Here I Am, This Is Me

[Onyxaeon]

A solid, ebony mass stretched across the hot, grainy sands. Up close, one wouldn’t be able to tell it was a maw snaking across the hatching sands, the owner of this maw none other than the clutch’s very sire. Of course, this raised brows in its own right. Most male dragons whom had fathered clutches left it at that, and only showed up during the Touching and Hatching. Not Varanth, though. No, he didn’t falter when his mate told him she was going to take a chunk out of his tail if he didn’t get off of her sands, didn’t budge when the queen actually held through to her threat and snapped at his tail, drawing only a small bit of green ichor. The Opal queen Linnelyth had given up trying to get him out permanently-he had never been this interested in one of her clutches before!-and merely focused her attention on getting him away long enough to eat and perform his duties as a Weyrking. After all, he didn’t have her right to laze about all day for having laid eggs and didn’t get the chance to attend to them every minute of every day until they hatched. It was such a shame, really; had he been born female, he would have been quite the odd, but suited, mom, as seen by his nudging the Sparked By The Sunrise egg into a cocoon of sand for the top seemed chilled. There you are, little one. Warm as ever. The black beast lifted his skull, turning his eyes in their sockets to catch the Opal senior dosing with the tip of her nose touching Fallen Ruby Tears and one foot lovingly alongside Blow Me Down To Dust. The eggs, for the most part, appeared to appreciate the attention, their locations preventing them from getting a surplus of attention during their Touching, but they had been fine with that earlier. The Onyx smiled faintly, the corners of his heavily armed mouth turning up in a soft, almost loving manner. Linnelyth needed her rest; she had done everything she could for her eggs while she was awake, and now it was his turn to watch them while she slumbered, safely hidden away from the harsh words and eyes of others who judged her for having condemned herself. Cruel fools that they were. Did they not see that she was still a queen? Had given Talune fine clutches with many dragons to be proud of? That she-His eyes whirled maroon in their rage, swirls tainting the other wise blue-green optics. He shouldn’t get so worked up; only fools rose to the bait of other fools. With this in mind, Varanth settled down, his sinews that had unconsciously tightened loosening up, jaw going slack, and his faceted eyes returning to their normal shading. What did they matter, anyway?

The king gave a once over of the other eggs, nudging each in turn carefully, before pushing a sandy cushion around some of the colder ones. To watch such a large dragon being so gentle, afraid to even move his feet without making certain three or four times nothing breakable was in that spot where they would go, was terribly amusing, something akin to watching a wher trying on clothing or seeing a wherry try and stand up to a dragon. It was just…cute, but in a hilarious fashion. As the sire came back around to the golden beauty he had covered first, his eyes passed over the onyx egg that he knew was entirely his doing. Well, technically the whole clutch was his doing too, but this egg was more of him than the others. It shared so much in common with him; gender, coloring, body size, general personality, mind…The list was endless, and it only made the dragon crouch down on his forelegs, tilting his head to one side to study the black coat that he bore on his very hide. Here I am; it's just me and you. The Onyx rested the tip of his nose along the top of the egg, an exhale of breath stirring some of the surrounding sand, but nothing badly enough to take notice off. His many lidded eyes half closed, as if he were trying to say something that was difficult for him, or perhaps just hard to word. There is a new world just outside of your shell, I’m certain you know of by now. What you don’t know, though, is it's a new start. Everything is from now on, for you and whomever you choose to bond with. It's all alive now, all before you for you to choose, and the world rests in the claws of young hearts. Don‘t let me down, my kindred spirit, because I‘ve been waiting for you. Help me fix this Weyr where I fail it, and this world where I cannot. Live, but love. And learn, but do not judge. Be there whether asked to be or not if they are your own. If you feel it, it is right. Your own voice is what I hope to learn from. Perhaps, in time, you will teach me something as I hope to do for you. We can‘t change everything on just our own, but perhaps you will be the one to show the Weyrs of Pern what we most need. You will do all in life that I cannot, because you have been hoped for for a very long time. Everything has its time and purpose; you‘re being here is no accident. You were given just when Pern needed you most. Varanth nuzzled the smooth surface of the egg, another breath blown from his nostrils as he gathered his last thought. Linnelyth needed to wake soon to eat, and he was the only one lately who could wake the dear queen beside her own Mine was busy with the Headwoman talking of candidates and such. You have to know this upon birth, and I cannot wait to simply tell you, so I hope you understand now. After the rain, the sun will reappear. After the pain, the joy will still be here. You have to look ahead, and forget looking back. There’s only life. Everything you go through is only to bring you closer to some far greater experience. I have learned to see through the darkness, to sing in the silence, and to stand where no one else has because they are too afraid to. Take only this to heart if you never seek help or advice from another soul.

With a parting nudge, Varanth moved away to leave his young to slumber in peace, but something stopped him. Out of the corner of one eye, the Onyx egg began to rock. Slowly and, if he hadn’t not been staring intently, he wouldn’t have noticed it himself even for his keen eye sight. Gradually, the rocking passed from egg to egg, some rocking faster, others, like the Gold and Onyx, slower and more steadily. It was here. The behemoth threw back his skull and let loose a resounding bellow that would have knocked rocks from the ceilings were they not so smoothed as they were to prevent such a thing. The Opal Linnelyth stirred-more like bolted upright-and nearly took out the Fallen Ruby Tears egg in her stunt, but she caught her actions just in time to rise carefully to her feet, not an egg harmed from her less-than-expected rousing. Just as she was about to reprimand Varanth for his choice of wake up call, the Opal took a step back in shock, her maw opening to allow a humming noise, far higher pitched than Varanth’s current, to spill from her maw as she turned on the Sands to fetch Hers. MINE! Candidates, now! The woman’s eyes lit with joy as she informed the Headwoman, barely taking the time to tell the woman everything in her rush to get to the Weyrbowl and the Watch dragon. “H‘nuy! Take Rebrukth and send the news!” The Weyrwoman had caught the Crimson pair just as they had been about to take up their shift and, with the humming their could hear from the Hatching Grounds, they knew exactly their message to send. Those who had been invited to the event were to be informed and, once she rambled off the list as to whom, he was off with two other dragons, a Green and a younger Blue pair, gone before she could even make her way to the Sands to find her dragon and her mate humming. No others beside the Mine of the Weyrking had yet to show, but that was to be expected.

“D‘ron, I‘ve sent out messenger dragons to relay the news. The Headwoman knows too, so I would imagine the candidates do by now as well.”

“I know, Jouri. My thanks for having taken care of that. Now, all we have to do is watch, because the wait is over.”

[Dragonmage]

Mairis had been happily planning out a way to make some little glass dragons when the humming started. It was not long before she realized with a start exactly what that humming that had marred her list of supplies meant. Dragons only hummed when the eggs were about to hatch and she was a candidate. That meant she should get her silly Glasscrafter Apprentice behind to the sands. Fingers scrabbled at the writing supplies until she was able to pick them up and put them away. Robe, robe, where the shells had her hatching robe gone? The sharding thing had somehow ended up crumpled under her bed.

No time to have it ironed out now. All Mairis could do was brush off the dust and shake out as many of the wrinkles as she could. At least she had her boots on as usual. No Glasscrafter she knew would be caught dead even planning something made of glass without boots. Her boots thudded on the stone as she hurried over to the entrance to the Hatching Sands. This was it. The babies would choose today. They would see that not all of those from Nusa Hold were complete deadglows. Entering the Sands, she bowed to Varanth, Linnelyth, Jouri and D'ron.

"I am honored to stand for your clutch. May they all hatch healthy and find riders among those assembled."

Mairis slowly moved onto the sands. Yikes, they were hot. Well, hot feet were a minor annoyance when there were dragonets hatching. Which of the many beautiful eggs would hatch first. A bronze first was supposed to be a good omen, but even so, as long as the first was healthy, Mairis would be pleased. There were a lot of colors that could Impress her, but would they want her or pass her up because she was born of Nusa Hold and that hold disliked dragonriders. "Don't be silly," she told herself, "How could the hatchlings know anything about what happened outside of their eggs?"

[Desert]

K'dran, get dressed. Talune's clutch is Hatching and I wish to attend.[/b][/color] Dharth's wheeling, multifaceted eye appeared through the door of the treebound weyr as the black addressed his rider, who was eating a bedtime snack before going to sleep.

K'dran scowled irritably at Dharth and demanded to know why he should rouse himself when he was just about to get a full night's sleep. Oh, you would appear to the rest of Pern like your idiotic peer Y'zem, who barely bothers to stick his nose outside his weyr? Come now, K'dran, it is a Hatching. It does good for appearances if another Weyr's leader shows up at events such as this.[/b][/color] And although K'dran was technically only a Wingleader, between Y'zem and Xai who were the other two authorities in Eden, he was the one best suited for representing the Weyr out and about Pern.

With a sigh, K'dran stood and went over to change into his Gather clothes and grab Dharth's harness. The big black had ordered that a special set of fighting straps be made for himself, more for decoration than anything -- it was special leather died in Black Sun wing colors, with the buckles plated with gold, and it looked quite handsome on him. A few short minutes later Dharth was decked out in his own finery and K'dran vaulted onto his shoulders.

When they reemerged from between over Talune, with the sun shining bright over multi-hued trees and a Weyr buzzing with activity, it was an abrupt change from the summery, night-quiet Eden. Dharth bugled his introduction as he circled in to land, just as the air above him erupted to life as more dragons appeared. The behemoth was forced to drop from the air directly into the Grounds, for the tunnels that led from the Bowl to the Grounds were too small for him to fit. He landed on a low tier of the stands and kneeled to let K'dran off, then extended his greeting to the two dragons in the sand.

Good day, Linnelyth, Varanth. My compartiots in Eden send their regards to you, as well as our wish that this clutch hatches strong and healthy.[/b][/color] The big black dipped his head politely to the opal and onyx as he settled down into a comfortable position on the ledge. He took up most of the space, but this Weyr hadn't been designed with dragons of his size in mind, so it was unsurprising. The black behemoth was aware of the stares a few people now entering the stands were giving him; the locals might be used to seeing Varanth, but there was a world of difference between blacks and onyxes. The thought brought an extra spurt of amused sea-green to his eyes.

K'dran, for his part, bade respectful welcomes to all the important personages and sat down with calm aplomb. It was easy to ignore the shock and curiosity on the faces of people passing the blackpair to sit in the stands; he just hoped Dharth would behave himself. He didn't exactly trust Dharth's current mood -- moods like this usually meant mischief.


The news spread like wildfire through the candidates: the eggs were hatching! Xavier had been in the middle of his duties in the kitchen -- a punishment for being caught skipping chores in favor of getting drunk -- when word reached him, and nearly chopped his thumb off in excitement. He collected himself, though, for there was no reason to look like an idiot, and quickly excused himself from the kitchen and rushed to the barracks.

Naturally they were already a milling traffic jam of candidates. Xavier, though, was fairly skilled at crowd-swimming and thus managed to make his way to his bunk without undue fuss. The robe went on over his clothes -- it would be ungodly hot, he knew, but time was of the essence. Xavier wanted to grab a pair of heavy boots to protect his feet from the searing sand, but with a sigh he went for the more traditional footwear. He knew he would regret it when all was said and done.

Xavier spotted one of his chums and waved the younger lad over, then assisted his friend out of the barracks, as Draslynn was affected by adolescent klutziness, which when mixed with crowds often meant disaster. "Thanks Xav," Draslynn remarked as they emerged into the more open corridor and proceeded toward the Hatching Grounds at a brisk jog. Xavier grinned encouragingly at his friend; it was Draslynn's first Hatching, so the younger lad was all jitters, caught between anxiety and anticipation.

They trotted out onto the sand side-by-side -- taking a moment to curse under their respective breaths at the intense heat -- and both made deep bows of respect to Linnelyth and Varanth. Draslynn more out of habit, but Xavier was firmly of the opinion that the long-suffering queen deserved some slack. She must have been stressed, after Black Sands' machinations and dealing with her clutch. He still saw her as a queen, and the ones who thought otherwise were fools.

The two chums split up them -- Draslynn wanted to be at the very front, while Xavier preferred being farther back in the group. Not that he was afraid of any of the dragonets, for Talune's were comparably peaceful dragons compared to other Weyrs', but maulings still did happen with disoriented dragonets and Xavier didn't want that to happen to him. As he walked he caught sight of a big, dark silhouette in the stands -- but wasn't Varanth standing next to Linnelyth with the eggs? A second glance revealed that this was far too big to be Varanth, though as the huge dragon was under the shade of the tier above he looked like nothing more than a massive shadow. Except for the seafoam-green wheeling eyes, that was. Xavier had to pause and gape at the behemoth lounging nonchalantly with who he presumed was his rider nearly, looking bored.

He would like you to think that he is bored,[/b][/color] rumbled a deep voice in Xavier's mind. If he'd thought hearing Varanth was shocking, then hearing Dharth's smoky baritone was downright intimidating. It did seem fitting that so gargantuan a beast had a deep voice, and it made Xavier wonder what his rider sounded like. The man, from what Xavier saw, didn't seem like the type to have a deep voice. And K'dran does not sound much like me. We have a unique bond, and so we have unique voices.[/b][/color]

Xavier had to suppress a shudder at the darkly amused tone in Dharth's voice and turned back to the clutch. He knew that dragon wasn't native to Talune, since this was the first time he'd seen the behemoth, and he was glad he'd probably never meet the menacing beast again. That thought was met with a chuckle, both mental and audible, from the black.


Maylin pelted headlong into the Grounds -- seemingly ignorant of the intense heat radiating from the sand below her feet -- with a wide excited grin on her face. She skidded to a halt at the very front of the group of girls; she had to remind herself to pay her respects to Linnelyth, so excited was she. A Hatching! The chance to get her dragon! As she waited, tense with anticipation, for the Hatching to begin, she wondered restlessly what she would Impress. She glanced frequently at the gold egg; what girl didn't lust for a queen, in the back of her mind?


Meanwhile, Nazareth was busy trying to rouse D'zel from his midday nap. She had poked, chided, scolded and tugged, but nothing worked. Finally she leaned back until she was standing on her hind legs, hooked her forepaws around D'zel's supine form, and physically rolled her rider off the bed. D'zel swore colorfully in irritation as he sat up, but Naz wasn't phased. Linnelyth's eggs are hatching, Mine! Come on, we'll be late! The candidates are already assembled, it will start soon![/b][/color]

"Why didn't you mention that earlier, luv? I'd have gotten up then," D'zel muttered. He picked himself up and ran a hand through his hair to put it back in its usual disarray, versus the more haphazard bed-head it had been.

I did, but you were half asleep. Come on![/b][/color] Nazareth waited impatiently for D'zel to throw a leg over her neck and mount. Then she trotted happily to her ledge and fell off, letting air fill her lanky wings to turn her fall into a glide.

By this time, Nazareth had memorized almost the entire Weyr, so she barely needed to rely on D'zel's eyesight to negotiate her way toward the entrance to the Grounds. She coasted easily through the tunnel and emerged into the semi-thermals that the hot sands produced, and swooped up toward one of the higher tiers in the stands. She landed next to a scarlet whose rider D'zel had befriended and touched noses in greeting with her as D'zel swung off her shoulders.

D'zel sat next to where Naz was curled -- taking up only slightly more space than one of the chairs for humans -- and focused his attention eagerly on the clutch. Naz planted her head in his lap for pets, and as he watched the rocking eggs D'zel obligingly ran his hand over her sleek muzzle.
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[elainsie]

Hailey had been midway through a letter from her brother Leynar, when the now familar hum began. Two times before she had been caught halfway through something, the first time chores, the second a meal, and after both she had returned empty handed from the sands, trying her best to keep a positive outlook on it all. She would never admit it out loud, but it was hard to deal with the rejection, one time, two, it didn't matter the number, each time was a small blow to her confidence.

But this time it would be different, it had to be. For this time there was a queen egg warming on the sands, neither of her previous Standings had had such, and she was fast approaching an age that would prevent her from marching onto the Sands with the other hopeful Candidates. Like Linnelyth, this would be Hailey's last Hatching.

Her Candidate's robe was kept carefully pressed in the trunk at the end of her bed, every week or so she would pull it out to ensure it had not become creased or some insect had not eaten its way through the pale cloth. Taking it out, for the last time, she exchanged her tunic and pants, the soft material floating around her and clinging to her curves, but not in such a manner as to be overtly seductive. Boots finished the outfit, and she twisted her dark hair up so it sat rather messily upon the top of head.

Just as Hailey had been about to walk out of the entrace of the Barracks and make her way to the Sands a young slip of a thing came bounding in through the door, running into the much older Candidate. "Oops, see what you went and made me do Grier," she scolded the space of air next to her. "He says he's sorry," her wide green eyes levelled at Hailey. "I'm sorry too, we just heard the dragons! And oh, it means they are Hatching now, and we don't want to be late, if we're late we'll miss out!" The girl skipped over to her own bed pulling out an overly large robe, a robe surely made for someone twice the size of Imere. Not bothering to remove the clothing underneath she pulled the cloth over her head. "Ready!" And she gave a giggle, as she went to run out the door.

Hailey, still standing with a rather amused look on her face, glanced at the pair of tanned feet peeking underneath the robe. "You don't intend to go bare foot do you? The Sands are hot, you won't last long enough to see the eggs Hatch, let alone Impress, if you don't put some form of thick-soled shoe on."

"Oh," Imere brought the palm of her right hand to her forehead, "I forgot. I don't usually wear shoes, so it's not something I would think of. Thank you, thank you," the girl was effusive in her gratitude as she quickly hopped over to her trunk once again, rummaging around before finally digging out the only pair of shoes she owned, a good pair of boots that only ever saw light of day at Gathers.

"Better," Hailey gave an approving nod, "Is this your first Hatching then?"

Imere proudly nodded her head. "Oh yes, I only just turned 13 a few months back. This is Grier's first too," she gave a smile to the the left side of her, hand outstretched to the 'friend' next to her.

The younger girl continued to chatter away as they joined the throng of people making their way to the Sands. As they reached the entrance Imere bounced on the balls of her feet, trying to see over the many-headed beast that was a large majority of the Weyr also attempting to have a look at the eggs before taking to their seats.

Imere wended her way through until she reached an opening, stepping out onto the Sands in almost a daze. With a final grin to Grier, she deeply curtsied in front of the Weyrleaders and their dragons as they watched over the shaking eggs, befor taking her place amongst the other Candidates. At a more sedate pace Hailey made her way over, letting her gratitude be known to Linnelyth and her mate for the chance to Impress.

Her eyes flicked over most of the eggs and settled on the Queen egg. Not that the other eggs were not nice, but this was the one she had her sights set on, the one she felt the strongest pull towards. With a glance at the other girls around her, Hailey realised she was not the only one gazing at it, that many others kept sneaking furtive glances.

[Bacchante]

A sound reverberated through the halls of Talune Weyr, shaking the foundations. It passed through all in its wake, having little effect on some. Faltair was not one of the ‘some’. Ever since the fateful touching tore away his freedom he had spent every night sneaking away from the Candidate’s quarters and finding a place to sleep as close to the Sands as he could. Thus, when the roar was let out he was among the first to know and understand. But he was not the first to arrive. When it woke him he merely sat there, debating with himself.

If he went then his freedom would be gone forever. He would be, for the rest of his life, slaved to the dragon. What were his choices? He could, obviously, go to the hatching and accept the Onyx. That would result in the bad things happening. Faltair could not go and leave the dragon to its fate. But then if it Betweened away he would be blamed and eternally shunned, or if it found another partner it would surely pain him. He could go and shut his mind down in hopes it didn’t bond with him. That raised the same issues as before however. So what were his choices? Did he value his freedom more, or the hatchling more? He hadn’t even really contacted it. He should just leave the Weyr, go to a hold somewhere and live his life in responsibility-free bliss. If he ran, Varanth would track him down and dismember him though. And yet, how good a tracker was the dragon.

He was stopped, however, by the wealth of feelings he remembered feeling from the egg. Feelings he hadn’t even told anyone else of. Feelings of… want or perhaps need. He felt like it had favoured him for a reason even he didn’t quite understand. For the rest of his miserable life he would wonder, if he did not go to this Hatching. Faltair slid off the shelf he was on and slipped out of the storage room silently. Nobody was around. Time to go, then.

His clothing was smart leather, touch and uniform like. It would protect him from claws of hatchlings and it looked good, especially with him shining it up the night before. It also wouldn’t wrinkle while he slept, thus why Faltair chose it. Of course, he hadn’t imagined it would be like this. Walking into the Sands he noted other candidates, including Xavier, and dragons. There was Varanth and… Varanth? But no, that one was larger than Varanth was. It must be from another Weyr for surely no dragon in Talune was so large. He put it out of mind, and then went out of his own mind.

There it was, moving slightly in place. He was captivated by the Onyx egg, frozen to the spot. He couldn’t think, couldn’t move, could barely remember to breathe. This was why he had come, this was why he had decided not to flee. This egg was tearing his freedom from him, placing him in bondage, in servitude. Yet…. He didn’t care. The ability to move returned to him and he took a couple of weak steps towards the egg before falling onto his knees. He held there for a moment and then stood again. He was nervous. Terrified even. But now was not the time to stand on his knees. That would come later, when the Hatchling came out.

Thus Faltair moved to take his place with the other candidates, purposely avoiding Xavier while trying to garner the spot closest to the Onyx Egg. From what he could tell no others were looking at it. He briefly bowed his head toward Varanth, trying to keep the fear out of his face. He would be hard. He would be strong. He would not let this one down. He would be himself. He would be who he needed to. Faltair forced himself to relax, unclenching muscles he hadn’t even realised were flexed. Whatever happened he would be ready. No matter what, he would succeed.

Something came to him. All week he had been working on this, but it had not come right. However, in this time and place he knew the right words. Words he muttured under his breath to draw it to him and words echoed by his mind so that it may recognise him. "Know my heart is true, thus I pledge myself to you. What you want, I will try to be. What you need, I will try to give. Who I am, I will try to share. I can but try, so I try for you. This I swear to do." He repeated the mantra quietly aloud, and loud in his head so that an attentive young dragonet might hear; or an experienced elder dragon. Not that he cared if Varanth heard. He was beyond that. Right now his whole world was the Onyx Egg before him.

[Onyxaeon]

Varanth and the Opal queen Linnelyth welcomed in their guests, their throats never ceasing the consistant humming as with the other arriving dragons. Slowly, the two backed away from the eggs as they rocked patiently back and forth, swaying from side to side. The young dragonets needed their space to hatch and, as much as the parents wished to coax them from their shells, they knew they had to raise themselves up onto the lowest stand, that reserved for visiting Weyrleaders, the Weyrleaders of Talune, and the occasional resepected Wingleader. Linnelyth dipped her wedged head down to allow Hers to climb up, the dragon safely playing Jouri up upon the stands before she lifted her forelimbs and performed an awkward jump, scrambling up and settling down closest to the soon to break shell dragons. Varanth waited for a few moments longer, taking his time to go over the candidates, counting each in turn to register that they were all there. His navy blue orbs passed over Faltair, a slow rumble growling in the back of his throat that was neither amusement nor anger, merely acceptance. They would see who would be right by the end of today, and what would come of this and from this Hatching. Mine, I hope you were right in your decision. The Onyxrider crossed his arms from his standing position on the first tire. It will work out as it should. Varanth. You cannot fight fate; whatever happens, happens. The Onyx only nodded reluctantly to this, clambering up unto the outstretched rock slab beside his mate to await the first dragon to break shell.

As the humming grew louder, more native riders poured in to fill the stands and join in on the action. Among these were the still dripping Brownpair of D'nasrin and Masinanth. The chocolate brown dragon had been in the middle of being given his weekly bath (unlike most dragons, Masinanth tended to dislike being wet, but his hide just got dry and oiling didn't fully cover it from time to time) when Varanth had first called out. Unlike others who rushed to the scene, the fairly reclusive companions held back. The eggs would be there for awhile, or so they figured, so there was no need to rush the already particularly unpleasant event. Even Tonac, the fairly irritable brown flit who was bonded to D'nasrin, settled down long enough to semi enjoy the impending hatching. Or, so it seemed as the flit curled around D'nasrin's shoulders as the man climbed onto his Brown's back. Masinanth rose, his wide wings rowing through to air until he gained enough altitude to swoop down effortlessly into one of the middle ledges. He landed with a very dull thud, tail nearly landing upon another flit, though this one was a grass green and far more pleasant to the eye than Tonac. The Bronw muttered an apology to the flit as she shuddered, squirming into the riding jacket of her Mine. Tain tried to encourage the green flit out, but the dear wouldn't budge. She was apparently too spooked to come out because, as best as Mistith could translate, "The big Brown meanie was going to smush her". Tain offered D'nasrin a welcoming smile, waving to the fellow rider. The man simply dipped his head in greeting and said nothing more.-He wasn't a man of many words, and he dragon wasn't one to speak out much either. Tain curled her legs up, crossing them indian style while stroking Sable. "It's okay. He didn't mean it, little one," she whispered, stroking the back of her neck as Mistith curled up alongside of her Mine, waiting for F'st and Typhith to get here. After all, it wasn't a Hatching without the two males. The joy would be lessened without them to help brighter it up, even with the thought of baby dragons about to hatch as the humming had picked up. Mistith hummed in response to the other, Masinanth beside her joining in. Indeed, the dragons did know when. It was only a matter of time before the first dragon broke shell.

Rytaik seemed to always be in the middle of something where dragons were concerned. When the queen's flight had rolled around to create this clutch, he had been snoozing after having volunteered to do another's chores while they were ill on top of his own. When the eggs were laid, he had been away at Talune Hold via the help of a Greenpair he had befriended to pick up some new boots that he had purchased. Upon the Touching, he had been busy cleaning out the runner stables and had nearly missed the entire event. Today was no different, it seemed, for Rytaik had been in the process of cleaning out one the Lower Cavern’s many storage rooms, pulling baskets of tubbers out and moving this and that, when the humming started. Of course, he was promptly excused-no chore could hold back a candidate from his or her hatching day rights-and the young lad rushed up the corridors to get to the candidate barracks. He nearly ran into several younger boys as they rushed out of the gender separated barracks in their hurry to get to the Sands. Rytaik had a more level head about it, though, and wandered over to his trunk only when things had died down just a fraction so that he could get through without being mauled and tossed about for the eagerness coating the room. Pulling on his white Impression tunic, he rummaged about for the relatively new wher hide boots he had had made. It had been his treat to himself, so to speak. That, and he wanted to look good for the dragonets once they hatched to look upon him. Not that they would care for how he appeared-Talune‘s weren‘t as picky as Rubies and some other dragons about those types of things-but he still wanted to look his best. Without further hesitation, Rytaik bolted down to the Sands, all his patience cast to the winds as he nearly tripped over himself going down the stairs and across the Weyrbowl. When he actually made it to the entrance to the Hatching Grounds, he was out of breath, though he still managed to bow his head in respects to the sire and dam of this clutch and to thank them for the opportunity to stand. He slipped into the middle of the cluster of boys without much fuss. Everyone’s eyes were on the eggs now, and with good reason. A crack had pierced through the humming dragon’s voices, things going deathly silent.

The Dawn of Night egg bore a crack straight down the center of it, the checkerboard pattern split in half as the faint crunching of egg shell continued to whisper through the Sands and echo off the high ceilings. For a moment, the egg’s rocking stopped, and everything was quiet once more. No cracking, no dragon baby bursting forth. No nothing. Another crack snaked across the shell horizontally, the Bronze dragon inside slamming into his shell and sending the unchipped portion of the egg to barrel into the nearby Dripping Dry Whispers Blue egg with enough force to cause the egg to spider web. As the Bronze spilled onto the Sands, he lifted his wings, flapping to dry the sticky egg fluids from his body, for it seemed to only anger him more. His deeply faceted eyes were a rainbow of agitation, a snappish hiss spilling from the relatively healthy sized male’s maw. His hide had begun to lighten, the darker egg liquids having begun to dry, to reveal that he bore a copper hide, flecks of dusty brown staining his underbelly and running up the length of his neck, under his maw, and even along the underside of his tail. As his eyes skimmed over the crowds, he hissed angrily once more, the abnormally thick mass of his tail striking against the nearest egg-the already unintentionally attack Dripping Dry Whispers egg. Without complaint, it seemed, the Blue tumbled out, himself no where near as graceful as his brother, for her landed on his back and had to roll over to right himself. The darkness of his hide was apparent even through the egg juices, and the male paused for a while to shake off the sand that had attached itself to his body. After five minutes or so, he no longer could be bothered with it, and trotted over to the males to sort through the lot, the solid navy of his hide standing out against the white of the male candidates’ Impression clothes. His Bronze brother could not be bothered with the lowely male, and so poked about the other eggs, staring down the Onyx egg as if challenging him to break free so that they could take out their frustrations freely. The Blue looked back to his brother, and merely shook his head, breaking into the thoughts of one make near him as he only wished to be fed so that he may go back to sleep. Mine, come along now. Your Baskath needs to find some food, and a bath would be nice to get this sand off of me. Come along now, MineG‘trun. We cannot help my brother; he is big enough to take care of himself. Although the rather feminine male did not appear to want to leave the onyx egg to his fate-the Dawn of Night Bronze was now trying to dig at the shell with his talons-he agreed, and the first pair walked off of the sands. Another egg had ceased its rocking as well, though this one was clearly female. The big sister of the group, A Taste Of Iron had chipped in places, a silver maw poking through and, soon, sliding out of her shell as well. Or, more like glided. The female displayed such a bouncy air about her, she appeared to glide more than slip out of her egg. She was a fine Silver female, quite large for her coloring, but oddly designed. Her wings were quite wide, rather long for her coloring as well, and her ash gray body was patched with darker gray spots everywhere. One large spot even circled around her left eye. Upon her seeing her brother egg being so rudely disturbed, the Silver flared her wings out, trying to draw the attention of the Bronze male. It had worked but, from there, she knew not what to do. Attacking was not in the nature of a Silver, and it would only be a matter of time before the Bronze went back to picking on the dragon still inside his shell. Under no real thought, the Silver began to weave back and forth, trying to coax the Bronze into coming after her. It seemed to work, for the male charged, the Silver turning and the two began to chase each other around the eggs, the clever Silver making a sharp turn and the Bronze tripping over his own wings, landing face first in the gritty sand. Ha. He got what he deserved. It only seemed to make the male madder as he tried to scramble his way to his feet, the generally loving and nurturing Silver having to think quickly, least she be one his list for the first meal! Maybe the Onyx would hatch soon...Though, from the looks of the scratched ebony surface, it didn't appear he was ready yet. The rocking of his shell had slowed, though, and was only a faint rocking motion. Apparently, the Bronze's actions had not been met with the best of attitudes. If he was still on the Snads when the Onyx hatched, sparks would certainly fly.

[Dragonmage]

Mairis had been standing on the sands for a while by the time that the eggs had started to rock in earnest. Well, despite the fact that it was giving her hot feet, it was probably a good thing for the hatchlings in the eggs that the candidates had been called before even one baby hatched. This way there was less chance of a baby going into a panic and betweening simply because its rider to be happened to be late.

As she slightly shifted her weight, the Dawn of Night Egg rolled into the Dripping Dry Whispers Egg and cracked it. The bronze in the Dawn of Night Egg hatched and attacked the Dripping Dry Whispers Egg with a lash of his thick tail, breaking the blue from the smaller egg out. The blue was unruffled by his entrance into the world but landed on his back and had to shake himself clean once he had gotten to all fours. He was a dark navy blue, handsome, but Mairis was not sure that this was the kind of dragon she wanted. She had pictured herself with a female dragon if she Impressed, but it was the dragon's choice.

The blue had no interest in her and went for a boy. Well, she had expected that, so Mairis was able to mostly shrug off the rejection. There, now the A Taste of Iron Egg was hatching. She liked that one at the Touching. A very pretty, at least to her mind, silver emerged energetically from the egg. The new silver was large and had wings that looked like they would be able to carry her into the air easily. The silver's markings were intriguing, and dare she even think it, a bit like a two-toned herdbeasts. How daring, the silver was trying to distract her bronze brother from his clawing at the Beyond Between Again Egg. Mairis hoped that the silver would not be harmed by the grouchy seeming bronze.

[Desert]

As the Dawn of Night bronze effectively forced his blue Dripping Dry Whispers brother to hatch, Dharth rumbled a faint chuckle. That was a scrappy bronze, he was! Especially when the irritated bronzeling marched up to the onyx egg and began to attack it. The black behemoth watched with a grin as the Taste of Iron silver distracted her bigger brother in a merry chase about the clutch; this was amusing after all! Even if it didn't involve the chaos that an Eden Hatching usually did, apparently Talune's dragons had enough fire in their bellies to show some snark and make this an amusing event.

K'dran rolled his eyes. Of course Dharth would find amusement in the bronze's antics, sadistic as he was. K'dran himself didn't deny that the silver's clever outmaneuvering of the bronze was entertaining, but he for one wasn't waiting to see what the irate bronze would do if he caught the silver. Dharth was too used to Eden's Hatchings, with their more aggressive dragons.

Abruptly, a new presence erupted into being near his head, and a warm weight descended onto K'dran's shoulder. He could as much feel as hear the vibrations from Juno's enthusiastic hum transferred onto his shoulder, and with a fond smile he scratched the spring's chin. Of course Juno would seek him out -- being what she was, she adored Hatchings. K'dran was sure that if she hadn't been preoccupied humming, she would've given him a scold for not letting her know what was going on. She would've dozed the event away! The spring rubbed her little evergreen head affectionately over his cheek without ceasing her vocalizations.


Xavier's brow furrowed in concern at the behavior of the Dawn of Night bronze. What an unpleasant beast -- what was his problem with the onyx? At least the plucky Taste of Iron silver distracted him from his attack. Xavier sighed and shook his head, then glanced at the rest of the clutch. One was already Impressed; he'd smiled and clapped the new bluerider G'trun on the shoulder as he passed, being acquainted with the young man; he was a good sort, Xavier was glad he found a lifemate.

But that couldn't pull his attention away from the rest of the clutch long. Xavier wasn't sure whether he wanted to keep a wary eye on the already hatched silver and bronze, or watch the eggs to see what would emerge next. He did glance at the onyx egg to be sure -- it seemed unharmed, thankfully. He personally didn't really want the onyx -- he knew it wasn't for him -- but being such a rare and treasured creature, he was concerned for its safety.


Maylin gasped and covered her mouth with both hands when she witnessed the Dawn of Night bronze's attacks. How mean! What was his problem, the meanie? She wanted to run up and help that brave silver to distract the mean bronze, but at the same time, a healthy dose of trepidation kept her where she was. What if the bronze -- or the silver, unintentionally -- hurt her? They were hatchlings, uncoordinated, and probably quite bemused by their sudden emergence into the world. Even that sweet silver could cause some damage if she accidentally tripped, or something along those lines.


D'zel clapped with the rest as the first blue Impressed. The fact that a bronze had Hatched first -- the supposed lucky charm for a clutch -- hadn't gone unnoticed by D'zel, though was that omen perhaps overshadowed by the bronze's seeming violence? Even so, the next two hatchlings seemed calm enough, and Naz crooned in relief and encouragement when the silver tried to distract her irate bronze brother.

The little white clearly heard Dharth's chuckle; she bristled her whiskers indignantly and angled her head down as if to stare in the black's direction. She'd naturally noticed him when she'd entered -- it was hard not to notice a creature so intimidatingly huge, even when looking through borrowed eyes -- but she had opted to ignore his presence. Faranth, but he was bigger than Xanturnoth! She hadn't known dragons could get so big! She had avoided him entirely out of fear, but hearing his obvious enjoyment of the snarky Dawn of Night bronze's actions was too much for her to overlook. How can you think that's funny? One of those babies could easily be hurt, or die![/b][/color]

Dharth extended his head to gaze upward to Nazareth's tier, and he regarded the white with a grin. Because it is amusing, dear misery, at least to me. Believe me, little one, things can get worse. You have never seen a black or cyan hatch, that much is obvious. This is nothing.[/b][/color] He showed her images from his own Hatching -- images of Seth as he mauled his way through the candidates, or himself as he fended off candidates whose thoughts had displeased him.

If Nazareth could have turned any whiter than she already was, she would have at the images shown her by the grinning behemoth. How... how could you do that? How could that other one do such things? So much death...[/b][/color]

Dharth chuckled at Nazareth's discomfiture. Very easily; it is in our nature. I am slightly surprised that you are so put out, my misery friend, given what your kind can do.[/b][/color]

Naz bristled her whiskers at the big black. I am no misery, not anymore. I am a white of Talune -- I have left Black Sands behind. I hated every moment of that life, feeling like I would be manipulated and used at any opportunity.[/b][/color]

Dharth chuckled darkly; the sound made Naz especially wary of this visitor from Eden. Then it is a good thing you have found a home here.[/b][/color] Dharth left it at that, but Nazareth understood his meaning. D'zel had sent a transfer request to Eden as well, as a last-ditch insurance; if Talune hadn't taken them, they were banking on Eden's reputation for accepting any outcast mutant. But if Dharth was anything to go by, the whitepair would have found life in Eden not much better than in Black Sands.

Naz decided that she'd had enough of talking to the behemoth, and withdrew her head to drop it once more in her rider's lap. D'zel stroked her reassuringly until the little white shook off the discomfort her conversation with Dharth had stirred up.

ooc; it rambled. it rambled a lot. but oh well. at least it's a post. that's a miracle in and of itself, the way Melpomene has been lately.
[/size]

[elainsie]

As the first egg split and the bronze emerged, Hailey watched on with mild interest. Although the bronze Hatching first was supposedly a good sign, the young woman hardly gave the newly born creature a second thought. And why would she? It was male, and only Impressed male, thus it would have no interest in her. However this mindset was quickly dispelled when she heard the gasp cicrculating through the Stands. Her gaze had wondered back over to the Queen egg, however for the timebeing it reamined relatively unactive. Turning her head to try and locate the reason for the crowd's response she noticed now not only the Blue who had seemingly been forced from his shell by the bronze's antics and the Bronze graced the Sands, but also one of the Silvers.

Even in her singlemindeness Hailey had to admit that the young silver was a rather beautfiul creature, though not for her, no surely not. She glanced at the rest of the female Candidates having decided that the girl to her right, the one with the cloud of red hair, was most likely to Impress that Silver. She seemed to have the temparement well suited to such a dragon, Hailey mused.

Imere stood on her tippy ties, craning her head to try and get the best look at the Sands and the Hatching dragonets. Unfortunately as the first started to Hatch the group closed in and a much taller girl had blocked her view. Grier however pointed at the gap made by the older girls very long legs, and with a grin Imere dropped onto the floor and crawled between, to some portestations and mutterings.

"There that's better, now I can see," she spoke in a hushed voice as she picked herself up off the ground and dusted down her robe as best as she could. Imere watched the antics of the bronze in bemusement. Was this supposed to happen? Did the other dragons sometimes attack one another at Hatchings? She glanced at the people surrounding her, wondering if they would mind answering her questions, but then noticed the shocked expressions on their faces, and swivelled back to the Sands.

"Oh look at that silver! She's so pretty and sparkly," Imere exclaimed, clamping a hand to her mouth when she realised how her voice carried. "And she's plucky and clever too, just look at her, " this time Imere whispered so only Grier would hear her, as she watched the silver distract her bronze brother from the Onyx egg.

Imere could not help but giggle as that rather irate bronze tripped and fell, but then quickly felt remorse. Maybe the bronze was just angry because he could not find his to bond with? Or maybe there was some other reason for his irritability? Was anyone going top help the dragon up?

However while Imere waited for someone to come forth and help it seemed the bronze had taken matters in his own hand and rightened himself, making a dash for the Silver. Imere could not help but feel rather conflicted, on the one hand she wanted to believe the bronze would only temporarily be like this, she pitied anyone who would have to be bonded to a creature of such temparement for the rest of their life and yet on the other hand she felt concern for the Silver who had now become the Bronze's target. She had protected the Onyx egg, but who was going to protect her?[/color][/size]

[Lauri]

[Jeri wakes up, is like "oh shit, i need to go!", scurries out the door and into the sands without her sandals, hops madly, falls onto Xav, gropes him and they make sweet sweet sandwiches, gets up, is like "wtf where am I?", remembers and skips on over to the female semi-circle where she makes love to all her wimmenz rocks back and forth on her heels quietly. c: ]

[Bacchante]

A crack. So sudden and rapid that if Fal had blinked he would have missed it. If he could blink with his ears, that is. Either way, the Bronze broke free. He vaguely remembered something about this being a good omen. Some such superstitious rot in any case. All he cared about was that the Onyx, possibly his Onyx, hadn’t hatched yet. He didn’t care about the Blue who was pulled from his shell by mistake. He did, however, care that the Onyx Egg was being menaced by the Bronze. What could he do though? Tackle the Bronze? Actually, that wasn’t that bad an idea…

The Dripping Dry Whispers Blue Impressed as he agonized about the choice. Fortunately he was saved from making the potentially fatal choice by the Taste of Iron egg hatching. She scared the Bronze, or probably startled him more like, so that it stopped attacking the Egg. But it was only a matter of time before it went back to the assault and Silver’s weren’t known for their violence. Surely Varanth wouldn’t let his son be harmed? He shot a pleading glance at Varanth and then went down on one knee, just in case.

Faltair repeated his mantra again, for reassurance mostly, and tensed his muscles. If he had to run in there he would and let the other’s be damned. If only he’d brought something shiny to toss and distract the Bronze. All he could do was trust in Varanth and pray that the Onyx awoke before the Bronze could do any serious damage.

[Onyxaeon]

Rytaik's eyes passed over the Bronze hatchling with intent interest as he moved about the sands, his rainbow hued orbs swirling in irritation as his tail lashed out, spilling the Dripping Dry Whispers Blue out of his shell and onto the hot surface of the Hatching Grounds. His interest was not on the Blue who seemed to not mind his early rousing, but on the Bronze. Even though the dragon displayed a rather...unpleasant personality, he knew such a creature was for himself to be bonded with. He did not have the nature for a Blue or Red, or even Brown, so it did not surprise the male when the Blue walked past him as he nosed through the candidates to find a lad a few feet away from him and His. He was, however, taken aback by the Bronzling tearing at the Onyx egg's shell, widening the already existing crack from the day of the Touching. From the Stands, he could see from the corner of one eye the Onyx sire bite back a low growl toward his other son. So, Varanth was bothered by the youngling's actions.. Enough to voice it, even, though not do something about it. It appeared he didn't have to, for the Taste of Iron Silver, spotted from head to tail tip, had slipped onto the Sands and stolen the male's attention. When he abandoned the pursuit of the Onyx egg, Rytaik allowed a relaxed sigh to slip from his lips, though his concern soon fled to the Silver who was leading the Bronze around the other unhatched eggs before he stumbled over himself only to rise with more anger written in his deeply faceted orbs. The poor Silver was going to get it now-there was no one to defend her, and these dragons of Talune above all were the most peaceful and gentle. She wouldn't hurt a fly, even for the courage and wite she obviously displayed in having tricked the Bronze into a slow speed chase.

The Dawn of Night Bronze crouched low to the ground, wings stretching out wide to intimidate the Silver. As a hiss fled from his clenched fangs, the Bronze nearly lept after the Silver. The only reasoning for him not doing so being another egg had stopped rocking, this one's crack piercing through the air with a crack rivaling thunder as the egg literally exploded, or so it seemed. Blow Me Down to Dust had broken shell, the tan Brown dragon shaking the egg fragments from his body, bits of shell flung into the nearby candidate's circles, for his was the closest egg to them. His wings mantled, the beige wing membranes standing out against the darker coloring of his body as the stocky Brown hissed violently as his Bronze sibling. How dare he touch a Silver?! The Dawn of Night Bronze turned from the Silver female, his attention rapidly changing directions to the lowely Brown who dared to oppose him. Fool! The larger male charged, the lighter Brown meeting him head on in a hissing clash that left the males scrambling about, various limbs get tangled with the others as they both snapped at each other, neither quite angry enough to use their fangs just yet. The Silver had backed away, moving back to the onyx egg to examine it, gently stroking the surface of her brother's scratched shell lovingly, as if the action itself could heal the scratches. She crooned softly to him, nudging the egg with her speckled maw before she performed the cutest action and laid down beside of the large egg, her ashen wings wrapping around the mass of the egg.

The Bronze had not let this slip his attention, and he tried to climb out of the Brown's hold, falling over himself for the Brown, smaller though he may be, weighed more than he, and had him effectively pinned. That was, until the Bronze began to thrash, his tail smacking the nearby sands and sending a small green egg into the air: the Lost Beneath the Pines Green. The Brown's eyes followed the egg, the smaller male releasing his brother as he dove-yes, dove-to save the little Green egg. He didn't quite make it. One wing had partially caught the egg, yes but it had not saved the top half of the Green's shell from breaking, a small, black-green dragon head poking out from the top of the shell opening. She was so dark a green, she was practically black in appearance save for the lime green of her tail tip. The small Green stepped out of her broken shell, flicking the Brown’s maw with that lime green tail tip of hers before prancing away from the nasty Bronze who had finally gotten his footing, clumsy dear that he was. The Green was ungrateful to her Brown savior, merely shrugging it off as she trotted in front of the Dawn of Night Bronze, protesting his authority as she moved confidently into the circle of girl candidates. So stunned was the Bronze, he stared after the smaller female, the Brown having a chance to get up and wander back to protect his Silver sibling before the male regained his composure as the female finally pushed her head into the stomach of one tall, blonde girl. Mine, you must get out of those robes now. They simply will not do. Come along now, your Deineth needs to be fed. The Green female began to prance off of the Sands, calling back to the blonde female, for she was not following after her. Tamie Mine, come, now. I am hungry, don‘t you know? Hustle! The two newly bonded pair were off of the Sands before the Bronze had even thought to look back at the Silver still guarding the onyx egg, or the Brown now guarding her. Upon turning, though, he could only stomp his clawed foot in irritation. Why wouldn’t they let him at him?!? He threw his wedged head back, swaying his neck back and forth in a waving fashion that would be the human equivalent to banging one’s head upon the wall. As the male took out his frustrations, another egg began to rock frantically, the An Affair’s Kiss egg rolling on its own away from the second main cluster of egg, down along the far wall, through the throng of male candidates, and into the girl’s circle. This had only been possible because candidates had moved, of course, but that didn’t matter as the triangle covered shell began to crack in several places. Another egg had taken to this same situation, though his was hidden behind silver wings and his crack was growing far faster than the Red’s whom the girls had crowded around. The onyx egg began to slip down the center, the crack from many days earlier only widening, and the Silver gradually backed away, the Brown following suit. The Bronze, however, was fixed on the egg. Oh, he would wait for his brother, and then all hell would break loose.

The Red’s egg won out in hatching first, her own birth not to be out shadowed by the onyx’s as the plucky, lithe little Scarlet stumbled from her egg, shaking off her thick egg fluids like a canine might and spreading the goop on nearby girls’ robes. They didn’t mind, though, for the little dear was so unbelievably adorable! She was a fine size for a Red, and had a vaguely pinkish tint to her flawless hide; yes, unlike her brothers and sisters before her, she born no birthmark other than an unblemished hide. She was a little thick in the legs, but that was only a minor thing as the female crooned, studying her own wings curiously as she tried to figure out what the things were that were attached to her body. Struggling with this thought, she stood, shakily at first, and then more sure of herself, nosing one older girl to one side carefully before nuzzling the legs of one of the younger candidates. Naryn Mine, I am your Kiiyth. Can you please tell me what these long, floppy things are? I‘m not quite sure what they‘re used for and I‘m curious. The little girl hugged the neck of the Scarlet, the pair too busy trying to get off the sands and explain things to see that another dragon had wandered into the group; the Taste of Iron Silver. The Brown lingered back, keeping a careful eye on the Bronze brother of his while the other watched the lovely Silver as she craned her neck, eyes searching over and through the girls to find Hers. When at last it seemed she had found her Mine, the Silver moved confidently up to the girl, placing her head in Hailey’s extended hands and stroking her cheek into the touch. Hello MineOwn. My name is Lamisith, and you are Mine. Can we please find some food soon? You don‘t have to take me now if you want to watch the Hatching, but I want to eat today sometime. I can wait, though. The Silver tilted her head in her rider’s hands, running a forked tongue over the girl’s arm until another, final crack caught the dragon’s attention and she craned her neck around the see an ebony mass uncurl itself from inside the shell. Wings as dark as between extended, a hush stealing over the crowd as the Onyx lifted his head regally, walking from his shell’s fragments as if he had planned the entire event. With unseeing eyes-he seemed focused on something not really there-his attention passed over to the Bronze who had attacked his shell. He did not give the other male much more than a cursory glance, simply unfurling his wings and fanning the wide expanses. He easily outsized the Bronze, and the other male knew that as he took in the sight of his black brother with a sickly shade of envy written in his optics. The longer he stared at the metallic hide, the further his anger began to twist his insides. How he hated the other male! For no other reason than he was not natural, Because he was a mutant and, even though he was young, the Bronze knew this. He had to take a stand for his own color, for the no-mutants who belonged here! The Dawn of Night Bronze held firm to his ground, wings flaring out to meet the Onyx’s as he stood erect, trying to seem larger and intimidate the other male. The Onyx was not fooled. He was like his sire, certainly, black as between, regal, and apparently very well controlled. He had to make a point, though. That he would not rise to bait the fool of a sibling he had, but that he would not be pushed around. Jaws parted to reveal long, ivory fangs, a young roar that came like crashing thunder breaking through the air and spooking the Bronze, if only for a moment. This was all the Onyx needed to draw his wings back in and turn away from the other male, taking to arranging the fragments of his broken shell into a neat pile. Like his sire indeed. There were differences, though, and this D’ron could spot, for he knew his dragon and his dragon’s color better than any sitting in the Stands now. This new male’s hide was glossier, more metallic in nature, and due in no account of the still drying egg material. Yet, his body size was close to, if not spot on for how large Varanth had been when he was a hatchling-this dragon would grow to a fair size, it was certain. Other changes were not so noticeable yet, such as personality or intelligence, but if it came of Varanth’s line, the apple would not fall far from the tree. Or, so D’ron believed as his eyes wandered over to Faltair. There was no telling how long the Onyx would remain on the Sands before he chose a rider or if he even did at all, so all they could do was wait. Wait as see if this was to be the second Onyx to ever hatch and Impress.

[Dragonmage]

Mairis watched the young silver lead her bronze brother on a chase around the unhatched eggs. The silver was a bold one and would be a handful for whoever ended up being her rider, that was clear. While she was watching the silver, the Blow Me Down To Dust Egg exploded into a brown. Mairis jumped back when the brown threw himself between the silver and the bronze. The young woman had no idea where the brown had come from. Wow, she really needed to pay more attention to her surroundings if the dragonets were going to hatch like that. Otherwise, she could easily end up mauled.


It was almost amusing when the brown and the bronze got tangled up in each other's limbs. The only reason Mairis could keep from laughing was the simple fact that the bronze, if he could figure out that she was laughing at him, might maul her for doing that. A small green egg got tossed into the air from an impact by the bronze's whipping tail. Although the brown kept the egg from landing hard on the sands, the green inside ignored him and went right off to find her rider. Oh well, greens were fine, but other colors seemed like they might fit better with her own personality. A pretty red hatched and came up so close that she actually pushed Mairis out of the way to get to her rider. The silver, after a good bit of looking around, Impressed to Hailey. Mairis may have known the names of some other candidates but that in no way made her close friends with them.

[Bacchante]

((OOC: I post this now because I have to since my free time will be severely limited over the next few days and I don't want to make you wait. Have fun Onyx.))

Varanth showed no signs of interfering with the Bronze’s antics, despite growling his discontent. Fortunately a Brown had come forth to rescue the Silver from the battle-monger. Fal smiled with relief as the Bronze was drawn away from the Onyx Egg, still not hatched. He chuckled to himself as the Silver cradled his, well what might me his, Onyx’s shell. He’d have to find the rider of that one later, if it Impressed, so that he could thank it properly. Some strange thing occurred over to the side. Faltair glanced a moment at it, seeing the Brown diving for an egg. It landed, sort of, and hatched right there with the dark Green inside trotting off to Impress without a care in the world. He turned to look and saw the Bronze staring, the Brown moving away to guard the Silver. He didn’t attack though, as Fal anticipated, but seemed to be throwing a draconic tantrum.

The Onyx egg was hatching. He almost didn’t notice it at first, seeing merely a faint line on the surface. But then it became obvious, the crack left when the little King had smacked his egg over was being pushed at. Fal’s anticipation would, however, last longer than he thought. A Red broke out and sprayed fluid all around, which managed to miss Faltair. It wandered off with its partner moments later, with the Silver going over to impress. Not that the trickster cared. He stared at the Onyx Egg. It had hatched.

It was not what Fal had been expecting, to be sure. He had thought something amazing would happen, an explosion of egg and a triumphant beast pouring out. Yet this was somehow more… fitting. Yes, that was the word. It rose from the egg in such a majestic, graceful manner. The candidate staring at him had to fight off a tear. He watched calmly, in a sort of hypnotic bliss, as the Onyx rose to the foolish Bronze’s challenge and scared him off for the time. He watched, detached, as the Onyx piled up his egg fragment’s neatly. Faltair made a note to collect them later, if he succeeded in this venture. They might make a nice gift for… well he didn’t know its name yet did he? It hadn’t acknowledged him. D’ron was certainly watching him, as Fal noted from the corner of his eye. ‘On the Sands, go to your knees and confess to him of what you have done.’ That was what he had said. In this time, in this place, he had to beg forgiveness from the one creature whose opinion he actually worried about.

Faltair went from one knee to two, bowing his head to the Sands below. He couldn’t say aloud what he had done, for such would take far too much time. The Onyx might Between long before he was done. So he had to try this another way. Carefully, unsure of what he was doing, he tried to talk to the Onyx without words. “I am Faltair, born of Talune Hold, Candidate of Talune Weyr. I was the one who knelt beside you that day, the one who you leaned for. I am told that I must show you things, some of which shame me greatly. I am told that it is you who will decide my fate for these acts. If you will watch, I will show. Look at what I have done, and judge me as you will:”

With that Faltair opened up. He was as careful as he could; trying to ensure that only the Onyx Hatchling would be allowed in. He show, catalogued and categorized, all of his mischief and misdemeanors to those who deserved it much, to those who were perhaps not entirely undeserving and to those who were harmed without case or need other than the boy’s own amusement. More than that he transmitted as best he could what he felt at the time, the reveling in the harm or the cold justice he wrought, be the first a harmless prank and the latter on one who, in the eyes of the boy, had earned his punishment. Beyond that still he showed how he felt now, how he understood that what he had done was wrong and how he had known that at the time but refused to acknowledge it. It was over as soon as it had started, all that shown and given in the blink of an eye. Faltair kneeled on the sands, shaking almost imperceptibly, while tears welled into his eyes. Seeing himself, doing that, was too much for even him. How could he be forgiven for causing such pain to so many people? Hundreds of incidents, of attacks on undeserving people just gullible enough to be caught. Well, who was the fool now?

[Desert]

Dharth watched, his eyes wheeling with streaks of seafoam green, as the brown and bronze tumbled together in a thrashing knot that nearly smashed a tiny green egg. A low rumble bubbled up from the depths of the behemoth's chest; whether a chuckle at the show, a low note of encouragement to the fighters in a macabre counterpoint to the other dragons' hum -- to which Dharth had never added his own voice, at any Hatching -- or something else was uncertain.

However, when the onyx egg deemed it time to hatch, Dharth was unimpressed; he even gaped a cavernous yawn, expelling a lungful of hot, phosphine-reeking breath out into the atmosphere while his tail flopped back and forth languidly. While most of the rest of the audience was breathless, leaning forward in their seats to gaze in utmost respect and anticipation at the hatchling onyx, the blackpair from Eden were unmoved. Dharth considered himself -- and all blacks -- to be superior in every way to Talune's onyxes; they were bigger, fiercer, and some like Dharth had skills most other dragons only dreamed of. Dharth saw no reason to revere this stripling; even as rare as an onyx was, he saw nothing particularly spectacular about him. Blacks and cyans both were rare as well, and both were considerably more interesting. K'dran ignored his dragon's behavior and remained stoically observing the Hatching; though he knew many would take insult to Dharth's antics, they were subtle jabs that couldn't be challenged without bringing disapproval down on the one to issue the challenges.


Xavier didn't quite know what hit him. He was standing there, minding his own business, when something smacked into him from behind and sent him plowing right into the searingly hot Hatching sand. He yelped in pain and twisted out from under whatever had tackled him -- it helped that whoever had crashed into him had scrambled up as well -- and very nearly leaped to get away from the heat. Shells and Shards, but that was the second time that had happened before this very clutch! First Linnelyth's protectiveness had sent him for a spin at the Touching, and now this! Xavier spun to give the blundering fool who'd knocked him down a piece of his mind, but Jeri was already scampering away. What had she been doing among the boys? He shook his head, bemused, and turned his attention back to the eggs. Whatever.

While he'd been distracted, several more eggs had hatched; the Blow Me Down brown having already tackled his bronze brother, and the two were locked into their tussle by the time Xavier looked up. In quick succession a scarlet from the Affair's Kiss egg and the Lost Beneath Pines green emerged into the world and found their lifemates from among the girls. Xavier looked on the Blow me Down brown with approval for his interference at the behest of his silver sister and onyx brother; a faint smile curved his lips as he watched the dusty brown linger protectively near the onyx egg even after the silver had gone to find her bonded.

His movement stilled respectfully when the onyx emerged; he didn't completely freeze like some of the other boys around him -- he didn't aspire to be an onyxrider -- but he still displayed a level of respect for the newborn onyx. Part of it was an instinctive reaction to the actions of the ones around him, some of whom looked particularly like deer in the headlights, so avid was their concentration.


Maylin smiled hugely in relief and gratitude at the Blow Me Down brown's considerate actions. She worried for his safety, anf that of the bronze, but as the two quarrelers broke apart and both seemed unscathed, she relaxed. Then her attention was attracted toward the green, scarlet and eventially silver who took to looking for their bonded. She tensed in excitement and anticipation whenever one of the hatchlings passed, but apparently none of them were meant for her. She couldn't suppress a twinge of disappointment as she was passed by, but this Hatching had barely begin, so she kept glancing back to the clutch; especially to Sparked by Sunrise.


D'zel joined in the applause as three more dragonets Impressed, while Nazareth crooned happily for the new weyrlings. She pressed her bewhiskered muzzle into her rider's chest, and D'zel affectionately ran his hands over her sleek head. Watching this brought back memories of his own Impression, and he smiled fondly as he remembered a tiny newborn Naz coiling herself around his ankles after driving off a curious illusion. So much had happened since then, and only two Turns had transpired; looking back, it felt like time had passed in a blur, when at the time often the moments had seemed to drag on endlessly.

ooc; ick with the short. >_>;;