The Clutch that Shouldn't Have Been [A Touching]

[Epic Squid of Legend]

The broody mother Snow had been very picky the past few sevenday, weaving her head over the nice clutch of twenty-seven. It was a very good Clutch, too, considering there were two large Queen-eggs, kept close to Silvyth and far from prying eyes.

The snow hissed as Candidates filed in, not wanting a single person near her eggs, not even Kisa. Her clutch was special, she wanted to make sure the eggs would survive even though she had been pregnant with them when she chewed the firestone. She was so sure something was wrong with her eggs, something her precious Xyurith knew about but she couldn't see or smell. She didn't want anyone near them, just in case they'd kill what might not even be alive.

It was N'nika who was on the Sands, watching the weaving head and trying to get close to the eggs. She spoke to the Queen, the dragon of the woman she loved but was driven away from- "Silvyth, Silvyth- I've got to make sure the eggs are okay!" she moved forward slowly, quickly wondering where Kisa was. Silvyth reared her head back, eyes whirling slowly as she watched N'nika place an un-gloved hand gently on the nearest egg. Tension filled the air, growing steadily as her hand glided over the surface and her face became clouded.
Then, a smile and a nod to Silvyth, who relaxed only slightly as N'nika moved to the next egg, over and over again letting her hand glide over the smooth surface of each egg and smiling at Silvyth to tell her the embryo within was alive and well.

Still... N'nika needed to reach the Queen eggs. She had been spoken to by a young man almost her age recently with an idea about future Ambers. And N'nika was sure... no... she was positive that at least one of the Queen eggs was an Amber-egg. She was about ready to call Xyurith in to hold Silvyth down while she felt the Queen eggs, before an idea came to her mind.. "You know how I knew you were for Kisa?" she asked, inching towards the Queen eggs. Silvyth watched her intently, manteling her wings over the eggs and hissing protectivly. "Syamynth, your Clutch Mother, let me feel her last Queen egg. One was you, one was Xyurith. Xyurith is only the way he is because he had you from the beginning. I'm certain that at least one of your Queen-eggs is an Amber... so if you don't want Xyurith to kill it upon it's Hatching... please let me do something!"

Silvyth remained as she was for several moments before breathing out a huge sigh of resentment and folding her wings to her back. N'nika approached the eggs and gently felt the smaller one. It confused her... she couldn't even tell the gender of what was within it. More than likely a new mutant... but one without a gender? It /almost/ seemed male, which frightened her into thinking of a new sort of Amber, but as the embryo within turned, N'nika knew it wasn't anything like an Amber.

She, still confused, moved onto the next Queen egg, the larger of the two. She touched the surface of it with a single finger, withdrawing quickly when Silvyth made a warning noise before placing her palm on the shimmery surface. She frowned at first, feeling the surface for a long time in the same spot. She then stood quickly, "This one needs to be contained in a seperate room, we will build a wall around it and put a Snow-egg in with it and allow only two Candidates to enter when it's time for the Hatching, but for now we need to let the Candidates in and do the Touching" then she turned and walked up into the Stands, waiting for the first of the Candidates to arrive. No one would be allowed to touch the Queen eggs, despite what N'nika knew to be within one.

[elainsie]

"Where are you going?" The bone rider called from his position on the bed, one arm propping up his head as he gave an apprecaitive glance at the young woman who was only partly clothed.

Zaira waited until her head was through the tunic before answering the man, giving a wiggle of her hips so the apparel sat better upon her. "To the touching of course, what did you think I was going to do? Spend the whole day in bed?" She rose an eyebrow in question, her luscious lips pulled up in what was almost a smirk. "And yes we both know how much such an idea appeals to me, but I also want to become something other than a Candidate and unfortunately you, and no other man, can give me what I want in that regard." She scooped up her long auburn hair, tying it back in a runner tail. "Did you see where that ribbon I was wearing went?" She bent down to peer under the bed and scan the rest of the floor but came up lacking.

"No, I did not. Does it really matter? You have heaps of them. And if your not going to come back to bed, can I at least see you at the next meal?" The man's tone was put out, as if he could not fathom why Zaira would rather attend the touching over his company.

Zaira supressed the sigh of exasperation. It had been too good to be true, thinking she had finally met a man who had her same interests at heart, who was contet with a casual dalliance, and nothing else. Why did they always want to complicate things with feelings and thoughts? Ugh, the thought made her feel ill. Not one to tiptoe around another's sentiments the Candidate shook her head. "I am afraid not. And I think it's time this," she waved her hands around as she spoke, "Came to an end. You seem to be getting too attached, and I warned you that I don't do that. Thanks for last night though, see you around." And with that Zaira grabbed her boots in one hand, and left the bone rider's weyr before he had time to even utter a protest, not that anything would have changed her mind.

As she approached the Hatching Ground she paused, placing a hand on the wall for balance as she pulled her boots on. Zaira was not stupid, she knew the Sands were hot and for this reason she had chosen her most thick-soled shoes.

She waited with the rest of the milling Candidates for the word to enter the Grounds, however when it came it seemed the majority were fearful of being the first to step onto the warm Sands. With another sigh, she pushed past a group of whispering, wide eyed girls, and took the first step onto the Sands. Had she looked behind she would have noticed the rest of the Candidates had quickly tagged along behind her, but Zaira only had eyes for the Queen who fiercely protected her eggs.

Zaira sunk into a respectful bow of acknowledgment, "Thank you for this chance to meet your children. I promise I will inflict no harm upon any." Zaira's hazel eyes met those of Silvyth, before the girl straightened and approached the closest egg to her. It was smaller than most, but Zaira knew size was a poor judge of the quality of a dragon. The former Harper allowed her cool hand to brush the hardening egg shell, trace a swirl that decorated the egg and almost pulled away at the jolt she felt as a result of the dragonet inside. Was the dragon meant to do that? Why had she not thought to ask someone what to expect before she came here? With a look at her neighbour, she noticed a similar startled reaction and decided it must be normal. Reassured, she moved onto the next egg.

[Lyrikitty]

Kisa was well enough accustomed to how Sylvith's clutchings went, and to how the Touching, and Hatching, would go. She was in no rush to go down and be insulted, threatened, and harassed by the generally sweet Snow, and had taken her time getting out of bed, offering mental support to the former queen while she had her breakfast and made her way to the sands slowly.

Sylvith, though, fretted, growling and lashing her tail while N'nika looked over the eggs and checked them all, her wings mantled until finally the womn moved away. Quickly the snow moved back in to coil herself around her clutch, hiding them away with her wings and her body. She saw those candidates eyeing her darlings, and she'd not let them near her clutch unless she thought they were alright.

She seemed to have missed a few eggs though, in her rush to gather them all up, and the candidates came in, their greedy, eager hands reaching for the shells to lay apon them as if by that alone they'd be assured a hatchling when time came. only one so far had even thought to give a glance to the Snow, though she had not waited for long, the rest... Oh woe to the rest, for Sylvith was a protective clutchmother, and even Kisa could rarely get to the sands to tend to the dragon.

Hissing, she snapped at several candidates, splaying her wings and knocking a few back. Tese were her eggs!

Kisa had reached the sands just as Sylvith threw candidates away with her wings, and she sighed. "Everyone please, give her some space. Let me have a moment with Sylvith and see if I can settle her down. Back up!" The tiny woman continued on, thankful she'd worn boots this morning, and approached her beloved Snow cautiously as most of the candidates who had not been forcefully moved away edged off of their own accord. Silly... We go through this every time. They have-

They have to do no such thing! I know my babies well! I know who they will chose, and I've never been wrong. There is no cause for their greedy, grubby hands to be on my eggs! As she spoke, Sylvith gently collected the few eggs she'd missed, protecting the clutch and glowering at Kisa, her eyes reddened, with streaks of yellow dancing through.

No one will harm a single egg. Xyurith would kill them if they thought of it, and you know it. We all have too much riding on this clutch for you to do this. Now, Silly, please move away and let them see the eggs, or I'll have to ask Xyurith to drag you off by force. Her cerulean eyes were on the snow, pleading with her, to see some reason and quell her protective instincts. Silently, hiding the thougth from even Sylvith, she cursed for none being wise enough to show caution and putting the Snow into a more distressed state than she already was in. She edged closer to her bonded, stretching out a hand in peace. Please Sylvith, go eat. By the time you get back they'll all be gone. N'nika and I will stand guard.

The Snow growled, almost mocking Kisa's promise. You?!?! You are smaller than any of them just about. What would you do? Yell at them? Scold them? Slap their wrist and tell them they shouldn't do that? Bah! N'nika can guard them, but you can't.[/color] She stubbornly held her place, though her head swung quickly around to snap her teeth shut just inches from a young man who was trying to sneak closer to the eggs. A fair enough warning, in her mind. The next one she decided, was going to lose an arm.

Sylvith! Don't you dare doubt me you foolish thing. I have given you my word as your bonded that no harm will come, and if any does, I personally will bring you the culprit and allow you to doll out punishment as you see fit. Now, GET OFF THE SANDS!

The Snow flinched as Kisa's mental voice was raised, stern and unmoving, but she had what she wanted. With a final look at the candidates, and a low snarl under her breath to them, she rose carefully, folding her wings and stalking away to lurk just off the sands, restlessly shifting her weight about and weaving her head. If she sensed anything wrong she was going to be there in a flash.

Kisa sighed, shaking her head and watching the Snow leave. She was almost happy this would be the last time she'd have to go through that, almost. If there was a queen in this clutch, she could relax. turning back to the candidates, she nodded. "Alright, you lot can come back and we can have a touching, but don't dally about, please." She walked to N'nika, looking up at the woman she so dearly loved somberly. "Well?" she wanted to know what the clutch held, at least if anything was seriously wrong with it. What was there was less important, just that it was alrigh, just that the Weyr would have a chance.

[Epic Squid of Legend]

N'nika watched with some facination as Kisa and Silvyth argued. Her hands on her hips, she waited patiently as the snow-mother snapped at a boy, her eyes slipping over to the two Queen eggs with every chance. As Kisa took handle of the situation and forced Silvyth to the sidelines, N'nika couldn't help but wonder where Xyurith was. He was missing the fun, and he hadn't (to her knowledge) even come to see the Clutch he sired.
~I do not wish to see dead eggs~ he had told her several days before. N'nika was starting to get worried about him, he had started eating less and less and just spent his days looking blue. N'nika was starting to think he had un-bonded himself, and was thus slowly dying from despair. He was depressed, and maybe what N'nika had to say to Kisa would cheer him up... hopefully.
"They are all healthy, not a dud here," she said proudly, exclaiming it in her mind as well, but she felt no response. Then a cloudly look overcame her face as she sighed, walking towards the Queen Eggs and motioning for Kisa to follow. "These two are healthy as well, but this one contains an Amber... with two heartbeats..." she frowned, placing a hand on the rough-textured shell, "Or, it could be twins."
Then she turned to the other egg, running her fingers down the shell as she crouched next to it, putting her head gently against it's rounded surface. She seemed puzzled, like she was trying to listen to something she couldn't quite hear. "And this one..." she started, shutting her mind off from Xyurith completly for a moment, "Isn't a Queen... I think it's male..." she was troubled, knowing what it meant for New Cove. But there was still something odd about this egg... like it was trying to be female but couldn't quite get to it. Another male-queen mutant was bad enough, but what if it came out mixed, or even genderless? A male could at least Sire a clutch, but a genderless dragon from a Queen egg... it was heartbreak.

She stood, looking down at the egg that would decide their future, the future of New Cove Weyr. She hoped she was wrong about it's gender, hoped by Faranth that it would Hatch female and fertile... but there was another problem at hand.
"Kisa, we need to quarantine the Amber egg," she said abruptly, turning around rather suddenly to face the egg she knew to house at least a double-hearted Amber, if not twins....