Twice the Anticipation

[Tealah]

"Ooh..." Niera had her gaze jumping back and forth between the two clutches, excitment somehow managing to rise despite her already incredibly-excited state every time a new hatchling emerged. Oh, two beautiful greens Impressed to two girls Niera didn't know (although she didn't know *any* of the candidates except Retivor so that could have been any of the girls). Then a brown hatched out flat on his back, looking so funny that Niera couldn't help but laugh. By the time he righted himself, a blue was poking his nose out of another egg. The brown hatchling sniffing curiously at the nose elicited another laugh.

Ooh, a bronze had hatched from the other clutch. Oh no, were the bronze and brown going to fight each other because they weren't siblings? But no, they had both found different people to Impress to. Boy-candidates she'd not met. Ahh, more eggs were rocking...


****

P'neil hurried down the stairs from his office, cursing under his breath. He nearly lost his footing and fell the rest of the way down, but he caught himself against the rough stone wall just in time. Sometimes he took for granted how much easier it was to get around the Weyr with a dragon. With Artoneth holed up in the Infirmary still, he'd had to walk everywhere he wanted to go. Or, since he was rushing to get down to a hatching he as Weyrleader should be attending, running everywhere.

He skidded to a stop outside the Hatching Grounds to take a moment to compose himself. He straightened his shirt, brushed the wrinkles out of his pants - he couldn't do anything about the ink stains on his hands - and combed his fingers through his hair. Ah, he'd just have to do. And so he slipped quietly through the crowd, nodding at whomever happened to catch his eye, until he came up next to Alana. He gave her a nod and a smile - he still wasn't entirely comfortable with her - and surveyed the hatchlings. Ah, a couple greens, a Weyr could never have to many greens. A blue, a brown, good, good. Ah, and a bronze, very good. And all Impressed without trouble, it seemed.

My greatest apologies for not attending, Artoneth rumbled to Gwynevith from his Infirmary lair.

****

And now we get to Tarin. Ah, Tarin. He hardly noticed the hatching of the two greens, so intent was he on feeding his new gold firelizard - in his mind, of course. He noticed; it would be hard not to notice with them when one walked right up to a boy near Tarin, and then away again. The brown hatchling, amusing those his entrance into the world may be, was pretty much ignored. So was the blue, up until he bugled at the nosy brown.

Tarin blinked confusedly at the sound and the hatchling who'd made it. Why, what a beautiful little blue. Such a vibrant color... but Tarin's mind was already wandering again.

Tarinmine! Tarin blinked again, glancing around in bewilderment. There was a voice in his head. Granted, that had happened before, but not generally as accompanied with such bright blue starbursts. Are you paying attention to your Jasth? He is exceptionally hungry and would appreciate leaving this place right away!

Tarin shook his head sharply. He was starting to feel awfully hungry, just like the voice said, but not really like he was hungry.

Are you listening, mine? Yes, your Jasth is real! Tarin closed his mouth with a snap, for he'd been about to wonder aloud that very thing. Look down and see him! Well, if the voice in your head sending such wonderful rainbows and good feelings tells you to do something, you do it. Or at least Tarin does. So he looked down to see the upturned face of the beautiful azure dragonet who'd bugled earlier.

"Oooh," his drawn out sigh of awe evidently pleased the dragonet, who lifted his oversized wings a trifle to show him off to best advantage. "You're beautiful," Tarin breathed.

And hungry, the dragonet reminded him, eyes whirling.

"Oh! Oh, yes, that's right. Er, well," Tarin glanced around, slightly at a loss until he spotted the bowls of meat set aside for the hatchlings. "C'mon then, Jasth, we'll get you fed." He beamed at the blue, who strutted along behind him with head held jauntily and tail twitching. For once, the new Weyrling was entirely focused on something, his Jasth.

[Spiffy .th !]

(NB: Parith has broadcast his call for help to everyone, just incase you can't be bothered to read my post. Not that you have to include it if you don't want to, its just there in case you do ;] )


The hatching of the first egg made Larikev jump, as he whisked his head around to look at the Windy Desert clutch and its new green dragonet. Then, with his attention diverted, another crack behind him caused his to jump again, and he spun his head back so fast he felt a little dizzy. Two greens already! He watched with bated breath as both Impressed to Theirs, two girls he had not yet formally met, clapping his congratulations to them for being the first to Impress. They were not his, but there were still many eggs left on the sands that may be.

When the Tidal Pool egg hatched though he gazed in wonder at the brown that was lying on its back in the sand amid the shards of its egg. It took him a while to realise that this brown was positively huge, rivaling Artoneth, he thought, though he was sired by bronze Syth. It was kind of hard for him to see what colour the dragonet was, apart from brown, because of the sand he was coated in, but even so he could tell that he would be dark.

But before he could get too lost in gazing at the beautiful brown a blue started to hatch. He turned to gaze in wonder at the blue now, in his own little head thinking he was far more likely to Impress blue or green rather than this mighty little brown. Briefly he glanced back to the brown that was not writhing in its attempts to right itself, feeling a stirring of pity - especially when it squealed - for the albeit small creature before reluctantly turning his attention to the azure blue. It was another few seconds before he realised that the brown had righted itself and was now nuzzling the blue nose protruding from its shell. He couldn't help but giggle at the confusion that followed before the two went their separate ways.

He hadn't registered the hatching of the bronze until it started to face off with the brown. Shards, what if they were going to fight? That couldn't happen, they must Impress! He wanted despirately to do something, but there was nothing he could do, only Theirs could help them now and they hadn't found them yet. In the end his indecision soon became his downfall, as he was still immobilised by it as the two dragonets thundered across the sands - towards him.

Ploughed to the ground by the bronze he yelled in surprise, then in pain as he felt pain erupt in his leg, dragonet claws ripping flesh indiscriminately in its rush to get to His before the Tidal Pool brown could.

Pain...

He clutched at his injured let, biting back a howl and instead moaning, attempting to sit up but only ending up on his side in the sand.

He was aware of Katalyn hovering over him somewhere, and her calling something but not what, and of a fear and hunger gnawing at his stomach. They were there, but they were not his.

You are hurt, Larikev-mine! Your Parith was not fast enough to protect you. If you survive, mine, will you ever forgive your Parith?

Fear mixed with a worry and something that he felt as deeply comforting welled up inside him, sending his head spinning as he clutched at the object that was pressing itself against his neck to keep himself from falling, though of course he could fall no further as he was already lying down.

Opening his eyes they met with a swirling rainbow of colours surrounded by coppery brown and sienna.

Mine?

He clutched even harder at the browns head, seeking comfort in Pariths presence at his side, dimly aware that he had Impressed to Parith and that he would have his comfort now and forever more. "Of course I forgive you, Parith."

The brown nuzzled His harder. But you are hurt. I must get help! he said even as he sent out a wide mental broadcast to any who would listen to get help for His, because he was hurt! He had to be helped!

---

Katalyn was snapped out of her excited watching of the dragonets by Larikev falling heavily against her, knocking her into Remmekk. Flying around she saw him on the floor, the bronze a few feet away and skidding to a halt, and the deep gash in Kevs leg. She would have rushed to his immediate aid, but the large brown dragonet arrived before she could get close enough to do any good, having been knocked several feet away. Backing away from the obviously distressed pair (she was not stupid, knowing that the dragonet may react offensively to any approaching His when he was hurt) instead calling out for help. Someone help us, he is injured! Anyone a healer, we need you here NOW! He's hurt!

---

Remmekk merely grunted as the small-framed Katalyn bumped against him. His attention was focussed on the bronze as it made its way past him, doing his best to mentally call it to him but to no avail, as it Impressed to a boy he hadn't met. Shardit. There would be other eggs and other bronzes, he knew, but that didn't quite stem the disappointment at not getting the first one. Reluctantly he stole a look to Kev on the ground, saw that someone was at least handling the situation and that he wasn't needed - afterall, he had no healer knowledge that would be useful to the boy - and turned to look at the other brown who was stalking through its clutchsiblings eggs and paying no heed to the candidates. At least it hasn't chosen someone else yet.

[B'kay]

Gaylen moved almost before the two alerts had finished echoing in her mind....

Alabanth's echo of Parith's plea and Katalyn's call for a healer....

She already had a first aid bag around her shoulders, so she ducked low, dodged around rocking eggs, and found herself quickly in the center of the sands.

"Here you go, my good fellow," she muttered softly, and then bowed to the brown hatching, "Don't worry, young one, Yours will be okay," she whispered, hoping to tend to the boy before too much more commotion occurred.

The gash was, indeed, deep, and may need some suturing later. For now, however, the healer reached (with an apology) through the tear in the boy's breeches, slathered the wound with blessed numbweed, and then put a thick layer of bandage padding on it. She wrapped it snugly, but not too tight, with bandage on the outside of the pants leg and tied it closed.

"You'll need to be tended more thoroughly as soon as your dragon is fed, but for now, I'm afraid he's the priority."

She stood and extended a hand to the boy in an offer to help him rise.

[**Auria (etc)**]

When the brown dragonet paused near him, just for a moment, and the sparkling eyes looked him over, Silatar's heart stopped beating. Was this his dragon? How would he know? They spoke of voices in the mind, but what did they sound like, what did it feel like?

But no ... the brown moved on, with determination. He was not meant for Silatar.

Within a breath, there was chaos, and a boy was on the ground, trampled. Both the brown and the bronze Impressed then, and Silatar looked on with horrific fascination as the newly bonded rider of the brown lay on the sands, bleeding.

He breathed a sigh of relief ... though it was ever so slight relief ... when the healer woman showed up.

====

Auria gasped and clasped her hands to her mouth. A boy was hurt! She had heard tales of candidates being mauled at Hatchings, of course ... but her experience at the Weyr so far, and the few dragons she'd met, had convinced her that those were all tall stories meant to frighten gullible children.

Suddenly those stories became very real. She glanced around, before and behind her, turning several times to eye the eggs on either side. There was another dragon on the sands, a brown, who had not chosen His yet. Other eggs could hatch at any moment.

Auria had not wanted to be afraid ... but her hands were shaking despite herself.

====

Terrasel's eyes lit up. While he hoped the boy would be okay, his stories ... he bet he could even charge hold children for "story hour" and make a few marks off this! ... took on a new tone without him even having to falsify any of the account!

He was relieved, though, to see a healer respond quickly. He could leave that part out of the story, of course....

[D'gellin]

Jaylee could feel her heart fluttering madly in her chest like a little hummingbird caught in a trap. She couldn't decide where to look. While most of the other candidates were already reveling in eager anticipation, waiting for the first hatchling to breach its shell, Jaylee still didn't know what to think. Should she be excited? Did she want to Impress? Everything was so new and frightening here...and change was something that Jaylee was never good at handling. Part of her wanted to relax and enjoy the Hatching, and under different circumstances she was sure she would, but right now...so far from home...with no one she knew...

All the fear and uncertainties Jaylee had been harboring since arriving at Araelen seemed to catch up with her all at once, tightening her throat and glossing her eyes with tears. Where was Barsel? Where was Iggy? Where was Fallen? Why was she here? Why oh why did she come...? A dragon would keep her far, far away from home...And yet Fallen seemed so happy here, more at peace than he'd been since her earliest memories. Could it be so bad...? Was it having a dragon that changed him...for what seemed the better?

As the first dragons hatched, shattering shells cracking amidst the humming, Jaylee was all raw nerves, jumping visibly, as her eyes snapped on to the first-

Her breath hitched, wide eyes melting. Oh by Faranth..."It's beautiful..." She breathed, hands raised at her mouth. The little green, glistening with egg goop and sprinkled with scattered shards...shimmering beneath was a hide of all beauty, face all innocent hunger and curiosity...In sight of something so pure, Jaylee found her fears drifting away for the moment. And then the green was gone. She hadn't even known there was another green on the sands until she heard it scuttling behind her. Jaylee whipped her head around, feeling exposed. She had to pay attention to both sides! Stealing herself, Jaylee was careful to intermittently shift her gaze between the two clutches, watching with wide-eyed wonder as a blue, a brown, a bronze hatched. They were so beautiful...so painfully beautiful...it took her breath away.

Then the world came crashing down. Jaylee watched with a shock of fear as a boy was bowled over by the bronze dragonet. The once handsome creature suddenly took on a terrifying appearance, its little claws raking over the lad’s legs. It all seemed an accident, but what kind of innocent creature caused such involuntary destruction? Any of the dragons were capable of it…Jaylee looked away, feeling sick, trying not to listen to someone’s cry for a Healer. Glossy eyes returned to the eggs warily…

---

As she settled into her place, Trilia took in everything around her, committing it to memory. The Stands steadily filling with people, the air with dragons depositing passengers, the mighty golden queens, the candidates all lined up in a misshapen line - As she looked around, she managed to catch sight of Retivor's wave. Face suddenly flushing a pretty rose, she waved back shyly, before her attention was abruptly diverted by the sound of cracking eggs -

Trilia could watch a Hatching a million and one times, and it would never loose its wonder. A smile involuntarily lit her face, warming in her chest, and delighted shiver of excitement tingled her whole body as the first hatchling pushed free of her shell. What a pretty green! And there - a green from the other clutch as well! Trilia was dizzy with turning her upper body back and forth between the two clutches.

Oh, this was why she was here! For this! Trilia had no special talents, no redeeming factors, but dragons, dragons were her passion. If only...oh please come this way, dear one! Trilia's eyes welcomed, invited, begged either of the greens to accept her, but off they went. One Impressed. Another...Trilia bared her heart openly, but the other green passed as well, bonded. Without a word of congratulations to the new Weyrlings, Trilia fixed her gaze steadily on the clutch she felt was most likely to produce the next hatchling, hiding her dismay behind a straight back and lifted chin. It was still early in the Hatching, she reminded herself firmly, and there were many more eggs, many more dragons.

One of them. One of them was for her...

The world around her held no interest if it wasn’t an unimpressed dragonet or an unhatched egg. Trilia would not be left alone again!

[Dragonmage]

Nymoren watched the shuddering eggs a bit impatiently. Would he get a dragon this time or be left alone again? He had only a short time to ruminate on the idea of not Impressing again before the eggs began to shake harder. The Prickly Guardian egg, which he had thought would be the first to hatch, stilled suddenly as the Desert Sunset egg shattered into a beautiful multishaded green. Nymoren turned his gaze from the Windy Desert Clutch to glance at the Deep Ocean clutch. A dark green had also hatched. They stalked toward the Candidates like warped mirror images of each other. Both greens Impressed to girls. Two down, but plenty of eggs to go. There was no reason to get upset, at least not yet.

The Tidal Pool Egg, the only word for what it did was exploded, to reveal a brown, and an upside-down brown at that. Amusing as that was, the Stormy Sea Egg very soon had a blue nose poking out of it. A blue was a more probable dragon for him than a brown, so his attention was directed towards that egg. The Tidal Pool Brown finally got his feet under him and proceeded towards the Stormy Sea Egg. When the brown poked his nose towards the nose of the blue in the Stormy Sea Egg, the blue yanked his head back, making the egg roll suddenly and fall apart, leaving the Stormy Sea Blue curled in a ball.

Nymoren entirely missed the hatching of the Seething Sands Bronze, focused as he was on the Deep Ocean Clutch. After a short bugle at the Tidal Pool Brown, who marched off to find his, the Stormy Sea Blue leapt out of his eggshell as the brown hissed at something behind the other candidates. It didn't take the brightest glow in the light to guess that one of the Windy Desert Clutch had hatched. The blue ran towards the area of the line that Nymoren was in. Was this his dragon? Nymoren jumped as the blue prodded him hard. Perhaps not. The blue went on to another boy. The brown and bronze raced to the same group of candidates. Did they both want the same person? No, for the bronze ran over one boy in his hurry to reach his rider and the brown stopped by the clawed boy. That made five.

Nymoren looked at the Deep Ocean Clutch for a bit longer. After making mental notes that the Foaming Shores Egg and the Wave Dancing Egg were starting to move, he turned to the Windy Desert Clutch. The Prickly Guardian Egg had hatched into a brown while he had watched the other clutch. Two more eggs were moving in the Windy Desert Clutch, the Shining Mirage Egg and the Shady Evening Egg. It was not impossible that a brown might want him, just unlikely, so Nymoren reached out a hand towards the Prickly Guardian Brown.

OOC: He can get hurt, just nothing that will keep him from Impressing at all.

[Mariya]

Mariya heard the cries as someone got injured and she inwardly groaned. Just what she was scared of the whole way walking over here. She held her bags close and pushed through the crowd and quickly made her way to the sands. Good thing she was small, it made ducking down easier.

She arrived just a few seconds after the older healer had already taken care of the boy. The brown was hanging around apprehensively, its breathing making swirls in the sand at the boy's feet.. Seeing that the boy had a leg injury, Mariya was quick to stand behind him, ready to steady him as the older healer helped him up. "Steady," she whispered. Louder, she told the Brown as she pressed a roll in the boy's hand, "Here you go. Yours is all fine now."

She stood back to let the boy handle his dragon on his own and then caught the eye of the older healer. "I'm Mariya," she said quietly, not remembering the woman's name. "Sorry, I was a little slow getting here." She ducked her head, expecting a tirade. The noise of eggs cracking and the crowds reactions was starting to get to her and she started to retreat to the edge of the hatching sands. Belatedly and guiltily, she bowed to the two Queens. A principle of her early training and of all days she had to forget it.

*** *** *** *** ***

Xiarl was not mad at either Xian or Xiana. He just patiently held out the robe and made a tug on Xiana's after his brother helped her with the sleeves. "Ready, you two? Let's go." He was glad his voice had not cracked or shook with the fear he was feeling. He lead the way to the hatching sands. Courtesy dictacted that he bowed to the two queens and then he turned to help Xiana onto them. His head was roaring beyound what the eggs and crowd were doing and those were loud enough, at least to him. He swallowed hard and pushed Xiana a little a head of him to the line of candidates. He put a protective hand around her shoulders and then squeezed his brother's arm to pull him closer. Some sweat dripped off his forehead and he irritaded brushed it away. A boy went down under a dragonet's claws and he winced, looking away quickly. The smell of blood made him a bit woozy and he tried to cover it up quickly. No way was his siblings going to see him falter.

[B'kay]

When the young woman arrived to assist with the wounded Weyrling, Gaylen was relieved. With two clutches hatching, and dragonets coming at the candidates from both sides, it was good to have as many skilled healers on the Grounds as were available.

She nodded to the girl, who introduced herself as Mariya. "It's nice to finally meet you, I'm Gaylen," the older woman said. "You're the young lady who finds our good supply of herbs for us, aren't you? I hear you have a real talent for that, thank you."

Gaylen wasn't sure just how much pain L'kev would be in when he rose, so was glad to have an extra hand to help him to the feeding tables if needed.

===
B'kay closed his eyes and resisted the urge to rush forward when he saw the candidate get bowled over. He must think like the rider of the sire of one of these clutches right now, like the Junior Weyrleader ... and for just this day, let his role as Weyrlingmaster slide. He would deal with the training of a wounded Junior Weyrling when the time came ... and he hoped fervently that there would be only one in this class!

[Kitari]

The humming in the Hatching Grounds was beginning to reach its peak, for the majority of the Weyr's dragons had proceeded to the Grounds by this point and were watching with whirling eyes as the new dragonets spilled onto the sands. The welcome greeting reverberated in the large cavern, an eerie thrum in the quickly fallen night, as the glowlight flickered and cast dancing shadows of the eggs on the sands. Through it all, the Prickly Guardian Brown strutted and paused, swinging his head through the air in consideration of everything around him.

Cracks began to form along the outer side of the Sleeping Serpent Egg, conveniently visible for the watching crowd but less so for the wary candidates. The loud snapping sounds drew the Prickly Guardian Brown's attention, but he wasn't distracted for long. He had to catch that shadow, don't you know! With that, the Prickly Guardian Brown pounced on a wiggling shadow from the nearby Serene Oasis Egg. Finding only sand beneath his paws, the dragonet was quite disgruntled, but it wasn't long before his tail was lashing in excitement again.

It wasn't the Sleeping Serpent Egg to Hatch first, however, for the top finally popped off the Foaming Shores Egg, and a jade green head poked itself out. Claws began scrabbling at the opening, as the green dragonet attempted to haul herself out of the top of the egg, but the opening wasn't quite wide enough, and she began to creel in dismay.

The Prickly Guardian Brown's head went up like a flag of alert, and he narrowed his whirling eyes before beginning a mad charge across the sands. Those who had just witnessed the unintentional attack of the bronze dragonet upon an unwitting candidate no doubt held their breath, fearing another such incident, but the dragonet merely pushed through the crowd, bumping Xian and Kyrian out of the way, and moved over to the Foaming Shores Egg. He snuffled around the bottom of it, moving all around the Egg while the wary green watched, before the inquisitive brown came up with an idea. He stood up on his hind legs, placing his front ones on the Egg, and gave it a push!

With a squeal, the Foaming Shores Green tumbled from her shell, as the force of the fall widened the opening enough that she could slip through. She rose to her feet quite gracefully after such a spill, revealing a hide that rippled like a churned ocean, though it was currently speckled with bits of eggshell, but the Prickly Guardian Brown was gone before she could even turn.

The maiden saved, he was off on an another adventure, and this one was of far greater importance at the moment! His stomach was rumbling, his short little legs were beginning to ache, and his chesnut and peanut butter brown hide was still glistening with egg goo that he simply must be rid of.

With one area of the line of candidates already perused on his passage through, the brown dragonet moved in the opposite direction and plopped himself down with relief and pride in front of Fidel.

There you are, F'delmine! Your Khufuth was needed by another, but now he is truly yours! And you are far too mellow, mine. Feed your Khufuth and then we will both go on an adventure!

The Foaming Shores Green didn't even have time to get indignant over the brown's disappearance, for the sound of the Sleeping Serpent Egg finally releasing its occupant drew her whirling-eyed gaze, along with much of the rest of the audience. After much ado, a delicate, violet blue dragonet shook himself free of the remaining egg shards and began to stride across the Sands, head held high. This proud facade did not last long, however, as a still-uncoordinated front foot caught on a sand dune, and the blue dragonet face-planted into the sand. With a snort of surprise, he quickly raised his head up to reveal a sand-caked snout and wide whirling eyes that were now half-lidded.

A sound that could almost be interpreted as a snort of laughter came from the Foaming Shores Green, but any who turned to confirm this would only find a seemingly indifferent, jade green dragon trotting across the sands. Those who looked very closely, however, may have noticed that she was carefully picking her way around potentially tricky piles of sand as she went...

She nearly did go down when a blue-green tail suddenly lashed its way into her path, but the green dragonet recovered marvelously and kept going. Thus, she missed the Hatching of the Breaking Surf Egg, as the average-sized aqua blue dragon backed his way out of the shell and gazed curiously about him. When he noticed all of the candidates staring at him, the blue seemed quite taken aback and promptly leaped behind the nearby Gentle Ripples Egg, which was thrashing with a fervour that belied its name.

While this blue was obviously in a bit of distress, the violet coloured Sleeping Serpent Blue in the other Clutch had recovered from his fall and was marching, as proudly as he could with sand still sticking to his face, towards the white line of food-givers. He paused briefly to paw at his face a little, trying to remove some of the nuisance-y sand, before giving up and headbutting Kelarin rather forcefully in the stomach.

Mine! Would you be so kind as to rid your poor Duamuth of this gritty, sticky uncomfortableness? And then some food would be much appreciated. Come on, mine! With that, the blue began to march off towards the smell of meat, as if having already forgotten his first request with the reminder of his desire for the second. Besides, he knew that his would tend to him dutifully!

While this Impression was going on, the Foaming Shores Green stood not far down the line, eyeing candidates critically yet gently. She passed by Kinga, Eravrael, and Trilia before suddenly jolting to a halt.

Jaylee-mine! There you are! Were you hiding behind that three-legged creature, mine? But you wouldn't hide from your Cassanth! You love her far too much, just as she loves you! All signs of decorum melted away into a bubbly, happy puddle, as Cassanth rubbed her cheek lovingly against hers and gazed upwards with admiration in her whirling eyes.

The Breaking Surf Blue, though perhaps forgotten for the moment, had not forgotten about everyone else who milled on his sands. He peeked around the edge of the Gentle Ripples Egg, watching his Clutchsibling Impress and all of the other chaos on the sands, from his safe little hiding spot. As he watched two of the strange standing creatures help a third off the sands, with a brown dragonet trailing behind, the aqua blue dragonet froze suddenly. Then with a warble of dismay, he abandoned the safety of his haven entirely, leaping forth and pelting across the sands.

Mariya-mine, Mariya-mine! You weren't going to leave your Telmacith, were you? Please wait for him! The urgency in the little blue's tone was obvious, as he stumbled a few times in his race across the sands to a new haven that would be far safer than any twitching egg. Reaching her, the blue collapsed in a quivering mass, looking up miserably. Your Telmacith is afraid, mine. Please protect him?

Ribbons of cracks were forming along the sides of the Shady Evening Egg as it neared Hatching readiness, and the Serene Oasis Egg was also twitching more violently. The Deceptive Calm Egg gave its first jolt and then went still again, while the Dry Mountain Egg began to shake consistently for the first time. The Desert Flower Egg was also beginning to rock steadily now, and the Cracked Earth Egg's shell seemed to throb with the force of the fighting dragonet within. The Rising Thermals Egg had yet to move at all.




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[D'gellin]

It was difficult to get her bearings. The flickering light seemed to play tricks on her eyes, and the constant commotion on the Sands was little help. Jaylee found herself leaning closer to Trilia more for her own support than for the younger girl's. The Prickly Guardian Brown darted here and there across the sands, inspecting and pouncing, generally too rambunctious for Jaylee's comfort so soon after the inadvertent mauling. When the brown made a dash for a half-hatched green, Jaylee's hand darted out to grab Trilia's arm compulsively, alarmed and wide-eyed. Was he going to hurt that pretty little one from the other clutch? Trilia was trying to pry her arm free, whispering something about calming down, when the brown stopped short and tipped the green gently onto the Sands.

Then he was off again, looking very proud of his deed while the green recovered effortlessly. That was it? Everything was okay? Jaylee couldn't help the little nervous laugh that resulted. Her heart felt lighter at the kindness, the innocence. She belatedly released Trilia's arm, apologetic, but the delicate raven-haired girl had already absorbed herself in the Hatching again. Trilia's expression was one of such concentration that Jaylee brought her now-free hand to her mouth, covering a giggle. Her young friend was determined, that much was certain, and for good reason, Jaylee supposed, for there were now two blues added to the mix of hatched dragons.

The brown paired off. The blue found someone. Jaylee was content just to watch, perhaps not entirely comfortably, but was lost in how beautiful this whole event was, now that she wasn't quite so frightened. Maybe dragons weren't so scary after all. How intimidating could one be when he was hiding behind an egg? The green, however, moved farther down the line, eying the girls carefully. Jaylee stiffened, fearful of the scrutiny. It seemed as though those whirling eyes could look right into your soul, see your every secret thought. When would this intimidating green Impress? And then Cassanth halted, Cassanth who Jaylee knew in an instant. Of course she would take her time. She was a proud little thing after all, and had an image to uphold from the start.

Jaylee-mine! There you are! Were you hiding behind that three-legged creature, mine? But you wouldn't hide from your Cassanth! You love her far too much, just as she loves you!

Startled, heartened, and incredibly happy all at once, Jaylee found herself smiling more fully than she had in a long time. Her heart was set to burst as that beautiful green rubbed against her, all love and adoration. "Cassanth." She breathed, hesitantly reaching a hand out to touch the pretty hide, before instinctively sure hands found the place that she just knew Cassanth loved to be scratched best. Words failed her. How could they capture these feelings? It didn't matter that Jaylee was confused with Weyr life, that she had never expected to Impress, hadn't even humored the idea. What mattered was Cassanth. Beautiful, wonderful, perfect Cassanth!

Yes, and your beautiful Cassanth is hungry as well. Could we perhaps get something to eat? The green inquired, leaning into Jaylee's hand, those gorgeous eyes looking up with gooey affection though they were now tinged with hunger. Despite her lack of appetite, Jaylee found her own stomach suddenly growling hungrily. The new greenrider nodded, biting her lip against the tears that were brimming in her eyes. Anything for Cassanth...As she stepped away from the line to lead the green, Jaylee was startled when she caught Trilia's eye. The younger girl looked as though Jaylee had struck her across the face without warning. Before she could register the betrayed distress Trilia displayed however, Cassanth drew her attention again, this time fully, and they made their way to the food, lost in their own personal bubble of happiness.