Clutch:Hrw8/Eggs

Bay Leaf Egg

A small egg, the type that will easily be eclipsed by larger clutchmates, it shimmers in the cavern's illumination. Its pale shell is a soft, almost olivey green with what appears to be gray dust coated evenly over the top. It seems almost furry, like the pelt of a tiny feline.

Saffron-Cinnamon Egg

The egg is rather large, and casts shadows across those closely deposited in its vicinity. Its surface is the orangey-yellow of a sunset, or freshly-ground saffron, but with a liberal sprinking of cinnamon reddish brown over its shell. A stripe of white spirals around it, starting at the top and petering out about halfway down.

Fresh Mint Egg

The huge egg stands tall, elongated point arrowing upwards as if the occupant already yearns for the sky. Streaks of dark green unravel across the surface like spinnerwebs, or veins in layer after layer of freshly gathered spring mint. The softer, paler background is the perfect foil for the random, abstract tracings.

Cinnamon Sticks Egg

The pattern on this egg is chaotic, indeed. Two shades of red flow across its surface like two rivers intersecting each other. The darker of the two borders on a mahogany brown, snaking its way through the other in a somewhat uniform swirling pattern. The lighter shade desn't seem light at all, being a deep russet, except in contrast to the other. It follows no pattern whatsoever, appearing to fade into the brownish background. The colors are are reminsicent of the sweet pungency found in the sticks of cinnamon prized by the best bakers.

Cumin and Pepper Egg

This egg is a bit longer than some of the others in the clutch, but what is striking about it is its color. A bright red adorns its surface, appearing to surround itself in a nimbus of the same shade, as if it is radiant. The speckled appearance gives the egg an illusion of texture, something akin to very fine sand. The tip and bottom of the egg are covered in small black dots, seemingly randomly distributed. There is a slight gleam reflecting off the egg's surface, as if a glaze of some sort overlaid the seasonings beneath.

Dusted Paprika Egg

A small, smooth ovoid, this egg sits contentedly, half-buried in the warm sands. Its shell is a swirl of creamy white and brown, random patterns much like cream in klah. Dozens of tiny, bright red spots dust one side of the eggshell, as if flung there by the careful hand of a cook, garnishing it with paprika-like splendor.

Silvery Potted Numbweed Egg

A large egg borrows deeply into the sands before you. The bottom third is a deep, dark klah brown, shaped much like a utilitarian potter's bowl. The rest is a matte of grey green, as if the triangular numbweed leaves had been layered meticulously. Each top leaf is outlined in a moonshine silver while the bottom ones are a deeper, shadowed green. The egg sits, brooding and still, planted in the nurturing warmth of the sands. Its vibrant coloring almost pulsates with life, as it protects the tiny being within.

Salt and Pepper Egg

This moderately sized egg is a speckled display of black and white. Splotches are randomly sprinkled over the egg which make it look as if a giant mound of salt and pepper has been heaped up in the hatching ground. so convincing is the illusion that it seems as if one sneeze will cause the egg to disappear in a swirl of gritty particles.

Dusty Cinnamon Egg

A small ovoid, this egg nearly disappears in the sand that surrounds and nearly buries it. It has as a base, a light gold color, much like the sand enfolding it, with a dusty sprinkling of light, cinnamon brown, on the exposed portions of the shell.

Spring Mint Egg

Looking like the fresh green of a newly emerged spearmint sprig, this egg is very noticable on the drab sands. It seemingly heralds the coming of spring, an appropriate metaphor for the dragonet growing inside. There are slight tracings of a darker, blackish green across the surface of the shell, the patterning of burgeoning veins, as well as a faint white splotch on the topmost curve of the shell, vaguely suggesting an opening mint blossom.

Silver Rosemary Egg

This egg is the silver-green hue of fresh rosemary, complete with bluish-purple tracings here and there representative of this fragrant herb's flowers. It's a large egg, one of the largest in the clutch, and as such, towers over many of its smaller neighbors. Shadows cast on the shell by glowbaskets at night, and the moving of the sun across the sky, introduce a 'spikiness' to the egg, perhaps tactile from the appearance of small bumps actually on the shell.

Dark Nettle Egg

The nettle is a herb, as any good cook will tell you, suitable for steaming when young. Many others will disagree, citing the stinging hairs of the mature plant as proof it is nothing more than a weed. Still, this medium sized egg is the dark green of a mature nettle, though one without the stinging hairs. It sits on the sands passively, being turned every once in a while by the gold dragon nearby, showing it to be rather featureless, for all the distinctive color.

Burning Crimson Cayenne Egg

Rushing across taste buds in a furious fire of intense, burning heat, a liberal does of cayenne pepper is only for a truly hearty soul. Small and roundish, the shell of this egg looks to have been baked in the simmering heat of the sands with that same spice. Soft brown expanses hide under flecks of deceptive orange and crimson powder, just waiting for the unwary to chance upon them. Teasing and tantalizing, one bite would probably send eyes watering and feet hopping, but still the lure of the diminutive egg draws eyes towards it.

Crushed and Powdered Violets Egg

Looking as if a whimsical zephyr breeze could suddenly blow it into a cloud of chalky blue-purple dust, this exquisite egg sits hidden in the shadows with the same delicate air of a dew tipped violet unseen in mysterious darkness. Dried and crushed into a fine powder, those selfsame flowers are valued for any number of medicinal uses. The gentle beauty of its coloring cannot be hidden, just as this egg still draws wandering thoughts with gentle sworls of pastel blue and accented by deeper, yet still soft, purples and almost indescernible flecks of yellow.

Exploding Pepper Sneeze Egg

Tickling the nose in what promises to be a spectacularly violent sneeze, an over enthusiastic dose of pepper appears to have been applied to the typically sized egg. Spattered and speckled with bits of black and brown, and even a few salty smidges of white, it seems as if someone dipped it in a vat of the spice with the deliberate thought of inducing such a wild sneeze.

Savory Purple Sage Egg

This tiny egg looks a bit lost among its neighbors, and could be easily overlooked if another, gaudier egg were nearby. A close look at the simplicity of its coloring might reveal a beauty that is subtle. Deep, dusty purple covers one rounded end, lightening as it stretches across the surface, fading into a pale, muddy, purplish-green before slowly changing once again into the pure, muted green of the opposite end. The matte finish of its surface reflects no light, and if by chance it rolls into the shadow of one of the other eggs, it might not be noticed at all. At least, that is, until it hatches.

Minty Misnamed Catnip Egg

Swirling colors of every shade of green imaginable meet your eyes as you gaze at this egg. Of an average size, it more than makes up for it by being easily one of the most -interesting- eggs to look at in the clutch. Deep, dark forest mixes with pale, winter morning sea and vibrant, shiny, new mint leaves. The colors of this egg actually seem to move like clouds across its mottled surface, dancing with energy as your eyes follow along. Watching this egg for a few moments fills you with excitement; gaze at it for too long, and suddenly all tension drains pleasantly from you, easing you, and leaving you at peace.

Marbled Lemon Balm Egg

This egg looks good enough to eat -- perish the thought! Bright golden lemony yellow splotches mix with vivid yellow-green patches that cover the surface in a patchwork design that might pull a smile by its seeming cheeriness. Spring instantly suggested, sunshine and green leaves mingled, when all smells fresh and new. A bit larger than most of its mates, this egg almost seems to glow with health. The life waiting inside it surely must burst forth soon -- perhaps even as you watch.

Tangy Dill Seed Egg

This egg looks like a short, fat cucumber just set to pickle, dill seeds clinging tenaciously to the green sides. A sour sight among clutchmates, looking as if it could pucker lips at the slight taste, it is a tad oblong to be a typical dragon egg. One of the more immense eggs in the clutch, the stripes of dark kelly alternating with lighter yellowed greens make it appear even larger. The seedlike flecks dapple the slick, wet looking shell. Left to sit, and age over time, who knows just how tangy the finished product might be.

Creamy Mustard Egg

Sworls of sunshine yellows and soft orange are lathered over the surface of this tiny egg in a whimsical dance of light. It almost has the appearance of having been carefully dipped into a jar of mustard. Radiating a cheerful, bright warmth, it sits to the forefront of the clutch among darker hued companions. Delightfully tart in appearance, this tiny egg holds a bright future for someone.

Pungent, Spicy Clove Egg

Immediately noticable in its place among the others, this wonderfully rich, deep brown egg almost leaps out at you! The beautiful, solid color dancing over its craggly surface is like a sharp *snap* to the senses, making eyes widen and nostrils flair. It seems as if one could catch the odor of cloves...a sweet, mouth watering scent of spice, immediate and demanding in a brief, but powerful intensity that fades as quickly as it came. A memory, prompting a question, "Was that real?" And in that memory, one might look, one last glance at the perfect, rich colored orb, striving to catch the incredible scent once more.

Ripening Allspice Egg

The small globe resting in the warmth of the sands is reminiscent of a ripening allspice berry. Sworls of fresh picked green deepen incrementally to a reddish brown towards the middle of the egg. The far end appears even darker, almost purple-black, as if this part had fully ripened ahead of the rest of the fruit.

Angelica Root Egg

The elongated, vaguely spindle shape of this egg is reminiscent of the form of a freshly dug angelica root. The soft, yellowish-grey finish yields here and there to a light amber color, as if the skin of the root had been bruised, releasing the aromatic juice from within. From confections to medications, to flavoring for liquers, the angelica root is prized, as will be the life within this egg.

Star Anise Egg

The beauty of the star anise is as intense in its way as the scent and taste of the seeds. This large egg appears to have been encrusted with the starry like forms, each radiating branch cradling a small, black seed in its shrouded depths. Overlapping, overlying, or sometimes distinct, perfect in its simplicity, the design appears to have been carefully lacquered onto the egg's surface.

Sweetest of Sweet Basil Egg

Lying in the warmth of the sand, basking in the heat in isolation, this egg resembles a cluster of fresh, newly picked sweet basil leaves. The intense, dark green, like that of the leaves' upper surface gives way along the sides to the soft greyish-green the leaves hide from the sun. Dark spots fleck along the greyish-green, much as the clove scented oil spots dapple the basil's foliage.

Flowering Bergamot Egg

At first, it appears to be a jumbled mass of colors, flashy scarlet and shades of green randomly dabbled onto the surface of the medium sized egg. Careful study might suggest the pattern of a flowering bergamot plant to a trained eye, with the darker green of the stem giving way to a spreading cushion of leafy bracts, a soft, pale green lightly tinged with red. The large, whorling splotches of red resemble the flower heads the plant carries so proudly. Come harvest, the sweet scent of bergamot infuses the warmth of winter teas. Now the egg lies in full blooming splendor, ready to yield up a harvest of its own.

Beached Bladderwrack Egg

A heap of light yellow and brownish-green, lying as if tossed by a callous hand or uncaring sea wave, the egg hunkers down in the sand, resembling nothing so much as a mass of beached bladderwrack. Random bulges in the egg's surface hint of compressed, trapped air, captured in vesicles. Ugly as a mud fence, looking as if it rots and becomes putrid as it ages, the egg cradles within it a treasure for those who know its worth, as does the bladderwrack, iodine for the diet, liniment and essences for rheumatism, sprains, and bruises, food for the starving, fertilizer for plants. Eggs, as plants, should not be judged only by their beauty.

Freshly Threshed Caraway Seed Egg

As fresh and new as a caraway seed recently threshed from its protective foliage, this small egg cuddles into the sands. There, with a coating of dust and grit, the illusion of a caraway seed is intensified. A noncommittal, unapologetic neutral shade between cream and brown, it seems to glow with translucence, the roughness of the surface reminiscent of herdbeast horns. The slight curve to the body displays five distinct, pale ridges that decorate the ovoid.

Hyssop Blossoms Egg

Beneath the profusion of flowery splotches is a base the color of evergreens bordering a misty forest clearing. Flung over this matte surface are blossoms of blue, red, and white, appearing to be arranged as the whorls of hyssop blossoms might be. Six, seven, eight....as many as fifteen points of color coalesce into blooms, covering the egg in petals of a summer's height of maturity. Functional, and beautiful, used for decoration in gardens, the oil pressed and blended into medicinal tonics and teas, the hyssop is a charming plant. The egg rests in a tip tilted position, and the cheery colors give it its own, unique charm as well.

Stick Liquorice Egg

The lump of dark coloration half buried in the sand resembles a crudely shaped bundle of liquorice extract, much like the sticks formed from the herbal paste. Deep black, roughly textured, with a hint of green here and there as if the protective covering of bay leaves still clings in places, it stands out in stark contrast against the light sands. As the light catches it, the glossy surface adds to the resemblence of the pungent, sweet tasting concotion.

Ripening Mace Egg

Around the nutmeg heart, the outer, ovoid covering of the mace fruit forms. This egg is predominantly scarlet, a brilliant patch of color against the sands, but then fades in gradual increments at either end to a brittle appearing yellow. A long groove runs longitudinally down the vaguely pear shape, a fissure that may be the first to split, releasing the spicy treasure within.

Marsh Mallow Egg

Medium sized, gently rounded, this egg appears to be surrounded by a nimbus of green, like the hoary down that covers the stem of the marsh mallow. Slight fissures and irregularities in the egg's surface resemble the serrated edges of leaves, while pale, soft dabs of blush-colored flowers dot the narrow end. As it leans slightly against another egg, it appears to be growing, reaching upwards to the sources of illumination in the caverns. Healers and herbalists alike make use of the mallow's soothing, medicinal properties, contained within the leaves, roots, and flowers. Within this egg resides another life to ward off the ills of Thread.

Burgeoning Rose Hip Egg

When the rose petals fall, and the sweet perfume has faded, life is just beginning. The base of the rose ripens, becoming a firm, rounded treasure of seeds and oil. A soft blush mingles with a light brown, as if a young girl painted by the sun flushes in embarassment. Dark green sprays radiate out from the larger end of the egg, cupping up over the rose hip shape. Faint traceries of darker brown and black hint silently at the future, when the rose hip begins to dry and wither. The seeds within propogate new life, and when brewed in teas, sooth and relax. Like the lovely rose hip, this bundle will burgeon, until its seed breaks free.

Tender Tarragon Egg

Lumpy and dented on one side from the force of its expulsion, the large egg sprawls next to a cluster of other, smaller clutchmates in the hot sands. The strips of green that slather the main body of the egg are delinated by random lines of darker green and black, giving the egg the appearance of being coated in tarragon leaves. A cluster of roundish dots, yellow mingling with black, crown the larger, rounder end of the egg as a bouquet of tarragon flowers in bloom might.

Angular Mugwort Egg

It lies in the sand, stocky, blocky, almost angular rather than oval and smooth. Colored predominantly a purplish-green hue, the main body gives way at the barely rounded top to leaf-like splashes of dark green. There's nothing attractive, besides the color, about this egg, nor is there about the plant it resembles. Mugwort, tall and lanky, unprepossessing, easily forgotten when seen yet it offers much to the discriminating herbalist. Leaves, flowers, roots, the oil from within, the covering from without, it gives itself unstintingly. Perhaps the young creature cradled in the blocky shell will embody that as well.

Fragrant Fennel Seed Egg

The bottom portion of this huge egg is a solid, bright green color. It glistens in the light as if it had been polished by a multitude of careful hands for hours at a time. Beginning at the narrow end, and cascading in all directions down the body, is a rivelet of elliptical spots, seeming to curve up, almost leaping off the shell's surface. Their pleasant grey-green color contrasts with the darker, brighter green. It seems as if the fennel plant could not contain its exuberant growth, releasing its seeds in an explosion of joyous bounty.

Shy Sweet Woodruff Egg

This tiny egg seems almost shy, lurking in the half shade of its larger companions, as the sweet woodruff does in woods and hedgebanks. Its perfect shape seems ringed with swirl after swirl of narrow, bright green leaves resembling stars stacked on some pole in the sky. Tiny dots of white blossoms peek out, as if little faces peer through the foliage. Though easy to miss, the odor of sweet woodruff permeates the atmosphere, as does the radiant charm of this little jewel in the clutch.