether or not Lymsleia could overhear him, Valerian approached with his very puzzled looking roommate in tow and interrupted him. The boy grinned, feeling suddenly as if the four of them had assembled a very promising team indeed, though he couldn't quite put his finger on what made him feel that way. Perhaps it was just the excitement and tension of the moment.

The remaining eggs seemed quite stubbornly still, and Kerrin watched them intently for any signs of movement or cracking. So intensely that he did not even hear Indivara's sneaky approach until she was already behind him. He whirled around at her touch, apparently startled by its unexpectedness despite the gentleness of her hand, and squinted through the darkness as if he simply couldn't believe his ears when she spoke. "Indi! What do you think you're doing?!" he hissed, heedless of her hatred for the nickname as usual, though this time the shortening of her name seemed to come more from a sense of urgency than it did any desire to tease her. Of course he knew the girl was no stranger to breaking the rules - shells, more often than not in their youth he had been completely in on it, if not the mastermind behind their various pranks and troublemaking - but to sneak in on a Hatching! D'ren would probably have a heart attack! He shook his head, torn between wanting to laugh out loud at her audacity (she'd even outdone him this time!) and panic at the thought that this poor girl would be the next to feel the bite of the Weyrsecond's lash for what she'd just done. Of course he understood her fury at having to miss out on a clutch; he'd been there too... but Faranth, it wasn't worth 20 lashes!

Apparently, S'kef's whip should have been the very least of his worries. He didn't have time to say another word to the girl before the newest hatchling's furious shrieks tore through the din of chatter that had begun to rise up amongst the waiting Candidates and the spectators waiting in the stands. The crowd laughed at the dragonet's stumbles, but Kerrin was already feeling uneasy about the little creature's enraged snarling even before its true violence showed itself. There was a spray of sand, and Kerrin ducked his head, flinging his hand up to shield his eyes from the shower of grains. Temporarily blinded, he could do nothing to prevent the frantic hatchling from latching onto the younger weyrbrat. It happened all in a flash. In one moment she had been clutching his arm and giggling in happy, nervous anticipation, and then the next...!

He did not see the first moment the newly-hardened claws tore through her skin, but her pain-filled screams were enough to have his blood freezing in his veins. He felt the weight of her body hit him; instinctively, his arms moved to catch her as she fell, struggling when the weight doubled with the addition of the frantically clawing dragonet. When amber eyes finally took in the horrific sight of the hatchling's talons raking mercilessly over her face, his own shout of terror more than compensated for the lack of fear in the brave young weyrbrat's screams. Finally the hatchling released her, leaving one trembling, pale-faced weyrbrat supporting the broken body of the other. "Indivara!!" he screamed, helplessly. He wanted to help her, but he felt frozen by the sight of the mauled body, petrified by the sickening thought that his younger friend and dear partner-in-crime might have paid for the minor transgression of sneaking onto the Hatching Circuit with her life. Unable to move and utterly useless, the boy easily relinquished his hold on the girl to the much more collected Jada, falling to his knees and staring wide-eyed at the bright red splashes and stains of fresh blood that marred the stark white of his Candidate robes.

Shaking like a leaf and desperately fighting back the urge to vomit, Kerrin looked with wild eyes at his surroundings. The surge of adrenaline and his concern for the girl had left him thoroughly nauseated, and he lifted a hand to his mouth, breathing deeply as he attempted to collect his thoughts. All around him shells were cracking, dragonets were stumbling about making new Impressions, and somewhere beneath the roiling sea of his thoughts and hyped emotions Kerrin knew that no matter what, there was no dragonet on all of Pern who would Impress to someone in such a state of mind. Tears nearly sprung to his eyes as he was suddenly seized with the paralyzing thought that his chances might be ruined, if he couldn't find a way to calm himself down! And it wouldn't be Indivara's fault, of course, it would be his own - but Faranth! Why did that foolish brat have to charge her way onto the sands like that?! She could have died... and she hadn't even needed to be there!

Kerrin squeezed his eyes shut against the sight of the blood on his clothes and the awkward, gangly movements of the newborn dragonets making their unsteady way about the sands. Every new hatchling that didn't turn its head towards him just served to further remind him of how completely he was blowing his chances by letting himself get so worked up over Indivara. So caught up was he in this inner turmoil that he did not even notice the approach of a dragonet who was, indeed, coming his way - at least not until its wing flicked against him, startling him to his feet. As if in agreement with his own silent panic, the creature squawked its stern disapproval at the wide-eyed weyrbrat. Kerrin could only gape, watching in disbelief as the indignant little thing then leaped upon his two friends, evidently Impressing one while simultaneously claiming the other as her own property. He looked between the two men, wondering which it had bonded to - his question was answered in Erisi's short-tempered exchange with the little beast, which ended with the little green sitting proudly on his chest.

Erisi!

Of all people, Erisi had Impressed before him?! Sullen, self-righteous, I-hate-dragonriders-and-everything-about-them Erisi!

The whole situation was so uniquely absurd that Kerrin could only... laugh. Shards, he'd never thought a Hatching could be so bizarre, even at a place as one-of-a-kind as Katila Weyr. He looked down at Erisi, shaking his head at the other man sprawled so indignantly in the sand. He hadn't forgotten about his concern for Indivara, which was evident in the way his limbs still trembled - but the angry, displeased squawk of his classmate's new dragonet served as well enough to remind him that certain things could be worried about later. "Look, it's probably best for the both of you if you just shut up and feed her."

If Valerian thought Allendris was bad for standing there and staring, he had to rank himself up there right along with the glass-smith. Everything seemed to be happening all at once but in slow-motion. The bratty tree girl pipsqueak had appeared from the shadows just in time to meet an angry little dragon. He should have done something whether it was call out or remove the clawed-menace but Valerian couldn't seem to move his feet or do more than let his jaw hang slack in shock. And the blood! There was so much blood. He felt queasy and squeezed Allendris' hand for support because the Harper was quite certain he was about to go weak-kneed and land face first in the hot Sands. When the dragon finally released Indivara, Valerian worried who would be next but took a shuddering breath as it turned and aimed for someone else. There little group of four was, for now, safe again. But green eyes didn't want to leave the sight of the girl that he couldn't tell was alive or not.

When Jada came to Indivara's rescue, Valerian winced as he heard someone else go down but didn't try to seek them out. When the scolding came, aimed at the little terror, he could feel the collective sigh of relief and tried to turn his attention back on the main event they had been rounded up for. He saw the little egg that had placed so much trust in him crack and a dragonet emerge but he didn't even have time to keep track of it with the commotion happening around him as people came for Indivara and Erisi tried to use him as a shield in case any other rampaging beasts found them. While he wouldn't say the next dragonet to approach them was rampaging, it did seem to move with a deliberate stride and intent. While it was amusing to see the creature dismiss Kerrin with a flick of its wing, Valerian didn't find it so amusing when he suddenly had the dragonet pawing at his chest until he lost his balance in a wide-eyed, flailing arm shock that left him on his back and a dragon on his chest.

Thankfully the jolt of landing on the hot sand brought Valerian out of the near-state of panic he had been close to losing himself in and he stared at the beast that didn't seem intent on doing anything more than pin him down. There was something familiar about the little green that was clearly content on just watching him from her new perch that doubled as his torso. Then it dawned on him. This was the hatchling from the egg he had first Touched and was judged as trustworthy. But... no connection was made. He couldn't hear or sense the little green, knew nothing about her. He was dismissed yet still held her attention for some reason and Valerian cocked his head to the side, studying her as much as he was studied.

When Erisi spoke, demanding the green, Charath, get off of his friend, Valerian was beyond shocked. There was a dragon out there that wanted Erisi despite his hatred of everything concerning Katila Weyr? With the shock came disappointment as well as Valerian knew he was a close runner up to Impressing the apparently sassy little thing given the one-sided conversation he could hear. Maybe it wasn’t so bad not being bonded to Charath after all. He assumed she would be like Larrikith; amazing and spunky but you didn’t have to go home with her, giving you a chance to take a break. Even still, disappointment and even a touch of envy lingered as he watched the little dragon pounce Erisi once his friend hit the sand beside him.

With the sight of Charath seeming so proud of herself for pinning Erisi, Kerrin's helpful comment, and the whirlwind of emotions he had been struck with finally settling down, Valerian broke out in a soft laugh. No doubt those that didn’t know him that well would assume he had gone insane or was injured but even the snarky and oftentimes bored Harper could enjoy the smaller things in life and laugh without it being mean-spirited. “Whether you want it or not, congratulations on the Impression, Eri.” He was going to say more but Valerian suspected Erisi would grumble with such an audience but given their friendship and how he kept helping Erisi where he could, the offer to continue being there and assisting how and when he could didn’t need to be vocalized to be conveyed.

Larrikith crooned a happy greeting as Ayyonth joined her, eyes bright with excitement as she bumped her nose against his shoulder. Her attention then swiftly returned to the Candidates, while B'jin gave the blue dragon a flashing smile. Quickly realising R'nd wasn't with the beast, B'jin returned his attention back to the candidates. Valerian's wave was acknowledged, but Allendris' cordial nod caused the greenrider's grin to widen in amusement as he watched the delicious young man get towed along by the snarky harper. Larrikith gave a snort of amusement, her breath brushing over B'jin's face as the searchrider gave her a smirk.

"Only really got one out there, baby girl." He grinned, amused by her wordless teasing of his crush on Allendris. It wasn't his fault the young man was gorgeous - it was just a delightful plus to being a Searchrider with a dragon that has good taste. Larrikith snorted into his hair again. Valerian is as good as mine, Larrikith said smugly, and it was B'jin's turn to laugh. "Have you told Ilveriath this?" he asked, highly amused, which only intensified as the green gave an arrogant jerk of her head and ignored him.

Most of the Impressions that occurred in the first portion of the Hatching were met with delight but little over enthusiasm as the lights faded. B'jin knew most of the kids, if only from classes he'd been forced into teaching or through random chore assignments, but he didn't know them. As delightful as it was to have them join the ranks of Dragonriders, it wasn't the same as waiting for those he claimed friendship or Searching to Impress. Brown eyes stayed glued on the group of young men, watching with interest as they seemed to be talking amongst themselves, waiting.

Larrikith's bark of warning startled him badly, and B'jin jerked, twisting to stare in the direction his dragon was, and in the motion, using her eyesight to better see what was going on. He jerked back to his own just as fast, not waiting to watch as well as hear the ear splitting shrieks that left the girl - a Katilan born that was definitely not meant to be on the sands! - get shredded by heat hardened talons. He spun giving Larrikith a physical shove. "Get Talian!"

But-! "Now Larrikith!" the rider snapped, cutting her off before she could even protest such a thing. "Go!" He gave Larrikith another shove in the shoulder, watching as she vanished between] from where she had been seated in her typical fashion.

Talian! Larrikith's voice was spiked, containing the heightened worry B'jin had conveyed to her. You must come with me! See! the green dragon flashed the young man an image of the weyrbrat she'd seen, even as she landed outside the Healing hall where Talian had taken refuge during the Hatching, intent on further avoiding Impression. Larrikith knew he'd come, once he got over the shock of her invading his mind, and she wasn't disappointed. On, quick! The green waited impatiently as Talian scrambled up, gave him a bare seconds warning, and winked between to appear just above and outside the circit. MOVE! The word was bellowed at all the minds directly in front of her - dragon and human alike - until they moved and she shoved her way to the front, where she let Talian off just half a length from where the healers were running around and cursing like headless wherries. Amused by their antics, Larrikith turned her attention back to the boy, not the slightest bit concerned if he was oblivious to her.

We are here, she told the boy, flashing where B'jin was, before she made her way over to her rider, having done as was requested of her and not interested in remaining where she could be used as a pack animal or get blood on her hide. Wriggling back in, she settled between B'jin and Ayyonth, eyes swirling as she returned her attention back to the Sands. Her silence lasted only a moment before she gave a crow of amusement.

Talian's lover was just claimed! she cheered, highly amused as she focused on the new pairing, watching with delight. The 'loud' voices of the newly hatched were something Larrikith was used to - but she wasn't used to a hatchling that was actually worth listening to. Her humming dropped off as she focused on what the little green was saying, and laughter rumbled up in her chest. The tiny green dragon completely ignored B'jin's questioning look.

Charath is my hero, Larrikith purred to both B'jin and Ayyonth. B'jin turned frowning eyes from his dragon, to look at Erisi's. He couldn't see the colour, and could barely hear the young harpers half of the conversation. That was irrelevant, however - the dragonet had Larrikith's approval, and that was terrifying. "... why?" he asked cautiously, already sure he had some idea of the answer. That didn't make him feel the slightest bit better.

---

Power played Talian like a pro XD
I LOVE YOU LOU <3 :P

The bold dragonling Breccan liked so much took it upon itself to urge yet another sibling to Impression, tugging it by a small head knob to the accompaniment of the frightened one's sad squeals. She rather approved of the action, though she had some sympathy for the scared baby being dragged along. This was a scary place. She'd had no idea how scary it would be. An image of Indivara's slashed face rose up in her mind, and she banished it as best she could. No dragon would come to her if she was dwelling on such horrific things. What would it feel like to see a dragon between?

A faint shudder worked its way up her body, and the chill of the night was not entirely to blame. She didn't want to see that. Belatedly, she realized two of the hatchlings were now involved in some kind of spat; the third, she found after some looking, was walking off with a boy. Again she watched it until the light revealed it as Green. A new third dragonling had joined the first two, still sitting in the remnants of his shell and looking somewhat confused. Things seemed to be calming down, attention seemed to be returning to the Candidates, instead of one another, and one leaped up, moving quickly to curl up beside a man. A smattering of mistaken applause was interrupted by a girl near Breccan calling to the hatchling to Impress. Breccan shot her a rather annoyed look. Meddling in the kind of choices that bound two people for life seemed uppity to her, but the hatchling leaped obediently to its feet and went rummaging around.

Ugh, Dogul. If he could Impress, anyone could. She supposed she should be pleased by such encouraging news, but instead, she felt a flicker of unease. What if she was left Standing, and Dogul Impressed? Finger in nose, no less! He was talking to the dragon, and she watched the new pair unwillingly, until light revealed another Green hide. Thank Faranth for small favors. If the man had Impressed Bronze she'd have just thrown up.

The haughty hatchling out of the Egg she'd Touched was on the move, and she waited patiently as she was sniffed, but she was already quite positive this one wasn't for her. She felt nothing but relief as the little creature moved away, growling at someone farther down the line. With a sudden bugle, the hatchling leaped on top of someone's chest, though not, apparently, doing any real harm, since there were no more screams. She leaned forward slightly for a better view, and was surprised when a different boy held an apparently one-sided conversation with the dragonet, coaxing her off of her torso-throne. The only remaining dragonet immediately leaped into action at seeing itself the only one unbonded, shooting to wrap itself around a boy's legs. This one was a Blue, she realized as he stepped into the lights. The earlier one was still a mystery, and she turned to check the new pair's progress, only to find the hatchling now sitting on someone else's chest. Hmm. That was going to be a dangerous habit.

Time passed with the Sands empty, and only the odd scream from the wounded Candidates as they were patched together on their little platform. Breccan shifted, her eyes back down on her feet. By all rights she should be helping, but she wasn't. Where was Talian? Were they keeping him out of the Hatching as well? Surely if he was so damaged they didn't trust him with a dragon he simply wouldn't Impress. Either way, she suspected he'd do a better job than whoever was setting that poor boy's leg, judging by the screams. She was waffling, trying to decide if she should leave her position to help, when the smallest Egg in the clutch broke, a little hatchling inside peering calmly around.

With much struggling, another dragon finally escaped its shell, moving over to the first. The second nuzzled and coaxed the first, and they began working their way down the line as a pair, before stopping at a girl several people before Breccan. The little shy one tipped over, and the girl helped him up; she could see patches of Blue where the girl's hands had brushed sand from his hide. That left only the more confident hatchling on the Sands, moving around with that odd purposefulness they all seemed to have. Her eyes moved away from that one, scanning the Eggs amid the mess of broken shells. There were more dragons hatched than there were Eggs remaining, but not by many. She counted seven unbroken Eggs, including the one some said was a Gold, and one of the ones she'd Touched. She was curious what would come out of that shell, which had seemed maddening to her touch, repetitive and smug. Still, she had no more desire to Impress that particular dragon than she did the Green from the other shell she'd Touched, who had rejected her so neatly and then shown a predilection for sitting on chests. More trouble than she was worth, that one, or so Breccan guessed.

She shifted, dimly aware of how hot her feet were in contrast to the cool night air, and wished someone would light some glows. This would all be much easier if hatchlings weren't simply lurching out of the dark, tearing people to pieces and lurching off. Absently, she touched the band of robe she'd bound across her brow like a jaunty headband. Blood was seeping sluggishly through, so she untied it, adjusted, and tied it back on in a different place, tucking the bloodied section behind her head, to be hidden by her hair. Careful fingers examined the wound on her cheek, but it was thin enough. When she was done here, some washing and disinfecting would be in order, but she didn't think either slash would need stitches, nor would it significantly disfigure her. They would probably heal clean, and neither was in a place that might drag her mouth to one side or make it difficult for her to totally close an eye. She winced, thinking of Indivara. Breccan had been lucky. In the future, she had to be more careful. Now Indivara had no chance of Impressing, and her face...well, her face would not be the same. That was a polite way to put it.

Far was giving Lym big eyes. He knew she would help him. He hurt, so much he could barely keep breathing; The Beastcrafter could feel it twisting his mouth, could feel the perspiration dripping down his face, and the twisting of his stomach. Shards, he could feel the bones moving, but thankfully not grinding against each other. If he was a Runner- oh, the man he'd trained under would probably put him down! His knee was jutting out of his... Far grabbed to Lym, trying to focus on her. He needed her, desperately, to keep him up. "Please." he said again desperately. Surely she understood. He knew she would. He was still a valid possibility. Logically, though, no one would ever risk him on the Sands. He was in too much pain, it was too clearly obvious that he was not right. And if another dragonet wandered his way, he would be in a lot of trouble, with one leg. Lym could not be expected to protect him. He was endangering them both with his selfishness.

So when O'wain grabbed him. slinging one arm up on a shoulder, Farlint didn't protest. He did take a deep breath, focusing on the shiver in the sound. His eyes were wet- with perspiration, he told himself. "O'wain..." he couldn't think of a biting, funny comment to give the other man, so obviously Far wasn't right in the head right now. He could always think of something to say to tease O'wain. "He's right, Lym." Far reached out with a hand in her direction. "Get yourself a dragon. Promise me I'll get to meet her. Or him. Okay? After all, I'm not going to have much else to do but keep people company for a while." Farlint was 23 turns, and while it might be about four more until she Rose again, there would be another chance for him.

Or so he hoped.

"I am breathing." he snapped at the healer, head lolling- where had she come from? Was he that "far" gone that he was... finding that joke funny... blacking out? "He's also... younger than you am." That's right. Insult the Healer. He would apologize la...

He was sputtering, choking on something bitter. "Talian?" he asked. What was a Tal...

Far screamed, begging for the hands to stop, stop, it hurt! This time, when the blackness swallowed him, he didn't come out again for a while.

"Dim glow." she scrowled at him. "It hurts, its the adreneline. You'll feel it in time, though if give you a bit of Felis it'll make it less annyoing." she whispered.  She held him up a moment, finding her balance with his extra weight on her body. She kept a wary looking out, angry baby dragons were scary. She could hear the other healers caring for Indivra.

"We'll do this together." she said firmly confirming that she would containue to help him stand. "But we need to get that at least cleaned up and assessed, banaged." She paused in thought. "They can't give you felis... if you do Impress, what is a baby dragon to make of a felis-laced mind?" she warned him. "What is something so young going to think.. what if it causes... I don't know.." she hugged him, it a brief hug, using it mostly to adjust her arms around his body. She felt a littly tingly this close to someone who was five years her senior but she cleared her head.

No time for giddy girlish thoughts. She had a patient and there were baby dragons, they needed riders and these candidates had been hand picked.

As the other healer yelled at Lymsleia. "I am a midwife when I need to be, " she shot back. "But I can heal jsut about anything else  given time." she countered. Eggs and hatchlings broke and moved and Lymsliea turned as  O'wain grabbed Farlint. "O'wain.. he's hurt please..." she let him go, and for a moment she clung tothe other candidates hand. "I'll try.. if she picks me.." she said firmly. "If she chooses me." she tried to keep her voice calm. She hated to see him such pain. 

She's left her fellow healers to their job, wringing her hands on the candidate robes as she returned to the field of battle.

"He's right, Lym." Far reached out with a hand in her direction. "Get yourself a dragon. Promise me I'll get to meet her. Or him. Okay? After all, I'm not going to have much else to do but keep people company for a while.

Lymsleia let the voices play over and over in her mind as she walked out on to the sands again. She'd done well. She told herself, that she must impress. She took a breath slow and deep. The world was at her finger tips, wasn't it? It was just-- did she have a choice? She  ran her hands through her black hair. It was dry she realised and sub consciously she began to braid it.

Razzah had been enjoying his internal calmness yet shifting slightly on the outside due to the hot sands beneath the sandles that he wore. He gazed at the eggs as they began to shake and move and suddenly an excitement overcame his calm center; Razzah was almost vibrating in his excitement now. Then the first egg hatched, he watched as the dragonet made its way to its impressed new rider and smiled happily for that candidate.

He would be sorely upset and depressed if he did not impress but at the sametime he would be happy for each and every one of the candidates that would; after all it would be their greatest day. He turned his gaze again back to the eggs and smiled in welcome to them. Razzah stood beside Breccan; a woman he didn't know but found reasonably attractive. Now was not the time for that however and he only had eyes for the eggs. Another hatchling emerging and Razzah beamed happily at the dragonet as it stumbled toward Erisi and Kerrin; he didn't know either of them either but silently wished them both good luck.

The Healers who had braved the Sands to collect Indivara and Jada were granted absolute obedience; the young Journeywoman was good at taking orders and quick to snap to it. Indivara's blank, unseeing eyes terrified the woman, and if it weren't for the obvious motions of life, her responses to Jada's frantically bitten out orders, then the older female might have gone into panic mode. Jada simply wasn't trained to be a Healer. She was a Harper, trained to teach and to listen. A Harper filled many roles, but Jada had never dreamed one of them might be here in triage. She'd always gotten sick at the sight of blood, felt the nausea and bile rise in her throat. She'd always cried like a child at the mere sight of her own blood, and could remember seeping even when her toe was stubbed. Yet now, Jada's amber eyes were dry, her forehead wrinkled. The sand caught her blood before it could drip too far down her arm, turning to paste before it could reach the gashes and cuts on Indivara's shoulder.

Hold this down, the healer ordered, and Jada obeyed, pressing as hard as she dared to try and staunch the flow. "Hey. Talk to me." she told the girl, trying to get a reaction from her. "Or I'll start to lecture you. I know how you hate my boring lectures. I'll make this one the most boring of them all." Water and Fellis were being forced down the girl's throat, to dull the pain. If only Jada could have some of that! It was an idea, anyways. She'd have to ask. Another Healer stepped up, and took over assisting, pushing Jada to the side. That was good. Indi deserved someone who could actually help her. All Jada could do was push down on her cuts and hope that she'd responded correctly. Hope that she'd done the right thing. Jada had only read about these things. She'd never needed to practice them, or study them. All she knew she'd learned from talking to people or from scrolls.

What if her lack of practical knowledge made it her fault that Indi was seriously hurt? Maybe she should have had Indi press somewhere more vital, not her face? Maybe she'd made it worse by putting pressure on what she had thought was the more serious of the wounds and leaving Indi to tend her own face. But the face was where she had thought she could keep an eye on the pressure of the girl's hands, if she was holding or not! What if- Uh oh. Jada was breaking down now that there was someone near who could help Indi. Someone who had half an idea of what was right.

Indivara was a bright little girl, a warm soul, and so sharding plucky. She would make a wonderful dragonrider someday. But not Gold, Jada reminded herself. The girl felt that Golds weren't good for anything, except laying guarding eggs. No, Indi wanted to be the first female Bronzerider. The irony that a bronze had mauled her wasn't lost on Jada. "Do you still want to ride a Bronze?" she asked Indi, lips twitching wryly. She had to keep talking to her, keep her awake; until the Healers sent her away, she would. But that plan came to a swift halt when a woman thrust her way onto the platform, sitting down next to Indi. She even looked like her daughter. "You must be Indi's mother. A'din. A greenrider. Khainth." Jada knew her voice was dull, knew her hands were shaking. Why were the little girl's wounds affecting her so much? Maybe because if it hadn't been her, who else could it have been? Valerian? Kerrin? Herself? Why was luck of the draw so cruel? "I'm Jada. One of the H- Harpers. Indivara is a very smart girl." But why had she been on the Sands?! Had she been so determined? D'ren was going to flay the child alive, if A'din didn't beat him to it. "I'm s-sorry." her shoulders shook once, and Jada wrenched herself back with a jerk.

Crying would help no one. Panic would help no one! It would do nothing but distract the Healers from the other woman's wounds. Reaching out, the Harper grabbed a rag, dipping it in clean water and pressing it to her forearms, cleaning the blood and sand from her wounds. Amber eyes shifted away from her friend, looking over to the stretcher. It was Farlint, the beautiful man who she'd carried back to the Candidate barracks, who she'd gotten in a food fight with. She recognized the man who had carried the stretcher, too. “O'wain.” her voice shook out his name, acknowledgment of his presence.

The rag fell from nerveless fingers, and she bent over to lift it again. Farlint was moaning, eyelids fluttering, and he lifted his head. “Talian?” he asked, and Jada tilted her head. The rag was dirty, so she pushed it into the hot water one of the Healers had shoved her way. She needed to be more careful not to drop it. A few moments later a dragon landed, bearing someone. A few moments after that, Far's shrieks filled the air, and she couldn't hold it in anymore.

Jada found herself gulping for air, staring at the profusely bleeding wounds on her arms. She would heal. They would suffer. Yet she was the one crying, since Indi wouldn't, and Far couldn't. She scrubbed at her wounds viciously. Maybe if they scarred too, she wouldn't feel guilty. But she didnt' want to scar. She wanted Farlint to stop screaming, and Indivara to make some noise to acknowledge her mother, for the girl to give some weak smile, to do something more than stare blankly. Her father had looked at her blankly too, when he died. Indivara wasn't going to die, or there would be more of a fuss, wouldn't there? So she had no sharding right to be looking so blank. (Oops, she might be out of fear and into rage.)

The sand scraped as it came out of her arms; the flesh was red and raw. But clean. A healer spread numbweed salve onto her arms with two fingers, and Jada hissed at the initial sting. But it did its job well, and the pain faded, leaving the only pain in her chest. The bandages were wrapped around her forearms, and Jada looked between the two other wounded who were being paid prominent attention on the platform. Indivara had her mother, and Farlint was unconscious.

Jada took a deep breath and watched. Next time something like this happened, when she was Standing on the Sands with the next clutch please (because she couldn't handle more people she knew or cared about getting hurt) she would be ready. (t was very lucky she hadn't seen Valerian get tackled to the Sands, or she would be in general panic mode over another face getting ripped off, or intestines falling out. Did dragons eat people?!)

Dragonet and new Weyrling both whipped their heads to the side, the former eying the Candidate curiously while the latter glared up at the short man (at least he didn't have to crane his neck up to catch Kerrin's eye). Charath was in the process of debating whether she liked the hopeful Candidate or not, while Erisi was settled upon the decision to not like Kerrin at the moment. Kerrin was only trying to help him, but pointing out the obvious to him after laughing was definitely one way to get Erisi's attention. "I know, how about you try telling that to her?"

He smells bad. Who is he?

"A dimglow."

Oh. I think I like him!

"Charath," Erisi pleaded with his dragonet to not make friends out of people he wasn't currently favoring. It probably was the only reason Charath accepted the other man, though the acceptance was far more tentative than her clear favor for Valerian. In fact, she was still preening over the Candidate she had not chosen, and Erisi wasn't quite sure he enjoyed it. Didn't Impression mean that their lives revolved around one another now? How did she have enough room in her head for anyone else to fawn over.

I am hungry, Charath announced suddenly, as if the idea of food hadn't been implanted in her head by Kerrin, but rather she had come to the conclusion naturally. Tell that one to make sure he doesn't get hurt. She didn't say their names, but Erisi knew who she was talking about. Their names were supplemented by mental images of the two men in question, and it helped a little that she gestured to each one as she 'spoke' with her head.

"You tell him yourself."

I don't want to talk to him.

Erisi sighed heavily, rolling his eyes before turning his gaze back to Kerrin. "Don't let Val get mauled."

Tell him that I said to.

"No."

A stalemate lasted between the two before Charath's hunger won out. I'm really hungry, and I love you. she creeled plaintively, delicately removing herself from her bonded's chest so that he could get up. "Yeah, yeah." He cast an almost anxious glance towards Valerian, suddenly realizing that this meant he had to start an entirely new life. "Thanks, ah... good luck?" Well, he didn't want to be alone in this new... Weyrling crap.

Heaving another sigh, he rose onto his feet, and decided to properly shut Charath up by giving her something else to focus on - a large bucket of meat. Flashing a brief, uncertain smile to his friends, he moved off of the Hatching Sands to tend to Charath and hoped that his friends wouldn't lose their faces to an unruly dragonet.

Dragons were disgusting.

Tal wasn’t sure what he was feeling that night. He was lonely for sure.  He was lonely for home, but he was also lonely for his friends. The dragons had started humming some time ago now. He wasn’t sure exactly how long. Just…long enough. He hadn’t paid attention.

He wondered if his friends would Impress. He wasn’t sure if he wanted them to.  He kenw he should feel guilty for that creeping concern, but it didn’t matter too much since the actual outcome was far out of his hands anyway. He could wish all he wanted, it would either happen or it wouldn’t.
He just didn’t want to be left behind. That was probably inevitable, though. The dragons talked like most of those searched eventually Impressed. What would happen when, turns down the road, allof his friends had dragons and he was still without?

There was only one thing in the way of his emotions. He truly wanted them to be happy. He cared more for their happiness than his own, especially since he was pretty sure he would never be happy. If Impressing dragons and leaving him behind was going to make them happy, like so many people insisted it would, then who was he to complain about it?

The Weyrleader had been very clear . After his attempted suicide, Tal was not standing. Not now, and probably not ever. Tal didn’t mind that part. He still thought of Impression as a curse. It would be literal servitude, binding him to the Weyr in a way that geographical isolation and threats of lashings could not. He already expected to never breathe free air again, but a dragon? It would control every bit of his life, and worst of all, it would take his career away from him. He’d be a dragonrider first and a healer second. His entire life wasted.

No, he didn’t want to Impress. He’d never dreaded anything so desperately in his life. Nothing would get him near those eggs!  Nothing, that is, except a horrible image of a shredded young girl.

He drew up instinctively at the image. He knew without words that they came from Larrikith. When she called out, however, he knew without question that her urgency was real.

He snapped to his feet and threw himself into the shelves of his office, where he’d been sitting anxiously in his chair all night. He immediately located the bag he kept mobile emergency supplies in (what decent trauma surgeon wouldn’t have one?) and ran for the front of the healing hall. His melancholy and indecision disappeared all at once, overwhelmed by the roiling urgency of a medical call. He hadn’t had a real emergency since arrival. B’jin’s lashing had been URGENT, but not an emergency.

He was at his most confident during things like this. As he made his way outside, he realized he liked the feeling.

That girl could die. Who knew what else was going on. That was worth submitting to the humiliation of riding Larrikith. He scrambled awkwardly onto the dragon’s neck without a moment of hesitation.
Seconds later, they arrived. Tal vaulted from the dragon’s back, clutching his bag tightly, as he made a fast sweep of the sands. One thing immediately caught his eye and distracted him momentarily from the task at hand; Erisi, with a green dragonet at his side. Tal’s heart fell into his guts and a wave of coldness washed over him.

Eri had Impressed. That was it, then. Shouldn’t Tal be happy for his friend? He searched Erisi’s face, hoping to get an idea of how Eri felt. If Eri was happy, Tal couldn’t say much. He even hoped he was, knowing Eri felt much the same about Impression as he did. But Eri just looked confused.

He frowned and swallowed his fears. Now wasn’t the time…especially with a wound like the one Tal had only just noticed! His guts twisted as he caught sight of Farlint’s mangled leg. Talian took a deep breath and sprinted to the triage, plowing his way through others as he came to his knees at Farlint’s side.

“You!” he said, pointing to another healer, “Apply pressure to that girl’s wounds, keep her alive!” he said as he dropped his bag and pulled his headband up, tying his hair out of the way before edging closer to Farlint and looking at the wound. A snapped tibia.

“Lym!” Tal said, reaching out with one hand and motioning to the sands. “You should get back…I can handle this, I promise,” he said. His eyes shot to Jada, who he wasn’t familiar with but had seen in candidate classes. “You too, miss. Thank you for your help, but you girls…you don’t need to miss your chance.”

He gritted his teeth. “Farlint, tell me what happened,” he breathed in a gentle but highly professional, focused voice as he reached for the leg to examine it.  He didn’t actually now Far either, but he knew the young man’s name. He turned his head slightly towards Indivara, enough to see that her bleeding was under control. She would still need attention soon, though.

The darkest egg in the clutch, the Empty Room egg was shivering, the most life it had shown throughout the entire hatching so far. Close to two hours had passed already and its movements earned it many a point and whisper, for it was assumed to be truly empty at that stage. The even blue shell cracked, tiny sections falling down to the sand, they were almost as small as the sand itself and barely noticeable even by the closest Candidates. With a rather large shake, another large crack split it down one side, but even these larger movements went unnoticed. Why? Well, because the Deafening Explosions egg had done just that; exploded. Shell fragments went flying across the sands, several landing amidst the Candidates and one at Tsuen’s feet. The Widespread Shatters Hatchling trumpeted, the loudest sound a hatchling had ever made so shortly after birth. Excitedly it pounced forward, holding none of the trepidation that its clutch siblings had held. It skidded through the sands, tripping and falling with almost every step, but it didn’t appear to care as it just stood up and kept going, straight for a group of male Candidates.

Behind it came a furious shriek, the Damn Straight I’m Good Hatchling standing in the remains of its blue shell. Its eyes whirled a reddish orange, not as vibrant or dark as Hoth’s had been, but they were noticeable enough for the crowd to hold their breath as it scrambled after the more boisterous hatchling. It leapt, colliding with the Widespread Shatters Hatchling, sending the two newborns tumbling in the sand. Snarling, the Damn Straight I’m Good Hatchling leapt up, using its clutchmate to propel itself closer to the male Candidates. Facing away from them it continued to snarl, lashing its tail back and forth as it seemed to try and defend the Candidates. Creeling in annoyance the Widespread Shatters Hatchling leapt forward, its claws gouging deeply into its sibling’s jawline. Several of the males behind the fighting hatchlings stepped away, though one, Vialden, tossed his head in the air and stepped forward. There had been no tell tale whirl of Impression yet and many of the Candidates cried out, he was a fool for approaching fighting dragons! Did he want to end up like Indivara or Farlint? Boldly, he grabbed the Damn Straight I’m Good Hatchling’s hips, yanking it back away from the other hatchling. “Stop fighting each other!” He ordered, capturing both the dragons’ attention. As the one he held craned its neck around to face him its eyes flashed ice blue before other colours mingled in. “No, you don’t need to defend ‘your’ men, Gallifreth.” Vialden growled before pausing, wait, he Impressed? Shock plastered over his features before joy overrode it.

Misguiding Hands Blue Gallifreth to Vialden

Bored now that the fight was over, the Widespread Shatters Hatchling resumed its previous pouncing across the sands, this time aiming for a more female-dominated group of Candidates. With a loud squeal and bugle it leapt forwards, colliding with the stomach of a girl, Lansi. Sent flying backwards and winded they landed in a heap of tangled limbs, with the hatchling still bugling proudly amidst it all. It took a few moments for Lansi to get her breath back before she managed to gasp out words to the hatchling. “Sunoth! That hurt!”

Triumphant Accomplishment Green Sunoth to Lansi

Having seen to its meeker clutchmate’s Impression, the Love Is In The Air Hatchling simply watched as both Sunoth and Gallifreth hatched and fought, not bothering to approach them or move amidst the Candidates until they each Impressed. Standing, it shook its body thoroughly, before finally beginning to inspect the Candidates around it. With a sniff and a soft croon it walked away from the group, it seemed sad to be leaving them but knew that it wouldn’t find its mate here. It felt the eyes burning into its body as everyone was now watching it, well, sans the newly Impressed and injured. While attention was nice, it didn’t seem to enjoy the pressure, bolting over to a small group of Candidates and creeling. It circled one in particular, butting them with its head and wings gently. It had Impressed, that much was clear, but it seemed rather unsettled as it circled its new rider over and over.

Love Is In The Air Blue Veeth to Valerian

Five eggs remained now, some cracked and others not. Many eyes fell to the Dragging Anchors egg with hope and excitement, the rumours that it was a queen egg were rife and even those who hadn’t believed it to hold a Gold now stared at it with bated breath, even another Bronze would be welcomed now!

---

There is now a 30 minute break in which no hatchlings are on the sands.

Valerian sat up and watched his friend leave with his dragon. It was odd to see Erisi intent on taking care of the little creature given how he had been up to the very moment of Charath pouncing them and making the Impression. He was still baffled by how much a mind could change with a dragon attached to it and feeling the loss of possibly having his own, though he was convinced the little green was going to be a handful and that really did ease the pain of just missing out. He got to his feet, brushing the hot sand from every area he could reach, particularly his hair, and checked on Allendris. The man was probably done with everything and wanted nothing to do with dragons after watching what happened to Indivara, and Valerian couldn’t blame him, but he gave the glass-smith points for not bolting.  So he gave his friend a small smile of reassurance, which still had the Harper wondering why he was playing bodyguard and security blanket to everyone that night.

At the sound of something shuffling closer, Valerian turned, tensing for only a moment before seeing the dragonet had no intention of doing anything more than circle him and head butt his legs. At the second batting of wings, he sighed and crouched down, placing a hand atop the little blue head. “Veeth, you have my attention, you don’t need to bruise me or make me dizzy to make sure.”

It was a lilting, high-pitched voice that entered Valerian’s mind and a slow smile spread, enjoying it, One can’t be too cautious. You did seem rather interested in Charath. How was I to know you had otherwise graced us with your attention?  Valerian knew melodramatics when he heard them and while he appreciated the slight impish quality that it took to cover any insecurities with teasing, he hoped it wasn’t going to be a regular thing.

“Before Kerrin tries pointing out the obvious with us as well, we should get you fed,” while he had experience talking with Larrikith, Valerian found it odd to be doing so with his own little dragon that was now relying on him for safety and companionship. Stranger still, he completely understood what B’jin and the sassy green had meant when they said they weren’t complete before Impressing. He still felt the same but now… now he knew he wasn’t alone and while he always thought that was what he wanted, he had only convinced himself of that to dull the ache of longing for, well, completion.

Oh, we’re going to have so much fun together, Veeth crooned, a mischievous edge to his voice, which earned him a curious glance as Valerian stood but before he could acknowledge that yes, having fun was a major portion of being bonded, Veeth gave a delighted shrill laugh that surprised the Harper, Not like that~ You’ll see. Don’t worry, you are in good hands, just like I know I am. But I am hungry so if you could hurry up, please?

“I guess, I should wish you good luck, Kerrin, since Eri’s worked for me,” he gave the weyrbrat a small smile to hide the sudden nervousness that sprung up at realizing he was entering another new world and with a dragon that he was bonded to but was still learning the inner workings of. Turning to Allendris, Valerian opened his mouth and then closed it, fully believing that the glass-smith wouldn’t want the blessing, or curse, of passing on the luck Erisi had given him. Instead he grabbed the man’s hand for a third time that night, which was possibly a new record.

“I’ll see you later, okay? Just… relax.” With the last word barely spoken, Veeth bopped him with a wing again. Valerian looked down to his dragon standing regally, demonstrating great posture and an attitude that showed exactly how well Veeth thought of himself. Lovely, had he Impressed Erisi in dragon form? Shaking his head at the luck, the pair began the walk off the Sands.

Farlint would object that his leg wasn't mangled, but they'd poured so much Fellis down his throat he barely knew up from down. Frankly, his leg hurt, so when someone started grunting at him, he grunted back.

Bleary blue-gray eyes opened, staring at the place above him, high, high above him. "Bro...nee...Sa...nnnnnn." he told Talian. "Duh." Of course, Farlint knew exactly what he was saying. Bronze. Knee. Sands. "Maaa neee waaaa."

It was a relief, that professionally healery attitude. Talian's voice was calm, soothing, and Jada stopped her sniffling when he looked to her. It was nice of him to be thinking of them. It really was. But at this point, Jada had more to worry about that an Impression. She was young. She'd have another chance. Right now, there was no question of where she would rather be. Out on those hot Sands, in sandals and a torn, bloodstained robe? Or up here, with her young friend. Her student?

Until a dragon was in her face going 'Hi, you're mine now,' Jada knew where her priorities lay. She was a teacher- and she was Indivara's friend.

"Thank you," she told Talian, "But I'm staying right here. I'll have another chance to Impress. Nirinath will lay again." She reached out, and gripped Indivara's hand, glaring fiercely back at a Healer who grumbled at her. "Indivara needs me more than the Sands do."

Decision? Made.

Allendris had thought he was feeling overwhelmed before... but that slight sense of unease he'd experienced when he first stepped onto the burning-hot sands hardly compared to the overwhelming desire he felt now to simply turn around and join the spectators in the stands, ideally far away from dangerous, rampaging dragonets. The attack on Indivara, which had occurred at such a frightfully close proximity thanks to Valerian's having pulled him over to join the two other Candidates who soon formed their group of four, had left him shaken. Even now, his face still carried a rare, sick pallor that seemed to blanch anew every time he mistakenly looked down enough to catch another glimpse at the pool of blood left where the young weyrbrat girl had been standing. Of course, given his previous profession he was no stranger to blood. The scar that marred the palm of his hand - the same one Valerian now squeezed in a strange, subtle gesture of reassurance - was reminder of that. The difference was that most greusome accidents in glass-smithery could usually be prevented with a bit of caution. But this... how could one know how and when a hatchling would be provoked into attacking?

Of course, it wasn't as if the Candidates hadn't been warned that maulings can and likely would happen on the sands... but no warning in the world could have prepared the quiet young man for the horrible sight of razor-sharp claws tearing through a young girl's face. He was definitely having second thoughts regarding the soundness of his decision to come to the Hatching Circuit that day. He could only watch, silent, and with little reaction other than a brief flash of surprise showing on his face when Valerian was pounced by a new hatchling. In fact, there may have even been a brief flash of panic in those brown eyes, until the journeyman recognized the little dragonet's harmless intentions, and he exhaled his relief when he saw that his roommate would be safe from the little one's piercing claws. Soon the hatchling had left with Valerian's other smart-mouthed Harper friend in tow, which left Allendris more puzzled than before. Had that one been entirely certain of who it had wanted to Impress? Did dragonets ever doubt their decisions?

Next to Impress was Valerian himself, much to the glass-smith's surprise, though he recognized what was happening as soon as the little hatchling had approached them and began butting its head against the Harper's legs. The darkness obscured the color of the creature's hide, but he could still see the smile of joy that spread across the other man's face as he knelt to pat the little beast atop the head. So rarely did Allendris ever see Valerian express any sort of recognizable emotion that the sight of the clearly very happy pair nearly stunned him into silence. Well, it was that and yet another reassuring grasp of his hand from the newly-Impressed dragonrider.

Valerian... a dragonrider! When just two seasons ago they had been sitting and glaring at each other on Candidate Isle. What a strange thought.

Allendris answered the other man with a small smile - one that did nothing to hide his discomfort at having to remain standing on the sands while his closest friend (could he call him that?) left him behind to begin a new and entirely foreign life. "Easy for you to say, dragonrider," he only said, as if testing out the title. It was indeed strange, but the glass-smith figured he would have to get used to it sooner rather than later. With a brief look at the only Candidate left remaining beside him - a young weyrbred boy whom he did not know very well, but who also still looked a little shaken up by the proceedings - Allendris turned his attention back to the eggs. There were only a few left remaining, and none looked in any immediate hurry to crack. He recognized the largest one as the one he had Touched. He was curious to see what sort of creature would emerge from its massive shell, and it was that curiousity alone that kept him rooted to the spot.

Kerrin could only answer Erisi's request that he prevent Valerian from getting mauled with a startled look - one which quickly transformed to irritation as he threw up his hands in disbelief and whirled back around to face the eggs. As if it wasn't clear from his blood-stained robe that his track record on that count was looking pretty dismal! He paid no more mind to the newly Impressed pair, instead looking over at the one Harper left remaining. Apparently the little green had taken a fancy to the guy, and was willing to sacrifice another Candidate to ensure that he remained safe. But why did it have to be him? Kerrin grumped. Valerian could sharding well take care of himself.

The weyrbrat glanced over again to where the healers were tending towards Indivara and another young man whose name he vaguely remembered started with an F. He was unhappy to have been reminded of the gruesome accident, and especially of his inability to do anything to help the girl, though he doubted that had been Erisi's intention no matter how much of a jerk the guy was. Still, he felt some measure of relief to see that Talian had arrived on the scene and was now tending to her. He had heard of Talian's Master Healer knots, and to see the young man there on the Hatching Circuit reassured him somewhat that Indivara was in the best hands possible. His worry was not entirely soothed - not even close - but it instilled him with just the right amount of reassurance he needed to turn his attention back towards the moving eggs.

Apparently Kerrin would not have to worry about jumping between Valerian and an angry dragonet at all, for in the next flurry of cracking eggshells and shouts of newly-learned dragonet names, a hatchling which had been lingering and watching the other Impressions soon approached them. The weyrbrat's heart leaped into his throat, only to fall slightly when the little creature began circling Valerian and nudging at his legs with its wings and wedge-shaped head. Kerrin knew immediately that this one was not meant for him either. He took a deep breath, forcing a smile as he watched Valerian kneel and pet the hatchling on the head. Kerrin made a note to remember the name the Harper spoke: Veeth. Any dragon of his friends would be his friend, too, and the younger Candidate wanted to be sure to remember their names even if he couldn't quite make out the color of their hides. When Valerian turned to wish him luck, though, the weyrbrat's smile turned more earnest. "Thanks," was all he could say, fearing any more than that would reveal the nervousness he still felt about Indivara's condition, and the sick feeling that was pooling in his stomach as more eggshells cracked and Kerrin further realized just how bleak his prospects were becoming.

Valerian hadn't told him to relax, though, which seemed to speak well of his efforts to hide just what a mess of restless, anxious, worried nerves he really was. And if the notoriously observant Harper couldn't tell that all Kerrin could seem to think about was just how frightfully much of Indivara's blood stained his robes, then maybe a dragonet wouldn't pick up on it, either.

He almost laughed at himself. Yeah, right - a dragonet that couldn't read emotions. Dream on.

Biting his lip, Kerrin once again looked in the direction of the frantically working healers. He saw Jada there, remaining beside the girl and holding her hand. He wanted to be there too! Small hands clutched at his Candidate robes, heedless of the still-wet blood that smeared on his palms. He would be suitably grossed out about it later, but for now, it took every ounce of his concentration to tear his eyes away from the scene and focus again on the remaining eggs. He had to stay! He couldn't let this ruin his chances. How could he set a good example for Indivara when she healed and stood for her own clutch - because she would! he couldn't let himself doubt that - if he couldn't even Impress now?!

Kerrin breathed deeply, focusing his thoughts and desperately reaching for positive emotion. He was glad Jada was there to comfort Indivara, not jealous or embarrassed that it wasn't him. He was happy to be standing there on the Hatching Circuit, not resentful of the stubbornly still eggs that just wouldn't hatch so he could get on with it and see to his friend, already. And by Faranth, he would be honored when (not if!) one of those sharding slow little dragonets FINALLY popped out of its shell and Impressed to him.