Archith's 2nd; Rules Made to be Broken [E]

[Shoki]

Cyanee remained in her daze for some time. Still, it slowly wore off as the Abyss seemed to just converse with her Gold mother, which, though curious was not confusing to Cyan. It made sense to the candidate, that a dragonet would like to talk with their mother if they were feeling chatty. She was actually wondering why more dragonets didn't. When the Brown came into view she stifled a laugh, he having got his food early. He got some for his sister too, which was nice of him. Cyanee's mood became more relaxed, enjoying watching the dragonets, rather then trying to analyze them too much.

An egg burst open and a Blue came out, while Cyanee looked on, visibly impressed. He was a large one, that was to be sure. He trotted over to the male candidates, with his head held high. He was certainly confident. She watched him until another hatching egg caught her eye and her gaze shifted. A Dream had appeared. She hopped out to look at the female candidates, and had some manner of exchange with the Abyss. Cyanee watched the dragonet go by, excited that there was now a dragonet so close. After making a round, the Dream went back, to her sister, and left Cyan puzzled. What was going on. She pursed her lips together for a moment, then the light of clarity shone though her eyes. Oh, the Abyss probably wanted to impress first, and the Dream was letting her. What was nice of her. Cyanee was hoping that the Abyss didn't take too long then, after all, she wanted to have lots of dragonets impressing and coming by. Maybe one might see her as a fit. Cyanee might not understand how a dragonet picked their rider, but she could hope that it might be her.

Still, as she watched she caught some conversation going on down the line. She tilted her head a little, wondering what was being said. She caught some words, like hatching and life mate, so the conversation wasn't hard to figure out. Of course the other candidates were talking about the hatching, why not. It was certainly one worth talking about.

---

Irai caught sight of the candidate she was there to support, and smiled quietly. Inside, Kumori's critical eye reviewed the girl again. Rekkora went onto the sands and took meticulous care to make her appearance perfect. It fit with what she knew of the young woman. A touch of arrogance, yes that was present. It happened, she knew with some regularity with the sort of person she looked for. Still, it made things tricky at times if she wanted to got for it. She would have to put on a very different sort of mask. Unless she played things very, very well. Plans flowed through her head, but she pushed them for to the back. It had been a really long time since she had seen a hatching, and as was obvious, she didn't hate dragons. Still, for Kumori it was more idle then some of the other people watching the hatching.

[Moo]

Riona’s eyebrows lifted when the Brown trudged his way over to the meat, startling onlookers in the process. She looked around at the candidates beside her – was this not a normal occurrence at a Hatching? Watching the large Brown made her smile. She had to hand it to him, he went after what he wanted.

But girls did not Impress Browns.

So she turned her eyes toward the other dragon. Oh! Abyss! That was its color. Her color. Riona watched the little dragon with mild interest, and then glanced over to the area where the female candidates were gathered. They all seemed so intent on the Abyss, some of them even chatting away. Was talking during a Hatching now a big deal? Was the dragon’s color really rare? Girls usually went after high-ranking dragons, didn’t they? But the Abyss only had a little gold on her hide, nothing like the Queen before them all…

Perhaps appearance did not matter much in the end.

Self-consciously smoothing back her hair, Riona’s attention was diverted when the next egg shattered, revealing a large, stocky Blue. He seemed determined as ever, and when he trotted his way closer, Riona couldn’t help but feel her heart skip a beat. The excitement of the Hatching was starting to turn infectious.

Next came a Dream who circled the girls and returned to the Abyss, appearing content to wait for the perfect candidate to pick. So the Abyss was the leader. Would she find leader material with the girls? Everyone knew Queens didn’t Impress to boys. Riona’s thoughts began to wander. She was standing with the boys, but it had been habit that set her feet to this course.

Doubt crept into her mind. Did it matter to the dragons what side she was on? Would her chances be cast aside for being on the wrong part of the Sands? But before anxiety took a good hold, Riona clasped her hands behind her back and stood tall and ready for what could lie ahead.

She just had to trust that they knew what they were doing.

Because she sure didn’t.

Riona refocused her attention on the Blue headed her way. Who knows...maybe a BlueRider wouldn't be all that bad.

[Cait]

It was clear to see that the other candidates around her were alarmed by the presence of the young Abyss. Whatever the past dictated about the particular brand of queen, it still remained to be seen if the hatching of the Abyss was an omen; good or ill. As Rekkora watched the two hatchlings that were already on the Sands and raised a brow when the burly brown tore across the Sands, barreling past the Candidates; a Stands Impression perhaps? But no, the Brown fell upon the feeding table and abducted one of the prepared bowls of meat, dragging it across the Sands, coming far closer to her than he had on his mad dash. As he neared, his newly hatched lack of coordination caused a bit of the bloody meat juice to slosh over the edge of the bowl and her lip curling slightly, Rekkora took a step out of the way though she wasn’t truly in danger of being splashed.

Following the brown’s progress with her eyes she watched as he placed the bowl down and when the Abyss moved forward and delicately selected a piece from the bowl, Rekkora’s lips twitched and then curled in an amused smile. That a girl, starting early with the boys. In Rekkora’s opinion, any newly born dragon that could have the males wrapped around her little toe right out of the gate deserved props. Her fingers twitched at her sides, brushing against the rough material of the white robe she wore as the sound of another egg cracking drew her attention away from the Abyss momentarily.

The new addition was surprising, a rather large blue who wasted no time in marching over to the boys. There was something to be said about a go-get-em attitude though aside from that, she had no interest in the Blue. While she didn’t share her sister’s overwhelming aversion to cross Impression, there was no way she was going to Impress something as common as a Blue, large or not. So, turning her attention back to the clutch, she watched as an almost elegant looking Dream emerged and made her way a little too close to the Abyss, garnering a hiss that had Rekkora’s lips curling once more. Though the more she watched, the stranger it became. With the exception of the Blue, all the hatchlings so far seemed to be under the control of the young Abyss, even Archith seemed intent on the young Queen.

“Curious.” Rekkora spoke softly, blue eyes flicking over the other eggs as the Dream finished her walk down the line of female Candidates before returning to the Abyss and settling to watch the Candidates. Yes, this was nothing at all like the other Hatchings she’d seen before; even the ones that had contained Queens though admittedly she’d not been to many of those. A quick glance around confirmed her thought as she took in the confused and wary expressions of those around her.

---

Up in the Stands, Dyranor donned a rather confused expression. Was this normal for a hatching? True, he’d never been to a dragon hatching before but what he’d heard of them was that they were generally full of chaos and hatchlings running all over the place. So far, three of the four were gathered by the golden mother, deferring to the little Abyss as she took her time eating from the bowl that the brown had dragged across the sand for her. Yeah, this was nothing like he’d expected. Glancing over at Saddyris he found her with a vague frown; clearly she thought so as well.

“Why do I get the feeling that this is not a good thing?” It was the general feeling of unease that seemed to vibrate through the Stands that gave him that impression but the other reason was the way that the young brown and dream seemed to be deferring to the Abyss already. Sure she was a Queen; Suiauthon deferred to Poica, but they had just hatched!

[phantomofthewolves]

Oola watched as a Blue and a Dream hatched. She wondered if she would Impress any of the dragons hatched and inside the eggs today. She remembered the lone hatching she had failed to Impress, the day when she failed her parent's expectations. She silently sighed and cleared her mind. She should be happy for the soon to be newly Impressed, even if one of them was her. She quietly giggled as the brown dragged a bowl of meat to his Abyss sister and she ate. This was an unusual hatching, and she was happy to witness it.

[Nicole]

That was unusual.

To be fair, meat isn't always kept on the Hatching grounds; if it had been there, would you have gone to that first?
The pull to you was too strong, I think. But the little Abyss is a Queen. She is stronger willed than I, I suspect.
And the other one, the Brown?
Following her lead on what she wants. She is a Queen.

Elora didn't spend too much time focusing on what they were doing as the Blue and Dream shattered their eggs. She leaned forward, eyes eagerly noting the patterns, how they walked, back to the Abyss, how she ate.

I am glad you are no longer hiding this side of you.
What do you mean?
You've been reading in public more, asking questions, now you're making notations in your head. You like knowing about this. Being smart. And you were trying not to be before.
I was worried about what people would think.
And now you are not?

As the Abyss swallowed a chunk of meat whole, Elora contemplated the question for a long moment. It wasn't that she wasn't worried about what people thought of her; she still presented herself well, spoke the same, flirted the same. Just the information and what she did in her spare time was different.

Besides, if her plan was to work - and yes, she had spent much free time drafting up lists and plans and organizations; if anybody walked into her room, they'd see it covered in papers - Rilora would need to approve, and she doubted that Rilora would send somebody stupid out into the field.

My goals are different.

[Simile]

Chantrea frowned slightly and found herself taking a slight step forward to get a better look at the Abyss Queen. She would be in no hurry... but if she insisted on Impressing first she might cause the death of some of her other siblings. She reminded her of her own family. Not doing a single thing unless they were told to do it by. Of course... This could easily be just as terrible. It could leadto the death of some of her siblings if she should not allow them the same that she had tkaen or to choose theirs until she did. Depending on how long she took. Chantrea tightened her fists and prepared to simply wait despite her instinct to put up the fight for the others. She gritted her teeth. It did not matter if her mind was blank. If a dragonet would choose her, it would choose her regardless of what she felt.

The blue momentarily distracted her and she watched him before turning back to the queen and the Dream she ahd jsut prevented from choosing her rider at this point in time. She sighed. What could she really do... She would jsut have to watch and see, she supposed.

But... She wanted to tell that queen exactly what she could do right nwo. She wanted to call the Dream out to them. But she had no right, did she? She sighed again and clasped her hands in front of her, standing slightly apart from the other Candidates now as she watched them, though she triedto keep an eye on the eggs as well. Each one could have something for her to seen. She would admit.... they were beautiful... but... beauty was not a reason for her to be this way towards the others. sHe wondered if she would be like the queen Valorith she had heard much about... Or if it had been influence who had made the dragoness and her rider terros. She ahd heard all the stories and somehow she wondered if they weren't more terrible than anyone else in the end. They were still a rider and dragon pair....

------

Dandzael swallowed as he watched. THis wasn't right. It couldn't be. No dragonet had ever done something like this before. Something just felt wrong... His eyes were diverted as the large blue broke from his shell. He wasn't just any blue. He was positively huge. He was as big as an average brown it looked like. He couldn't believe his size and he couldn't help but keep his eyes on him as he approached hte boys. He was definitely of abnormal size. He wasn't common by any means. Not truly. He was somethign else entirely.

((Sorry... Short...))

[kelsin]

Just when Kelsira thought that it couldn't get any stranger, the brown broke past the ring of candidates and grabbed a bowl of meat. Curious, as to what was going to happen, Kel continued to follow him with her eyes. Her eyses widedend as he dragged it back to the Abyss and waited until she ate. In all of the hatchings Kel had been to, she'd never seen anything like this. Gradually, she tore her eyes away from the Abyss and her "court" and watched as the Blue headed towards the boys.

Turning to Melana, she nodded. "It looks like you might be right" she replied softly. Shrgging her shoulders she added "Sure is one way to make an entrance".

[Kaya]

Know you may always come to me, Archith imparted, her heart full to spilling over. Dear one.

For all dragonets knew, perhaps from the minds that forever surrounded them, there was still something to be said for age. So the Abyss, while considerably less hungry than the average hatchling, felt she should have to return to her mother. Even should they retrace the same conversation many times, could she take the whole meaning in? For while she was a beautifully strong and willful youngling, she had a grain of acknowledgement from the start that she was not best at everything. The Brown had been better at serving her, as she had not those skills herself, and the Dream had more self-restraint on this day of their birthing than she might ever. She was something of a wonderer, for she still could not claim to be a fathomer.

Then in a wave her hungry stomach protested itself to the forefront, and its intense hunger broke down her continued waxings. She felt again the irritation of being without...something. But she was too hungry to ponder it further. Her Dream sister had had the right idea, but as the Abyss paced towards the girls the Dream hesitated to follow in her wake. The swirled dragonet hung back, watching the Abyss leave, and then turned to her brother the Brown. Their eyes whirled together for a long moment and, though it was not apparent, they did not speak. Merely, they both felt it. The Dream let out a sad cry and hung her head. She huddled closer to the great Gold. The Brown sat, still as stone, and watched, his gaze flicking between those present and the entrance. It was an empty feeling they had, and not properly abated, soon to sour into dread.

As if to echo their sad feelings, a rather melancholy looking Moonlight drug herself out into the larger open area in front of Archith. She had hatched in seclusion, hidden around her mother’s tail. She was rather sad looking, and felt very left out. She saw her Dream sister and picked up her pace to snuggle in against her mother the Queen. Archith tended to those in front of her, trying to access their spirits and to guide them back to searching. It was the natural process. They must turn. If they never left her, that they should never make it to and still beyond the great unknown they faced.

With some dragons on the Sands, and the proper start passed (for truly the Abyss and Brown had been early), the pace continued to pick up. The next six dragonets hatched in pairs. In true Archith form they were neatly arranged and set next to each other, so that soon there were three pairs of similar hued brothers and sisters standing about. There were the DarkBlues with their cautious looks peering about at the strange new world. There were the alert Sunlances taking in the scene with a bold set to their faces. And there were two dissimilar, yet paired siblings, both Black, but the brother with Blue tints to his hide and the sister with Green. The Black-Green was the cutest, chubby little dragonet and earned a few adoring awws from people scattered about the Hatching Grounds. She wasted no time in setting herself off towards the girls, while her Black-Blue brother watched on. He supposed she had her own way to go. He looked around to see the other siblings doing likewise, with each approaching – some at a cautious walk, some at a good paced trot – the humans of their own gender who were neatly grouped. It struck him as too organized, and he hung back, uncertain what to make of his siblings he saw crowded about the great, large dragon in the center.

Then, something wobbled to his left. He startled and backed away from it, and then looked embarrassedly about, feeling silly. It was just another egg, and it had stopped just as fast as it had started. With a snort of disdain he moved away from the egg. He looked up to see his Blue brother staring at him, and so, irritated that he should still be made the fool of the scene glared back. The two approached each other, though the Blue was open while the Black-Blue looked somewhat guarded and even hostile. Still, at the first words of the Blue, some rude nonsense about what they sought, the Black-Blue hurried off away from his sibling and left him standing there, looking puzzled.

It was right when Archith had finally gotten the Dream to try searching again that the Moonlight decided she wasn’t going to be the one left behind. The three, the Brown, Dream and Moonlight, made their way together to the middle point between the two groups of Candidates before they parted ways: the Dream and Moonlight to inspect the girls, and the Brown to the boys. The Moonlight caught sight of something and hurried on to see, but she earned herself a territorial hiss from the still searching Abyss. Her trot ground to a halt and she almost turned about to return, but a stern and caring word Wait kept her still. Yes, she understood now. She could see how the Abyss felt, how she needed to search and be certain about some mystery. She could feel it herself, but also differently. Still, she was sure about her sister. And then felt what she was certain her Dream sister already knew: that it was their right place to wait. It was the order, part of this great and confused dance. Then she paused, confused over the idea of dance and whence it came.

The Abyss looked back to see a little ring of dragonets waiting for her choice. And while a part of her felt gratified and deeply pleased that she should be first, that quiet echo, that something else that also composed her, whispered that they too needed to search and find. It added a sense of urgency to her quest, what she had removed by eating out of turn, but here found again. She passed by the minds that felt too full of qualities she did not possess, the ones that she could even suppose fit with those of her sisters behind her. So it was that she passed by Adelia and Cyan, and Kelsira and Melana and Oola, and several other girls and paused by Chantrea.

And then she knew. And continued. She could feel the right mind was near, though…it wasn’t just a mind she felt. She thought it was something more, but as had been frustrating her for a good portion of her short life, she had no words for the thoughts that plagued her mind. Still trying to put the thoughts together she arrived, and the tangles drained from her mind as she looked up.

Yes…Rekkora. You are Sunvoiath’s.We have a long way to go together—but this is a happy occasion! Now I feel it true! Together, we have the – what was it mom said? – something about chance…no, change. Oh, I can’t recall, Rekkora. I am your Sunvoiath, and that is enough for now. Food?

Abyss
Name: Sunvoiath (sun-voy-ahth) [sʌnvɔɪaθ]
Hex color: #111111/#d4a514
Adult size: 45 feet
About: Sunvoiath has a certain and determined will and still she is one who marvels. She can get lost in her tangled, philosophical ponderings and has a great deal of trouble articulating what she's thinking or feeling (in all matters save cut and dry orders). She is aware of her qualities, her strength and that she's noble stock. Still, she is aware of the qualities of others, and while she may quietly envy their virtues she will not praise them publicly and seldom at all in private. She thinks highly of herself, but treading into such thoughts she will usually get lost in her struggle to list just what it is about her that is so wonderful. She is a dragon perpetually at a crossroads, wandering down one path or the other and wishing she knew where she is even supposed to be going.

[Shoki]

Cyanee watched quietly. Eggs just kept hatching, and her eyes were drawn to each one as she caught sight of them. Darkblue, Sunlance, Black with blue and green in their hides, Blue, Moonlight, all held back from the Abyss. She looked at them, her eyes trying to watch them all at once, and finding no way to do so. They were cute and calm, apprehensive and grand, so wide in variety she found herself amazed. But they were restrained, held back from proper course. It was plain to see, and Cyan turned to see the Abyss again, coming down the line, meaning to have her look first. The Queen strolled by, looking at all, but not REALLY looking at any, if that made sense. Cyan's breath caught when she passed, and the same feeling came over her. Trying to understand, but not getting it at all. So the girl contented herself to view the beautiful black and gold dragonet journey to find hers. So when the dragoness finally found who was hers, Cyanee wondered. What kind of pair they would be? She didn't know.

Still, as Cyanee smiled for the Abyss and her rider she was left with something warm. She was happy for them. It surprised her though, it felt like this should just be the end of the hatching. Here eyes turned toward the other dragonets, and a smile flashed over her face. It was not. This was only the beginning.

---

There was a moment of silence, and then Irai stood and walked out. She had to, and wanted to. As she finally left the stands and got outside the mask of Irai shattered silently, leaving a old woman, scars on her face, arms and soul grinning with glee. No more doubts, no more searching in vain. She had seen what she wanted to see. What she had needed. Come storm, come disaster, thread or any other force on this world, Kumori would see her arts in the hands of Rekkora. She started walking again, mask still on the floor. Who would care as she walked back to the Hold? Everyone's eyes were elsewhere, their attention diverted. She wanted a moment as herself, Kumori, and to plan. It had been eons since she had felt this good.

Kumori paused a moment and looked at the weyr, one that she had once been told she would fight against. No animosity did she extend toward it, so long as it remained a bastion for the colors that they called dark born. Still, perhaps there was one more step after passing things to Rekkora. She did not fret over it for now, only found herself in an uncommonly good mood. This was an occasion for celebration, for gifts. She would get both ready, since even now her mask was broken on the ground. She turned back toward The Road, proceeding back to get things she needed. There was time. She had waited so long, she could divert for something like this. So she went on, leaving what happened next for others to see.

[phantomofthewolves]

Oola stood as more eggs hatched. Blues, Greens, a Moonlight, and many others arrived and began to mingle among themselves. She was amazed at the variation in their hides. The black had some green in its hide and her other black brother had some blue in its hide. There were also Sunlances and other colors she hadn't seen.

She felt a tad bit rejected by the Abyss as it passed by without pause. She knew that an Abyss was not for her, as they originated from an evil Weyr, which is now disbanded. She watched as the Abyss Impressed and she felt happy for the new pair. She smiled and returned to watching the eggs and the hatchlings in earnest.

[Cait]

Dyranor and Saddyris continued to watch from the stands, the former in awe as more young dragons spilled onto the sands and the later oddly quiet as she took everything in. As the Hatching progressed and more young dragons spilled onto the Sands, Dyranor leaned forward over the rail and not for the first time wondered how Saddyris had managed to find them coveted front row seats to the event. It had never occurred to him that as guests that the seats might have been reserved for them. They were, after all, filled with the families of some of the Candidates as well as crafters that came to enrich the Weyr on a yearly basis. Still, whatever the case, he was glad from such a view. It allowed him not only to get a better look at the newly hatched dragons—a bit gangly and awkward like runners in his opinion—but it also allowed him to get a better look at the candidates, particularly the female ones.

As the young caravan man pondered the strangeness of the dragons that huddled about the Golden mother just as equally as he did the facial features of various female candidates, more dragons hatched, two by two by two. Tearing his gaze away from a fiery head of red hair, Dyranor stared at the new arrivals and was more than a little amused by the matching pairs.

Two blues…only they were far darker than he’d expect of a blue. Two of what he was certain were sunlances; one just shy of being white and the other being quite obviously a golden-yellow. His attention was drawn, however to the bicolored siblings and Suiauthon hummed louder at the sight of them. Where the little male firelizard on his shoulder was a combination of Black and White, the dragons on the sands were also Black but with blue and green for secondary colors. A smile curled on the man’s lips as he watched the chubby little Black-Green took off towards the female candidates, leaving her brother behind to watch. Dyranor was no different and he let out an appreciative ‘awr’ with the rest of the population.

Turning his attention back to the Black-Blue, though not for long as many of the other dragons began to move. Surprisingly enough, however, none seemed to be pairing off. Weren’t Impressions supposed to be made at Hatchings? What happened if the dragons didn’t find who they were looking for? Did they just go wild like firelizards? Turning his attention back to the group that was clustered around Archith, he frowned; what would happen to them if no one suited them? He doubted it was so easy as just feeding the things; heck, the brown had already fed the Abyss.

Catching the tail end of some encounter between the large Blue and the Black-Blue, Dyranor was surprised when the three dragons clustered close to their mother finally decided to venture forth and inspect the Candidates. The Abyss was already slowly stalking the female candidates and clearly not wanting to be rushed or disturbed in her painstaking inspection, hissed at the encouraged Moonlight. Wincing and hoping that things didn’t dissolve into a fight—firelizards often fought over food—Dyranor leaned forward further. The Abyss had gone back to her search rather than follow through which was good but now the lad was hooked; who would she choose?

He watched as she wove in and out of the candidates, noting the reactions of each as she was passed by. Some flinched, some scowled and some seemed rather relieved. When the Abyss paused in front of one of the girls, Dyranor rocked back and poised his hands to clap only to have Saddyris reach over and push them back into his lap. Sure enough, after several seconds, the Abyss moved on, more purposefully and stopped in front of a young woman with pale blonde hair the likes of which Dyranor had never seen. Saddyris removed her hand from his and he let out a congratulatory whoop before clapping like a fool. He garnered several perturbed glances, one of them from his cousin though he didn’t notice at first. After an awkward realization that no one else was making as much noise he plopped back down on the bench and glanced around in a paranoid manner as he muttered. “You’d think they’d be happy about the first Impression.”

Saddyris leaned over and spoke in a low tone so that her voice would not carry. “They’re not sure what to think about an Abyss Impressing, much less showing up in a clutch. Now stop being an idiot and just watch!”

[Simile]

They were all hatching in fluries and all, in the truest fashion of the golden queen, in sets that seemed to match in color. The two blacks, the darkblues, the sunlances... and the lone little moonlight. They were all gathering to their mother... for the most part. That Blue was certainly a bold one, still so determined... and his Black-Blue brother was somethign else in his own right. The exchange was brief... But she didn't see it all as there was movement which caught her eye. That of a black and gold hatchling. Beautiful in her own right nad so... different than what one might expect. She watched her move, passing by the girls one by one... looking and searching. She hissed at her sister and Chantrea watched again. She was a little dictator... but a regal one at that. Her sense of urgency must have increased for her to be going now. Even with food in her belly already. She passed them each by until she came to pause beside her. Chantrea looked at her, waiting to see, though a part of her doubted greatly, but she bowed her head in silent salute to the young queen. She thought, but did not say, Change is in the air and is happening so very quickly.... She wasn't sure what to make of it. This change. This sense of different-ness that existed now. It was somethign she had been looking for and, yet... now that she had found it, would she be able to embrace it? Take it in and let it be different?

The Abyss moved on and she watched her go to another girl nad smiled to her gently with a slight inclination of her head. "Congratulations... Young Queen." She congratulated the dragon. "And to you as well." She added to the Abyss's rider. She would show some support for her... she felt that things might jsut get very complicated in the near future.

She turned back to the others as they left and waited... the floodgates would surely open now with mroe dragons to swarm the sands and the candidates standing on it to find their own in a desperate search.... of course... thigns couldbe quite different. it was the Brown she expected to Impress next... but then again... she could be wrong.

------------------------------------------

Dandzael felt unease. The hatching wasn't going as he would have expected. He looked at the blue and the brown, feeling more... steady regarding them rather than their sister. Soon, however, there was a Moonlight to join the dream and more dragons... a Black-blue who didn't seem to like the Blue... and sunlances and dark blues. THey seemed to become so numerous all of a sudden...

[Cait]

There had been hatching where Rekkora had felt as though it had taken hours when in actuality only minutes had passed. There had been hatchings where there was a burst of activity and then nothing. There had not, however, ever been a hatching quite like this strange. Never had she had to deal with hatchlings arriving early though given the particular hatchling that had arrived early one really couldn’t get overly upset. Queens, be they Gold, Silver or even Abyss, had their prerogatives. Maybe this was some sort of test? Though as she continued to observe the Abyss and her followers she decided that the notion was a bit far fetched; aside from the brown perhaps, none of them looked as though the had any other intention aside from huddling against Archith.

And while it did seem like eternity, after a handful of minutes, the Abyss finally moved away from the group, her eyes intent on the female candidates. Instinctively, Rekkora straightened her spine and checked to make sure her hair fell just so before glancing around at the other young women and girls with slightly narrowed blue eyes. Though it had been done before over the past couple months, Rekkora once again sized up her rivals for she didn’t exactly consider them competition. True, one was the granddaughter or some such of a retired Silver rider…or was it a Rainbow? Well whatever the case, she doubted connection would help in the least.

Then there was the girl with the black hair; far too naïve by far for a being so willful as an Abyss, though perfectly suitable for Rekkora’s purposes depending on whether or not the girl was successful that day though truly aside from a few passing glances, Rekkora didn’t notice the girl much; she just wasn’t a threat to either her intentions to woo and control the men around her or for her intentions to Impress for that matter. Calculating eyes turned next to the manly looking woman, one of the newer arrivals and Rekkora’s upper lip curled slightly even as she ran her palms down her sides as though to make certain she was still properly shaped. If that thing with the frizzy hair and the shoulders like a herdbeast managed to Impress a Queen it would signal the demise of the very fiber of the Weyr for sure!

The little—well perhaps gangly and awkward were more apropos—girl; the youngest of the girls on the Sands in fact, was hardly afforded a scrutinizing glance. Again Rekkora felt she had nothing to fear from that one—not that she feared other women in the slightest, or men for that matter—and her gaze moved instead to the other two young women on the Sands and perhaps the ones she was the least sure about. From her wheedling and prying she knew that one was named Chantrea and the other not many knew yet but they did know she was from High Reaches Weyr. That didn’t sit well with Rekkora at all, who rather liked being the “exotic beauty” amongst the female candidates.

With lips pursed, she finally turned her attention back to the Hatching, surprised to see that a Moonlight had joined the others and for a moment she thought of her sister and Korinath back at Ice Stone Weyr. Though she hadn’t been around long enough to truly get to know the young dragon—or had much of a desire to—she could instantly tell that the two Moonlights were vastly different. The one on the Sands now seemed to be…well, it was rather pathetic looking and unbidden, Rekkora’s nose wrinkled slightly. A quick scan of the Sands showed that the Abyss had just begun her perusal of the female Candidates and though she strongly desired to watch the little black and gold queen with rapt attention, the blonde forced herself to turn her gaze back to the clutch as three pairs of dragons tumbled from their eggs and onto the Sands.

Another burst of amusement colored the girl’s expression as she noted that they had truly hatched in pairs. Two DarkBlues, two Sunlances and even a pair of bi-colors. Was it just her or did those seem to be popping up more and more with every hatching? There had been two back on the Northern Continent; a Purple-Grey and a Black-White who had admittedly been quite adorable though highly unsuitable for a young woman like herself.

As Rekkora looked over the new arrivals, raising a brow when the Black-Green practically bounced her way across the Sands to the female candidates. If that wasn’t the chubbiest hatchling she’d ever seen…shaking her head and putting the bi-color from her mind—she would never Impress something with any relation to a Green—she noticed that Golden Archith finally seemed to have managed to coax her children to do as they were supposed to and inspect the Candidates. Moving together, the Brown, Dream and Moonlight moved away from Archith then parted ways when they’d drawn nearer, the Dream and Moonlight moving towards the female candidates.

While both were beautiful in their own right, neither could compare to the Abyss, or Archith herself. There was something about Queens that set them apart and it wasn’t just their rank or clutching abilities. Perhaps it was the way that other dragons—even the most unruly—deferred to them, or the way they unconsciously held themselves. Whatever the case, when the Moonlight scampered too close to the gold-streaked young Queen and was startled almost halfway back to Archith, Rekkora could only smirk. Yes, Queens certainly had something about them and this particular one seemed to have a bit more of it than the others.

Glancing away from the Abyss as she continued her slow inspection of each of the girls and women around her, Rekkora noticed that no Impressions had been made yet; that every one of the hatchlings seemed to be waiting for the Abyss to choose. Perhaps they did not wish to step on her golden-streaked toes or feared that rushing her would come with a hiss and a swat. Whatever the case, Rekkora found herself continually amused by the entire situation and a little jealous. What would it be like to have everyone dance around her, eager for her opinion and wary of her wrath? True, she had already amassed several young men to dance to her tune but some days it was hard work getting them to bend to her will. Here this little Queen was and all she had to do was look at the Brown and he went running to get her food. Here she was and all she had to do was hiss and everyone stopped to listen. Here she was and…she was standing in front of Rekkora, looking up with eyes like rainbows and a voice like silk.

Yes…Rekkora. You are Sunvoiath’s. We have a long way to go together—but this is a happy occasion! Now I feel it true! Together we have the—what was it mom said?—something about chance…no, change. Oh, I can’t recall, Rekkora. I am your Sunvoiath, and that is enough for now. Food?[/b]

One heartbeat. Two heartbeats. Three heartbeats passed as realization settled over Rekkora. Sunvoiath. A strong name to be sure and certainly suiting. As a feeling of belonging and possession washed over her, stronger than any emotion she’d ever felt, a content and vaguely smug smile pulled at the woman’s lips until finally she was grinning at the young Queen. She had done it! No…they had done it! They had found one another from near opposite ends of Pern they had come and joined together. Reaching out, Rekkora traced her fingers over a jagged, damp patch of golden hide on Sunvoiath’s neck and looked around noting both smiles and frowns alike, lifted her chin, unable to keep the grin from her face. “Come then, love. You will have all the food you can eat.”

When Rekkora turned, the Abyss lurched forward so that she was even with the woman and not following along like one of the silly boys in Rekkora’s mind. When Chantrea vocalized her congratulations, Rekkora raised a brow and Sunvoiath lifted her chin. For a moment the young Northerner was uncertain how to respond though detecting no snideness in the girl’s tone, she decided that perhaps it was a simple congratulation. Sunvoiath regarded Chantrea silently for several seconds before flicking the tip of her tail.

Her time will come, though…yes it will come. Now thank her so that I may eat. You promised me food.[/b]

Rekkora raised her brow at the Abyss as her tone changed abruptly from smooth, flowing silk to polished steel in a matter of seconds. Once again amusement tickled her and the smile she turned on the young dragon held more warmth than one might have previously though Rekkora capable of. The warmth retreated as she turned her attention to Chantrea once more, smile still in place though far less genuine. “We both thank you and good luck.”

And with that, Rekkora and Sunvoiath crossed the Sands to the table that had been set up. Though, rather than lift any of the bowls and risk spilling the bloody mess on her white robes, the young woman gestured for one of the weyrfolk stocking the table to move three of the bowls to the ground. It was unlikely that Sunvoiath would eat them all, but it was better to waste a little than not have enough. “Eat your fill, my beauty.”

The Abyss waited as the bowls were placed on the ground before her, tolerating Rekkora’s fussing as bits of shell fragments and sand that had gotten stuck to her were brushed away though once the food was finally in place, Sunvoiath let out a hiss and stepped forward. Just as before she did not hurry but rather picked at first one bowl and then the next, piece by piece. Rekkora thanked Faranth for small blessing; her lifemate was not a slob when it came to eating.

[Moo]

This suspense is terrible, Mosiliath audibly groaned.

He shifted his weight around where he sat, and the rate at which his eyes spun chartreuse steadily increased as he watched the unfolding drama on the Sands. He had attended many surprising Hatchings before, had even witnessed dragons fail to Impress, but this…he would have almost preferred that to this Abyss before them all.

No.

He shook his head, mostly to himself. No, that wasn’t right. That was what he had been told as a weyrling, but he had fathered his own now. He knew better than to judge a hatchling, even if the color of her hide raised great concern.

Besides, it was the first time he had seen the color.

His eyes lingered on the quiet Moonlight before glancing over to Archith, and then back to the little, dark Queen. All he had to base his assumptions on were the stories of war. Though he and D’gan were older than most, and had flown through much threadfall together, they were still young enough to have entirely avoided the Weyr War.

If the Abyss were his hatchling – and for all he knew, she could have been, if the Flight had gone differently – then he knew he would have gone to the ends of the sky to keep her safe from any harm or criticism. He would not do Archith the disservice of rejecting one of her hatchlings barely out of its shell.

Taking a breath, Mosiliath continued to hum along with the others and kept his eyes fixed on the Sands. Not long after it seemed the actual hatching had begun, and with the appearance of the six new hatchlings, he visibly relaxed. Two-toned Blacks, DarkBlues, and Sunlances added to the organized chaos of the Hatching Sands. That was more like it, though the variety of sizes and colors were intriguing in their own right.

Still, there was more to this Hatching than all of the others combined. The weight of change was palpable in the air.

He could feel D’gan mentally agree with the statement, but they both held their tongue as they watched the Abyss stroll along the group of female candidates, no doubt considering their many qualities. When it seemed she had finally chosen, and Impression had happened, Mosiliath looked down to his Rider.

I would be lying if I said I was not anxious. Doesn’t it seem to you odd that, after all the Weyr has been through, that now there is an Abyss among us? Of everything it could have been?

No one could have guessed what would happen, Mosiliath. Hatchings don’t always follow a set rule. You and I have seen that more than most. It is a strange coincidence, but like it or not, we have an Abyss in the Weyr, out of Ancalanath and Archith.

D’gan looked up at the worried Tiger and ran a comforting hand over the dragon’s large foreleg. They’re both strong dragons with good heads on their shoulders. Let’s give them the chance to prove it with this new queen.

A flicker of movement leaving the stands caught his attention, but only for the briefest of seconds. Wasn’t important. Mosiliath’s eyes swirled faster as he returned his thoughts and good intentions toward the remaining eggs and dragons on the Sands.

Do you think we should introduce ourselves to the new pair?

Let’s give them time. If they want to talk, or Archith or Rilora asks us to, then we will. But you know how Hatchings go. Besides, everyone will want to talk to them.

Satisfied with his Rider’s answer, Mosiliath turned his head and watched the dark queen and the older girl walk off the Sands, toward the feeding stations. He just hoped the rest of the Impressions went smoothly.

One big surprise was quite enough for him.

#

With a quick glance to the boys beside her, then over to the girls, she watched in silence as the Abyss made her selection at last. Peering over at the tall, pretty blonde and her newly-Impressed dragon, Riona tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear.

Well, that was that. No sense in wondering about her own odds with that Abyss, considering she felt the complete opposite of Queen material. She was having enough of a time trying to figure her own self out, so taking on the role of a future Weyrwoman? Out of the question. Weyrwoman were strong, confident, and perhaps just a little vain – or so she heard.

She was neither of those.

But that was okay.

She didn’t really want to be like that.

Not yet.

With a small sigh, Riona smoothed down her candidate’s robe and looked on at the new dragons with bright eyes. The hatching was picking up and suddenly there was so much to look at – so much to take in! For the first Hatching she had ever attended, Riona felt it was going swimmingly. How many people could say they attended the Hatching of the Turn? From what she gathered, that Abyss color was a rare sight.

A defiant smile lifted the corners of her lips. The boys back home would be so jealous.

[Terayne]

Adelia was silent as she observed what was going on, trying to keep her thoughts in line. It was very difficult though, with everything NOT going as she'd been told it normally did. All the ORDER to this hatching just didn't feel right. It didn't feel as it should, and she could only guess that it was centered around the young Dark Queen, who her eyes kept coming back to. She was a beautiful creature, Adelia would give her that, but she was also a hue that made the girl nervous, having heard all the stories, told by those who had been there, of the terrible beauty of Valorith.

Taking a deep breath as the Abyss approached, she straightened unconciously, eyeing the young dragoness, although she was also noting the matched-or ALMOST matched in the case of the two Bi-Colors-pairs of dragonets spilling onto the Sands from the eggs. She sensed more than saw the Abyss pass her by without a second glance, and almost felt slighted that she hadn't even garnered a LOOK from the young Queen. She'd not expected to be chosen by her, from what she knew of them, but she DID have Queenrider blood in her veins, after all. Smiling faintly with amusement at her own thoughts, she shook them away, tracking the Abyss' progress as she stopped before Chantrea, her head cocking slightly. Chan? But no, the young Queen suddenly seemed to know EXACTLY who she wanted, and went unerringly to...

She resisted the urge to frown, somehow not surprised. Everything she'd seen and heard about Rekkora fit with what she'd heard of Valorith's rider, vain, self-centered, and wanting everyone to dance to her tune, especially the men. She barely kept from snorting, but offered the new Queenrider a respectful nod, even though she didn't like it. She WAS now a Queenrider after all, with everything that entailed, but Adelia would be damned if she'd bow her head to the girl unless she had no other choice.

Young one, be nice. We raised you better than that.

The gentle but firm reprimand rang in her mind, and she unconciously flinched, glancing up at Aurorath, who was giving her a stern look as only she was able to. Hanging her head slightly, allowing the Silver to know she'd heard and understood what she was being told, she then raised it again and looked to the rest of the Hatchlings, wondering if Her's was among them.

She'd be lying to herself if she said she didn't dream of riding a Silver like Terayne, for she adored the hue immensely, moreso than any other, but she also was practical enough to know that, having Hatched one Queen already this clutch, it was highly unlikely there was a second one, and even if there was, Silvers were rarer than Golds, and Hatched from golden-sheened eggs. No, if there was a second Queen, it was likely a Rainbow, who were Hatched from normal eggs. But again, it was highly unlikely, and she sighed softly, then pushed away the feeling of disappointment, not allowing it to take hold, not wanting to seem foolish...