Ties That Bind ((1st Hatching))

[Spiffy]

The gold’s eyelids snapped open, faceted surfaces fixing on the haphazard circle of eggs in the sand before her. A noise, a sound, a light tapping - or had she simply imagined it? The waiting hum died in her throat. It wouldn’t be the first time. Not that morning she had responded to the same sound, only to have it fail to repeat itself. Her eggs weren’t about to hatch, despite her nagging feeling that they should be about to, an instinct that told her it was almost time. It wouldn’t be long, not long... just not now.

Slowly the three lids of her eyes slid closed, one by one, only to flicker open again as Ariseth turned her attention to her rider. Valora was not in much better shape than her dragon, but at least she was conscious now. The queenrider was gazing at her dragon from her hastily erected bunk on the edge of the sands, question in her eyes and thoughts. Another false alarm?

The gold was about to reply when the sound repeated itself. Immediately her attention whipped back to the eggs, scouring the clutch for any sign, or sound, that one may be hatching. An egg twitched. She homed in on that egg, fixing it with an expectant yet hopeful gaze. It twitched again. The hum, now unsuppressed, began to rise again.

It begins.

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BABIES BABIES BABIES BABIES BABIES BABIES BABIES BABIES BABIES BABIES!

J’thir sat up so fast that he rapped his head hard against the shelf. A loud groan and a string of curses followed. Ada! What by the Egg of Faranth has possessed you!? The bronzerider rubbed his pounding head, looking blearily around at his surrounding. He was sat at his desk. He must have fallen asleep there. Great.

He became aware of a crashing next door, and the look he gave the doorway through to the ‘Bowl entrance sent his head spinning. Through the babble of Adakhanyth in the back of his mind he could hear that the crashing sounds definitely originated on the other side of the doorway. Frowning, he jumped again as the curtain covering the entrance blew suddenly inward, revealing a bronze snout. A burst of smelly air reached him - dragon’s breath. Fragrant.

Ada? What... he began to repeat, but cut himself off as he became aware of a faint rumbling, coming from...

... his dragon?

No, not rumbling, his mind processed all too slowly, humming...

Cursing again he stood, rummaging through his chest for his sandals. He’d forgotten them once at a previous hatching, and was not all to eager to repeat the experience, especially since this time around the Weyr would be expecting him to show a little integrity. Sandals found and tied on, he grabbed his cloak and strode out through the curtain to his trembling dragon. Why did he have to Impress the only bronze that went to pieces at hatchings...

I told you they would be coming soon, the bronze said, his smugness at being proven right unhidden from is rider.

Yeah, yeah, just get me there, his rider said, vaulting himself up onto his dragon’s shoulders, tucking the cloak under his leg as he gripped the riding straps. Though not quite as enthusiastic as his dragon, J’thir enjoyed hatchings as much as any rider would. The memories that they always brought were good ones, memories that he knew he would never forget, if only because he had to remember them so he could remind Adakhanyth of the events that transpired on the night that the bronze chose the then Jarethir as his rider.

With a bugle Adakhanyth launched himself over the edge of the weyrledge into the open air of the ‘Bowl, joining the multitudes of green, blue and brown hides that already lined the edges and floated in the air. But J’thir couldn’t help but mark the difference in those gathered today from those of the last hatching. So few...

The chill evening air bit at his skin as the wind created by their flight buffeted him in his seat at the base of his dragon’s neck, abruptly changing to an almost stifling heat as the bronze ducked into the rough entrance to the hatching caverns. The humming was all around him now, echoing off the walls in the hatching cavern from the stream of dragons conveying their riders, family and anyone else who’d grabbed a lift to the sands. Everything was a rush, dragons landing here, Weyrfolk jumping off and rushing up into the stands, many hopping on the hot sand. As soon as there was a space big enough Ada dropped to the ground, J’thir sliding off from his neck, cloak clutched in one hand. Giving the bronze a pat, he started up to the lower ranks of the stands, hot air blowing around him as his bronze again leapt into the air, settling on a low ledge not far from the queen. She looked around at him, then focussed back on the eggs.

Taking a seat at the front, J’thir followed her gaze. Several of the eggs were shaking fervently now, and cracks were beginning to spiderweb down the sides of the Powder Egg. He blinked as a familiar brown flit popped into the air in front of him, cheeping before heading off up to join Adakhanyth on his perch. A second later a smaller, darker flit also appeared, flapping haphazardly in the air in front of him, crying piteously. Riki had left her! He offered his arm out for the little black to land on, rubbing the top of her tiny head as he contemplated, not for the first time, about her odd colour. Would they see similar variations in the dragon hatchlings? He could only hope that, if they did, that they would all be as healthy as the strangely coloured firelizards appeared to be...

He looked up at Ariseth again. With the condition that their mother was in, he could only hold out a hope for the health of the clutch. Of the twenty-three eggs, around 8 of them were now shaking in earnest. That was some, at least, though they could really do with many more...

Suddenly the chatter and banter was interrupted by a cry, soon followed by others. “Look!” they said. The crowd began to quieten, the silence spreading out from the callers like mist from the sea, as all manner of heads turned to look at the eggs.

There, in the middle of the clutch, was the egg with the cracks. Except it was now not merely cracked, as from the side of the egg there protruded a leg, twitching in the air as its inhabitant paused as if in surprise. Then it began to struggle again, the dripping egg goo being flung from its toes in all directions as a tail whipped out of the egg, flailing around wildly as a large chunk of shell fell away from the top of the egg. As if realising this, the hatchling gave one final push, shards falling away in all directions as it flopped onto the sand, all support gone. It lay there for a second, breathing heavily in the new air, then began to struggle frantically to right itself, piteous cries reaching those on the stands. All of a sudden in found its feet, wings stretched out to either side to steady itself. Though much of the dragonet was coated in a thick layer of sludgy sand, the underside of its wings seemed remarkably clear, revealing the brightly hued blue of the hide beneath.

The powder blue shook himself, almost toppling over again as his balance was compromised by the movement. He took a few shaky steps forward, creeling as he stumbled, the sound abruptly cut off as he faceplanted in the sand, only to resume again as he jumped up, snorting sand from his nostrils.

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Egg: Status - Colour - Rider
Powder Egg: Hatched - Blue - S'rel
Soft Moss Egg: Hatched - Green - N/A
First Light egg: Hatched - Green - Viril

[hannah]

Surel hurriedly scrambled into his Candidate whites. He had to hurry! Today was the day!

Taz crooned and floated above him, eyes whirling faster as he picked up on his’ excitement.

Surel nearly tripped as only one leg made it into his pants. “I don’t have time for this!” With a hard yank his cloths finally cooperated and he was all but running out the door. This was so exciting!!

Taz looped in the air before landing and burying into Surel’s hair.
“Hey Taz, you should probably stay off the Sands. You might get eaten.”

The blue snorted at the thought, he could fight off anything that would try to eat him! He did do as he was told flying off to find a perch where he could see his’ Impress.

Surel slowed as he entered the Sands. He didn’t want to accidentally stumble over an egg or make the queen angry. He bounced on his toes as the first egg began to crack open. It was a blue! A clumsy one too.

______________

Aethyr was much more subdued. He was already dressed as he walked toward the Sands. Ilex was draped over his shoulder, asleep somehow.
“Wake up.” The healer gently tugged on a wing. The brown roused a little. “It’s the hatching, you should probably find a place to roost.”

Ilex yawned and sat up but didn’t move until his’ entered the cavern. Then he flapped a few feet away and blinked up to where other flits were roosting. He promptly curled up and went to sleep.

Aethyr just rolled his eyes. People shouting in exitment pulled his eyes toward the first dragonet that broke it’s shell. A blue! Was it still a good omen, even if a bronze hadn’t hatched first? He hoped so as his eyes roamed over the other rocking eggs. What did they all hold?

[Jester]

Luna looked up from her sewing when she heard the voice of the gold. Draco looked up as well and began humming. She quickly set down the cloth and went searching for her candidate robe. Draco opened his large wings and flew to her shoulder as she continued to search for the white robe. He jumped into the small trunk and began searching. "Thanks Draco." Luna then turned away to find her sandals. She quickly found them just as Draco let out a trill from his place in the trunk. He flew out of the trunk with the robe clenched in his claws. Luna smiled as she took the robe from the blue and slipped it over her shoulders. She then knelt down and laced the sandals on her feet.

She ran her hands through her short brown hair before hurrying out of her room. "Come on Draco, we don't want to be late." Draco jumped up into the air and pumped his large wings. He was soon soaring next to Luna as she raced to the hatching sands. He still didn't want others near His, but thought that if she had a dragon it would be easier to keep more people away from her. He was willing to share if it meant he would have her more to himself. He could feel the hot air under his wings as they approached the hot sands. "Make sure you stay out of trouble, alright?" Draco crooned at his before swooping up to the top of the cavern where the other flitts roosted. He banked to the side and landed on a ledge away from the others. He continued to hum as he watched His stand on the sands.

His eyes whirled as he looked her over before glancing at the eggs. He saw a blue had hatched and hissed at it. His deserved the best and he would only allow one of the hatchlings near Luna if he approved of it. Luna looked up to see Draco perched away from the other flitts. She could see him eying the eggs while also looking over her. She smiled at her over protective flitt before turning to the eggs. She could see the queen and her rider on the sands and bowed to them before looking back to the eggs. She watched the blue that had hatched and wondered who it would go to.

[WhiteAngel28]

V'lor & Jorinth

[/color][/center]

Psst.[/color]

....

Pssssssst![/color]

.....?

V'looor. Waaake up.[/color]

...!?

Wake up, wake up, wak-!!![/color]

Pillow goes flying, bronze head takes a retreat and a roar of rage is heard as rider flies out of bed.

"Jorinth! What is so important that you must wake me up so late!?" V'lor growled, breathing hard as he glared at the bronze. He already had to deal with that insistant noise, that, that rumbling!

It's not rumbling! It's humming. The eggs are hatching.[/color] Jorinth stated with a sniff.

"I don't care, just let me sleep will you!? I'm old!" V'lor growled again, heading back to the nice warm bed of furs... Well he was until a tail stopped him.

I refuse to go the Hatching without you V'lor, so that leaves me only one choice. I drag you there, decent or not.[/color] Jorinth stated, his tail tip twitching. V'lor eyed the bronze, sighed and grunted his agreement. Immediatly the tail was removed and he was allowed to quickly get out of his night shirt and inot proper clothes before getting on Jorinth's back and heading into the Sands.

The bronze landed with a huff, satisfied to see that eggs were already moving, and V'lor dismounted and headed into the Stands, his bronze jumping into the air again to the ledges, taking his place next to the only other bronze in the Weyr... Well, adult bronze. Sighing with exasperation, V'lor found his seat just as the powdered blue made his appearance.

He supposed it was a good thing he was here. He wanted to see who would Impress the gold anyway.

Cassie;Sky;Forest

Her only clue to the Hatching, well before the vibrating of the adult dragons started resonating throught-out the Weyr, was that of her little blue flit Sky. The blue had opened his many faceted whirling eyes, blinked and then with a shuffle of his wings, began humming.

Cassie, who had been unable to sleep because thanks to her queenly little green who had chosen to sleep on her head with a twitching tail flicking her nose, blinked eyes going wide. Immediatly she sat up, sending Forest flying with a squawk of outrage as she flared her wings to catch herself.

Ignoring the scoldings she was recieving as Forst settled next to the elder blue, Cassie quickly changed out of her night things and bundled her hair into a bun. Of course she was going to the Hatching! Twas the second Hatching of Skyline! Not only that but she had to be there for moral support for Caro now didn't she?

A smile gracing her features as she finally rushed out of her room, Forest squawking indignation at being left behind before popping in next to Cassie from between and taking her place on the girl's shoulder, Cassie ran down to the Sands. Out of breath once she reached the Stands and thoroughly wishing she was a candidate at this point just so she could Impress a dragon so she wouldn't have to run everywhere, Cassie went and took a seat in the now Stands, a perfect place where Caro would be able to see her. Oh look a blue!

Caroline;Darit

It was amazing how bright gold could be in the faintest light, it was one thing the little bronze firelizard prided, his burnished gold wings, brighter than even his mother's hide if he did say so himself. It was also fun to sometimes curl up under his wings and have other silly wing-less creatures ask His her queen was and then he uncurled and tada! Bronze! Ha! He was funny, no? At the moment the bronze, who had jsut been dozing off, raised his head and tipped it to the side. His eyes began whirling faster and his red irritation turned to blue-green joy. He shifted his wings slightly, the only sign of his excitement as he admired the glint. They are beautiful, yes? But cousins! Cousins are Hatching! And His is sleeping. Psh. He must fix that, no?

Maw widening in a yawn, pearly white needles revealed to the world for a meer few seconds, the bronze stood to his claws and stretched much like a feline does before his shorter foreleg caused him to stumble. Pesh.Legs. There was a reason he had wings. Of course they were wonderful ways to waske His, not to mention pulling on her lighter colored fur. Take a moment to compare wings with fur-on-top-of-head and then...(cont.)

[/size]

[Dragon Song]

Well well well. So it was time for the hatching was it? About time too, she was well and truly fed up of doing all these chores. That Gold egg, the one everyone called the Oak in Autumn egg, would very soon be spilling out her precious little dragonet and marking her as the future Weyrwoman. Because, lets face it, that other goldrider and her dragon weren't going to last. Oh dear, what a shame, Kiara thought to herself as she sauntered confidently back to her quarters in the barracks. Finally, she would be able to move out of this stuffy little room and sleep somewhere more adequate for someone of her rank. It was only fitting that their Weyrwoman got the best treatment.

Slipping inside the barracks, and moving coolly, smoothly to her room Kiara lifted the lid to the trunk and puled out the long white 'candidate's robe'. Ha! As if she'd be caught wearing one of those horrible, shapeless rags like other commoners who were going to get nothing more than greens, if they were lucky. No, this was something she'd paid for. Actually fully paid for, as she'd ordered it for when she would Stand and Impress to her Gold. It was a much more fitting garment for herself. It was still white, still hung down to the floor, but was cut and shaped. It fit snugly where it should, accentuating her figure and had a plunged neckline that drew in the eye. But it was white, and it was a robe. She was hardly breaking the rules now was she? And she honestly didn't care if she was, she wouldn't be seen dead in one of those horrific things the others would all be wearing.

Brushing through the milling crowds that were gathering as people flocked to get to the Hatching and watch, Kiara thanked her position as a candidate just this once. It meant that people moved out of her way when they realised she was coming through, not wanting to restrict a candidate from getting to the sands and thus possibly send a dragonet between. Especially not when teh Weyr was in such desperate need of every young dragon hatching healthily and Impressing without a problem. So vital!

The heat of the sands was not necessarily that good for her perfect complexion as she stepped into the wall of heat that rose from the sands. She'd have to moisturise later and counteract any nasty effects it might have. Her perfection needed maintaining believe it or not. It did take some care to make sure she looked this good all the time!

There was a bright blue on the sands, ever so elegantly covered in sand. Kiara could only really tell his colour due to the fact that you could catch a glimpse of his colouration from the underside of his wings. Well, he was of no interest to her what so ever. She turned her emerald eyes to the Gold egg, sat the closest to its injured mother. Soon.

~~~Mia & Sorbeth~~~

The moment that the dark haired weyrling heard the humming of her flitter - it being rather loud and hard to miss seeing as it was Inca doing the humming - Mia practically fell over herself in her desperate attempts to move quickly and scurry off to the Hatching. She couldn't miss it! Never never never!
Calm down Mia. You're not going to miss it. Stop flapping about! came the gruffly authoritative voice of her beloved green, who was humming away quite happily as she removed herself from her stone couch to take wing and fly to watch it herself. She wasn't quite old enough to carry Mia yet, and they were all behind on their lessons and wing exercises what with all of the problems they'd had recently with the Weyrling Master. Or rather the lack of one.

As Mia scurried outside on her way to teh Hatching Cavern, she spotted the brightly coloured hide of Sorbeth pretty easily amongst all of the bigger, duller blues and greens. So far the only dragon she'd seen yet that rivalled Sorbeth's title for most luminous green dragon in the Weyr was the Weyrsinger's lovely green. But Sorbeth was lovelier. Of course I am! came the reply. Mia giggled at the tone her dragon used, before returning to her mad flee towards the entrance. She had to get a good seat! It was mandatory!

Slipping in and amongst the crowds and milling about, ignoring the chitter chatter and excited, apprehensive buzz until she had a seat, Mia ended up pushing her way through. Everyone else was after all. Plonking herself down on one of the front row seats, she settled herself comfortably as she watched what was already going on with animated eyes. Already there were candidates on the sands, already there were eggs rocking wildly and... a dragonet! There was a dragonet spilling out of the Powder egg onto the Sands! Oh he was such a lovely shade of blue! And so adorable! she thought, as he proceeded to face plant in the sand. Clumsy is a better word. That's not nice Sorbeth, you were no better! You still aren't! she teased lightly. The young green snorted from where she'd managed to get herself a ledge, going back to concentrating on the eggs and her humming. Her faceted eyes were fixed on the blue. Who would he choose?

---

((Hands up who thought I'd done a baby post? Be honest! ))

[Seraph]

Get up, get up, get uuuuuuuuup!
Maurisa jerked awake suddenly, sitting bolt upright, looking around with bleary eyes, the chill wind sneaking under the sleeping-furs and chilling her skin.
W-what...? What's happening?
Hatching! Hatching time! Get up!
Maurisa sucked in a breath, and swung her feet over the edge of her bed, hissing as the cold seemed to bite up through the soles of her feet and into her scarred calf.
I'm getting up! At least let me get dressed before you haul me off to the Cavern, Zirrie!
This was going to be an important Hatching, no matter the outcome, she mused as she pulled on tunic, leather trousers, and stamped her feet into her riding-boots. No matter who Impressed, and to which colour, every Dragonet Hatched and Impressed today would bouy the morale of the Weyr. Zirith huffed at her, and the Weyrsinger grabbed her gitar before vaulting to her Green's neck.
No doubt she'd be required to sing later today, and better to have the insrument now than need it and not have it.

The Green backwinged, letting her rider slide down from her side, landing with flexed kness to absorb the impact, before Zirith fluttered up to join the ranks of Dragons, humming their welcome to the new Dragonets. She could easily spot her Green amongst the others, though the Weyrling Sorbeth seemed intent on outshining even Zirith for verdency. Zirith lidded her eyes briefly, a coy wink, before joining her hum with the others.

Her rider moved to the tiers, finding a seat amongst some Weyrfolk and riders alike, peering with intent interest at the eggs, her gitar cradled in her lap. There was a lovely blue wandering the sands, wearing rather a lot of it upon his hide as he moved about, only the flash of his underiwings showing his colour. The candidates were gathered about, all radiant in white, all hopeful. She felt a smile spread across her face.

[klinneah]

As fast as she could, Viril ran to the Barracks. The Hatching had started! And she didn't intend to miss it.

She nearly tripped up the stairs and spent the rest of the way stumbling down the Barracks hall fighting momentum and gravity not to trip again. 'I'm going to spend a lot of time running around here, aren't I?' she grumbled as she slammed into her room, nearly ripping the curtain that was the only door.

She dug around in the trunk at the foot of her bed - she'd only found out it was there after the lesson yesterday - for the white Candidate's robe she was told she'd have to wear. Pulling the wrinkled thing out, she fumbled for the opening, then slipped her head and arms through. It didn't go on right, so she pulled it off again and turned it around. This time all her limbs went through the right openings and she turned and ran.

She had to stop at the entrance to the Barracks, doubling over and gasping for air. Her hands were shaking, sweat beaded on her face, and her hair was a mess. 'Maybe I should stick to walking every now and then,' she thought. Recovered slightly, she walked around, searching for the way into the Bowl.

After asking around (some of them looked at her funny, but oh well, she was late!) she found her way down into the Bowl. There was already a crowd, and - was that a dragonet already?! Her pace doubled as she fought through the audience that seemed to have swelled in size since she'd seen them. She stepped on toes, elbowed ribs, and generally made whomever she encountered very cross.

The moment she touched the sand, she knew she'd forgotten something very, very important. 'Shards, shells, and all the Eggs of Pern! I forgot my shoes!'

[Spiffy]

Kemir stopped mid-stride, having only made it a dragonlength out of the barracks as the cal went out. The hatching. Had he been new to the whole business, chances were he'd've been frozen with shock. As it was, that had only happened to him once, at his first hatching back at Fort, and he managed to recover fairly quickly. Well, he thought, as he slowly turned on his heel, walking back to the barracks, no need to hurry just yet. Vanishing into his room, he caught a glimpse of another candidate dashing back into the dorms, clearly flustered. Newbe, he thought, reaching into his chest and retrieving the quite frankly horrid garment, hauling off his current shirt before donning the new. Next he replaced his boots with sandals, more suited to the heat of the hatching sands, seeing as he'd be on them for most of the hatching, unlike the Weyrfolk who could retreat to the slightly cooler stands.

Dressed and ready to go, Kemir headed out, fighting a rising giddiness that threatened to take over. Just get to the sands, he thought, pulling the door to the barracks open and having to step back to avoid a frantic candidate before he could continue on his way. He'd been so excited for his first hatching, not to mention terrified, he'd almost got lost and only just made it in time. He didn't want a repeat of that mistake, and so kept his feelings firmly clamped down in place as he made his way through the thankfully short cavern that led directly from the barracks to the sands purpose built for the candidates, even though it was often ignored, or forgotten about, in the heat of the moment.

He slipped in amongst the crowd that was rapidly gathering at the entrance to the Weyrbowl, ducking and diving into any space that came up between the mass of bodies, occasionally bringing an elbow to bear when he wasn't moving fast enough, eventually breaking free to find himself on the hot sands of the hatching grounds. He looked up, seeing a small gathering of waiting candidates and, beyond them, the eggs. He'd seen them before, but then they were still - now many of them were moving with fervour.

And one had already hatched. He peered at it. Not too big for a hatchling, though that rarely meant anything; many started out big but didn't grow too quickly, some seemed to stop growing early, and some of the smaller ones just didn't seem to stop growing until well into maturity. But he couldn't see this one's colour, until it stood up, flaring its wings, and he caught a glimpse of bright blue on the underside. A strange feeling fluttered in his chest, and he realised that he was still holding himself in check. Gingerly he reduced the control, his hope at the first little blue on the sands may just be the one for him leaping to the forefront of his mind, soon followed by doubt. It wasn't a bronze. His brother had Impressed a bronze. He knew, deep down, that family ties meant little when it came to Impression, but he couldn't help but wonder whether he would also be chosen by a dragonet of influence. He considered not for the first time, a brown. He'd be happy with a brown. Shells, you'll be happy with whatever you get. That's just how it works. Besides, blues weren't bad dragons, and neither were greens. They were far more manoeuvrable than the bigger dragons. But somehow he doubted that he'd want a green. Too flighty.

[Dragon Song]

The young blue's creeling continued as he tried to balance himself on his wobbly legs, regularly losing his balance and nearly toppling over again into the soft sands. In the end he settled for splay legged standing, for the moment at least. His wings were spread to the sides, dropping slightly under the weight of the sand-sludge, as he used them to keep himself slightly more stable. Alert, rapidly whirling eyes watched intently as people continued to file in and more and more of those robed in white began to step onto the sands. So many people!

His gaze flicked over every person that he could see, his creeling quietening now as he took in the sights around him. Twisting slightly, and trying not to fall over again as he did so, he turned around to look and see his large Gold mother, and numerous other dragons of all sizes and colours alighting on the various ledges and perches. A tugging feeling pulled his gaze back to those in white stood close by, near the shells of his brothers and sisters. There was something he should be doing. He should be going over to one of them. Just... which one?

The heat of the Sands was quickly drying off some of the sand that was stuck all over him, and once the blue was sure he was balanced enough he gave himself a vigorous shake, causing some of the sand to go flying. A lot remained stuck to his body, but enough had gone to see patches of his bright blue hide through the coating. Not daring lift a leg to rub his face with a front foot, the blue lowered his head and neck to try and scrub some of the sand that was plastered to his face off on his leg. He succeeded somewhat, and in his rubbing removed enough sand from around his eyes to reveal a distinctive marking. A ring of pure white completed encircling his right eye stood out from the blotchy patches of wet sand. Shaking his head again, the blue scrubbed some more until he'd managed to get rid of most of the sand on his head. Well, now that he didn't feel like there was this awful, sticky rough stuff trying to stop him seeing he could go over there couldn't he? Yes! Time to go, and see these white robed things.

Staggering forwards a few steps, he tried to follow the pull that he still felt coming from one of them. Just which one? His creeling picked up loudly again as his neck swayed from side to side, his yellow-green eyes seeking out his special person. Where? WHERE? Then, in a moment of realisation, he spotted His! The blue let out a triumphant, happy bugle and careered forwards towards the candidates, a mass of flailing limbs as he tried to run on the ever moving sands. He nearly stumbled, but caught himself just in time, having no desire to land face first in the sand again. He continued on, not having much control but still headed in the right direction. There was one boy he just had to get too!

Gaining speed, the bright, powder blue crossed the distance between him and his chosen rider, tripping at the last minute. The action sent him flying into the boys legs. He picked himself up again and craned his neck back to look up into his Bonded's eyes, his own whirling a multitude of rainbow hues.
My S'rel! There you are! This'll be fun! But, first, could you feed your Empyreath? I'm really very hungry! he exclaimed into his new rider's mind. Hatching was hungry work!

Colour: Blue (2fc2ff)
Name: Empyreath
Appearance: Empyreath is a bright blue shade, with a white ring around his right eye and white toes on his left fore foot. He's a chunky monkey, with a broad, deep chest and stocky legs, a heavy set neck and broad face. Muscles are easily spotted under his vibrant hide and even as a young weyrling his large size, getting on for that of a small brown, gives him the appearance of a dragon much older than he really is.

Personality: Despite his mature appearance, Empyreath is the prankster of the bunch. He loves to cause mischief, especially for his rider. His favourite thing has to be spreading amusing, but false rumours, or contacting another dragon asking them to pass on a nonexistent message for his rider. Quite often "Mine wishes to tell Yours he loves him/her and will do anything for him/her". But he's not malicious in his joking about. He knows who should be pranked and who shouldn't be and never wants to cause hard feelings from it all. However, if he thinks you need cheering up he'll try to do so. Unfortunately his methods of cheering you up may well mean that you have to have a pretty good sense of humour in order to find it amusing. His view on life is that the glass is always more than half full, and it its not, mischief fills up that glass!

Impressed to: Surel (hannah)

Reason?
Surel (M): Empyreath
Who else really, could our dear Empyreath go to? One prankster attracts another after all! And Empyreath needs someone who will be able to put up with his playfulness and practical jokes. As well as a partner in crime. Both are plenty of fun, and both can no doubt get themselves into a lot of trouble. But of course, they'll always have the other there for them through thick and thin! As friendly a pair as you'll ever meet too. With a bit of luck though, each will be able to encourage the other to mature and take some responsibility. Maybe not for themselves, but for their other half and for those around them. We can only wait and see!

---

There was a distinct tapping coming from one of the smaller eggs, louder than the others as the blue made his choice. This tapping on increased in volume, and the Soft Moss Egg began to shudder violently. Fine cracks began to spread all over the surface, starting from the top. Then it went quiet, and remained motionless for a few seconds, not moving, not making a sound. Then it wriggled. And wriggled again. And wriggled a third time. The tapping started back up, only this time as more of a thunking sound as the egg was hit much more forcefully by its contents. Silly shell wasn't going to break! Then with one final hit, a gloop covered green tail burst out from the side of the shell, quickly followed by a pair of hind legs that landed deeply in the sand around it. The green started to back her way out, slowly getting more and more out of her shell, up until it came to her wings. The tips could seen, but the whole didn't seem to want to widen enough to let her wing arms out. She seemed to be a little stuck!

Her creeling could be heard from inside the egg shell now, as he tried to shake herself free of her dull coloured prison. Her movements unbalanced her, and she ended up sitting down on her rump with her front half still stuck inside the shell. The sides started to tremble as she began to flail at them with her front fet, almost giving but not quite. The hatchling, now desperate to remove the rest of her shell ended up sat on her hindlegs, balancing a lot on her tail as she lifted her front half off the ground, beating more and more determindly at the shell. Suddenly, it exploded, leaving her stunned slightly, as her forefeet crashed back down to the ground, now free from the shell. She blinked once or twice in the sudden light, then looked around in amazement, still sat firmly on her rear. A voice echoed in the minds of all who could hear her as she took in her surroundings with what seemed like wide eyed wonder.

Wooooow!

[hannah]

Surel watched the big blue, because now that the tall people had moved out of the way he could see it wasn’t small, stumble around. He did seem clumsy, but it was probably all that sand clinging to him. His splay legged stance reminded Surel of a balking runnerbeast, and he chuckled.

The sand fell away, revealing the bright hide. Oh, and the circle around his eye! That certainly gave the blue a more serious look. Well the fact that the powder blue was still clumsy ruined the effect. He was interesting, not adorable, because Surel believed that such words as adorable were for girls to use. The same went for cute, so the blue was rather striking.

In reality it was, because as Surel watched it head his way, it stumbled and ended up going nose over tail. It landed at his feet, but the blue seemed unperturbed as it picked itself up.

My S'rel! There you are! This'll be fun! But, first, could you feed your Empyreath? I'm really very hungry!

Oh the dragon had chosen him? S’rel didn’t bother to stifle his loud whoop! “Yes, yes! We’ll get you fed right away! And then there’s so much we can do together!” He grinned wide.

Sounds fun! As long as I’m fed first, and maybe you could get the sand off?

“Of course. People need to see your striking color.” S’rel agreed.

Taz popped in just in time to be thrown off his’ shoulder as Empyreath bumped into S’rel’s legs. The flit squawked and took to the air.

“Empyreath! I just might have to teach you to walk.” S’rel chuckled, placing a hand on his blue’s head to help steady him.

I can walk fine. It’s the ground that’s moving. Empyreath huffed. Hi, who’s that? He asked as Taz settled on the arm S’rel had on his dragon.

“This is Taz.”

Hi Taz! Empyreath, suddenly had a thought and reached out like he was going to bite Taz’s tail. Taz food?

The blue flit cheeped in alarm and scooted out of the dragons range.

I was joking Taz!

Taz climbed into S’rel’s hair, keeping an eye on the dragon. He liked his tail in one piece.

Where’s the food?

“We’re almost there, hold on a bit longer.” S’rel chuckled at the pairs antics.

___

Aethyr smiled as the blue shook himself and headed toward his rider. He seemed clumsy, but sturdy and that was a good thing. The green was cute to watch as she struggled from her egg. That was until she got stuck. Not only could her flailing inside the egg injure her it could injure Candidates that got to close. Luckily no one moved to help her. Though the egg, when it exploded could have hurt someone. The last thing he needed was to have more patients on top of the ones they had. A hatching was supposed to be about hope for the future not more pain. He remembered Candidate training and the warning about dragonets being unsteady at first. Hopefully this was the only problem, and injuries would stay at a minimum.

[Spiffy]

Unbeknownst to the green sitting in the sand, gazing around at the cavern, an egg on the other side of the clutch was beginning to splinter and fall apart. The First Light egg shook from side to side, occasionally jumping up a little as the hatchling inside tried pushing in a different direction.

With a small 'pop' a chunk of shell flew into the air, leaving a hole no bigger than a large Mark piece in the top of the egg. A squeak of surprise could be heard from inside the egg as it paused in its struggling, then another squeak, though this second one held more of a triumphant tone than its predecessor. The shaking intensified, the hatchling struggling frantically to push its head out through the tiny hole. Slowly but surely, more small pieces fell away from the hole, the dark muzzle revealing itself as a rich, but damp green in tone.

Inch by inch the green pushed herself up an out of the egg until, with a wobble, it toppled over, rolling down a small incline in the sand to bump gently into the Soft Moss green. She jumped, surprised, then peered down at her sibling, still half out of her shell, with wide eyes curiosity. The First Light green peered up at the other, twisting her head so that it was no longer upside-down as it had been. Satisfied, she continued with her struggle. The Soft Moss green, watching her curiously, reached out with a sandy paw and nudged the struggling egg. She continued to struggle, but when the Soft Moss gave her a harder push, the shell disintegrated around her, dumping the green on her back.

Suddenly, another egg exploded, dragging the attention of everyone who had been watching the greens' antics to itself. It was not immediately obvious which egg it was that had hatched, unless one knew where every egg was and which were now missing, or one looked at the colour of some of the egg-shards lying in the sand around the dusky hatchling that had now replaced the egg. A dusky bronze hatchling.

The Forest Fire bronze stood shakily, but with more control than his blue brother had shown, shaking himself from head to tail. He turned to regard the greens, the assembled candidates and the crowd, but then looked back at the queen egg and crooned reassuringly to he trembling shell.

While everyone's attention had been diverted, however, the First Light green had righted herself and bounded off to the other side of the clutch, the side nearest the candidates, leaving the Soft Moss egg to her wondering. Who were these things? She had to investigate. Maybe they would be fun, maybe they would love her? No, hang on, maybe one of them would love her. Yes, there was one special one here somewhere, but she still wanted to know about the rest of them. She wobbled unsteadily up to the candidates, starting with Aethyr and working her way along. They were all very interesting, but she'd not found that speci - ooh, there she was!

You're my special one right? I think you are. Your name is Viril, and I'm your Swifth, and... her tummy chose that moment to growl loudly. Where is the food? Is the food over here? I must eat something... the little green continued, setting off in a determined line toward the source of the meaty smell.

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Colour: Green (1c8a19)
Name: Swifth
Appearance: With a shiny, rich coloured hide and delicate seeming figure Swifth is pretty for a green. Elegant as a fully grown dragon, and cute as a hatchling you can't look at her and not be charmed by her looks. With a sculpted head, fine neck and slim legs, narrow chest and sinewy tail she can hold herself with grace and dignity should she choose to. Her light weight build also gives her great mobility and agility - something she can put to good use. Though for his delicate stature she pays in her stamina and as a fighting dragon will be unable to last as long as most of the other greens.

Personality: This little girl is continuously sticking her muzzle in even if it's not wanted. Her endless curiosity knows no bounds and she does not hesitate to ask "Why?" She feels the need to know what something is or investigate it often heedless of what harm could come. She seems to view the world with a wide eyed innocence and is never fearful of exploration. Fortunately she's adept at getting out of trouble too. With lithe and quick movements she manages to get herself out of the tightest of situations even if only to go and shove her nose straight back in from a different angle. Very little overcomes her curiosity and she seems to always go back for more.

Impressed to: Viril (kilnneah)

Reason: Where Viril is reserved, Swifth is endlessly nosy. She will not hesitate to investigate something, be it human, animal or object, and will drag her rider along with her for the ride. With the help of Swifth Viril will learn to open up to other people, that talking isn’t that bad, even if it’s with someone she wouldn’t previously have considered having a conversation with. And if she ever get’s into a situation where she isn’t comfortable, Swifth will always be there to get her out of it again, whether or not it was her fault that her rider was in it in the first place or not.

[klinneah]

((Wait, is my green's name Swifth or Soarth?))

Viril was constantly hopping from one foot to the other, trying to keep her feet from burning on the hot sands. She was still mentally slapping herself for forgetting the most important thing to have at the Hatching. Wincing at a hot spot, she backed up towards the stands, where the sand was slightly cooler.

Watching the eggs proved a vital distraction from the pain in her feet. One of the Candidates - did she know him? She thought so - Impressed the little blue - 'I guess he's S'rel now,' she thought - and moved off with the dragonet. The Candidate master had said the dragons would be hungry when they hatched.

A green egg seemed to be having trouble hatching. She watched as the dragon wiggled and wobbled, fell, and performed all sorts of antics to get out of the shell. Concerned, she considered rushing toward it, to give it a little help. Then she considered her feet.

It didn't matter anyway, for just then the shell exploded and the little green sat firmly on her haunches, taking in the world around her. Viril watched with wonder as the beautiful baby dragon sauntered around the Candidates, apparently sniffing out her special one. It locked eyes with her, and Viril fell in love.

'You're my Viril, aren't you?" the moss-colored dragonet asked. It proclaimed, "I'm hungry!" and began to saunter off toward the kitchens. Viril followed, entranced.

'Yes, I'm your Viril, and you're my Swifth,' Viril crooned. Swifth darted between legs, occasionally eliciting a yelp or gasp as toes were stepped on. V'ril, worried that everyone was staring and they were making a scene, hurried after her Swifth, frantically pleading her to 'please be careful, you're stepping on people, do watch where you're going.' Swifth paid no heed except to the grumbling in her belly, exclaiming "Come on, Viril, there's food!" Viril sighed and followed.

[Jester]

Draco glared at each hatchling that emerged from its egg. To him none were worthy of being with His. He was barely able to keep himself from jumping off the ledge and flying to her side. He looked over at the wounded gold and kept to his perch. Not even he wanted to upset the gold, it was too likely she would get even more hurt. Draco turned his slightly red eyes back on the eggs and saw that the blue had chosen someone. More importantly the blue hadn't chosen His. His eyes moved to the green that struggled to get out of its egg.

It needed the help of a second green to get it out. Right after the first green got free the second walked over to the candidates and impressed to one of the girls. He let out a hiss when it got too close to Luna for his liking. He glared at the first green while looking at the newest egg to hatch. He looked over the bronze wondering if it would be worthy for His. He remembered how dragons were strange and that the bronze went only to boys. He thought it was weird but he would wait and see.

Luna looked up at Draco and saw him glaring at the hatchlings. She hoped he didn't cause any trouble. She let out a sigh before turning back to the eggs. She clapped lightly when the blue and green impressed. She was glad they were able to find theirs. She looked at the other green and the bronze that had just hatched. She wondered who they would go to and hoped they would find theirs easily. She looked up to see Draco appraising the bronze. Oh boy. She really hoped Draco didn't cause trouble.

[Spiffy]

As Kemir watched, the blue eventually staggered its way over to the small line of candidates. The hope that had been fluttering inside him died as he saw a boy to his left drop to his knees with an unconcealed whoop. A new rider then, S'rel, he thought silently, watching the pair out of the corner of his eye, not wanting to stare, while the rest of his attention roved over the shuddering eggs.

Soon another egg hatched, its occupant soon sitting in the sand and gazing around the cavern with wonder - accentuated with a reverberating woooooooooooooow through his mind. She was son followed by another green, rolling around the sands until she came to rest by her sister.

Then a movement over by the queen egg caught his attention. A bronze hatchling sat in the sand, surrounded by the shards of its egg. He hadn't seen it hatch. Probably not many people had, he considered, not all of them took their time to emerge. But this bronze was a proud specimen, he could see; bulky. He'd probably grow to be a big dragon. His big dragon? Maybe, he decided. The bronze crooned to the queen egg. He knows she's in there, he mused. That was surely a good sign that the queen egg would hatch, an event that the Weyr dearly needed.

But before the queen egg hatched, another stepped out. The Savannah egg, which had been trembling since the very beginning of the hatching, was finally making some headway, as was the Firestone egg, which it sat near. The pair were shaking with such savagery that at times they almost touched. Then at one of these moments, with an almighty crack a leg appeared out of the Savannah egg, pummelling into the side of the Firestone egg and sending it toppling onto its side, the inhabitant crying out indignantly. But they were not of the Savannah's concern - it was nearly there! The flailing leg was soon joined with a tail and the bottom end of a wing, then the whole wing and second back leg. Unbalanced, the egg tipped, the dragonet's feet finally finding grip in the sand, the hatchling shooting itself unexpectedly forwards into the Inked egg. A crack appeared in the side of the Inked egg, but other than that it remained still, unmoving.

The dragonet that managed to emerge from the egg was a strange one indeed. Brown in colour but covered in stripes of darker tan - or was it stripes of a lighter tan? A well built little brown, but just that - little. Smaller than the blue that had hatched earlier, and scarcely bigger than the greens on the sand also. He stretched out his short wings, the peered around at them in alarm. Whoa, he had wings? He flapped them slowly, then faster when nothing seemed to happen. Oh well that was no fun, his wings didn't even work. He whirled around to face the line of candidates, falling onto his backside as he did so. But this bothered him little, and before long he was tearing toward them. One of them must know why his wings wouldn't work! Maybe that one, he thought as he skidded to a stop in the sand before Aethyr. No, not that one. The brown pounced along the line of candidates, falling against Luna's legs on his way past.

K'mir, your Astaath needs help! Why won't his wings work? he wailed, bumping into Kemir's legs as he came to a stop, gazing up at him. Kemir staggered back a step, stunned. What had the little one said... K'mir? Oh shells, that was him!

"No Astaath, don't worry," he gasped, dropping to his knees in the sand and taking the dragon's head in his hands. "Your... your wings are fine! They're gorgeous... oh, you're hungry!" he realised belatedly that he was rambling, as a strong hunger hit him in the stomach. The feeling was somewhat similar to a punch in the gut, but he realised what it was soon enough. "Come on, I need to get you some food."

But I want to fly, not eat! the dragonet began to protest, but then a loud growl from his stomach made him reconsider. Ok, maybe I do need food... but then you must teach me to fly!

The Forest Fire bronze had been watching all of this from his seat by the queen egg. She'd begun shaking now, the humming from several of the dragons increasing as they noticed this. But the little bronze was at odds. Half of him wanted to stay there, with the queen, and wait for her to hatch, but the other half was being drawn ever more strongly to the waiting line of candidates. Finally he looked up from the egg to the candidates, his eyes flashing red as he fought with this desire, then settling to a yellow as he resigned himself to it. With what could only amount to a sigh, he pick himself up and strode over to the candidates, making a beeline for one young man, as if he'd already made his decision before he's even got up.

Your Ganymeth has found you now, A'thyr. I'd very much like to stay here and watch my sister hatch, but I feel as if there's something else that I need to do first. Maybe I need to eat something?

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Colour: Brown? (9C661F/7B3F00)
Name: Astaath
Appearance: Astaath has the sturdy dependable strength of a brown, easily recognised by his deep chest and powerful muscles. Yet, despite his tan coloured hide it is difficult to say if he is really a brown, considering the fact that he is the size of a large green or a small blue. His wings are shorter than usual too, making it even more difficult to classify him as a brown for it is obvious he will be agile in the air, maybe even rivalling some of the greens, and what brown can fly as agilely as a green? Astaath's hide is unique too, with very distinguishable patterns in a darker shade covering his body, and much resembling that of a striped feline. All in all, a smart looking fellow, though just as unusual in his own way as his brother Ioth and sister Skadith.

Personality: Despite the impression given upon touching this egg, many will be surprised to find that this dragonet is in no way hyperactive. Impatient, yes. An adrenaline-junky, yes. Astaath loves being in the air, and will rarely remain on the ground for longer than it takes to eat, sleep and sunbathe. The little problem of hatchling flightlessness will be, thankfully, short-lived, as this little dragonet will be one of the first among his siblings to take to the air. He feels that a cloud is a much better bath than a lake, until he gets dirt in the irritating places that a cloud simply can't reach, of course. He's a show-off and a perfectionist, taking a great pride in his flying ability. If Astaath can't do something, he will be out practising it until he surpasses every other dragon in the Weyr in that respect. He will rarely boast about it though, lacking the arrogance that the bronzes and the larger browns possess, and will never belittle another for their lesser abilities on purpose. He would rather just show off to the greens, being more than just a passing flirt.

Impressed to: Kemir (Spiffy)

Reason: ... I'll write myself one of these eventually.


Colour: Bronze (8B7500/734A12)
Name: Ganymeth
Appearance: Large and bulky, even by bronze standards, this male is easily the same size as the great Mnementh of legend. The classic bronze in colour, a golden brown with a green sheen that clearly defines him, which bleeds into a darker tone. The dark colour appears on the wingsails of each wing, on the toes of each forepaw, streaking along each headknob and, most oddly, in a perfect mimicry of the chest strap, around his neck and with a large circular marking right in the centre of his chest. He is the bulkiest of all the dragonets, even a little larger than Rheath. Solid muscle from head to foot, he is not the most attractive looking dragon ever, but is certainly awe-inspiring in many ways. His neck is thick and a little on the short side, as are his front legs, the back pair rippling with muscle needed to get his massive bulk into the air, as with his wings, needed to stay there.

Personality: He is certainly no pushover, and can hold his own against even the Queens for a respectable amount of time. He's like a big burly body guard; always there, watching, rarely getting involved yet still carrying that "I'm in charge here" air that few would mess with given the choice. Coupled with that, he is fiercely protective of those he feels need protection, and has taken it upon himself to follow Rheath to almost everywhere she goes, scaring off trouble before it even starts. He keeps a black list of those he considers troublesome whom he will keep an especially close eye on, and woe-betide any on said list who dare to cause a ruckus in his presence.

Impressed to: Aethyr (hannah)

Reason: It will soon become clear to any that these two will become the guardians of the Weyr, both sharing a deep protective instinct for anything and everyone around them. You can depend on them to be wherever they are needed when it is so, and though A’thyr will be all to willing to sacrifice himself for the cause, Ganymeth will always be there to reign his rider in to his rather more sensible parameters. With potentially the largest dragon in the Weyr, A’thyr will have to face up to the fact that leadership of the Weyr is no idle threat, but with the determination and morals that the two both share in abundance they have the potential to take this in their stride, though A’thyr may have to step up and remind his dragon that he must take it at the pace of the slowest, or the bronze may end up leaving them behind as he strives to reach his goals. A’thyr must also learn to control his anger, for while rider may sit and brood, dragon may not show the same level of restraint in the face of opposition, and if A’thyr is in a foul mood then it only makes it more likely that Ganymeth will be in one too.

[Jovia]

Dark green eyes was watching the sky, brown hair nestled around the serene looking face of the young woman who just laid there on the ground in the Weyrbowl. There were eggs on the sands, she was a candidate herself, her brother was here, she had two firelizards one of which she impressed here while her brother had one too. Her brown and black were currently nestled up on her stomach together, which she glanced down to check up on them.

Suddenly though Cad sat up on her stomach, head twisting this way and that, Po shortly followed after as well his own head twisting. A soft hum started to rumble through their bodies before they suddenly took off and started to chatter loudly at Linda. Diving and twirling and circling here and there above her in excitement. Linda just frowned though and instantly stood up, dusting herself off. "What is it, Cad, Po? Want me to follow you two?" She spoke up softly for fear of scaring the two flitters who just flew around her.

Quickly though they flew towards the hatching grounds, Linda running as fast as she could after them. Now she could hear the humming of the other dragons, and got caught up in being herded to go put on the white robes of the Candidates as well. Everything was going so fast, her world was spinning. When it stopped though she found herself on the sands near the entrance with the rest of the group at the rocking of the eggs and people and dragon's poured in. Cad and Po tried to come land on Linda's shoulders and she just waved them off. "Go be with B'n okay, He is up... there, go to B'man." She spotted her brother already up in the stands near the entrance with his brown nearby and his little green girl on his shoulder. Cad and Po quickly raced off to go be with B'man though.

Linda turned her green eyes back towards the eggs though, as she walked forward with the rest to stand for the hatching. A broad smile actually graced her features as she watched the little dragons hatch from their eggs, a few of them impressing amongst her peers here and there. "Congratulations all of you... and I hope things go well..." She couldn't help but feel uneasy a little bit of what might happen if not all the Dragon's could impress. Quickly though she shook her head before she looked back at the eggs.