Good, bad, or indifferent. [Hatching]

[Lyrikitty]

Silvyth lay on the sands, her belly warmed from the searing heat, her eggs hardened, ready to hatch very soon. She was perhaps one of the more protective females of Pern, when it came to her eggs, and she refused to allow even one to be handled by anyone who was not Kisa or N'nika. Already, she'd taken a large portion of the forearm from one lad who thought himself clever, though thankfully the normally sweet and gently Snow had made her point very clear with that act. There was to be no touching this time around, and there was to be no one sneaking onto her sands for any reason. In fact, all it took to draw the Snow's ire was for somone, dragon or human either, to walk too near the entrance to the sands, or to linger for too long outside in sight. But right now, she was safe. It was deep in the dead of night, and most sane persons were sound asleep. Restlessly she rose, padding about her clutch and nudging eggs gently as she went, trying to decide where to put them, turning them as they so needed. There was a small group set aside, ones which she sensed were much higher ranked than the others, much more special.

And of course, the massive egg which looked to be a queen, but which she knew thanks to N'nika held another Amber, was in another part of the sands entirely, and it was to here she moved next, checking the enclosure which had been created to try and encourage the hatchling within to Impress willingly. She shuddered delicately, at the thought of another Amber on Pern. She adored her Xyurith, but he was mad at her. And Xanturnoth... She felt ill every time she thought of that monstre, hatched of her own clutch, sired by her beloved. Of course, it was not that they had done anything wrong. Xanturnoth was an Amber in every sense of the word, and yet he had somehow learned a trick or two, an ability to quell the need to rend flesh and destroy, though the Snow held no doubt her offspring could and would cause a massacre if the chance ever arose.

Look at what he had done to Pern in a single blow, sending one of his wretched Wildfires out into the night to stop the life-giving clutches of several queens. She should smash this Amber egg, if she knew what was good for her, but her very color prevented her from bringing harm to a single of her unhatched children. With a heavy sigh, she turned away, padding to the smaller group of odd eggs, and laying down once more, culing around them protectively and turning her glittering, faceted eyes to the entrance. The colors were not thos elovey shades, foamy in appearance, of blues and greens depicting happiness, but the haunting tons of worry, fear. They had been that way ever since she'd chewed firestone, save the occasions when they ere stained a violent red and orange, times when she struck at anyone who ventured too near.

Kisa sat carefully in the stands, watching her dear Snow's restless actions. There was no real need to turn them and check them right now, but the dragon was uneasy, and Kisa did not blame her. The small woman watched her bonded with sadness coloring her cerulean pools, dark hair a tangled mess. She too had refused to leave the sands, to let the eggs out of her sight, since they were laid. The cause of this was uncertain, just yet, for it could be conern or her dragon which kept her glued to this place, or it could be her anxiety over what would happen when the eggs finally cracked. Either way, Kisa had remained. Food and drink was brought thrice a day to the small woman, set on the ground as close as anyone dared come, or was permitted, before Silvyth started growling at them. No one could be faulted for stopping as soon as the dragon started to growl, for she was just shy of the size of an Amber, and that meant a lot of beast to contend with. Many a time Silvyth had taken amusement in scopoping Kisa up in her maw and carrying her about, until her Rider started yelling about the drool.

On occasion, Kisa would eat what was brought, but more often than not it went to waste, though she was good about taking the drinks. Earlier today, no food had come, but a mug of steaming broth, most likely sent by one of the healers to put some nutrients in her, and tihs happened once more as Kisa watched, a young woman edging in and sticking close to the wall, so close Kisa could hear the faint scraping of her clothing on the stone. The Snow's head shot 'round, lips quivering in a silent growl as she rose, bristling, eyes swiftly changing their hue to one which froze the woman in her tracks. Very slowly, the womanknealt, setting the mug on the ground and making sure it didn't fall. Her hands rose, palms facing the Snow, and the woman edged away once more, leaving the area just as quickly as she could, Silvyth never taking her eyes off her for a second. The Snow did not settle quickly, but instead curled tighter around her precious clutch, wary, and only when Kisa rose and ventured closer, a cautious hand gently touching silken hide, did the Snow show any sign of beginning to relax again.

The woman made her way to the mug and picked it up, sipping the hot contents gently. Another fortified broth, rich flavors dancing over her tongue. "Silvyth, have you any clue when they will hatch?" She craddled her drink between both hands, her eyes turned up to the dragon patiently.

Silvyth did not rush her answer, instead looking over the eggs closely, studying them. Soon. Very soon. Within the next... Three hours. She nodded slowly, looking at her rider for a moment, before her eyes turned out to the rest of the Weyr. Come, sit with me KisaMine. I... I need you close to me now. As much as she hesitated to admit it, she needed the soothing comfort of her Rider right now, an assuarance that everything would be alright. Never had the Snow been so fearful of a Hatching, never had she been filled with such anxiety.

Kisa nodded, walking to the Snow and perching atop on folded limb, leaning against the soft hide and sighing. "I can't tell you what you want, you know that darling. I can't tell you this clutch will be fine, that Xyurith will forgive you, and that life will continue, perhaps even return to some symbolance of normality. I can, however assure you that no matter what happens, we stick together. You picked me and now you're stuck with me, whatever may come, and fate be damned. You're not just the first Snow or any of that silliness to me, heck for all I care you could have been a Green. You're my dragon, my bonded, my lifepartner Silly. So even if New Cove turns against you today, I won't. We'll leave and find a new home if we must, get a fresh start. No matter what may come you will always have my forgiveness and my love, sweet darling."

The Snow blinked slowly and craned her neck, twisting so she could bend her head and touch the tip of her muzzle against Kisa's leg. You always know what to say, KisaMine. Thank you.

The Snow settled her maw to the ground, watching the eggs and waiting, her breathing steady, and the fainstest traces of blue dancing through her wheeling orbs. They sat that way for two hours in silence, until one egg gave a twitch, so small that Kisa missed it entirely. Silvyth did not, and her head lifted, eyes narrowed as she watched it, waiting for further movement. It didn't disappoint, giving another little twitch, and the Snow notified Kisa. They are starting.

Kisa rose, padding across the hot sands quickly and settling into the stands to watch, listening as the deep sound of Silvyth's humming rose to the air from the slender neck.

[Desert]

As Silvyth lifted her voice to announce the coming Hatching, there was at least one other pair awake in all of New Cove Weyr. A'res had been unable to go to sleep, so around midnight he had resigned himself to a night sitting curled against Wygith's warm shoulder. For once, it wasn't any nightmare that kept him alert long past the time he should be sleeping; from time to time, he was just unable to drift off to sleep, and he hadn't a clue why. Whenever that happened he would always abandon his bed and go to his dragon's couch -- perhaps less comfortable, but more comforting by far. The big bone would always curl his forelegs around to cradle his rider's body, with one shoulder providing a backrest. If he had to stay up to herald the dawn with the watchrider, at least he could do so nestled in Wygith's affectionate grasp.

This night, sleep seemed to have decided to creep up on A'res as he sat leaning against his dragon's neck; however, he was roused when Wygith lifted his head. A soft croon rolled from the bone's muzzle as he tilted his head to look at A'res. Both of them could ear the Hatching hum crescendo. Wygith stood and A'res hauled himself onto the big bone's withers, with a helpful nudge of the bone's foreleg, then when A'res was mounted, Wygith dropped from his ledge and glided into the Weyrbowl, and from there into the Hatching Grounds. As he hove in to land on a tier, Wygith crooned his greeting to Silvyth.

Silvyth, my sister. No matter what has happened or will happen, me and Mine will always stand behind you.[/b][/color] It was a simple statement, but it was all he felt the need to say. And he meant it, too. As the saying went, blood is thicker than water; or in his case, ichor. Silvyth was hatched from the same clutch as he -- usually dragons didn't put as much stock in clutchsibling relationships as humans did, but perhaps it was because they were both the first of their color that made the bond stronger. Either way, and no matter what, he would always back up his sister snow with the same dedication as he would A'res.

A'res, for his part, felt the same, so he let Wygith speak for both of them. He couldn't pretend the same closeness, but he didn't think that just because Silvyth was a flaming snow now made her any less of a queen. He fought back a sigh, recalling that he'd thought the same thing of another recently sterilized queen: Daisyth. The Crystal Cavern gold was due to Rise soon, according to the last time he'd heard from Llaina. He was nervous about that Flight despite the confidence he'd shown when speaking to Llaina about it, but whenever he did, Wygith firmly reminded him that he was more than a match for any Northern king, and at any rate the competition would probably be less fierce now that a clutch wasn't riding on the conclusion of the Flight.

Withj a shake of his head A'res banished those thoughts from his mind -- today was Silvyth's day. He lifted one hand to salute Kisa before settling down next to Wygith, then watched as people trickled into the Grounds for the Hatching. The usual excitement present during a Hatching seemed to be muted today. As sad as that was, A'res was slightly relieved, for Hatchings had ever been bittersweet moments for him, and being surrounded by irrepressibly happy people wore on him. Wygith crooned softly and nuzzled his head against his rider's side. The bone too felt his rider's echoing loss, barely dampened for all the distance time had put between those memories. But on these occasions he didn't try to cheer A'res up and make him think of something else, for Hatchings for riders to remember their own moments of Impression and reaffirm their bonds. Though Lenarth was gone, her memory was still honored, and Wygith would never deny his rider the chance to look back on the few moments of happiness he'd had with the sickly green.
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[Epic Squid of Legend]

N'nika had been semi-avoiding the Sands, having only come to rest near the entrance a small number of times and having entered it even fewer. She had had to near the beginning to section off the Amber egg. She hoped to keep the bloodthirsty mutation under control by only allowing one (or in the instance of this double-heartbeated egg, two) Candidates in. The two she had chosen for the Egg were calm, sedate, older Candidates. Hopefully they would rub off on the fiesty Kings and make them more like Xyurith. Hopefully...

When the hum started she was sleeping, however fretfully, on a cot in Xyurith's weyr. The Amber had been growing sickly, his spiraling horns flaking and his hide growing dim. Lately he had been refusing to eat, just sitting on his ledge staring out at the coast or sleeping. He was doing the latter now, or faking it at least. His eyes were half open, their nearly grey hue staring blankly towards the entrance. The hum went past him, making him blink slowly and only once. He remained stationary for a few moments, very long moments, and just stared. It took a while for the meaning of that hum to register with him, when the grey turned yellow he lifted his head and looked to N'nika, ~They're ready, mine, the eggs are ready~ he said, his mental voice slow and distracted. He lurched to his paws, a bit unsteady, before going to his tossing Rider and nosing her off her cot.

N'nika hit the floor, trapped in her furs, and for a moment thought someone was trying to kill her. She struggled and yelped before she saw her beloved Amber's eyes infront of her face then calmed immediatly. Then, noticing the hum, N'nika started to struggle again to get out of the furs. Xyurith helped a bit by grabbing hold of one corner and pulling away, jerking them away from his rider.

N'nika stood, shaking her head and walking back into her weyr to grab a pair of trousers. Partially dressed she came back to Xyurith and patted his shoulder, "If you don't want to go, love, have at it. But I think you'd do better to come. There's a few good eggs that might be new Snowqueens..."

Xyurith sighed, dragging himself to the ledge. ~I'll go, I need to see my offspring Hatch~ he said, then dropped off the ledge and glided over to the Sands

N'nika went the back way, climbing down many flights of stairs and going down a long hallway before entering the Sands by a little side-passage that linked to the Queenweyr Xyurith currently inhabited. She looked up at the star-studded sky for a moment before working her way through the growing crowd to make it near Kisa. How she wanted to grab that woman's hand and hold it tightly, to even hold Kisa. Xyurith was dying from his own withdrawl from Silvyth, and no one seemed to know but his own Rider.

[esper]

Eocin was sleeping when the hum began and the Candidate Barracks became a churning pit of pure chaos. Within seconds, boys were up, dressing, running this way and that.

It took Eocin nearly a minute to realize what was happening; he lay on his cot in sleepy puzzlement, watching and wondering in a fuzzy kind of way, until one boy broke free from the crowd and dashed away, clad in his Hatching whites, and it all became clear.

The knowledge didn't banish the protests of his body-- hatching or no hatching, his limbs were all for staying in bed--but Eocin's mind broke free of sleep and raced ahead, and his body was reluctantly along for the ride. He dressed without leaving his cot; twisting and turning and having a hard time but also not getting in anyone's way. It wasn't easy, but it was clear why he'd choose to do that as soon as he hopped off and headed for the door. Eocin was small; as soon as he entered the press of Candidates, there was no way he could fight the crowd. He was swept downstream with the lot of them, out of the Barracks and eventually onto the Sands. By then he'd awoken in both body and mind, and a wild grin stretched his features. Excitement bubbled inside him; it was dangerous, certainly, to Stand at a Hatching. Less so then it would have been if that other egg had not been walled off, but still, you never knew what could come your way. Best case, he would Impress. Worst case, he'd have experienced something few people ever had a chance to, and those memories would be forever.

Yimnion didn't speak and barely moved when the Hatching started; he just turned his eyes to his brother, prepared to follow whatever course of action the other decided.

[pandoraMisfit]

So it was the middle of the night. And Zetairen wasn’t sleeping. Again. In fact, it was the third night in a row that he either hadn’t slept, or when he had managed to fall into its embrace, he wasn’t there for long. The nightmares were starting to come back. Again. Of course, he couldn’t escape them, but with such the sullen mood that had descended upon the entire weyr, the lad was feeling more prone to his darker moods and his mind kept turning back to his sister. He hadn’t been to visit her recently, and had heard no news for the last few months and it played upon his mind. So every time he slept, the day that she feel replayed in his mind, only with a worse outcome. She would fall and his hand would reach out to grab hers, too late. She would fall but instead of landing on the balcony below, she would crack her skull off the edge of it, and continue plummeting down, until her form crashed into the ground, small and broken and bleeding. Every time he would jolt awake almost screaming, stifling the noise just before it had managed to escape and wake the other boys in the room.

Tonight was one of these nights and like always, he got himself out of bed, padded quietly over to the door and slipped out, careful not to wake anyone up. And like always, he headed down to the beach. Staring out at the dark water and listening to the calm swishing of the waves on the shore, he tried his best to push the lingering memories of the dream out of his head. Three nights. How many more would it be? A sigh escaped his lips as he rested his head on a raised knee. Breathing in deeply, he began his calming down hum. It was something he had composed himself, and not terribly much of a hum, he thought at least. It started off slow and sombre, but gradually, lighter notes twined their way in until the whole thing because somewhat carefree. It always helped to lighten his mood.

Ears filled with his own humming, it took him a while to realise that someone else was humming in counterpoint to his tune – well, not at counterpoint, for it was just a deep throaty sort of hum. The kind that reverberated through his whole being. Distracted by this, his own hum faded out of existence mid-note and his ears perked as he listened more intently to this other hum. His brain took a minute or so to register what it was, but finally he realised that it wasn’t another person, no, it was a dragonhum!

Scrabbling across the sand as he shot to his feet, if anyone else had been on the beach they would have wondered if the boy had in fact gone between he moved so quickly. The sand under his feet was kicked high into the air as he ran back to his dormitory, to find the other boys already awake and frantically digging through their chests to find their clean, if crumbled Hatching robes. Zetairen stood to one side of the doorway, waiting for the commotion to ease off a little and a few of the others ran out into the corridor.

Finally entering the room proper, he found his own chest kicked open in the excitement. That was no problem though, as his own robes were tucked safely about halfway down, resting atop his best gather clothes – easy to find, but not scrumpled in the rest of the clothes and protected from the bottom of the chest by another layer of fine cloth. Taking them out with a kind of reverence, he laid them as neatly as possible on his bunk before stripping down to his breeches. Tossing his clothes somewhere over his shoulder, he picked the robe up and let it flow over his head to rest on his shoulders, the hem just trailing on the floor. Okay, so the hem itself was a little crinkled, but hardly anyone would be looking at his feet, and from what he had seen of the other boys, his robe was in a much better state than the rest. Looking around, he found he was completely alone in the room, though the open door held testament to the chaos going on out in the corridor. Oh the riders weren’t going to be impressed with being woken up in the middle of the night by such a racket, but who decided when eggs hatched?

Finding his brush proved to be difficult, as the room looked like an angry Magma had just rampaged through it, but eventually, he found it under the far side of someone’s bunk. Running it through his long hair, he wished that he’d washed it that day, but it would have to do; it had only been yesterday he’d washed it at any rate, so it wasn’t exactly dirty. Deftly plaiting it out of the way, the long brown tresses were secured in position with a white leather thong that he had bought especially for the occasion. Finally he slipped on his sandals and was ready to approach the sands. Trepidation grew in his heart though, for a touching hadn’t been allowed as such – with Silvyth having been as broody as she had, there was little chance of anyone getting close to the eggs.

It didn’t take long before he was at the entrance to the sands- the general flow of people meant that he didn’t need to hurry, he just went with the tide.

As soon as he entered, the heat underneath his feet wasn’t verging on uncomfortable, but nothing that he couldn’t withstand, no matter how long the eggs took to break shell. No, what took away from the discomfort was his sheer awe upon seeing the eggs. He hadn’t even gotten to the entrance of the sands on the day of the touching, before the Snowqueen had let loose a terrific roar that sent many skittering. He had taken the word of an elder rider that it had been perhaps best to leave her alone with her eggs for the time being, and that was sound advice he had taken willingly. Now, it was the first time he had set eyes upon the grand clutch and the sight of it was inspiring. So much so that he almost wished he’d brought his pipes along with him so he could tune a song about the day. But then again, with maulings common at hatchings, the likelihood of them being broken wasn’t worth bearing, so leaving them in his room had probably been for the best.

As he turned to face Silvyth, a shadow crossed the already dark sky, blotting out the light of the moon. Zetairen looked skywards to see that Xyurith had come to the sands also, to watch his children hatch from their confines. He bowed to Kisa and N’nika solemnly, then turned and paid the same respect to the huge Amber who sired this clutch. Next, he turned to the Snow and bowing as deeply as he could without tripping himself, Tairen summoned his voice. “Great Snow Silvyth, deeply honoured am I to have laid eyes upon your children before they have hatched, and even more honoured would I be if I had your permission to stand before them, in the hope that one may choose me as Theirs.” Nothing but respect and sincerity coloured his deep tones, nor was this manipulated, for he did indeed feel truly privileged. He had no idea whether any heed would be paid to his words, especially as there were so many other Candidates crowding in around him, but he felt that the words he had spoken were needed, especially as this, her last clutch, would probably be held one of the SnowQueen’s most dear.

[Lyrikitty]

The words of her brother Bone were touching, and Silvyth dipped her head in gratitude for them. She could not express how much such kindness helped, though she was sure he knew already. Another figure appeared, her dear, sweet Amber. Xyurith, who she loved so greatly and who she had failed so horriblly. What she wouldn't give to turn back time and change the way things had happened.

She'd have struck down the Wildfire, attacked her and tried to end her miserable life. She'd have fought, raged, and done everything in her power to ensure that no one faced a similar fate, that no one knew this unbearable torture.

She wondered if ever the Amber would forgive her once more. Even if this clutch proved healthy, it was her last. He was a king, born and bred to be a leader. How could he remain at the side f a docile creature who could no longer provide him the very thing which gave him power? Her heart gave a lurch, and she fought back the urge to keen at the very thought of a life without Xyurith, a life separated from him. She would have to make sure that any Snow daughter born of this clutch never touched firestone, that was the only thing she could think of. Try to make them queens. But... She couldn't do that. Even if she wanted to it would be impossible to keep them away from the firestone forever.

Sighing she turned her gaze to the candidates, orbs wheeling with tones of distress and resentment. Were they worthy to simply walk onto her sands like this? No. Only one had the wit to pause and acknowledge her, and to that one her head now swung, locking her gaze on him carefully. For a moment she was still, unmoving, before she snapped to action.

Her bulk moved in a flash, lunging to knock a boy a few feet from Zetairen away, growling at him. Her head loomed over the offending lad for a moment, lips quivering a low snarl, before he scampered back and off her sands. He was not one fit for her clutch at all. Snorting, she withdrew her head, neck snaking back and forth as she continued to survey the candidates, repeating the process of removing anyone she didn't find suited. It might seem cruel to those who knew not the big Snow. However, anyone who had been to her Hatchings knew otherwise. She allowed none on the Sands if they were not meant for Impression, the Snow had a strange bond to her eggs, and instinctively knew who needed to be no the sands. It lessened the number of casualties as well, though at times she was wrong and left too many candidates present.

She snapped at another boy who fell back, but did not flee. Instead he stood once more and tried to hold his ground on the sands. The Snow hissed, snapping her maw inches away from his torso and snorting, trying to drive him away without having to injure him. It did not work, for each time the land fell he rose again, and did not leave. When finally her limit was reach the Snow scooped the boy into her maw and tossed him off the sands, into the stands where she assumed he'd be held. She paused again to look at Eocin this time, tilting her head for a moment before passing him by, the same went for Yimnion.

On to the girls the Snow moved, shoving away those she disliked or found unworthy, leaving those who stood a chance.

All the while, eggs moved. Some rocking lightly, some only showing the faintest sign of movement. One or two gave violent motions, toppling over in the sand or rolling a short distance. None of it was paid heed by Silvyth, and only when she had weeded out the candidates did she slink away to stand at the edge of the sands, restlessly shifting on her paws, her head low and fretful.

The Snow's timing was good, for only minutes after she had retreated and given the sands up for the Hatching to occur did the first egg break. Leaping from the shards of her shell was a pure white creature, head head tossing about and her wings splayed clumsily. Three steps she took, bounding over the sand, before she tangled herself and fell nose-first into the sand, sending a spray in all directions. Her forepaws folded under her, and her rear came over her head and she rolled, landing on her back with a startled expression on her features, as though unsure of what had just happened. A Snow, perhaps not as good a sign as a Bronze or other king for a Hatching, but considering the circumstances to see a healthy, familiar color was a relief.

Kisa let out a sigh, wishing that N'nika were sitting beside her now, and not just near-by. She wanted to hug the woman fiercely, and thank Faranth that at least one dragon was hatched who could carry on New Cove. So long as that Snow didn't flame, New Cove had hope, right? If only the small woman knew what surprises lay ahead for her and her dragon in this fateful clutch, perhaps she would not be so joyous.

As the first hatchling emerged, Silvyth looked to Xyurith, wondering if he would take this young Snow as his mate in the future, replacing her with her daughter. How fitting a fate would that be? She was happy though, that things were not going poorly, but she was anxious of the rest of the eggs, and what they would be.

The hatchling rolled over, righting herself and clambering to her paws, letting out a warble as she shook herself to try and rid her glossy hide of sand which clung to the damp surface. She found no success, and only managed to fall over once more. She flopped into the sand and blinked, looking at the candidates as though it were their fault, hurt and insulted almost, a rather comical look on the young creature. She didn't yet realize it was merely her clumsy legs, unaccustomed to her weight, that kept her falling. She wanted to go bounding over to greet them all, but they kept betraying her and spilling her to the ground in her enthusiasm.

[elainsie]

OOC: I should have put this in before, sorry for the delay..

"And what exactly do you think you are doing here?" The words cut through the stillness of the Autumn night, reverbrating off the walls the surrounded Zaira and her unknown assailant. The young woman turned around, not guiltily as the person behind her might have expected, but with her head held high and back straight. Her hazel eyes took a moment to determine the figure standing a dragon length away from her, Timor and Beliar not helping matters by remaining inconspicuous, the shadows dancing across the wall and cloaking the figure in darkness that required her eyes to adjust.

It was evident after a moment or two that the other person was also female, though that in itself could have been determined from the high-pitched squawking of the woman. But what qualm could they possibly have with her for wondering around the Weyr at such a late hour? While it was strictly true that as a Candidate she should not be visiting riders' weyrs for nocturnal activities, how would this woman have any idea what she had been up to? Unless she had been followed from the moment she had left the Candidate barracks, but even then, should she be taken before the Candidate Master, there was no way this unknown person had any proof, if in fact it was that she was questioning; the woman would have fared better to wait until after she had left the weyr. And surely her own meanderings at such a time would be brought into question. No, Zaira felt quite safe in the knowledge that there was no way she could possibly be brought to retribution. The only thing she felt she had to fear was being disqualified to Stand, especially with the eggs due to Hatch any day now. It would be cruel indeed to have come so close only to be thwarted at the final stages.

Did she bother to reply? Or was it better if she kept walking and not give herself away should the other woman not have noticed exactly who she was. However the decision was removed from her as the voice broke the ensuing silence. "I see you're broken nose has done little to prevent your whorish tendencies, Zaira. Though I really can't say I am so surprised. Lucky for you, you seem to have found the right place to bestow your...talents." The petite blonde sneered at the last word.

Zaira cursed herself for not recognising that annoying voice earlier, had it really been so long that she had forgotten just how it grated against her ears? Urgh, the woman was just plain awful and she never could understand what any man, particularly X'tren, saw in her. How long before someone else heard Donya's voice and decided to see what all the commotion was about? One spiteful woman would hardly make a difference to her, but if someone respected was to speak against Zaira that could make things more unconfomfortable.

"I could ask you exactly the same thing. At least we both know why I am here, I was asked to be, because unlike some I have something to give. However what I can't fathom is why you would be skulking around at such a time. It would be a starved man indeed to invite you to his room." Zaira could not help but smirk as Donya's face contorted, her eyes shining with ill-concealed rage. She knew this was a dangerous game she played, but when had Zaira ever been one to back down, or give in so easily.

Donya opened her mouth to squawk yet again however she was stilled by a throaty hum, which was quickly joined by deeper voices, the sound rumbling from within hundreds of dragons throats and pouring out to fill the night sky, heralding the Hatching. Glows were opened from the rooms surrounding the pair of women, and doors began opening as people awakened to the dragons humming, preparing themslves for the trip to the Hatching Stands.

"Shards," Zaira softly cursed under her breath, dashing away from the slow filling hallway as she retraced her steps, a lot quicker this time, back to the Candidate Barracks. By the time she arrived only a few stragglers remained, the room in upheavel with blankets tossed aside and ribbons, shoes, and clothing dumped in scattered piles around the room. Of all the nights, this was the one the dragons had taken it upon themseleves to Hatch.

The last group of girls left the barracks as she was pulling on her white robe, tieing it tightly around her trim waist. No time to re-do the plait in her hair, she would hope that she looked respectful enough as was, though Zaira felt reluctant to make her way to the Sands looking as dishevelled as she felt, her hasty flight back to the Barracks not having helped matters. Slipping on the sandals she stubbed her toe on the edge of the trunk and hopped around madly on the one foot for sometime, before the pain subsided enough that she could race onto the Sands.

There were only a smattering of people entering the Sands entrance now but rather run onto the Sands and alert everyone to the fact that she was indeed late, Zaira took three deep breaths, allowing herself time to still her reacing heart, and walked regally onto the Sands.

She approached the Weyrleaders with a graceful nod in their direction before turning her attention on the great queen, Silvyth. It was rumoured this was to be her last clutch ever, something to do with those Black Sand dragons. If that was the case no doubt the queen would only want the very best Candidates to Stand. Would she be one of those? A quick glance of the eyes showed Zaira the image of a number of rejected Candidates scampering off the sands nursing injuries of one sort or another. Zaira would not allow herself to be frightened or intimidated, those Candidates were not her.

For at least in part Donya's words had been correct, or so Zaira believed. Her talents, and not just those in the bedroom, belonged to a Weyr. Her ideas, and her practices were not always looked fondly upon at the Hall, but here, at the Weyr, the weyrfolk were more accepting.

"Silvyth, as beautiful as the flakes you are named after, will you please allow me to Stand among the accepted, to have the chance to befriend one of your most precious children?" Zaira's eyes no longer wavered from the Snow's, boocked out the images on her periphery that served to distract her, as she stood in purgatory.

[pandoraMisfit]

As the great Snow turned her steely gaze upon him, Zetairen could feel his heart pound faster in his chest. Under her scrutiny, he felt as though he was being stripped apart piece by piece until it was determined whether he was worthy or not. His heart pounded a little faster still. What if she had reason to throw him off of these sands? What if she found something in his that she disliked, found unworthy of her children? Standing resolute, he quelled his fear and bowed once more to the great queen. No, his past faults were not accountable here on this day, nor would he let them rule him for much longer. It was time to start getting over them…. If only little by little. As much as he had tried to tell himself this before, he had the feeling that this time something would be different; even if he didn’t Impress this time around, he promised himself something would change, he would make himself a better person for the dragonets still unborn to consider. It was then, in the middle of his promises, that Silvyth’s great head darted past him to knock one of his companions down. Suppressing the urge to skitter to one side, he drew a deep breath before walking slowly to the area where the boys’ circle was slowly beginning to form. Well, as slowly as he could manage without fear of being tripped over by some dimglow who hadn’t the sense to move out of the Snowqueens way before she knocked him down.

His sharp green eyes flitted between the ones who had been outcast, without so much as a raised eyebrow. After all, if the children within the eggs weren’t for them, then why bother wasting their time standing around waiting for them to hatch, only to be left disappointed? A girl raced in, before slowing herself down in time to acknowledge the weyrleaders and then, Silvyth. At least she too had some sense. Digging around in his mind provided him with a name: Zaira. Not someone he knew personally, but her reputation far preceded her. In fact, it was a surprise that he had never really spoken with her before, if what the gossipmongers said was true, but then, perhaps he wasn’t the type that attracted attention. Or so he hoped. Shuffling from foot to foot, he cast a cursory glance over to the poor lad who had been flung into the stands and hoped, for his sake, that he wasn’t fool enough to try come back down, even if to leave.

Whilst Silvyth weeded out the good from the bad within the girls’ circle, Zetairen turned his attention to the rocking eggs. There was no joy to be found in gloating over those who’d had their chances taken away. A few seemed to be growing more agitated in their movement, until one finally spilled its contents.

A gleaming Snow was revealed in her glory – until she flopped over her own feet. A small smile appeared on Tair’s face, as he tried to hide his amusement. Despite her beauty, the poor thing was a little clumsy on her feet just yet, and for some reason, Zetairen found this somehow apt: The state of the entire weyr felt confused and clumsy in a sense, but in time, he knew it would grow to magnificence once more, just like the young Snow would one day be. It was always a good sign when a potential queen hatched, so his sly smile of laughter at the little ones lack of grace could be mistaken for joy. His eyes once more surveyed the sands, full of eggs rocking and twitching, awaiting the next arrival to dazzle all of those present.

[Lyrikitty]

The young Snow rose to her feet once more, determined this time not to fall. She wanted to see the candidates, and every time her legs spilled her it took longer and longer to get there. It was only sensible to not fall. Cautiously she took first one step, then another, her pale wings spread for balance. As the little dragon carefully made her way closer to the candidates, to more eggs broke simultaneously. Neither holding dragons familiar to the Weyr.

From one shell bounced a blur of purple, speeding over the sand and almost impossible to pick any features from the creature. From it's maw was spilled a long series of sounds, not all of them understandable or even discernable from the next. The purple blur of wings, tail, and limb bounded right up to the Snow, and over, leaping mightily and landing with surprising skill only to continue charging over the sands without hesitation. Had the small dragon run straight, it might have been identified to some degree, however the creature's energy was too vast fro such simple things, and constantly it twirled and turned and jumped, never stopping it's speech -or what was assumed to be a speech-.

The first Snow shreiked at the hyper purple hatchling as she was jumped over, scowling as it rushed on to meet the candidates enthusiasticly. It stole her glory! Creeling she hustled after, nowhere near as steady on her new paws as her sibling, but determined she wasn't going to be forgotten in the chaos. She plowed into the female candidates, huffing at those who were paying more attention to the blur of purple hatchling which still danced about in front of the candidates, trying to decide which group it was supposed to be looking it. Why weren't they looking at her? She was a Snow, after all. Much more interesting, and prettier, than that purple thing which refused to even sit still long enough to be looked at properly. As if to prove this the Snow posed, settling her weight on her rear and lifting her forelegs carefully up, wings extending and brushing aside several candidates. Her display did catch the attention of some, thankfully. Though it was hard to ignore a creature hjer size when it was making a point of being seen. She was remarkably close to one particular candidate, a female who was rather pretty, with many talents and uses.

The second of the simultaneous hatchlings had not made such a fuss about it's entrance. A black-colored hatchling walked calmly across the sands, staying low to the ground as though wishing to avoid being seen -easy enough to do when there was a purple blur of motion distracting a large number, and a slightly vain Snow working to regain the spotlight that had been stolen- as it neared the female candidates. She was an interesting look creature. Her size was close to that of a Bronze, though that was the only thing to really mark her as similar to the known colors. Her hide was grainy, and to the touch it would be similar to sandpare -if stroked the wrong way- while her tail was flattened, philanges sprouting from the bifurcated tips. Her face was attractive in an exotic way, whip-like whiskers growing from beneath her jaw, on her muzzle, and above her eyeridges.

As she slipped almost unnoticed around the candidates, to approach from behind, the Black Dune -as she would soon become known as- lifted her head, tilting it curiously. The tip of her tail twitched, wondering where in the name of Faranth Hers was at. A quick glance was cast to her clutchmother, as if blaming the former Queen for a lack of obvious bonded, before the female edged closer to the candidates.

All the while the little purple blur had charged into the male candidates, pouncing on one, looking him over quickly, and then dashing off to pounce on another. Mineminemineminemine!!!!!! WhereareyouIwanttoseeyou!!!!!!! Miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnneeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/i] The words were broadcasted into the minds of all as the hatchling continued jumping on and then releasing one candidate after another, still not remaining motionless long enough for anyone to get a good look. The wrds were slurred together and rushed -having just as much energy as the hatchling appeared to physically possess- and would be how the little dragon spoke for a large majority of it's life.


A soft keen, almost inaudible, came from the Snow Silvyth as two more hatchlings came, and both were unfamiliar. Xyurith would hate her for sure now. She'd held hope with the little Snow who had been the first to break shell, but with two new creatures... The Snow tried to shrink herself, finding it hard for all her great size, and instead edged away from the clutch, turning away from what she though was the worst mistake she could have made. The efmale would have left the sands entirely, if she hadn't noticed the gentle rocking of the Amber egg -hidden by the confines of a sand wall- and the terrified shaking of the two candidates she'd dropped in there. N'nika had told her it was an Amber -two most likely- in that egg. They wanted to see if it wasn't possible to create a more gentle Amber at Hatching, one more like her Xyurith. The though of another savage beast like Xanturnoth was chilling, and once more the Snow had to fight the urge to destroy the egg. If the dragons hatched of it proved to be like her son, she would deal with it then. [/color][/size]

[marie]

Eocin bounced on the balls of his feet, pressure building within his chest as he held his breath before the first shell cracked. He counted the seconds, drumming his fingers on his hip, until he couldn't contain it any longer and the air rushed out of him. He gulped it back in, the explosive sigh and gasp lost in the general noise that greeted the hatching of the first dragon; a pretty little Snow who had no sooner appeared on the Sands then she was down in them, tripped on her own paws, or, perhaps nothing at all--she fell a few times before she righted herself and began to make her painstaking way towards the Candidates.

The double 'crack!' of breaking shells drew Eocin's attention away from the Snow, and he shaded his dark brown eyes with one slim hand as he tried to pick out the new additions to the Weyr. He knew he had literally no chance of Impressing the Snow, and though she was pretty, and though she was cute, with her baby floundering, his heart leaped up behind his tonsils at the sound of other eggs hatching. What if one of them was destined for him?

The first was easily seen--purple, bright against the pale gold of sand, rushed forward. Not really a purple dragon--just disembodied purple, running across the sand and leaping the Snow with surprising agility. He blinked, trying to follow the whirling path of color. If that wasn't enough, endless sound seemed to be pouring out of the newly hatched dragon's throat. It had a set of lungs on it, and no mistake!

The mindvoice of the purple thing was disorienting--he struggled for a moment under the shock of it, and glances left and right showed that other boys had experienced it as well. The words were... rushed together, blurred to the point where Eocin thought that, had they been spoken aloud instead of sent mind to mind, where no misunderstanding is possible, they would have made no more sense to him than the continuous sounds the creature made!

Eocin looked down the line of boys, an unusually serious look on his face. Where was this... creature's... Mine? It wasn't like anything he had seen before, and the energy of it seemed daunting. Like more than a couple boys, Eocin had jumped back when the purple had rushed over and pounced on one of the boys--his wonder and loving thoughts had been overcome by fear, and the instinct for self-preservation. Though the purple continued to 'hunt' boys, pouncing on another after the first, they didn't seem to be injured--just looked at closely and released. Whatever this strange dragon was, maliciousness did not seem to be a quality it possessed. A heartening fact, considering the walled-off egg and the Candidates that waited behind it, ready to force-Impress if they had to. The very thought made Eocin's skin crawl.

This dragon was not frightening, at least. Energetic, perhaps a little blinding, or, dizzying as his eyes started to cross keeping track of it. Still, withdrawing from it because of that would be the biggest hypocrisy he could ever commit, and the young Candidate raised his chin in determination. Eocin dug in, setting his feet in the sand in an effort to ensure that, should the purple shape (presumably a dragon, though nothing could really be seen of it) come his way, his fearful body wouldn't conquer his determined mind and make him flee from it. It might be boisterous, but it was nothing to run from.

[pandoraMisfit]

Still watching the Snow and her progress, Zetairen shuffled his feet slightly, keeping them moving to stop the heat of any one particular patch of sand from burning for too long. His prior thoughts to the heat being bearable had now been swayed by experience. They were scorching and the thin soles of his sandals did little to relieve the discomfort it caused. Still, he knew that he would stand there until the hatching was over. More dragons had appeared joining in the hum, encouraging the little ones out of their shells. It was all he could do to stop himself from humming along. Being Harper’s lad, he itched to join in, despite there being a lack of melody or structure – just a solid, reverberating hum. Still, to his ears it was a joyous sound and he wished he could vocalise his delight at the occasion as freely as the dragons did. Every now and then he would catch himself beginning to join in, stopping it before more than a few vibrating notes could escape.

His captivation with the young Snow didn’t last very long as sounds like thunder rebounded around the hatching cavern. The cracking of shells sounded extremely loud in Zetairen’s ears. Looking to the first egg as it split asunder, his eyes were not quick enough to catch more than a blur of purple as the hatchling burst forth, zooming around like a little maniac. Its voice however, was certainly loud enough – even if it sounded like it was being uttered in double time. The blur bounded over the Snow, causing a commotion that way. Zetairen groaned. He hoped that these new colours weren’t going to be as common as greens, or else he’d have to sleep with his head under his pillow. It puzzled him though – such a dragon was surely a new mutation. Racking his brains, he couldn’t remember any violet hued dragons being hatched at New Cove. Pondering, he wondered if it could be the effect of the firestone Silvyth had ingested whilst bearing the eggs. Possibly, but no-one would know for sure. For all anyone could tell, these new mutations were on their way into the world, firestone or no.

He didn’t have long to think upon this before the streak of a hatchling came diving towards the group of lads. Dodging out of the way just in time, the lad saved himself from being bowled over. He chuckled at the zeal with which the violet one searched for its Mine, but at the same time pitied the person who ended up with such a hyperactive creature. Perhaps it would calm down as it matured, but for the weyrling years it would be unbearable. At least to him. Still, he did not reject the idea of the energetic violet completely, knowing that the dragon chooses the rider and not vice versa. Leaving the little one to it, he looked once more out to the sands, intent on finding the other dragon that had entered the world at the same time as the Violet.

Straining his eyes, he found the shards of the egg, but it took a bit longer to actually spot the dragonet. To be sure, it was an interesting looking specimen, and the second new mutation of the day. This raised an eyebrow high on Zetairen’s forehead. How many were to come this day? Shaking that line of thought away, he took in the appearance of the slinking dragon. A wave of terror swept through his whole being as he took in the black hue of her hide. A black? Hatched in New Cove? He shuddered again. The last thing needed here was another of those heartless beasts, what with the known ferocity of the Amb...ers. His thoughts faltered mid sentence as he saw the strange whisker like appendages coming from the beasts maw, his eyes flicking over her body, lingering on the interesting style of her tail. His heartbeat slowed a little. And it was definitely a she. That confirmed it for him. The hatchling was no Black and he breathed out a sigh of relief at this revelation. No, he had been mistaken. Dispelling the ominous idea, he watched her progress – first her interesting manoeuvre of coming in from behind the girls, and then the amusing look which she directed at her clutch-mother. It was almost comical, were it not for the distraught aura coming from the Queen Snow.

Now, his empathetic heart leapt with sorrow. It did no-one good to see any dragon depressed, especially not the Weyr’s Queen – or soon not to be Queen. She had almost turned to leave the sands before resolving to stay. It was that egg that kept her, he knew. The thought of it instilled fear into the hearts of all the boys on the sands. They knew that it had been separated for a reason. They knew what could happen if the contents of that egg were indeed what N’nika believed to be true.

Tair turned back to the main clutch, to let his gaze settle on the rocking eggs, with one eye fixed on the mad Violet that was still pouncing here, there and everywhere. He just wanted to be able to duck out of the way should it decide that he was next. The thought of his back on the hot sands didn’t please him. However, the sight of rocking eggs did do something to lift his dampened spirits – downcast by both the stigma attached to the hidden egg and to the new mutations – and he silently urged the next egg to break shell, or for one of the three wandering the sands to Impress. Giving in, he hummed softly along with the dragons perched along the top of the stands, modulating the tone so that it seemed to weave in and out of the stronger rhythm the dragons were producing. He didn’t care if anyone made a fuss, he now felt like he needed to add something to the event - even if it was only loud enough for his own ears. His heart needed him to sing, as though the sound could encourage the dragons out of their shells, or could lift the despair from Silvyth’s shoulders. It didn’t matter that he was too quiet, too far away for most to even hear. His soul was filled with music and he needed to let it free.

[Lyrikitty]

The Violet finally gave an overly-excited trill as if found it's bonded, tackling the lad with much gusto and then dancing in circles happily around him, trilling and warbling and continuing to make a fuss. The lad, for a moment entirely unsure of what to do with the little creature that had claimed him, stared at his bonded for a moment from where he lay on the ground. After several long minutes he spoke carefully, to let all know the name of the purple-hued dragon. "His? Yeah... His name is Hinjousynetacth. Jeez are you sure about that? Isn't it a bit of a mouthful?" He had been speaking to the hatchling again, watching it bounce about and remain in constant motion, sorely wishing he could get a good look at the dragon as it wheeled about and charged off with a new purpose. It was starving and it wanted food now.

The newly impressed lad followed after, grabbing a pail of meat and enticing his active dragon to eat. For the first time since the little one had broken free of it's shell it stayed relatively still, it's boy visible though it still moved it's feet about restlessly and wriggled from time to time as the Violet gulped down food.

The Dune, not finding what he wanted in the girls, prowled along behind the boys. Surely there was a candidate suitable for him in this mess of bodies? He was having a hard time finding his though, and the lback creature took to pacing with a faint hint of anxiety to the motion. It wanted to Impress and be off the sands already. His belly was growling from the effort of breaking shell, and he didn't want to be around here for much longer at all. Another glance to his mother was thrown, to his dismay she paid no heed to the Dune.

No, her eyes were still on the egg which supposedly held not one, but two Ambers. Two candidates stood shaking, trying to look brave, and a wave of disgust struck her at one of them, enough to curl her lips in a growl. No... She'd not surveyed these two candidates before, she hadn't known which children were selected for this egg, but now that she was getting a good look at them she knew that one was entirely unacceptable, and had he been presented to her for this Hatching he'd have been sent away without hesitation. Her great body swung forcefully away from the enclosure and to the male candidates, eyes seeking out one she'd taken notice of before. Where was he? There! In a flash of movement the Snow was standing over the male candidates, her head swooping down and maw parting to snatch up Zetairen. The action would leave no mark on him, for she was a massive creature who was well practiced in grabbing up her own rider in this fashion, however the reputation the Snow had of protecting her sands would likely keep that thought out of the minds of many, and likely the lad she'd picked up and was now carrying back to the Amber egg -though with her mouth mostly closed he'd be able to see little from where she'd put him on her tongue- would think he was about to be eaten.

Kisa squeaked as her bonded looked about to gulp down a candidate, though a mental reassurance from the dragon quelled her worry. It was, in truth, the first time Kisa had seen the Snow put anyone else fully in her great maw and carry them, as she did to her rider. So this is what people who didn't know better thought? What a pity, though it was faintly amusing...

The gritty taste and texture of sand in her mouth was unpleasent, and the Snow fought back the urge to try and remove it for now. Her head lowered over the large egg and the two boys closed in with it, lips parting, and then maw opening to drop Zetairen in with them before she backed away slowly and gave her head a shake, obviously now concerning herself with ridding the sand from her tongue.

Zaira! MineZaira why aren't you looking at Zamyth! Come here and take me to food, I'm hungry. The little Snow who had been the first to hatch from her shell finally spotted her bonded amid the commotion her mother had made, and indignantly bespoke the lass she had Impressed to. Her rainbow-toned eyes were locked on the girl, her posing paused as she waited for a response. Why was her's not at her side already? They were perfectly matched, if she didn't say so herself. Both lovely creatures, both talented and witty. She dropped down from her adopted pose back to all fours, her glossy white hide shining magnificently as she padded the few steps it took for her to be looking Hers in the eye. Wings settled back to her figure and she butted the female's torso lightly with her head. Come on MineZaira. I'd rather not be around when the hidden ones hatch. She was speaking of the Ambers, naturally, for something told the Snow it would be wise to get off the sands soon, the same thing which made the Dun anxious to Impress and leave as well.

Another egg amid the clutch gave a great heave, as if considering breaking, before it took to a more delicate twitching as the creature within worked slowly on the shell. It wanted out, but it didn't want to cause a scene. In fact, in light of all that was happening as it slowly worked for freedom it was entirely possible that if this hatchling was careful it would go entirely unnoticed. A chip fell from the shell, followed by another, until a hole large enough to spy a flash of dark hide appeared. The egg grew still as soon as the hatchling within realized it was at least partially, though only barely, visible to any onlooking eyes. Gently it turned itself to peer from the hole and show a single blue-green eye.
[/color]

[elainsie]

Zaira had noticed the glance the Harper boy had given her, and gave him a saucy grin in return. Well, and why not? Just because it was a Hatching surely she could not just have an eensy, bit of fun? However that was the last thought she gave to any of the males on the Sands, because at that moment the Snow had emerged, and the newborn dragonet was a much more appealing site, for the time being. As the Snow had fallen into the sand Zaira heard the girl next to her laugh. "I don't see what's so funny really, I'm sure you tripped over many times before you learnt to walk. In fact I saw you fall over and spill that pitcher of klah in the Dining Cavern only two days ago. Bet you did not enjoy being laughed at then." The girl just stared blankly at Zaira, wondering who had asked for her opinion, though there was a rosiness to her cheeks that had not been there before Zaira's speech.

Poor thing, Zaira thought to herself, wanting to help righten the creature. But then again if this Snow was like her mother she would be a proud, dignified little creature who would much rather get up on her feet on her own. It was while her gaze still lingered on the glittering sheen of the Snow, that Zaira finally noticed the violet that had attracted quite some attention from the less absorbed crowd. A purple dragon? Zaira's brow creased. While she had not seen every mutation on Pern, Zaira had never heard tell of a purple dragon, for surely if one had existed before this someone would have known about it at the Harper Hall, the worst place on Pern to keep a secret. She almost wished she had not rebuked her neighbour so as to ask whether she had ever seen one before, but Zaira decided the rather excited murmurs coming from the Stands up above her indicated this was not a novelity for Zaira alone. It did seem to be rather excitable character by the way it raced across sands. Zaira had to stop watching the creature for following its movement's had started to make her feel dizzy, her eyes resting on the other dragon that had Hatched, also an unfamiliar sight. Where all the eggs except the Snow going to Hatch different colours? And was that why Silvyth seemed to be trying to fade into the shadows, or at least as much as possible for someone of her size and shading? Zaira felt an iciness creep over her despite the heat emanating from the Sands beneath. Perhaps after all she was just having a very realistic dream, and soon she would wake up and find the eggs were still to Hatch and these colors were product of her rather vivid imagination. And yet...

Her thoughts were pierced by the cry of the violet, and Zaira felt rather sure that this could not be a dream. Looking about her she noticed a few hands covering ears, as if that could stifle the mind-voice of the dragonet. However the rather sickening blur that was the violet had danced its way over to the males, leaving Zaira to reconsider the preening white, who seemed to be trying to make up for her early display. Zaira gave an indulgent smile at the white dragonet, until an increase in volume from the crowd, and a gasp from the boy's circle, stole her attention from the Snow once again. By the egg! What was Silvyth doing? A hand rose up to rest against Zaira's chest as she watched the Queen dragon snatch between her jaws the boy she had given a flirting glance at earlier. Surely the rather placid Snow was not...was not going to eat him.... However Zaira watched the boy get dropped rather unceremeniously into the enclosed space, everyone knew why it had to be sectioned off, and felt rather silly for thinking Silvyth had had other designs in snatching him off the Sands.

A voice filled her mind again, but this one did not sound half-crazed nor garbled like the violet's had. Instead it was refreshing and rung with a clear, pure tone, making Zaira think of the sound rain made as it dripped gently down. The former Harper longed to hear that voice again, to seek out the source of it. It was the rather solid bump from the Snow's head, that alerted Zaira to the presence of her bonded. Zamyth? It was a rhetorical question, for of course this beautiful creature that stood before her was Zamyth. How could she be anyone else? Although Zaira's life had been a rather happy one up until this point, the joy she felt at that moment, when her eyes locked with those of Zamyth's, was one of such a tremendous exquisteness that the girl thought she could happily die now and be contented with her lot in life. Zaira revelled in the warm, golden feeling that infused her, banishing any lingering doubts held within her, forgetting her concern over the scene being played around her at that very moment. What did it matter if there were strange colours being Hatched? For if those dragonets could bring their Mine half as much joy as Zamyth had given her, then surely they had as much a right to Hatch and live on Pern as any other dragon.

However the Snow's anxious tone brought Zaira back to reality, not with a thud, but enough so that she realised many anxious glances were being made, particularly to the sectioned of area. Of course my love, for Zamyth could have asked anything of Zaira in that moment and the young woman would have been only to happy to oblige. Leading the Snow off the Sands, Zaira gave one last glance behind her, wondering what lay in store for those still standing.

[pandoraMisfit]

The song stopped reverberating from his lips when a lad not too far from himself Impressed the mad little Violet. He congratulated the boy, doing all he could to hide the laugh that threatened to bubble out when he questioned his dragon like that. Hisjou... Hinjous... somethingth. Apparently. Great shards, even if he were bonded to it, Tairen knew he’d never be able to quite get a name like that correct. But still, it was the first Impression of the day! He clapped along with the others, a smile lighting his bronze features. Watching the pair make their way off the sand with food in hand, it was natural to feel a stab of envy that he wasn’t the first to Impress. But that was soon alleviated by the fact that he knew something like that violet ball of manic energy probably wouldn’t go for someone like him. Or so he hoped. His seafoam eyes swept the sands in case another of those hatchlings had appeared, loathe to attract the attention of such a creature. To his relief, none had shown, but the going was still slow. It could still happen. Now, if a few more were to break shell and start their search, things would get into full swing – the whole event needed more momentum he felt, more excitement to take away from the tension that wrapped itself around every soul present, trying to stifle the joy out of them. The dune had now made its way over to the boys’ semicircle, prowling amongst them, searching for just the right person. The appearance of the creature still astounded the harper lad. It was different certainly! But, like the other mutations, it would probably fit in New Cove just nicely. Everything and everyone had it’s place.

He didn’t have long to admire the odd beasts attributes for long though, for all of a sudden, he caught sight of Silvyth pounding over to the group of boys, her eyes wheeling quickly with irritation. Had she found someone that shouldn’t be here? Surely she wouldn’t have missed them when she was surveying they candidates as they entered her domain. Before he could speculate for much longer, a cavernous maw descended upon him; closing underneath his feet to scoop him up. Paralysed with fear, the great expanse of muscle beneath him rippled as his body was manoeuvred into place. Her great fangs, though not anywhere near to his skin, were close enough to examine in a little too much detail. Zetairen remained perfectly still. Was he the one that she wasn’t happy with? What had he done? He thought that he must have been an acceptable candidate considering the scrutiny he had undergone when he had first set foot on the grounds. He could feel the Snow’s tongue rippling underneath him as she walked, evidently irritated by the sand she had collected with the lad himself.

He squinched his eyes shut, ready to be deposited out of the grounds or worse, thrown out. The hot smell of her breath was almost unendurable and claustrophobia started to get the better of him. His breathing started to come in small short gasps, his mind playing the age old trick on him that the space was getting smaller and smaller. And then his muscles locked, forbidding him the luxury of drawing himself together, halting his desire to pull his legs away from the cheek skin that he could ‘feel’ getting closer and closer.

Then, abruptly, he was dropped back onto hot sand, the light searing through his closed eyelids to show them bright red. Opening his eyes carefully, Tair saw that he was now in front of a huge egg, companion to two other boys now. Blinking the light away, until the edges of everything he saw lost their white glow, he staggered to his feet. The other lads looked as confused as he was. Slowly, the terror of his confinement started to ebb away, his breathing slowing to a normal rate once more. He stepped back, getting some space from the egg that he had been so unceremoniously dumped next to. So, he wasn’t for any of the eggs out there, he was to be a chew toy for the spawn on this unholy child of Silvyth’s. He couldn’t fathom why. Had he really done something wrong? Or did Silvyth think that he could.. think that he could what? Tame a beast that was intent on destruction? He snorted to himself. Whatever Silvyth though, he would never know. All he could do now was watch and wait for this terror to break shell.

Keen ears caught the exultant cry from the main sands. Evidently the little Snow had Impressed. He wished he could see who it was, but unless he could now see through solid walls, it wasn’t going to happen. Craning his neck didn’t even yield a glimpse from around the edge of the little makeshift room. Resigning, he stood smiled to the other two boys in the room, his eyes conveying his fear, but the underlying strength that held him together. He stood staunchly, awaiting the first sign of movement from this dreaded egg before them.

[Lyrikitty]

The hatchling which had been peering from the hole in it's shell lifted a sweet voice in a gentle croon, shifting it's bulk once more to press against the shell and finally cause a long crack to scar the shell's surface. Once more and the shell fell away to reveal something of an oddity to the Weyr, more so even than the mutations.

A Bronze lifted his head and yawned mightily, shaking himself for a moment before he peered about. Canon dragons were uncomon in the Weyr, much less one of rank. His hide was a dark, almost dusty shade of bronze flecked with lighter hues of amber. He was big, massive in fact, by Bronze standards, and after a moment of looking about and drying the hatching strode forward with a calm confidence, his eyes on the candidates solely. Naturally he went to the males, surveying them and weaving through. Oddly he gave the Dune a wide berth, not caring to draw to close to it. His tail brushed several youths as he passed, not roughly enough to knock them over but a few did stumble a bit.

The Dune, still not finding what he wanted, gave his tail a violent lash and growled. Where was His? He wanted off these sands already. He was tired and hungry, not to mention lonely and starting to get bored. His eyes turned to one candidate in particular, irritation replaced by curiosity. Well... What was this? Perhaps there was someone worth the time here after all... The dark-hued dragon prowled over to the boy, sniffing him and then circling thoughtfully, nudging the lad with his nose. Maybe... In a swift motion the Dune knocked the boy over with his tail, spinning around to place a paw on th chest and look down at the candidate. His head tilted to the side thoughtfully for a moment, as if questioning his choice, before something caught his eye. Another candidate a few steps away. The Dune's head spun so fast that the rest of his body had no choice but to follow, shoving away from the unsuitable lad he'd pinned and charging at the other to bowl him over with a forceful thrust from his forehead, stopping only when he stodd over the candidate and a warble fell from his lips. This... This was His.

With all the action on the outside, and no way for those atching to see inside the enclosure of the Amber egg, none saw how it rocked and jerked save the three boys inside with it, and the Snow who looked in from above. She had her doubts. Everyone did. What were the odds that the creatures within would hatch to grow like their sire, instead of aging like their elder brother Xanturnoth? More a concern for the Snow was what were the odds a single Queen would, in a few short turns, clutch three Amber sons? Were they not supposed to be uncommon beasts, due to their nature?

The large egg gave another violent jerk, toppling itself and rolling until it bumped against one of the walls. From within a low growl could be heard, though only barely audible above the clawing which came as the contents tried to tear to freedom. It was not entirely common knowledge that there were two Ambers within the one egg, in fact only a few select people knew, however as the egg shattered and twin bodys slipped forth in a surge of noise and motion those trapt with the Ambers knew the truth.

One was larger than the other, and would grow to near his sire's size. The other was a shade smaller, mor in the middle for his color's size. From the smaller of the two came a bellow which seemed to shake the very sands they stood on, a powerful sound for a creature which had only just sucked his first breath of fresh air. Silence dawned instantly from beyond at that terrifying sound, and as the quiet ruled the beast turned his eyes to the bodies which had no escape. A feral sound dripped from his maw as lips parted to reveal teeth, body tensing as he took a single step closer. The two boys who had started the hatching in the enclosure backed away rapidly, retreating in justified fear of what they were loking at. Their retreat drew a pleased croon from the Amber, and he edged a little closer, watching as the two reached the wall... And the extent of their area to flee.

The larger of the twins had yet to make a sound. He simply stood and watched, eyes shifting slowly from his sibling to the candidates. The tip of this tail twitched occasionally, but nothing else. As his smaller brother taunted the candidates, the larger beast slid soundlessly to his flank. When they stood so close it was easy to see a range of variations in the two beyond simply size. The larger held a glossier sheen, his color a rich honey with almost no change, save his wing bones. The skin covering them was a darker caramel. The smaller of the pair was dark in his coloring, his overall color the same dark caramel hue which acented his brother's wings. There was less shine to his figure, though his paws and face were darker still than the rest of his body, as were the tips of his wings. Of course, things such as color or markings were not often considered when one was looking at their likely death...

The smaller of the pair gave a croon as his brother joined him, obviously thinking his brother was going to play the same game he was. Delighted, his body surged into motion -or tried to at least. The larger had swung 'round and thrown his shoulder into the side of his brother as the smaller lunged, sending him crashing into the ground and drawing a furious snarl from the smaller beast.

The noise from the enclosure had earned the attention of most by now, and unnoticed were the two Snows and the Bone who broke from their shells to show the Weyr their faces, the first of the Snows doing an odd thing. Very odd in fact. She charged right to a girl, sliding to a halt and Impressing. Even as the girl was starting to repeat the dragon's name, the little creature turned and charged away from her bonded... Toward the enclosure holding the Ambers, causing her new Mine to cry out. "Nevaryth no! Come back here!" She gave chase, but the Snow reached the enclosure first, clawing at the sand passionately.

Inside, the smaller Amber had regained his feet, maw parting to let loose another ground-shaking bellow at his brother and the candidates within.
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