Fishing for Happiness [Hatching of Freshwater]

[Trith]

The light was low in the sky, painting a myriad of colors across the horizon as Rukbat began to kiss the planet goodbye for another night. Laying on her side, golden Trith soaked up the rays of sunlight with a contented air. She lifted her head as something alerted her to a -difference- in the clutch before her. Tilting her head to the side a bit, she reached out one clawed hand to lightly tap at one or two of the eggs with the tip of her claw in a decidedly suggestive staccato beat, allowing the warmth of the shells and sand to travel up her arm. After a moment, a reply tap was heard from an egg or two, and the queen felt a surge of expectancy as she straightened with a jolt.

It seemed almost fitting that the timing was close to when the clutch had arrived to the sands in the first place. The hatching bowl, awash with stored heat from the sun, was suddenly a place of dragons as gold Trith trumpeted the news across the entire Weyr with a brass-horn bugle. A Hatching was upon Cerulean! All eight of the eggs were in the same excellent condition they’d arrived in, and the great gold peered eagerly at the clutch as the thrumming began as a low purr in her chest and grew. The dragons on watch joined in. and suddenly a wild fair of flitters winked into existence overhead, adding their music to the welcome. Growing quite a bit more proddy than she’d been at the touching, Trith sent the fair a warning to keep their distance and flared her wings in the low afternoon light.

Samhara, already on her way up the stairs to the cliff top, crested the edge as Trith sent out her call to each mind in the Weyr again, a summons that broke through the heavy thrumming that began cresting as more dragons joined in. Everyone is required at the sands, our clutch is hatching. The Weyrwoman crossed the space to take a seat in the small Weyrleaders section situated closer to the gold than the rest of the seats across the sands. She wasn’t the first there, as the Weyrleader was already in attendance, and she wondered how he’d actually managed to get there first. Sitting, she shot him a glance. “How did you know?”

Trith arched herself just over the eggs so that each and every candidate would have to meet her gaze before proceeding. Her wings vibrated with anticipation as she now heard the younglings below working to gain freedom from their eggs, encouraged by the dragons now surrounding the hatching bowl on every side but the one the attendees would be coming from. Her gaze shot downwards though, as the Puntius Egg began to wobble with sudden energy. The hatchling clearly wanted out and wanted out -now-. Trith crooned to the egg in encouragement, and looked up. The gold didn't allow herself to fear for the lives of these youngsters, they would all find partners. The Candidates were a promising bunch.

Samhara turned a look on her bonded, a small smile on her face as her own worry was quite a bit more obvious, though she attempted to keep this from the gold. This was what they'd been waiting for, and she hoped each of the hatchlings made it through safely. There was always something that could go wrong at such a fragile time.



The Freshwater Clutch

Splendens Egg: Hatched Green Asileth to Kivin/K'vin
Puntius Egg: Hatched Brown Olloth to Ranen/R'nen
Frenatum Egg: Hatched Blue Caith to Gillen/G'len
Corydora Egg: Hatched Blue Peth to Cheko/C'ko
Xiphophorus Egg: Hatched Brown Calzanth to Kheron/K'ron
Axelrodi Egg: Hatched Green Cryth to Lialla
Poecilidae Egg: Hatched Green Rasath to Kailee. (NPC)
Colisa Egg: Hatched Bronze Porath to Lanzalin/L'in (NPC)

[Thorney]

Raelwyn dashed headlong up the steps and into the candidate barracks as the dragons began to hum, Tydus darting and soaring around her in excitement. Pulling her hair up, the girl made a sloppy bun as she sprinted, not caring how she looked but wanting her hair out of her face so she could RUN! It was a very particular sound that resonated about the weyr, one only made by all the dragons when eggs on the sands were hatching. She had been in the middle of her chores, but she utterly dropped what she had been doing the moment she heard that beautiful sound. The candidates about her had all begun scrambling madly, but the girl had merely smiled knowingly to herself, having been through more than a few hatchings since being Searched.

"Calm, calm, calm.” She chanted softly to herself, pulling her clothes off and yanking the white robe of Impression on as quickly as possible. No good came from being nervous, as that tended to only cause accidents, but an excitement like no other coursed through the harper’s blood and sang within her. Kicking off her sandals, Rael dropped them onto the bed unceremoniously and immediately made for the door, her bare feet slapping against the ground. The bronze gave a squawk of surprise at her quick change of direction, and zipped after her.

Her firelizard dived out of the air and perched on her shoulder as she approached V'mio, giving an excited cheep as they stood nearby the candidate master and waited for everyone to arrive. Raelwyn soothed him with a firm hand, insisting that he await her elsewhere, with a particular person. Flits were not allowed on the hatching sands, and the girl certainly agreed it was for good reason. There was no telling how dragonets would react to them on their shoulders at first sight. The little bronze gave her a mournful cheep, but she was steadfast, and finally the flit snorted, leaping off her shoulder. Giving his girl a chiding squawk, Tydus flitted off and betweened, trying to find his favorite weyrling.

The boy! He wanted the boy who had fed him. The one who called him king. The one who bonded the green bigwing, and whose shoulders he scratched so well. Where, where? The flirt darted around, looking for that one.

Shaking her head at the emotions rushing around in her little bronze’s thoughts, Raelwyn grinned to herself and allowed her green gaze to wander to the Candidate Master. How long until all the other hopefuls would arrive so they could approach the sands? Though excitement burned through her, the harper stood calmly and quietly, stealing her nerves and reciting ballads in her head to keep composed. Finally, as they all arrived, V'mio led them to the sands and allowed them to make a loose semi-circle around the clutch. Raelwyn's whole being shook with excitement, and her heart practically thudded in her chest, loud and rhythmic. The gorgeous Trith was there, awe-inspiring and magnificent, and Rael could only hope that she would be worthy of one of the dragonets. The queen was not their biological mother, but it was easy to tell she was just as protective and loving of them as if she were. Standing almost utterly still, the harper waited, her eyes intently watching for the first cracks to begin appearing in the eggs.


~~~~

Kheron rushed to the stairs that lead up the cliffside, his long legs and quick stride making prompt work of the distance. Although it was a tiring workout, the ex-beastcrafter hit the top running, darting straight for the candidate barracks. Nothing could wear the boy’s strength down today, and he could have climbed another ten flights of stairs if asked to! It was his first hatching, and everything within him screamed with excitement. Even Yumi, his normally calm and quiet flit, was trilling constantly with enthusiasm, clinging to his shoulder as he sprinted to his cot. The usually composed pair were wound up as tight as a coil, and they both could not contain their energy. When he had first heard the humming that thrummed through Cerulean, the wrangler had stood in puzzlement for a moment, but his candidate lessons quickly leapt to mind and he knew what it was. What it meant. Chores had been forgotten then. Shards, everything had been forgotten and dropped except one thing.

Rounding his cot, the boy waited for Yumi to leap off his shoulder before tugging his shirt over his head, the little flit gliding down and resting on his bed. Although many of the other candidates looked panicked, he was calm, yet excited. Through many turns of wrangling and beastcrafting, he learned to be steady in otherwise stressful situations. Reverently lifting the simple, unadorned white rob, Kheron smiled slightly and tugged it on, then pulled the thick boots off his feet. The lack of any footwear made the boy feel a bit uncomfortable, however, since he was used to wearing heavy boots around the animals back at the ranch. He did not like the feel of his feet being exposed, but that was a miniscule matter when compared to how monumental this hatching was. That tiny discomfort was at the very back of his mind, and then soon forgotten as he and Yumi dashed out the door.

As one, the candidate and flit darted to the candidate master, Kher’s feet pounding on the ground and the green’s wings beating rhythmically. As he neared the others that had already gathered, the boy came to a stop and stood quietly, his thoughts and heart racing like a runner. Today, he wanted more than anything to meet his destiny, to Impress to a dragonet of his own. The ex-beastcrafter was calm and strong on the outside, though his blood rushed through his body at a dizzying speed, and his heart thumped loud and excitedly on the inside. With a gentle thought, he sent Yumi off to look for Toll, having also remembered that flits were not allowed on the sands. V'mio would lead them to the sands when it was time, so until then Kheron took even breathes to keep his body calm.

As the candidates all arrived, V'mio lined them up and marched them to the sands, and they all formed a semi-circle around the glorious eggs. Before him, Trith practically glowed with pride, and Kheron was awed by her once more, just as he was when first met her at the Touching. One egg was now rocking, now, though, and the boy forced his attention back on them. He would Impress, he hoped, but either way there was a rock-hard determination in him that would drive him to stand at as many hatchings as it took. Once he put his mind to something, the wrangler was as stubborn as a draybeast and shoved with all his might until he accomplished it. He stood beside the other candidates silently, smiling and quickly nodding when he saw those he knew, but always his amber gaze was back on the clutch. He was ready for this. Impression...he feared nothing, so it was not nerves, but anticipation. Kheron knew there were people slowly filing into the colossal area, and there were riders and weyrfolk alike watching them all, but he could hardly think of them. All his mind was centered on was the eggs.

[Mello]

The sun was nearly set, and Ranen hoped that meant they would soon be done. He had spent the afternoon helping move newly arrived supplies to the various places around the Weyr that the Headwoman had wanted them. It had been a long day, but finally there only seemed to be a few things left. The candidate was looking forward to a warm dinner and a good night sleep, almost daydreaming of how nice it would be to lay down on his cot.

But then a sound filled the air, a sound Ranen had heard more times than he would like to think about but that still always filled him with a sense of excitement. He managed to not drop the large sack he had been carrying, but quickly pressed it into the arms of one of the other members of the group. With just a quick gesture towards the Hatching Grounds, he was off, racing back to the barracks. It was amazing how the dragons’ signal had turned the quiet, orderly evening activities of the Weyr into little more than slightly ordered chaos. Weyrfolk were finishing up whatever they were working on and beginning to make their ways to the sands, riders were taking off to meet their dragons, and candidates…. Well, Ranen nearly ran into someone going through the door, whoever it was already heading off to the sands in their white robe, and inside the barracks the chaos had almost no order whatsoever. There were frantic candidates all over, and even those who appeared calm were moving quickly. Everyone seemed to have the same goal- make it to the Hatching Grounds in as little time as possible.

Ranen cursed his luck that today of all days he had spent doing labor. He was already sweaty, and his shirt clung to him as he attempted to pull it over his head, holding him back from where he wanted to be. Finally he was undressed, and he grabbed his Impression robe, slipping into it with practiced ease. Once it was on he paused a moment, taking a deep breath and running his fingers lightly through his hair. It was probably sticking up in all directions, and he knew his face was probably red, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. With another deep breath, he closed his eyes and tried to calm his racing heart just a little. For a few precious moments he just stood there, trying to mentally prepare himself for what was ahead.

Finally he knew he was ready, and headed back out to join the growing numbers headed towards the sands. He managed to keep his pace to a jog, focusing on the unique feeling of his bare feet against the ground. By the time he reached the place where the other candidates were gathering with V’mio, he knew he was as relaxed as he would ever be, going into an Impression. They lined up and entered the sands, standing in front of the eggs, and Trith. Once again Ranen was glad for the Touching. The eggs were familiar in a way, and he smiled in remembrance of the ones he had seen that day, and the emotions the dragons within had sent to him. This isn’t so bad, he told himself with a smile. It was probably the least nervous he had been at the start of a Hatching, which had to be a good sign. Then he noticed his hand, hanging at his side, was shaking, and probably had been since before he had entered the sands. So much for calm… But he didn’t have too much time to worry about that. One of the eggs was already moving, and he let his attention be drawn completely to the eggs in front of him.

[Kaemi]

This was the most fascinating time of day, in Lialla's opinion. Dusk, when day met night and night began to slowly overtake the sky. She sat on the steps leading into the Barracks, looking up, as she had so many times before. Dusk, for her, didn't mean ending... it meant beginning. The start of a new night, of another glimpse of the arrangement of the stars and moons. Lialla barely even looked around when the strange, resonating hum began, despite knowing what it meant: it was only when the words of the queen entered her mind that she simply got up and walked into the Barracks, more calm than she had ever though she would have been in such a situation.

As she stripped, replacing her clothes with the white Candidate Robes, she gradually moved more frantically. The rush, excitement, and nerves that radiated off of the other candidates was infectious, and it ruined the calm and peace Lialla herself had felt. She ended up throwing her own sandals across the room as she attempted to put on the ceremonious sandals. In any other situation, she would have taken a breath, collected them, and then done whatever she was so excited and jittery about. This, however, the Hatching was in a class all of its own, and her sandals were utterly unimportant now.

Lialla ended up running out of the Barracks with everyone else, knocking the hair out of her face so she could see where she was going. Her first (and only) trip to the Sands was still ingrained in her mind so, thankfully, she didn't have to look to anyone else for direction. Even if she had, however, she would have been fine. There was a flood of weyrfolk streamlined in the direction of the large Hatching Sands, everyone excited for the Hatching. Hell, now that she was away from the utter state of calm that she had entered the Barracks in, Lia knew that she, too, was excited. She hadn't seen a Hatching since she left Ista, and this time would be completely different.

This time she could walk away, leading a dragon, her face beaming.

Of course, it wasn't her dream to have that experience. It was her brother's, and countless other candidates who were standing in the line with her right now, awaiting V'mio's arrival. She had been coerced into coming here, into attending this Hatching, had been guilted into Standing here. It was her dream to excel in StarCraft, and she needed to remember that so that she wouldn't, foolishly, feel disappointed when she didn't Impress today. However, as she walked into the Hatching Grounds and bowed to Trith, she couldn't help but look at the eggs and have some meager hope to Impress. It may not be her dream, but she knew as well as anyone else (being weyrbred, herself) how Impression changed a person. How it altered them and they didn't mind in the slightest, because of the utter euphoria accompanied by Impressing with their other half.

She didn't want to be changed, per say, but Lialla wouldn't mind the whole 'other half'. She had never really felt close to anyone before, not since leaving Ista, and definitely not since arriving here. It wasn't in her nature. Standing in the semi-circle, her eyes never once leaving the eggs, Lia began having an internal debate on whether or not she actually desired to Impress. Shells.

The debate ended at a moot point a few moments later, as Lialla decided that now was not the time. The only thing she gained from arguing with herself was to remember that if she was going to do something, she refused to do it half-way. And so Lia rocked back onto her heel, and then back up to stand straight, as she gained her internal calm by, edged strongly in excitement and happiness. No matter what today ended with, this would be a beginning for her: she was determined.

((Yayyy hatching!))

[Rouxy]

Gareth turned a lazy circle over the Weyr, his bonded riding bareback where the saddle would have gone. It was a mix of practice and enjoyment for the pair, as they waited for each other to move and reacted as was needed to both stay seated and fly normally. The great bronze wasn’t subtle about the way he kept his gaze on the sands below though, and K’roi gave him a good-natured thump against his back. They’ll be fine, Gar. They’re close to hatching, and we both know Trith isn’t going anywhere. If anything, you should probably be glad she let you go stretch your wings. He felt the rumbled reply as Gareth began a downwards spiraling glide. I will feel better when we have younglings in the Weyr again. The Weyrlings are growing and we’ve been too long without a clutch. K’roi nodded his agreement, even though he knew it couldn’t be seen.

The bronzepair made a neat landing on the opposite side of the hatching sands, where Gareth would resume his watch. Trth was lounging, as she was wont to do, but something in the clutch caught her attention and thus Gareth’s. The bronze sidled over as the gold bugled. They’re coming! The younglings are coming! The bronze’s mindvoice held so much excitement, K’roi laughed and walked to the Weyrleader’s seats. “Told you.” He both said and sent, and the bronze shot him an amused look before stationing himself to the side of the gold, bowing to her as the Queen and giving her whatever space she needed.

Samhara crested the ridge and walked over as the thrumming began in earnest, sitting next to him as she shot him a look. “How did you know?” The bronzerider gave a grin and leaned back a bit. “Oh, you know. It’s like I have an egg timer up here that just went off and told me it was time.” He tapped a finger to his temple in emphasis, noting Samhara’s scowl at his reply. “We’ll have a good hatching… you’ll see.” He went on, clearly used to the Weyrwoman’s foreboding senses of worry.

***

Everyone is required at the sands, our clutch is hatching.

The call came just as the thrumming reached him. Zan was on the beach below the Weyr, and cursed his luck. Why did these things always take place when he was the furthest away from the sands? Dropping his tools, he sprinted for the stairs, taking them two at a time in his hurry to at least be there on time. He made it to the Candidate barracks just as the line was forming, and he rushed in, tearing off his clothes in earnest. The Candidate robes were airy, and the salt on his skin rubbed uncomfortably against the rough material. His sandals were on, and he jumped back out of his room and into the line as it began moving.

The short walk to the sands gave him time to ease back his breathing, and begin wondering just what he was going to do if he did or didn’t impress today. His brother would surely insist he stay if he didn’t, and really, he’d found that he liked the island Weyr. He could make a life of the sea, maybe starting on as a fishing apprentice to many of the men and women he’d met in the profession. These thoughts gave him pleasure, and he was smiling as they walked onto the hot sands. The heat was like a blast in the face though, and it brought his focus back to the present. Ok, take care of now, he’d think about what ifs later. He followed the line around to join the semi-circle of other Candidates, his eyes drawn to the moving egg like a magnet. He broke away long enough to take in the spectacle of multihued dragons ringing the sands, eyes awhirl and colorful.

[Kristin]

Kivin walked slowly to the candidate barracks. His chores were over and he looked forward to get a little rest and meet Toll, who had not been allowed to go with him. He was almost there when he started to hear humming. He froze and listened as the humming gradually became stronger. When he heard Trith summon them, he knew for sure that eggs were finally hatching. He realized that he was just standing there doing nothing and promptly ran as fast as he could the short distance he had left to the barracks.

When he entered he was immediately ambushed by a screaming brown firelizard. Toll was out of control with excitement and Kivin had to spend several minutes trying to get him to calm down. Finally Toll managed to settle down on Kivin‘s shoulder, trembling with excitement, and Kivin hummed soothingly. He tried to stress the importance of Toll staying in the barracks and the firelizard reluctantly understood after a while.

Kivin put his firelizard down, sighing with relief, and rushed to get undressed. He had wasted valuable minutes with Toll and he really didn‘t want to be late. He put the simple white robe on and the sandals. It was as well that they were allowed sandals, the sands were hot. When he left, Toll made one final try to follow him but a stern look from His was enough to settle him down.

Fortunately Kivin had taken to route the hatching sands so often that he could probably get there with closed eyes. S‘lain had advised him too memorize the quickest route and Kivin had dutifully done so. It was just as well because Kivin‘s mind was all over the place and his feet moved of their own accord.

When he got to the sands he lined up with the other candidates and then followed V‘mio who placed them in a semi-circle. It was then, while waiting for the eggs to hatch, that he finally thought about what was going on. Before nothing had existed in his mind other than getting to the sands as fast as possible but now his heart thumped in nervous excitement. This could either be the best day of his life or the worst. He wasn‘t sure if he could deal with rejection when all his time at the Weyr had been spent readying himself for this day and for getting a dragon.

The Puntius egg was moving and Kivin fixed his eyes on it, hoping that this dragonet would choose him.

[Kira]

The dragons and dragonhealers alike had been saying that the Hatching was almost upon them, so Tess had stepped up on cleanliness procedures in the infirmary. She knew that most of the additional help she had would take off for the Hatching as soon as the humming started, and she would be required to attend as head (human)Healer just in case any of the Candidates or Riders helping with food were injured. Or if anybody got trampled, but most weyrfolk had been around long enough to not be that dense. There would only be a skeleton crew of assistants left to tend the patients, and it was imperative that there was nothing left unattended during that time.

Jaser popped in not an armlength in front of her, chattering excitedly and startling her. There was only a moment of trying to calm the whirling emotions of the flit before she heard it: the bugling, and the beginnings of the hum that would thrum through the whole of the Weyr. Oh, and there was Trith, right on time - as was expected of that pair. With a thought, she sent the fire-lizard off to go and cavort over the sands with the others.

She'd had the majority of the emergency kit transported up to the Sands days ago, but there were a few things that needed to be fresh. She quickly went over her mental checklist as she grabbed them, then took off with her small kit-bag.

She'd be lying if she said she wasn't excited as she fell in with the crowd and half-ran up the stairs. Who wouldn't be? She'd never had the dream of Impression, but she appreciated the sheer, breathtaking beauty of the look that would pass from Weyrling to dragon... Finally stepping up, she veered off to the side-tunnels where she would be watching and waiting with the Riders who had the food. Peeking out from the tunnel, she shot a quick grin to K'roi and a dutiful nod to Samhara.

.o0O0o.

L'cin was trying very, very hard not to crack a grin at the look of intense determination on his sister's face. He couldn't keep his eyes from twinkling in amusement, but he knew if he laughed his fate was sealed. She hit hard for a girl. So he tried to remain composed even though he knew he would win this game as well. S'ren really was the better strategist, but she was hindered by forgetting how all the pieces moved. To distract himself, he reached up an arm to scratch at the dragon head he knew was hovering just above him, watching the game with interest. Brillia, too, was sitting off to the side, completely fascinated by the pieces even though she understood none of it.

S'ren really, really thought she could win this time. L'cin always won, yes, but that was going to change. Because if she moved that piece diagonally then- Shards, that piece only moved straight. Argh! She could feel Feynth's amusement. 'Some help would be nice, love.'

Queth's not helping L'cin, he replied, most unhelpfully.

'That's because Queth doesn't remember how to play!' She could feel the amused silence that was her reply. If a dragon could lift an eyebrow(ridge), hers would be doing so. '...Shut up.'

And then...it happened. Trith's voice filled their minds, and all five faces in the room lit up. "Hatching!" S'ren announced with a shout, hopping up off her bunk and upsetting the gameboard. Tugging L'cin up, she ran out the door and took off up the nearest stairs with him in tow.

'She did that on purpose,' he sighed back to the two dragons, earning him a chuckle from Feynth.

We'll be up soon, Mine. We want to see our new cousins too!

'Okay, just be careful!' he called back. He was sort of thankful for the tenacity of his sister at moments like these. She had no problem weaving her way through the crowd, and if he stumbled over people in her wake it was easily apparent that it was because she was literally dragging him. They were thankfully both swift of stride, and took their seats only a few rows back, bouncing in excitement. It would be quite an experience to see the Hatching from the outside, this time.

[Mango]

Cheko was happy that he had gotten Polo to stay with him during the Touching. Even though firelizards weren't supposed to come onto the Sands, especially during Hatching, Polo had to come with Cheko. It was a must. Cheko needed Polo with him. These were his thoughts as he tossed a rolled up sock up and down like a ball. The sock had a certain smell that wasn't too attractive and suggested it had been worn recently and needed to be washed.

Cheko, though, didn't seem to mind the smell, even though it wasn't his. He had felt that his socks were much too small to make a proper ball. He wasn't sure whose room he had taken them from, but he had taken them all the same. After a particularly high toss, the humming started. Cheko missed the "ball" coming down in his sudden shock at the Hatching, leading him to a face full of smelly socks.

He shook off the sock and smell, his nose twisted in disgust. The sock was a lot worst in the face. He changed in record time, much due to the fact that he didn't particularly care about his appearance. With Polo wrapped around his shoulder, the boy was off. Luckily, no one could see Polo so he wouldn't be told off for bringing him. This made his grin even wider as he dashed to join the rest of the group. He bowed to the Queen like the rest in the group and joined the circle, bouncing up and down quickly.

---

The day was going to be soon, Valee was sure. She paced in her room, extremely nervous. She had kept her Candidate robes out for the past couple of days, making sure it was clean and free of wrinkles. And, then, the humming came. She found herself freaking out a little as she slipped into the white robe.

She hoped this would be the last time she had to put it on. That and she'd walk off the Sands with her very own dragonett. She hurried to the Sands, cursing she wasn't one of the faster Candidates. When she arrived, out of breath, her curls ruffled around her face. She took the moments that they waited for all the Candidates to catch her breath and then marched confidently on the sands. Her large round eyes were focused on the moving egg as they walked on. She took her eyes off only to bow low to the Queen before standing in the semi-circle with the rest. She couldn't believe it was happening.

[Lissa]

It was late afternoon going into early evening and Aidaen was changing glows. It wasn't particulary hard, but it just took so much time. Chores, chores and more chores. Why was it that he just couldn't get away from chores? He had thought being a candidate for a dragon hatching would be different, somehow. He'd only been here about a sevenday but it was wash this, wash that, scrub this, scrub that, fetch this, carry that. It was almost as bad as back home but there were two...no three advantages to being here.

The first and in his mind the best advantage was the food. There was as much food as a growing boy could eat! There were second and even third helpings if he wanted them and no one to tell him he couldn't have more, or had to wait until everyone else ate their fill. There was fresh baked bread, dripping with jam for every meal. It was always fresh, never stale. And he got a thick slice, not the tiny end bit.

For lunch or dinner there was stew, loaded with tubers and meat, swimming in rich, thick broth. He had even had some generous slices of roasted herdbeast yesterday! Breakfast wasn't even disappointing. The cereal was finely sifted with not a single fleck of chaff or stone in it. And there was cream and sweetener to go with and fresh sliced redfruit to put on top! He wasn't permitted to drink wine, but the fruit juice and klah were all a boy could desire.

The lower caverns women even pushed more food on him. Not only regular meals but treats in between. He had even had a whole bubbly pie to himself earlier! They kept saying he was so skinny and needed fattening up. Already in just a sevenday he had lost a bit of the gauntness to his frame, taking him from near emaciation to simply as thin as a rail.

The second advantage was the fact that chores were done in groups. There was always help for a chore, and though he didn't trust the others, they didn't leave all of the chores for him to do alone. Really, if he was truthful with himself, the chores were not all that onerous. The most strenuous was kitchen duty, but the benefit to that was that he got to eat extra bits of food and the kitchen workers were always pressing some dainty or sweet on him. They weren't so bad as far as grown-ups went, though he was positively certain in his mind that they could change in a flash and be cruel and nasty.

And the third advantage which ranked right up there with the food was the lack of his older brother's presence. Aidaen fairly gloated with delight, knowing that Deanal was back at the cothold and he was here. He felt like dancing a jig knowing that it was he whom the dragonrider had taken away, not Dean. He just hoped that he would be allowed to stay if he didn't impress. He would even be a kitchen drudge if he could stay.

It would be simply too much to bear if he had to go back to the cothold in disgrace. He would never hear the end of it. No..he wouldn't go back. He'd run away first, though getting off of the island without a dragon would be a little tricky. Maybe he could take a boat..or stow away on a bigger vessel. He didn't think he could swim to the mainland and he didn't relish trying to live in the open forest with thread falling regularly.

Well, no sense worrying about that right now. Time enough to plan if he wasn't found fit for a dragon. He quaked a bit inside at that thought. How could he even dream of having a dragon of his very own? It must be some mistake that he was here. Not a single hatchling would even glance at him, he was positive. He barely knew his letters. What dragon would want such a dunce?

It was then that he became aware of a sound. At first it was almost subliminal, but then gradually it grew louder and more intense. And then he heard a voice in his head! It was the queen and it was time! Without another thought, he dropped the spent glows and dashed towards the Candidate Barracks, the instructions from the Candidate Master echoing through his head, all mixed up and running together. Change into your jewelry, don't wear your robe, take the firelizards with you, the candidate master will line up single file, don't stand near the eggs.. It was all a jumble in his head and none of it made sense!

Aidaen began panting with stress and anxiety before he even reached the barracks, sure that he would do something wrong. Reaching his bedspace, he grabbed at the white linen robe, marveling for a moment at its fineness. He had never owned something so fine before. It seemed almost blasphemy to pull the robe on over his ragged short pants and grimy tunic, but he did, remembering to step into his equally ragged sandals and lace them up with the frayed thongs.

The young boy joined the others, falling into step behind the last in line and followed them as the candidate master led them to the hatching grounds. At the edge of the burning hot sands, Aidaen hesitated. It seemed wrong to step closer to the eggs. He couldn't be here. He didn't belong. But move onto the sands he must as he was holding up the line and the candidates behind him began moving restlessly. Taking a deep breath he stepped forward, almost cowering and quaking in fear as he waited for someone to shout out that he was an impostor and must be removed.

But nothing happened. No one paid him the least bit of attention. No one protested his presence on the sands, least of all the hulking forms of the queen and the bronze nearby. They weren't the parents of this clutch, but they were the Weyrleaders' dragons none the less and were important. Dredging up the few manners his infrequent harper lessons had instilled in him, he performed a jerky bow towards the two before joining the others in a semi-circle around the eggs, shuffling from foot to foot as the heat of the sands surged upwards through the soles of his sandals.

His pale blue eyes were glued to the eight eggs spread out on the sands, darting from one shell to another, then stopping on the Puntius egg as it gave a convulsive shudder. He began to allow himself to hope.. Oh please...oh please let me impress. All of his hopes seemed focused on that moving egg as he strained forward, his heart in his throat as he awaited its hatching.

[Maykat]

Luckily for Batavia, she was already in the candidate barracks when the humming started. Unfortunately, this meant she was one of the first to be ready and had a lot of time to stand at the barracks entrance, nervously shifting from one foot to the other. Her hair hung in two braids down her back, tied together at the end with a leather thong. At her first hatching she had stupidly unbraided it, leaving it loose and flowing. It may have looked nice, but it only got in her face and made her even hotter. Batavia was surprised at how nervous she was. This wasn't her first time around, but her stomach fluttered and her hands shook. She had to pee too, but didn't want to risk a lavatory run.

V'mio walked down the line of candidates, making sure everyone was in order. He was keeping himself together, but his eyes were a little watery at the corners. Once they were ready, he led the candidates to the Hatching Sands, then took his place in the Stands. They're a good lot, he said to Felath. He remembered all the times he'd stood on the Sands, waiting for his bronze to hatch. As the eggs started to rock, V'mio felt the same kind of nervous anticipation as his candidates.

You've already found me, Felath said. You don't need to be nervous anymore.

Just as the bronze expected, his reassurance cause V'mio to lose his self control. The bronzerider began to cry, quietly and unashamedly, wiping his tears away with a hankie.

Batavia took her position towards the end of the semi-circle line. She liked having plenty of open space around her, in case she had to move quickly. So far she'd never been injured at a Hatching (except for mild heat stroke at the first one) and she wanted to keep it that way. Only one egg was moving, and Batavia briefly wondered if Trith had called a false alarm. Maybe the eggs needed another few days. She shifted her feet and wiped her face on the shoulder of her robe. The dragons knew, she reminded herself.

[Trith]

Trith bristled in warning at the Candidates, her teeth visible as she quietly clicked them together in a slow beat. They were all doing as expected, and she was proud, but this was one of the most vulnerable times for her babies. If anything untoward should happen to them, she would exact revenge. She even growled at Gareth as he approached and took his respectful bow. He backed to a fair distance though, and she proceeded to ignore him in favor of eyeing those who were closer and standing in a semi-circle in front of the clutch. Yellow and orange tinged her eyes as she backed down only slightly, retaking her place on the queen’s couch with an air of ever-readiness.

Samhara looked skeptically at the Weyrleader, turning briefly to Trith as she felt the gold’s ire rising. Seeing neither immediate danger nor further reason for the gold to get mantled over, the Weyrwoman pointedly eyed K’roi. “Gareth told you.” She stated flatly. No way a man would know better than her and Trith when any clutch would be hatching, much less one the gold had been brooding over for the past handful of sevendays. Snorting, she returned her view to the sands. “We don’t have nearly enough Candidates…” she muttered under her breath. Better they have twice as many, or three times. Anything to make certain a partner would be chosen and save them the lamentation of a lost hatchling.

The Puntius Egg continued to rattle around as both the Xiphophorus Egg and the Frenatum Egg began to move. It was a surprise however, when the Poecilidae Egg was the first to break shell. A sudden hairline fracture split the ridiculously colorful egg nearly straight down the center vertically, and moments later, the two pieces of shell broke neatly in two to reveal a dusky dark forest green hide covered in egg goop. First one leg than another reached frantically into the air as the hatchling green searched for something to pull itself upright with, and she eventually wiggled around enough to roll over onto her belly, completely demolishing the bright pieces of her shell in the process.

Trith’s thrumming resumed in earnest as the first hatchling broke shell and finally stumbled upright. The green looked avidly around, her head twisting this way and that as she began to search. The Corydora Egg suddenly bumped into her, and she gave a startled squawk, turning to flare her wings at her clutch-sibling.

Trith hissed at her, urging her to choose a partner and leave her sibling alone, and the Poecilidae Green stumbled back at the queen’s verbal attack. She instantly turned mopey, complete with drooping wings and dragging tail. She turned with the longest hesitation to the line of Candidates and perked up almost instantly as she spotted Hers nearly immediately. Stumbling into a near run, the green all but plowed into a younger girl standing quite near, with shoulder length brown hair and a bright smile. It got brighter as the voice blossomed in her head, and she moved to walk her new partner off the sands to the waiting riders with meat.

The Puntius Egg finally decided it was time to hatch, and the top third of its shell fractured into tiny pieces, the hatchling within not yet visible as it continued to work itself free. The Xiphophorus Egg and the Frenatum Egg continued to move in earnest, though no cracking was yet evident. Despite the initial bump into its green clutch sibling, the Corydora Egg settled back into stillness, seemingly content to wait on its more energetic clutchmates.

[Kaemi]

Careful to keep her composure, Lialla watched as the eggs shook, moved, and then, finally, split open. The Poecilidae Egg was the first to break open: not surprising, considering it's eye-drawing colors and it's position in the dead-center of the clutch. She watched as the green stumbled around, trying to gain her own composure, and Lia clutched the sides of her robe in nervous anticipation. The little hatchling, even covered in egg goo, was lovely in her coloring, and for a moment she imagined the Poecilidae Green at adult size, soaring through the skies, with a small-boned redhead on her back.

The momentary daydream was gone within seconds, however, as Lialla shook her head, unclenched her hands, watched as the little green was scolded by Trith. The scolding appeared to be quite successful, however, as after a moment of moping, the hatchling spotted Hers and dashed off, her eyes whirling in Impression. Lia applauded at the Impression. Despite the flash of disappointment, she was honestly happy for the brunette girl- not someone who she had personally met, but she hadn't met any more than a meager handful of people at the Weyr, so that wasn't saying anything at all. She turned her eyes to the rest of the clutch and ceased clapping, instead clasping her hands together and focusing completely on the eggs.

Shells. She actually did want to Impress, which was something that, quite frankly, Lia hadn't been expecting. She had expected to Stand, and then when she failed to Impress, still walk away with a smile on her face. And now she was having sharding vision of herself a-dragonback. Frowning a little, the candidate fought to wipe the negative emotions from her mind, as she had been told when she was little and attempting to Impress a small green flitt. The little creature had Impressed to someone else, of course, but the concept was supposed to work.

Just then, the Puntius Egg began to crack, the dragonet inside obviously fighting for freedom. It made Lialla smile, and she focused her eyes so that she could catch a glimpse of the next dragonet to appear on the Sands. This was... more exciting than she had remembered. It might have been the difference of a little under ten turns, or the fact that she was now in line for Impression, but Lia was having difficultly containing herself as she waiting for the egg to hatch completely.

[Maykat]

Batavia relaxed a little when the first egg hatched. The anticipation was what always got to her. Once the little green Impressed, she realized she was holding her breath and sighed. It would be okay, she told herself. There were still seven eggs left. She clapped politely for the girl, whose name she didn't know. Sweat rolled down her face and between her shoulder blades and Batavia wiggled, trying to soak it up with her robe. She watched the Puntius egg, imagining that she could see a dark hide inside. Maybe a blue, or possibly a bronze.

V'mio clapped for Kailee, glad the girl had Impressed. A bronze first was always lucky, tradition said, but V'mio thought any dragon quickly Impressing was a good sign. He wiped at his eyes, smiling despite his tears. Hatchings always reminded him of Felath's hatching. He would easily say it was the best day of their lives. Felath hummed along with the other dragons, watching the Hatching with interest.

[Mello]

Ranen knew everyone’s attention was riveted to the Puntius Egg- his certainly was. It was the first to move, so it was possible that it might be the first to hatch as well. What kind of dragon would emerge, and who would it go to? He watched, occasionally finding he had to remember to breath. Deep breaths, he reminded himself. It wouldn’t do him any good to panic, or even to get too excited. The eggs would hatch when they wanted, and nothing he could do was going to change it.

But then two other eggs also began to move. The excitement in the air, already strong, grew even greater, and Ranen couldn’t decide which one to keep his eyes one, his gaze jumping from egg to egg in turn, hardly holding on any particular one for more than a few seconds.

Surprisingly, the first to hatch wasn’t any of the three, but the colorful Poecilidae Egg. Or maybe not so surprisingly, upon further thought- it wasn’t one of the more subdued eggs, in any sense, and Ranen wouldn’t be surprised if the forest green dragonet who emerged liked attention just as much as she had seemed to in her egg. While he had never thought of himself with a green, he couldn’t fight the hope that welled up inside of him at seeing the dragon emerge. But the little one seemed fairly sure of itself. After a brief pause to squabble with one of its unhatched siblings, it headed straight for a girl, one Ranen hadn’t met yet. Ranen watched the pair walk off and couldn’t help but think that that could be him…

But the excitement wasn’t even close to over. The eggs continued to move, and the Puntius Egg was hatching. Ranen watched with bated breath, wonder, excitement, and hope all around him.

[Thorney]

Raelwyn smiled to herself as Trith bared her teeth at she and the other candidates, clearly warning them to be extremely careful with the eggs. Biological parent or not, the queen loved the clutch as her own and it was obvious that any who dared to displease her would certainly feel her wrath. The girl definitely understood the gold's wariness, for it was now the dragonets would be at their most susceptible. Staying as respectful and careful as she possibly could, the harper's green eyes wavered from the magnificent queen to the rocking eggs, her heart thudding as more and more began to move.

As the Puntius, Xiphophorus, and Fenatum eggs started to rock, the girl's heart almost stopped, and without even knowing it she held her breath. However, she was surprised when the Poecilidae Egg shattered, and her lips curved up a wide smile when the darkly-colored green managed to right herself. The little dragonet was a darling thing, and Raelwyn's heart started thudding again, her blood racing through her veins. Letting a breath out, the harper's eyes were glued to the green as she started her search for Hers, hoping deep inside her that maybe this beautiful dragonet might be destined for her. As the Corydora Egg bumped into her and the green squeaked in surprise, the candidate bit her lower lip to stop the giggle she felt. It was just too cute!

Eyes dancing as the little hatchling drooped, Raelwyn felt the strongest urge to run over and hug the Poecilidae green, but knew very well that it would be quite, quite unwise. Instead, the candidate pressed her palms together, watching as the dragonet made her way towards she and the other hopefuls standing before her. The green quickly looked far happier, however, after just a moment of searching, and all but ran into a girl. Feeling a slight sting of disappointment, Rael clapped enthusiastically for the other, smiling as the new weyrlings strode away.

Turning her attention back on the clutch, the candidate gasped as she saw the Puntius Egg begin to break apart, although she could not tell the color as of yet. "Come on, little one, you can do it." The girl whispered, watching as the dragonet continued to chip off pieces of it's shell. The other two continued to rock as well, and Raelwyn hoped that they would all find their partners here. She could not bear to see any of the little ones go between.

~~~~~

Amber eyes widening as the awe-inspiring queen showed her teeth to the candidates, Kheron was forcibly reminded of a runner mare guarding her foal from a stranger, only Trith was far more impressive and frightening than that. With turns of beastcrafting under his belt, the boy knew that mothers were a very protective lot, and even if the gold hadn't laid those eggs, it was still her clutch. Keeping respectful, the wrangler's pulse sped up frantically as the first eggs began to move, and his heart hammered so loudly he could have sworn everyone standing at the edge of the sands could hear it.

Though he didn't think it was possible, the ex-beastcrafter felt the pace of his heart actually quicken even faster as the Puntius, Xiphophorus, and Fenatum eggs began rocking. Here he was, standing on the sands of Cerulean, about to see his first dragons hatch. Though the boy did his best to remain calm and collected, at least in appearance, he could not stop the excitement that practically coursed through his entire being.

So focused as he was on the other three eggs, Kher blinked in shock as the Poecilidae Egg hatched first, amazed at finally being able to see a dragonet. She was a lovely little thing, and the candidate could not take his eyes off the green as she righted herself and stood, surveying her surroundings as any newborn would. His amber eyes roved over her body, taking in her muscle structure and build. Even after being Searched and taken in as a candidate, it seemed Kheron could not get away from his beastcrafting roots. Smiling as she squawked indignantly at the Corydora Egg, the boy watched the Poecilidae green as she drooped and turned to survey he and his fellow candidates.

It did not take the little one long to make her choice. As the green found Hers and the pair left the sands, Kheron clapped for them, glad that the dragonet had found her match. In candidate lessons, they had been taught of those hatchlings who did not find their destined ones on the gathered candidates, and would go between because of it. That was the last thing the wrangler wanted to see happen to the clutch before them and the little dragons within. Turning back, Kher's eyes focused on the eggs that still rocked, and then snapped to the Puntius as it started to break apart. Breath catching, the ex-beastcrafter waited, silently cheering the dragonet within onward and hoping with everything he had, that he would Impress.