Nayarath's Clutch Egg Touching

[Sparrow]

Nayarath crouched on the Sands, her wings folded to her sides and tail curled around her second batch of eggs. Twenty-four lay in a mottled group, their colorful shells hardening and still working to hide the contents growing within. The theme this time seemed to be blues and grays mostly, with the odd green or rare other color mixed in. A twenty-fifth egg rested between her forelegs, shining dimly. Another queen egg, and this one was larger than the last. Perhaps it would hold a Gold.

The storm of her Flight had long ago faded, and now the sun glowed overhead, but with a colder glimmer to give the world the faintest touch of winter. Kora watched the sky absently from her seat in the stands. She didn’t linger on the hot Sands longer than she needed to, Nayarath was more content this time for her rider to not remain constantly by her side. But today she would have to wait again, acting as Nayarath’s speaker since the Gold refused to speak to the Candidates more than she needed to but also didn’t like them approaching her queen egg without asking.

The Gold dragon did not want this Egg Touching to turn out like the last one. Candidate tripping or throwing themselves onto the sand to preach love to some girl that obviously disliked them when she, Nayarath, was the one they were supposed to be paying attention to. And her eggs, but who had brought them about? Her of course. Alduth had had a small part, but her clutch was smaller this time than last time. Only by one egg maybe, but Nayarath wasn’t very happy about it. And the small gray egg she had pushed to the very edge of her clutch seemed to give off no life. If the Bronze had given her a dud… well, she was really regretting not giving Wuith his chance.

Kora remained content with Nayarath’s choice though, and strode onto the Sands to run her fingers thoughtfully over the eggs, giving their shells a final test.

You don’t need to question my judgement, Nayarath mumbled, watching her rider.

I know dear heart. Kora circled the clutch and leaned against Nayarath’s shoulder. I guess you can call the Candidates in.

Much as she didn’t like speaking to humans other than Kora, Nayarath enjoyed breaking into the heads of Candidates every once and a while. Her goal was to scare them, and she was pretty-sure that every time she spoke to them it at least gave the young humans a bit of a shock. Oh Candidates, your queen’s eggs are ready to be visited! Nayarath called out cheerfully.

~~~~~

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 egg.
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.

[Nick]

Alduth grunted as he rose. Mine, Nayarath has called the Candidates to come touch her eggs. Let us go so we don't get chastised this time for being late.

Y'xem laughed and stood up from the side of the bed that he had been sitting on, contemplating a nap. "Fine, fine. Let's go, maybe I can have a good sit with Kora while the Candidates are touching the eggs, and fearful of two grown dragons watching them." He laughed as he pulled his shirt over his head and walked over to the Bronze.

Tread lightly Mine. We both need to make a good impression on Nayarath, to give me a good chance next time. And you a good chance to keep Kora.

"Yes, yes. Let's go already." He vaulted to the dragon's back and situated himself just in time to hold on tightly as Alduth took off quickly to the Hatching Grounds.

They landed and Y'xem dismounted to enter before his dragon. Bowing to the large Gold, he smiled over at Kora. "Hello there Nayarath, lovely Clutch you have. And we aren't late this time!" He laughed walking over to Kora and hugging her.

Alduth entered and bowed his head to Nayarath. Hello beautiful Gold Nayarath. How are our eggs doing? They all look to be developing quite well. He carefully nudged Nayarath's shoulder lovingly with his snout. Perhaps we can scare the Candidates when they get here?

[ShadowReine]

Gwenduinne strode onto the Sands. Her third egg touching and please, Faranth, please let it be her last.

Two failures had mellowed her, but not that much. She held her head high as she walked towards Nayarath and dropped the most graceful of curtseys.

"Lady Nayarath, may I have permission to visit the queen egg?"

She had to try. She had to. She could not give up on her dreams, even if part of her would, now, be glad to Impress a green or a barred...not a blue, mind. She knew she was not meant for blue.

--

Tiomar watched the girl approach the queen as if she belonged on the Sands and shook his head.

Then, he turned towards the clutch. "Faranth," he murmured. "Where do I -start-?" He remembered to bow to the gold. "How is a guy supposed to pick?"

Twenty-four eggs, and one of them a gold...that one not for him, obviously, but that left twenty-three to admire.

Finally, he made a decision pretty much at random, moving over to the small, nondescript green form of the lagoon egg. It attracted him by being so utterly ordinary...so much so he was sure it contained some treasure.

A barred, maybe? Guys could Impress barreds as well as greens, and he wouldn't...well. He didn't care what he Impressed. At some levels, he didn't care if...there were other good lives, and he hadn't expected this.

[Zen]

Errm.... Since I don't have enough time now, let's just say poor Kris is here and randomly touching every egg like a psycho. I will update this later.


And Emmyt is talking up a storm to... no one. While touching the eggs. She likes the Reint egg the best (and so sticks near it).

[Sparrow]

((Sorry I probably made it a bit hard to tell with my first post, but Nayarath laid 25 eggs, not 24. xP It's just that 24 are gathered together and the 25 is the queen, which she keeps seperate.))

Nayarath rumbled softly as Alduth turned out to be the first one to turn up. I didn't call you, she told him teasingly, returning the nuzzle. But yes, let's. The Gold quickly raised her head when she saw the first Candidate approaching. Ah, she had met this one before. The unlucky girl who hadn't Impressed twice now... did she still think she had a chance?

Well, if she was of age, Nayarath supposed she would keep coming. She drew back her head in reply to Gwenduinne's question, a signal that should be easy enough to take as a yes, she could touch the egg. Who knew how much good it would do though... You should have all the Candidates call me Lady Nayarath, the Gold commented to Kora. I like it.

Kora smiled slightly and returned Y'xem's embrace briefly, then watched the Candidates. Four had turned up so far... they would need more than that for all of Nayarath's eggs. Three girls and one boy... no-one seemed to unsure about the touching but him. "That girl over there talks a lot," Kora laughed, glancing at Emmyt. Nayarath snorted at her, wondering who it was the girl was talking to.

[ShadowReine]

Gwen inclined her head to the gold. "Thank you, Nayarath."

Maybe she didn't have a chance, but she was not about to give up, and that egg was at least a violet, if not a gold. Reverently, she reached to rest her hand on it, nothing more. She was being careful, although she knew the eggs were not -that- fragile, she was very, very close to the broody gold.

A queen could forget herself and hurt somebody if she thought her eggs were in danger. All of the eggs were gorgeous, but the queen...

The queen still held her hopes and her dreams. The memory of two failures, though? That carried her despair.

Could she really even think that she might ever be any kind of rider, much less...

[Jenth]

Kaname had been in the weyr for the past turn, but this was his first time as a candidate. His father, and old bronzer, had wanted to try his luck but Kaname had turned it down. He hadn't come to the weyr for dragons and eggs, he had come escaping 2 deranged women and better understand a man he never knew.

While those around him were obviously excited, the boy was silent and stone faced. It brought up self reflected questions to when he had last laughed and he couldn't remember playing as a child. That woman, the mother that was supost to have loved him had made him this way but still he did not hate her. It had only made him stronger.

Following the others onto the sands, touhing only a few of the eggs and most of them smaller ones. He did not crave a bigger beast, nor did he think himself unworthy, it was just enough excitment for one day for the unborn creatures. Countless hands would touch their shells and Kaname shuddered to think of himself in their position.

¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬

These eggs represented the future, and Zukah knew it almost better then anyone. Had there been more dragons 5 turns ago, maybe she and her family could have been rescued from the north earlier then they had been. It had been a desperate time...

She had few hopes for her chances here, but she had to try. There was no hope back home, this was just the easier of her options. Nerves hit her as she reached out to touch her first egg, snatching her hand at the last minute. Had it been her in that shell she wouldn't want all these people touching her, so why should she think herself any better? Zukah sighed, all this fear rattled her so. Reaching out again, but only on finger of her outreaching hand brushed the shell. There, she had touched one....

[phlysolo]

This was absolutely ridiculous. First someone said she needed new clothes, then someone told her she needed to put all her things in her room with the other girls, someone else told her she was much too lean and lanky and needed some skin on her bones and to head to the Kitchens, someone else said something dimly about enjoying seeing new faces, then someone ushered her excitedly outside yelling about Eggs. The whole time she'd been at Nyocia Weyr, Brylorea had been pushed, shoved, and guided around so quickly around the place that she was sure she was going to get utterly lost by the time she was going to be told that she needed to be in bed. As it as her head was spinning.

Now, the girl stood at the foot of a wide cavern out in the farthest portion of the Weyrbowl from the main Weyr. The openning was massive and, though the girl was exceedingly tall for her age, she felt dwarfed by the enormity of the cavern. So this was the Hatching Grounds. Inside, she could hear the echo of voices and the low rumbles of dragons. Just how large was this room? Big enough to house TWO dragons? A bronze and the clutchmother? Stepping into the Grounds, she couldn't help her gasp of amazement. The amount of Eggs astounded the young woman and she couldn't honestly believe that all these important Weyrfolk would allow a bunch of trundlebug headed punks to touch all these shimmering objects.

Still, though, she was trembling from excitement, a wide grin spreading across her face. Brylorea was finally hit with the knowledge that she had made it! She had the chance to become a dragonrider! Oh, if only Henerik was here-she was certain he would have made a fine rider himself! But Henerik wasn't here and he wouldn't think it too great if he saw her moping around the entrance of the cave when she could be slathering each Egg with affection. Another sigh escaped her and she charged forward, a determined look on her face.

Her hand grazed Rohet and and then the Sove Egg, but she didn't pause in her steps, taking in every single, beautiful dragon incubator. Towards the back rested the Queen of the clutch and her mate. They were glorious! Aside from the blue she had seen when she was Searched, she wasn't familiar with the metallic dragons; she saw they were called metallic for a reason! They shimmered and glowed, even in the low light of the Hatching Grounds. Curled where her tail was lay another Egg, this one far larger than all the rest. Did it hold another queen? Even if it didn't, she had laid hands on two more of the Eggs, why not that one as well?

She remembered vaguely someone telling her to be extra polite with the clutchmother and her rider. Yes, she concluded, it would be very rude to smother the Egg with attention and not acknowledge the Queen's hard work for pushing them all out.

She stop in front of the great golden dragon and opened her mouth to great the beast.

"Greetings -" Her voice fell short and her mouth fell open agape. By the First Egg, what was the Queens name?! "Ah, O Great Queen, um...Geez, this is awkward. I've come all this way and no one even mentioned who you were. Er, not who you were, but what you're called. I mean, you know, your name. I mean, I'm sure you don't go around digging into other people's minds' saying 'hey there, I'm such and such and I'm a gold dragon' because I'm sure it's obvious that you're a gold and..."

She stopped, slapping a hand to her face. Here she was standing in front of the Weyrwoman, the Weyrleader (presumably) and both of their great dragons rambling like an idiot!! Brylorea took a moment to compose herself then lifted her face from her hands, her face beet red.

"Pardon me, Ladys and Sirs. My name is Brylorea. I just came off a Searchdragon and they directed me here. I...request permission to lay hands on your Egg there, ma'am."

[Jenth]

Zukah gasped as the girl bumbled to the gold dragon, almost expecting the worst. She might have not been exactly close to the girl but she could still hear. Even she knew that the senior queen's names was Nayarath, and also that you didn't ask the Weyrwoman to touch the queen egg. It wasn't the woman who guarded the eggs but the dragon afterall.

Moving from the Ripple egg, maybe she could right the wrong shown by the new candidate. It was only worth a try, plus it would be expected of all the girls to touch the queen egg. They were all thought equal and every one of them was no better then the other. Or that's what she had been told. Bowing in courtesy she felt a little odd. Should she have curtsied? Too late to ask now…

“Please excuse her, great Nayarath, she says she didn’t know any better. Do I have permission to touch you precious golden egg?”

[Sparrow]

Nayarath rumbled softly as the girl stumbled over her name. She wasn't just touching the queen egg without acknowledging the queen herself, and was very aware of her mistake it seemed, was only making more, and the golden queen thought it all quite funny. As the dragon laughed, Kora relaxed noticably. The Weyrwoman had been fully expecting Nayarath to bite the girl's head off.

"Brylorea?" Kora smiled slightly. "Well, this is Nayarath, I'm Kora. And it's Nayarath's egg, not mine," she added with a glance at the Gold. Nayarath wouldn't like that final mistake as much as she seemed to have enjoyed the others.

Nayarath looked at the new girl who approached, wondered what it was that made her feel the need to defend her, and lightly told Kora that both were allowed to touch the egg, but only one at a time.

"Nayarath says it's fine, for both of you," Kora relayed. "But only one at a time, she doesn't want her egg crowded."

And don't slap it like you did to yourself, Nayarath told Brylorea, feeling the need to make a comment to the apparently confused girl. Moving from Kora's shoulder to Nayarath's, Lilac gurgled softly and chattered to the girls. If only people paid this much attention to her own clutches! But they had only come when her first one hatched, not in between.

[phlysolo]

Instead of recieving a reprimand, the great mass of the golden Queen rumbled with...amusement? In her most meager knowledge of all things dragonkind, she at least could differinciate some of the sounds they made. A rumble like that was normally laughter, or the dragon form of laughing, was it not? Glancing quickly at the rider, she noted that the Weyrwoman, too, appeared mildly amused. Oh, thank the First Egg. It was enough to make an utter fool of herself, quite another to do it in front of the Weyrleaders and especially the Clutchmother herself. At least they weren't angry, though!

The girl next to her had defended her, as well. That was a bit of a nice touch, Brylorea thought, though unnecessary. While she did appreciate the gesture, and showed that she did by offering the lass next to her a small smile, she had never been the type to want defense of her actions-for the better or worse. Still, she'd put herself out on a limb and in front of such grand company; it was certainly to be valued.

Sheepishly, she nodded, "It is indeed a great honor to stand in your presence and that of your Eggs, Queen Nayarath." The girl bowed low to the gold and averted her eyes as she was taught to do when she was in the standing before leaders.

"And you too as well, Weyrwoman Kora. I-I am estatic to be able to Stand for this Hatching," And as it normally did, a wide grin turned her oft-sour looking pale face into a friendly, cheerful expression. Permission was granted to both youths to approach the Egg, though one at a time. How exciting!

Brylorea offered the other girl another small smile and stepped forward. Sure, she'd done Brylorea a service, but Bry had asked first. Then again...Oh, a good deed must be met with a good deed, as her mother had often preached to her. With her right hand, she gestured that the nameless girl step forward first and lay hands on the Queen Egg. Almost at the same moment, her mind was touched by Nayarath herself!

Luckily, she had the sense to know that dragons exceedingly rarely spoke to others aside from their riders and knew that whether the great Gold knew it or not, Nayarath had given Brylorea a great honor. Immediately, she bowed deeply again and found herself grinning widely again, realizing that Nayarath was being funny. Quickly, though, she pulled her face into the most solemn expression and responded.

"I shall endeavor not to do so, Nayarath, ma'am." Her face may have been grave, her voice betrayed her, squeaking on the attempt to restrain a giggle.

[ravenhaired]

The pair stood stock still at the opening of the cavern, the boy's brow slightly creased in worry at the sight as he glanced about, and the girl's eyes fixed straight ahead.

"It's... so big...." Lyron murmured of the room to his companion, and it was strong evidence of Rhen's equal astonishment that she didn't even shoot him a look for stating the obvious.

The rippling heat of the sands gave the eggs a hazy look from the back of the cavern, hazy light blending with the intricate colors and patterns of the eggs. There were a few of their fellows there, Lyron noted already picking their way through the eggs carefully- Shards, the last thing he could imagine wanting to do was trip into an egg... The idea of harming an egg or even wounding a soon-to-be hatchling? Lyron's stomach twisted with revulsion at the thought.

All that was cleared from his mind quickly, though, as he noticed that which had captured Rhen's attention from arrival, and he suppressed a gasp.

Sometimes, it can be hard to notice the things that are the most obvious, no? This thought wasn't any comfort to the lad as he fully took in the sight of golden and bronze hides next to each other, the immense size of the pair leaving him speechless. Rhen had recovered her wits though, and jerked her head at her peer to get his attention again.

The older girl leading, the pair walked forward to the clutch, with Lyron stopping on the edge of the sands. He had an incredible impulse to bow to the formidable dragons, and so he did. He felt a bit silly, not even really believing the metallic pair was paying him a bit of attention, but it set him a bit at ease. Rhen merely raised an eyebrow at him, her expression not changing other than that.

The candidate looked back Rhen with a bit of trepidation. "H-hey... a-aren'-" the boy broke off mid sentence, taking a breath to calm himself, "A-aren't you supposed to at least touch the golden one? Isn't that what that woman in the hallway said?" The two had stopped for directions for what they were supposed to be doing, and had ended up with some advice as well. "Being a girl and all?" He breathed slowly again, not wanting to start the stuttering that would make him self-conscious and stutter even more.

Rhen nodded slowly, eyes shifting to the floor for a moment as she pondered the logistics of it all. It would most likely be construed as somewhat improper not to, but she was wary of the task itself. She reasoned with herself for a moment before concluding that she didn't understand the weyr well enough to go about disregarding well-meaning advice. She stepped slowly through the eggs, leaving Lyron watching and stopping a distance from the queen.

A quick mental run through of the previously given advice, and... "Greetings, Golden Nayarath." The girl bowed instead of curtsying, her voice quiet but fairly composed, given the circumstances. "If it's not objectionable to you... may I approach that egg you guard?"

[Jenth]

Zukah was relieved, the girl wasn't going to be expelled form the clutch. Brylorea, is she had heard correctly. Yes, she felt she might have to defend this one at a future date if she did not learn from today. Just cause she had done it once didn't mean she would always make herself avaiable to attempt to soften the blow.

Brylorea had been here first, and she motioned for her to approach the queen egg ahead of her. She could wait, after all the candidate had only managed to gently touch one egg so far. Zukah still objected to touching the shells, but having already asked she couldn't go back on her request. It would be rude.

When finally the egg was available she approached carefully. Remembering to breath, gentle hands reached out, the hard gold beneath her fingers quite smooth. Having not paid much attention to her previous breif touch, maybe their small touches wouldn't hurt the baby dragons. but she would keep the visit brief, knowing others wouldn't be far behind her. Bowing again to the queen, "Thank you Nayarath, i shall be going now." Zukah thought that that was certainly enough for her, despite many eggs not being touched. Maybe it was for the best.

[phlysolo]

At first, it appeared to Brylorea that the nameless female wasn't going to touch the Egg at all and she had to contain a soft sigh of impatience at the girl's lack of movement. Finally, for Brylorea had stood staunchly, a polite smile hitched upon her face, the girl approached the Egg, caressed it, then made off. She wasted no time seeing if the girl had decided to continued to touch any of the other Huevos, but instead, with another quick bow, strode foward and stood before the Golden Egg.

It was a massive, by far larger than any of the other ones Nayarath had laid upon the Hatching Ground sands. A grin of sheer amazement at her change flickered on and off her face, her expression changing rapidly from shock to excitement with each passing moment. After speaking with the Weyrwoman and Clutchmother, her courage seemed to have finally failed her as she now stood in front of the incubating dragonet container. Slowly, she released a shaky breath that she hadn't realize she had been holding on to and inhaled deeply, loudly.

"Hello, little Queen. I doubt you can hear me, but I thought I'd say 'hi' anyways. Grow strong in there little one. I've got a funny feeling that Pern is going to really need your help down the line," She whispered lovingly to it. Without hardly realizing it, her hand had come up to about waist height and was gently pressed against the large Egg in front of her.

Stepping back slightly, she ran her hand up as far as she could go against it and then briefly encircled in a light hug. Then, as rapidly as she had touched the Egg, she stepped back as though embarrassed by the attention and affection she'd given the shell. Turning on heel, she strode away from the Egg and paused in front of the Queen and her rider.

"Once again, I do appreciate the opportunity to Stand for this Hatching. Nayarath, you have laid some truly beautiful Eggs, ma'am. I look forward for the chance at being Impressed to one of them," She said softly, with a small smile and nod.

Before she left, she made sure to touch all of the Eggs at least once. If the Queen was not for her than hopefully one of these other ones would be.

[Amejisuto]

Morriamia was a little unnerved at all the throwing around that had been done with her. Her clothing was at least presentable, but being picked up from the Hold and then thrown to the sands was a little disconcerting. It disorientated, and made a persons mind a little discombobulated. While her mind was still trying to rearrange itself, she walked towards the hatching sands. Already she had thrown on one of her less... Alright flat out, she had left her dresses in the room. Glad to be finally able to wear the leggings she liked so much.

She strode unto the sands, a little wobbly. But when she gained her stride, she gained it. Tall and elegant, even in the breeches, she let her true nature shine through. Her hair was twisted in a knot and pinned to her head, and it seemed that she had just an air of playfulness around her. She made her way towards the clutch mother and her bonded. Bowing faintly and then standing. "I humbly and gladly accept this opportunity that the Great Golden lady Nayarath has allowed us to have. I am very much humbled by her allowance of my presence, and overjoyed that she will allow me to touch her eggs. My name is Morriamia, just so you happen to know it now." She said softly and gently.

"I believe the best should be saved for last, so I will take my leave now and pay your other children a visit. But great lady, I ask your permission, upon my return may I touch your golden egg?" She asked in a smooth and silky voice. She knew her words, and she meant every single one of them. She turned then and walked towards the eggs, starting with the Granite egg and making her way all the way up to the Blizzard egg. Upon this completion she returned to the Golden Queen.
~!~~~~~!

Nixsha had been told that Morri was here, and she was a little nerve wracked to know her Lady-to-Be cousin... might accomplish something she had not. It had always been a competition at times, between them. But that wasn't her true purpose of coming to the sands. She had felt unnatural amounts of worry from the great golden queen, over one particular egg. As she strode across the sands, she noticed her Cousin making her rounds. She ignored Morri and went straight to Nayarath. "I would like to inspect the Granite Egg, I will to nothing more then to check if I can sense any sign of life from it... that is all... I swear this to you... Nayarath..." She said softly and lightly.

[Sparrow]

Nayarath watched quietly as the girls took their turns touching her queen egg and then left again. Then another girl approached, and this one struck the Gold as odd. For one, she started talking and just didn't stop! Kora had struggle to keep from laughing when Nayarath gave her rider her feelings on that. But of course she could come back and touch the egg, the Gold would be intrigued to see if this Morriama could come up with more to say.

Upon the Candidate's return, Kora relayed Nayarath's agreement. "Nayarath says it's fine." She really didn't like having to stand here and assure the girls they could touch the eggs without her dragon eating them, it got dull fast. But the Gold didn't pay attention, her head swung around when she noticed the Masterhealer approaching. What was she doing here? She was no Candidate.

The Gold snarled softly at Nixsha's comment. What did she want with the Granite egg? There was nothing at all wrong with it, not that a human should notice anyways. Tell her to get off my sands, Nayarath told Kora, a harsh growl creeping even into her mind's tone. The queen did not need humans recognizing her doubts. Even Kora didn't know about her worries on the Granite egg, her surprised expression when Nixsha approached was proof enough of that.

Kora looked up at Nayarath in surprise. What? I'm sure there's nothing wrong with her looking at the eggs... she's a Masterhealer dear heart.

Nayarath glared at Nixsha, her eyes whirling an irritated yellow. And there's nothing wrong with my eggs either. How the woman had figured that out, Nayarath had no idea. She couldn't be one of those nasty people who listened to the dragons, was she? The Gold despised the idea of someone other than her own listening to her when she didn't want them to. But Kora remained quiet, uncertain. Maybe Nixsha would get the hint just from how Nayarath was looking at her...

[phlysolo]

OOC: I took some liberty with the Egg heights, just fyi. I can change...

Oh, what a ride! What a ride on a dragon's back! It had nearly made the young man vomit all over himself and the rider...and the dragon of course, but that's besides the point. He hadn't known that /between/ was so cold or that blues could fly so fast! He could have sworn he almost feel off Axeth a couple of times. But now, here he was. Rider and dragon had dropped him off ever so kindly in front of the great Hatching Cavern and bade him good luck. Or something, he was so hyped up on adrenaline that he could hardly remember the events that had unfolded just a few candlemarks ago!

He stood, pawing at his hair, attempting to make it lay flat. Oh, he was nervous. Had Ketara told him what he was supposed to do? What had she said? Oh, he needed to think, think! But Kaiton's mind was sluggish and and yet working too hard at the same time. Oh, he just needed to calm down...Slowly, he withdrew a deep, long breath and loosed it, closing his eyes to further calm himself before he went in.

When he opened his eyes, he did feel much better. His chest seemed to have loosened itself quite a bit, in any case. Once more, he ran his hand through his hair and stretched his neck forward, trying to peer inside the cavern before he went inside. From the distance, and from the general bad lighting inside Hatching Caverns, he couldn't see all too much. From the brightness of outside and the dimness of the cavern, he could only see large, greyish mounds that had to be the Clutch.

While he couldn't make out shapes, he could certainly make out sounds. The cavern echoed mightily and he was certain that he heard a snarl? Or was it more of a grumble. Kaiton could not yet differentiate the sounds dragons made, though he'd heard quite a few in his lifetime traveling to and from the Weyr. Well, whatever it was, it scared Kaiton. Not so much that he wouldn't set foot inside the Cavern, but just enough to put him on edge again. Kaiton reasoned with himself: Did he want to skip the Touching and be a step behind all of the Candidates who were here? Absolutely not!

Setting his not-so-firm jaw, he practically marched onto the Hatching Grounds, his face the picture of determination. Almost immediately, he stopped, gasping. Why, it was huge in here! He'd never seen a ceiling so high in his life, nor a space so wide. The grandness of the area did make sense to the young man, of course; a Queen dragon must sit in this place for a month at least, if he could remember right, waiting for her children to Hatch. Oh, and he remembered someone telling him that often all the dragons of the Weyr would come and watch the spectacle as well, so naturally the place had to be large enough to fit all these plus the bumbling dragonets as they made their ways from their shells.

It was after this mental conversation that he had with himself that Kaiton brought himself to the present. Finally, he took in the Eggs and laid his eyes on their Clutchmother. She was a sight to behold! She seemed to hover over the entire cavern though she was plainly sitting on its sand. In his rapture, he barely noticed the sand burning his feet. No, they numbly carried him forward so that he stood amongst the Eggs some of which he noted were taller than he was. Hah! Now that was comedy in itself, he thought, measuring himself up to the Felle Egg.

With a silly grin, he gave the great brown Egg a pat and backed up from it, admiring the mass. It was almost uninteresting, something he'd surely have passed on and ignored had it not been such a large Egg. Kaiton's eyes caught on..dear Pern! Was that a hole?! Was this poor dragonet oozing out of it, cooking on the hot sands of the Hatching Grounds?! His face drawn with worry, Kaiton dove for the sand, trying to inspect the gaping exit wound on the Egg. When he reached for it and his fingers nearly jammed themselves on the firm Egg, he breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't damaged, but merely colored oddly.

"You silly Egg! I was worried!" He said, speaking sternly to the deaf Egg. "Oh, how could I have been so daft. Nothing could injure this Egg! Not with the Queen looking on. Even if it were, I'm sure someone would have noticed it by now."

Kaiton was rather annoyed at himself for being so foolish, but ah, well...Moving on, moving on. His eyes caught themselves on the Thunder Egg amazed by not only its height, but by the interesting design of the shell. While most of it was a swirly grey, there was the most captivating white-blue streak down it's middle. It drew the young man towards it and he pressed a calloused hand against its warm surface.

"Amazing..." Kaiton murmured, stepping away. All the Eggs which drew his attention the most seemed to have either a single band of interesting flashing across them, like the Comet Egg (which he Touched), or had splotches on them like the Aspen Egg (which he also Touched). However, none drew them back to Kaiton much like the Felle and Thunder Egg did. The oddly placed blotch on the Felle Egg made Kaiton want to hover around it, protect it from something that could turn the spot into a real hole. With the Thunder Egg, Kaiton wanted simply to stare at it and imagine what it would be like to ride the beast inside of it close enough to a real thunderstorm and mimic what the Egg was picturing to him.

While the Eggs held his fullest attention, his eyes had also scanned the rest of the Cavern for other Candidates and saw them he did. Most of them, he noted, were females, clustering around the Gold and what he assumed must be the Queen Egg by the way the Clutchmother had it sectioned off. Amazing. He approached the Queen with merely the intention of seeing a gold up close, although he wasn't sure if he had it in him to introduce himself to the dragon whose rider was entitled of the rank 'Weyrwoman'. Still, though...he should show his gratitude of being chosen to Stand for the children she bore.

But the Queen and her rider were not alone! A great bronze was near her, probably the sire of the fine Clutch of Eggs. Now, Kaiton was truly intimidated: He'd never found himself in such grand company nor was he given any type of instruction - at least that he could remember - of how he was supposed to approach and act around the leaders of Nyocia Weyr. Still! He needed to make them aware of who he was so that, come Hatching, they wouldn't ask who the short lad was.

As he approached, he saw that all was not so peachy up near the Queen and her Clutch's sire. The Queen dragon's eyes were whirling a malovent looking yellow and Kaiton gulped. Great...He hoped she didn't snap him in half and hoped even more that he wouldn't say something to offend the golden dragon any further. Luckily, it seemed that it the dragon's anger might not be directed at any Candidate. Some woman was standing close to the Queen dragon and appeared to be worried or something. Though very curious, and it shown by the twinkle in his eyes, he dared not pry into the matters of the Weyrleaders. Instead, he politely turned his attention to the task at hand: His introduction to the Queen and her rider.

"Hello, Queen," He said, stopping in front of the great mass that was Nayarath. "And Weyrwoman-" He paused so that he could bow, in turn, to each of them. "My name is Kaiton. I, um, thought that now that I've finished my Touching, that I'd introduce myself to you both, particularly you, Queen, seeing as I'm a Candidate for your children."

OOC: Post = done. x3

[ShadowReine]

Gwenduinne flinched just a little as Nixsha was asked to leave the Sands. She had spent as much time as was polite with the queen egg, now she was drifting amongst the others.

Could she live with a green or barred? She might have to. Maybe her attitude, her focus on the queen, was what was keeping her from Impressing.

On the other hand, would she rather stay grounded and buck for headwoman some day? She did not want to be a fighting rider. She did not. The granite egg, got no more of her attention than any of the others. If it was a dud, it was a dud.

If it was not, it was probably a green, as tiny as it was. What would she do if...a small voice of doubt whispered when...she was left Standing once more?

Had the Search dragon made a mistake? She could not show her doubts, not here, not on the Sands.

She would not show any more doubts. Show no fear on the Hatching Sands.

If she showed fear and doubt she definitely would not Impress, and the dragonets might already be listening. She wanted that queen the way...

Well. She wanted it, that was all. And whilst other people might think there something wrong with that, she was that way. Queen or bust.

Violet?

Violet she could live with.

--

When Nixsha was asked to leave for expressing doubts about the small egg, Tiomar went over to it. He rested his hand on it.

It was small and it didn't seem...quite right. Maybe it was a dud, but he was smart enough not to express that. The queen would not appreciate it.

"Probably just a small green." He wouldn't mind a green, although he thought blue more likely. He wouldn't mind a barred dragon either. They were really, really pretty.

Brown? Maybe. Bronze or tan? Not likely. He'd run a mile from that level of responsibility. Hadn't a tan come within dragonlengths of winning the leadership flight?

Besides. He secretly wanted a girl dragon. Yeah. Green or barred. And, thus, he lingered by the tiny egg a moment longer, then moved on as if there was nothing special about it.

Inwardly, he was willing it to be okay.

[Amejisuto]

Morri slowly made her rounds back towards the Queen egg. She had nothing more to say, just gave a polite smile to the other candidates, and the agitated queen. She then turned towards her cousin, and tilted her head to the side. "You never did know when to keep your gifts in check... Mother once said that your listening gifts where very rude to our great guardians." She said in a sugary voice, before she turned and just waited by the golden egg with the other girls. She was silent and patient, thats what mattered in such things.

Inside though she was thinking over things in her head. What could she impress here? There was Brown, but she really didn't like girls to be truthful. There was Blue, and they where a good dragon, rather intelligent and fun to work with. Greens where alright, but they rather... scared her in some senses. There was also that new color, Barred they called it, she wouldn't mind one of them. The coloration was amazing, and from what she could tell her partner being one would be amusing. But then there was also another new color, the Violets. Those where a beauty of a queen dragon. She loved their colorations...

And then there was the Gold, well she wouldn't think about the gold. All she could do was hope. She could only hope that she wasn't left standing, and left alone.

~~~~~~

Nixsha felt the color rise to her cheeks at her younger cousins cheekiness. She just bowed faintly and tilted her head down, her head tilting away from the Queen. "I apologize, I did not mean to anger you. I was only worried because of its size and coloration. I just only wanted to help..." She said softly as she just kept her head down and began to turn to walk away. Her cousin's actions alone peeved her off, but she was confused... She thought that dragons knew when someone could talk to them or not... Maybe the Queen just didn't find Nixsha worthy of such things...

[Sparrow]

Nayarath gave a soft but spiteful hiss as Nixsha started to leave. And that chatty girl had talked to her as though they knew each other... Mother... were they related? Suddenly the Gold wasn't so sure she wanted Morriamia there touching her queen egg. But it was probably too late to go chasing her away, and, as Kora quickly pointed out, being related to someone irritating didn't neccassarily put them in the wrong too. Nayarath would be patient then.

Weren't there more Candidates? Nayarath swung her head upwards to gaze over the Sands. She wasn't counting as many as she hoped for... maybe they had all just been scared away by the two huge dragons guarding the eggs. Well, as long as they showed up for the Hatching...

Kora smiled at a boy who had approached amidst the trouble. Her dragon looked down at him in vague surprise, wondering what a Candidate would want with coming to her after he had finished. Most came before, greeted her, touched, and left... this was curious. But she was more distracted by the lack of these other Candidates and moved her anxious gaze to the entrance of the Sands.

"Nayarath is a bit distracted, as you can see," Kora replied to Kaiton in her usual soft voice. "but hello." At least she had spared him a glance, Kora wasn't sure what people would think if the queen ignored them altogether. Maybe it was to be expected from some queens, but mostly it gave a sense of utter vanity that she didn't want her dragon to show off. Nayarath snorted softly at that and lay her head down next to the queen egg again.