From Ruin Comes Rebirth (HATCHING) [V]

[Cait]

Dusk || 3075.08.04

DISCLAIMER: This thread contains references and actions of a potentially graphic nature. These include violence against defenseless eggs and their contents.

It hadn't taken much for the more opinionated holders to be incited into a mob-like mentality and in a crowd of many one voice wasn't easily identified from another. So when a young man, or perhaps a woman, shouted about an old tunnel that led to the hatching sands and a rough sketch was slapped on a table, it only fueled the fires of hatred and revenge. By the time they reached the isolated tunnel, their numbers were upwards of twenty. The hike was a long one and more than once they had to break through sheets of ice that went from ceiling to floor, made by years of partial melt followed shortly by freezing.

When they reached the large wall of ice that would, once removed, see them almost directly onto the sands--sands which cradled a hardening clutch of still more dragons--where they could take their revenge. Sons, brothers, fathers, wives, daughters and sisters had been taken from them or left in ruins. They would have their revenge. The Weyr could protect that treacherous Weyrleader of theirs all they wanted, they would lose their precious hatchlings, they would have their homes and families violated; they would know what it felt like to wake up and have everything be different, to have everything be wrong!

The sun was clinging to the horizon when they finally, through a series of strategically placed fires and later the use of their improvised weapons, that they broke through into the antechamber. The leader of the group--a man whose daughter had been violated by a man with a rider's knots--gathered his group which now numbered just fifteen and had them wait. Carefully he crept to the opening that led onto the sweltering sands and was surprised to find that the clutch was undefended. Sweet Faranth they would have their revenge!

Motioning for the group to move forward with him, sledge hammers, pickaxes and various other improvised weapons were hefted in hands; one particularly zealous young woman even wielded a fire poker, her still vivid bruises marking her as one of the "lucky few" victims left alive. They started out at a brisk pace though once the clutch came into sight, people began to break off in twos and threes, jogging and then all out running at the eggs. When they finally reached their eggs, there was a moment's hesitation as the gravity of what they were about to do began to sink in and then the woman let out an enraged scream and thrust her fire poker with all her might through the shell of a smaller egg and the group descended into madness, consumed by rage and hurt and the need for revenge.

[Jay Kitten]

Unbeknownst to the Ice Queen whom had laid the eggs, her clutch was about to be violated in one of the most heinous ways imaginable. She had been away, yes, leaving her eggs unguarded figuring that the bitter cold of the outside would keep those looking to get in away. But she hadn't known about the thin sheet of ice on the western wall, with ages-old caverns leading behind it. Who could have expected that there was a weak spot in that rock hard ice? Those walls that had been hardened by the brutal weather of the North, those rocks that were under the ice that had been bared by the heat of the Sands.

She had been away, checking on her Rider, sick in bed as she was. Sanshe was ill, and Lanikath was a worrying beast, the Ice hated to be away from her Rider so long while she was like that. It hadn't even been for long that she had intended to be away, and soon she started her way back, flying slowly, tired from the long day. She was of course worried about her clutch, but still she had no idea of what was to come.

She alighted onto the ledge where one of the cavernous entrances into the Sands would allow her a perch over her eggs, and her trudging footsteps surely echoed loudly through the entirety of the inside as she went in.

But upon examining her clutch with her own eyes, she could not, at first, believe the reality that she saw. Who would? It was horrifying to experience, all hammers and torches and brutality... A few of the men now encircled her precious Queen egg, slamming it and smashing it to pieces, those streams of ichor pouring out from the broken shells could only tell too much of what had happened to the poor baby that was inside. Immediately, once her mind had fully processed what she was seeing, she screamed out a loud roar of rage, and plummeted from the wall down to the Sands, flailing in anger as she attempted to rend the flesh of any humans nearby, impacting the woman from before directly in the chest with her massive tail, sending her careening into a wall, where she was knocked unconscious. Would the brutality ever end?!

[Cait]

It was hard to tell how many eggs had been destroyed and how many were simply damaged but what was apparent was that the clutch had been irrevocably devestated, violated. It wasn't long before the revenge crazed holders zeroed in on the Queen egg and began taking out their frustrations on the thing that the dragonriders coveted most.

It wasn't certain how much time had passed but time wasn't really what was on the minds of the holders when the clutch mother arrived on the ledge and upon seeing the ruins of her clutch let out a bloood curddling bellow filled with pain and rage and fear. That was all it took for a quite a few of the holders to drop their make shift weapons and make a break for it though five stood their ground.

The leader, three other men, most of them young and reckless and the young woman who was still going at one of the eggs, her face spattered with ichor and streaked with tears. She never saw the massive tail coming and the fire poker flew from her hand as the tail collided with her; she landed in a tangled heap at the base of the wall, unconscious.

Meanwhile, out in the weyr Barrek looked up from overseeing the cleaning of the forge and hide the faint twitch of a smile at the sound of the enraged dragon by swiping the back of his hand across his face. Donning a concerned expression, he slipped out of the forge and when he saw guards running in the direction of the sands he kicked into a jog and followed. His little minions in the hold had done a good job.

[Jay Kitten]

Lanikath's roar floated throughout the Weyr. The old Dream in his cave far on the outskirts even heard it, rousing the old hermit Rider of his to help check out what was going on, and, after a few thoughts, transmitted the news throughout the Weyr. Her clutch had been attacked! Lanikath was beside herself, still dealing with the few on the Sands. Four men stayed, and one, in a display of amazing stupidity, roared a below of battle and charged another one of the defenseless eggs closest to him. His club swung, and just as it impacted the shell, denting the top of it, massive jaws encircled his torso, tossing him to the side with all the strength a dragon could muster. He didn't move from where he landed about a dragon's length away, it was obvious he would move no longer.

The other three were convinced, they tried to run, but by now it was too late. Several guards and their dragons were on them in seconds, a blue even pinning one down as two men tackled the remaining pair. They were dragged through the blistering Sands kicking and screaming, to answer for their crimes. Lanikath paced impatiently muttering to herself and looking left and right at all of the devastation. She still couldn't believe it, how could this have happened to her, to her children? The Riders who answered her calls found the escape tunnel, a few of them heading down it to try and catch up with the rest of the group.

The Ice Queen curled up in dismay nearby her ruined section of clutch... Ten eggs, including one sparkling Queen egg, destroyed. All of the largest ones were gone, all of her beautiful sons or daughters that would have one day been the size of her or larger... Her eyes swirled a violent red with flecks of black and a burning undertone of yellow and orange, they looked like flames seething with the rage of her betrayal at the hands of humans she had come to trust.

About an hour passed before the Queen would allow anybody else anywhere nearby her clutch, after a sickened Sanshe was sitting up in her bed and having a long talk with her about what had happened. A nurse was with her at all times, the attack had left her in such bad shape that she couldn't breath correctly without assistance. But she calmed her dragon down enough that she could allow what had to happen to happen.

Once the Sands had fallen silent again, a low, eerie sort of wail sounded, before the familiar noise of dragons beginning to hum filled the Weyr. It was dark, well around midnight, but their sounds couldn't be ignored; the babies were coming, and they were coming now. On the Sands their shells rocked, even the one left bruised by the last man to touch one of them wobbled irregularly where it lie, only one large egg was left in the midst of the broken pieces of it's sibling's shells. Seven eggs remained, of all sorts of shapes and sizes, though none anywhere near as large as the single egg that had been among those broken. The mother hoarded it closer to her, collecting those that remained into a nice, even circle, with the largest in the center. She called for her Rider, who messaged for the Candidates to be brought to the Sands.

The eggs themselves, however, were still pristine save the one dented one. Two of them were a light, icy-blue color, mottled and solid, looking very much alike, however one was slightly darker than the other. The largest egg was flanked by them, and it itself was white with darker patches of grey rushing along it's smooth surface. There was a deep green egg, a solid white egg, and one that was off-white like a chicken's, with yellowish patches and dots circling about it's form. And lastly, the dented egg, a sort of pinkish color, the third-smallest egg, collapsed on the top right side inward, and already starting to crack slowly.

It was time for them to Hatch, and find their Riders.

[mirror]

It was late, very late, but Garna wasn't sleeping. How could she? She had escaped Rainbow Mists Weyr, that wretched place that had held her captive for so long. Well, 'so long' might have been a bit of an overstatement. She was only actually a captive in a cell for roughly a month. Which, seeings as she had taken actions that could be seen as an attempt on the Weyrleader's life, really wasn't that much. Not that it mattered to her. Her candidate knots had been removed and she had been reduced to a drudge in rank. Not to mention the sheer amount of betrayal she had to endure. Ragnar, her own brother, had left her when things got tough.

But no more. Earlier that day she had seen some northern riders returning to their Weyr and hitched a ride with them, claiming to simply want a transfer. Since then she had requested to stand as a candidate and, since she checked a search dragon's inspection and they had not yet discovered her past at Rainbow Mists, was allowed to. Garna would be standing for the hatching, a hatching that might only be mere hours away.

It was nervousness that made her stand up and pace, and the fact that she had ears that allowed her to know that something had gone wrong. The roaring, the screaming, the wailing, she could hear it all the way from the candidate's barracks. But she did not go to check on what it was, assuming it would not effect her.

That was a mistake.

It was not until she entered the candidate sands, wide awake despite the hour, that she saw the sheer devastation that had been brought down upon the clutch. Fury griped her, ice cold and burning hot at the same time. Yes, a good deal of mutants had probably been destroyed, but how many good dragons had been the cost? And that egg, that glittering queen egg. What if a gold would have hatched from it?

The fury of someone gravely wronged showed in her eyes as she gazed out on the eggs. As she looked at them she swore one thing, she would have her revenge on whoever did this.

Meanwhile, a little ways across from Garna, an absolutely exhausted girl made her way onto the sands. Her name was Astrielle and she, amazingly, had managed to sleep through all that chaos only to be woken up by the call for the hatching. The journey down was not easy, what with her stumbling everywhere and having trouble stringing a sentence together. Needless to say, the grisly sight on the sands woke her up fast.

The first thing that passed through her was shock, followed closely by fear. Just what had happened here? Were the people who did this horrible thing still here? Then there came that thing that always seemed to be there with her, questions. Or one question, one very important question. The most important question in the world at the moment. Astrielle's voice was barely above a whisper as she asked, "who did this?"

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

Somehow, when Lavan had imagined standing for a Hatching, he had never imagined being awoken in the night, and the middle of the night at that! Oh, he knew that dragons didn’t time their Hatchings to suit men, or at least, he’d heard it repeated often enough by the Candidate Master that he ought to have remembered it. However, every time he’d imagined attending a hatching, it had been in full noon, not full night.

He’d been awoken by the most terrible sounds, roaring and screaming, and sounds that seemed to be from something being smashed apart, which had come, he’d checked, not even a full ten minutes after he got to sleep. Then, when the sounds had finally stopped, and he’d gotten back to sleep, he’d been awoken once more, this time by the announcement that the Candidates were to come to the Sands for the Hatching.

Almost, he’d rolled over and gone back to sleep. Almost, but not quite. Not that he was worried about getting in trouble, but his father would be widely upset with him if he acted in any way against tradition, since the rank of Candidate, though temporary, left a mark of highness forever on the entire family and derived all of its honor from tradition.

Blinking, Lavan rolled out of bed and pulled on his white robe, joining the others on the way to the Sands. He walked with the easy grace and precision of the swordsman that he was, but when he saw what awaited them on the Sands, even he faltered. Yes, he was aware, though the Weyr had tried to keep the knowledge from him, of what had been done to the people of his father’s Hold, and he was aware that the Weyr had yet to even admit the Weyrleader’s guilt, but this?

The Hatching Sands looked like nothing so much as a battleground. There were bits of shells and ichor strew about, and the eggs rocking there were but a sad remnant of what should have been there.

Serves you right, for what you did to my father’s people, Lavan thought, but deep inside, he wasn’t really sure.

[Terayne]

It was the middle of the night, calm and peaceful. Then, the calm was shattered by a bellowing roar of pure rage and pain, and Aiya sat straight up in her bed, looking towards the outside apprehensively. What in Faranth's name was going on?! She started to get up, then hesitated, biting her lower lip. Curiosity won out though, and she pulled on her robe and snuck to the door, listening for any sound outside it. She didn't HEAR anything, but she knew that didn't mean anything. And, as she'd suspected, it didn't take long before the roaring, the screaming, stopped....

Taking a deep breath, she turned the knob and peeked out, shivering as a cold breeze blew past her, flickering her skirts about her ankles. Silence... No... Not silence... Her head rose as it began, with the oddest wailing noise she'd ever heard.

The Hatching Hum, vibrating through the walls of the Weyr like a call. Now was the time. Nodding, she turned and headed back to her bed, opening the trunk at its foot and pulling out the handmade, pure white robe. It was simple linen, not the lustrous satins and silks she preferred, but she had no choice, She had to wear the fabric, and wear it she would. Tradition demanded it. Pulling it on, she then also pulled on the simple sandals and headed to the Grounds...

What she saw when she got there though made her freeze in place, her stomach rebelling against her. Turning, she heaved in a little bucket that had been placed nearby. It LOOKED like it might have had meat in it, but better it than the floor. Shaking violently, Aiya leaned heavily against the wall, her eyes wide with disbelief. Who would DARE?! Who would dare to invade the Weyr and violate the most innocent of lives?! She was unable to move forward, she was shaking too badly, so she remained right where she was, in the hallway just entering into the Grounds, feeling the shock begin to fade, and the rage to set in. They had no right at all to take out what she could only assume was a personal grudge against riders on the most innocent of all. The children of the dragons were not at fault. Not to blame...

[summerrain]

The pair popped out of between just as the humming started. Ayleneth was especially anxious for this one, as it was her mother who had Clutched the eggs. She had learned the importance of family living with Yuki at Rainbow Mists.

You should tell Lanikath that we're here, Yuki told the Aurora.

{Lanikath-mother-Queen, YukiMine and I have returned,} Ayleneth told the Senior Ice Queen. Only when the Aurora landed on the ledge did the pair see the true devastation tha had happened.

"No... This..." Yuki closed her eyes and turned away, mortified by the destruction of the eggs. Seventeen there would've been, with one Queen egg from the looks of it, but... Yuki forced herself to look. Give her our condolences for the destruction... It can only have been done by Icy Caverns Holdsmen... Being affiliated with them is a terrible feeling...

{Lanikath-mother-Queen... I can say nothing that will make the losses dissipate, but... I wish you to know that we are deeply sorry for the loss of so many eggs...} Ayleneth crooned sadly, then began humming again. Yuki saw on the Sands one girl, and her eyes went wide. She needs to know what that girl did, and NOW.

{Lanikath, that girl...} Ayleneth shot a quick image of Garna to the Ice. {She attacked the Weyrleader at Rainbow Mists. I'm not sure how she managed to get here so fast, but she is dangerous. She despises any besides the original Five colors from the long forgotten past. Please. Be wary with that one.} With that last word of caution, Ayleneth withdrew from Lanikath's mind. She took comfort in the fact that the Senior Queen was still here, as it meant Sanshe was still alive.

Yuki cradled her Silver-Gold Flitlet in her arms. The little Flitlet was devastated by the mess on the Sands, and Yuki had to keep sending calming thoughts to her so she stayed where she was. Eventually, the little Queen calmed, her tiny eyes swirling with grey as she hummed along with the dragons.

[shapeshifter]

Andromedae was awoken in the middle of the night with such a start she nearly fell out of her cot. 'The Hatching!' She thought. She rubbed her eyes so she could see better and stood, stretching her arms towards the ceiling. She slipped on the simple sandals and the Candidate's robe and rushed out the door.

She had a good pace jogging down through the corridors, the back way, reaching the Sands in a short amount of time. Once she reached the sands, Andromedae fell to her knees, horrified at what she was seeing. There was ichor and shards strewn about where an attack had been made on the glorious clutch the Ice Queen had lain. It did not seem as if many eggs were left for the Candidates to Impress. Even the beautiful Queen egg was destroyed, but now Andromedae felt a rising pain in her chest; a pain of anger.

She rose to her knees as a dark look flashed across her face, 'They should pay.' She thought to herself, nearly shaking with anger. She took a deep breath and as a tear rolled down her cheek she rose to stand for her first standing as a candidate on the Sands of Ice Stone Weyr.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Well, I hope I'm not late..." Joelall said as he drug himself from the bed, throwing on his robes and sandals as he walked out the door. He wasn't in much of a hurry at first until he had this overwhelming fear and hate rising in his stomach. Something was not right with the Weyr! He picked up his face to almost a full sprint, arriving on the Sands to a murder scene.

Joelall managed to take a deep breath and feel his hate rising in his stomach. All those Hatchlings, and the Queen egg? It was shattered to pieces. 'Who would have done this?' Joelall had a grimace on his face as he walked to stand in the half circle. One egg that had began to rock was already cracking. Hopefully this clutch would be a strong one, because now they would have something to fight for. Their clutchmates had died and Joelall felt the hurt in his heart for the pitiful dragonets who did not make it to see Rukbat.

[Cait]

Barrek had gone after the larger part of the group of defilers through the melted ice. He looked just as determined as any guard that ran along with him and when they caught up to the trailing end of the group he charged through and past them, cutting off the stragglers from the main group. A few of the tail end of the main group that still held their makeshift weapons turned to engage him while the guards tackled the stragglers and Barrek pulled his sword as he let out a half crazed roar looking every bit the enraged weyrman as he took a wide stance and held his blade out in front of him. The first man to rush him, he took down so quickly that they others thought it best to flee while they still could as more guards were clattering through through the caverns.

Hauling up the young man he'd taken down, Barrek took a bit of rope that was offered to him by one of the guards and secured the man's hands tightly behind his back before pushing him along in front of him, poking him with his sword anytime he tried to fall back. None of the captured men wanted to return to the scene of their crime. They'd already seen one man killed and the girl...they didn't know what had become of her. Every metre marched brought them closer to what they were certain was a terrible death and the man that Barrek had captured--he couldn't have been more than eighteen--started to cry. To his credit he didn't make a sound but the tears streamed freely down his face. They didn't move the smith one bit.

When they emerged onto the sands once more, it was a flurry of activity and the humming had begun. The violent actions of the holders and the deaths of so many hatchlings had sparked the hatching of the rest. Had they felt the pain and terror of their clutchmates and thought to escape? Whatever the case, the Hatching had begun and harried, confused and mortified looking candidates were being shoved onto the sands while equally alarmed weyrfolk and riders joined as well. Passing his prisoner off to a guard, Barrek volunteered with a silent nod to stay put at the entrance to the tunnel so the guards could worry about the apprehension and incarceration of the holders.

[Jay Kitten]

The Candidates were all arriving now, a few of them that arrived first were there in time to notice the clutch and what remained of it. The horror of what had been done had finally settled with the Queen, and it was obvious by her protective stance near the eggs that she wouldn't let anything else happen to them, even going so far as to snap at a few of the Riders who were trying to clean up after the havoc. She mostly let them, however, not wishing to see her ruined clutch any longer, instead content to focus on the Hatching dragonets before her. Her head swayed side to side as she watched the Candidates approaching, and with a strange sort of draconic frown, backed away slowly. Lanikath's nostrils spewed hot air as she breathed heavily, still recovering from her early exertions. Some of the braver Candidates in the bunch stepped too close, however, and received a fright as she lunged at them, pulling back only inches before she injured them.

In her mind she could hear somebody speak, though it didn't register who for a few minutes, until she finally touched the mind that had gotten to her's. All I ask is that you do not forget those siblings you have just lost.[/b] Her mindvoice was pained as it reached Ayleneth, and her whirling eyes slowed some, starting to return to normal.

The eggs continued to rock violently, the wobbling motions causing one particular egg, the green one, to plop sideways and roll down a tiny hill of sand next to it, even as hairline cracks started to appear near the top of it. But it seemed to hold for now, though part of it was bulging slightly. The dented egg nearby was pushed outward by it's inhabitant, the dent now forming into a bulging crack, the weak spot seeming to be getting attention now as the dragon inside pushed against it. But soon enough, with an audible pop, there came from the shell the end of a small tail, a pale, yet vivid yellow. The tail wiggled about, and it seemed as though the rump of the young one it belonged to may now be stuck due to it's predicament.

The largest of the eggs was mostly still, only occasionally moving side to side as it waited, seemingly watching over it's shorter peers. The two icy blue eggs rolled about, at one point coming into contact with one another near the middle of the ring, butting heads as though they were in some kind of conflict. The spotted egg in between the two of them, with it's pale yellow dots, seemed to distance itself, caring not for it's warring brethren and instead falling backwards, towards the Stands and slightly to the side of it's mother. The small white egg, tiniest by far, seemed to quiver with anticipation, while the mother nuzzled the seventh egg into place nearby it. The last egg had been near the back, and had been gathered up by her when she had been given an opportunity to look away from her babies, this one was a cloudy blue, as though it were being looked at through a glass of water, wavering with many different shades, though it was pale. It seemed to wobble, then stop for a number of minutes, as though convincing itself that wobbling wasn't helping anything.

The Ice was ready, and she crooned to the first of her children to show it's hide to the world. It was stuck, she knew, but the dent in it's shell was a blessing, and it would have to muscle past the obstacles in it's way. The humming of the dragons grew louder, urging the dragonets from their shells, and the Candidates grew more and more eager by the minute, some still in the throes of mourning for the lost ones, however. They would need to buck up and think positive, or else the dragonets might not pick them! A couple of the Candidates had decided then to leave, preferring not to be a part of a ruined clutch, as though feeling like their destined dragons had been done away with before their time. All tears and sobs, they shuffled out escorted by parents or friends.

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

Lavan had not been near the front, so, though he saw the lunge of the furious Ice as some dimglow got too close to her. Or rather, several dimglows, Lavan corrected himself, noting how many Candidates quickly stepped back.

Cowards, he thought, snorting. If they were going to get that close, than they should have stood their ground. Having once made a decision, a true man, a real man, did not back down. With a sound that could have been a mixture of a growl and a sigh, Lavan pushed forward. After all, he had made his decision, and he was now bound to see it through.

The ruined remains of the other eggs were quickly being cleaned up, as a few riders moved around the Sands. At first he thought they were organizing the cleanup, then, with an disgusted snort, he realized that they were the cleanup. It was work far below their station! Didn’t they realize that? On the other hand, perhaps the drudges were too scared to come out. That was certainly possible, Lavan had yet to meet a courageous drudge.

He sneered at the retreat of the two Candidates who fled the scene. Not even able to stand their ground on the Sands, were they? Couldn’t stand the thought of things probably. So much the better, far better they find out now, then after they had Impressed.

Laven rolled his shoulders to settle them. He, Lavan Kalarn, son of Brencis Kalarn and descended from a long line of Major Lords, would not flinch, would not cower, would not retreat. He would show this Weyr true bravery; son of the man whose people they had counted for nothing, son of the man whose people’s attacker they kept safe from just retribution.

[mirror]

Garna had been the first one to arrive, aside from the people that had already been there to soothe the queen, guard the nest, and work on cleaning up the mess. Her eyes remained on the eggs and only the eggs for quite a while. However, it did not stay that way. She could tell more people were coming in, she could hear them talking to each other. No, not just talking. Sobs as well, sobs for the lives that had been lost. Many people cried. She did not. It was horrible, she hated what happened, all the good dragons that had been destroyed. But she did not cry, she could not cry in front of the crowd.

Yet the more she looked at the eggs the worse she felt. If Ragnar were here he would be sobbing, she knew it. He was always overly emotional like that. The reminder of her brother was the last straw for her, she turned away from the eggs for a moment to look into the stands.

It was almost immediately that she saw her, a girl that had been at that dreadful firelizard hatching. Yuki, she thought that was her name. Yuki, probably here to drag her away and make sure her imprisonment continued. Well that would not be happening, not on her watch. The gold egg might be gone but she was sure that there was still a green out there for her. So she glared up at the girl, a sneer forming across her face as if she had no fear at all.

It was the sight of the Ice lunging at someone out of the corner of her eye that drew her attention back to the clutch. For a moment a smirk crossed her face. Fools, approaching an enraged mutant beast. They would deserve to get bitten.

Soon the eggs were rocking and one broke open. Well, partly broke open. The hindquarters and tail of a dragon were shown, the very yellow hindquarters. A small growl of annoyance left Garna at the sight of it. Whatever it was it was no proper dragon. Just another beast, a mutant freak determined to ruin the lives of others. So she turned her gaze away from the eggs, looking at the candidates instead. As a pair of them walked up in tears she spat, "cowards!" Her thoughts were just as bitter. Run, run away instead of facing the music.

[Terayne]

Aiya had remained right where she stood, just watching the eggs, their mother. Watching the cleanup. Deep within her heart, rage had bloomed, and held its place. Drawing in a deep breath, she forced herself to relax, forced the rage down and away, into a little corner, to be dwelled on later. She could not allow it to get in the way, or Impression would never be a possibility. Of course she didn't feel she would impress anyways, so she wasn't THAT worried on it. But still.

Closing her eyes, she blocked out all the sounds, all the sights. She couldn't block out the scents, the heat off the Sands only increasing the coppery ichor-smell. Sighing, she opened them again, in time to see the little yellow hindquarters break free. Smiling faintly, she then looked up to the mother as she lunged, flinching even though the lovely Ice was nowhere near her when she did it. Moving slightly to the side, she watched as the Candidates left with their parents, feeling nothing but compassion for them, sharing their sadness for the lives lost.

[shapeshifter]

Andromedae watched as the Ice Queen snapped at a Candidate and as a few Candidates left the Sands. She would not leave, not until she had seen if she Impressed. Then as an egg cracked, she saw a little pale yellow tail poking out. She had a rise of hope, just a glimmer that maybe this Hatching's ending wouldn't be so terrible after all. It was amazing to watch as the eggs came alive with the life inside of them, especially when two crashed into each other as if they were headbutting.

It was obvious this set of Weyrlings would be a "cursed" set, since they had such a terrible Hatching. There would still be some Candidates that leave the Sands without Impression, which was always a let down. However, Andromedae was determined she was Impressing in this clutch. She stood with her shoulders back and despite the scene before her she managed to glance around at the other Candidates. She noticed Lavan had arrived...that beautiful Lord's son.


~~~~~~~~~~

Joelall watched the eggs shake, crack, and roll about as if they were on fire. He felt a rise of excitement in his chest and throughout his body...but maybe that's because he was standing on the hot Sands.

Either way, it was the only bit of happiness he felt in such a dark situation. This set of Weyrlings would always have a feeling of revenge in their hearts, no assuring himself of that. They had lost half of their siblings due to some crazy Holders and they would deserve to die for killing a Weyr's clutch. That was an unforgivable crime in his book.

He found himself shifting his weight from side to side ever so lightly; now whether it was from anxiousness or the sands was undetermined. He took a step closer as he saw the little tail poking out of the egg shell. He had a half smile come to his face and knew that soon all the dragonets would be emerging and the new Weyrlings would be leaving the Sands with their impressed.