Difference between revisions of "Clutch:Hrw6/Eggs"

Latest revision as of 07:37, 21 January 2016

Aurelinth's multifaceted eyes whirl under half closed lids as she surveys the entire cavern, ever watchful of any harm that may come to her eggs. Her attention lingers on a group of four eggs near the center of the cavern: a shiny silver one reminds you of an ingot of the real thing. Nearby, a slight hump is all that can be seen of a light tan egg buried almost three-quarters of the way into the sand, making it hard to determine how large the egg might be. The two other eggs in the grouping appear to have been turned often, their mottled surfaces seem rather rough and sandy, obscuring their true colors. Polished like a rare wood sculpture, a deep mahogany egg pokes up from the sands: it is a few shades darker than all the other eggs, and the light from caverns make it seem to shimmer. A smaller egg behind it seems to be a trifle, comparatively: it is a plain, simple creamy-white egg, like any other ordinary egg. Perhaps the first will shell a brown, with a delicate green hatching next to it; or maybe a pair of blues!

Scanning the hatching sands, you quickly glance at the assembled eggs. One egg catches your eye right off; a spiral streak of silver juts in and out of a backdrop of somber brown, like lightning through an autumn sunset. Mesmerized by the silver, your eyes pass across this egg and almost miss a smaller one resting to the right of it. The smaller is completely tan, slightly darker than the sands that envelop it, but missing any of the intricate patterns that adorn the other eggs.

Aurelinth folds her wings closed once again, revealing a pair of eggs resting close to the enormous Queen which had been previously hidden from view. One egg is slightly top-heavy: a shadowy lavender covering, almost like an umbrella, suffuses into a beige that seems to disappear into the sands. Its companion is a reverse of color, a patch of beige flows across the top of the shell blending into the inky lavender bottom. Is one just upside down?

As light from Rukbat diffuses throughout the hatching sands, your eyes fall upon the eastern side of the mound. From this angle, you can see several of Aurelinth and Jeth's clutch: closest, a dull white egg waits patiently, its silky surface speckled with a little green. Two pale cream eggs are positioned close to one another, looking much like Timor and Belior when the two moons are full. Furthest away, close to one of the walls of the cavern, a lone shiny egg lies on its side; looking closely, you think you see the shell turn a light blue, but with another glance, it looks more yellow...then pink. The light appears to shimmer in a myriad of colors, perhaps reflecting off all the eggs.

Bulging strangely, a pale teal egg near the middle of the sands looks misshapen, as if one of the dragons had sat upon it, or the hot sands had caused it to melt, deforming it. Streaks of snowy white trace a faint pattern over the surface of the egg, like a spreading network of tiny fissures. Beside it, a more proportional gray egg looks almost stretched.

A cluster of five eggs huddle to the right side of the cavern, resting up against each other in a quaint pile surrounded on all sides by a protective wall of sand. One pale off-white egg towers above the others, most likely sitting on a clump of sand, while two other darker eggs lean sideways at an awkward angle. The remaining two elongated eggs of light blue swirled with white seem to be joined together; only the discriminating eye can see where one egg ends and the other egg begins.

Near the southern end of the hatching cavern, a trio of eggs are displayed prominently. Each appears very different than the one next to it, though all are about the same size. The nearest is a very simple off-white egg; its gleaming ovoid surface makes it look like it was just clutched. Its sibling is is a misty grey, striated with tiny black lines. The shell of the furthest is covered in varying shades of blue, each only faintly different from the others. This egg has a near transparent quality to it, and as the shadows move across it, it almost appears as if you could see the dragonet moving inside.

The north side of the mound seems crowded with Aurelinth and Jeth's eggs. You spy a pair of eggs that stick out as complete opposites to each other. One is a dark silken blue, like a ripple of uncut fabric. It flows about the egg calmly. However, resting flush against it, its partner lacks the same smooth elegance. Rough and spotty, reddish-yellow patches inscribe arrowing patterns across the irregular surface of the shell.

Over near the entrance to the bowl, a jumble of eggs are scattered in the shape of a crescent, fanning towards the center of the mound. The sands around the eggs have been meticulously arranged. Most of the eggs display the typical marbled shadings of soft muted colors but an enormous pale green egg speckled with frosty yellow crowns the grouping. Nearly hidden between and behind so many larger eggs, a small tawny brown egg peeks out, sitting unpretentiously in the shadow of its larger companions.

A single egg lies silently on the front edge of the mound, nestled deeply in the warm sands. Shades of mauve and an almost imperceptibly lighter pink blend harmoniously over the oblong surface. Meters behind it, an egg of soft olive green covered by a spiderweb of bronze lace looks like it has recently been rolled to and fro in the sands by the Queen. Peering closer, you think you see another egg half-buried near the two, but its tan color camouflages it in the sand.

When the hatching was over the carefully groomed sands were scattered and trampled, the beautiful mottled eggs lay as nothing but shards, broken pieces of shell glistening in the sands. 32 new pairs went gone off for first feedings and oilings and getting acquainted: 11 green, 10 blue, 7 brown, and 4 bronze.