Ill-timed Arrival

[Felina]

((I'm sorry about the psychotic personification. Truly, I am. This is what happens when I go from writing poetry to writing a role-play post, and then switching off between the two as I work on each. -dies-))

The cold, at least, was gone by now, dried by the relentless heat of the sand below, heat that scorched at the soles of Felina's feet but was still welcome for that which it did manage to do. The splatters of mud that marred the hem of the white robe were not to be helped; hardly could she sit down in the middle of a Hatching and attempt to get it out of the coarse fibers. Though sitting would be a welcome respite from the watchful eyes. Oh, there were few of them, at least, but those that were there prickled at her like tiny needles. Aggravating, but not as bad as, say, sledgehammers. Yes, there was that to be thankful for. And the thick rock roof that kept more of the hail from battering their heads in, there was that, too. Always a good thing, keeping ones' skull intact.

Even if that served only to allow it more space in which to harbor more doubt than could possibly be contained by any one person. At moments, she felt as though she wanted to break down and scream, or do something other than stand, idly, waiting for failure to show its ugly face, leering, grotesque features contorted, staring balefully down at her like she was something particularly appetizing, and it was hungry. It was the waiting that bothered her the most, the never-ending wait that twined ice-cold fingers around her heart, within her heart. It was her heart, her own heart, she realized with a jerk that flung strands of dark hair in her face. It was not something that froze her heart, but, rather, her heart freezing anything that so much as dared to touch it. Had she done this to herself? She shook her head, as much to get the hair out of her face as to clear her mind. Impossible. And that darker side of herself still lurked in its corner, muttering darkly and beckoning to that wild-eyed failure, willing it to come her way.

As the two greens hatched, with a few moments in between each, that muttering rose to a crescendo, telling her that she would never Impress, and look how even the Greens ignored her. If they didn't think her worth anything, why would any of the other dragons? Her attempts to override such thoughts failed as well, for always she came back to the same self-deprecatory idea that she could never, never be a Rider. The brown that stepped carefully, disoriented, through the sea of bits of shell received even less notice. No dragon as beautiful as he was would ever really look her way.

And yet, he headed towards the girls, as though to torment her already tortured mind. And when he stumbled, falling snout first in the sand, he was so near, she could have reached out and touched him. But she did not, for she knew what could happen when one approached a dragon uninvited, and she had no wish to incur that sort of wrath, no wish to add to her collection of scars that which was inflicted by a dragonet angered. Before she could turn away, though, to keep from the temptation of helping him up and sending him on his way, for it would not do for a dragon to go between when they were so desperately needed, there was a warm, ungainly body leaning against her legs as though they were the only thing keeping him from falling over. And those whirling eyes that met her own so entreatingly, that could not be denied any more than the voice which resounded within her own mind, drowning out the disbelieving mutters of that doubting part of herself.

Your Breunth has faced a trial to reach you. His legs do not work properly yet. Perhaps it is because he hungers so...

And the thick glaciers that surrounded her heart melted, just a little bit, making a hole large enough for the very hungry dragonet to fit in. And for what felt like the first time in forever, she smiled, not cynically or in amusement, but in sheer happiness.

Hungry, she thought wondrously, biting her lower lip in thought. Yes, she could feel it gnawing at her own stomach, crying desperately for sustenance of some sort. Any sort, so long as it was of the edible kind. None of that liquid stuff that didn't fill the belly. Dragonets were born hungry, and remained so for a long time. Oh, Faranth, so long as she didn't have to endure the hunger for too long. Idly, she wondered how long it would take for Breunth to grow. But the brown just stood there, leaning against her, looking up and waiting. For her. Her, and only her. He didn't care what she looked like, only that she was his and his alone. No, she didn't think he'd like to share her, now, would he?

Yes, very hungry. He hasn't eaten in a long long time and now would like to. You will feed him, yes?[/color][/size]

[M'kel]

The largest, golden egg commanded attention once again. Its insistent shaking had taken on an ominous note. Every other egg seemed stilled upon the sands in contrast with the determination exhibited by this egg's intensity. Tiny rivulets had formed all around the orb, snaking their way through the outer layer of the thick, hard shell. The egg seemed to be expanding, bursting at the seams. The pressure was building.

A hail of shards exploded from the orb, for the breaking point had finally been reached. The pieces continued to rain down upon the golden mass lying in the place of the egg. A regal head rose above the golden body, eyes whirling with a singleminded intensity. A flash of lightning illuminated the sands as she stepped forth, leaving a still squirming golden body upon the shards. The second queen, not fully visible in her squirming position, seemed to be struggling to rise. The first was proceeding purposefully towards the line of girls, until suddenly she jerked to a halt. Her tail seemed to be tangled still with the second queen, and she yanked forward determinedly to free herself.

The second queen was tumbled about by this forceful passage. She rolled over to her feet, raising herself upon trembling limbs. She extended her wings feebly for balance and support, beginning to creel helplessly. These cries went unheard, for the first golden dragonet had marched straight to the line of girls, striding down it purposefully. Her amber hide glistened with health, and her wing membranes shone with a metallic olive-gold colour. Much larger than any of the bronzes hatched by far, she commanded the sands in her quest for a rider.

A loud snort of disgruntlement voiced the queen's distate for her reduced options, for it was obvious that many girls had already Impressed. However, this distate vanished immediately as the first gold came to a halt. Her impressive wings extended in triumph, and she strode forward to nudge Alana with a surprisingly gentle touch. Alana, your Gwynevith requests your consideration. She hungers greatly, and this must be dealt with immediately. The greens are lucky they had not tried to claim you before your Gwynevith Hatched. The fierce pride and note of possession in her voice was obvious.

The other, pale gold seemed to tremble in comparison to this strong presence. She was much smaller than the other, and her short front legs gave her an awkward gait. Thin and quite scrawny, it was obvious that one of the golds had dominated in utilizing the nutrients of their shared egg. The golden dragonet began to walk forward in faltering steps. She crouched at the edge of the circle of eggs, her eyes locked upon Kitari's in a silent plea. Kitari! Your Lefayeth needs you. She is too hungry to go further...will you come to her? Hope and a touch of fear coloured her tones.

"What is this?" a cold voice rang out upon the sands. M'kel was startled out of his reverie, turning to face the reclining form of Sitareh. Suddenly fearful of what she had to say, he rose and rushed to her side. The horror on her face was indication enough of the reason for her exclamation. "That is not a queen," she hissed, glaring at M'kel as if this latest unusual development was his fault. The bronzerider had no response. One born perfect, fit for the role; the other a runt, unhealthy already. There was nothing he could say.

[M'kel]

With no great ceremony, a brown nose poked out of a carefully crafted hole. Lacking the explosiveness of some of the earlier entries, it may have gone unnoticed, until a brown dragonet followed the nose out of the egg and onto the sands. Even there he was difficult to remark, for his hide was a sandy brown. Only his wing membranes stood out, with their deeper shades of earth brown contrasting against his lighter hide. After pausing for a moment, he continued to move in halting steps, making his way gradually up a particularly steep mound of sand.

Suddenly, some distance from the brown dragonet, a blue dragonet burst forth from the restraints of his shell. Stepping lightly upon the sand, he shook his wings to free them of the hindering flakes, then flapped them proudly for all to see. A particularly chill gust of wind soon halted this display, though, for he tucked his wings close to his azure blue sides with a slight shiver and surveyed his surroundings. His rather large head seemed to swing awkwardly above his slight form, but his movements still held a touch of grace. Choosing a direction, he began to step lightly towards the boys.

Another dragonet had finally managed to form a fairly large hole in his egg, and he rolled out of it clumsily, relieved to have finally succeeded. His steel blue hide flashed with a metallic hue, and the navy blue streaks tracing his form were visible in the light of the glows. He, too, seemed to feel the wind, for he shivered and let out a small whimper before his whirling eyes fixed upon the other blue. Hurriedly, the second blue to Hatch scampered to the other's side, eager for a companion in this treacherous new landscape. Thus, the two began to cross the sands together.

The brown dragonet had finally reached the peak of his mound, and he gazed around the Grounds. Spotting the lads not far away, the brown became quite animated, shifting in the sand and sending shards skittering down the mound. All of a sudden, the sand he had been perched upon gave way, and the brown dragonet was sliding down the mound with the shards, tumbling to land right in front of the pair of blues. Both of the blue dragonets reeled back in fear at the sudden appearance, but the first to Hatch recovered quickly from the initial shock and lashed out instinctively in a defensive motion.

A bugle of pain pierced the Hatching Ground, and the brown dragonet tore away from the pair. He was favouring his hind leg, and ichor was already appearing in the gashes. The cuts were far from deep, but the brown dragonet was obviously feeling shock more than pain. He continued to creel piteously as he shuffled quickly to the lads, where he buried his face in Hunter's stomach. Your Bediverth has been attacked! Mine, you will protect him, won't you?

At the first signs of a conflict, the steel blue dragonet had torn off away from the potential combatants. He did not want to become involved, so he sought the protection of another. It was to Ayalexie that he hurried, but he did not stop in front of the lad. Instead, he passed him by and crouched behind him. Your Galeshinth does not like the fear! He would much rather be fed than afraid. He is glad to have found you, mine.

The remaining, azure blue dragonet had not moved. He seemed frozen in shock at what had just occurred, and it was quite some time before he finally began to move forward once again. Even then, it was with halting steps, and he stopped upon reaching the edge of the ring of shells. Tentatively, he raised his whirling eyes to meet Tarren's, then lowered them again. Your Owaith has committed a terrible act, T'renmine. The shame was palpable in the colours of his tone, and the dragonet refused to proceed any further. He does not deserve his one, for T'ren is far nobler than he.

[B'kay]

Hail and rain hid the patch of darkness which suddenly appeared above the Weyr Bowl, and the howling winds drowned out the curse of human and roar of dragon that accompanied the shade.

A darkly shaded bronze dragon had winked from Between.

"Shells and Shards!" the rider growled as a torrent of flit-egg sized hail pummeled him in the back and shoulders. B'kay crouched low over Syth's neck, and directed him toward the shelter of the main cavern. He could feel warm movement against his chest, accompanied by a flash of fear and reluctance.

I go gladly! The dragon replied, as he folded his wings and dove like a dart for the shelter of rock. It was only once they were inside the cavern, that the rider and dragon became aware of the other sound that rang through the Weyr.

"Hatching?" Dark eyes shone in the man's scarred face, his scowl casting it in dense shadow. "How long have we been gone, Syth?"

The dark bronze rumbled deep in his throat, and abruptly left the shelter of the main cavern and headed for the Hatching Grounds. Too long, it seems. I missed a flight!!

B'kay's face and hands were bleeding from the battering the short flight left him open to, as they once again left the storm for shelter. The bronze drifted to a high perch just inside the entrance, his darkness cloaked by the shadows of the rocky heights.

B'kay and Syth had followed the renegade riders, as he still thought of Sitareh and M'kel, forward into time. His Smith background had helped them to procure some necessary goods for the Weyr, but his failure to see eye to eye with the Weyrleaders on many issues had driven him to request permission to explore the deserted northern continent. Being of a solitary nature, it took a long time before B'kay had felt the desire to return. Exploring long deserted Weyrs had become a passion ... artifacts hundreds of Turns old (those which had not succumbed to time and tunnel snakes) had been uncovered.

The sight of eggs hatching on the sands drove home just how long they had been gone.

I would have caught her, Syth growled deeply, in a tone so private that B'kay himself barely caught the thought.

"Mmmmm," he grunted, then raised a brow as the great golden egg at the center of everyone's attention broke to reveal not one, but two queens. One of the twins was obviously weak and stunted ... B'kay could see that even from the heights. Others hatched, but B'kay's mind was focused intently on the two queens and the girls who became their bondmates.

Again, the nearly silent mental whisper, And I would not have sired defective dragonets.

"Hush now," B'kay, eyes glinting darkly, stroked his dragon's neck. The small brown flit tucked into his flight jacket poked its head forth, eyes swirling brightly over the sight of a Hatching, and his human's confusing emotions. "Hush now, my Only. Interesting things have happened in our absence. Let's just bide our time here ... I think the adventures are only beginning."

Griz, however, at the moment the brown dragonet was injured, let out a sympathetic warble. It rang from the heights, echoing out of the shadows. There was no way the Weyrleaders could have missed it.

B'kay sighed and stroked the little one's eye ridge. "So much for discretion," he whispered.

[ravyna]

Ravyna, dark hair tied back with a scarlet sash, hauled another bowl of bloody meat chunks toward the Hatching Grounds. Shells, but these young ones could gulp it down! A smile touched her face, brown eyes wide with wonder, as she stole a look at the newly hatched dragonets.

She had been running in and out since the Hatching had begun, hauling meat, and running errands. Now, she ducked into a shadowed niche, determined to actually watch some of the Hatching progress.

Her gaze caught the contentedly swirling eyes of a feeding dragonet for a moment, though she doubted it even noticed her. It was fixed entirely upon its rider, and the looks on both faces, dragon and human, filled the dark young woman with awe.

She examined her feelings for a moment, shocked that all of the indignation she'd initially felt when no one had invited her to stand on the Grounds had faded the moment she'd gotten her first look at a dragon hatchling. Smiling, she ducked farther into her niche, hoping to catch a glimpse of the next egg to hatch.

The Weyr was serving her well, after all. Her time here had been profitable, and her plans had come together well enough. There were many warm beds to visit, and young men, riders and otherwise, to please her senses.

For now, for this moment, she was content to observe ... as long as she wasn't caught shirking her duties, anyway.

[stargayzer]

Caltrain, tired and sore, his already bent body now laced with cuts and bruises from the hailstorm, finally settled on a low bench at the very edges of the Hatching Grounds. The Hatching was nearly over, it seemed, by the time the young beast-keeper had manage to fight his way over. He craned his neck, trying to see the side cavern where the newly hatched dragons were being fed, and tried to shut out the sounds of storm that still echoed through the Grounds.

There was fine young and tender meat, more than anyone had expected, for the hatchlings today. Caltrain rubbed his bruised face with exhausted hands. Half his crop of this season's young shearlings had been lost to the sudden arrival of the storm. He hoped the flock would breed well and strong, to replenish the losses.

At least Araelen's new dragonets would have the most tender, the finest meat available on Pern.

The beastman tried hard to focus on the Hatching, to let the joy of new life ease his grieving over the lost.

[Felina]

Altair counted. All that surrounded him was chaotic, with hushed mutterings washing through those gathered like a wave breaking on a nearly windless shore, fizzling out, but the soft murmurs of the sea could be heard. However, his mind was on only the numbers. How had he failed to notice it in the first place? A brown dragonet Impressing to the scarred girl had forced him to notice. A large number of the female candidates had already Impressed, and left many males. Perhaps the Greens who had yet to hatch would notice him. They, after all, wouldn't have much to choose from among the females.

Hope, at last. Though he frowned when he noticed what had been slightly odd about the Gold. He'd ignored her from the start, as one would never Impress to a male. Ever. It would just go against everything that had ever been. But there were two. And one looked like she was going to collapse right then and there. Well, that was odd. But humans bore twins, too, and often one of them was malformed or mentally deficient. That had to be it.

The heart-rending cry of the brown caused him to turn around. Bleeding. Why was he bleeding? Surely the dragonets would do no violence, but what had caused him to stumble? For he had appeared to have fallen into the blue; the blue looked nearly as surprised as the now-limping Brown. What in Faranth's name was with this Hatching? It was more a circus than anything else.

[Journye]

Hunter was a bit surprised to see how many females had already impressed, leaving mostly males standing. He shrugged and was proud of himself at how well he was doing in not flinching with every crack of thunder that could be heard over the humming of the dragons. He watched the three dragnets presently on the sands, admiring the colors of their hides, jewel like blues and a sandy brown. He watched them for a long moment before glancing over the eggs remaining to hatch. He didn't think he would be worthy of notice of a brown or blue, he would probably impress a green he thought, with another shrug any color would do as long as he could be a rider.

He attention snapped back to the three hatchlings as one cried out in pain and was shocked to see that the brown was bleeding. He was even more surprised when the little brown buried his head against his stomach, his mind voice tinged with pain and fear. Hunter instinctively reached down to pet along the sides of the brown's neck, mumbling soothing words and sounds as he knelt. He gently looked over the wound and was happy to see that it wasn't deep and would just need a good cleaning and bandage. He smiled gently to the dragnet who was watching him with eyes that were slowing their whirling and the color shifting from red to greens and blues "Of course I will protect you Bediverth," he said gently, lovingly.

Hunter sat back on his heels and looked the little dragonet over and Bediverth seemed to be looking his new rider over lovingly as well. Hunter couldn't have contained the smile that was now plastered to his face if he had wanted to. He admired the rich sandy color of Bediverth's hide and the deep earth toned color of his upper wing edges running from tip to joint. He also soon discovered that Bediverth greatly loved having the earth brown color running from the edge of his eyes up to almost his eye ridge to be scratched.

Bediverth was the one to decide that the time for admiration was over I hunger mine. Will you please feed your Bediverth as well as protect him?[/color] He asked with a tilt of his head, his mind voice sounding more mature now that the shock and pain were gone. Hunter smiled and nodded "Of course, I'm sorry. I just got lost in the knowledge that you chose me," he said softly, leading the young brown to the meat bowls.

[Shikai]

((Kitty asked me to type this up for her, since she’s really busy. ^^))

The number of unhatched eggs left on the sands was steadily dwindling, to the dismay of the candidates left standing. Fortunately, there was hope for them yet, as one of the few remaining eggs seemed to shudder. The dragonet within finally broke through, and the midnight blue dragon tumbled out onto the sands. He struggled to stand up, for he was having trouble making use of his legs, which were rather long. The blue looked around him, and, after a lengthy pause, made his way towards the boys, quite pleased to find that there were no eggs in his way to make his journey more difficult.

Another egg broke with a crack as a brown finally pushed his way through the shell. Shaking his rich, sandy-colored head to get rid of any remaining shards of the egg, he was quick to orient himself and wasted no time in setting off toward the boys. He glanced disdainfully at the wandering, slower blue, who seemed to be having much difficulty finding the person he wanted. Impatiently, the brown knocked the blue over, and began inspecting the male candidates himself.

A small green with incredibly dark hide was revealed as her egg fractured into many small pieces. She remained still for a moment, confused, and shuddered as a draft of wind blew over her. Looking around, she noticed the blue, appearing to be very lost, wandering from boy to boy, but not taking interest in any. Concerned, she made her way toward him, and followed him as he began to wander away from the boys, to where the girls stood. Yet the blue, in looking over the remaining girls, was still unable to find his! Desperately, he started walking toward the stands. The green, still worried about him, followed as well.

Meanwhile, another green made her own impressive entrance by splitting her egg neatly in two. She stepped daintily from where they fell, her head turning left and right as she pondered where to go. The green was a celadon color, and a good size for her color. Making up her mind, she began to move toward the girls.

She was halfway there when she stopped for a moment, looking at the remaining girls as though assessing which to choose. Suddenly, two bronze wings popped out of an egg right beside her, frightening the green. Haughtily, she snorted at the hatching bronze and moved decisively toward Vinxi. There you are, Vinxi! Your Dindraneth was just about to come greet you, when she was very startled by her brother! She apologizes sincerely for making you wait…[/color]

The bronze, still in the process of hatching, had managed to struggle most of the way out of his egg, but a large part of the top clung determinately to him, obscuring his eyes. Wildly, he darted forward, trying to free himself of it, and bowled straight into the brown, who had been glancing at Kerji. Both the brown and Kerji were hit by the confused bronze, causing the boy some scrapes, but no serious injury.

The dragonet scurried away from them, not wanting to harm them anymore, but this only served to cause him to plow into Altair. The impact finally knocked the shell off of his head, and the bronze raised his eyes to meet those of the candidate he had run into. Altair! There you are, mine! Tristiath is most sorry for the harm he has caused you, his brother, and the other boy. He couldn’t see where he was going.[/color]

The brown was quite deflated after being knocked completely off his feet by the bronze, and so he slunk the rest of the way down the line until he came to Evias. Your Malagnonth is very hungry, Evias. His brothers have very much slowed him down in finding you, which is why he has come so late.[/color]

The blue had, by this time, figured out that the stands really were where his rider was! He tried to climb up the steps, but was having a very difficult time of it due because his wings were extended for balance, and the pathway was too narrow for them. After falling down, he turned his head toward Rytia and cried, imploring her to come down to him. Rytia, your Percevisth is having the most difficult time getting to you! He is very confused as to why you are up there in the first place, instead of down hear with the others! Please, won’t you come down to him?[/color]

The dark green dragonet, seeing the blue finally impress, relaxed and turned back toward the sands, only to find that a boy nearby was in pain now! Immediately she lunged toward Kerji, rubbing her head gently against his chest. Oh Kerji! Your Blancheurth is so sorry that she was not here soon enough to protect you! Now you have been hurt! Can you forgive her?[/color]

[B'kay]

In the shadows of the heights, where no one could see the expression on his face, B'kay leaned forward and wrapped his arms as far as they would go around his dragon's neck. Syth was humming, a deep baritone that felt beneath him like the whole planet was humming with joy.

We may have been left out of the mating flight, my Only, he said to Syth, But I'm pleased we've caught the tail end of the Hatching, at least.

The two queens are odd, the one being faulty, but many of the young are hatchlings worthy of protecting Pern.

What about their riders? he asked, straining his eyes to get a better look, and then shifting to see the newly bonded better through the eyes of his dragon.

What do I know of riders? Syth asked, snorting slightly, The riders will be what the dragons require, as always.

B'kay nodded, and scratched the long scar that ran down the side of his face absently.