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Post by Mello on Jul 19, 2010 22:34:54 GMT -5
Ranen guessed he could see how oiling could be not exactly the favorite chore, although for the chance to be around a dragon he would do anything. Maybe F’ren thought a little differently because he had grown up in the Weyr, or because he could see a dragon anytime he wished, or because he had done it so many time- Ranen had watched the Weyrlings, constantly at work caring for their companions. F’ren was right though, that chores always passed a little quicker with a friend by your side.
He nodded firmly in agreement with the other boy, a smile on his face, and then shook F’ren’s hand. “Friends,” he agreed. It was strange to think he had a friend so shortly after getting to Southern- and a dragonrider at that. Maybe this really was going to be a new phase in his life. Maybe things really would turn out differently here. He hoped this was a good sign.
“Thanks,” he replied to F’ren’s encouragement. It would be nice to know that someone would be up in the stands rooting for him. His family had never had the time to travel to one of the Hatchings he had attended, and certainly wouldn’t now that he was so far away. He wasn’t even really certain that they knew he had moved- he had sent a letter, but he rarely could be sure it had arrived. But now he had at least one friendly face- someone to celebrate with, if things went better this time around than in the past, or maybe just to talk to if they didn’t.
As good as he was feeling with his new friend, Ranen was a little thrown when the other boy walked around the table to give him a hug. He had never really been the kind of person to show physical affection. His mother had, but with her gone and him spending all his time working with his brothers and his father, it was not something very present in his life. At first he stiffened up a little out of shock. But once the shock wore off a little, he realized it wasn’t that bad. It was even a little comforting, he supposed, and he managed to return the hug for a few moments before pulling slightly back.
“Go on then, I don’t want to keep you from your chores,” he said in a joking tone, a smile on his face. “But I’ll see you around later.”
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FYI..
Jul 18, 2010 8:31:20 GMT -5
Post by Mello on Jul 18, 2010 8:31:20 GMT -5
Good luck with your surgery!
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Post by Mello on Jul 18, 2010 8:30:21 GMT -5
Back for a few days, I'll try and catch up before I leave again!
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Post by Mello on Jul 13, 2010 19:59:09 GMT -5
He needed to wake up. Because… because someone was calling him to go to…. somewhere. Somewhere important. Lessons. That was it, he had to go to lessons. But he had been to lessons so many times before he knew everything the Candidate Master had to say. Surely he could just stay in bed for a few more minutes….
No, a voice in his mind insisted. We must go. Heneth insisted. And Hers isn’t the Candidate Master, he is the Weyrling Master. And you may have been to lessons before, but I haven’t, and I want to learn. So you have to get up, R’nenmine.[/color] Sleepily, Ranen wondered when the voice in the back of his mind had gotten so persistent, and why it felt as though his hand was resting on something warm and soft.
And then he sat straight up in bed as it all came rushing back to him. The Hatching, watching each hatchling find someone, hoping that the tan brown would be able to leave his adoptive mother and come over to the candidates, the shock and awe when he did and chose him of all people. R’nen, he was R’nen now. He liked the sound of that. R’nen of brown Olloth, the most perfect dragon he had ever seen.
As he pulled himself out of sleep, he smiled at the brown dragon, who had worked his head underneath his hand while he was sleeping and was currently giving him a look of patient suffering. Are you awake now R’nen? Can we go? R’nen knew his laugh was probably giddy, a mixture of the loss of a few hours of sleep, excitement, nerves, and happiness, but he didn’t really care. “Yeah, just give me a second Olloth, okay?” The dragon let out a snort, almost a sigh, and backed up enough to allow his rider to slip out of bed and grab the closest pair of pants and shirt, yanking them on quickly. Putting on his pants reminded him of the scratches he had gotten the day before, but they weren’t bad. He had fared better than some of the other candidates, in more than one approach…
It only took a minute before he was ready, and he led an eager Olloth out of the barracks and to the Weyrbowl where the other Weyrlings were gathering. Olloth stayed close the entire walk, and every few moments R’nen couldn’t stop himself from reaching out and caressing the brown. Part of him could hardly believe that this all wasn’t some kind of dream, expecting to suddenly wake up in the candidate barracks with the memory of Olloth choosing someone else.
No, Olloth’s firm voice intruded on his thoughts, even though he had hardly been aware that that was where his mind had been going. He made a mental note to get a better grasp on his own thoughts. I chose you, and I wouldn’t have chosen anyone else. To emphasize, the brown gently nudged his rider with his head. I know, Olloth, R’nen replied soothingly. I’m just so glad. His hand softly resting on the brown’s side and a grin on his face, the pair finally made it to the group.
“Good morning, Weyrling Master, Heneth,” R’nen said as they joined the group. He realized he hadn’t gotten a chance to meet many of the other candidates, and so most of the faces were new to him. There were, however, some he knew, and he made his way to the small group. “Hi F’ren, Eneth,” he greeted the weyrling. When he had moved over to the small group, he noticed another boy sitting on the ground in front of a girl clinging to his shirt. “L’cin,” he added with a smile. He didn’t know the others in the group, although they all seemed to be part of the older weyrling class- at least he didn’t recognize any of them from the day before. With that realization, he glanced around a bit uneasily. Was he supposed to be with the others of his class?
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Post by Mello on Jul 13, 2010 19:07:01 GMT -5
Ranen stayed where he was as Tess put L’cin on numbweed duty, grimacing himself. It was definitely one of the more despised jobs at the Weyr, although it was just as important as it was avoided. He actually felt a little guilty that he had ended up with sorting files while the weyrling had to make the numbweed- he wasn’t even that good with his letters, honestly, and he had made the numbweed plenty of times in the past.
His feelings were pushed aside by L’cin’s grin and laugh, followed by a mumbled explanation that it was something to do with his dragon. Maybe he didn’t envy the other boy his chore, but he wasn’t the one with the goofy grin and silent conversation, so maybe he was a little bit envious.
Tess next turned her attention back to him, and he trailed her over to a desk station, where she wrote down the letters in order. Ranen was relieved by her idea. Not that he wouldn’t have taken on the job without the help, but it would have been much more difficult, and he didn’t want to bother her every few minutes to confirm that something was in the right order. He liked to do his job right, and now he could be much more sure that things were the way they should be. He smiled at her as she finished her instruction. “Thank you,” he said, honestly glad to have a job that he could take care of. Maybe infirmary duty wouldn’t be quite as bad as he feared at Cerulean. With the help of the sheet Tess had written for him, maybe he would even have time to go help L’cin...
Before she left, Tess turned around and offered to help him with his letters. He smiled and nodded thanks, although he knew that he wouldn’t be likely to take her up on the offer, as generous as it was. It wasn’t as though he hadn’t had the chance to learn, he had just always had more important things to do. And as he wasn’t planning on being a healer or a Harper, then what was the point? At this rate he was worried he would be back home sooner or later, and his father never seemed to have suffered from his less than perfect understanding of his letters. It just seemed so unnecessary….
Ranen turned to his work and began applying himself. He worked as quickly as he could while being accurate, and was even surprised that he didn’t need Tess’ sheet nearly as much as he had thought he would. When he thought he had everything in the right order, he went over it one more time, finding a few out of order and quickly fixing them. Finally, he stepped back, proud of his work.
It put him in a good mood to have finished his job so quickly, and so with a smile on his face he wandered over to where L’cin was working. “Need some help?” he offered.
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Post by Mello on Jul 13, 2010 18:33:14 GMT -5
If there was one thing Ranen enjoyed the most about living in the Weyr, it was getting to see the real side of riders and their dragons. The stories he had heard from his mother were his earliest memories, and they were amazing. But at the same time, they were fantasies, describing the Weyrs as faraway places that people like him would never really experience because who could expect that a boy from a small hold would ever end up living there? It was comforting, sitting with a rider and getting a simple reminder that they were people, and that their dragons had personalities just like any other living thing. Eneth didn’t really have a reason to like firelizards, but neither did a lot of people, with just as little discernible reason. He wouldn’t have been able to explain it, but it was comforting to Ranen.
F’ren’s grin, so obviously a result of that incredible joy that seemed to go with being a rider, did sting for a moment, and the doubt flashed through Ranen’s mind again at the hurried apology. It wasn’t that he didn’t know how much Eneth dominated F’ren’s thoughts as much as that little nagging voice in the back of his mind that suggested maybe he never would. His past failures hurt, but thinking about possibly being left standing again was worse. And with the Hatching nearing, it all seemed so much more real. But he tried not to let his emotion show. It wasn’t F’ren’s fault that his words brought all of Ranen’s fears to the surface, and he certainly wasn’t going to let his new friend feel bad about it, so he just smiled. “I understand… well, I guess I don’t, but I’ve been around long enough to get it, I think,” he said with a laugh. He certainly had witnessed riders before, in all different stages of their bonds.
He didn’t have to force his smile at all, though, when F’ren said that Eneth would like to meet him. “I would love to meet him, if that’s okay with you,” he said cheerfully. “I don’t mind oiling at all.” There wasn’t much he would mind doing, really, when it came to dragons, and it would have the added benefit of helping out F’ren.
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Post by Mello on Jul 13, 2010 15:21:18 GMT -5
So real life has decided to catch up with me, much to my dismay. My and some friends are going camping tomorrow, so I'll be out for a few days there. We get back Saturday, but I may or may not have the time to check here because I get to immediately go into cleaning mode for my family's big move (fun.....). Next week I'll be checking out the new house and such, so I probably won't have internet. I'll try and keep up as much as I can, but I can't promise I'll be very active for about a week and a half. Sorry to everyone I'm playing with
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Post by Mello on Jul 10, 2010 22:29:14 GMT -5
Ranen nearly cheered aloud when the newest green to hatch took an interest in the brown, still hovering around Trith. The candidates couldn’t go to it without risking something bad happening, either scaring the dragons or Trith, but if his sister could bring him to them, there was still a chance it wouldn’t go between. For a moment he feared that the green’s efforts weren’t quite enough, that he was going to stay with his adoptive mother again and never find His, but then he began following her to the line of candidates, and Ranen smiled. There was hope for the brown, and that was enough for now.
Some part of him registered that the last egg had hatched a somewhat strange looking blue, but most of Ranen’s attention was still focused on the brown and the green shepherding him. Like the brown, however, he didn’t realize until the last moment that she wasn’t leading him to the candidates he was likely to find acceptable, but to the part of the line where the girls were. A part of Ranen seemed to know what was going to happen just as the brown realized where he was, and he watched with a feeling of panic and dread as the brown, not one of the smaller of the clutch by any means, caught two girls in his rush to get away. Ranen watched with increasing panic as the hatchling headed towards his part of the line, running into yet another candidate along the way and knocking him to the ground.
But then suddenly, miraculously, the panicked feeling was gone. Instead there was just calm relief, seemingly triggered by the brown’s cry. For a moment Ranen was confused, but then the dragon was running toward him. No, he was running into him, and the candidate found himself on the sands.
R’nenmine! Olloth was looking for you! Olloth didn’t see you, why were you hiding from Olloth!
It was… relief and love and comfort and everything Ranen had ever imagined he might feel looking into the eyes of his dragon, only so much more, and so much more intense than even in his wildest dream. “Olloth?” he squeaked out, surprised at the sound of his own voice. This couldn’t be real, could it? This brown, this perfect, amazing creature couldn’t be talking to him, right?
Olloth fidgeted in front of him. Of course Olloth is talking to you, R’nenmine! Who else would Olloth be looking for? The matter of fact tone of the hatchling’s voice in his head pulled R’nen out of his shock and he stumbled to his feet, gently untangling Olloth from the front of his robes. He had scratches on his legs, and they looked like they might be bleeding just slightly, but it wasn’t anything serious, and he had more important things to take care of right now, as Olloth happily reminded him. Are we going to find food now, R’nen? he asked cheerfully. I’m soooo hungry!. R’nen laughed, nearly giddy with happiness. “Of course, Olloth,” he replied as he led the brown off the sands to where the other weyrlings were enjoying their first meal. The brown trumpeted with excitement at the news, making R’nen laugh. “What, you think I would starve you?”
I’m just happy, the brown replied cheerfully. I found R’nenmine, and now he is going to feed me! Olloth lightly bumped his head against R’nen’s side, managing to convey both playfulness and lovingness. R’nen could hardly believe it, even as he began feeding Olloth the meat offered to him by those situated at the entrance. All that time, and his dreams had more than come true.
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Post by Mello on Jul 10, 2010 21:54:42 GMT -5
Ranen was relieved when F’ren didn’t seem offended he hadn’t thought to ask about his dragon earlier. He could see the pride in his companion’s face when he started talking about Eneth. It was something he had seen in many riders’ faces, especially the younger ones. He wondered if they had any idea of their expressions, or if it was just an instinctive reaction to thoughts about the bonded ones. F’ren seemed especially proud of the fact that Eneth was a bronze- another thing Ranen had noticed in many riders. They all seemed very sure that their color of their dragon was the best, no matter what. He remembered his own uncertainty of what type might chose him some day, and couldn’t help but smile. There was no doubt in his mind he would be just as confident as F’ren of the best color, if he ever did Impress. When, he told himself firmly. Not if. That type of thinking wouldn’t get him anywhere.
He guessed that F’ren was having a conversation with Eneth when he got that slightly distracted look generally associated with riders talking with their dragons. And then F’ren answered aloud, introducing Ranen to Eneth. He smiled. “No, you can assure him that I don’t,” he said with a small laugh. Not that he hadn’t tried, especially at Southern, where it seemed every other person had one of the little creatures. But he never seemed to have much time to search for nests, and had never been very adept at it anyways. It seemed as though it would be a good thing in this situation, though. “Is there a reason he doesn’t like them, or do they just bother him in general?” he asked F’ren curiously. He knew of some dragons who didn’t mind them, but some just didn’t seem to like them for some reason.
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Post by Mello on Jul 10, 2010 20:59:38 GMT -5
Ranen committed the names Tess told him to memory as best as he could, fairly confident that he could at least recognize them if they were there the next time his chores put him there. It was nice to know that someone was usually there to assign tasks- since infirmary duty was never his favorite work, he liked to get it done as quickly as possible. Other candidates might be tempted to try and slack, but the thought never really occurred to the boy. If he had a job assigned to him he would do it, even though he might not enjoy it.
The boy who had knocked him over- no, almost knocked him over, he didn’t actually touch him, if he was honest- was stammering his apologies, obviously worried that he had hurt Ranen. That was enough to ensure that the candidate wouldn’t be angry over the encounter. An accident wasn’t really worth getting worked up over, especially since it didn’t seem to have caused any problems at all.
He smiled at L’cin once the boy introduced himself. “It’s no problem, I’m not injured or anything. I’ve had worse before anyways. And I’m Ranen,” he introduced himself. He wondered if L’cin’s Queth would make his way down later. It would actually be quite interesting, even if the dragon wasn’t really supposed to be down in the infirmary. Ranen always enjoyed a chance to see a dragon close up.
Tess reminded them of their purpose for being there, which Ranen appreciated. But when she gestured towards the files, he barely suppressed a groan. Organizing files meant reading. At least she didn’t have to worry about him reading the files- he didn’t think he would be able to get through much even if he hadn’t believed her threat about it. “Well…” Ranen was torn between being honest about his not-so-amazing command of his letters and his need to help out with whatever needed doing. “Mostly. That is, I mean, I can do letters. I sometimes mix them up though.” Which had never been very helpful when he was in lessons with the Harper that stopped by the hold every few sevendays. But he was never meant to be a Harper, or a Healer, or anything else that really required much more than a basic understanding of reading, and so it had never seemed all that important. “I can do it, I think.” He hoped his hesitation wasn’t too evident- he didn’t want to seem like he was trying to get out of work.
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Post by Mello on Jul 10, 2010 9:23:47 GMT -5
Everything seemed to be moving so fast. Before Ranen could fully process what was happening a bronze dragon worked its way out of one of the eggs, and two more began moving, one moving so much that it rolled into the brown who still had yet to find His. A green appeared out of that same egg soon after, leaving three little dragons on the sands. The brown seemed to try and attach to the green like he had his mother, but she wouldn’t have it, and Ranen couldn’t help but smile at the antics of the brown. Amusement turned to shock, however, when the green and the bronze collided, but luckily neither seemed to be hurt. Actually, the whole Hatching had been almost unusual in that sense- there had yet to be an injury, human or dragon.
But there always did seem to be something, and just as the bronze found his, another candidate Ranen recognized by sight but had never really spoken with, the little green fell at the feet of a girl and, in her rush to get away, caught her with her claws. Ranen fought an instinct to rush over and help the girl. After all, he was no healer, and he would only be in the way. Still, it was difficult to watch someone he knew he couldn’t help.
To distract himself, he turned back to the sands. The last few eggs were rocking, and part of his mind was keeping track of them, but more of his attention was on the brown, who still hadn’t found His. Silently, Ranen rooted for the young creature, hoping that he would find someone to be with. As much as he hoped to Impress himself, he could always stand again, but the loss of this little one would shed a dark shadow over the entire Hatching. C’mon, he cheered silently, you can find someone, I know you can! But was he talking to the dragon or himself? With each dragon gone, there was less and less of a chance that he would find the dragon he had waited for here. But there was nothing he could do but stand there and continue to hope.
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Post by Mello on Jul 9, 2010 21:12:12 GMT -5
As Ranen watched, a tan dragonet emerged from the Puntius Egg, and then a blue from the Frenatum Egg. He held his breath as the dragons took their first looks around, hoping beyond everything else that one of them might turn their heads his way. But the little brown seemed more interested in his mother than the candidates, and remained close to Trith. Ranen found himself smiling at the antics of the brown, as it began wailing for the attention of its mother. Clearly he did not like being ignored. He hoped that it would be able to turn its attention to the candidates and find someone suitable for it. He had been at a hatching where one of the blues hadn’t been able to find anyone, and had gone Between. It was an awful day, the beauty of the occasion marred by the tragedy felt by the entire Weyr, and Ranen hoped earnestly that it wouldn’t happen to the tan dragon still trying to draw the attention of its mother.
The blue, meanwhile, was examining the candidates, and once more Ranen had a vision of it choosing him. But it was not meant to be, it seemed, for the dragon stumbled into another boy, clearing having found His. Ranen barely had time to feel disappointed before the Xiphophorus Egg broke open to reveal another brown. And then the disappointment was back as the dragon quickly found His.
Doubt began to run through Ranen’s head. Was this just going to be a repeat of so many previous days, when he been found lacking in some way? Maybe it was something he was doing wrong, something about him that made the dragons turn away. Maybe he wasn’t meant to be here at all, maybe it was just a hopeless dream he had carried over from his mother’s tales.
Determinedly, he pushed away those thoughts. There would be plenty of time for doubt after the Hatching, if the occasion called for it. And there were still unhatched eggs, and the little tan brown had yet to find His, so perhaps there was hope for Ranen yet. He tried to focus all his attention on the brown and the eggs still sitting on the sands, leaving as little of his mind as possible to wonder about what might or might not happen.
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Post by Mello on Jul 9, 2010 19:29:39 GMT -5
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.
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Post by Mello on Jul 9, 2010 10:03:49 GMT -5
Ranen didn’t have to wait long for a reply to his call. He stayed there for a moment, trying to take in his surroundings and mentally comparing them to the infirmary at Southern. They weren’t all that different, he supposed, although he didn’t really know enough to compare specifics. But still, maybe it was enough so that he wouldn’t be completely lost there.
After a moment, a woman appeared from somewhere within, drying her hands as she came out. She seemed to be in charge, and Ranen managed a smile and a nod before realizing that there was no way for her to know which of the two questions he was agreeing to. “I’m a helper,” he rushed to clarify. “My name is Ranen, I’m a candidate…” he trailed off, not knowing what else to say.
But just then he felt something nearly collide with him from behind and a small squeak of surprise. With a muffled cry of his own he lurched forward to try and avoid the collision his instincts told him was about to occur and managed to trip over his own foot, landing with a thud on the ground just in front of where he had been standing. So much for being quiet…. Luckily he was still in the entrance, and hadn’t hit anything in his fall. He knew all too well how valuable some of the equipment the Healers kept could be.
As soon as he hit the ground he scrambled back up to his feet, hoping he could just laugh off the incident. He didn’t seem to have sustained any injuries from it, except perhaps a bit to his self image. He stood off to the side so that he could see the newcomer- a boy probably somewhere around his own age. He offered both of the other people in the room half a smile. “Sorry about the noise,” he directed towards the Healer.
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Post by Mello on Jul 9, 2010 9:46:59 GMT -5
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.
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