Norse Legends; Nayarath's Eggs are Hatching!

[Sparrow]

The night Nayarath’s eggs started to shake was quite similar to the night they had been conceived: stormy. Rain fell in steady sheets, immediately soaking any creature that got it into its head to go outside. The clouds overhead were low and dark, blotting out the stars and moons to show their own brief dominance. The only light in the Hatching Sands came from the glowbaskets, which gave the twenty-five mottled eggs an eerie sort of glow. One could practically see the heat radiating off of the sand, and amid those gentle waves, the first slight wriggles coming from the Thunder egg could probably look like an illusion.

It was late enough that most people should be asleep by now, especially Candidates since they were probably exhausted from the day’s chores in bad weather (although it had mostly reached this point after night fell, it had been raining off and on all day). It was early enough that probably no one had been asleep very long. Soot and Lilac were curled together on one of the lower benches in the stands, but Kora was sitting on Nayarath’s foreleg, leaning against the dragon’s wide chest and fighting between sleep and wakefulness.

The storm raging outside kept Nayarath and Kora up; the Gold also sensed that her eggs were very near hatching and so was watching them extra carefully. They wouldn’t surprise her as they had the first time. Perhaps it was fitting that it was with an extra loud crack of thunder that she noticed the quivering in her clutch. The Gold watched the eggs carefully for a moment longer, then gave a trumpet of excitement before beginning to hum. Lilac awoke at the sound from her big sister and the egg-heavy((because this is after her Flight, even though we don’t know who won xP)) little Violet fluttered over from her perch in the stands to look at the eggs. Soot looked up sleepily, wondering why his warm friend had suddenly left him. An irritated snort from Nayarath sent Lilac back to the Tan, but she didn’t go back to sleep. The little Violet joined Nayarath in humming and nudged Soot until he did too.

Not all the eggs were shaking now, although a couple others had joined the Thunder egg. The deep gray egg was moving more violently now, it wouldn’t be long before cracks started to appear on its surface. Nayarath hummed louder, excited. Other dragons and fire-lizards would probably be starting soon too, and that would be summons enough for the humans. The Gold wasn’t interested in seeing the stands fill though, she concentrated on her eggs. Again, she didn’t really like the Candidates her fellows had found for her young, but it was too late to help that. Hopefully they would hurry though. Nayarath knew her young wouldn’t want to wait to start hatching and finding their lifemates.

~~~

Hatched: 25/25
Thunder Egg - Bronze
Fjord Egg - Brown
Lagoon Egg - Blue
Sove Egg - Green
Kyst Egg - Blue
Chasm Egg - Tan
Ghost Egg - Green
Fralands Egg - Barred
Blizzard Egg - Bronze
Granite Egg - White
Steam Egg - Tan
Sky Egg - Brown
Antique Egg - Gold
Comet Egg - Brown
Aspen Egg - Bronze
Glacier Egg - Blue
Reint Egg - Blue
Song Egg - Tan
Meadow Egg - Green
Ripple Egg - Green
Surge Egg - Brown
Rohet Egg - Bronze
Fjell Egg - Blue
Felle Egg - Green
Parchment Egg - Barred


Impressed: 25/25
Green Symbelith to NPC
Blue Saxolboth to Iskador
Bronze Thoroth to NPC
Blue Leith to J'dor
Green Volvath to Tarenthia
Tan Midgarth to NPC
Barred Valkyrith to Zukah
Bronze Ragnaroth to NPC
White Tyrth to Gwen
Brown Balderoth to T'rin
Bronze Fenrirth to NPC
Brown Fenristh to NPC
Blue Lokenath to Emmyt
Blue Rurith to Moriamia
Tan Frithioth to S'bri
Tan Bragith to L'ron
Green Asgarth to Kris
Green Emblath to H'rik
Brown Erith to K'nam
Brown Odith to Lenia
Bronze Vikinth to K'ton
Blue Canuth to Yasha
Barred Navgoroth to Rhen
Green Freyjath to T'mar
Gold Voluspath to Brylorea



Duds/Betweens: 0/25

Eggs:

Antique Egg: The Antique egg has a burnished gold color to it, a somewhat darker but still glistening shade. It is speckled with black and brown, giving it a worn look.
Blizzard Egg: The Blizzard egg is a pale shade of gray, splotched with whites and darker grays. A somewhat larger egg, it is a dim reminder of the storms of the Northern Continent.
Steam Egg: The Steam egg is smaller than its neighbor, the Blizzard egg, but the same white-gray color. The difference is, this one is specked with pale blues and whites rather than grays.
Fjord Egg: A middle-sized egg, the Fjord egg is a dark, rocky gray with a greenish tip overall. A steep line of black cuts through the middle of the gray, fading to a deep blue like a river flowing out of a canyon.
Sky Egg: A pale blue egg, the Sky egg is of average size. It is splotched with white, like clouds.
Chasm Egg: A very dark blue egg, the Chasm egg is one of the larger ones. Although its blue shade is obvious towards the top of the egg, it fades to go even darker from there. Its base is pure black.
Thunder Egg: Also a larger egg, the Thunder egg is a dark, stormy gray with a flash of white-blue cutting through it.
Song Egg: The Song egg is a variety of soft pastels, pinks, blues, greens, yellows, and lavenders all share space on its surface, fading easily from one shade to another.
Meadow Egg: The Meadow egg is a warm shade of green and dotted with blues and reds, like little blossoms in a field of grass. It is one of the smaller eggs.
Kyst Egg: Also one of the smaller eggs, the Kyst egg is blue-green in color and lined with random streaks of glassy white, like the reflections on water. Its tip and base are a sandy tan.
Fralands Egg: About the same size as the eggs near it (Kyst and Meadow), the Fralands egg is more unique in its coloring. A darker blue from the base to the middle and a lighter sky-blue from that point up, it looks like a view of the ocean horizon.
Felle Egg: A large egg, the Felle egg is not interesting in its brownish color, except for a deep spot of black hidden near the base, looking almost like a hole in the middle of the shell.
Comet Egg: The Comet egg is a dark black brown with a streak of icy white following a large, uneven circle of white-brown.
Lagoon Egg: The Lagoon egg is a marshy green, splotched with muddy browns and somewhat soiled-looking blues. A smaller egg, it doesn’t seem the type to draw attention.
Parchment Egg: The Parchment egg is an ancient looking tan color, specked with browns and occasionally streaks of inky black.
Glacier Egg: The Glacier egg is a pale icy blue, streaked with white and spotted with the occasional darker blue.
Ghost Egg: The Ghost egg is a pale gray-white, darker at its base and lighter at its tip. It is also one of the smaller eggs.
Surge Egg: The Surge egg is a deep blue, but tipped with a foamy white and streaked with watery greens.
Ripple Egg: Calmer and smaller than its neighbor, the Ripple egg is a lighter blue and marked with circles of highlights or shadow rippling out from the tip.
Aspen Egg: The Aspen egg is a very pale tan and splotched with blacks and browns. There are a few ‘scars’ of black on one side, as though someone scratched at the barky surface of this egg.
Fjell Egg: The Fjell egg has a background of sky blue, but it is mostly hidden by a great jagged peak of black-brown jutting up from the base of the egg and struggling towards the tip.
Sove Egg: The Sove egg is a deep and dreamy navy; smallish, it has a look of calmness and sleep about it.
Rohet Egg: The Rohet egg is the utter opposite of its neighbor. It is a large egg and a has a bright orangey shade, streaked with vibrant reds and yellows.
Reint Egg: The Reint egg has a very clean, almost scrubbed, appearance. It is a smaller egg and a bubbly blue-white color.
Granite Egg: The Granite egg is a dull gray color and has a very solid look to it. It is probably the smallest egg in the clutch.

[ShadowReine]

Gwenduinne knew the drill. Once, twice, and now three times. The hum seemed to thrill through her ears, her mind, her bones as she pulled her robe on, securing it with a belt so it would be less shapeless, hide less of a figure she was proud of. She tied her hair back, so it would not get in her eyes.

Then, she strode to the grounds and strode onto the Sands. She bowed to Nayarath. Nervous? She was not at all, so. A small knot in her stomach was not fear, but rather an anticipation of...no.

She would not fail again. She closed her eyes, felt the heat reflected from the sand on her face, heard that incredible hum. Welcome, little ones, it said.

When she opened them again, she felt more balanced. But her eyes were still on the most important of the eggs. The brilliance of gold.

--

Tiomar would not have admitted to anyone that he was terrified. He was, though. His stomach had apparently transformed into a small flock of vtols. He was sweating even before he got on the Sands, and that progress had been slightly delayed by his attempt to put his right boot on his left foot.

Faranthfaranthfaranth. They were shaking. All of his usual good cheer was hiding somewhere...maybe in one of the eggs? Shake, shake, rock, rock. Bow. He was supposed to bow. That was right. Bow. He did so, then took a place in the circle, on the boys' side and well, of course, away from the gold egg.

And everyone on Pern was watching him. If the eggs were a little bigger, he would have hidden. Behind one.

[Yasha]

Yasha's head had just touched the pillow when the call went out.

Hatching!

She groaned and sat up, not sure if her body would support her weight. The daily candidate chores were nearly killing her. She was certainly not used to scrubbing floors or scraping crusted food off of dishes. That was drudge work!

Yasha reached for the twine she had just pulled out of her hair and sleepily pulled her hair back in twin braids. She had crafted the hairstyle so often that she did not really have to even think about it anymore. She slid off her cot, swaying a bit before gaining her bearings and heading over to where she kept her belongings. She pulled out her white candidate robes and slipped it over her nightdress. No use in getting fully dressed. Nobody would see what was under it.

Slipping her shoes on, Yasha trudged out the door and followed the line of candidates down the hall to the sands. Once she was out in the uncomfortable heat, she scanned the shaking eggs. She wasn't really sure which one, if any, she preferred. The Sky egg looked nice. The Ghost egg was rather mysterious though. And the Ripple one was pretty too. Yasha shrugged. She would just have to wait to see if any of the dragons inside were for her.

[soulfire]

((Sorry, that last post was me. I thought I was signed in.))

[phlysolo]

OoC: Okay, I know it's freakishly long, but I didn't want to do a post for each. I guess this sort of saved space O.o;

Kaiton had never liked the rain, not even as a child. Something about the potential for flooding and the destruction of his family's crops had always stuck with him from a young age. His father was always wary of sudden, violent storms, especially in the rainy seasons when they were under the worst risk of losing their entire season's work. As the Candidate sat in his room, listening to the soft breathing of his roommates and the louder noise of the falling rain.

Unable to sleep and unwilling to stay awake, he tossed himself down onto his back with an exasperated, albeit quiet, sigh. He lived on the coast now, not far inland on the Southern Continent as he had been before, so he told himself frequently that he shouldn't be so irrationally afraid of a few claps of thunder and bursts of lightning...should he? His stomach clenched unhappily and he shuddered in spite of himself. Kaiton knew of storms on the coast being far more powerful than inland ones, but he'd never experienced one. Was this one of those storms?

Terrified, he looked around to his blissfully sleeping barrack mates and frowned. He doubted land shake, storm, or tornado would rouse those oafs. The wind was howling outside and rain was falling far more steadily now and Kaiton gave another sigh. Tonight was a drag! The wind was picking up its intensity now, howling louder and louder! Strangely...it sounded almost melodic. How strange. He listened harder and gasped. That wasn't the wind! That was humming! Dragon humming. Just as soon as the thought entered his mind a bugle rang loudly throughout the Weyr.

"Hatching!" He cried estatically, leaping from his bed, all fear of the booms of thunder and flashes of light leaving him. Enthusiastically, he looked around and, hearing only a faint snore from the bed closest to his, scowled. How could those guys not hear that and jump out of sleep? Shaking his head and in no mood to harass them, Kaiton strode to his chest and carefully withdrew his robes, placing them carefully on himself. Of course he would be drenched from his run to the Sands, but still! Shivering from excitement, not fear now, he tore from his room heading straight to the Grounds. As tradition dictated, he bowed formally to golden Nayarath and grinned at her, anticipation making him giddy. His mind working on auto, he stepped to the 'boy's line' and nodded to the equally drenched young man already awaiting.

~~~~~~

Brylorea felt as though she had barely placed her head upon the pillow, listening blissfully to the sounds of rain pouring outside, when she was awoken rather sharply by the roar of thunder from outside. She jumped with surprise and shook her head, clearing sleep away. The Candidate could barely reckon what the candlemark it was and wasn't too sure she wanted to. All she wished to do was go back to sleep . It was musty and cool in the barracks and she pulled her sleeping furs tightly around herself, attempting to ease her wakeful mind back to slumber.

Her eyes drooped and her breathing slowed to a normal pace, catching somewhere between wakefulness and sleep. It was cozy on her bed and comfortable; the day's work and the comfort of sleep worked well to ease her thoughts away. And the beautiful humming sounded so nice. It was almost like a lullaby. Vaguely, she wondered what kind of instrument the harper was playing and why it sounded so loud. Was there some type of dance or event going on out near the Weyr Bowl? As she pondered and pondered, her mind sank deeper into sleep.

"Eeaaaaay!"

Someone shrieked and Brylorea sat bolt right up on her bed. Her eyes half closed to the sudden brightness of a basket of glows, she was able to make out what she believed to be naked woman. What in Pern? All thoughts of sleep left her as her eyes came into focus and she realized that what she was seeing was one of her roommates rushing to clothe herself. Brylorea tilted her head to the side with a frown, curious to know what the rush was to get dressed. The room was flooding was it?

"Hatching, Bry! Hatching!" Came the girl's answer to her unspoken question. Brylorea's mouth fell agape and her brain worked over time to catch up with this information. So much to do! So little time! The adage stuck in her mind as she threw herself from her bed and pulled her white robes on. Why did the Hatching have to happen now when she was least expecting it? The girl was still struck half dumb with sleep and the rain she sprinted through did little to help her wake. Even the scorching heat of the Sands only helped to make her brain feel even more slugging. Dimly, she bowed to Nayarath, as at least that had been drilled hard enough into her head so that she remembed to do it.

Her sleepy eyes caught on Gwen and she stumbled towards the other girl, tripping over her half heartedly fashioned sandals. She managed to keep herself from sprawling on to the ground, but only just. Waving her arms about, she spun on the spot, her gaze falling on the Egg settled directly in front of Nayarath. Oh...Oh! Finally! She was awake! And it was far too late in the game to be nervous, she realized! Shaking the sand off of her feet, she stood confidently on the Sands, waiting, waiting, her eyes locking on the Thunder Egg as it rocked ever so violently.

Let's go! She thought clenching and unclenching her fists at her sides, impatient for the what could be the deciding factor for the rest of her life to start.

~~~~
OoC: Okay, so I was supposed to get around to the Henerik / Bryorea meeting thread before the Hatching started, buuuut that didn't happen. Lol, I'm just going to act as though it did for these purposes.

Unlike most Candidates, Henerik was quite certain he was the only one willingly awake or in the Kitchens. While he had duties to the Weyr as a Candidate when it came to chores, he more frequently used his status as a journeyman harper to get out of them or do something more harper related. He quite frankly enjoyed working in the cretch where he could play for the babes and younger children. Showing the older youths closer to the age of apprenticeship of Candidicey how to play instruments or go through traditional teachings was quite rewarding as well. In fact, he did prefer to spend most of his time with the youths and evading his Candidacy chores as often as possible. The lessons, of course, he never shirked, as the Master Harper made it quite clear that he needed to learn the dragonrider ways as intimately as possible before Standing for Nayarath's clutch; he'd make a poor Weyrsinger if he knew nothing about dragonriding.

Presently, Henerik found himself in the kitchen enjoying a late meal after helping a foster mother with a particularly unruly young lass get to sleep. He had been able to charm the child into bed using Scuttle as a bribe then softly sang her to sleep with the mother anxiously looking on. She was thankful as apparently the girl hated bedtime and naps. Most males, he was sure, completely over looked the area of child rearing and gave no credit at all to the hard work mother's had to do running after children all day. It made him regret being such a wild lad himself. Indeed, now he had a profound respect for any woman who became charged with bringing up another human.

He munched idly on a meatroll, mulling over the day's events in his mind. Next to him brown Scuttle warbled anxiously and Henerik frowned at him. Scuttle did tend to be a very vocal firelizard, but at night he was far more subdued and rather antisocial, but tonight he had barely left Henerik's side. The unusual behavior became even more so as the night progressed. Now, he was crooning and mewling and carrying about.

"What ever is wrong with you, pet?" He asked, reaching out to stroke the brown. Scuttle crooned louder, his faceted eyes whirling in excitement. Perplexed, Henerik regarded him with amusement. "Fine. Don't tell me. Away from me, you little annoyance!"

Though his tone was teasing, he expected the flit to take some kind of flitty offense to it, but he did not. Instead, he raised himself to his haunches and hummed. From his position in the Weyr, he couldn't hear Nayarath's humming from the Sand and only barely heard the bugle of the Queen. In response, Scuttle's humming became louder and with little warning launched himself into the air and /between/. For a moment, he returned, sending a fuzzy picture of moving eggs to his bonded.

He threw his meatroll down, stood from his seat, and sprinted back to the room he shared with another Candidate lad who he heard was terrified of thunderstorms. The room was empty by the time he got there, but he was at least half certain that the other boys weren't all that long gone. Quickly, but deftly, Henerik dressed and vaulted to the Hatching Grounds, ignoring the steady pounding of the rain and only mildly irritated knowing that his hair would become a werry's nest of tangles under the heat of the Sands. Still having his wits about him, he bowed deeply and formally to the mother of Clutch and stood at a respectful difference from the rest of the Eggs. It wouldn't do well for them to burst their shards all over him. He knew that the pieces could be quite sharp.

And now all that was left was to wait....

[Sparrow]

As watchers may have expected, it was the shell of the Thunder egg that fell away from its contents first. It cracked loudly and cleanly in half, leaving a wet but large and very proud looking Bronze on the hatching grounds. He stared around the Sands, not seeming the least put out by the storm outside or the sudden entrance into this new world. This Bronze seemed totally sure of himself, except in one area. Who should he go to? While he hesitated, another egg hatched.

The Fjord egg did not crack quite as perfectly as its gray mate had. It was a foot that exploded from the shell first, kicking through the tough material. Almost as quickly as it appeared, it was dragged back into the shell, bringing quite a few crumbling bits of eggshell back in with it. After some more struggling, a small brown head forced its way through the hole, and eventually the rest of the dragon squeezed its way through. Now that he was out, this Brown didn’t look at all anxious to Impress. It sat down on the sand, turned its head, and began slowly licking the egg goo off one wing. He gradually spread it more to reach the farther parts, and didn’t look at all inclined to leave this task of cleaning himself.

Luckily, two more eggs exploded to break the stillness of the apparently busy Brown and the Bronze who was still studying the boys. A Blue and a Green poured from the Lagoon and Sove eggs, respectively, and although the hatchlings were very much in different parts of the group of eggs, the Blue quickly made his way over to the Green and then together they headed for the female Candidates.

Unlike their higher-ranking brothers, these two seemed quite ready to Impress. The Green found her own girl and nudged her playfully. Symbelith enjoys the warm sand here, but it seems my belly is full of nothing but hunger. Can we go eat?

The Blue watched the Green leave him and then trotted over to Iskador. Look Iskador, Saxolboth has hatched! The other eggs were still shaking, but none hatched again quite yet. The Brown finished one wing and spread another, admired it, and then set to licking.

~~~

Dragon Name and Color: Green Symbelith
Name Origin: Symbel was a drinking ritual. It was always held inside and symbolized by men drinking mead or ale from a horn cup and making speeches.
Dragon Age: Hatchling
Dragon Appearance: Symbelith’s hide has a shadowy look to it, but is still a somewhat lighter shade. There is a large splotch of dark green on each cheek and her feet also seem darker. Symbelith has an oddly thin and flexible neck, and the same goes for her tail except that it also has a bit of extra length to it. At 23 meters, Symbelith’s size is nothing special.
Dragon Personality: Symbelith is a very alert Green, but her comments on what she sees often seem to be out there. Sometimes this can lead to deep observations, but for the most part, Symbelith doesn’t make sense to anyone but herself. She is a very energetic dragon and prefers movement over remaining stationary, although she is willing to hold still for plausible amounts of time. Going to sleep seems to give Symbelith trouble though, unless she has just gorged or done something truly exhausting.
Color Code: BCEE68 (Adoptable!)

Dragon Name and Color: Blue Saxolboth
Name Origin: Sáxolb, a Viking chieftan who set up a fort in Ireland that later became Dublin.
Dragon Age: Hatchling
Dragon Appearance: Saxolboth’s hide is a very dark, almost purple, blue. Specks of silver-blue spatter his stomach, so from below it can almost seem like someone is looking up at the night sky. Saxolboth seems to have a broad build, and this size in width helps make up for what he lacks in length, being only 24 meters. His heavy-set body can make it seem like Saxolboth wouldn’t be very agile, but he often seems much more graceful than the average Blue.
Dragon Personality: Saxolboth is an extremely curious dragon and likes to know everything about everything. Although his speech is not an endless stream of questions, he likes to slip them into longer phrases and then watch and see if anyone picks up on it and replies. For the most part, Saxolboth likes to explore curious things himself, as he seems to trust himself to figure things out more than anyone else.
Color Code: navy or 000080

[kandykat]

((Sorry it's so short, I still don't have my laptop back.))

Sibari was up late, thoughts racing through his head and keeping him awake. He was tossing a ball back and forth, lazily practicing his juggling, when an odd humming began. It took him a moment to connect this reality to his candidate lessons, and when he did, he realized it was the Hatching. Jumping off his cot, he pulled on his candidate robe and hurried to the sands, running quickly on nimble feet.

He skidded into the sands just as the first eggs hatched. Brown, Bronze, Blue, and Green! He quickly joined the other candidates, watching curiously as the green and blue Impressed. Things certainly seemed to be moving fast. He turned his attention to the bronze and brown, wondering who they would go to.

[phlysolo]

A bronze! A bronze! Kaiton could practically burst with joy. His first Hatching and the first dragon out of his shell was a bronze. Almost automatically, he stepped forward towards the Hatchling and just as he did so a brown fought his way from his shell. Another high ranking male! He watched with nervous excitement and wondering what exactly it was they would be looking for in a lifemate. Even as he pondered, he saw that neither of the two seemed interested in at all in the Candidates. What the shards? His head crooked to the side just as a blue and a green Hatched.

The blue he looked on with interest, hoping with all his might that he might at the very least Impress to a male dragon. Kaiton had nothing against the fairer sex (indeed, they revved him up), but the majority of male dragons chose male riders. He supposed he was open to whatever affects a mating flight had on him, but still...He almost sighed with relief when the green promptly chose a female Candidate and the blue another. Phew!

~~

Brylorea had expected the the bronze and brown to Impress first, but of course, dragonets never did anything that was expected of them at a Hatching. The brown, she noted with amusement, had made it a point to clean himself off with much gusto, admiring his wings in a very narcissistic fashion-either that or he was going to be obsessive about keeping himself clean! How cute. She smiled as she watched the two and enjoyed seeing he dragonets in their natural, just-out-of-the-shell environment.

Her attention quickly turned to two dragonets more likely to Impress upon herself. A green! then blue! hopped out of their shells and seemed to pair up together before heading straight...straight towards her! Brylorea's excitement turned into sheer gut churning nervousness. Yes, she wanted a dragon-any dragon-but the thought of Impressing to the dragonets who just Hatched seemed even more daunting than Impressing a queen dragon. Would she be able to handle a dragonet so young? Of course! She would have to! After all, she'd been chosen as a Candidate, had she not? Another dragon thought she could perform as a fighting rider, as possibly a queen rider and she was not about to disappoint!

Just as she regained her confidence, it faultered again. Instead of even sparing a glance in her direction, the two dragonets Impressed to other girls. Well, congratulations to you both! She thought almost sarcastically, a small smirk on her face. All of that worry for naught.

~~

Well now. There was something to celebrate in itself. A bronze Hatched first, Henerik noted with a nod. That was a true sign of luck and the prospect of a healthy, happy Clutch. The brown that followed helped to support the idea of good things to come with the Hatching of a bronze first. While he had no desire to ride such powerful, fighting dragons he found himself truly getting into the spirit of a Hatching. The loud humming of the older beasts, the ecstatic roars from the crowd filled him too with a sense of euphoria.

He whistled quietly to himself a ballad about the First Hatching, but before he was through the first couple of bars, Scuttle appeared out of nowhere, crooning and trumpeting as a green and blue made their ways into the world. Ah! Wonderful! Dragons he would like to ride! They would be perfect for his duties as Weyrsinger and, although he would fight Threads, wouldn't be needed to lead the Weyr at all. Henerik had just been about to make a move towards then when they both quickly turned their attention to the females. Each Impressed and he frowned, hoping that the brown and bronze would not turn to the males and find he, Henerik, worthy of riding them.

[ShadowReine]

Gwenduinne could not help but tense as the green and blue approached...and chose other girls.

Part of her felt an odd twinge of...disappointment? The bronze and brown were not for her. The green might have been, but no...no...

She was going to be left again, and the storm did not help her mood. She stood in the driving rain, watching the hatchlings. She knew neither of the new weyrlings well, and in any case, congratulations would not have been heard in this storm.

"That brown," she murmured, "Doesn't need to do that. This rain will take care of it for him!"

--

Tiomar watched the blue and green both go to the girls' side with faint disappointment. Oh well. Plenty more. The brown? Could he Impress brown? It was cute, trying to make itself presentable before finding its rider, and he laughed a bit.

The bronze, he was pretty sure was not going to be his. He hoped that it wasn't hesitating, though, because nobody here was worthy of it. The brown, he thought, was just being vain. The bronze...

"Come on. You need to choose somebody, little guy," he said through the rain. Just not him. Not him. The VTOLs in his stomach began to do loop the loops at that thought.

[Sparrow]

The Bronze apparently decided on who his lifemate should be just as a fourth egg hatched. He approached a very tall boy at a heavy trot and nudged him as he gave a proud announcement of his Impression. Thoroth has found you! The Kyst egg spilled a light-colored Blue as the new pair started towards the tables to feed the hungry Bronze.

This second Blue also seemed quite sure of who he wanted to Impress and made his way straight to the boys. Some received a quick glance as he passed them, then he halted in front of Jador. J’dorMine, Leith is hungry! He started edging towards the tables without waiting for a reply, very anxious to be eating.

The Brown still hadn’t gotten up, but at least seemed to be done with his wings. Now he turned his head to watch the Chasm and Ghost eggs, very opposite in coloring and placement in the clutch, break apart to reveal a very lanky Tan and a somewhat yellow Green. Both headed in separate directions, the Tan to the boys and the Green to the girls.

The Green moved very quickly, almost running as she made a beeline straight for Tarenthia. As she closed in on the girl, the hatchling lost control of her legs and toppled right onto the girl. She was up in a flash though and nudging Tarenthia impatiently. TarenthiaMine, Volvath is starving! I want to go eat!

The Tan glanced at his impatient sister and then trotted more easily to a boy. Midgarth enjoys this sound of the rain falling outside. After I eat we should go watch it.

The eggs weren’t about to stop hatching now though. The blue Fralands egg cracked to reveal a dusky Barred. She stood up and gazed around the Sands, not looking too enthralled by this new world she had just entered. Eventually she started moving though, but ended up tripping over the large Blizzard egg. It had been wobbling violently for some time, and that seemed to be the last straw. It fell apart, leaving a scrawny Bronze glaring up at the Barred that had just toppled onto him.

Neither seemed particularly happy about this predicament, and the Bronze hissed before swiping at his sister with a forepaw. She squawked and struggled away, but although she dodged the Bronze’s blow, ended up more entangled with him. The pair continued to fight until their fray ended up with the two falling onto the small Granite egg.

It hadn’t been moving, but apparently the weight of two dragonets was too much for it. The eggshell made a sickening crunch as cracks ripped through it, and although a few bits of shell flew to the sides as the two hatchlings collapsed upon it, whatever was squashed beneath wasn’t revealed.

The Barred looked about done with this fight and gave the thin Bronze a heavy blow with a hind foot and then managed to spring away. She dashed towards the girls, collapsing on the first on she came to…. Zukah.

Look at what that horrible Bronze did to Valkyrith, Zukah! She gave her tail an angry swing and looked down at a scratch on her left foreleg.

The Bronze snarled at his sister and then got up to find his own lifemate. The boys were what he went to, but he did about the same thing as the Barred, crumpling tiredly in front of the first one he reached. Apparently the hatching, fighting, and then finding a human had used all his energy, seeing as he hadn’t eaten anything yet. Ragnaroth does not like that Barred one bit. And I’m hungry.

The Granite egg, now abandoned, was still lying very still. For a long moment, it could have seemed as if there wasn’t even anything in it. But, finally, a small head poked out of the eggshells. This was not any of the normal colors, but pure white. More eggshells moved and the dragonet finally managed to fully escape its egg. A shiver wracked its little body, and then it stood still, looking nervously around the grounds. Finally the White focused on a person, gave its little tail a swish, and then tore towards them.

Gwenduinne, GwenMine, this is not at all how Tyrth wanted to come into the world!

~~~

Dragon Name and Color: Bronze Thoroth
Name Origin: Thor, God of thunder. Thor protected his people by fighting off the giants.
Dragon Age: Hatchling
Dragon Appearance: Thoroth seems to be the complete epitome of a Bronze. Large, at 45 meters, and with hide that always seems to be shining with health, he is something to look at. Around his eyes Thoroth’s hide seems slightly darker, but other than that he bears no markings. Everything about his body seems to be perfectly in proportion, and Thoroth seems to know his looks are considerable and has adopted a proud stance and stride, whatever he happens to be doing.
Dragon Personality: Thoroth likes to think about himself and his greatness, but is also friendly and always careful with those around him. Much as he loves to brag, he can be a somewhat willing listener and, as long as allowed to tell exaggerated tales about himself, will happily praise others and their doings. Thoroth is very loyal to those he likes, and tries to be especially close to his rider.
Color Code: C77826Adoptable!

Dragon Name and Color: Blue Leith (Laeth)
Name Origin: Leif Errikson, son of Erik the Red; Leif established the first European settlement in Greenland.
Dragon Age: Hatchling
Dragon Appearance: Leith’s hide is the shade of Terran Forget-Me-Not flowers, a light and soft-looking blue. There are actually little streaks of white on his feet, coming up from between each toe, rather like the white that edges the base of those blossoms. The tips of the knobs on his head and his split tail are also the whitish, although they are really more of a very pale blue. A somewhat larger Blue, Leith is just over 28 meters in length.
Dragon Personality: Leith is a wanderer. He seems unable to stay in one place for long and likes to drag his rider along with him, wherever he goes. The Blue is almost the same when it comes to females, he might catch a Green or Barred but probably will not linger as her mate. Although knowing that His loves him is very important to Leith, he doesn’t seem to worry much about what anyone thinks him.
Color Code: 7EB6FF

Dragon Name and Color: Green Volvath
Name Origin: Völva, a dead spirit conjured up by the chieftan of the Norse gods to tell him of the past and future of the world.
Dragon Age: Hatchling
Dragon Appearance: There is a slightly yellow tinge to Volvath’s green hide. The tip of her muzzle is more yellow than green, actually, but other than that she seems more the color of semi-dry grass. A lightly-built Green, Volvath is quick in her movements but not quite as agile as most Greens, seeming more jerky in her movements. Volvath’s length is average for a Green, being about 22 meters.
Dragon Personality: Volvath is extremely impatient and if it doesn’t show in how she moves, it really does when she speaks. She likes to be first to everything, then complains about how long everyone else is taking, and always tries to be first to get away too. She also seems to have a thing for the larger males too, and while she pays next to no attention to Blues, will pay rapt attention to anything a Bronze or Tan happens to be doing.
Color Code: AADD00

Dragon Name and Color: Tan Midgarth
Name Origin: Midgard, the serpent of the sea and said to be a son of Loki. Midgard will draw the world down into a watery hole on Ragnarock.
Dragon Age: Hatchling
Dragon Appearance: Everything about Midgarth seems long. His neck and tail are slender and seem to have a bit of extra length to them, his legs seem a bit extensive, even his muzzle seems to be stretched slightly. His hide is a pale yellow-tan and his stripes are a cold black and very thin, more like a length of string across his back and winding around his legs. His stretched appearance can make Midgarth a bit awkward on the ground, but in flight or when swimming, he is very agile. Midgarth is about 36 meters in length.
Dragon Personality: Midgarth likes water. He loves to swim, or just stand and soak in the shallows. He prefers eating fish over herdbeasts and wherries, and will happily spend hours chasing the schools that live in the lake or the nearby ocean. When away from the water, Midgarth is usually talking about how wonderful it is and wishing he could go back. Despite his obsession with that, Midgarth is able to concentrate on other things, but his thoughts seem to wander and he usually needs a little help from his rider to totally focus on what they are doing.
Color Code: C4C166

Dragon Name and Color: Barred Valkyrith
Name Origin: Valkyrie, the Viking women of war.
Dragon Age: Hatchling
Dragon Appearance: Valkyrith’s hide is dark, but not like a dark green or gray, more of a shadowy shade but with its own sort of lightness. Her stripes are also very dark, but vibrant in shade. They don’t stand out as much as the usual Barred’s stripes do though, but seem to sort of fade from the silver-green of her hide to the violet. A middle-sized Barred, Valkyrith is about 26.5 meters.
Dragon Personality: Although boisterous, Valkyrith also has a very constant and rough side to her. She has never been a big fan of change and prefers things to remain the same or else will violently fight it. Valkyrith is also very competitive and likes to feel on top. It’s not friendly competition that she looks for either, Valkyrith always seems ready to fight.
Color Code: C0D9AF

Dragon Name and Color: Bronze Ragnaroth
Name Origin: Ragnarock, the day of destruction in Norse legend.
Dragon Age: Hatchling
Dragon Appearance: A surprisingly scrawny Bronze, Ragnaroth is only 35 meters and is thin and gangly to boot. His tail and wings seem a bit longer than they need to be, and the thin wing-fingers look ready to snap at the slightest strain. Ragnaroth’s neck is thin and doesn’t look like it should be able to support his large head. Other than oddly large paws, at least there seems to be nothing wrong with his feet and legs. Ragnaroth’s hide, though, is brilliant with its many deep shades of bronze. They seem to swirl over him in a battle for dominance, and every day it seems like the winning shade of his hide seems to change.
Dragon Personality: An irritable Bronze, Ragnaroth doesn’t seem to like anything or anyone. He is very put out by how people seem to think his scrawny(comparatively, at least) build means he must be weak too and is always trying to prove himself. In doing so, Ragnaroth has also become quite a bully and likes to pick on anyone who seems small enough to not be likely to fight back. He is more reserved around stronger dragons, but is not afraid to throw an insult or attack at them if he feels they deserve it. When people try to assure him of the good things about himself, he doesn’t believe them and gets just as irritated.
Color Code: darkgoldenrod or B8860BAdoptable!

Dragon Name and Color: White Tyrth
Name Origin: Tyr, god of War.
Dragon Age: Hatchling
Dragon Appearance: Tyrth is very small and very white. The shade of his hide seems, in a way, thick and has a solid sort of creaminess to it. Tyrth’s talons are very black, standing out against his white paws. Any dirt will stand out like a beacon against his hide, keeping Tyrth clean is sure to be somewhat troublesome. At 16 meters, Tyrth is a very small dragon.
Dragon Personality: As the only currently living White and the smallest of the dragons, Tyrth is very obsessed with proving himself. What he lacks in size he makes up for in ego and he can be extremely vain and rude to everyone around him. When it comes to female dragons, Tyrth chases more to prove they can than because he wants to mate. He seems to lack any interest in intimacy and only wants to make himself seem like a lot more than he appears.
Color Code: ivory or FFFFF0

[phlysolo]

Kaiton was trying far too hard to keep up with everything that was happening. His head spun to the bronzes, then the tan, then to the greens, and finally the barred. They each seemed to be so unique from each other, yet held onto some kind of common bond. They were like kittens or puppy just out of the shell like this and Kaiton found himself laughing at their antics. A bronze and green tumbled around in a fight while the brown from earlier was still cleaning away at himself. A barred Impressed and Kaiton's head was spinning.

It wasn't until the tan and bronzes actually approached the male like that he straightened up and began to make his way to the front of the line where he'd have more of a chance of catching the eye of one of the dragonets. Alas, they Impressed just as he was about to approach one of them. Shards! But the brown, he saw with glee, was still attending to himself with no thought of Impression yet! Maybe he would have a chance with-what was that?! He had missed seeing the bronze and green tumble into the Granite Egg, but now he saw what it yielded. What kind of dragon was that?! Before he could guess at the dragonet's sex or what to call it's color, it Impressed to a girl close to a Candidate he'd met before. Biry or something like that.

~~

As the dragonets continued to Hatch and Impress, Brylorea was steadily becoming more and more unsure of herself. She had been passed up by two greens, a blue, and a barred. The tan and bronzes, of course, didn't count because she wasn't hoping to Impress to either of them, but now she could understand Gwen's feelings of inadequacy. Certainly she was worthy enough for a green or blue...right? But none of the dragonets who had approached the female line had even looked twice at her! Was she doing something wrong? Should she be standing a different way?

Her thoughts were interrupted as she saw a green Hatch and head passed a bronze. The two seemed to dislike each other and fell into a brawl. Really now! The two should be worrying about whom to Impress to, not squabbling. Still, Brylorea cracked an uneasy, nervous smile at their antics just until the two fell atop the Granite Egg. She yelped in dismay as they crushed it and fell upon what ever was inside of it. The poor little egg! Had they killed the Hatchling? No...none of the dragons had taken up the death keel... Just as she considered going to investigate a...a white dragon?! How...what? Dumbfounded, she stared at the little beast as it sauntered towards the girls. She couldn't even think about wanting to Impress to it, despite her curiosity. Even if she wanted to, it bonded...It bonded to Gwen!

Another shriek escaped her lips, this time one of joy and congratulations. She knew Gwen was right for a dragon! Like she had said, her's just hadn't been Hatched yet...until now! She had never found herself so happy for another person until just then. But now was not the time to have her mind focused on the Impression of another Candidate. Brylorea needed to be focused on the dragonets who had Hatched and those who were about to. Was her lifemate hidden inside those cozy ovals?

~~~

Henerik found himself surprisingly impatient at the Hatchings turn of events now. The euphoria he was experiencing had subsided to a dull roar, even in the light of so many bronzes and tans roaming the Sands. He was far more interested in the greens and blue, but they chose their partners quite decisively, the blue walked right by him with barely a glance. Sturdy little fellow he was, Henerik thought. Scuttle had hissed at the blue as it had passed, but had otherwise had not been too interested in any of the other dragonets, not even the ones who had strayed close by the journeyman.

The brown flit had been humming insistently throughout the Hatching and Henerik was almost more keen to observe his firelizard in their first Hatching than pay any heed to the dragonets. But still, he needed to Impress. It was his duty to his Craft and made up his mind to be more open minded towards the ongoing Hatching in general. If he Impressed a bronze it just went to show that he was needed in that area as well. Yes, now Henerik's old desire to ride on the neck of a dragon was starting to scratch the surface again.

[ShadowReine]

And then the Hatching was in its full...swing. Gwen knew from experience how quickly things would happen.

The first bronze, finally making its choice. A blue, hatched and Impressed in the blink of an eye...to one of the boys.

Green, tan, and then barred and bronze...and a dragon fight on the Sands. Not the first time, not the last...she'd seen arguments between the hatchlings before, and they didn't seem likely to hurt one another, until they fell onto an egg. Not just any egg, but the one that everyone thought was a dud. Well, was her first thought, if they had to, they had picked the right egg...if it was a dud, then no harm done.

Then they separated. Yeah. It was a dud. Tan and barred chose, and Gwen tried to take her eyes off the very still egg. She really tried. Poor thing...if there was even anything in there.

Then...a head poked out of it, rather like a Harper's illustration of a Hatching, the classic image of dragon egg and broken shell, and the rest...

"Faranth," she whispered, doubting she was the only one. It was a white dragon. The barreds had been a surprise, but white? An albino? No...an albino would not have such black talons. Then it was moving and she found she could no more have taken her eyes off the hatchling than she could have gone between without a dragon. It was moving right at her, and she knew she should dodge, but all of her training seemed to go right out the window.

Gwenduinne, GwenMine, this is not at all how Tyrth wanted to come into the world!

One might have expected the first thought in her mind to be 'I'll never be Weyrwoman now', but that would have assumed her to be capable of thought. For a long moment? She wasn't. Let alone speech, struck dumb by both the forming bond in her mind and the utter shock. Her dragon was...was...a -boy- dragon? But then it didn't matter. As reason somewhat returned, she dropped to one knee to check on the tiny hatchling. "How badly did they squash you, Tyrth?" Was he hurt? He didn't seem to be, a bit bruised maybe. And...wow. It all made -sense- now. Of course no green or barred dragon...or even violet...could have taken away Tyrth's rider.

And if she was meant for white and there had never been one before...then no wonder she had been left Standing. "Wow," she breathed. "Come on....we need to fill your stomach." Did it occur to her that he might not have hatched had it not been for the combatants? Yes, but the only thing that mattered was that he was here now. And no, she would never be Weyrwoman.

Funny. That really didn't matter any more.

--

Tiomar was starting to think he was going to be the one left Standing. Dragon after dragon Impressed to somebody else. Maybe it just wasn't his day. He was watching the blues and greens...and even the barred, he'd like a barred.

Not a bronze or a tan, but they chose too...and he stopped caring. He just wanted a dragon, any dragon. Then...the granite egg hatched after all. And not a very small green as had been guessed by those who didn't think it was a dud. A white. A stunted albino...no, that wasn't fair. White, though! And it went straight for...the arrogant girl who was sure she would be chosen by the gold. That was definitely an Impression. Where was his?

--

In the Sands, B'can heaved a sigh of relief. Now he didn't have to worry about being in a Weyr run by that bitch Gwenduinne. And for the best reason...the girl had Impressed a fighting dragon. Albeit a very...strange one. It didn't look like it would even make green size. A few of those might be highly useful in the wings, part of him thought. An entire wing of them...would be very useful for supporting ground crew, they could get places larger dragons could not.

Stop thinking like a wingleader, he told himself.

Why not?

[Sparrow]

The Steam egg hatched next, leaving a small Tan sitting somewhat bewildered on the Sands. He looked around, stood up, stretched amiably, and trotted over to the Brown that was still sitting on the Sands and now just watching everything that was happening. After a short moment where they must have talked even though neither had any rider to hear them, they started towards the boys. The Brown halted at one first, apparently he had known who he wanted to go to all along even though he hadn’t done it yet.

Well, Fenristh supposes it is about time he was eating. Can we go? He watched the boy he had found with an extremely patient expression, although hunger made the edges of his eyes tinge slightly yellow.

The Tan glanced cheerily at his brother, happy he had Impressed, and then began his own inspection of the boys. Just who to go to? He wasn’t quite sure yet, it seemed.

The eggs weren’t going to wait for the Tan to Impress though. Between Nayarath’s forepaws, the Antique egg was starting to shake quite violently. But the Sky egg beat it too the punch, opening to show a dark Brown. He scrambled away from the shells and marched straight to a certain Candidate, Talrin Hello T’rin, Balderoth has found you! You’re a little odd looking but I knew where you were anyways. He nuzzled the boy happily.

Now the Antique egg finally hatched and a shining Gold raised her head gracefully from the shards. Nayarath crooned softly, euphoric about finally seeing another dragon of her color. The hatchling arched its neck to look at its mother, then looked at the girls, but didn’t get up. She seemed rather content to just enjoy the warmth of the sands and the protection of he rmother for the moment.

Seeing as the Gold didn’t look ready to move, it was a good thing another egg hatched. This time it was the oddly marked Comet egg, and it practically exploded. The Brown inside looked around the Sands with an extremely alert expression, half-spread its wet wings, and barreled toward a boy. He struggled to pull up as he got closer to him, tripped, knocked the poor Candidate over, and then turned and hurried in another direction. At that moment, the Aspen egg hatched to show a Bronze. This one was an odd one, more a metallic orange than Bronze, but he was a Bronze just the same.

After snorting in the general direction of the Brown, he hurried to the fallen boy’s side and nuzzled him gently. Fenrirth is here now! But I am hungry, so hopefully we can be going again soon?

The Glacier and Reint eggs abruptly hatched then, both revealing Blues. The lighter of the pair hurried to Emmyt, while the darker rushed to Morriamia.

Emmyt, Emmyt! Look Emmyt, Lokenath is here now!

Morriamia, this sand is getting stuck to all this wetness on my hide! Rurith wants to eat and then be cleaned. He nudged her hopefully.

~~~

Dragon Name and Color: Brown Balderoth
Name Origin: Baldr, god of light and the sky. Baldr is one of the more merciful and forgiving gods, but was murdered by his brother Hodor.
Dragon Age: Hatchling
Dragon Appearance: A somewhat darker Brown, Balderoth hide is far from solid in one color, but the browns he does have are all on the darker side. There is a vaguely leaf-shaped smear of lighter brown, the color of the bark from mistletoe, on one shoulder, but other than that he bears no discernable markings. A middle-sized Brown, Balderoth is exactly 35 meters.
Dragon Personality: Balderoth is an average Brown, very down to earth and friendly, not the type to really aspire to anything. He prefers to let things happen as they do and has few worries in life other than when his next meal will be. Easy-going, he seems to get along well with everyone but has never been much a flirt with female dragons and doesn’t ever encourage His to flirt either.
Color Code: 663300

Dragon Name and Color: Brown Fenristh
Name Origin: Fenris, god of time. It is said that Fenris will devour Moongarm (the moon) on Ragnarock.
Dragon Age: Hatchling
Dragon Appearance: Fenristh’s hide is a dark brown, sort of the color of mud but with a healthy shine to it. His hide is very constant throughout, except for a small circle of silver-gray on his chin. At 38 meters, Fenristh is a larger Brown, but his somewhat lean build can make him seem slightly smaller than he is.
Dragon Personality: Fenristh is an extremely patient Brown. He has a strange sort of vanity to him that seems to make him feel that he’s just waiting for the whole world to catch up to his greatness, and so rarely worries about time or how long something or other is taking. He doesn’t usually pay much attention to what others are doing either, as he feels he can do anything whenever he feels like it, not when someone else does.
Color Code: saddlebrownAdoptable!

Dragon Name and Color: Bronze Fenrirth
Name Origin: Fenrir, a great demon wolf and also said to be a son of Loki.
Dragon Age: Hatchling
Dragon Appearance: Fenrirth is an odd Bronze in that the shade of his hide seems almost more orange than bronze. There is a metallic tinge to it, but his hide is much brighter than most of his color and seems to make him stand out easily in any crowd. Fenrirth’s tail is slightly longer than it needs to be, but also slightly thicker so it does nothing to add to agility. A somewhat small Bronze, Fenrirth is about 37 meters in length.
Dragon Personality: Fenrirth is loud. He seems to rarely say actual words, but prefers communicating through an array of draconic noises. He will fall to normal speech when the situation is desperate, but prefers to just let others try and figure out what he is thinking. Fenrirth likes to be on the good side of everyone, but his dislike of talking tends to make it hard to do that. With the females, Fenrirth seems to be interested in everyone. Green or Gold, he will try to get their attention as best he can.
Color Code: DE7E0DAdoptable!

Dragon Name and Color: Blue Lokenath
Name Origin: Lokë, god of lies. Lokë guided Hodor to murder Baldr.
Dragon Age: Hatchling
Dragon Appearance: Lokenath’s hide is the shade of the sky on a good day, a deep and very clear blue. The only variations in it are a spattering of dark blues on his stomach and throat and some very dark blue around his eyes. The ridges over Lokenath’s eyes seem to jut out a little, overshadowing them, and giving him an eternal sneaky appearance. A larger Blue, Lokenath is just under 30 meters in length.
Dragon Personality: Although not intrusively rude, Lokenath has an obsession with knowing everything about anyone and seems to especially pick up on the bad parts, which he likes to exaggerate when telling others his stories. He’s not really a liar, but likes to makes things seem a lot better or worse (usually worse) than they really are and that usually gets across the wrong message. Lokenath is one of those people that seem able to convince anyone of anything, no matter how farfetched, and likes using this talent to his advantage.
Color Code: deepskyblue or 00BFFF

Dragon Name and Color: Blue Rurith
Name Origin: Ruri, found of the Rus’ rule.
Dragon Age: Hatchling
Dragon Appearance: Rurith’s hide has a dark base, but there is a paler blue that swirls through his hide, especially on his wing-membranes, that could be described almost as milky. If someone were to pour a small amount of blue dye into some milk, and then splash it over some dark blue fabric, the effect you would get is about how Rurith’s hide looks. On the smaller side of Blues, Rurith stretches to just over 25 meters.
Dragon Personality: Rurith has an odd obsession with being clean. He eats slowly to avoid making a mess with his food, doesn’t like trekking through mud and getting it on his paws, and does his best to hold his tail off the ground when he walks to avoid letting it get dusty. Sometimes he can even be seen licking himself down like a feline because he apparently didn’t think his rider did a good enough job bathing him. Rurith looks down on dragons who let themselves get dirty and prefers to keep company only with those who care about their appearance.
Color Code: darkblue or 00008B

[phlysolo]

Another bronze, tan, and brown! But each of them seemed to have other things on their mind than short, scrawny little Kaiton. However, the lad was not perturbed that the dragonets weren't looking towards him. No, he was simply quite thrilled simply to be on the Sands, a witness to the birthing of Nayarath's offspring. Only in the back of his mind did he find it somewhat strange that he wasn't nervous, but his brain was working over drive in an effort to not only keep up with what was happening around him, but to make sure he would never ever forget this day, even if it wasn't his time to Impress.

His eyes focused only for a moment on the Impressions of the dragonets around him and he instead chose to watch the Hatching of the queen Egg. And by the First Egg! It was indeed the gold everyone had been hoping it to be. Somewhere amongst those girls had to be a rider suitable for her. He spared only a quick glance towards the female line as two blues headed for their lifemates.

~~

Brylorea could hardly stand the waiting any more. She had found herself so much in Gwen's shoes that it made her absolutely sick. She wasn't supposed to be worrying or stressing over the queen draogn that may or may not bond itself to her. No, she should be hopeful and grateful that any dragonet came her way at all. But this little round of dragon babes that Hatched seemed to contain dragons who would only be interested in bonding with males.

A violent rocking against a golden background caught Brylorea's eye. The queen! It was about to Hatch! Her eyes focused on it as a starving man would drool over a thick slice of roast herdbeast. Her heart was thuhmping wildly in her chest, completely ignorant of the blues who Hatched and Impressed around her. Somewhere she halfheartedly was trying to take her mind away from the illusive little queen Hatchling, but the rest of her just wanted to see the dragonet. Perhaps if she saw it and it Impressed away to someone else she would be more content to look towards the other dragonets bursting from their shells.

~~

Henerik had gone from estatic, to bored, to anxious about Impression in only about a candlemark. He couldn't beliee how desperate he suddenly was to Impress. Boys and girls all around him had found their own lifemates while he, the eighteen Turned harper was standing almost alone. The closest boy to him was his roomie, Kaiton, but other than that he seemed to be all by himself away from the ring of lads. All of his fantasies of becoming a dragonrider had ravaged his mind as he stood for the past few moments and seeing a bronze and brown Hatch had only swelled the thoughts.

But he had to be steadfast! Could he even serve as a proper Weyrsinger on the neck of a bronze? Henerik doubted it, but that didn't keep him from coveting the Impression of the boy he chose. His attention wavered as the golden dragonet erupted neatly between her mother's forepaws. Ah, a sight for sore eyes, he would imagine. Nayarath was now no longer the only gold on Pern. He hoped that whatever woman she bonded to would be capable and not a lackluster leader like some of Pern's past queen riders.

[soulfire]

Eggs were cracking so fast that Yasha was having trouble keeping track of what had hatched and what hadn't. There were blues, greens, browns, even what looked like a white running around to their chosen bondmates. It was more than a little unnerving having huge bundles of teeth and claws rushing past, paying no attention to anything but the single person they were headed to.

So far, none seemed interested in Yasha yet. Well, that was all right. There were still plenty of hatchlings to come. And if she didn't Impress, she would just go back home to marry what's-his-name. Her fiance wasn't bad, really. He was handsome enough, she supposed. However, if she had her own choice, she would much rather be soaring through the skies, or even sitting here on the sands watching her own dragon's babies hatching to their new lifemates.

Yasha brushed a pieces of her hair away from her eyes and concentrated on staying out of the way of the rushing dragonets. No dragon would ever choose her if she got trampled by one of its clutchmates.

[kandykat]

Sibari was having a hard time keeping track of the hatchlings. All colors spilled onto the sands, Impressing quickly. The dragons would putting on a rather confusing performance, he mused. They were adorable, though. Much more clumsy than he had expected, and all gawky.

When he saw the White, his mouth dropped open. He wasn't an expert on dragons, but he knew that wasn't normal! A wry smile crossed his lips when the White Impressed to a girl who was well known for wanting a Gold. She hadn't gotten exactly what she asked for, but a White was still something special.

Browns and a Tan were next, the Browns Impressing and the Tan still looking. Then, the Gold egg began to hatch. Sibari watched it with just as much interest as the others, but not more. That was a concern for the girls.

[Missa]

Naturally, Lyn had expected all calls - hatching or otherwise - to be during the day. Normally, they would be, right? After all, it would be strange to expect people to be up and coherant. So it was no wonder that the candidate was quite happily snuggled down into her pillow, one hand tucked underneath her head as she slept. Even then, she wasn't completely oblivious, the moment the hum started, she was awake. That noise... It wasn't really a noise, there was no way to describe it. It was a hum, but tuneless, that wasn't so hard, but there was a sensation that it wasn't really in her ears, but her mind. Thrumming through her thoughts and sensations and sending shivers down her spine.

They'd said the dragons would hum, but nothing could prepare her for that feeling. Not even when the other girls started waking up, no, by then Lyn was swinging her feet from the bed to get ready. Hopefully the others wouldn't need much waking up, Lyn herself was already immersing herself into her thoughts. What was to be expected of her? Would she be afraid? Hopefully not, but of course that wouldn't happen. This was something that would never happen again, or maybe not to her. Well, no. That was true, it would never be quite the same. Never. If she didn't Impress this time, well the next time would be a different dam and sire, the next time would be a batch of different hatchings.

Though no less special. The Touching had been a wonderful experience. The feel of the eggs underneath her finger tips had been something else all together, just knowing that they were babies. That they had their own thoughts and judgements, well it was interesting. She had to wonder, the dragons were born able to eat and chew and walk and talk. So really, they were about four, five years old when they hatched. By human standards. Or perhaps a bit younger, though they were apparently playful and energetic enough. Glancing up at the others as she changed from her night clothes into the white candidate robe, Lyn had to wonder what they were thinking, were they afraid?

Gwen wouldn't be, Gwen knew what her path was. A gold rider, a weyrwoman. The girl could be a good leader, she just needed to be a little... Well, in Lyn's opinion? Satisfied. To Lyn, any dragon was as good as gold, she'd happily bond to any, green, blue. Heck, she wouldn't say no to a bronze. Unfortunately, she seemed to lack the needed equipment for such lovely males, but really, she'd happily put her life on the line for any dragon. Gold or other wise. If the stories were true, the bond was so powerful that she'd love the dragon from that moment on. Lyn didn't doubt that, though it was kind of scary. For Lyn, opening her mind, her heart up that much? To bare her soul to the dragon, and know every thought that crossed his or her mind? Yes, frightening. But a fear Lyn was willing to face.

Sandals were next, as her hair was mostly neat, she merely pulled it from the low runner tail and tossed the band on her bed, running her fingers through her hair. It was constantly in her face anyway, and the dragons wouldn't really care if her hair was down or back. Slipping her feet easily into the light shoes and tightening them to suit her ankles, Lyn was the next in the mad rush to the hatching grounds. She didn't want to be late, no one did, no one wanted to anger Nayarath. Such a wonderful mother she'd been. It was only then that she noticed the weather. Such trivial things were rarely noticed by others, but Lyn usually took it in, funny how hatching tossed that out of ones mind.

Stormy, rainy. Funny, the only thing Lyn was worried about was teh dragons or the candidates getting ill, she herself had the common sense to deal with a cold, but others? Maybe they would be so busy running after their dragons? Well, she could help, assuming she herself didn't Impress and had to run around endlessly to play and care for her bonded. Oh... Was she at the sands already? It was good that her feet had kept moving while her thoughts went elsewhere, but not all that unusual for her. Bowing deeply to Nayarath, Lyn braved a shy smile as she greeted the gold softly and then moved to her place. There were others, so she wouldn't comment on the eggs' beauty, she'd done that on the Touching and Lyn hated to sound like she was trying to be flattering.

For a long moment, it seemed like the only sounds were the rocking of the eggs, the murmurs from the crowds in the sands, the shifting candidates and the very loud beating of her own heart. The rapid beat made her slightly uncomfortable, though she knew the blood pounding in her ears was only heard by her, she could swear it was loud enough for others to hear. This was after all, the most exciting thing that had ever happened to Lyn. Then, the wait was over. With a clearly defined - CRACK! - the Thunder Egg was split open, spilling a bronze onto the sands. That was good! That was excellent, a bronze first was a brilliant sign! And he was... Quite plainly cute, Lyn hadn't thought they would be, all odds and ends, but this little guy was adorable.

Then another crack and though the hatching of the Fjord Egg was not as smooth, the brown that came from it was equally as handsome, though perhaps not as urgent to find his soulmate. Was that normal? Not wanting to know, or not caring? Maybe he was just a little tired, yes that sounded right. Tired, breaking through that shell would have been hard work, Lyn was sure she wouldn't have been able to-- Oh look! Blue and green! From the... Uh.. Lagoon Egg and Sove Egg, if she was right. It was hard to say, since she couldn't remember the names of all the eggs, only some. Shards, that was horrible, that she only remembered some. The green and then the blue headed to the girls, for a moment, Lyn held her breath, then released it as each chose another. The look of bliss was enough to quell any doubts that Lyn had thought since coming on the sands, that happiness could only be good.

A flurry of Impressions followed, and hatchings. The bronze chose a tall boy, a blue hatched and chose his bonded, another boy. Then a tan and green from eggs that Lyn couldn't recall the names of - and felt terrible for being so unable to remember - the brown still watching. The green Impressed, to.. Um, Tarenthia? Was that her name? Something like that anyway, Lyn wasn't overly social, and names did often escape her if she hadn't spent time with the person. Then the Tan following suit, lucky boy. Then a barred, so pretty, and then a bronze. However, things went wrong there, and as the two fought and fell on the little Granite Egg, Lyn bit her lip. Other than this small show of nerves, no one would guess the young candidate was even bothered, her face wiped clean of all emotion aside from that one move. A... White? A white... A very beautiful, cute white. But whites weren't... Normally hatched. Oh well, if it was meant to be, it was meant to be. Simple. When the white headed for Gwen though, Lyn's jaw nearly dropped. She like everyone else had been sure of gwen's Impression, that stubborness for only the gold had to have meant something... Obviously... Not.

Then the Steam Egg hatched into a tan, he and the unconcerned brown seemed to chat... Finally, the brown chose. It was a relief, Lyn had almost been certain he wouldn't. Which was worrying she didn't want any of the babies to die. Who would? Then the.. uh that was the Antique Egg rocking, the one egg they all wanted to focus on. A queen was a great thing yes, yet Lyn didn't want to focus. That might make the gold feel pressured, and Lyn herself hated being pressured. So she would never do it to someone else. The Sky Egg beat the Antique though, another lovely dark brown, though he chose quickly. It wasn't a brown trait then, to wait a while and then choose.

Then the Antique Egg hatched, and the gold was revealed. Like many, Lyn's eyes were drawn to her, admiring the little dragon from where she stood before a slight smile curved her lips. It seemed someone was enjoying being with her mother, Lyn didn't blame her, she missed her mother too. Any more thoughts were cut short as the Comet Brown hatched and made a beeline for the boys. Knocking one over - poor boy, Lyn hoped he was alright - before rushing in another direction. Through this, a bronze hatched, and rushed to the fallen boy, before the final two eggs hatched. Both little blues, both moving to females. Now, Lyn was very nervous, she'd kept a tight rein on her emotions so far, but with only a couple left on the sands, there was no doubt she and every other candidate still unbonded was nervous. She wouldn't show it though, no, cool, calm, collected. What happened, was meant to happen.

What happened, was meant to happen. Her own personal mantra, and it worked miracles on an overly thoughtful mind.

{So sorry about length. So sorry I'm late. I tried to push everything in, if I missed something, i'm so sorry.}

[Zen]

Emmyt was not late, but she was not so normally silent. The usually talkative girl was scared. What if she didn't Impress? What if a dragon did not like her? What if she failed the hatching!? Too nervous to talk, too nervous to even think, the girl waited, her heart fluttering. She failed to notice the wonderful additions to dragonkind. She failed to notice that eggs had already hatched, and not many were left. She failed to notice a dragon Impress the girl next to her. In fact, she failed to even notice her ragged breaths, and her faltering heart. Instead, she just stood there, hoping incredibly that no one noticed. The usually talkative girl was not talking. She was too nervous.

Kris, on the other hand, was calm and collected. She was not used to standing, no, but she was calm. She knew that there were more candidates than eggs, and she knew that someone would be left standing. She really wouldn't care if she was the person left standing. She would know what to do for the next time. She would love to really show what she could do. She was calm, completely un-normal for her, but she was ready. Even if she didn't Impress, she was happy. She made it to today.

(( And my post looks like crap next to Missa's. Sorry. =3 ))

[Amejisuto]

To say that Morri's day was getting worse and worse. She had been up late due to her cousin pulling rank or something(so she thinks), and was in the hospital wing all night helping with the delivery of a baby. Not that it was a bad thing, but she wasn't exactly happy to deliver a drudges baby with the hatching so close. The weather didn't help, and waking up only an hour after she went to sleep, didn't make it better. But the red head trudged her way to the hatching sands.

She barely dragged herself into her robes and made her way to the sands. She was lulled into nearly falling asleep on her feet, as she didn't even pay much attention to the hatching around her. Sure she noticed all the hatchings around her, but she didn't notice... Nope she didn't notice when the little blue made his way to the girls and nudged her in the leg. She just came to in a startled manner and stared down at the creature blankly almost.

Morriamia, this sand is getting stuck to all this wetness on my hide! Rurith wants to eat and then be cleaned. The voice bloomed in her mind. she blinked a few more times, and just nodded faintly... Usually people had a bright smile, but she only seemed to crack a half-way decent. She was too tired, and she knew her companion understood her better then anyone else. With that the pair trudged off towards the food, and then afterwards a bath.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cerridwen had awakened in a rather foul mood. But that was just the way things where, she was missing a lot of things in life and someone had stolen her jewelry crafting tools. A kit that was work countless marks, was stolen and gone. Due to her inability to get over it, Venuth was a little cranky as well. But it was a hatching, and hatchings where momentous occasions! Yes they where indeed, and she could take hope in the fact that there would be more riders that would be decent for the fighting of thread. The both of them made their way to the ledges to watch the hatching happen.

So far it looked good, but some of the pairings didn't set well with them. Gwen impressing... such a .. well the dragon knew whom it was meant to be with... the Jewelry crafter just wished they had more SENSE... The jewelry crafter shook her head, as she stroked her palm over Venuth's muzzle, the barred wasn't all to happy either. She didn't like that there was so many more of the color she was. She did in a sense, but it meant that more people would be distracted from her beauty!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Meagen watched the hatching silently, her legs curled up beneath her. Her eyelids where closed partially and it seemed like an enigmatic look was across the females features. As usual you couldn't tell what she was thinking, and as usual Toath was barely clinging unto reality. It seemed as of late, that her dragon slept more then he did anything else. She loved him to death, he was her protector... but was it possible for a rider to hate their dragon? yes... Dwarth and D'ian where that way as well. Why was she so sharding messed up? She hated to think nor realize it, but she knew... she was messed up.

How as it possible for a woman that didn't like woman, to impress upon a dragon that would have normally had the possibility of catching a queen? The hatching didn't seem to help matters with her either, as she watched all the proceedings happening. It seemed like a lot of mistmatched and haphazard parings where being made. She didn't seem at all surprised at the white though, she had heard of them in scrolls, had even wondered what it would be like if that was a color flitters could be... but it was aught for naught.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nixsha stood silently with the other healers. Her hands folded before her, grim faced and exhausted she just watched the procession with steadily aging eyes. She felt pangs of jealousy for each impression. Everytime she stood at a hatching, she slowly started to regret her rabid passion for healer craft. Dragons where such beautiful creatures, she wanted to be a rider before her true path had been decided. She had only decided upon Healer Craft, because it was needed so badly. She had wanted to help the world, and this is how she was doing it.

Besides the red haired woman was too old to impress now. But her cousin had, and it was a beautiful thing to behold. Morri impressed a blue, not exactly what Nixsha had expected. But that was quite alright, considering that her cousin had at least impressed. She wondered if other people ever regretted the choices in their life? She knew at times she really did regret several choices. As the hatching unfolded the thing she kept in her sites was the little white dragon. All her suspicions had been correct, the woman that could hear dragons... was at peace. At least the Granite egg had hatched, and produced a healthy... apparently healthy hatchling.

[Jenth]

((Delayed, but I'll tell the whole story. Don't hate me...))

The Rider blood that coursed through his veins seemed to have Kaname acting before his brain had time to even think. The humming sent shivers up his spine and settled in his bones and never before he felt so alive. This had to be a good omen, he couldn’t leave those sands alone when something seemed so sure in his heart.

Many believed that he was a shoe in for Impression just because on his father being a bronzerider, but he was determinded that it would completely who he was that would dictate his partner. He didn’t stand fast by the hopes of most for the bigger dragons, a partner was a partner and either enormous bronze, humble blue or even fluttery green the hatchling he would not reject. A purpose was a main reason for his candidacy and a will to help in the life and death struggle they played.

Dorn in white, he felt the mixed emotions as they stood infront of the eggs. Hope, fear and excitement swirled in his stomach and clouded his mind but he shared in the joy as each hatchling paired him or herself with the boys and girls that surrounded him. So far no luck had come his way, but there were still many eggs yet to crack.

~~~~~~~~~~

Zukah had found herself lost in confusion when it seemed that everyone around her knew what was happening when the humming finally reached her. The advise she had been told had completely deserted and it took her a good minute, and a push in the right direction from a giggling observer before she finally raced off for her white robe. She had never quite been one to leap into action, so hopefully she wouldn't regret this point in her nature. Surely the eggs couldn't hatch that quickly... could they?

No longer wishing to waste more time, Zukah only removed her tunic before throwing the robe over her head and racing for the hatching grounds. It had for the most part been a blur, but she didn’t recall seeing anyone as she raced out of the barracks. The fear and dreading that she would be the last to arrive seeped up from her stomach and threatened to clasp onto her heart before she mentally shook herself and tried to run faster. Already she felt exhausted but she wasn’t about to give up.

Weary legs carried her at a walk as she finally got to the sands, many if not all the others stepping into place but she was really too exhausted to check. Her rasping breaths slowing, the rocking and cracking eggs came audible to her ears, urging her to look up from her half doubled-over stance. Hatchlings were starting to wonder about the candidates and Zukah found herself smiling at the almost clumsy dragonets. They were not all that different from toddlers taking their first steps, but the success of these youngsters could mean life or death.

Memories of sky born horror and torment welled at the very back of her mind, a not too distant past of hers that could have meant her early death. Thread that should have not returned had rained on them, killed many, threatened those who remained and destroyed an entire continent. More then ever she wanted one of the hatchlings to look at her so that she might have a hand in turning back the clock and returning peace of mind to the people.

Eyes turned from the golden egg to the thought dead granite, the tiny white dragon causing murmurs even she could hear. Slow at first, he too made his way to his chosen and Zukah nearly gasped as she saw Gwen rush to meet the dragon. So the failed candidate was finally a rider, and she hoped Gwen’s blessing would give her luck too. The hatching half over her hands gripped each other firmly, her hope had survived worse things then this and like then would refuse to die.

A thump in front of her made her look down; a barred! Was she for her? Look at what that horrible Bronze did to Valkyrith, Zukah! A good scratch trickled ichor down her leg, "And we shall fix that right now!" Zukah exclaimed, wanting to please her new charge. Valkyrith gave a nod and followed her rider. And food, I am hungry she firmly added