Logs:Niyath and Soldreth's First Clutch Hatches

Niyath and Soldreth's First Clutch Hatches
RL Date: 18 August, 2006
Who: Andikola, Caeleb, Chihanne, Jenna, Kailai, Kalen, Kiveily, Lexiana, Leyon, M'yr, R'us, Rachele, Reighley, Salarios, Tirien, Vargan, Vendelin
Involves: Fort Weyr
Type: Log
What: Eggs hatch! Lifemates are found!
Where: Fort Weyr
When: Day , Month , Turn 12 (Interval 10)
OOC Notes: Log from PernMUSH.
Hatching Ground Sands Jenna minces across the sands as quickly as she can, moving towards Niyath's side. The eggs have been lovingly piled into a mound and are already quivvering. "Hope they go fast, this heat is not fun carrying this extra weight." Soldreth's up, oh yes, and for once he's not misbehaving. Waddling to her side, he nudges her hide with his nose then lifts his head. All seriousness, he slowly begins to add his voice to Niyath's, a harmonic duet of anticipation. Fort dragons sense that Inneth starts to hum low in her throat, a note that goes on and on. Lexiana enters the sands in the wake of crooning and creeling of her two firelizards above her head. Throwing out on her weyrhide jerkin on, the brownrider takes a deep breath as she laces it up. "I am here, you two can stop bugging me now." Nodding towards the gold and bronze parents, the woman looks around for Jenna before saying to the two dragons "It is time I see." M'yr follows directly after Jenna, stopping to whack the clutchsire's quivering side. "It'll soon be over, boy, and you'll get to see the little ones we've been talking about. And talking, and talking and talking..." A wide grin comes, then a wink. Jenna beckons to the other humanfolk to join her. "It always takes forever to get the candidates on the sands, seems like. Drives me crazy. I'm always expecting them to crack before they make it out." Fort dragons sense that Duerth also adds his wonderful humming voice to the mix. « The eggs are hatching. I wonder if there will be a purple one this time. » Fort dragons sense that Niyath would give Duerth a nasty look if she could. No sport dragons in /her/ eggs, thankyouverymuch! Instead she settles for an extra-loud hum in his general direction. R'us arrives a few paces after Lexiana, a scowl twisted across his face, heavy boots kicking sand. He takes up a station a few paces away from the cavern's wall, posting his feet wide-spread and crossing his arms over his chest. P'draig's youngest assistant looks, at best, moderately displeased to have been interrupted (?) by the proceedings. His green, Lindith, comes to roost high above on a ledge; she curls up, then dozes while humming as if singing in her sleep. Fort dragons sense that Duerth looks a bash. « WHAT?? » THe brown sends out with his brick red mind. « I would be honored to teach a purple weyrling. » Still the gold's extra loud hum can't keep the joy and excitement out of his own hum. Fort dragons sense that Inneth picks up the tempo of her humming. She's not the loudest one, but she's definitely enthusiastic. « Little hatchlings! Perhaps Niyath's human will have hers tonight too, and we can find out what its name is! » Fort dragons sense that Soldreth's enthusiasm is unquelled, as his body shudders with anticipation, so do his words. « They will come, but hers will take more time. » Lexiana waves at Jenna as she moves over to the Weyrleaders. "I don't think that has ever happen yet, Jenna, I wouldn't worry." Looking up, she watches her own excited brown find a place next to Lindith, before turning to R'us. "Ready for this?" She calls out with a smile to the newest assistant weyrlingmaster. Caeleb has managed to be at the near front of the line. He does a stumbling sort of half bow when he's on the sands proper. Jenna ahs, "Here they come." She beams at the candidates as they make their way onto the sands. Niyath rears up and gives a trumpet of welcome. Never a particularly broody queen, she seems deighted to finally be at the end of egg sitting. Leyon steps out onto the sands. Vendelin's casually still pinning his hair back, his fingers setting the remainder of the clasps in place so his oily locks are away from his acne-pocked face in the short term at least. "You could at least share some of that sunshine, shards," he calls back to Salarios. He whistles softly, patting the fresh run of sweat from his palms, then dips his torso in a bow. R'us looks over at Lexiana, his expression shifting from disgruntled to alarmed. "Uh," he replies, then furrows his brows as if he thinks she might be a little off her rocker. "Do I have a choice?" Tirien steps forward, rubbing his fingers nervously over the palms of his hands. He steps between Salarios and Vendelin, murmuring, "Good luck to you both," before making his bow to Niyath and Soldreth. M'yr beams with delight as he nods to the Assistant Weyrlingmasters, his whole being proud as he can be. "It's so hard to believe the time is here so soon!" Soldreth strikes a pose, then warbles to the emerging Candidates. Kailai steps onto the sands, jaw dropping in awe before she remembers her manners and approaches Niyath and Soldreth. "Quite a good day for all." She muses as she bows to the dam and sire. Then she searches those already on the sands. "Hey, where's Caeleb?" She wonders. Mind Over Madness Egg jerks with several internal spasms, this flurry of activity from within just enough to send the ovoid rolling and spinning until it settles into a plowed path that circles the mound of yet-to-be-hatched eggs. Hairline cracks wander up the nine distinct blotches of color upon its shell, dangerously close to each other. It waits, biding its time for the final course of action that will finally end this captive nonsense. Reighley and her older brother bow shakily in unison, the girl clinging to Treizen's arm tightly as they enter the sands together. Both of them look quite nervous, though Reighley more so as she fidgets around and keeps glancing all around, at the eggs, at the clutch parents, at the galleries. Kalen follows the procession, though he mingles somewhere in the middle and pauses to give a polite bow to the queen and sire. He actually does a fairly good job of it, too. He then gives a roll of his eyes towards Soldreth at his pose-striking, and looks for Rachele. "Stand with me, would you?" He asks, and then leans a little closer to insist, "Not too close to Vendelin though, okay?" Salarios comes behind Vendelin, nearly bowling him over when the Ven stops to bow. Salarios looks over towards the clutch parents, lifting his hand in a wave before he steps around Vendelin, "Have you ever been to Ista?" he asks as if the eggs weren't before him and rocking already. Eyes flash back over towards Tirien, "Yeah. Make sure you jump out of the way if you see one charging..." though that point is moot as he picks a spot in the sands, crossing his arms as the heat wave already starts to make his sweaty skin dry. Andikola's expression relazes a little at Soldreth's warble and she castes a quick glance over her shoulder into the galleries. That glance doesn't find her parents or brothers yet but she returns her attention to the eggs in front of her, bowing to the dragons on the sands nearby. Lexiana snorts at as first the gold then the bronze make their presence know. "You did a good job Soloderth. They are fine looking eggs that are about to be fine looking hatchlings." Turning to R'us, she chuckles. "Welcome to the world of weyrlingmaster, for the next six months your time isn't yours." Rainbow Brite Egg starts to quiver in its little dimple on the sands. First one end jerks, then the other, then the whole egg seems to vibrate for a moment before the cycle starts again. The actions slowly dig it a nice path away from the rest of the clutch, giving it plenty of room to hatch when the time comes. Caeleb isn't hard to locate, even as he's rather stuck to one place near the front edge of candidates. He doesn't even do the hot sands shuffle, his attention rapt upon the rocking eggs. A flurry of activity forces attention toward the Velcro Egg. There seems to be a battle going on within as the egg shakes violently to and fro. As suddenly as it started, the shaking stops and the egg falls quiet. Slowly cracks appear on the top and a tiny green nose pops through the top of the shell. In no time the young female has worked herself a hole large enough to climb out of, which is exactly what she tries to do. Unfortunately for the gooey little green, she, along with her shell, topple over, landing her face first in the Sands with wings sprawled out awkwardly. Creeling pitifully, she methodically rights herself and shakes at the sand stuck to her sticky hide. With a huff, she decidedly walks directly to a strong looking lad from Igen River Hold and puffs up at him demandingly. He cries out her name with a surprised hiccup and begins to brush the sand from her, Impression is made. Kiveily shuffles onto the Sands, looking out over the eggs and then out at the audience with a dubious glance. She keeps on shuffling, though, right up until she's near the little group that Salarios, Vendelin, and Tirien have formed. "Ain't this something," she remarks by way of greeting, tone so dry as to approach sarcastic. Tirien grins, setting his feet slightly apart. "Don't worry. I don't intend to get run over by a hatchling tonight." He gives a shout as the first Impression is made. "Green!" Kailai gasps at the green. "Oh she's so cute!" She coos as she finds Caeleb. "Hey." She says simply as she stands next to him to keep a wary eye on the eggs. "This is gonna be quite some day huh?" She asks with a low chuckle. Her hands tremble slightly as she watches the green impress. When Reighley ascertains there aren't any hatchings just yet, she takes another deep breath and gathers herself visibly, studying the other candidates. Finally, tugging her brother along awkwardly beside her as she edges sideways toward Vendelin. Well, until that first egg cracks. At once, she freezes, green eyes widening as she stares at the green. "Oh. No," she says, quite distinctly. Treizen only looks green himself. As the first egg breaks open and impression is made, Jenna applauds for the former Igen River hold lad. "Green first, M'yr. I bet brown. Ah well." Leyon steps sharply onto the Sands, bowing to the gold and bronze dragons before him almost as soon as his booted feet hit their warmth. He has neither glance nor wave for the galleries; no, this one is all eyes on what's going on in front of him. The first Impression comes so suddenly that he has time only to glance at the clutch before it's happening. As though it galvanizes him to action, he makes a beeline for his place among the candidates. His motivating factors in settling in amongst his peers appear to be twofold: to stay near the back, and to stay as far from Kiveily as possible. Rachele is still fussing with her hair when she steps out onto the sands, and her curtsey to the sire and dam is delivered with fingers entangled with strands. A helpless puff of air is uttered against the heat, brow furrowed as the ordeal's just begun and already it's whirling by. Kalen seems to surprise her in being at her side, eyes round as she regards the boy. "Oh.." A moment later, she gathers herself, and manages a smile even though she's already beginning to sweat. "Certainly." Further sentiments are cut off by the sudden initiation of Hatching. The girl's hands go to her mouth, and she watches in stunned silence. The Rainbow Bright Egg quivers with what, in a human anyway, could be termed excitement. It goes on for several long seconds until suddenly the cracks that had been forming all but explode outward. Standing in the remains of his shell is the Insightful Streaked Blue Hatchling. A stray bit of egg apparently stuck to the top of his head, he shakes it but to no avail. His annoyed and plaintive cry rings across the sands. Insightful Streaked Blue Dragonet A vibrant, even blue shades most of his broad shouldered, large winged body. It is the color of the deepest seas at the height of summer with only one minor deviation. Flowing down his neck and back from his head, at a point centered between the eye ridges, are slivers and streaks of slate and pale sky blue. Sometimes difficult to see, they set him apart upon close inspection. Thick of body and long of wing there is no doubt he will be a large specimen of his color. His 'sails are slightly lighter than the rest of him, lacking the grayish streaking of his neck and back. The spars, however, are again the color of his body with just glimmers of spinner-web fine lines seen here and there, like the first gray hairs one might catch as one grew older. Sturdy, stocky legs must be a throwback to his ancestors, for he has none of the streamlined grace of sire or dam. Vendelin sidelongs a glance toward Tirien, then up toward Salarios, a short quick shake of his head though he doesn't dissuade the unbidden candidate from his position. A quick glance for Reighley, noting her location with a nod, just in case she needs another hand to cling to. He almost manages to nod to Kiveily and answer Sal with a "No, not yet. Like to see it one--shell of the great egg. This'll be over in a few breaths. Maybe we won't sweat, or stink, too bad." Chihanne follows the others out onto the ground, her expression one of nervousness mixed with anticipation. Clinching her hands slightly at her sides, she forces her hands to unclench as she makes her own bow as well. The action is more boyish than feminine in the way that she pulls it off. When she straightens, a wistful smile has begun quirking at the girl's lips as she watches the first impression. M'yr shoves his hands into his pockets, a smug grin turned toward the Weyrwoman. "I have to admit, that won me two marks! Should have placed more wagers though." The Mind Over Madness Egg splits along a combination of blotchy reds. A clawed limb pokes out, and then a Burning Torches Bronze Dragonet slithers free from the shell. Burning Torches Bronze Dragonet Through the abyss of evening's darkness that denote the final vestiges of lost light, the morning's illumination casts fiery finger-patterns of reflection that dot the lean sides of this deeply rich, reddish-bronze hatchling's bulk. Copper and russet mark his hide along those stocky legs and slender neck respectively - long, thin tendrils of woven color that terminate in a burst of sassy metallic-red flame. Jeweled eyes are widely set into his dusky head, headknobs mounted upon a shapely muzzle to apex his neck. Twilight is defined along his strong back and haunches, dismissing itself into completion at the juncture of his tail. Once again, the flame ignites in dark ruddy hues to extend the length of his long tail, culminating abruptly at the fork. Capturing night's shroud, his wings glimmer with those same coppery highlights to press away the nightfall, tracing a vibrant path from leading edge to trailing tips. Caeleb reaches absently for Kailai's hand, threading his finger with hers. "It's s-so different from here!" He proclaims, then gasps breathlessly at yet another hatching. "L-look!" A blue! Kailai squeaks and points to the blue that's just emerged. "Oh! Isn't he cute!" She asks, pointing to the blue. "Look CAeleb! A blue, and he's just so bright!" She gasps, "And a bronze! Great faranth! A bronze!" This coming at the same time as Caeleb's exclamation about the blue. Kailai blushes slightly as her hand is grabbed though. Jenna slips an arm through M'yr's. "Good, you can buy me something at the fair later - Aha! A blue, and bronze! Excellent. I was hoping for three out of Soldreth." She gives her Weyrleader an arch look, clearly amused. Salarios considers Kiveily as she slides up towards the group, a smirk acknowledging her presence let alone her tone of voice. "I'm already sweating good, but that was from the run Tirien and I made from the fair grounds all the way to the candidate barracks." Eyes snap towards the sand proper, his hands dropping at his sides when he notices a few dragonets already hatched, then to Kiveily he comments, "At least we get a front seat.. view?" Kalen isn't standing as close as some star-struck candidates, in fact he seems to prefer to stand a bit out of the way. He reaches for Rachele's hand to drag her along with him, and attempting to give her little choice in the matter - but then, she's gaping at the dragonets. He nearly jumps out of his hide when the eggs start popping and limbs start poking out, furrowing his brows deeply and then finding himself a good spot to stand. Leaving enough room to hopefully dodge out of the way of any confused dragons. Reighley moves more quickly this time, seeking to get her nest made before anymore hatchlings put in an appearance. Quickly, she moves to Vendelin's side, reaching to twine her free arm tightly with his, Treizen still attached to the other. "You said you'd stand with me," she reminds the older man then, biting her lip. "It's really fast. I didn't think it'd be like this," the girl confides, staring again at the latest two hatchlings. M'yr leans down to plant a light kiss on Jenna's cheek, then an arm lowers to swat her on her behind playfully. "He'll do well, you can, uh, bet on it!" is replied with a bright smile. Andikola casts one more glance at the galleries, still unable to locate her family. Turning back to the eggs and her fellow candidates, she shifts to the other foot out of nerves. Standing somewhere near Kiveily, she murmurs "It does happen all at once." as her eyes start to dart around, trying to see everything all at once as well. R'us does the 'snort and shrug' routine, then is distracted by the need to do the 'collect and herd' routine with the freshly impressed green and her new rider. Only when that first pair is safely stowed in the area designated for new weyrlings does the young assistant-weyrlingmaster return to scowl some more. Kailai turns to Caeleb. "So did your folks come at all? I didn't see mine in the galleries when I came out, but they could just be late." She says with a shrug. One eye still flicks towards the dragonets as she peers around the grounds again. Lexiana watches as the first impression of the night is made. Moving toward the lad and his green, the woman nods to another one of the weyrlingmaster had he takes them off the sands. The blue and the bronze get a quick look at but as she already has a lifemate, much like the hatchlings, her focus is on the candidates. Tirien doesn't appear to have caught the look between Vendelin and Salarios in regards to his presence. A thin trickle of sweat makes its way down the side of his face as he unconsciously steps away from the pair, mindful of his feet and the ruts in the sand. "Shards, this stuff does get hot..." Burning Torches Bronze Dragonet fidgets out of the shard remains of its discarded home to test these whatever-you-call-its that stick out beneath him. A lean this way, an angle that way bring him to an upright stance, pausing there to peer at his new world and that circle of white humanthings. An inner sense of purpose guides him forward with the sole purpose of reaching them quickly. It would attain that goal, were it not for a hollowed depression in the sand, the physical remains of a splintered egg left abandoned so recently. Fwoomp. A quick burst of air is exhaled quickly from the surprised dark bronze form as contact is made with the ground. How rude! Jenna laughs at M'yr. "Careful, I'll overbalance." She fusses with her dress with her free hand. She calls towards R'us, fully expecting not to be heard over the chaos, "Oh, for Faranth's sake, smile a little, R'us. Remember Lindith finding you." Caeleb can only answer Kailai with a half turn of his head. "I didn't g-get to see.. I th-think so?" He doesn't even try to look out at the galleries, eyes only for eggs and hatchlings. Kiveily jerks a belated bow to Niyath and Soldreth, hands lifting to slide into pockets that aren't there, and then falling back to her side. There isn't any enthusiasm here. Instead, as the first Impression occurs, and two more hatchlings fall out of their shells, a distinct scowl marches across her features. "Dunno about you," she remarks to Salarios, "But I like my front row views nice and comfortable. No piping sand, small dragons approaching..." In spite of the bluster, she has a smile for the nearby Andi, brief, but there. Insightful Streaked Blue Dragonet is not happy, and it shows. His little eyes whirl red with displeasure and hunger, and nobody is helping him! He tries once again to shake off his eggshard cap, to no avail. He starts to stagger around the Sands, narrowly avoiding the other eggs and his clutchsibling, looking for something. He's not sure what it is, but he'll know when he sees it. Leyon, who's already toward the back of the crowd, gives Kalen a sort of half nod as he approaches. "Watch out," he informs the lad while Rachele is pulled closer. "I hear they sometimes barge through whole clumps of candidates to get where they want." To the girl he adds, "The way these things are hatching, left, right, an' center, I don't think you'll have to worry about this thing taking too long." Kailai's face turns into a smile for the night. "Relax Cae, take a deep breath. Though I'm one to talk." She grins as she peers at the blue. "Man, he does /not/ look happy." She points to the little dragonet shaking about. "Wow... but he's so cool!" Vendelin can't help it: as Caeleb speaks, he echoes, "Ll-look, a b-bl-blue," in a meanspirited imitation of his fellow candidate that is more lowly whispered among the group where he stands. Then Reighley's there. His eyes twitch at the edges, then he accepts her presence and pats her arm, still scanning the sands. "It is quick, Reigh. You're doing great. Leastaways, you've got better footing than him," comes as one of the dragonets tumbles over. Rachele blinks mutely as she finds herself being tugged from the spot she'd rooted in. This suits her fine, her eyes kept on the body of hatching eggs as she shuffles along, expression less awed and more stricken with empirical interest. She hisses when some sand grazes her toes, and looks down at her feet to monitor her steps. Once Kalen's stopped leading her along, she tugs to take her hand back, smiling sheepishly as she wipes it on her robe. "Sorry, it's...kind of clammy," she explains, lest the boy think she's trying to be antisocial for drawing her hand away. She watches the newly hatched dragons, and lets Leyon's words sink in. "They do seem to be..rather ungainly. I still like my raised dais idea," she reiterates, frowning as a lank strand of hair falls by her cheek, freed from her hasty 'do. Chihanne brushes her sweaty hands off against the fabric of her robe as she watches. She doesn't seem nearly as talkitive as the others and steals a glance off towards the galleries as though looking for someone momentarily before she returns her eyes to the hatching. The sight of the blue stumbling around with his eggshell cap draws a chuckle from the girl. Kalen scrunches his nose at Leyon, "I only have to run faster than the slowest candidate, you know." He says with a wink, and then lets go of Rachele's hand when she tugs it away - he's not going to hold it any longer than she wants. He wipes his own hands against his robe, and then through his hair where the darkness of it is absorbing far too much of the warmth for his own comfort. "It's so hot out here. Miserable..." He mutters, more to himself, and keeps a steady gaze on the blue who's fumbling about. R'us is incapable of smiling. Well, there's plenty of evidence to that effect today, anyway. Even the sight of the new blue and burning bronze don't cheer him; if anything he watches them even more warily from his safe distance. He mumbles something half-beneath his breath, perhaps a reply to the weyrwoman (he does glance her way as if he suspected her of speaking to him), but all that really carries is 'you'd hafta ask _her_ anyway.' Lexiana chuckles as Jenna gets on R'us. "It is his first time, Jenna, he hasn't learn to go with the flow yet." Keeping a watchful eye out on the sands, the woman begins to pace back and forth trying to keep pace with those hatchlings that are still looking for their lifemates. "That's not very nice," Reighley tells Vendelin with a frown, her brows knitting as she glances sternly up at him in return for his mockery of Caeleb. "He was nice. He did my hair just now." She leans around her brother to glance at the other boy then, offering one of her shy smiles his way before she turns back to the conversation at hand. "I feel bad for him, too," she admits, watching the hatchling stumble about. "I hope they figure it out soon. Walking, I mean. It's harder than it looks," is her sage input on that. Burning Torches Bronze Dragonet tucks, scrambles, sends light sprays of sandy granules into the air about it as long, insecure pinions lift that bulk to an upright position. Sparkling orbs peer and sweep along the row of not-so-white robes. Hmm. Might as well see who's there! Away he goes, as fast as he can, heading for the circle of white robes. Right there. In front. Perfect. As always. Yes. Salarios eyes Vendelin's mocking of candidate Caeleb, a sneer showing on his lips as he shakes his head, "I just hope karma doesn't bite you where it counts Ven," he rocks his weight to one foot, watching the two dragons as carefully as he can, keeping track of their path to make sure it isn't coming towards him. He takes the time out to regard the riders on the other side of the sands, the weyrleaders and the weyrlingmasters. Though to Kiveily he nods, "True, better up there," he throws a thumb over his shoulder towards the gallery, "than down here. I do enjoy the heat though." Caeleb's lips pinch together. "I h-have just as m-much a chance!" he declares fervently. He doesn't give Vendelin the benefit of a look. Tirien tosses a dark look over his shoulder at Vendelin, but simply shakes his head and turns his attention back to the eggs and the dragonets milling about. More sweat starts to bead up on his forehead, which he wipes off with the back of his arm. Kailai shakes her head. "Caeleb, ignore him. He's not worth your time." She says with a roll of her eyes. "But would you look at that bronze, strutting his stuff like he knows what he wants!" She says with a glint in her eyes. "He's going to be a strong one." Kiveily falls in between Salarios and Andi, and though she makes sure to be at least a half-step behind, she keeps clear enough to avoid making a clump. Besides, a hatching is no excuse to turn into a ninny. So her frown deepens and her fingers flex, hankering after pockets. Though Ven's jibes earn no comment from her, they do earn Salarios a jibe. "Aww, gotten soft?" A pause, a shuffle, and, "Don't tell me it's this hot in Ista. Or Igen. Or wherever you're from." Leyon, for once, has succeeded in avoiding her notice. For the moment. Hip 2 B Square Egg shudders, rolling and bumping away from the neat pile Niyath had tucked it into. It stops, and then spins wildly in a half circle. Another stop, this one longer, much, much longer, and it actually gives a little 'hop' off the sands, only an inch or so, but noticable. Then, another long, long pause. It's almost too much effort to go through. Leyon echoes Rachele faintly, disbelievingly, "Raised dais?" Then, between keeping his eye on the miniature dragons stumbling about, "Surely you ain't saying you're so important that they should /build/ you a stone platform so you poor little feet don't burn?" He tosses Kalen a pitying glance for having taken up with such a girl. As for Kalen's suvival plan, though, "Not a bad idea. Let's tie her feet together so it's her." Yes, he's definitely talking about Rachele. Insightful Streaked Blue Dragonet tries to dodge a rolling egg from the clutch, and has to wave his wings wildly to stay upright. This sends egg goo everywhere, and helps dry them out. He pauses to look at the humans again and aims for another direction, away from this big gold and bronze blurs. Too scary-looking! Lexiana frowns at R'us as she moves closer to the younger man. "I _am_ going with the flow," growls R'us, tossing a reproachful glare toward Lexiana. Then he tightens the cross of his arms over his chest as she comes closer, a muscle straining tension in his jaw. Kailai rolls her eyes at Leyon and explains. "She wanted to make a platform, with ramps on the sides I think, to keep us from burning our feet." She tells the youth. "Aw, that blue's pretty active isn't he?" She asks, pointing. Andikola glances around to see who she's near though she doesn't check towards the back to see if anyone is behind her. She's shifting again from foot to foot. "I don't think it's this hot anywhere except on another hatching ground." she offers, watching the blue, the bronze, and the other eggs still on the sands. Caeleb draws himself up to his full height (which isn't all that tall), chin jutter proudly despite the teasing he's taking. There just might be an egg on the sands with his name on it. Besides, even if there isn't, the girls like him, right? He bends his head to whisper good luck to Kailai. Vendelin rolls his eyes as Reighley, then Salarios chastise him. "Bite me? I'm not going to develop a spontaneous stutter. He could likely get over it if he tried, had some harper training," is with a shrug as he raises a hand to sheild his eyes from raining down sand. "Like father, like son," is his observation. "Tossing sand everyplace. Sal, is Ista hot like this? Don't think I could tolerate it if so." Kalen manages to get a glop of egg goo on him, and rather than going 'ewww', he instead just lifts a hand to wipe it off and toss it on the sand. "Fried egg shards, and flying goop, just great." He grumbles, and scrunches his nose - clearly displeased. He then smirks at Leyon and nods, "Well, I don't think we have enough time for that - watch out." He says, pointing off to where the dragons are bumbling about. Burning Torches Bronze Hatchling forges ahead with all the fervor and excitement of a Search and Rescue dragon on a mission. Paddling furiously along the ring of Candidates, sand spewing from under his talons in his haste, the hatchling's exploration continues until he pauses before a pale skinned lad. That dark muzzle flicks outward, gently aimed at the lad, providing just a smidgen of a jolt to his body, while whirling eyes connect with Kalen's almond-shaped greys. Reighley shifts from foot to foot, grimacing as she glances down at the hot sands then. "You know what?" she suggests after a moment. "I should put one foot on yours--" a nod toward Vendelin's feet "--and one on yours, Trei. And then I won't be hot anymore!" She beams at the two boys, nothing short of hopeful and innocent; Treizen, however, is immune to such looks from little sisters; he only rolls his eyes and says, "Oh, suck it up and watch the hatching, Reigh." She sniffs disdainfully but does just that, returning attention to the hatchlings now roaming the sands, after one last reproving, "Don't go being ugly /now/, Vendelin." The Hip 2 B Square egg seems to give up. It's far too much bother to hatch. Prepare for the worst and you're never disappointed. It stills its shuddering, cracks veined all across the pale surface. Apparently, preparing for the worst was just the trick, for the egg all but falls apart along the strip of dark charcoal, breaking apart in two even halves, leaving a rather mournful looking Brown dragonet on the sands. Dolorous Spraddle-legged Brown Dragonet His coloring is pure fawn, unblemished by any other shading on haunch or wingsail. It is positively flawless, bringing to mind tea with cream, a rich feast for the eyes spread from muzzle to tail-tip. Alas, it's the only thing about him that can be called either gorgeous or ideal. His muzzle is narrow and aquiline, with eyeridges standing out in sharp, rocky relief over sunken eyes. They are quite large and expressive, providing the only leavening of austere gloom sketched across his spare frame. Gangly and awkward, his limbs are long and stick-thin. It is a wonder they can support his weight. His body would be in good proportion to his limbs, were they more normally muscled, but round belly and muscular haunches make him seem far shorter than he is. A razor thin tail and sharp wingspars stretch out from his squat trunk, further heightening the impression that he is naught but limbs and tail. Lexiana frowns at R'us as she moves closer to the younger man."Is everything okay?" She whispers at him, her voice is caring and as soft as her words. Giving the younger greenrider concern look, though it looks a bit funny as she attempts to keep one eye on him and another on the hustle. "Gotten soft?" Salarios scoffs at the idea, "of course not. Though I do see the difference between a person who can't help it and a smuck who can." Salarios shrugs his shoulder at Kiveily, "On the black sands of Ista? Oh yeah, it can get just right hot. Especially during the summer," he pauses to add in after though, "of course the ocean is just right there so one can cool down and all that." Again he nods to Ven, "Can get hotter," he puts out his arm, "how'd you think I got so brown?" He smirks, watching the procession of hatchlings. Kailai bends her head back. "good luck to you too." She whispers. But her eyes are glued to the two dragonets, even when she turns her head her eyes stay on the active hatchlings, the blue and the bronze, and now the brown. "Aw man, that brown looks lonely." She pouts as she points to it. R'us says "Everything's fine!" R'us' reply is a little too emphatic, really. "S'just, y'know, uh. I'm afraid one of them's gonna - oh, F'ranth's fine fat far end, there's another one. Do they have to come so fast?"" Chihanne frowns and glances down the ranks of other candidates as some of their conversation floats her way. But she does not let them distract her long from the action on the sands, and she looks back in time to see the brown spill forth from his egg. "Awww." She laughs in spite of herself as she looks at the creature. Dolorous Spraddle-legged Brown Dragonet just sits for a moment. Woah. It's big out here. He blinks his eyes, and then shakes egg goo off. Hot. Big. Sticky. He's disinclined to move until he sorts this out. Stubbornly he sits, eyeing the white robes, the crowd in the gallery, the dragons on the ledges. Nope, not going anywhere. K'len was pretty caught up in his conversation with Leyon when that bronze marched right over to him - and while he didn't try to dodge out of the way, he looks like he was about ready to. That is, until he just looks utterly shocked at the impetuous dragon. "Kalorith? No, of course I wasn't hiding, I just.. wasn't expecting." He says, and sniffles a little before he just nods and looks helplessly at the actual riders on the side, as though expecting some guidance on where to get this food to feed his new lifemate. Jenna turns her attention back to the sands, after a few well-chosen comments in M'yr's ears. "Oh, who got that bronze? Kalen, was it?" She cranes her neck to see. "And Niyath tells me he's Kalorith. Nice ring to it." Kiveily's head turns towards Vendelin with more interest than she's expressed in anything else the past few minutes, though it snaps back forward quickly enough. No telling when a little dragon might approach. "Vendelin's a smuck? I like that." Realizing that she's lost her frown, the corners of her mouth turn down as she attempts to re-achieve it. "I'm inclined to agree with you, Andi. He must be making it up. No sand could be hot as this on a regular day. Huh. Look at that one. It's just sitting there. Do they normally do that?" 'That one' would be the brown hatchling. Unexpected Blast Egg gives only the slightest little twitch to betray that the dragon withing is stuggling to break free of its prison. A little trickle of dry sand cascades down from the shell and it goes still again, though there must be continued work within. M'yr's eyes are wide as he watches the developments on the sand. Glancing down to Jenna, he nods enthusiastically. "Yes, Kalen and Kal. I like that a lot!" But then he likes everything right about now. Caeleb considers the brown sitting on his shell remains. "I d-don't know. He seems.. thoughtful." The young man says it like that's a good thing. "W-wonder who he'll pick, huh?" He smiles a touch overhearing the bit about those who can change and those who can't. Leyon takes a quick hop-stop back when the bronze hatchling whirls right by him on the way to Kalen. "There, now you can get your dragon to eat Bayan if he ever bothers you again," he offers his fellow candidate by way of congratulations. Kailai's words cause him to shake his head in mock disappointment. "Here I am surrounded by a bunch of girls who're too 'special' to let their feet touch the Sands. Sorry, I didn't know." Sudden amusement wanders into his countenance. "Say, Rachele, now ya don't have anyone to protect you from gettin' your feet tied up 'n' left for dragon bait. What do you say?" Kailai bounces up and down on her toes. "Cheers for K'len! You did it ma'an! Congrats! And Kalorith is such a cool name!" She squeaks, becoming more and more excited by the minute. "Wow, K'len got a bronze!" She squeaks. But then she notices the stubbornity of the brown hatchling. "Aw big guy, don't you want to move?" She asks him curiously, though she obviously doesn't expect him to answer. "Come on! You can do it!" She cheers to the brown. Her eyes flick tot he blue, unable to decide who to focus on. Niyath :stops her humming encouragement, and lowers her head to push at the little brown. Oh no you don't. She is /not/ egg sitting any longer. You. Move. Now. stop being such a wet blanket. Lexiana ahss as she gives the young man a reassuring pat before she moves towards Kalen, now K'len and his Kalorith. Smiling at the newly formed bronzerider, she gestures for him to follow. "Come on lets get him something to eat." Vendelin the upper portion of his robe a few times, allowing some air circulation in. "Not if it's this hot there, I wouldn't. Even with the ocean. I like a breeze. Though I'm not used to wearing an open skirt--feel like I can hardly walk in this thing." Kiveily's echoing of the derrogative causes him to smile lopsidedly. "Maybe the brown one's affected by the heat? Think that happens to dragons?" The Insightful Streaked Blue Dragonet sees the one he wants. Untangling himself and setting one foot carefully in front of the other, he makes his way awkwardly to a sorrel-haired girl, planting himself at her feet and looking up into her grey eyes. A churring sound escapes him as he claims his chosen one: Rachele. Tiny cracks spinner-web the surface of the Unexpected Blast Egg, showing the stress caused by the efforts of the one trapped within. At long last these cracks give way all at once to limbs and spars and muzzle bursting through the surface, shell shattering around the earthen brown. There's a joyful scratchy creel from the dragonet at his success of breaking through. Then there's a first dizzying step which turns into a stumble, as though the cavern were too bright for his whirling eyes. Despair You in Darkness Brown Dragonet Wrapped in a cloak of shadow, this dragon's hide is the deepest shade of earthen brown - lost in subterranean night, tunneled by hidden grubs and insistent roots. His headknobs shine like spikes of earthen ore; the near-colorless sheen that etches across his muzzle is an intricate crisscross of matte and gleam. His eyes are masked with darkness as though his expression could be hidden by hue alone, though it only serves to highlight jewel-bright tones. Powerful slabs of stone form the lines of his neck, shoulder and haunch while equally massive wingsails shimmer with veins of minerals. His jagged neckridges, the straight bones of his forelimbs and the streamlined spars of his wings have an unusual crusted appearance, as if stone and soil have been molten and wrought into metal, forged to his body as a vestige of armor. His belly is the exception to this darkness, polished to an oaken shine, perhaps revealing more prince than pauper within. "I know him, I /know/ him!" Reighley says excitedly, hopping once and tugging on Vendelin's arm. She releases her brother's long enough to point at Kalen and his bronze, gaping. Andikola's eyes go between the blue and brown until she hears K'len's voice and a smile lights her face. Her face slowly turning pink with the heat as she shifts back and forth, she shrugs at Kiveily's question. "I have no idea. This is my very first - oh, there you go. She's trying to nudge him into moving now." Tirien smiles as K'len Impresses the bronze, stepping to the side as a hatchling charges past him. "Way to go, K'len." He catches himself from fumbling over another sand rut just as the next brown hatches. He lifts his foot to remove a piece of shell that's stuck to his sandal. Salarios snorts, "Ven's not a smuck. I'm saying folks who are stupid just because they are stupid. Then, you have all the rights in the world to mock them," he says lacking a bit of humour as he notices the pairing made by the bronze. "Good luck to you both if you happen to remain in Fort and ever have him as a weyrleader..." he chortles, then, watching as the blue makes his mark on the world by finding his lifemate. His eyes switch back and forth between Kiveily and Ven, "I tell you, Ista's sands are hotter. Black absorbs heat.." he quips in matter of factly. From inside the Pink Triangle Egg a tapping can be heard. At first it's a faint, barely audible sound but soon it becomes a bit loud and frantic. As bits of Sand are shaken from the egg, the firm shell begins to give way, flaking off around the membranes inside the egg. Momentarily a wingtip pokes through, soon followed by the rest of the wing and a front leg. A rich green dragonet finds her way out, if sideways, falling roughly onto the heat of the Sands. Righting herself primly, she shakes the excess goo from her wings with a quick flutter. A quick examination of herself and she decides she's now looking well enough for public and moves out across the Sands, closing the gap between herself and a bunch of girls. Nudging her way through the group, she sits on the foot of an immaculately clad young brunette from High Reaches Hold. A hand flutters to the girl's throat as she whispers the dragonet's name in surprise, then shouts it out, falling to her knees and wrapping her arms around her new lifemate. Kailai cheers as yet another brown spills forth. "Wow! Two of them! Oh come on you!" She cheers first to the despair you in darkness brown, then the leggy, sorrowful one. "You can move! I know you can!" But the darkness brown catches her eye more. She can't tear her gaze from it. "Caeleb, check him out!" She squeaks. "And there's another green too!" She points. K'len walks alongside Kalorith, trying to steady the bronze now and again and attempting to usher him out of the way of other hatchlings that're emerging. "Come this way, no no, move that a little less." He says pointing to the floppy wings that try to knock him over now and again. He gives a quick thankful smile to Lexiana and follows after her with the new bronze. R'us, realizing what's transpired, sidesteps to clear the way for Lexiana to lead their newest charges - K'len and his bronze - off the main sands. He's done watching them gather themselves up and get moving only barely in time to catch sight of the new green making a speedy choice, and after a moment the youngest member of the weyrling training team trods out to gather the greenpair and lead them to food and respite from the chaos. Vendelin's gaze goes toward the departing bronzepair as Reighley points, and his jaw sets firmly. "Him. Did I mention he hit me first? And I'm a, what did you call it, a smuck?" A groan as Salarios suggests K'len could oneday become their Weyrleader: "He'd demote me to permanent tuber peeler for sure," comes with a chuckle. Caeleb's head cranes this way and that, busily trying to keep track of what is hatching and who is impressing. "Wow," he breathes at the latest. He lifts Kailai's hand to point with his own (and by default, hers) at the nudging the reluctant brown gets. Dolorous Spraddle-legged Brown Dragonet does /not/ appreciate being nudged like that by a gold head that is bigger than he is. He's on his feet whether he wanted to be or not. Thanks mom. Grumbling under his breath, he sets out towards the candidates, long tail trailing in the sand behind him. His head swings this way and that, along the lines, looking for the one he's supposed to find. Rachele, too, moves out of the way when the bronze heads in the trio's direction. That one's assuredly not for her, and she looks over her shoulder to be sure she's not blocking it from any boys. Her fears are laid to rest when there's not only no boys behind her, but Kalen begins his one-sided conversation. Realizing Impression's been made, she claps her hands together once and utters a laugh of delight at her friend's fortune. "I say that's fine," she declares to Leyon, smile still bright. It's the churring sound that keeps her from further comment, and the mind behind the eyes suddenly regarding hers which brings the stumble of her expression from cheer to wonderment. "Rakenth..." She daren't lower herself to the sands, but does stoop to touch her lifemate's face with a surprised laugh, eyes moist. "Of course, we'll never part." Jenna ohs to M'yr. "And that blue picked Rachele. Not sure what the name is. Funny, she's hold bred. I would have thought green for sure. Did you catch the name?" Kailai waves the hand that's being held towards the more leggy brown and nods. "Look, there he goes! He's going now!" She points to the brown and then towards the blue with her other hand. "Way to go Rachele! Woooo!" She cheers happily. Despair You in Darkness Brown Dragonet shakes his head slightly, gathering himself together as he remains perfectly still, keeping his feet under himself. For several long moments, he seems overwhelmed and unable to move at all, staring around at all the fuss and commotion with rapidly whirling eyes. Kiveily doesn't look overly plussed by the last few impressions. Apparently she doesn't think quite badly or well enough of them to make a comment. Instead it's, "Shells. And here you made my minute by insulting Ven. Aww well." Kiveily shrugs her shoulders, letting out a little sigh. "There he goes." Salarios snorts, "That's the truth of it you know. One day they are nothing," he gestures with his hands, "the next day the become something because of the colour of their dragon. Remind me that if I get stuck here too, to transfer if his .. what.. Kalmoar.. or something win a gold flight." Rolling his neck a hand reaches back to rub it, "but perhaps he'll turn out all right after all. And yeah, you said he hit you first." Another shrug, "Rachele there got herself attached to a blue." Idle remark. Rakenth creels hungrily as he stares into Rachele's face. Help me, please! The Dolorous Spraddle-legged Brown Dragonet has had quite enough, thank you. It was hard enough getting out of that egg. Ghastly. And now he's expected to march up and down past lines and lines of candidates and find his one? Well, that just won't do. Sprawling in the hot sand, he gives out a mournful cry that rattles the backbone of one candidate in particular to propel him to his new lifemate. A young man with brown hair and gray/green eyes - Salarios. Leyon's none-too-nice smile falls when Rachele Impresses. "Aww, shells. Just when it was about to get interesting." Now that a bronze and a blue have both found their candidates within mere steps of him, he decides that he has not picked the safest spot. A few steps take him back, a few more sideways, and then the sound of unusual insults pull him over to where another bunch of candidates sits. "What's this? Who's a smuck?" R'us returns to the sands in fine time to discover yet another pairing made: Rachele's. "See, this is exactly what I was afraid of," he grouses, as if this is all very bad news indeed, and trudges across the sand to the girl and her blue. "Hey. I'm R'us. You can tell me who she is," a tip of his head to the blue, "in a while. F'now all I need to know is that she's hungry. Come this way?" And he's off toward food and peace, waiting every few steps to be sure the blue pair is in tow. "He /hit/ you?" Reighley repeats, gawking now at Vendelin, after a brief look to the blue and green that impress in turn. "You shouldn't have been fighting at all--that's against the rules." For all she's only twelve, she does quite a good mother impression already, eyeing the man with another frown before primly turning back to the hatching chaos. Tirien raises both eyebrows as he catches Salarios' Impression. "Well, well...guess your trip around Pern stops here, Sal!" Movie Magic Egg begins to move as the being inside begins to battle for freedom. It rocks and stutters violently for a few moments before the darken dune colored egg falls still and silent, gearing up for the final confrontation. Rachele seems to register R'us's words after a little while, for she follows after the man even though she's said nothing to acknowledge him. Her exit is awkward, stoop maintained to keep a careful hand on her lifemate's muzzle, ushering him along with touch as well as murmured coaxes. "This way..there'll be food, and it'll be cool," she says, promising him the rest and filled belly as much as herself. The rest of the Sands are a blurred memory of life before Impression, already left mentally, as she now leaves it physically. Vendelin watches the brown dragon get closer and closer, and then he's taking away his pick-on people partner. "Gah, hear that screaming?" He manages, despite the nearness of the young dragon, to half-smirk Leyon's way. "I almost was. Maybe got a respite." To Reighley, he flatly says, "It's not, I checked, but we were tasked for it anyway. Bad form or somesuch." Kiveily's mouth tilts into a quickly suppressed smile as Leyon's voice filters to her ears. He's too close now to avoid being noticed. "Vendelin's a smuck," she pronounces with some satisfaction. "No almosts about it. I expect you are too, so don't go feeling put out because no one called you a name." Salarios was listening to the conversation going on about him, only to have his track of thought clearly distracted by the mournful cry of a brown. A blink or two later and he's awkwardly shuffling forward, looking down at the brown, "My name is.. Salar-" he cuts off, pausing as he gathers his wits, "Sal'ros you say?" He puts a good face forward, not sure what to do at this moment, as if caught of guard by the brown. Kneeling down, he tries to prop the dragonet up, "You are heavy Solath, but you are a burden I can bare.." There's a look cast over his shoulder, seeing but not, taking a deep breath as he fixes himself with his new life, "Eat. We can. Over there.." he flicks his hand where the other pairs were guided. "Well, it /should/ be," Reighley decides on the subject of the rules and fighting. She shakes her head, then knits her brows as her attention is again drawn from the hatching to the candidates, this time Kiveily in particular. "What's a smuck?" she asks her companions curiously. Despair You in Darkness Brown Dragonet extends his left foot slowly and places it on the sand, then picks it up again, lowering his head to peer at the sand. Then the foot goes down once more and he tentatively shifts his weight onto it. His right foot lifts and moves forward, his rear left coming up and following suit as well. In a moment, he has taken a step with every foot. He pauses there at his success, head lifted with pride or simply surprise. Andikola heaves a huge sigh that seems to come from her hot toes and glances sidelong at Kiveily. "They're still going at it?" That sidelong glance catches the dragon approaching Salarios and she freezes, eyes wide. A big grin splits her face a few seconds later and knowing he will hear her since he's nearby, she calls out "Congrats!" to the new rider. Kailai rolls her eyes as she turns to Caeleb. "I wonder who the other brown's going to?" She wonders as she peeks around, eyes resting on the movie magic egg. "That one just went still alla a sudden. Go for it Sal'ros!" She cheers as she watches the new rider. Movie Magic Egg shudders once more, caught between the battle of shadows and light, browns and yellows, as the internal war comes to the final head. Finally the egg abruptly falls still, and there, for mere seconds, it sits motionless before shivering one final time, splitting itself in two halves along the blue line. Between the light-side and the dark-side, a very small green hatchling sits, wide eyes staring with wonder out at this strange new world. Valiant Frosted Forest Green Dragonet Darkened ivy flows in snow flecked waves atop this green's delicately shaped muzzle before breaking over neckridges and spreading down her solid form to her refined tail tip. A mottled mingling of frost coated ivy and pine green twists and turns down short but powerful legs and along the flanks of her shimmering hide. It finally drifts down to a darker pine at the base of her talons blending smoothly into the earthy jasmine color of her dagger-like talons. Covering the spread of her wingsails and spars is a softer olive green mixed with a sun-kissed sage which emerges in an array of endless dappling like sunlight breaking through snow covered leaves. More plump than voluptuous, she has a softness to her dark frost-tipped form and lithesome tail which reveals the promise of a more sensual figure as she matures. Despite being newly hatched, a simple timelessness shows through the clumsiness of her movements as if she is already wiser than her turns would allow. Chihanne smiles over at those who have been chosen, watching them as they make their way off the sands with their lifemates. Taking a deep breath, the young girl seems to steal herself as she returns her attention to the rest of the eggs and her remaining fellow candidates. In fact, now that a few people have left, she decides to take a few steps closer to the remaining candidates without crowding them. Caeleb asides to Reighley, "Don't worry about s-mucks. It's j-just mean for n-no reason." He notes Sal'ros impression with a quiet murmur of congratulations. Solath croons appreciatively at Sal'ros, leaning on him heavily. Oh yes. His boy. His. Much better. Jenna mms. "That brown..." she trails off, looking pensive. "And Salarios? Niyath says his name is Solath. Wonder if he'll be as much trouble as his sire is? He certainly likes to have things his way, doesn't he?" Tirien moves from foot to foot as the heat of the sands starts to burn through his thin sandals. "No wonder they don't let us wear anything but these robes. It's too shardin' hot to wear anything else!" Kiveily is pleased enough to inform Reighley, "A smuck is a nasty, no good sort of person who hasn't really any redeeming characteristics. Stupid and mean, I guess." She's got a smile for Ven to accompany this remark, though the expression quickly alters when that slow little brown approaches, and then chooses the fellow standing right by her, her eyebrows climb to the absolute limit. "Well. Who'd have thought." Valiant Frosted Forest Green Dragonet sits a few more moments between what use to be her entombed home, starting out at the word around her. However, the need that drives all hatchlings at their birth soon fills this tiny green forcing her up on her feet. With a suddenly unsure look about her, Valiant Frosted Forest Green turns her head towards her dam and gives a quick yet uncertain croon before heading out on her own towards those white figures in the not so distance. Vegetable Patch Egg begins to rock slowly at first that only a bit of sand is disturbed at its base. Then the rocking intensifies making the egg roll onto its side and circle about the mound it harden in. Slowly it stops but continues to shake. R'us finishes guiding Rachele and her blue, turns around, and - well. There's Sal'ros and the brown. Whatever fit of nature guides them, they find their way well enough to the weyrling area, leaving the young weyrlingmaster free to cast a gaze around, then frown. "Uh, Lexi?" Apparently she stayed with the weyrlings. Apparently R'us is abandoned. A little pale panic illuminates his face, then he tries to look grouchy again. Quickly. With eyes finally beginning to adjust, the Despair You in Darkness Brown Dragonets's steps are more sure, less stilted. He pauses on the sands, swinging his masked muzzle this way and that, swirling gaze sweeping across the white-robed candidates and quite suddenly he's hurtling towards Kiveily. Clumsy and awkward, he nearly climbs up the girl, gashing her left thigh, streaking red across her robes and then creeling in confusion and apology. Impression is made. Tirien hisses in a breath as the brown slices into Kiveily before Impressing her. He makes to move toward the pair, but quickly draws back, uncertain. "That's a fine way to meet your lifemate." Jenna ohs sharply. "That other brown! Shells, if we've told them once we've told them a thousand times - Someone get the healers over there, quick!" She gestures towards Kiveily. Vendelin shakes his head. "You'd have to ask Sal, and he looks busy at the moment." Tirien's given a sympathetic look, Vendelin nodding as he again pats his sweaty palms down the robe, leaving wet patches. "Though Kiv's done a pretty good summary." He seems more at ease now that the wandering dragons are no longer in the close-up, adopting a jaunty tone. "Thought I was just an unsavory type, but it seems I've been elevated to a new one." Unfortunately, he relaxed too soon, and he can't help backing away as Kiveily is bloodied. "Shells, you all right?" Snap! Goes the Vegetable Patch Egg quite suddenly cleaving neatly in two to reveal a compact brown hatchling between the two fallen halves, the insides shockingly white against the dun-colored sand. The tiny occupant is still for a moment, curled into a neat bundle eyes tightly closed against the onslaught of light before he slowly, deliberately unfolds himself and looks around to take in his new surroundings. Copper Teakettle Brown Dragonet This coppery brown dragon is sturdily built for strength and endurance both on the ground and in the air. Compact, he often seems far smaller than he actually is, his limbs folding together neatly in near-perfect alignment. Long of tail, he might seem disproportionate until he unfurls broad wings that restore balance to his form. The matte shades of a copper teakettle, mottled with age, pattern his hide with a give and take between a more vivid rosy hued brown and the duller haze of sooty tarnish. His muzzle is a sharp triangle set in a rounded jawline that slopes upward past sparkling eyes to a set of headknobs that taper almost to points at their tips. Kailai shudders as the other girl is mauled. "Oh... oh oh oh..." Is her only response as she begins to tremble. Her arms are shaking fit to fall off as she spies the new rider. "Oh..." She shudders. Then the brown makes his entrance with little notice from the other girl. "Oh..." She stammers. Caeleb's eyes widen as he witnesses Kiveily's gashing. So caught up in it is he that he misses the next hatching. His fingers tighten through Kailai's. "Oh!" Reighley bites her lower lip, peaking back at Caeleb. "But why /is/ it mean?" she persists, cocking her head and glancing around the little cluster of candidates. "Is it a ba--oh!" She pulls back quickly, leaning against her brother as the brown looms up suddenly at Kiveily. "Oh, no! Liv, oh, no. Are you--is she--oh, no," she says quickly, looking decidedly green and unnerved before her brother tugs her in closer to him, removing attention from the mauling that he's determinedly not looking at, either. While Reighley sniffles sharply, he makes sure to keep a closer watch on the roaming hatchlings, lest their be a repeat incident. Leyon has a hearty sigh for his circumstances, which are sad indeed. First, he's managed to end up not far enough from Kiveily. Second, yet two more Impressions have taken place right next to him. "By the Egg, I must be good luck." His response to Kiv's impression is, "Ha, you won't be tailing me around anymore. I don't even mind being a smu..." It's at this point that he realizes she's been practically attacked, and even he isn't thoughtless enough to just ignore it. "Weyrwoman's calling healers over, guess it's best if we get out of their way," he answers Vendelin's concern. Andikola fans her face with a sweaty hand, only that fans hot air into her face. That didn't help a bit. She's hotter than ever. "This is going too fast, and it's taking forever." she decides. The brown charging towards them has her quickly stepping to the side, out of it's way but seeing the streak of red she jumps right back to where she was, ready to support Kiveily if she needs it. "Kiv!" Chihanne winces when she sees the brown try to treat Kiveily like a jungle gym. "Oh, Kiv.." She breathes, a hand going to her mouth when she sees the red on her robe. Eyes wide, she turns to see if anyone is coming to help the pair. Valiant Frosted Forest Green Dragonet continues to weave move about the sands and the wonders that it hold, looking more hopeful with each step. Starting at the beginning, this tiny green comes to the first group of white robe figure, giving the group an intense stare before shaking her whole body and moving on down the line. Group after group, the small green continues her quest becoming more energetic with each group. M'yr stands on his tiptoes, one palm shielding his eyes from.. whatever. "What, Jenna? Where? I can't see a thing with all that commotion going on out there! Was that a green I just saw? Wait! Shards, do we have an accident??" Tirien gets up the nerve and kneels down beside Kiveily. He rips the hem of his robe and moves to press it against the gash in her leg. "What's his name?" he asks her, waiting for the healers. Vendelin gets out of the way, moving toward Reighley where she's protected by her brother, putting a visual block between them so the younger girl is spared. "Good idea,' is called to Leyon. "She'll be fine, Reigh, I'm sure." Though he worriedly casts glances over his shoulder at his friend, blue eyes glinting with a concern he's trying to harden out of existence. Kiveily has only a moment to look startled as she falls, and certainly no moments to listen to any of the other candidates and their alarm as blood suddenly appears. Helping hands notwithstanding, she drops with a wince and widened eyes. Barely audible, there's an "Ilianth." And louder, dazed, "Shells. 'M fine." And she repeats it again, though it seems only for the hatchling. "No fuss. No..." She trails off, blinking, lifting a hand to Ilianth's head, and then glancing down at her leg with another wince. Vargan immediately snaps into action, moving quickly onto the sands toward Kiveily, carrying a small satchel full of supplies. "Easy now, let me look at that wound. I know you're thrilled at your new lifemate, but we need to take care of you quickly." Assessing the gash, he immediately applies a clean cloth to her thigh, applying pressure. "I'll hold this and when you're ready, we'll get you to the weyrling area where I can put in a few stitches. Lean on me." His tone is firm, as he prepares to assist Kiveily. "I can handle this." he speaks to Tirien. "Thanks." Tirien nods, moving aside immediately. He gets to his feet, stepping back and out of the way. "Congratulations, Kiveily," he murmurs. "He's a lovely brown." "Shards! That's what I was afraid of!" That's R'us, being himself. Only because he's so busy glaring all over the sands does he realize so swiftly that Kiveily's been wounded, and set out at a jog toward her. His pace slows a bit as Vargan starts out too, though. After a quick moment in silent conference with the healer R'us backs off, allowing him to take over the escort duties; R'us retreats to wait for more trouble. Er, pairs. Andikola murmurs a quick "Congrats Kiv, and to Ilianth" she nods to the nearby dragon as she backs away to let Vargen take care of everything. Caeleb lets go a held breath he didn't know he was holding. It looks like Kiveily is going to be fine - if a little scarred. He even collects himself to answer Reighley quietly, "I d-don't know why s-some folks are m-mean. M-aybe they're afraid." Of what, he isn't certain. Ilianth creels anxiously, his wings fluttering open for the first time as he mantles at that unfamiliar healer and that boy who's far too close. Infamous Sweater Egg squirms and shudders, bulges and shakes. Then it lies still, but seems almost to breathe, swelling and receding as if panting from exertion. A small tendril of shell seems to begin to peel from a purple patch, like a bit of yarn coming loose. Copper Teakettle Brown Dragonet pauses long enough to shake some shards from his tail he stands and lifts a wing experimentally. From this view he sees those white things moving about across the sands and he wants to join them. His wing lowers and slowly he approaches, whirling eyes taking in each remaining Candidate. Which one to choose? Tirien takes another step away, keeping his eyes on Ilianth as he creels his displeasure. "Sorry. Just trying to help." Kailai is still trembling like the eggs themselves she nods. "Yeah, some people are just flat out scum, some people are mildly unpleasant, but after what happened to Kiveily I think we'd all best keep our eyes pealed." She shudders. With her sightline blocked by both Treizen and Vendelin, Reighley sniffs a couple more times, brushes a hand across her face, and straightens, trying hard to look brave as she peeks back around the shielding bodies toward the remaining eggs. "I don't know, either," she answers Caeleb, her own tone as quiet as his as she fidgets, her front not withstanding the ongoing hatching's uproar. Chihanne looks quite relieved when she sees that a Healer and R'us are on their way to help with Kiveily. And yet there are still little dragonets prowling about. The girl cannot seem to keep her gaze from them for long, her stormy eyes trailing after the green in particular. The Valiant Frosted Forest Green never wavers in her search as she moves among the last of the candidates. However it seems that her journey has ended as she suddenly stops at the feet of a young girl with expressive grey eyes. Looking up at Chihanne, large eyes shining, the young green gives a quick yet hopeful creel towards her. Vendelin clenches his jaw as the healer approaches, and swallows hard, trying to look especially brave for Reighley's sake. "There now, healer's out. They'll have her patched up in no time." Kailai's advice seems good to take, and he tries to watch the clumsy stumbles beyond, though he can't help glancing toward Kiv. Kiveily's lips compress, folding together so tightly that the pink line of her lips is barely visible. There are no words, only a deep intake of her breath, released slowly. And again as the clean cloth is pressed against her thigh. When she does open her mouth again, the first sound that comes out of it is an, "Llngh." And she tries again, trying to sound soothing, and rather failing. "We're fine. We're fine, really no fuss." The healer gets a small, humorless smile. "Sooner the better, right?" And she props her hands up as though to rise, her smile growing into sincerity as she looks back to the brown, though it may be crooked. Infamous Sweater Egg begins to unravel at last. The loud purple streak splits and the yellow and pink beltline pulls apart at the midpoint, revealing pale milky membranes bent and bulging from the pressure of the creature within. Then that membrane splits as well and in a rush of glossy clear fluid a dark-tipped hatchling pours out onto his belly, catching one wing on an egg-shard as he tumbles out. The resulting tear in his wingsail sets him creeling with displeasure, eyes whirling orange and red, but instinct drives him to suffer the pain, to push forward onto the sand and search. Forged for Discord Bronze Dragonet The length of his limbs suggest a certain slender agility, but overall this bronze is stocky of build, broad-chested and thick-bellied, with more bulk than sinew in his musculature. A sinuous neck and whipcord tail seem poorly machined for his blocky body, and the inward bend of his headknobs toward one another could not be said to flatter his angular head or wide eyeridges. Burnished shades roll up his muzzle, echoed like puffs of smoke at the top of each neckridge, and beneath them thin dark lines feather out in curling tendrils along the sides of his neck. The rest of his hide is typically bronze in hue, but the shadows of his shoulders, underwings and haunches are brushed with narrow streaks of tarnished stain, as if he were made of metal in some filthy forge and the soot of ancient smithwork still clings to him. Dark wingspars support slightly paler, translucent sails. Broad and glossy, they would be glory enough for any dragon, but a tear in the left's spar mainsail will leave a scar to mar them for life. Kiveily slowly makes her way off of the sands, her lips folded back together as she moves, supported though she is by the healer. Vargan is as usual, on top of these things, a veteran at hatching accidents. When Kiveily is propped up against his side, he gathers his supplies and heads them both toward the weyrling room. "Get your lifemate to leave with us. We wouldn't want to lose him out here in all this, would we?" Kailai 's jaw srops at the bronze. "Wow... I... can't wait to see, who... he gets..." She stammers. "Wow, wow, wow." She states as s he stares at the newly hatched bronze. Caeleb is drawn by Kailai's exclaimation. He sees the bronze. And the slight mar upon the wings. "Oh h-he's h-hurt!" Copper Teakettle Brown Dragonet continues his search oh the choice is so hard, his must be just right, with just the right, oh what is this could it be? Is this the one for him? He studies this one his wedged head lowering towards a male candidate. Confusion, disbeleif and then elation quickly cycle through Chihanne's face in quick succession. A warm giggle sounds from Chihanne at last as she kneels and throws her arms around the green. "Oh Lucilyth! I'm SO glad!" She chirps, beaming broadly. At length, she rises and looks around for R'us so that she can get her lifemate food. "C'mon. We can get you something to eat." She assures the dragonet warmly, excitement clear in the young girl's tone. Leyon makes a cringing sort of face at Kiveily's departing back. "I'd always thought I'd be so overjoyed to have her off my back," he mutters. "Why'd she have to go and mess it up by getting /climbed on/, of all things?" Though his question sounds more or less rhetorical, it's directed at the nearest warm body: Andikola. R'us is there a moment later, meeting Chihanne halfway. "Hey, greenrider," he greets her with a grin, his searchee now his weyrling to train. "C'mon, food's that way." And he jerks a thumb over his shoulder, then turns to lead off in the indicated direction. New Era Egg shivers as if the Sands were a frozen wasteland rather than baking hot. It teeters at the edge of a small ripple of sand, and with a particularly firm shake, topples to a lower level. After a pause it shudders again, more vigorously now. Jenna looks relieved as Kiveily is off the sands with healer in tow. After a few moments, the healer is back, murmuring in the Weyrwoman's ear. "Brown Ilianth and Kively. Right. Oh, and that green took Chihanne. Lucilyth. Nice name." "Aw, that one's hurt, too!" Reighley points out at once, pointing around her brother at the recently hatched bronze. "Somebody should..." She trails off at a reminding look from Treizen, the girl biting her lip again. "I know, I know. But--he's hurt," she protests, glancing downward briefly, then back to the injured hatchling. "Maybe he'll do it fast, so they can help him?" she suggests hopefully, offering a half-smile. "Do you really think she'll be okay?" she then reverts to the subject of Kiveily, with another look to Vendelin. A pulsating rhythm seems to emit from the Unknown Beast Egg, as if a drum is beating slowly from deep within. As time slowly passes the rhythm becomes louder, as if something is coming, something... strange. Before long the rhythm is constant, vibrating the shell with each pulse. Soon the pulse causes a crack, then another, and another, until the surface is covered with a spinners network of weblike lines. The egg seems to melt, falling away in tiny shards in a pile at the feet of a creeling, vivacious bottle green dragonet. She stands there, looking pitiful with whirling eyes red with hunger. Instead of going to peruse the Candidates, she tries to get an idea of who she is meant to be with right from this very spot. There. There he is. She goes down on all fours to almost slither towards a rotund former Apprentice Drummer from Harper Hall. He's the one! Hearing her coming for him, he cries out her name and meets the green halfway with a laugh. Forged for Discord Bronze Dragonet swallows his agony and tucks his wing up against his side, ichor draining in a thin line away from the wound. He is not happy. His eyes cannot decide whether to whirl red rage or yellow fear, and settle in time on antagonistic irritation. He prowls away from his shell-shards and starts out across the sands. Froth builds upon his maw and he champs, shaking his head to toss the foam away. Chihanne beams broadly up at R'us before following in his wake with her lifemate. Caeleb takes an unconscious step backwards. That bronze looks unhappy, and after seeing Kiveily's leg, he's not about to take any chances. Those little claws are *sharp*! Andikola looks over at Leyon and smiles a little shakily as the reaction to what just happened starts to set in. "He was awfully fast." is all she says in answer to it. "I didn't know they could move /that/ fast." Glancing back towards the eggs, she doesn't say anything but her hand lifts, pointing to the injured bronze. Vendelin catches sight of young Chihanne nearby as she chirps to her new partner, and he almost smiles, though it is pressed taut by his concern for Kiveily. "Hopefully she'll recover, walk all right," he mutters, before snapping a lid on that, of course, for Reighley's sake. "But Treizen's right, you shouldn't rush out there either, even if he looks hurt." The unspoken addition: also looks dangerous. "He's frothing. Wouldn't it be something if he were Caeleb's? Buck him right up, I'd wager a sixteenth on it." Kailai freezes at the sight of the bronze. Her hands tremble even faster. She takes a step away from him, and two, and pulls her hand away from Caeleb's. "Man, he does not look very happy at all. I can't blame him with the injured wing... but..." Tirien keeps moving slowly away from the tight knot of candidates, his feet seeming to move of their own volition - or perhaps self-preservation from the heat. He stops for a moment in surprise as everyone begins pointing and gasping at the newest hatchling - a bronze with a torn wing. "How'd that happen?" Jenna grimaces as she sees the bronze. "Shells and shards. There are only twelve of you," she demands to the eggs. "Why are you so much more trouble than if there were thirty!" Coppery glints in a young man's brown hair match the Copper Teakettle Brown Hatchling and he's noticed this in his travels across the Sands, finally trundling up the Candidate with clear purpose. He sets himself down immediately in front of the white-clad, blue-eyed fellow and croons musically until acknowledged. Spidery cracks appear in the matte stripes of the New Era Egg. The hatchling within pauses for a moment, then with an extra -oomph- causes the egg to roll out of its hollow. A second later it breaks open on the sands revealing a gangly blue. Modern Bellyaching Blue Dragonet Unlovely is perhaps the kindest thing to be said about this blue - he's quite unpolished, perpetually hunched as though mortified of his every movement. A myriad of angles give this surprisingly tiny blue his shape. The wide spring of his wings, which are the largest thing about him, throw the rest of his scrawny form into cruel relief while his tail scarcely widens to a spade. His color is mostly the deep blue of the mid-ocean, though stippled here and again with a lighter froth or steely cloudbank. Streaks of turquoise along his muzzle and belly, instead of calling up shallow waters, make him look instead prone to seasickness. M'yr's hand moves up to Soldreth as the bronze waddles, his own method of pacing nervously. "You realize this is not any of Soldreth's doing, right, Jenna?" he asks, as human blood is seen in splotches on the Fortian sand. Leyon answers Andikola's mute gesture and Tirien's question in one go. "The thing probably tried to climb up someone that was too big for it." When his failed joke sounds flat and heartless even to him, he adds, "There's prob'ly as many dragonhealers as human healers hovering around out here. I'd wager he'll be taken care of soon as he hurries up and Impresses to some unlucky sop." T'rien shakes his head for a moment, frowning for a moment in confusion. He lifts a hand to his ear and wiggles it, as if trying to stop it from ringing. He blinks, slowly, then cants his head to the side and peers down at the little brown who has suddenly appeared in front of him. "Nice to meet you, too, Cavoth. I'd be happy to get you something to eat but I'm kinda..." He blinks again. "Did you just...?" He falls to his knees, his face lighting up with joy. "Cavoth!" Quietly, unassumingly, the Labyrinth Egg begins to rock gently back and forth. To and fro it goes, seems to not want to let anyone know it's doing it's thing, playing the Hatching game. Of course, it wants to join in, so slowly, carefully, it begins to shake and shudder. As cracks appear on it's surface, a large chunk falls away to reveal a cloudy blue rear foot. Soon the foot is accompanied by a tail, then another hind foot and... he's backing out. Scooting backwards, the average sized blue finds his way out of his egg, landing on his rear with a suprised sneeze. He just sits there a moment, seeming lost in his own thoughts before he realizes that there is attention on him. Blinking slowly, he turns around, looking as if he might want to crawl right back into his shell. It's then that he spies her, a pixie-like blonde girl hailing from Ista Weyr not to far away. With a happy bugle, his fears are forgotten and he heads to her. Her sweet voice joyously calls out his name and Impression is made, another pair bonded for life on the Fortian Sands. Jenna gives M'yr a dark look, and as such misses T'rien's impression. Niyath calls her attention to it, and she turns back to the candidates with a called, "Congratulations!" Forged for Discord Bronze Dragonet pauses to stretch one wing, the unharmed one, wide out beside him. He bends his head low and arcs his neck around to stare up at his own sails, then curves a look around to the other side to check on the injured wing. A thin little snort escapes his snout and, still one-wing-out like that, he slinks along toward the candidates. He seems to be zeroing in on a couple of girls, and as he comes closer to them he sweeps out his tongue to shed more of the foam from his mouth. Modern Bellyaching Blue Dragonet scrabbles awkwardly to his feet, neck stretched out and mouth gaping open in silent complaint. He stretches out his wings, the edges trailing like wet blankets, and staggers around in a drunken circle, head bobbing as he tries to focus on the gathering. Reighley frowns at the bronze stomping about, taking a step back behind Treizen again as Vendelin answers as well. However, the loud call of another name earns her attention, and then she's pointing enthusiastically toward Tirien and his brown. "Oh, did you see! Tirien impressed, too, a brown!" she announces with a happy smile. Vendelin raises one hand to wipe a trickle of sweat from his forehead, nodding agreement to Leyon's assessment. "There probably are," he agrees, and then Tirien, the sometimes quiet, sometimes assertive Tirien, has been found by his lifemate. "Hey, Reighley, look at that," he agrees as she points, "Without incident, even. Your brother will even let you look." Caeleb swivels his head towards the exit, trying to get a glimpse of the latest pairings. Then back again to the injured bronze. He does a quick two-step, the heat of the sands finally getting to even him. Andikola's eyes dart around trying to see everything all at once again. Her smile finally returns as she sees the latest impression. Her own curiosity has her asking "And why would any uh, sop, be unlucky to impress?" she asks. Kailai stares intently at the blue, but the bronze gets a worried stare. "I hope he's okay. That wing looks pretty painful. And he's acting like its driving him mad too." She shudders. "I pity the one who gets him." T'rien wraps his arms around Cavoth's neck, tears streaming unabashedly down his face. "I...there's food around here someplace, I'm sure. Do you need help? I know it's a long way but I'll carry you! I'll be with you forever!" Vendelin shakes his head, "I've heard tale, and seen drawings, of felines that look like that. You suppose he could be sick, need taken out right away? Or maybe he just drools. Up a storm." A soft chuckle at his own humor, then he smiles thinly for the blue's antics. "And we're told not to drink to excess. Looks like he's been into R'tran's stash of Benden Red." Kailai glares at Vendelin. "Be kind! They're dragons." She glares. "And if I were you, I'd pay attention, you just might get one of them." She points out cooly. Forged for Discord Bronze Dragonet dips his head. It might seem he's especially *eyeing* that one candidate's robe. It would be such a great place to dry off his soppy mouth... a few sudden, bolting paces and he's doing just that, bowling into Andikola's leg in his efforts. As he rubs past her, soggying her robe, his foot tangles a bit 'round her ankle, twisting. She's liable to be bruised and sprained both, but the bronze hardly can be bothered to care. He just keeps on going, then circles around behind the candidate group. "She can look where she wants," Treizen mutters under his breath, nevermind his earlier protectiveness of his little sister. Reighley, however, ignores the exchange between the two older candidates, instead watching Tirien as he exits, offering him a cheery finger-wiggle as he passes, along with another smile. "Don't talk about him, he'll /hear/," she then hisses at Vendelin, staring at him, then the blue, and finally settling her gaze on that outraged, injured bronze. "T'rien, was it?" R'us is a little slow on the uptake, but at last he's made his way over to the new pair. "Come on, let's get some food in him, shall we?" And for the first time, the young weyrlingmaster really seems to smile, just a _tiny_ bit, leading the pair away. Modern Bellyaching Blue Dragonet weaves to a stop facing a pair of Candidates who have drawn together. Again his mouth opens, this time with a pitiful cracking squeal which may someday grow to a big strong bugle. He staggers toward the duo, his path meandering boozily though his steps gradually gain strength and firmness. Leyon shrugs lightly toward Andikola. "Lookit how..." he searches for words. "messed up he is. Attacking innocent bystanders and all." His chin juts toward the pair of girls the bronze was bothering instants ago. Then his words become almost prophetic. "Shardit, Andi, you gotta watch out!" He holds out both hands in case she should need some support, worrying all the while, "First I'm good luck, now I'm bad. What the shell is wrong with me?" Of course, it's all about him. Caeleb wonders, "H-how'd he hurt himself?" He traces a small half-circle to get back at Kailai's side, though he doesn't take her hand again. "N-not m-many left," he observes, still being careful of the injured one. Vendelin laughs to Leyon, "Maybe you're a smuck, too?" He studies the dragonets as the move around the sands, slowly shaking his head. "This is more like a game of dodge than anything else. Can't hardly tell when one might--" As Andikola's twined for a moment, he winces, then can't hold back an almost cruel laugh as he notices no blood is to be seen, and a shrug to Triezen. "Do that. Almost knocked her down, but not quite. Another run, then?" Forged for Discord Bronze, content with the chaos he's left in his wake, creeps up behind a few of the white-robes while other hatchlings create distractions elsewhere. But his injured wing trails on the sand and he shrieks in pain, lunging forward in sudden disorientation. He throws out a forepaw to steady himself on the closest object: an unfortunate oily-blond candidate. Bronze toes fit in a grip over the young man's shoulder and the longest two talons, front and back, slide all too easily through fabric and flesh. Though shallow, Vendelin's wound bleeds immediately, torn open as the hatchling's paw slides free to whump onto the sand. Now crouched low, the discordant bronze's eyes whirl fearful shades up at the injured candidate and a desperate whuff escapes sooty nostrils. Kailai shakes her head. "Maybe he got tangled up in himself when he hatched?" She suggests, keeping wary eyes on the circling bronze. "If he'd just pick somebody, then maybe the dragonhealers could help him?" She had to open her mouth because now Vendelin's hurt and impressed at once. "Ooooooh." She shudders. Vargan nods to Jenna, then moves over to stand next to M'yr. The two mutter to each other, the Weyrleader's face totally serious. "..never did.. but if.." M'yr begins then glances toward the sand yet again. "Shards! Vargan, you are needed out there! Andikola is down!" Without any break of his concentration, Vargan moves again, deeper into the sand and Andikola's side. Stooping, he inspects her, a warm smile of comfort given. "It's sprained. Can you stand but not place any weight on it?" Mouth open to answer Leyon, no one is more startled than she is when a painful yip pops out instead of the words she was going to say. Hopping back, she staggers and instinctively reaches out, grabbing hold of Leyon's hand for a few seconds until she regains her balance. Teeth gritted, the twisted ankle barely resting on the sand, she lets go of Leyon and stands still for a moment, then nods to Vargas. "Yes. I'm okay as long as I don't put it all the way down. Or have any other dragons get too close." she adds wryly. Jenna calls after Vargan, "And Vendelin too!" She wheels on M'yr. "Niyath's never had visious hatchlings before," she accuses, scowling. "I know we've warned them, but /shells/, M'yr!" Caeleb gapes and fishmouths as yet another injury occurs - and another Impression to boot. "He's coming this way!" Reighley says sharply, sighting the approaching bronze around Treizen. At once, she backs away, grabbing her brother by the arm and dragging him back bodily. She's just reaching for Vendelin as well when the bronze arrives, and with a startled shriek, she finds herself jerked back as well as the bronze's claws find Vendelin. Treizen and Reighley get well out of the way, the girl hiding her eyes again at the blood. "Vendelin! Trei, do something! Where's the healer?" she asks, while her brother waves quickly at the healer to get his attention and gesture him over to Vendelin. Vendelin's mouth is still open for a good laugh at Andikola's expense when it's time to pay the piper. A strangled sound comes out, and he blinks fiercely to hold back any tears that spring immediately to his eyes. His hand reaches up to grasp his shoulder, moving in slow motion. The other reaches outward for some invisible force to steady his suddenly uncertain legs. "H--ha," he manages, gasping for breath, "He's hurt," gets out at last. "Imirath is hurt," is next, his tone steel for all its former quiver. Modern Bellyaching Blue Dragonet creels as he draws closer to the duo, now trio, and picks up his pace. He shoves his muzzle into Vargan's leg, causing the Healer to yelp and look down. "Not -me-," he tells the blue firmly, looking back to Andikola at once. Despondant, the blue backs off a step and shifts his wings, dragging more sand up onto the sails. Vargan nods to Andikola, then presses his bag of supplies under his arm, sprinting toward Vendelin. Immediately, another clean cloth is pressed firmly against the lad's shoulder to stop the flow of blood. "You're hurt and it's my job to get you to the barracks where one of us can stitch up your shoulder. Now." While his voice is steady, he's definitely giving a firm command. Leyon's voice sounds nearly panicky as he half shouts to Vendelin, moments after his fellow candidate is scathed, "Don't /talk/ to me, shardit! I told you I'm bad luck." Though he does provide Andikola with support for a moment, once she's on her feet again he backs away hastily. "Look, I'd help you out with that and all, but the way things are going the next hatchling would start eating you if I were within hearing range." He shuffles around, eying all candidates in range to make sure they don't step too close. "Alright, no one get any nearer. All of yous, move that-a-way." He makes shooing motions with one hand. With T'rien safely stowed near food and quiet, R'us returns to the sands. And chaos. "Another one," he starts, and mutters a few choice bits about bloodthirsty Istan maulers and their dragons while Vargin tends to V'delin's injury. Modern Bellyaching Blue Dragonet stares goggle-eyed up at Leyon, and tries to make the same shooing motions. With his wings, of course, which flings goo-damp sands everywhich way. Kailai has to cackle at the blue and Leyon. "Oh faranth, that's the funniest sight I've seen all day." She giggles as she points to the blue dragonet. "That's... just.... so funny!" She cackles. M'yr's hand goes to his chest as if he were the Accused, dark eyes flashing toward his lifemate who bugles as the last impression is made. "It's not Sol's fault!" he counters to Jenna, eyes narrowing against her barrage. V'delin nods, wordless, and blinks to try to steady himself as well as to clear his eyes, which have leaked a small trail of liquid down his face while he wasn't paying attention. He moves in the direction the recently-sniffed-at healer indicates, his hand outstretched for the foaming muzzle to follow. Andikola hops a little, hopping closer to Leyon to get out of the way of the blue hatchling and the healer. She blinks, surprised and looks at Leyon. "Your not making any sense. And your not bad luck. I wasn't watching and I got my ankle sprained. My fault. Not yours, not his." and she points at the bronze. Then her attention goes back to the blue, who is still too close for her comfort. Her arms wave briefly as she steadies herself and she glances at Leyon. "Um, could you get back over here? I don't think I need help, but if you really think this is your fault, then you could stay right here and be ready in case I fall. That way you fall with me." she tries another hop, away from the little blue in case he wants to grab and twist her good ankle. Caeleb joins in Kailai's laugh. "H-he's cute." Leyon's shooing only gets more frantic when Andi starts hopping his way. "I'm not kidding, you dolt. See? He's going to whap anyone who gets near me." He points to the blue with his non-shooing hand. "With sand goop." This is said as one particularly pleasant glop hits him straight on. "Ok, I'll lure him over this way, and you hop that way, then." Accordingly, Leyon takes several steps very far backwards. Modern Bellyaching Blue Dragonet's foray across the sands ends as he reaches his intended destination. There is no doubt, no hesitation, nothing short of pure, unadulterated confidence and certainty as he batters his blocky little self into Leyon. The trip was hard, harsh, oh-so-horrible but at long last Leyon is his! "We're gonna need a dragonhealer too," grumps R'us, glancing down at Imirath's torn wing as the bronzepair and healer move off toward the food and oil while he, having noted the seasick-seeming blue all but chasing Leyon backwards across the sands, starts out on a hunch to be ready to retrieve them. Reighley and Treizen cling more tightly to each others' arms as the hatching progresses in all its goriness. With the final impression made, to Leyon no less, the pair dons matching expressions of mingled relief and disappointment. Reighley's 'congrats' to the last weyrling is whispered rather than hollered, her brother stonily silent and staring at the far wall of the hatching while she shifts around, looking more uncomfortable as the moment stretches on. Kailai sighs mournfully as she watches the last blue walk away. "I was so sure..." She whispers softly in disappointment. At least Caeleb is still here, and she turns to him. "Well, that's done. I have a bunch of new dragons to paint. And enough inspiration to last me a life time." She says sadly. Caeleb hunkers his shoulders. "V-ven's right," he mutters. He doesn't elucidate, though. L'yon's hurried steps backwards begin to stagger. He rights himself hastily, but then staggers again. "Shardit, Srulath, you idiot, I didn't mean..." Realization is slow to set in, but when it does, he becomes stock still. "Srulath? You're -- " Words elude the newly-minted bluerider as he wipes goop off the blue. "Yeah, alright, yours." The hunch paid off. "Hi. I'm R'us." Has he said this enough times yet today? At least he didn't have to introduce himself to Chihanne. The assistant weyrlingmaster manages a wan grin for L'yon, then another for his new lifemate. "Follow me and we'll get some food into him, how's that sound? C'mon." And he turns to lead the last pair away from their day on the sands. Kailai glares at Caeleb. "Just because he got the biggest meanest baddest bronze in the clutch doesn't necessarily mean that he's right. Maybe you'll be searched again sometime." She points out. The chaos of the sands dribbles off, much like the blood now sinking into the sands. Shards of shells are littered around, and Niyath, not waiting to see the last of the dragons escorted off, washes her talons of this whole egg sitting thing and takes off for the feeding grounds. M'yr watches the last pairs leaving the Sands, exhaling a long, slow breath. Those dark eyes flicker briefly toward the dam and sire, the smile he wears is filled with pride. Both thumbs hook into his waistband, before he turns to the group still standing there. After a momentary pause, the Weyrleader walks slowly toward them, positioning himself next to Jenna and the others. Jenna just sniffs at M'yr. "Of course it isn't. They just didn't duck fast enough." It's difficult to tell if she's being sarcastic or not. Never irritate a pregnant woman. She points at him, "You go talk to the rest of the candidates." She sets off in the direction the weyrlings have gone. She gives the remaining candidates a worried, but sympathetic smile as she passes. "Leyon, isn't it? And Niyath says he's Srulath?" L'yon wanders over to the corner where other weyrlings have gathered, rubbing an ear as though it somehow pains him. He says down to Srulath as he goes, "I just didn't want you to kill somebody out there, is all. The way things were going, it's sharding lucky you didn't." Andikola's arms windmill a bit more as she turns to watch the blue continue on, straight into Leyon. She laughs and claps, then arms wave again to keep her balance. Her head swings back around and it's only then that she realizes there are no more eggs, no more dragons. Disappointment fills her face and her foot goes down into the sand. The throbbing pain in her ankle makes her pick it up again, fast. "Oops." and she focuses her attention on getting off the hot sands and something cold for her ankle. Caeleb shrugs at Kailai's words. He doesn't even look disappointed, just accepting. "S-so you s-say. I g-guess it's j-just as well. He was m-mean." M'yr's peering after Jenna who seems to have left him behind, finally tugging at his tunic and straightening his back. He begins, a warm smile forged for those remaining. "Fort Weyr has come to call each of you friends. We have come to share your sorrows, happiness and even doubts. For me, this weyr became my home. Some of you will go back to your homelands, some will continue to seek a lifemate elsewhere, some will lay your bedding on a cot here. Always remember, if you stay or not, we are here for you, and care about you. Your 'home', so to speak, if only in here." A fisted hand pounds lightly near his heart as his eyes look to each Candidate. Andikola's hopping on one foot now, more to ease the heat in that one foot than to move anywhere. Her teeth are clenched tight and she nods to the weyrleader, understanding what he says but her focus has switched to her feet. Both of them. Reighley doesn't look any happier for M'yr's words, for all she offers the Weyrleader another of those tentative little smiles before she starts edging backward, taking Treizen along with her as they slip out to the bowl again. Andikola turns, holding her sprained ankle higher off the sands and begins hopping in the direction of the bowl. M'yr purses his lips, possibly to hold back a grimace that would indicate he's wishing there were enough dragons for each Candidate. "Are you all right, Andi?" he asks with concern, glancing toward her leg. "Do you need help walking?" Andikola bites her lip and glances down at the swelling ankle. "Well, I could use a hand to get to the caverns and find something cold to put on it. I'll find someone to help me, Sir." Soldreth makes his way to the deep impressions in the sand, some tinged with human blood or ichor, muzzle dropping to snort at the vacant spots as shards crunch under his feet. M'yr pauses to stoop, collecting a few of them to stuff into his pocket. Another look of pride is extended to the dam and sire then he turns toward the weyrling holding room.

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