[G] [H] 744.12.30 | Nicely Spiced Hatching

Mylorah, Amagrith tried to whisper but the mental nudging she also gave wasn't quite as soft. She hated to bother her rider when she was so happy and sleeping next to Z'kel, but this was important. Mylorah! It's time! She tried again with more force and volume, which woke the woman with a grumble.

Time for what? I don't remember any engagements coming up, then again, she was terrible at remembering them to begin with so there was a chance Amagrith was on to something. But she really didn't want to get up and check the little notebook or calendar L'ri and T'ryn had respectively given her to help stay organized. The eggs are wiggling! Well, one is. Oh. Well, that was a fairly important engagement, wasn't it?

Mylorah did her own wiggling to free herself of Tazikel's light hold, apologizing when he mumbled his own complaints about being awake so soon after falling asleep, and set about finding everything she had picked out for the Hatching. Honestly, she wouldn't have put too much thought into it, but she had to deal with Amagrith and Tazikel impressing the importance of looking and acting like a Junior Weyrwoman that was cool and confident in her maiden Hatching. That was all well and good and she even agreed--until Tazikel's eyes lit up with the realisation he got to dress her up again. At least the dress didn't have layers and was a length she preferred. It was actually super cute and possibly even something she would have picked out herself if she had been told to find a lovely dress.

In truth, it was likely too early to doll herself up, but Mylorah didn't want to chance everything happening too quickly and therefore miss her opportunity to change. So into the deep maroon dress she went. It fit perfectly, because of course it did. Tazikel didn't miss once he had her measurements. The v-neckline showed the right amount of cleavage to be only slightly scandalous in the Holds while the length hit mid-thigh, but as shorts. The actual dress portion came in the form of the lacy layer (though it barely counted as another layer when compared to the Hold contraptions) that gave her flowy sleeves to her elbows and draped down her body to her ankles for the illusion of modesty. For footwear, she had the best pair of sandals ever, all thanks to L'ri commissioning Cazan. He showed Cazan her favourite pair of knee-high boots and asked to have a pair of sandals resembling them and her fellow goldrider had done a brilliant job.

For the briefest moment Mylorah debated wearing jewellery or doing something fancy with her hair, but that was going too far so it remained down and the accessories stayed in their little box. She wanted to make a good impression, but she was still going to keep a large part of who she actually was showing. With a deep breath that was released slowly to steady herself, she headed down to the Sands to take stock of everything. It turned out, it wasn't a lot. As Amagrith said, one egg was occasionally wobbling and did so alone for the half hour they watched together.

It was another hour before a second egg wobbled and it was enough to send word of the Hatching beginning. It was decided that spectators could arrive when they wished, but the Candidates could continue to stay in the barracks and be at the ready for when more action started. Mylorah didn't see the need of everyone standing around hot and bored for what could be hours yet. She knew firsthand several times over how much that sucked and insisted it was fine to keep the Candidates secluded in their far more comfortable barracks.

I'm posting this at work and forgot to save the default Hatching notes, so we're winging it!

First, this will be an NPC Hatching. PCs are encouraged to play just for fun and more on screen time for Hatchings and in general. This is optional, especially given the time of year and people getting busy.

The first egg started to wobble before sunrise, with everyone being alerted around an hour later. The actual Hatching itself will be around noon, so Candidates will be quickly ushered over just before then when they see more eggs rocking and cracks beginning. Candidates have been kept in the barracks so they're together and close to the Hatching Ground. They are free to kill time however they wish so long as they don't leave the area.

A little spread of light food like fruits, breads, and muffins and some water and juice will be set up at the barracks for Candidates to grab something before going to the Hatching.

Firelizards are not permitted to hang out with the Candidates while on the Sands. They can be in the stands with the crowd or up with the dragons.

All characters are welcome to come and watch! If they're a Holder, we can find a reason for them to come along. Lords in the Telgar region will have been invited automatically. Mylorah has been to a lot of (boring) Hold parties with Tazikel so she knows a lot of Lords and Ladies as well so it's easy enough to say that they asked her if they could come or she sent out invitations to ones she gets on well with. (Or that Tazikel wants to show off to.)

I think that's it! The actual Hatching is on the 30th, the last day of the year in-game, so extra celebrations! I'll start the egg posts on the 28th, hopefully, and toss them up after that when I can/after some replies to the current batch have gone up. I'm off the 29th-31st so it shouldn't be too much waiting.

And for funsies, here is the inspiration for Mylorah's dress: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/8c/65/a7/...268177.jpg

And the sandals (paired with a dress that's closer to her usual style. She's my Bohemian babe. https://www.joyfolie.com/cdn/shop/produc...1619096069

It was nice of this clutch to start showing signs of hatching at a decent hour. All too often lately it seemed like the announcement came in the middle of the night. The only downside to the current hour was that all Candidates were being kept in the barracks, dressed and ready to go at any moment. Faeli could appreciate the reasoning for keeping them under supervision in one area as that meant no one would end up late or overlooked, and she appreciated not wanting to keep them standing around for hours on the hot Sands, but it was boring! She had played card games with a group of friends for a while, but she now laid on her cot, staring at the ceiling while picking at the itchy robe she had opted to leave on for maximum readiness.

With a sigh, Faeli rolled onto her side and saw Orgailian fast asleep in his cot. That was tempting, but two eggs had started to gently wobble around sunrise and as it was nearing noon, they would likely be called soon. As if calling it into existence, Faeli sat up when a flurry of activity started up at the entrance. The assistant sent to check on the clutch had returned and it seemed like more eggs were starting to rock. As the Candidate Master called out for everyone to get ready and make their way to the Sands, Faeli was already working on lacing up her boots because she had taken those off. No shoe of any kind had a place in her bed!

After pulling back and securing her hair once more, Faeli was ready to go. She made for the exit but was stopped by an assistant reminding her to eat and drink if she hadn't already. She hadn't as it was still a bit early for her normal routine, but she made the effort now by eating a thick slice of cinnamon bread and downing a glass of water. That would be more than enough to tide her over for a full Hatching so she got out of the way of other Candidates and dashed off the Hatching Grounds to find a good spot.

Ulliendis spent the morning playing games and people-watching when he needed a break from the cards. He wasn't exactly a fan of being cooped up for so long, but it was fascinating to see how it affected other people. It was easy to tell who the introverted were, the ones happy with a book or pencil in hand, and usually sitting alone. The more outgoing of the group were what kept drawing his eye as they either tried to be the life of the party that needed the captive attention constantly on them or paced in frustration. Some people also took to exercising for some reason beyond his comprehension, or napped. Napping did seem nice, but he never gave in to the urge.

And now he was stuffing his face with juicy slices of melon. Some Candidates avoided the tables of food, no doubt remembering the attacks that came in the form of poisoned food, but Ulliendis knew he didn't need to worry about such things, especially not while in Telgar. So he ate more while everyone else scurried around. He'd get there when he got there. Somehow, he had yet to be late or even be the last to arrive at a Hatching.

It seemed that day would be no different as he finally wiped off his hands and meandered over to the Sands. A large portion had beat him there, and even the stands were filling up, but others still came in after him and it seemed like they still had a wait ahead of them. Or, at least not a long one, as Ulliendis spotted a few cracks starting to appear.

"Fuck off," Orgailian grumbled when someone tried to wake him up. He had slept poorly that night and was taking the morning to correct that. But someone had to go and be an ass and wake him before he was ready. It likely didn't help that his heart wasn't entirely into this Hatching so sleeping through it wouldn't have been that big of a deal to him. Until he remembered Mylorah was the goldrider that was likely fretting or being cranky on the Sands and would threaten to never speak to him again if he didn't show up. He didn't entirely care if she followed through on that, but she also might punch him and that was something he wasn't a fan of. So up he got.

Or tried to. He had stripped out of all layers to snuggle up under his blankets and now he had to face the shock of Telgar's winter. It didn't matter that the barracks was rather warm; it was just the idea of anything outside of his bed not being as cozy. With great effort, and another nudge from the person close to losing a finger or two, Orgailian dragged himself out and quickly tossed on the robe, socks, and then shoes. He almost left at that, but threw on a sweater as well for the short jaunt to the Sands.

Food was skipped thanks to his small appetite not demanding anything at middday, though a glass of water was had after a trip to the privy. Then the dash to the Sands took place and a grateful sigh when the heat of the cavern hit him. It was still tempting to leave his sweater on, but Orgailian removed it and added it to the pile by the door from other chilled Candidates.

Since the Touching, Wynera had been staying in the barracks with everyone else instead of with her mother. It helped those in charge keep an eye on everyone, but she also enjoyed how it felt like its own tight-knit community. In fact, she almost felt like an interloper at times because she'd only been in the chaos of the barracks for a week and she didn't Stand at other Weyrs so she didn't know a vast majority of the Candidates as well as they seemed to know each other despite classes and chores together over the last month. But that was okay. So many Candidates were far more outgoing than she was and they easily drew her out of her shell and made her feel welcome.

That was why she was sitting in a circle with several young men, teaching them some simple crochet moves to make scarves. They had spent the early hours of their confinement teaching her various card games and Wynera was surprised at how eager they were to learn something she was interested in when they finally grew bored of the games. She suspected some of them were there more as a way to get into her bed, but even they were putting real effort into trying to make something from a ball of yarn--balls of yarn that were too enticing for her chubby blue firelizard to ignore. Hook alternated from batting at them or clinging to one and rolling around. He wasn't getting into mischief and he was helping to keep them all entertained, so Wynera let him be.

When the call came to head to the Sands, Wynera stopped two of the young men from dropping their items and bolting so she could instruct them how to safely set aside their project. Then she shooed them off and finished putting everything in her basket, mostly to keep sneaky firelizards from spotting new toys to mess with. After that, she fixed her hair back up in a tight bun, adjusted her boots, and had a quick stop at the food table. With her hunger satisfied, Wynera zipped over to the Sands where she parted ways with Hook, sending him to sit with A'tay and Shadow when they arrived. She didn't doubt that her brother would come, even though K'dar would also want to come to support Mylorah. Surely the Weyrwoman could handle Igen for an afternoon so both could come?

Being cooped up for hours was his worst nightmare. Xendrin knew Zory had to be feeling the same way with how often they both paced the room to let off some built up energy and frustration. At least his brother liked naps and cuddling and could fall into someone's bed to kill time. He wasn't opposed to it and thanks to that first egg he Touched earlier, Xendrin had in fact spent a couple of days enjoying some downtime that consisted of cuddle puddles but he was restless after a while and was up and moving once more... only to be caged. He had probably grown on everyone's last nerve with his constant offering to run messages or help bring items to and from the barracks, but he did win a few times, no doubt just to get him out of their hair.

He was happily munching on some fruit and chatting up one of the goldrider hopefuls when the announcement finally came in. Xendrin gave a cheerful whoop with a fist pump before quickly finishing off his snacks. He'd been wearing his robe all morning and didn't need to tidy up anything, so he was among the first to head out. It was only when he reached the Sands that he realised he just transferred locations for his standing around and waiting. At least it was a new location! He'd take what he could get.

R'nd was beside himself yet again with how proud he was of one of his kids. It never would have mattered to him what colour they Impressed, just that it was something they wanted and were happy with. The fact that all the kids he was aware of that had Impressed had been to bronze and gold made it harder to keep from puffing out his chest, especially when he was attending a Hatching that belonged to one of their dragons. This was Amagrith and Mylorah's maiden Hatching and he wasn't about to miss it for anything. Having them in the same Weyr as him did make that goal easier, but he would have done anything to make it to the other Weyrs to be there on time and support them.

He knew he wasn't the perfect father and didn't even know he had kids until his youngest was born and that mother broke an apparent rule all of his exes seemed to follow. Was he now trying too hard to make up for lost time? It was possible. Some of the kids seemed to like the attention, but Mylorah wasn't always one of them. She seemed fine being on the fringe of gatherings and didn't have a problem with turning down invites and didn't go out of her way to see him if she wasn't inclined to have time with him. That was okay; he tried his best to be the dad each of his children wanted or needed. Truthfully, Mylorah probably didn't even need his moral support at the Hatching as she seemed comfortable enough on the Sands next to T'drin and occasionally speaking with a Lord or a Weyrleader that stopped by to congratulate her. That in itself made R'nd proud. She knew herself and didn't seek constant approval.

Still, he got there when the Candidates started to arrive thanks to Ayyonth and Larrikith playing lookout with B'jin at his side. They found a good spot to sit where they could see Mylorah off to the side, the gold egg, and the kids he knew of. R'nd was mostly over the shock of a new one popping up out of nowhere given how many times it had happened, but he still couldn't help but eye up some of the other blonde weyrbrats Standing and wondering if any of them were also his.

A'tay was laying low in his office, doing the last touches on the administration side of things for their Turn's End celebration. It was midday, a time when most of the residents of Igen Weyr would be in their weyrs or visiting friends in the lower caverns or working down there due to the heat. He would have been resting as well if the notice that Amagrith's Hatching was about to begin, likely in the next several hours, hadn't come in. Instead, he worked through the growing heat to ensure nothing was overlooked while he and K'dar were out.

He had his full faith in Nonalia, his partner in crime for planning the parties that were more 'everyone-friendly', but he felt bad leaving her last second for another Weyr's Hatching. But how could he not go? It was Mylorah's Hatching and Wynera and Zelly were Standing. Other siblings were Standing as well, but Winnie was the one that truly made A'tay ready to fight K'dar for the chance to go. He knew it was an awkward situation since Mylorah was also his sister and he counted Wynera and the boys as his actual siblings as well. In the end, after hearing how the Touching went, K'dar announced they would both attend the Hatching and that the ladies could handle the Weyr with them both gone just this once. They bucked tradition in a lot of other ways, so A'tay figured now wasn't the time to stand up for them.

When the second announcement came from Mylorah urging them to get a move on as more eggs were joining in on the fun, A'tay brought his lists and letters of approval to Nonalia so she'd have them on hand in case something came up. He offered to leave her Shadow as well in case they needed to reach him or K'dar right away, but she declined. They had other firelizards that were reliable and even some reliable dragonriders that could pop over.

Feeling only slightly guilty at leaving everyone else to do the finishing touches, A'tay geared up Xyxyth and followed K'dar and Tiberuth to Telgar. The blast of cold air both from between and entering Telgar's space was pure bliss and he allowed Xyxyth a moment to indulge in the cool breeze as they lazily circled down to the ground.

He took a moment to greet T'ryn and Cazan and on his way to find a seat, was startled by his sister's firelizard appearing. "I'm to keep an eye on you, I'm guessing?" Hook gave a trill of excitement before he and Shadow darted off to chase each other. With a smile and a shake of his head, A'tay spotted M'quel and moved to sit beside her, excited to catch up with his best friend. A few minutes into it, both blue firelizards returned to him, stealing the empty laps for pettings and naps.

T'ryn was one of the last to sit, as was intended. He had been stationed with Cazan outside of the entrance to the Hatching Ground to greet visiting Holders and the leadership of other Weyrs. S'far and Mulrissa, both ranking higher than them and better at socializing, were left inside to float around and make small talk with their important visitors on a more personal level. Mylorah would occasionally leave her place on the Sands to go over to the stands and personally greet a Lord and Lady, but he didn't know how any of the interactions went given where they were all placed and Syrendryth didn't want to gossip with Amagrith.

When the last of their expected guests arrived, T'ryn looped his arm with Cazan's and led her to the reserved seats next to S'far and Mulrissa. He glanced back into the crowd and smiled at his brothers, R'nd, and B'jin. He wished he could be sitting casually with them, but he had appearances to keep up as Telgar's Second and stayed where he was. He took Cazan's hand in his and gave it a light squeeze. "Do you think Mal's granddaughter will follow her example and look in the stands?" He teased lightly and did his best not to laugh at the look he received in return. They had come a long way from the first Hatching he had taken her to where Malvayth caused a scene and Impressed in the stands. Because of Malvayth's Flight schedule, they didn't get to attend Hatchings together that often and T'ryn couldn't resist bringing up that memory. They had both panicked in the moment and for several months after, but neither wanted to change anything given what they currently had thanks to the pudgy gold.

Mylorah was relieved when the sound of eggs cracking joined the humming of the dragons. Nerves were starting to get to her with the longer it took for everything to begin. She didn't think the entire clutch would end up being duds or the dragonets too weak to break free, but the idea was still in the back of her mind with every minute ticking by. It also meant she didn't have to keep dividing her attention between the eggs, Amagrith, T'drin, Tazikel, L'ri, and visitors that wanted to say hi. She deserved the longest and best nap ever after everything was said and done.

Egg 2 had been the one to kick the day off with its wobbling so many hours ago and now it proved just how excited it was to meet everyone as a paw finally broke through the shell to the delight of everyone that saw it happen. Mylorah held her breath as the paw vanished and was replaced with a snout and eventually Green01 made her grand debut. She heard a variety of reactions from the Candidates and audience but her attention slid to T'drin to see what the bronzerider thought. They had decided not to discuss what colours could be in the clutch or what they hoped would start the Hatching off because the surprise was fun. But what if he was one of those people that believed a green was bad luck? Even if he was, Mylorah wouldn't let it bother her as she proudly cheered when Green01 found her mate in a timid boy standing slightly away from a larger group.

Not to be outdone, Egg 8 immediately spilled out its content. Green02 stumbled on the sands, finding her legs at the same time Egg 4 saw Bronze01 burst free. Mylorah gasped at how close together all three eggs were and wondered if the superstitious saw that as a good sign ast the bronze was close enough to opening the Hatching. Green02 and Bronze01 were stumbling and falling into each other as they raced in the same direction towards several boys. Mylorah held her breath, worried a fight would break out, but at the last second the hatchlings went in opposite directions, Impressing the boy on each end of the one left standing and stunned between them. Her heart felt for him and hoped he also Impressed to be with his friends.

During the commotion, Egg 10 quietly hatched Green03. Mylorah's attention was drawn to her with a gentle mind nudge from Amagrith and they watched as what seemed to be a shy hatchling sniff at the sand and then slowly creep toward some Candidates. Maybe she wasn't shy after all and Green03 was stalking her prey. It was hard to tell with how close to the ground she held her pudgy body until she only jumped around in front of a boy and trilled at him instead of mauling.

Four hatched and so far so good! No! You will jinx us. Mylorah bit her lip so as not to laugh at her dragon and draw curious glances her way. Have you been speaking with A'tay and Xyxyth? Don't you get superstitious on me as well.

Mylorah did risk thinking about how quickly the Hatching was progressing as Blue01 broke free of Egg 12 and glanced around with panic swirling in his eyes. Oh no, no, no... had she actually cursed the Hatching somehow and this hatchling was doomed? Thankfully, it turned out she hadn't. Blue01 bounded across the Sands, pushing through clumps of Candidates that didn't move fast enough until he headbutted a stunned boy standing way in the back. Could the boy even see from there? She supposed it didn't matter now as the pair headed off to feed.

Eggs 14 and 16 seemed to also want to race as Green04 and Bronze02 burst free respectively. Unlike the last green and bronze pair, these two did have a tussle that saw poor Egg 15 that had been between their own eggs get knocked around. Whoever was inside that egg seemed okay as it continued to move and try to break out, but all eyes were on Green04 and Bronze02 as they screeched and wing-batted the other. A tail whip or clawed attack wasn't as frequent, no doubt due to balance and the space they had, but before the pair could figure it out, two boys were running forward, calling the hatchlings' names and ordering them to stop. Mylorah thought she had heard some names coming from the hatchlings before that, but they were unfamiliar honorifics that hadn't connected to any Candidates until she saw the men that stepped forward. She knew them both and smiled at them while also wishing them luck.

Egg 2 - Green01 to NPC male
Egg 8 - Green02 to NPC male (likely friends with bronze01's boy and another Candidate near them)
Egg 4 - Bronze01 to NPC male (likely friends with green02's boy and another Candidate near them)
Egg 10 - Green03 to NPC male
Egg 12 - Blue01 to NPC male
Egg 14 - Green04 to NPC male
Egg 16 - Bronze02 to NPC male

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Ereben was quickly learning that the waiting was the hardest part of a Hatching.

Yeah, the rejection sucked if you weren't chosen but he had been rejected before and would just take another kick of that because that seemed to be what life liked to do to him sometimes. Though at least being rejected by a dragon still meant that he could hang around dragons, he just didn't have his special dragon. Yet. Maybe today that would happen. Maybe. Hopefully.

At the announcement that the Hatching was imminent, Ereben hadn't changed into his robe just yet. Instead, he had wandered some back tunnels, catching snippets of conversation and trying to figure out if he should risk checking out the Sands early through a secret hole that lots of the weyrbrats had been using over the previous weeks. He got as far as seeing a glimpse of the Sands before he decided that misbehaving today would be the worst idea and he meandered his way back to the Barracks to get dressed.

And then, waited.

He felt silly in his robe. It was too...white. It made his scarred skin stand out. While other Candidates were animatedly chatting, Ereben sat alone, his expression clearly one of "fuck off" before anyone approached. He just...wanted to Impress! Couldn't they...make the dragons hatch sooner?

After what seemed like hours -- maybe it was, who knew -- the Candidates filed into the Sands and presented themselves to the wobbling clutch. Ereben tried to peek around other Candidates to see what his favorite eggs were doing. The first egg to hatch held a green dragon and he ignored it. Greens were for girls because they were girls, he had decided, and he wasn't going to change his mind even though that green (and most greens in general) picked a boy out. He knew that he didn't want a green.

Nor did he want a bronze. He held his breath as the first blue appeared and then let it out a disappointed huff when the dragon picked a different boy. Shard it!

"Nope," Ulliendis side-stepped out of the way of a charging blue menace, wanting nothing at all to do with that. He was far too partial with his body in its current functioning and attractive state and didn't need a wild hatchling changing any of that. He also didn't really need a dragon that day, so if they could kindly stick to the other side of the arena, that would be swell. His mental finger flicking away dragons seemed to be working as the next ones did go in another direction and did so in a more violent manner. He could appreciate a good show, but that was a bit dramatic, even for him.

A yawn escaped him when it seemed it was all show and no substance as everyone left of their own accord. Maybe he should have taken the nap after all. How awkward would it be if he fainted during a Hatching because boredom nudged him into a coma? It would give him a seat for the remainder of the Hatching... but it would also leave him covered in sand and mildly itchy and irritated. So he was stuck playing the good little Candidate and Ulliendis did his best to look interested and affected by the anticipation of what would happen next.

It really wasn't a surprise that a Hatching associated with Mylorah would have the same kind of chaotic energy she often had. Not that he would necessarily call her dangerous, but his sister did have that carefree way about her that could throw people for a loop. That seemed to be a kind way of describing some of the recently Searched Candidates standing near him. Orgailian spotted a lot of wide eyes, some in shock and some in terror, but he'd hardly moved himself. He nudged Zoremet once when it seemed like one of the greens might come in their direction and attention was required in case of uncontrolled hatchling limbs, but otherwise, it was a chaotic opening but overall a normal Hatching. He'd been through worse ones.

He glanced over to Wynera who stood with a group of women, no doubt intending to make it easier for the gold dragon to find her mate in the crowd. Orgailian was far too cynical for the practical of that idea to take hold. To him, it only served to astronomically raise the hopes of all of those women as the gold ran in their direction before immediately crashing them back down into the ground when they weren't the one to walk away with a shiny prize. It would probably be classified as cruel, but Orgailian would make sure to watch the gold's Impression and the expressions on the girls' faces as she approached. The emotional journey their faces would go on would make for a good poem and he was in dire need of inspiration after weeks of working too hard.

Egg 19 didn't give anyone much time to breathe as Green05 kicked her way free and crowed in triumph. Mylorah smiled at the antics of the tiny green proudly strutting and even pausing to pose so all could bask in her glory. Yet another green didn't bother her. She'd been in enough Hatchings and had the stats drilled into her head since Amagrith's Flight to know roughly half of the clutch would be green. That was simply how it always was and always would be--except in the rare cases of almost every single dragon being green.

Thankfully, as the preening green trotted off to a boy Mylorah knew and liked, Egg 6 added to the male tally of the clutch, bringing them further away from a female majority. Blue02 was a lovely dark shade, at least from what she could tell before he rolled out of his shell and into the sand, coating himself in it. That poor rider was going to have a heck of a time cleaning the hatchling up and it seemed the young man agreed as she saw him step forward with a deep sigh and shake of his head before brushing off Blue02's nose.

Finally, Egg 15 that had been knocked around in a sibling war proved to be no match for the terror within. Green06's eyes were whirling with anger and Mylorah inhaled sharply. The green screeched her fury but the culprits were nowhere to be seen now. Still, she stomped around, pacing back and forth, and making the Candidates step further back. "Amagrith, do something," Mylorah hissed at her dragon, too worried to focus on mindspeaking. Amagrith wasn't quite sure what she was supposed to do so she simply told Green06 to knock it off and find her rider. For a moment, Green06 turned to stare at Amagrith before she huffed and turned toward the group of girls. They shrieked and some ran, some fell in the commotion, but one crouched down and spoke too quietly for Mylorah to hear. "That's another pair that's going to need luck."

Nearly ten minutes passed without another hatchling appearing. No doubt the Weyrlingmaster and assistants appreciated the respite given the problem children they already had to get under control. But soon enough, Egg 20 set the pace once more as Brown01 pushed his way through the hole he'd been working on. They now had at least one of each colour--except for gold. Mylorah turned her attention to that egg and saw that it did have cracks and wobbled every so often. So far so good, and even better for the moment, Brown01 quietly Impressed an older Candidate without any fuss.

Two more greens were suddenly prancing around the remaining eggs. Mylorah barely caught Green07 roll free of Egg 1 and only saw Green08 crawling from Egg 13 thanks to her sister running by. Green08 was tiny, but she stood without issue and with a nudge from Green07, they were both soon chirping at each other as they headed off to their mates.

Several minutes ticked by, filled with the sounds of eggs cracking and dragons humming. Unfortunately, it was also loud in her head as more hatchlings appeared and started chatting loudly to their mates or anyone, really. Blue03 decided to take advantage of the open stage as he emerged triumphant from his escape. He kicked sand onto the remnants of Egg 18 with his hind legs and then seemed to take a bow to the audience in the stands. It was the oddest thing and while she couldn't see the boy that Impressed the cheeky boy, Mylorah had to wonder if he was a Harper and his flare for the dramatics had already bled through the bond.

Egg 19 - Green05 to NPC Male
Egg 6 - Blue02 to NPC Male
Egg 15 - Green06 to NPC Female
Egg 20 - Brown01 to NPC Male
Egg 1 - Green07 to NPC Male
Egg 13 - Green08 to NPC Male
Egg 18 - Blue03 to NPC Male

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Wynera was utterly charmed by all of the hatchlings thus far--even the rowdier ones. Dragons had emotions and personalities as well and sometimes they clashed with each other. She didn't see any sense in punishing or shaming when no one had been hurt. Some scares were to be expected while on the Sands and she did her best to stay alert to avoid being a victim of a Hatching.

It was a good thing, too, when the furious green emerged. She felt sorry for her, having seen the way her egg had been bashed around while her siblings fought, and kind of wished they would be meant for each other. Despite the way she looked up to her siblings, Wynera didn't actually feel the pressure to Impress gold. She knew she would be happy on any dragon that wanted her and a spirited green would certainly keep her busy and life interesting!

When the green dragonet did turn in her general direction, Wynera's pulse raced. She wasn't scared, but anxious, wondering if this was her moment. It turned out it wasn't, as she found out when another girl grabbed her arm and dragged her away from the charging ball of fury that soon zeroed in on a very different target. The new greenrider wasn't originally from Telgar Weyr so Wynera didn't know her that well, but knew her enough to be happy for her, and perhaps a bit jealous. That was the closest she'd come to the realization that she could very well Impress in a matter of seconds... and was then left alone again. Still, she smiled and cheered for the bonding, happy that another dragon would live, much like the next ones that had no problems showing off their varying personalities.

Mylorah always considered all of the eggs at a Hatching to be important since she just loved dragons in general, but she understood how important the golds were to the overall survival of the species and the spectacle their hatching brought. Just like how it was an honour for Amagrith to have clutched a gold egg, it was viewed as good luck to witness the little gold finding her mate. Given the gasps and murmuring from all over the cavern, Mylorah knew it was that auspicious time.

The Gold hatchling didn't make the most graceful of entrances as she stumbled free of her egg and tripped over her wings. It reminded Mylorah of how Amagrith had her clumsy moments to the point that since she clutched, they were both worried about the safety of the eggs. The little Gold was on the slender side compared to her siblings, and the tripping over the wings made her seem gangly and unwieldly, but she did make it to the large cluster of girls that had just been terrorized by the angry green minutes earlier. There were a lot of hopeful faces, especially as the gold walked through the mob without glancing at those she passed. Mylorah wondered where she was going when one of the first girls she passed gave a long suffering sigh and turned to obey the order to follow to the feeding area. A bossy gold wasn't anything new but--She's not bossy. She just knows what needs to be done. Mylorah shrugged, thinking they were kind of the same thing but Amagrith did word it better.

Brown02 had hatched most unnoticed from Egg 7 thanks to his shiny sister's entrance, but people were noticing him now as he sneezed from sand on his nose and tried to brush it off with a paw. It was adorable and the noises of affection around the cavern showed that others agreed with her. Mylorah was just happy that a brown was being received so well and that he bonded to a man that had confessed to her he hoped to be a brownrider, despite their negative connotations.

Blue04 debuted from Egg 9 with a lot of energy that sent him racing around the Candidates like an excited puppy. He seemed to want to meet everyone and sometimes stopped to affectionately headbutt any Candidate brave enough to try to pet him. After nearly two circuits of the Candidates, a boy Mylorah had noticed early on with a goofy and indulging smile finally called out the hatchling's name and suggested they eat and tidy up. Blue04 decided that was a fine idea and trotted off after his mate.

Eggs 5 and 17, while not close together in placement on the Sands, hatched at roughly the same time to reveal Green09 and Brown03. In the time that they took to stretch and get their eggs under them, Green10 hatched from Egg 3. Mylorah vividly remembered the thrill and nerves when too many hatched at once as it was hard to keep track of them all and the risk for fighting dragonets and stampeding Candidates was higher. It didn't seem like it would be a problem until Brown03 ruined the goodwill his brother had just garnered as he went charging across the mess of shells and bowled through the two greens.

Green10 tumbled with a shriek which had her bonded shrieking from a cluster of Candidates on the opposite side of the action. It seemed like the male was going to go help her but his friends surrounding him held him back as Green09 didn't like the abuse thrown at her sister and chased after the brown. A fight soon broke out between Green09 and Brown03 that had their rolling bodies filled with claws, teeth, and flailing limbs came too close to the Candidates. The stampede she was worried about started and Mylorah saw some Candidates fall in the midst of the chaos. Their injuries might not be too bad, but the two men that seemed to be the mates of the fighting pair risked a lot worse if they didn't back up while they yelled for the hatchlings to knock it off.

In the end, one of the mates and another Candidate that hadn't been quick enough from the start laid bleeding on the ground. Mylorah couldn't see how bad each man was, but one did an impressive job of holding his slashed arm that in turn was held over a gash in his leg. The other boy wasn't moving, but a Healer was soon giving thumbs up to indicate the kid was alive, no doubt fainting from the pain he was in. Both Green09 and Brown03 had sustained injuries as well, but currently, no one had died from anything and that was the best Mylorah knew she could hope for now.

"It was going so well," she whispered, eyes now on the remaining egg 11 that was covered in cracks but hadn't moved too much for a while. She had her arms wrapped around herself and gave T'drin a small smile when she felt his arm around her in support. Sensing her rider's mood, Amagrith decided it wasn't the best time to chide her for jinxing them earlier.

Long minutes passed and Mylorah could feel how restless everyone was becoming. Was she supposed to call the Hatching to an end? She didn't want to believe Egg 11 wasn't going to make it, especially after the violence. Amagrith refused to allow anyone to suggest it was over and after a few more minutes, the wait paid off. The egg wobbled and it seemed like a struggle, but Blue05 started to peek through. And then he stopped again. Another minute or two passed before he started again. When he was mostly free, a frustrated boy stomped forward, arms on his hips as he called out for his mate to stop being so lazy and get over there.

Well, that was one way to end a Hatching, Mylorah thought as the lazy blue finally finished his escape, stretched, and meandered over to his boy where he rubbed his dirty head against the boy's bare leg. That earned some chuckles, helping to bring the mood back up, but it was hard to be too elated when she could see the wounded lined up off to the side.

Still, their maiden Hatching was concluded and while there were injuries, which she knew were a normal part of it all, all twenty-one dragonets found mates. She would have been greedy to ask for more than that. She kissed T'drin on the cheek and urged him to go mingle and celebrate what was his first sired clutch. Then, she glanced at her family and lovers in the stands and held up a finger to indicate she would get to them shortly. She wanted to check in on the injured first and then go give tight hugs to some of the important men in her life.

Gold - Gold to NPC Female
Egg 7 - Brown02 to NPC Male
Egg 9 - Blue04 to NPC Male
Egg 5 - Green09 to NPC Male
Egg 17 - Brown03 to NPC Male
Egg 3 - Green10 to NPC Male
Egg 11 - Blue05 to NPC Male

The End!

For the second time within the same Hatching and not that far apart from each other, Wynera found herself full of hope and then rejection. The gold hatchling didn't even bother to glance in her direction. She was utterly invisible to the dragon that sauntered through the group without a care for any of the girls surrounding her. Like she did with the greenrider, Wynera found a genuine smile for the new goldrider and called out her congratulations that blended in with the cheers of others. There were also sobs and full blown crying, but Wynera didn't shed any tears. She was disappointed but she was also young. There was plenty of time left to meet her dragon--if she was meant to be a rider. Maybe her goal should be to be a healer of animals or a dragon healer instead. The dragon population was steadily growing and it was said that Thread would fall again in her lifetime, so healers of all types would be needed.

Her thoughts were going through the possibilities and what it would take to look into each field while she semi-watched the Hatching. It was always a bad idea to lose focus on the Sands so Wynera did her best to watch the colourful babies dart around, but her heart wasn't fully in the moment anymore. She had just decided to add dragon healing to the list of things to discuss with A'tay or K'dar when screams pulled her attention back to the Hatching and where a green and brown were fighting.

Some of the Candidates tried to intervene by yelling but most were running. Someone grabbed her yet again and dragged her back, but Wynera wasn't sure who it was as her gaze stayed on everything happening. Why wasn't Amagrith putting a stop to it? Was this just a normal minor scuffle, despite two boys on the ground and... bloody. Oh, that wasn't good. Her last thought as she swayed and felt herself disconnecting before hitting the sand in a faint was how she hoped she could handle dragon ichor better than human blood.

Well, that was far more blood and violence than he typically liked to deal with. His hands weren't exactly clean in the metaphorical sense, but he did prefer a tidier scene overall and he was just not vibing with these hatchlings. Ulliendis slowly backed away from the brawl. That was where the threat was and where his idiot fellow Candidates were running from in the most chaotic of manners. He may have been a professional at attracting attention, but he also knew how to go unnoticed, and that was the key in that moment. Why flail and scream when it had a chance to draw the attention and ire of a pissed off baby dragon? That was a big pass.

Ulliendis had sufficiently moved away from the fight and around the remnants of the eggs. He saw there was one left intact and figured he'd be a good boy and stay to watch it hatch, but then he saw Wynera being carried off. What had happened to the girl and should he investigate? He still didn't know what Geric thought of her, mostly because he needed to get his friend drunk to learn all the secrets and Geric was being stubborn. But was it really his responsibility to keep tabs on her for him? No, it wasn't. If his Ger Bear was worried, then he would actually have to do something about it himself this time.

So he gave Geric a little shrug when he found him in the stands and then turned his attention back to the lone egg. It took some time, but finally a determined blue appeared. Ulliendis applauded the kiddo for his efforts and gave even more when he didn't head in his direction. Finally, the Hatching was officially over and he could leave. It was time for a nap so he could prepare for the celebration that night that no doubt just doubled in exuberance and perhaps even extravagance.