[G] [C] 734.07.29 | Circle of Life [Hatching]

Ah, B’jin..? A pause. Love, wake up! The green dragon’s voice poked gently against the edge of B’jin’s mind, including R’nd and Ayyonth in her mild mannered insistence that her rider regain consciousness. It was not working, at all, and Larrikith puffed a great sigh as she moved around the hut to put her head against the window, peering in through the uncurtained window. Her eyes swirled bright and excited colours, with mild flashes of amused irritation flickering through, and clearly aimed at her human half.

Mmph, B’jin’s response was mostly mental, but also came out a mumbled sigh as he snuggled closer to R’nd; the bluerider’s feet were cold, but B’jin ignored that. He had gone to bed much earlier than his lover, exhausted from a day of filling candidate brains with information about the upcoming Hatching; how to act, how not to act, all the fun things. Whatever time it was (and B’jin was far too asleep to even begin to figure that out) R’nd was in bed with him, he was warm and cuddly (except for his cold toes, which were diligently avoided), and B’jin was much, much too comfortable to wake up! Larrikith was an annoyance – like a mosquito buzzing around his ear – not important enough to wake up and do something about it… but annoying enough to have B’jin on the brink of consciousness.

B’jin! Damn it man, wake up! the green dragon, giving up on being polite and gentle, threw her voice into her human’s empty head with force, unintentionally yelling at both R’nd and Ayyonth in the process. Her mate was given an apologetic look when commotion erupted from inside the hut. At least Ayyonth had actually been awake, and she was pretty sure her first few comments had re-woken the bluerider, if his dragon hadn’t already done so – or the fact that the Weyr was now alive with humming. The eggs are hatching, you great lump!

“Of course they are.” The pathetic, whining and tearful tone of B’jin’s voice was enough to make Larrikith’s nose crinkle in disgust as she gave the man a flat look through the window. Get dressed! You need to conduct the candidates! “You do it.” It does not work like that and you know it! Get out of bed! Where is that stupid little gold runt? What good is a firelizard if they don’t annoy you as much as they do me? Huffy, puffy and probably quite capable of blowing down R’nd’s hut, Larrikith gave the wall of the bedroom a bump with her well-padded hip, snorting when building actually trembled a little.

Get up!
“I AM!” B’jin’s unexpected bellow startled Shimmer, who squealed in fright and buried herself in B’jin’s hair in a little gold ball, trembling while the greenrider rolled out of bed – literally. Thankfully, he hadn’t still had his face pressed against R’nd when he shouted, and spared the bluerider temporary deafness – or a blown ear drum. Grumbling and clearly irked, B’jin stalked grumpily around the bedroom, tossing R’nd’s clothes at the bluerider in what was a clear indication that he was not staying in bed while B’jin was forced to babysit.

Tut-tut; if we didn’t all know better, we’d think you were proddy! The green gave a chirp of laughter between breaths of humming when B’jin threw his pyjama pants at the wall and mumbled something vile under his breath. Nose scrunched up, and clearly in a very bad mood about being woken up two hours into a very lovely sleep when he was overworked and overtired, B’jin grabbed R’nd’s wrist – not checking to see exactly how well dressed his lover was – and proceeded to drag the poor man towards the door.

“Fucking eggs.”

That isn’t very pretty language! Mind your tongue or you’ll teach the babies dirty words. Last thing we need is them naming one of their riders ‘fuck you’.

“Ha-ha,” B’jin drawled. “Besides, it would be ‘F’cku’ not ‘fuck you’. Get it right you stupid twat.”

Larrikith replied with good humour, entertained by B’jin’s foul mood and doing nothing to remove it as she baited him and teased him the entire – if short – glide to the Hatching Circuit. More awake, and thus more capable of spilling vile retorts to his dragon, B’jin met the candidates as they gathered at the entrance, his nasty expression forestalling any tomfoolery on their behalf; the greenrider was clearly in a horrendous mood and wouldn’t hesitate to make them miserable the moment they said something unwise.

Eyeing each candidate in turn, B’jin nodded at them individually to pass them through, waving them onto the Sands one at a time when he was convinced they were dressed to his satisfaction, and both awake and sober enough to concentrate on what was going on around them. There wasn’t any good reason for any of them to be drunk, and most he knew had bedtimes around that hour, though he noticed several of the youngsters looking a bit glassy-eyed behind their nervous excitement.

Keep an eye on the tired ones.
Yes sir! Larrikith’s tone was mocking but upbeat, and filled with laughter as she pranced onto the edge of the sands, and dramatically made a show of eyeing the group of candidates with one laughing eye. B’jin scowled at her before stalking over to where R’nd was standing. A deep breath was taken in, and puffed out slowly as B’jin wove the fingers of his left hand through those of R’nd’s right, giving a gentle squeeze.

He was stressed, and worried, and he did not like being woken up!

---

Okay! Candidates can move straight out to stand around the eggs and the Hatching will begin in the next post! Sorry it took me all fucking year to get this up :|

B’jin’s Candidates:
- Will have been told to wear shoes! He doesn’t approve of burned tootsies.
- Be in Candidate robes that more or less fit them lol
- Will have hair pulled back in a pony-tail or a braid, and be jewellery, belt, sash, or anything ‘extra’, free.
- Firelizards are allowed, so long as they are controlled at all times. Larrikith will eat banish them if they are naughty.

There are a lot of young boys who didn’t get their Candidate Application edited to include their honorific (or I missed it if they were). Can all male characters please include what their honorific will be, should they Impress, in an OOC comment at the bottom of their post. Thank you!

On honorifics – it is SP canon that the dragon picks the honorific. They might pick something their rider likes, something they do not, or whatever. They will usually pluck the name from their rider’s mind, so it is likely that said rider will like their name, or have ‘pre picked’ it on some level subconsciously prior to Impression.

Unless, of course, their dragon is a smart arse like Ayyonth and chooses a name like R’nd :D

B’jin would appreciate it if the following process was undergone once Impressed:
- Move dragonet to the sidelines and feed the little fucker
- Slap oil on any particularly dry spots
- Go to bed. Now.
- Do not get up before 11am the 30th unless you are dying.
- If you must get up, bug R’nd keep quiet and considerate of everyone else. Feed your dragonet if they are hungry, and take them to the river edge for a bath and oil.

In reference to the landslide.
- Hatching takes place 11pm – about 3am on the 29th and 30th of month 7
- The 30th will be spent in celebration; any excuse to drink booze and party.
- The landslide will happen in the early hours of the 1st of month 8 when everyone is drunkenly passed out.

More details and information WILL be given about the landslide within the week. We’d ask that you not RP past the current event of Hatching and Celebration until we give the go-ahead. We still have a couple of kinks to iron out.

Thank you for understanding!

Trelanvor groaned, trying to shove his face into his pillow. If whoever was snoring didn't stop he was going to personally shove his pillow down their throat! He gave a dramatic shuffling flop in frustration before flipping up into a sitting position. He took a lungful of air, preparing to bellow at whoever was snoring loud enough to wake the entire Weyr. His breath left him in a wordless rush. It wasn't snoring that was shattering what should have been a peacefully evening, but the hum of dragons. With an excited shout he jumped from his bed and landed on the floor in a heap along with his blanket. Kicking the fabric away with a muttered curse he grabbed for his candidate robe.

Trel didn't jog, he ran across the muddy ground slipping and sliding around bleary eyed weyrfolk and riders. The timing wasn't the best, but eggs and the hatchlings within had little regard for anyone's sleeping schedule. His arms windmilled as he came to a precarious halt at the entrance to the circuit. He gaze around with an exuberant grin, not quite understanding how some could still look for sleepy. The eggs were hatching! Surely the excitement would be enough to banish any sleepiness. He trembled in anticipation, the humming of the dragons melding with the chatter of the gathering crowd. A few last minute bets were being placed upon the still unbroken orbs.

The sight of B’jin and the expression on his face tempered Trel's excitement. The Greenrider didn't look thrilled to be up and having to attend a hatching. He stilled his movements as the man's gaze passed over him, sagging with relief when he was finally nodded toward. He gave the man a grateful smile as he slipped past, eyes going straight to the waiting eggs.

Trel's middle gave a nervous flip as he slipped closer to the eggs. His dragon might be among those that hatched today. Or it may not be. After so many unsuccessful hatchings he shouldn't have been excited, but he was. He couldn't help it. Dragons were hatching today and the excitement of the occasion had infected him completely. It was a special day and he gave himself over to the moment. This was not a day for doubts. It was a day for hoping for the best.

---

T'vor

Aparicus was thankful for her little bronze firelizard tonight.  She always slept with her door locked and after being gifted a hut of her own she no longer had the security of having a female roommate.  She didn’t mind her personal space, but having Jissy to wake her would have been helpful.  She’d gone to bed only hours before.

The humming of Cinnamon on her pillow, however, had her waking up with sleepy eyes.  Rolling over, she looked at him a moment in the dim light of the fireplace before it dawned on her why he was humming so happily.  Of course, the picture he sent her of the hatching sands probably helped her come to that conclusion.

“But… Its so late…”  she mumbled.  Answered with a croon, she nodded and poured herself out of the warm blankets.  “You’re right, they wait for no one.  We should be use to these odd-hour hatchings by now.”  And it was true, far too many hatchings here in the south were at early hours, dragging candidates out of their beds before the sun was up.  It was a pity that this time it was before anyone had gotten any real amount of sleep.

Socks, thin leggings and an under-tunic were pulled on before Apari wrapped her candidate robe around herself.  Technically she was suppose to wear only the robe, but she knew far too well how the chill of the rain sank deeply into her thin frame.  In fact, she knew it well enough that she pulled on a second pair of socks before stuffing her tiny feet into her boots and lacing them up. 

A brush was run through her hair before she grabbed a glow basket and made her way among other older candidates toward the hatching sands.  She was still braiding her hair over one shoulder when B’jin paused in front of her to make sure she was ready.  She really did love the fact that the harper had taken to keeping the candidates in order once more.  He was well suited to the roll.  When she was given the nod, she tied off her hair and moved onto the warm sands, thankful for the heat beneath her boots.

Taking up a stand closer to the golden queen’s egg, she watched the egg for a moment before looking around the hatching sands, looking for her fellow candidate’s faces.  She loved to watch the excitement in the younger candidates eyes.  They had a fire and hope there that was not so often seen among the northerners.

R’nd was nearly asleep when the ruckus struck. At first he thought he was hearing things, perhaps having an odd dream as he hung somewhere between consciousness and the blissful sleep he craved but the noise kept coming until it was a screech. Ayyonth snorted amusement in the back of his mind as R’nd twitched awake and instinctively held B’jin closer to him when he realized the greenrider was snuggled up to him. He was on alert and for a brief moment had no idea what was happening and instinct said to protect the man beside him.  It’s only a Hatching. Nothing to panic over; unless you’re afraid you’ll miss seeing all the little ones.

Whatever comment R’nd was going to reply with was lost as B’jin started scrambling in every which way and a shirt hit the bluerider in the face. When pants found their way to him, R’nd slipped them on and only had a moment to grab for his shirt as B’jin dragged him out of the room. Somehow he managed to stop long enough to find boots and kicking them on as he told Rell to stay inside where it was warm, dry, and comfortable before the short trip to the Sands.

As B’jin started his Weyrlingmaster duties and tended to the Candidates, R’nd laced up his boots and stopped the free show by tossing the shirt on as well. Once he was properly dressed and seemed awake again, he joined B’jin to quietly observe everything. He still loved Hatchings even with their increasing frequency and he especially loved watching B’jin work. There was a confidence that came out in such times that made for a more domineering personality that was a slight turn on to the bluerider. Everything about B’jin is a slight turn on to you. R’nd ignored the comment in favour of waving to a couple of the Candidates he chatted with on occasion and offered them smiles of encouragement. They would surely Impress this round!

Kicking off his boots, Bordtai did not even bother getting undressed before climbing into his bed.  It was probably a good thing in all honesty as ten minutes later there was a commotion coming through the candidate barracks where all of the younger candidates were bunked.  A Hatching?  Now?  He sat up and blinked as glow baskets were thrown open and people shaken awake.  Yup, there it was, that familiar dragon hum that always greeted the new hatchlings into the world.

He had come to expect the hatchings at the earliest hours of the morning, but at such a late time at night?  Most folks had only just gotten to bed like himself. 

“Well, Shards and shells.”  He said grumbling as he kicked his feet back off the bed and started searching for the boots that had been kicked off unceremoniously.  Finding one, he pulled it on and laced it up before flipping over in his bed and checking underneath.  Sure enough, there was his second. 

Boots on, check.  Pants, check.  Robe… Pulling at the tunic that was still on him, he tugged it off over his head before digging through the trunk at the foot of his bunk to find his candidate robes.  They had just been refitted for him recently and for once they didn’t seem to be swimming on him.  The boost of confidence as a tiny one as he pulled the robe tight around the ribs he could count, but it was still a boost. 

Running a hand through his hair, he knew there was nothing he could do beyond that to make it more presentable before he made his way toward the hatching sands among the group of larger candidates.  He was still short among the majority, but as he grew older there were younger classmates joining the ranks.  No longer was he the smallest boy on the sands, just close to it.

He stood in line near Trelanvor as the teacher B’jin looked over the candidates one by one before letting them onto the sands.  Trelavnor’s excitement was contagious and while the boy had briefly sobered up for his inspection, Bordtai found himself wanting to join in his near-bouncing enthusiasm.  A brief inspection from B’jin and the small boy was following the larger one onto the sands to stand nearby.

Here they were once more, standing before the sands.  It was another clutch from Bronze Torath too.  A personal favorite of his and Bordtai seriously couldn’t wait to see his wonderful children.  He had been considering recently skipping hatchings, as a male candidate he had the choice to stand when he wanted and to skip when he wanted.  Perhaps he would start making a point of only standing for Torath’s clutches whenever he caught  a queen.  How wonderful would it be to ride one of that bronzes children in flight?  Perhaps if he impressed to a child of Torath’s he would make the bronze rider N’kal proud.

B'tai would be preferred.

One thing Ryvian liked about skipping the last Hatching was that he didn’t have to get out of bed for the crazy hours the babies always thought were perfect to make an appearance during. While it was true he was sometimes still awake at the current hour, it wasn’t that night. He had turned in a few hours earlier thanks to a lot of heavy lifting as he helped fellow Katlians move furniture to dryer grounds. The flooding of the river hadn’t exactly happened yesterday but some people decided it was time to move some of their items. So he had sloshed around and worn himself out to the point where only his bed, blanket, and a pillow sounded like the best combination ever.

Somewhere in there, Tavynia had snuck out of her family’s hut and into his, making herself comfortable beside him with a giggle he barely acknowledged and gave a nod that it was fine that she had crashed his sleep party. So long as she was quiet and slept, Ryvian didn’t care if she had invited the entire Weyr to curl up in his bedroom with them.

Naturally when the humming began, he hadn’t heard it; so deep in the arms of sleep that he was. Tavynia ended up shaking him and pouting with all the intensity of a perky blonde teenager that was used to getting her way until he final grumbled and asked what the emergency was. A Hatching. It never failed. Wasn’t he allowed to be properly rested for one anymore?

Somehow, he managed to get dressed and was dragged to the Sands by his friend who was far more enthusiastic than he currently was. The decision had been made to try once more, perhaps a few once mores if need be before making the final decision on the fate of his dragonriding career. The little eggs he had Touched and been honoured with a reaction from had encouraged him to move on, to let it go, and to work through all of his feelings and come out as a new him. Ryvian realized he still needed his friends and twin in his life but he didn’t need to rely on them as much. A lot had changed with N’vian Impressing but it didn’t change for the worst and he wasn’t abandoned. Standing again would be his way of showing he was fine and ready to move on.

Tavynia went off to Stand with the other gold Candidates and Ryvian was, oddly enough, left alone in a group of people. He didn’t talk to anyone else due to mostly being tired still but his attention wasn’t really on the other men. His gaze was scanning the gathering crowd of observers to see if Indivara was coming. He didn’t blame her for not Standing with him even though they had more or less promised to keep Standing together. How could he make her step onto the Sands again after what happened with the last gold egg? Ryvian knew he was lucky to get her near the Sands after being attacked by a bronze dragonet but now Indivara had the nightmare of that mess haunting her and he wasn’t going to push her until she was ready. He understood trauma from a Hatching and understood that time was needed to heal and it depended on the person more than anything else. She may have pushed him constantly but Ryvian didn’t really budge unless he wanted to and he would wait silently until she was ready to as well.

Telrynd had been in bed for hours since he had promised to help his mother in the crèche first thing in the morning. He didn’t have a preferred time for bed but when the call to dress and get onto the Sands came, the young man found himself thankful he had settled into an early to bed routine as of late. Grogginess lingered as he tossed on his robe and laced up his shoes but by the time he reached B’jin to be judged for approval, Telrynd felt he was one of the most wide awake there. Even B’jin seemed in a foul mood because of lack of sleep.

He couldn’t help himself but with that thought, Telrynd scanned the area for R’nd and wondered if he was to blame for the Weyrlingmaster’s sorry state. Given the bluerider’s current state, it was hard to tell what they had been up to and if R’nd was tired, smug, or excited. The man was so easy to read nearly every time he was seen but sometimes he had too many emotions going on at once to accurately portray one. Telrynd decided to go with the belief that R’nd lacked in sleep but the excitement for another Hatching overruled everything else.

He nodded in thanks for passing the test and wandered onto the Sands, scowling a bit as he kicked some of the accursed wet sand into a shoe. It would have to stay there for the time being since Telrynd had no interest in walking back off to fix the issue or hopping around on one foot while he dumped out the shoe as he waited for eggs to crack. He wondered how long he would have to wait for that to happen anyway. From the few he had observed, the timing was all up in the air and the eggs could be quick about or be rather mean and make everyone wait all day for their appearances to be made. Given the hour, Telrynd hoped for the former but expected the latter. It wouldn’t matter if he was lucky enough to bond with one of those magnificent creatures.

Casa had been able to sleep a little easier since the Touching, mostly for the fact that she had felt something when she had so reluctantly laid her hand on the egg shell. Instead of the constant nightmares full of disturbing smells and half-formed bodies, she now had visions of thin shells and curious minds, an odd mix of shadows and brightness, of inquisitive thought and broken egg shards. It had led to some solid nights of sleep, and some not so steady nights where she tossed and turned.

Tonight, she had laid down to rest four hours past - it had been a long day, and she had not slept well before. She had almost fallen asleep, curled on her side, with the firelizards fanned out all around her. Her eyelids twitched restless, and she muttered something, reaching out to stroke Knack. He chirped, rubbing his head against the side of her face and beginning to hum. The other two joined in, and she tried to with them at first, blinking sleepily and smiling.

And then she realized. Humming. Humming.

She leapt up out of the bed, causing the others to squawk and flutter around the room. Blinking blearily, she scrambled to the trunk, pulling out the nicely folded clothing she had just done. Down by the bottom, she found the robe that was the closest thing to a good fit for her. She slipped it over her head, brushing her hair back and working on lacing her boots securely. Her brain stayed fuzzy, still only half awake, but she knew it was time to go, and that things like time couldn't be controlled.

Mumbling to herself, she snapped her fingers, and the firelizards arranged themselves around her, Knack at his customary place around her neck. She left her room quietly, pausing only briefly by the kitchens to grab a meatroll, before heading back to the Sands. As she entered, the humming intensified ten fold; she slowly wound her way to her place around the gold egg, eyes shifting nervously from the other candidates to the eggs and back. She was still restless, and in her core, terrified, of the results of the Hatching...but it was here. Time to wait and see.

Alerae was getting a few blissful hours of sleep. Tolera had been colicky all day, and had taken quite some time to work through it, leaving her mother rather frazzled. Tank and Opal seemed to have something different to say about the woman sleeping however, as the Brown was intent on playing with her lower lip while the Green was twisting herself into her bonded's hair.

The woman groaned, rolling onto her side. "Stop..." she murmured, batting at the air.As she started to rise from a deeper sleep, she heard the sound she missed at first. Both of her lizards were humming. She groaned and dislodged Tank from her chest to roll onto her stomach. " Please be silent, dearies." she entreated, trying to sink back into full sleep. Tank didn't listen at all, flapping into the air and diving at her back, chittering. "Tank! Opal!" she cried, huffing as she turned back over and sat up. " Dahlings, must you.." She paused as both of her lizards attempted to pull at her clothing. " What in Pern is wrong with you two?" she asked, a small part of her resenting the idea to Impress Firelizards. Or at least two of them.

Finally awake enough for the fact that the two of them are humming to register in her mind, she starts. " Oh dear me, is that what you've been trying to say?" She asked, and Opal churruped in agreement. " Well, we had better get going then." she added, finding her folded Candidate robe and slipping into it. She plaited her hair while checking on Tolera. The girl was sleeping soundly, but just in case, she should stick her in the creche. Alerae might Impress this time, and it could be a while before she would be able to get back to her room to check on her daughter. So she bundled her up and popped over the the creche before actually heading to the hatching circuit.

She slowed her steps as she arrived, giving B'jin and R'nd a small wave. Tank circled her head before settling on one shoulder and Opal perched on her other, though she was more interested in playing with the end of Alerae's braid. The woman quietly joined the other Gold Candidates, her eyes resting on the gold egg. The emotion she felt from the egg was encouraging, so she felt confident. She waited, stroking Tank's tail, as she watched the eggs.

Indamor, (B'jin)'s son, with a cameo by Amorandii, (B'jin) & (Jayedi)'s daughter.

Indamor was still awake when the dragons began to kick up a fuss, the young man sitting at the small desk in his room in the Weyrfolk Hall, a quill flicking back and forward under his chin as he hummed softly to himself. While the young man had none of his father’s talent when it came to voice or art, he was a fair hand at writing lyrics – not that he thought very much of his skills. Frowning slightly, Indamor glanced out his window with a sigh, neatly crossed out a word and wrote a new one just above it, and climbed to his feet.

You better hurry! You’ll miss all the excitement! His father’s dragon was clearly excited as her voice pranced through his mind, and Indamor’s lips twitched slightly in amusement. He did not bother to attempt a reply, however, as he quietly moved around his little room, finding his candidate robe neatly hanging up by the door. He pulled it on, and then his boots, lacing them comfortably. Fingers were combed back through messy dark blonde hair and he scratched lightly at a fuzzy cheek as he exited the room. Not time to fight with a razor blade right then, and Indamor’s nose scrunched up slightly at the idea of looking so scrappy for his first Hatching.

Well, at its core, it wasn’t like the dragonet would be looking to see how well presented he was. Shaking his head slightly, Indamor slipped out the door of his bedroom and walked the few paces down the hall to where Amorandii slept. He barely managed to knock his knuckles against the door once before the little girl jerked the door open and stared up at him dramatically. “I thought you had forgotten me!” Her voice was full of dramatic disdain as her little hand clasp snugly into his own and Indamor shook his head.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Andi. Come on. Are you going to be warm enough?” Amusement tinged the word as he eyed his sister sideways. The little girl was a bit of a mess, her nightie reaching mid-thigh, it was covered over with a bulky woollen jumper, and then with a heavy if slightly outgrown cloak. The little girl gave him a dirty look and Indamor laughed again. “Okay! Come on then.” Taking the lead, and still holding Amorandii’s hand, Indamor and his sister dashed across the slippery grounds to the Hatching Circuit, the young man hurling Amorandii to her feet several times when the child stumbled.

Muddy, wet and laughing at Amorandii’s disdain for being so dirty, Indamor let the little girl’s hand go as she trotted across the sands to where Larrikith was making herself comfortable. The laughter on Indamor’s face was carefully shielded when the pre-teen caught sight of his father’s expression, though it honestly only made the boy want to laugh even more. Eyes sparkling with amusement, he flashed his father a controlled smile when he got the nod of approval, and gave R’nd a thoughtful look as he made his way past the bluerider. Did that man ever wear clothing?

“Hey.” The simple greeting was given to Telrynd as Indamor came up beside him and crossed his arms over his chest, gaze meeting his friends before scanning over the eggs curiously and with barest hints of excitement starting to shine through. It was a good sized clutch! Indamor’s hopes were high, mostly for himself, but he didn’t have any doubt Telrynd would also Impress – though he was inclined to think his friend would get stuck with a dirty great blue like his father. He hoped not though! That would not be particularly fun, and he’d hate to have to stop socialising with the other boy because he got such a nasty dragon colour. Better they both walk away without a partner, than end up on blue!

N'mor

It seemed that this particular clutch was in no hurry to keep everyone waiting, though to be fair, the dragons themselves may well have let them rock for quite a while before inviting the Weyr to awaken. Even as the last of the candidates were making themselves comfortable on the Sands and exchanging excited glances, the first of the eggs gave a good, solid shake, and shattered at the youngster within made a very firm cry for freedom, voice high pitched but demanding. Where once the Nothing Is Impossible egg had been, a young brown dragonet slowly stood up. Eyes flashing hot colours of displeasure as the wet sand was snorted out of his nose, the dragon shook himself, stumbled sideways, and then trotted towards the boys surrounding the eggs.

As the Nothing Is Impossible dragonet sniffed around the ankles of a couple of younger boys, the Creativity Takes Courage egg and the But First, Coffee egg raced for the right to claim second place. With the former securing the medal when the little green finally managed to tumble out, worming out through the top of her shell before it tumbled and she landed face first in the sand with a muffled squeal. As a young man scrambled forward to help the Creativity Takes Courage, another was called forward by a very indignant But First, Coffee as he waited with great disdain for his human to come to him. Honestly!

While all eyes were on the brown, the bronze, the green – the Friends Are Treasures egg too its turn to hatch without any particular fanfare, shaking off the sticky shells and flicking a wingtip with a chirp of amusement as a crumb of shell hung from it on a string of hatching fluid. While the Friends Are Treasures dragonet giggled about the shell on his wingtip and seemed oblivious to the young man striding up to him, the Actions Give Results dragonet threw a tantrum on the inside of its egg.

Egg muffled squeaks, squeals and disdainful fury could be heard from inside the Actions Give Results finally managed to shift, the shell tumbling sideways top over bottom, causing more unhappy squeaks and cries from within, before it crashed into the Let It Go egg, causing both to splinter into pieces. Actions Give Results cave a pitiful cry as she staggered to her feet, wobbling and woozy, she bumped into the Let It Go dragonet, sending them both sprawling with squeals of surprise. While several youngsters made moves to go and help, rainbows flashed through both sets of eyes, and while quite a few wide-eyed viewers held their breath in sudden worry that the dragonets had Impressed to one another. Any fears or confusions were quickly put to rest as two young men made it the rest of the way and dropped to their knees by the youngsters.

While the Actions Give Results and Let It Go dragonets were untangled, the Smile, Sparkle, Shine! dragonet finally managed to wriggle free from his egg. Sitting himself in the damp sand for a few moments as he squinted in the direction of the dragonets being detangled, then around at those boys and men waiting excitedly and impatiently to Impress, the young blue clearly considered his options. Seeming to reach a conclusion, he staggered a little ungracefully to his feet, and then did a great job of trotting towards his chosen human.

---

Nothing Is Impossible HFBrown01 to HFMale01
Creativity Takes Courage HFGreen01 to HFMale02
But First, Coffee Bronze Syrendryth to Telrynd - T'ryn
Friends Are Treasure HFBlue01 to HFMale04
Actions Give Results HFGreen02 to HFMale05
Let It Go HFBrown02 to HFMale06
Smile, Sparkle, Shine! Blue Estelth to (Trelanvor) - T'vor

*Impressor names, and dragonet names will be filled in as they post!

Notes to remember:
Our dragonets don’t say ‘Mine’ or speak in third person, and both the new honorific and the dragonets name will be ‘somehow known’ without the dragonet needing to state either, though the new Impressor will need to inform B’jin as they join him at the feeding bins!

On that – some of you lovely folks didn’t include your Honorific in your first post. Please fix this :( thank you!

Flora was up early walking Iris. Cye was perched on her shoulder and  was the first to become  aware of the dragons humming and took up humming himself. Flora peeked up  at him  curiously before she too heard the sound of humming. She knew her friend Casa was a gold candidate and wasn't there a gold on the sand this time.  She though for sure there was this time around.  She hurried and took  Iris back inside and  brushed out her fur  nicely before heading out to watch the hatching from the sidelines.

Flora still was timid about going back on the sands after being scratched along her legs at the first one she was at. So she wasn't going to be a candidate this go around  after all she wasn't in the running for a gold so no one would notice her absents on the sand. She wiggled herself , Iris and  Cye to the front to watch better she wanted to see everything. I looked different then being on the sands  standing there watching instead.

She reached down and patted Iris head softly and watched ever so quietly herself. She wonder who was gonna to impress and if anyone she knew would?

Faredin longingly watched the first eggs hatch, endeavoring to ignore Diolon's bouncing enthusiasm at his side. That was easier than it sounded, since Diolon's excited commentary didn't seem to need an audience. His brother was watching for the thrill of seeing the Impressions and seeing whose friends or siblings Impressed, and reconstructing the event the next day with his own friends. Faredin remembered those days.

It was different now. He was a whole two turns older and the prospect of Impression, then a vague wealth of probability, was dangling just out of his reach. Frantic mental math had reassured him of a good likelihood of standing for Aradissicath's clutch, but who could tell with a gold's maiden clutch?

Though he knew it was next to impossible, he still watched the lone bronze with a glint of hope that it would know he'd be such a good rider, it would march right over and pull him straight out of the Sands. The bronze's subsequent choice brought a quiet, aggrieved sigh from his lips and a quick darting around for sign of more.

Ah, tweenage angst... Bo chirped in irritation at his human's petulance, reaching up to deliver an uncharacteristic nip to Faredin's ear. The boy yelped and shook his shoulder in reflexive reprimand, but Bo dug in and doggedly kept his perch. The battle of wills ended when Faredin spotted Flora nearby and took the opportunity to dodge his brother to go talk her her.

"Hey, Flora. It's a shame you can't be out there this time." Still impatient over his own restriction, Faredin wouldn't ever conceive of the possibility that Flora might not want to be out there. "But maybe next time, eh?" He added in optimistic consolation.

(Leyton) weyrbrat, (K'ton's son)


His eyes had barely closed before the smooth voice of his father's brown cut through his sleepy thoughts. Ironth insisted he wake and get ready because the eggs were hatching. Leyton darted from his bed and tripped to fall flat on his face. He could already feel the excitement of the moment as he heaved himself from the floor to tear through his clothing. He quickly donned his robes and a sturdy pair of shoes before dashing from his room.

He managed to get himself into a stately walk before he entered the hatching circuit. A jaunty wave in the general direct of K'ton and Leyton positioned himself with the others standing around the eggs. His earlier excitement trickled back as the eggs seemed to waste no time and began to hatch ing rapid succession. A little brown was first and Leyton's back stiffened as he tried - unsuccessfully - to will the little guy towards him. How exciting it would be to have a brown just like his father!

A tiny frown of disappointment grew as he watched the dragonet impress to another boy. He silently shooed the little green away and stood up straighter as a bronze looked about with disdain. A sigh and the bronze was impressed to someone else. A blue would do but wasn't his first choice and he was relieved when the next few impressed in quick time despite the small tussle. If asked he would deny the disappointment he felt when both newly hatched browns impressed to other boys but would never deny the pride that puffed his chest when his father gave him a wink and thumbs up from the sidelines as he waited, ever so patiently for that perfect dragonet.

L'ton

K'ton tossed the giggling child over his shoulder as he made his way into the sleeping quarters of Vaelya. He probably shouldn't have woken the boy but he was positive Vee would forgive him when he woke her too. Ironth had informed him that the eggs were rattling away on the sands and to hurry, Vaelya needed to be there post haste. So K'ton, being the good rider that he was, wasted no time in making his way towards Vaelya's home. He knew full well Everitt would need to be awoken and taken to the creche, so why waste time waking his mother first?

He set the boy down gently and with mock seriousness, placed a finger against his lips to shush him when the boy made to screech at him. "We've got wake you mom and we should do it like gentlemen eh?" The boy's eyes widened and he gave a nod. With a grin K'ton moved to the side of the bed to crouched down until he was about eye level with Vaelya's sleeping face. "Veeeee…" he whispered, "Vaaaaaaelya." He added a little poke in the shoulder for emphasis and Evritt gave a smothered giggle. He scowled at the sleeping woman and shrugged at the boy, "What do you think? Should we wake her like gentlemen? Or should we tickle her awake?" he asked the boy, tone serious. The lad - bless his heart - thought a moment before climbing to the bed.

Laughter rang out as K'ton shook his head when the boy gave his mother the tickle of a lifetime and he moved to set her robes and shoes beside the giggling mass of mother and son. She barely got a nod out before he did as he suggested, and made a hasty exit from the room. The door opened with a quiet click and he glanced over to where she lead a still giggling Evritt from the room. "Well.. Are you ready for this?" he asked and didn't wait for her answer before hauling Evritt across his shoulder once more and tugged the slightly reluctant Vaelya behind him.

A quick stop at the creche and K'ton poked and prodded the woman ahead of him into the hatching circuit. A firm, "Go" and a blistering glare and Vaelya settled herself with the other gold hopefuls. K'ton himself made his way towards the brown he called his own. Ironth had situated himself closer to the clutch than he usually did and K'ton was a little surprised. K'ton nodded and waved back to his boy as the lad practically danced onto the sands. The stragglers had barely made it to the sands before the first egg shattered around a brown body. He held his breath as the recently hatched dragonets passed his boy by. He gave a wink and a thumbs up towards Leyton as the boy looked his way. He was thankful his son had his general easy outlook on life as many times as he'd been disappointed since he'd started standing. Maybe this time he'd get that dragonet he so wanted.

Vaelya moved about with permission!

Telrynd couldn’t suppress the smile that appeared when the eggs started hatching. It was real! This was really happening! Nerves were kicking in as well when the dragonets started to appear. What if none picked him? Would he end up a sobbing mess like Ryvian? That would be extremely uncool and most undignified. He would handle it was grace and walk off the Sands with his head held high and—what was that dragonet staring at?

Telrynd glanced around him and even to Indamor but his friend didn’t seem to notice as much. Finally, it became clear the dragonet was looking at him. He took one small step forward. Today, would be nice. Telrynd’s eyes went wide when he heard the silky voice that definitely wasn’t his. Telrynd glanced around again to see if a dragon was teasing him but concluded they wouldn’t be that mean during such a time and started towards the little creature. That was his! He had Impressed? Disbelief was warring with a confidence that knew he would Impress but he still hadn't been prepared for what he saw.

A bronze dragonet? The voice that had mingled in his mind had been hard to pinpoint what gender it belonged to let alone a colour. Pride swelled up in him and Telrynd straightened a bit as he looked at the creature that seemed to be judging him. I have already done that. You have passed or we would not be talking, now would we? He had a point.

Telrynd started to guide his new mate off the Sands, grinning a bit stupidly at Indamor as he passed his friend and then blushing when he saw his mom frantically waving from the crowd. A glance at R'nd showed the bluerider was happy to see an Impression but Telrynd knew that was all. Maybe now that he was a bronze weyrling he could approach the man?

Who is this R'nd? You think about him a lot. I am not sure why. "Oh, he's um... my mom is fond of him." Telrynd didn't want to say anything aloud and really didn't want to have the conversation in general when they were being given a bucket of meat to start feeding his hungry bronze. I will call you T'nd if you like. To match his name.

Telrynd froze and spun around to stare at his dragonet. "No! That is not what I want." He didn't know what he wanted but it was a good thing Syrendryth knew for him. Syrendryth. That was a cool name. It is. Your name needs to match mine as well so instead of that bluerider's knock off name, you will be T'ryn.

T'ryn. He could live with that. A grin appeared again as he sat down to start feeding his -- his! -- dragon.

Having been woken by her son's giggles and tickles, and K'ton's pestering was about as good a way as any for Vee to be woke up. She could happily go through life being woken in the same manner every day, though she knew things didn't quite work that way. However, the mischief of her friend and son was more than enough to put her in such a mood that it hadn't taken the brownrider half so long to talk her into getting herself into her white robes, though all she wanted to do, was go back to sleep. She could hear the humming of the dragons, once she was more awake than asleep of course, and though she would rather avoid the disappointment once again she allowed herself to be dragged along once ready, whining and complaining about lack of sleep all the way, and couldn't the eggs hatch when the sun was up?

Evritt had squealed and laughed almost all the way to the creche as K'ton carried him on his shoulders. The two of them made her roll her eyes and shake her head more often then not, but they melted her heart as always. After several hugs, tickles, and kisses to chubby little cheeks Vee left her son in the care of those tending the other creche children and begrudgingly let herself be poked, prodded, and convinced that she needed to be on the sands. She had of course done everything in her power to delay the inevitable as long as K'ton would allow her too. She even paused several times, protesting the braid her hair was in wasn't tight enough. It only worked for her once, until he realized what she was up to, but it was amusing to make his eyes cross with irritation anyway. His dragging her along with him wasn't quite as amusing though. She did quit dragging her feet the closer they got to the hatching grounds, and especially so when she saw how B'jin was behaving. Even she knew better than to mess with him in a foul mood.

Once inside however, she shot K'ton a glare that spoke volumes before hurriedly parting from him and making her way to the other gold candidates. Quickly, lest she upset the apparently already cranky B'jin, she found a place among them in the semi circle they always found themselves standing in. It often made Vee feel badly for the dragon inside her shell, breaking free to be stared at and surrounded by so many expectant young women.

While they waited, yawning occasionally as they did, she let her eyes wander around the heated sands. She saw many faces she was familiar with, plenty she didn't know the names that matched, not that it mattered she would figure that out eventually. Everyone really knew everyone after a while. She spotted, after taking a slight step back from her spot, Leyton, K'ton's son standing with the other young men and boys. She hoped he would Impress, maybe a brown like his father. That would make her friend happy she was certain. Stepping back into place she turned her dark eyes on the egg that would hatch and change the life of one of the young women standing there. Waiting was always the hard part. She covered her mouth to stifle a yawn and blinked the tiredness from her eyes the best she could. It was possibly going to be a long night.

Luckily, her thoughts were somewhat wrong, and it wasn't long before eggs were shaking and cracking. As the gold wasn't making herself known just yet, she watched as several of the other eggs cracked and rocked around, breaking open finally. The first from his shell was a rather nice looking brown. He was followed by a bronze and green. Vee watched with a light heart and a smile as each of the first seven eggs hatched and made their bonds with the young men waiting. She gave a sigh and stood, watching, and waiting for more excitement and hatchings.

Indamor, (B'jin)'s son.

~~

A brown first. Indamor nodded slightly, pleased. It was certainly a much better omen than a green, and given the size of the clutch, his math told him that showing a brown first definitely bode well for the overall results. Certainly better than that clutch of Krypth’s not so long ago that had revealed all green. He was still relieved he hadn’t managed to stand for it. While he loved his father, and of course Larrikith, Indamor had no desire to ride green. It was simply impossible, and his nose scrunched up slightly as soulful eyes gave a disdainful look at the little green that hatched second. Once the little bronze hatched, however, Indamor royally ignored all the other colours on the Sands, Impressed or not.

A glance was tossed to Telrynd, and the boy was quite prepared to give his friend an elbow in the ribs to make sure his attention was also caught by the eye-catching coloured dragonet – only to see his friend gawking at the dragonet as he stumbled in the nearly hatched bronze’s direction. Indamor’s eyes widened dramatically, a flash of hot jealousy painting the youngster’s face before his expression relaxed into a genuine and warm smile of congratulations; there was no point being jealous of a dragon that wasn’t good enough for him!

“Well done!” The words were said clearly, but not loudly, as Telrynd and his dragonet moved past him, Indamor’s eyes laughing at the expression on his friend’s face. Third Impression – and to the first bronze! – Telrynd couldn’t complain at all about that! Grinning, Indamor’s gaze shifted to where his father, sister and Larrikith were standing; and R’nd. The bluerider clearly had no idea the relevance of Telrynd Impressing, and Indamor gave the man a flat look before dropping his gaze to Amorandii’s bright and laughing expression.

Indamor laughed aloud when the little girl rolled her eyes dramatically so the two adults could not see, before leaning against R’nd and hugging him tightly around the waist. Indamor snorted, and turned his attention back towards the clutch. If Telrynd’s dragon was there, than surely his own was, too! Paying attention once more to what was happening before him, Indamor took note of the additional colours that had joined them; a blue – his nose crinkled in distaste as the creature proved what a fool the colour was by playing with its own eggshell. There was another green that did little better in Indamor’s opinion, as she fell face first into the wet sand. The addition of the second brown was noted with more interest, but the green and blue that then followed were actively avoided, a scowl of daring forming on his face when the blue looked in his direction.

Indamor would rather never Impress, than Impress to a blue!

There was an insistent noise filtering through S’cer’s dream; a low humming that certainly did not belong in the Telgarian grain fields. He dreamed very rarely, and it was even rarer to dream of home; he was only lucky that the majority of the time he could not remember his dreams when he work up, lest they make him more miserable.

S’cer…

Her presence brushed against his mind, fleeting and gentle at first, but then firmer when he didn’t wake. The green was unfailingly kind, but there was a Hatching going on and sometimes she needed to take a firmer stand. She repeated her bonded’s name more insistently, and was rewarded with a hand emerging from the bedcovers, then a shock of mussed brown hair as he shoved them back.

“Quelseth? Are you okay?” He spoke without realizing that he could simply think his query, work-roughened fingers combing his hair back out of his eyes. She had been battling a persistent cough for a few sevendays, and S’cer feared that it would worsen with the steady rain.

No… She was amused at the way that he bolted out of bed, tugging on trousers and a shirt off the floor in his haste to get outside, to her. His thoughts jumbled together, affection and fear mixing together as he panicked, always fearing that this sickness would be the one to ground her for good. Quelseth didn’t know if S’cer would ever realized that every sickness she had was overcome with time, but she enjoyed his doting.

“Sharding…” He had knocked his shin on a chest, and finally she had to take pity on him, her serious but ultimately loving rider.

The eggs are hatching, S’cer. We should go see them. She was practically wriggling with excitement, having never seen a Hatching but her own--the last Hatching she had been unwell and unable to attend. It was time to make up for that lost opportunity, because if baby firelizards were adorable, baby dragons were surely also as cute.

S’cer grumbled something to himself about persistent little greens, but he finished tugging on his boots anyway. Quelseth had known he would come around; he had promised to go to the next Hatching, and S’cer did not make promises he couldn’t keep.

I hope this is worth it, he thought grumpily as he swung up onto her back, but there was a level of affection there that most wouldn’t see. He loved her, and wanted to please her--even if it meant waking after only a few hours of sleep.

After finding a good vantage point, they waited--Quelseth with barely contained excitement, and S’cer with affectionate toleration--for the eggs to begin cracking. And when they did, Quelseth couldn’t contain herself, a sudden litany of mental commentary--most of the ‘how adorable’ variety--reverberating through their mind-link.

Do you think they’ll be okay, the little brown and the green? They hit pretty hard…

Little green dragons are hardy, tenacious things--wouldn’t you agree?

S’cer smiled, and it was entirely too fond for him--Quelseth deemed it her smile, because she had never seen him look at another person that way, and her cheery laughter reverberated throughout both their minds.

It seemed the eggs were in no mood to wait for everyone to show up; indeed, by the time most people had arrived, the shells were already cracking and spilling their contents forth. She turned her attention from the Queen egg she had been eyeing cautiously to the other eggs to watch with interest as the Hatching proceeded forth excitedly.

Almost immediately, dragonets burst into action. A brown, a bronze, a green - they seemed so excited! She watched with interest as they quickly found their ways through the sands. She watched impression after impression, and continuously dragons seemed to go. This must be the fastest she'd ever seen a Hatching go, even when in the Stands! She let her eyes wander over the eggs and the dragons, her heart lightening some. Maybe the last Hatching really had been a fluke. Maybe it really wasn't going to happen again. Maybe things were turning around, and everything would get better from here!

She glanced around the candidates to look for Quenym again, but once again she didn't see him right off the bat. He must be near the action - she had a brief longing to be among the other candidates, to be able to experience it all up front and in the thick of things. Still, things would move fast enough, if the rest of the hatching was any indication. She glanced through the group once more before turning back to watch the brood mother and Queen egg edgily.

A quiet spell settled over the Hatching Circuit, following the second blue off the sands. While the eggs did not still – for Pursue Your Dreams and Make It Happen were both wriggling enough to indicate a Hatching soon, there was a blanket of silence draping over them. Then a boom of thunder before it began – once more – to bucket down in sheets, the water thick and heavy beyond the questionable cover that was the Circuit’s roof. Triumph is Trying joined its siblings in an attempt at escape, while the muffled sound of claws against the inside of the shell was heard from the Silence is Bliss egg.

It was Don’t Look Back that seemed to desire action, when the other eggs seemed content to just rock and chitter to themselves. Tumbling sideways suddenly, it cracked heavily into Pursue Your Dreams, shattering the egg around a rather startled little green dragon who stared in shock at the massive world that was suddenly revealed to her. The sudden flash of lightning made her squeal in surprise as she was blinded, and Pursue Your Dreams took off towards the edge of the candidates. She missed bowling over both Indamor and Trelanvor in her haste, before ploughing headfirst into what was clearly her lifemate, sending the poor young man flying backwards to land heavily in the wet sand. She might not have been big, but she had certainly picked up some speed there!

With their sister safely bonded, and rest time apparently over, both Make It Happen and Triumph is Trying were finally defeated; Make It Happen was the first to appear, the green within managing to scratch away a spot to stick her nose through – which quickly got stuck in the not-quite big enough hole. Triumph is Trying was much more dignified in her entrance, though she took a tumble as she tried to walk towards her sister, and ended up falling on top of the other egg, freeing Make It Happen with the pair of them squeaking in surprise. Make It Happen still had the end of her nose stuck in a ring of eggshell as she ended up with her lifemate, rubbing against her new bonded’s legs much like a feline.

Triumph is Trying strayed towards the women on the Sands, though her gaze was rainbow – signifying an Impression – her attention was on the gold egg, which was rocking avidly now. She gave a croon of delight when a gold hind foot kicked through, the little green chittering in amusement as the toes wriggled. She probably would have continued to watch the show, if the confused young man hadn’t trotted from the far side of the sands with a confused look on his face, to collect her. Why was she so interested in the gold?

As if realisign that her audience was being distracted, the Silence Is Bliss kicked her other hind foot through the egg shell. The entire encasing held for a few moments, before a flurry of cracks spread across the surface, and the youngster within butted her head against the top, shattering it from the inside out. She landed in a very inelegant pile on her rump, legs, tail and wings all in every which direction. Pulling herself together with much dignity, the little gold climbed to her feet and made her way direction to her chosen lifemate, not so much as blinking when a crash of thunder tried to deafen the crowd.

Not to be out done, and certainly ot to let the girls out number them, the Don’t Look Back egg finally managed to succeed in fighting his way free. With the blue dragonet within slithering free from his shell with a flick of his tail and a belly slide across the wet sands, coming to a stop with a blink and a questioning chirp at the feet of Bordtai, he peered up with swirling eyes as he picked himself up. The young man was considered for a moment, before the dragonet chirped again and moved away, pausing to consider a scowling Indamor with amusement before continuing on his way to his chosen lifemate, chittering in amusement about the strangeness of humans.

---

Pursue Your Dreams HFGreen03 to HFMale08
Make It Happen HFGreen04 to HFMale09
Triumph is Trying HFGreen05 to HFMale10
Silence Is Bliss Gold Thallyath to (Casa)
Don’t Look Back HFBlue03 to HFMale11


*Impressor names, and dragonet names will be filled in as they post!

Notes to remember:
Our dragonets don’t say ‘Mine’ or speak in third person, and both the new honorific and the dragonets name will be ‘somehow known’ without the dragonet needing to state either, though the new Impressor will need to inform B’jin as they join him at the feeding bins!

Bordtai watched as the first round of hatchlings broke from their shells and moved toward impression.  His eyes were glued especially to the browns and the little bronze that had hatched.  It seemed to be going like any normal hatching, with a great commotion of color while other boys walked off the sands with their new dragons.  But there was one pairing that really made his jaw drop.

Telrynd and his new bronze.  Bronze.  If you actually counted the days the boy was actually younger than Bordtai even though Bordtai was still an inch or two shorter.  And he impressed a bronze.  So it could be done!  At their young age they were not destined for only the smaller dragons, but they could impress the huge behemoths too!  Could a baby of Torath’s, hidden among the eggs be another bronze for him?!  He really did try not to dream so high so that he wouldn’t be disappointed, but watching Telrynd reporting to B’jin, Bordtai couldn’t help it.

With renewed hope, Bordtai stopped watching the pairs off the sands and returned his attention to the dragons still hatching.  For once he managed to not even consider taking a peek at Casa to see how she was fairing around the gold egg with all of those older women.

Green.  Green.  Green.  Oh no, Bordtai couldn’t help but hope the rest of the clutch was going to turn out like Krypth’s  all female clutch.  When he caught a glimpse of gold hide, Bordtai gave a moan.  Fine!  He didn’t want a bronze!  If him hoping high was going to give them nothing but females, he’d be happy with any boy!

As if an answer to his thoughts and audible moan, a little blue broke from his egg.  A boy!  Bordtai nearly leapt in excitement, until he realized the dragon was making a straight line for him.  Really?  Really?  Was this it?  Was this little blue meant to be his?  Looking down onto that beautiful blue face, it was nearly everything Bordtai had to keep from throwing his arms around the hatchling… who didn’t choose him but moved on instead.

The stab of pain in his chest was unbearable and the young man quickly wiped tears off his face.  First a green had considered him a few clutches ago and left him standing, now a blue.  Was he destined to always be found wanting?  Shards and Shells.  The heel of his hand wiped away another tear as he glanced at the adult dragons around the hatching sands, searching for Torath’s familiar form.  Surely Torath would eventually have a baby just for him!

N'kal, came the deep rumble of Torath's voice in the back of N'kal's pounding head. Why oh why had he allowed himself to be talked into celebrating?? What did he have to celebrate anyway? A few too many drinks, and far to much socialization, a few too many dances and songs. His head felt as if a dragon were chewing on it like a lump of firestone. The constant rumbling was no help either. Absently he swung an arm out, as if shooing the noise away, then rolled back over with a grunt to try and go back to sleep.

Torath, completely unimpressed with his rider at the moment rumbled deeply and swung his tail and thumped it against the side of his riders hut and spoke again, much more forcefully. N'kal! I demand you wake right this minute!

That had caused N'kal to jump up with a startled yell, tripped in his blankets, and was sorely glad he lived alone, so that none saw him tumble to the floor with a thud. His knee then matched the pounding in his head. What in the name of Faranth is so blasted important that it can not wait!?, he fussed rather angrily at his dragon. The eggs are hatching., Torath answered matter of factly, not the least bit sorry for the pain his outburst had caused his rider. N'kal sighed and lay on his floor several minutes before dragging himself up off said floor to get dressed, muttering about eggs and wine and headaches all around.

A while later he was on the sands, seated on Torath's leg and leaning back against him as they watched the candidates in their white robes drag themselves onto the sands. A few looked as he felt, but most were either just sleepy, or overly excited. Go figure. N'kal was simply glad to see, that it wasn't very long at all before the eggs started hatching, as it meant he could go back to bed. Torath was eager to meet his children, so he agreed with the former, but not the latter and was scheming already on how to keep his rider awake, since he had been the dimglow who drank himself into a stupor, not the dragon.

Torath watched on as the first of his children burst through his shell, a very handsome brown dragon, which was followed by a green and a bronze! Torath was quite pleased and more than proud of Okalinath and of course himself, for producing such clutches, and another gold too! He was beside himself with happiness, and had no shame in anyone knowing it.

N'kal rolled his eyes and several more greens hatched out and found their bonds. They were all of them precious to Torath, though N'kal wasn't as 'there' as he was last time, he was glad to see many healthy young dragons of multiple colors. At the cracks of thunder and the constant thrumming of rain he gave an eyeroll. He was terribly sick of rain, but knew it would eventually stop, as it did every Turn. Waiting was just a pain.

Looking around the candidates left waiting to Impress, he spotted Bordtai and sat up a bit when the blue landed at his feet and looked up at him. He wanted very badly for the young boy to Impress and felt his own heart sink when the blue walked away from him. Torath watched sadly and without any prodding from N'kal, said directly to Bordtai, Do not lose hope.. He did not often speak to anyone, but he knew that N'kal at that time could not speak words of encouragement to his friend, so he did it for him. N'kal looked up when Torath rumbled and wondered, but didn't ask, he probably didn't want to know. He simply watched the boy, then, even though his aching head would have preferred he didn't, did his best to put forth more of a focused attention on the hatching.

So many eggs. Each holding not only a hatching, but the promise of completion for some lucky candidate. The anticipation was nearly overwhelming for Trelanvor. Those last few minutes before the first egg cracked always seem to stretch on endlessly. He quivered with an excitement he didn't dare release, but couldn't fully contain. How some could look so serious was beyond his understanding. He shot Bordtai a bright, wordless grin. He didn't trust himself to speak, knowing it would just end up some blathering about how excited he was.

At last an egg deemed the time was right and shattered to reveal the dragonet within. Trel watched a brown shake itself free and take its first stumbling steps. The Browns appearance was a catalyst as more eggs began to crack and shatter as the dragons within sought freedom. Trelanvor's gaze danced from brown and green to bronze and blue. He was reminded just how clumsy the youngsters could be as hatchings collided with each other on their search for their lifemates.

As a Green and Brown were carefully untangled by their riders Trel watched a blue squirm free of its shell. He was a handsome, if chubby little blue. His bright blue hide was reminiscent of a summer sky. Pale, creamy shades dappled his wings, growing lighter towards his feet and wing tips. His tangled clutchmates were given a thoughtful glance, but the surrounding candidates were what drew his full attention as he touched the eager minds around him. With a bit on an effort and some ungraceful steps the plump hatchling was on the move.

The Blue was trotting toward him. Trelanvor looked at those nearby, trying to guess at who the Blue was looking for. "I am looking for you!" Trel looked down into the rainbow gaze. Warmth and love wrapped and pulsed its way through him as a new consciousness joined his own. "Me? You're really looking for me?" He had to ask. After walking away alone from numerous clutches he had to make sure. "Of course. You are perfect!" Estelth assured his rider, giving a happy little wiggle as he bumped his snout against the young man's shin. Trel reached down, running his fingers along his Blue's soft and still damp hide. "Alright Estelth I believe you." The name rolled off his tongue without any effort. He couldn't pinpoint how he knew that was the Blue's name, he just did. It felt as if he always had.

"Come on lets find you something to eat." Trel ushered his Blue off the sands, joining the other grinning Weyrlings. He was a Weyrlign now after having waited for so long. "I'm sorry you had to wait so long for me." Trelanvor gave the Blue a reassuring smile, "You're totally worth every minute of it. " He accepted a bucket of meat with a grateful nod. Estelth creeled, trying to stick his nose into the bucket. "Whoa, hang on there. Manner buddy." He lifted the bucket up out of his dragon's reach, fishing out a few chunks to feed the Blue. "T'vor this is delicious!" T'vor chuckled softly, handing over a few more chunks to the ravenous hatching. "I'll take your word on that. I prefer my meat cooked. Though maybe..." His sniffed a piece, turning it over in his fingers before he shook his head. Nope raw meat was definitely not for him no matter how much Estelth seemed to be enjoying it.

Casa saw another chain reaction of Hatchings and Impressions begin as she stood there, surprised and pleasantly soothed by the whole thing. The sky had really decided to join in the celebration too, dumping buckets and buckets of rain down upon the whole Hatching. But somehow, not even that seemed to bother Casa. This Hatching was going smoothly and quickly, and not an injury or...or other bad thing happening. She shuddered and shook her head out, glancing uneasily from the Impressions back to the Queen egg that sat there, still looking as whole as ever. She took solace in that, until it started shaking and bouncing around itself.

Blinking, she turned her attention away from the Hatchings going on around her to watch the pretty egg, as did many of the other Gold candidates. It seemed she was quite intent on making her escape - one foot came right through. A curious chirp caught Casa's attention, and she turned to see another one of the dragons, a green, watching interestedly. Hmm. She couldn't blame the little creature - it was an exciting thing to watch! She glanced back and forth between the two dragonets until another foot kicked loose, and then a thin spiderweb of eggs went over the shell - momentary panic from Casa here - and suddenly it crumpled away to reveal a very whole and very gold dragonet.

She was in a messy little pile at first, but she quickly pulled herself into a very dignified position, and began trotting towards the women. A heavy roll of thunder overhead snarled through the air, but it didn't seem to phase the little Gold at all. Casa liked that - a dragon on a mission, who knew exactly where she was going.

Of course I know where I'm going. The soft, heavy voice rolled through Casa's mind like a mini clap of thunder itself, and she felt her face rip open into a huge grin. Thallyath had come straight to her, knowing her path as much as any dragon could ever! She turned to stroke the dragon's beautiful hide, a soft faded kind of gold; it really didn't seem to stand out much, and she found she was quite fine with that. She didn't need someone flashy or showy. She was rather diminutive too, but Casa was a small girl herself. They were a wonderful pair.

We have other purposes than to flitt around the sky all day. Come, Casa, I'm hungry. Casa was already leading the little gold towards food, stroking her head softly and sighing in contentment. She fed Thallyath handfuls of the fresh meat, sating the tiny Gold before rubbing her eyes. It is time for rest now. When we wake up, we can eat again, and then oil my hide. Casa nodded in agreement, pleased to see Thallyath had a plan in place.

S'jin watched quietly to watch the dragons hatch.  He was ever curious as to who would get what.  He wondered what the new  riders would be like. He still remember being new and unsure of himself but he and his lovely green Araith had grown  very much and become very well rounded  since they started out. They had made it threw training  and survived  against all the odds against them. Luckily he did not know half of what he was gonna go threw since he started or he might of been more nervous. But he had people that he knew he could count on for advice. Now it was his turn to be the one that the new riders could go to and he wanted to make sure he was approachable. 

Minx curled around his neck and preened like a little lady that she was.  S'jin admired his little gold she seemed to  always know where he was at all times. Lana could be just as girly and dainty as the golden minx  she perched quietly watching on his other shoulder  but she was less knowledgeable  he did not  notice it before  but now that he had a green and gold firelizard he could see the difference.  He wouldn't trade Lana in for any other though she was the most devoted one of the three. and Claus still does his own thing nothing unual about that. He was probably playing with another firelizard right now. 

S'jin shifted  his eyes back to the hatching this looked like it was gonna be a good clutch and he wanted to see who got what.

Zelina was sound asleep, dreaming of standing on the hatching grounds, about to impress some unknown dragon. In her dream, her heart raced with excitement of the unknown and she peered expectantly at the egg that she just knew held the the dragon that she would impress. The humming in her dream seemed so real, that she at first thought that this was real. Then she bolted awake, sending little Amy who had been about to nudge her face from her chest flying. The little firelizard practically screamed as she was startled, then resumed her humming. The eggs were hatching!

Zelina realizing this immediately put on some clothes and bolted towards the hatching grounds, wanting to watch the impressions. She had scooped up the little green, who never stopped her humming on her way out the door, and was soon standing with all the other spectators who were not actual candidates. One day, soon, I'll be out there for sure! she thought as she watch in excitement as one by one the little eggs hatched, and the young dragons impressed and were taken to be fed.

Her face was bright, even as she stretched on her toes to try to get a better view. Amy, still humming, had climbed to the top of her head, also trying to see all that was to be seen. As she watched the young blue impress, Zelina felt a bit more excitement.  The  young blue was simply amazing in Zelina's eyes. Amy feeling Zelina's sudden increased excitement chirped between hums her tiny  eyes whirling in mimicked excitement.

Peorray watched the hatching progress with an feeling of relief. It was far from over, but at least there'd been no major injuries so far. The dragonets had Impressed healthy... including the gold. She added her own applause to that particular choice- she might have only worked with Casa around the Weyr once or twice, but the girl had seemed to had a good head on her shoulders.

On the other hand, she was one more target to be subject to the Weyrwoman's erratic and uncertain temper.

Peorray cut off that line of thought before Wydrith could pick up on it. Her dragon had come a long way as she grew, and she was proud of Wydrith's active mind, but the gold still had an alarming tendency to seize on worries and nurse them like a mother dog would her pups. Even now, she fretted about the rain and what would flood next and was their hut up on high enough ground?

Someone has to think of these things. Wydrith was secure enough in her rider's love to make the protest by now, her rough tones still the most beautiful thing in Peorray's life next to the laughter of the little boy curled up against the gold's side.

I know, and I love you for it. Peorray replied honestly, then turned back to watch the rest of the hatching.Worries were for later- now was for hope and joy.

Vee was anxious really, for the entire day to be done with. She was however doing her best to remain light hearted and hopeful, for herself as much as for anyone else. The waiting was going to be the death of her, she simply knew it. Off to the side she heard several more eggs crack, and as such took her eyes from the gold for a moment as a rather loud crack of thunder rang through the sky, followed by the sound of more rain falling on the weyr. Her eyes went up to the ceiling and rolled slightly, exasperated as most everyone else was, with being constantly wet. It hadn't been all that long ago when they had to move the now hatching eggs, due to the sands flooding.

The greens that had broken free of their shells caught Vee's attention, and she couldn't help but smile a bit. They were adorable in her eyes, though she did flinch a bit for the young man who was knocked down by his new dragon. Honestly, she probably wouldn't have cared at all if she had been knocked down, she was certain he didn't mind either. The other two green's unintentional antics brought another smile from her, but her attention was quickly pulled from them as she heard a closer egg crack and an excited gasp from a couple of the girls surrounding the gold egg.

This was it. Yet again, Vee stood, watching as a leg kicked out of the shell, toes wriggling, and then another foot kicked through. Once the egg cracked all around and shattered around the dragon inside, Vee gasped at the pale beauty before them. She held her breath for several moments, her heart pounding in her chest. She remained hopeful until the new hatchling moved directly to her new bonded, a new bond that was not her. Her heart broke again, and although she flashed Casa as bright a smile as ever, her felt she couldn't breath for all the pain the disappointment brought to her. She turned her head away after a moment and fought back the tears that wanted to fall. She could cry out her disappointment later, right now there were still several eggs that needed to hatch and bond, she would content herself for the moment watching the others. At least watching the boys bond didn't hurt so bad.

She did glance around a moment, catching K'ton's frown, and turned away from him. She couldn't bear to see him looking at her with pity. She took a deep breath to calm her beating heart and decided to focus on Leyton. Maybe he would impress today and K'ton would cease to frown and be distracted from her enough that she could disappear after the hatching.