Eleven Steps from the Finish Line [Temperanth's Hatching]

[Shoki]

76.01.22
Early in the Morning

Temperanth was circled around her eggs. She had refused to let this clutch out of her sight. However, she had to sleep some of the time. Which was why, even though it was after midnight, Hedara was watching the eggs. Temperanth slept, though it seemed like an uneasy rest. The Weyrwoman tried send her Queen peaceful dreams, but she couldn’t tell if it worked. Still, for both their worries, she kept her eyes on the eggs. There were eleven of them in all, all arranged close together so that the Ice Queen could keep each of them within her protective reach. She took a long drink of Halk as she tried to keep focused. It was quiet, and nothing but Temepranth’s breathing to distract her. And that tapping.

After a few moments Hedara furrowed her brow. Tapping? She leaned forward and got a closer look. Definitely tapping. She looked at each of the eggs quickly, finally spotting one of them wiggling, andin doing so knocking against its neighbor. A small smile flashed across Hedara’s face, one with intense relief in it. They were starting, they had to be. Her eyes went to Temperanth, observing the still sleeping dragoness. A few minutes longer.

There was still no sign of dawn, but then, it was winter at the Weyr of ice. The sun would rise lazily. It was even still early for Hedara, as she would have rolled back to sleep if it was a normal day. The eggs were all moving now, and Hedara couldn’t put it off. Temperanth. The Queen stirred, opening one eye, before snapping to attention. Her eggs! A deep hum started within her, even though, for the most part those who were awake were Wherhandlers and such. A small, wry smile was on Hedara’s face before she put her hands to her ears. Oh, there would be many an unhappy candidate for this. The Queen roared, announcing that her eggs were hatching and she would have that fact be noticed!

Hedara took a sip of Halk after lowering her hands, though it had long since become stone cold. Even cold, it was strong stuff. She had gone back to her usual demeanor, and was waiting for people to arrive. Just a little longer. Until they impressed, she couldn’t quite rest easy. However, it felt good, to be so close.

[smear:33ccff]So how long did you wait to wake me up?[/smear:3366ff]

A while. Hedara looked back at her Ice, and spotting Temperanth looking faintly amused. Temperanth trusted Hedara’s judgment. Otherwise, she might be a little annoyed. As it was, they were both watching the eggs intently, hoping to have them all hatched in impressed quickly.

[Breeze]

The queen's roar broke into Fedri's pleasant dream of summer warmth, and shocked him awake. He promptly fell from the bed, bed furs tangling around him and keeping him in place as his brain foggily tried to place the slight hum sound and why a queen would be roaring at this time of day--or was it night? Then a wide grin spread across his face, The eggs! He set about freeing himself from the furs, struggling slightly before finally breaking free and shooing to his feet. He fumbled around his possessions in a search for the white robe he had been given, tugging it on quickly and glancing in a mirror to smooth it, ignoring the fact that the robe dwarfed him and made him appear much younger than he actually was.

He retrieved the elected shoes as well, slipping them on. He rubbed his arms for warmth and pushed the furs back onto his bed, feeling quite revealed without wearing his usual multitude of layers. It'll be warm on the sands, He chided, heading out in the direction of the sands, grin toned down to a slight smile, schooling his steps so that his excitement didn't make him bounce as he walked. Fedri ran a hand through his curly hair, attempting to slightly tame it, before entering onto the sands. He bowed to the queen, before assuming a place on the sands, insides jittering excitedly as his blue eyes fixed unwaveringly on the moving eggs.

[summerrain]

Chiara woke suddenly, unsure of what had caused him to do so. It took him a moment before he heard it. Temperanth roared, loud. He threw the furs away and got quickly out of bed. So he hadn't gotten around to talking to the AerieMistress about becoming a Lifewing Candidate. Dragon Hatchings were still exciting! He paused, spying his form in the reflective metal. He traced the scars on his chest and arms, knowing that he had to be extra careful this time. He quickly pulled on the Candidate robe, a new one that he'd recently made, and made sure he had on the sandals before he dashed toward the Sands, his hair a bit messy. He slowed as he neared, attempting to tame his bedhead, and was only mildly successful.

He bowed to the Ice Queen when he entered, sticking to a spot near the wall, in the back, letting the younger Candidates get in front. He was taller than them, after all, and he knew how it felt to be on the Sands for the first time. They were so excited, the ones who weren't half asleep at least.

He saw a kid stumble, a sleepy looking girl of maybe fourteen, and he quickly caught her. "Careful," he told her. "You need all your wits about you this morning, even if it is still dark."

"Thank you mister," she said to him, steadying herself before taking a position next to her friend. He'd already been to Candidate Lessons so many times that he'd eventually been told that he really just had to show up. He was always in the back of lessons, letting the new Candidates participate.

He shook his head, clearing it. He looked at the eggs before him. Eleven, a good number. And nothing disastrous like the previous one. He glanced up as the dragons began to show. He wasn't surprised when he didn't see Ayleneth. His sister was at Rainbow Mists, and expecting another child. The Aurora had accidentally gone between to get there, and that had nearly cost them both the lives of the rider and the unborn child. Chiara had just been glad when Grace delivered the letter from Yuki that said she was alright.

He looked back at the eggs, waiting. What would they find this time?

[Shoki]

The moving eggs were all anxious to break free, at it seemed that any one of them would hatch at any moment. So when a few of the eggs started gaining spider web patterns on their shells it was not too much of a surprise. One of these eggs was moving faster than the others, and the egg shells fell away in pieces, revealing a black hide within. It was only a few moments longer until the rest of the eggs broke free which revealed a very healthy Black, who immediately fell against his neighbor and broke part of the egg. Having hatched, he rested a bit, looking at the candidates as he sat sprawled on the sands.

The egg he had knocked into used the opportunity to break free. It wiggled for a moment before coming to a stop and then splitting in half and releasing a Flame onto the sands, or rather, right on top of the Black. The Black angrily protested this, slipping out from under the Flame quickly. The Flame however apparently didn’t like something about this whole thing and rammed into the Black, making him roll away. At least for a moment. The Black came back with an angry roar (if it could be called that, it was more like a high pitched complaint) and took a swipe at his brother.

Hedara hid her expression again. Great, sibling squabble. That was exactly how she wanted this to start off. She glanced over at Temepranth who was watching them both with eagle eyed focus. Well, she could always trust Temperanth to keep an eye on things. She reviewed the scene again and spotting on the larger eggs wiggling, which looked as though it would hatch soon. However, it was toward the center of the group and Hedara wondered if this wasn’t what a chain reaction looked like before it happened.

[shapeshifter]

Andromedae found herself on the Sands shortly after the Candidate Master came shouting through the dorms, demanding they be ready and leave then. She felt the adrenaline rush flowing through her. It was a breath taking sight. The Queen. The eggs. The other Candidates! She was already bouncing around in her mind when the first two eggs revealed a Flame and a Black, both gorgeous and both squabbling about their hatching encounter.



Hunter was thrilled to attend the Hatching. She only realized what was going on when she felt a rumble in her chest, a vibrating of sorts.

She then was brushed against by two Candidates sprinting towards the Sands. She felt a bubbly feelings, a warmth of happiness, arise at the thought of her first Hatching experience! Especially Queen Temperanth's hatching!

She walked amongst corridors until she reached a side door into the Stands. Hunter found herself a seat on the bottom row of the Stands away from anyone, behind the female Candidate section. She watched at dragons and their riders flew in and others swarmed different sections of the stands. She could feel the rumble grow stronger in her chest. It adrubtly stopped. A egg shattered to reveal a Black, who in turn fell against another egg to reveal a Flame. The sight was completely breath taking. All these colors and actions, she noticed she was fidgeting with her fingers in her lap, curious as what all happened at Hatchings. She had been warned of gory Hatchings, but was it all true?

[Nicole]

Travis had never meant to end up on the Sands. If it had been up to him, he'd be in Harper Hall, fingers dancing over a harpsichord and voice booming into a chorus of - well, hopefully a song he'd later be famous for.

But things did not always work out as he planned, and so he found himself staring at the shining eggs on Ice Stone Weyr's stands, trying to find an appropriate word for what he was feeling.

Anxious? No, not quite; not nervous, either. Certainly not bored. He couldn't figure it out. Maybe content? Being in the thick of things without having to talk to anybody - yes, he could enjoy this.

Perhaps he could even write a song to it.

And then there was a Black spilling onto the Sands, its hide shining and ebony; and then a Flame burst out, and the two started to snap at each other. It was hilarious and adorable and potentially dangerous.

It deserved a song.

[Breeze]

Fedri's eyebrow shot up as the two dragonets started to squabble. I didn't think dragonets did that, He eyed the two, reminded of his younger sisters whenever they were fighting over a piece of clothing. They even sort of had the same coloration-if one thought about it in an extremely abstract manner.

His eyes unfocused as he became lost in thought, thoroughly zoning out as he thought about his home. It was certainly warmer there, but it was definitely more interesting here. After all, they didn't have hatching in holds. He jolted slightly as he refocused. You will have time to think and zone out later, a hatching is no time for that! Fedri chided himself, after all, if one lost focus in a hatching who knew what would happen.

He rocked back on his heels, looking at the larger eggs that had begun to wiggle. Fedri's eyes widened as he noticed it was near the center of the eggs. That will not end well, He thought in passing, swallowing as he focused his attention on the egg, waiting with baited breath.

[summerrain]

Chiara's eyes widened as the first to Hatch began to fight. No... Not again! Faranth, please... No more bloodshed... he prayed silently. His scars began to tingle, a reminder of what violence could cause. A constant reminder of his near-death experience on these very Sands. He saw another boy lock his eyes on the larger eggs, and Chiara followed his gaze. The one in the middle was rocking, dangerously close to Hatching and starting another brawl. He sighed quietly and leaned back against the wall. So much for a peaceful Hatching...

He looked up at the observing dragons. Oh, if only his sister were here... She would know what to do. Then again, the only assistance they were allowed to have was if they'd gotten injured.

[Kaya]

Black first. The hazel eyes watched. Maelinne couldn't help but smile. The tension, excitement, the rush of the crowd, the emotions were palpable. She saw a range of expressions here among here peers. Amusement, nervousness, fear. She supposed they all saw something different in the dragonets as they tumbled. She nudged the smooth wood of the carved necklace pendant. She'd kept it on anyway. The authorities hadn't really said anything about small jewelry, at least not when she was paying attention. In this way she got to have her parents there with her, and so since no one would likely notice, she had worn it onto the Sands.

A great yawn escaped her. It was early. She was still adjusting to the time here and then in the middle of the night, dragonets. She rubbed at her eyes and face. Time to stay awake. But the nerves of the others simply didn't reflect on her, and so she was without that motivation to be alert. She hardly knew any of them. Sure she'd learned (and forgotten) a few names, but that was the extent of it for the majority.

But if she did Impress, then she would know them. Eleven to be chosen on this day, or close to it. There had been a lot of "except"s in the information about the northern dragons. And therein lay some of the problems for this area, though they hadn't been explained to her much.

Stand and wait. Watch the others, watch the crowd. Are you proud of me, papa? I'm trying to do something, to matter... the thoughts were oft repeated ones, they barely required thought to evoke. They filled here, they were her. Her purpose was out there somewhere. The Search Rider had made it sound like it was likely here. But in the face of unfamiliarity, of so many strange peoples and customs...Maelinne Hausvalor wasn't so sure.

[Shoki]

The Flame and Black continued their tussle, not doing much more than annoying each other further. As they continued, sand was kicked up this and that way, leaving some of the lighter particles to hang in the air for a few moments. They both found this disagreed with them and the separated to shake off the sand, but only for a moment. The Flame started it again, knocking the Black over with a lunge. They tumbled again, both far too distracted to notice what might happen near the other eggs.

The large egg quivered once more before lurching suddenly. It fell forward, knocking into its neighbor, who broke free immediately into a Darkblue dragon. Unable to stop, the Darkblue ran into two of his neighbors, causing them to fall into others. One of these knocked into another egg, and, well the chain reaction had well started. The cause of all this broke open, and a Brown looked around, trying to take stock of what was happening. Besides the Darkblue he could see Blue, Sunset, Purple, Aurora and Grey dragonets around him. The Flame and Black looked toward their siblings, staring at the sudden reaction that had occurred. The sands were still for a moment, and the audience held their breath.

That was when the Grey dragonet made a loud cry, right behind the Sunset.

The Sunset panicked, running over her Darkblue brother, who bolted in the opposite direction. This led him to bump into the Purple, who tried to swipe at him for the offense, but fell over. The Aurora took this as a grand opportunity to get far out of the way, which meant that she was running as well. The Blue, feeling somewhat left out, started running too, but this was more for fun and he bumped good naturedly into Temperanth a moment later. The Flame and Black also bolted, getting out of the way of their running siblings. This meant a solid six dragonets were all running around, mostly toward the candidates.

The Grey, strange creature that he was, rolled in place, like a laughing child. He seemed amused at his little prank, though he didn’t quite know where it was all going. The Brown, still calm, didn’t seem to get the joke, but as he surveyed the area, suddenly bolted as well, straight toward the male candidates.

The Black was the first to run up against the sands, having given one of the girls a scare, but not much else. The Flame, right on his tail, clipped Maelinne, possibly upsetting her balance. The Darkblue ran into Fedri, but collapsed on the sands before dusting himself off and calming down. The Aurora pettered out near the girls, leaving her to sit down and keep a wary eye on her siblings. She hoped that was it.

The Sunset, well and truly panicked, was headed straight for Chiara. She kicked up sand as she went, trying to go as fast as she could, away from all of that. However, about five feet before the line of Male Candidates, the Brown, having been running for all he was worth, ran into the Sunset, forcing her to suddenly go to the left, which led her directly into Travis. She barreled over him, clawing into him, and the boy next to him before finally hitting the wall and sitting there dazed. The Brown took a few more steps and slowed down, flopping to the ground as he came to a stop. He looked up at Chiara and let out one long breath.

Ch'ara, you are okay? Velageth just needs a quick break, and then we’ll make sure my siblings don’t try to run into you again.


----



Name: Velageth
Color: Brown
Personality: Velagath appreciates having time to relax. He’ll doze off anywhere given the chance, and often will do so if he isn’t pressed to do anything. However, he won’t drag his feet when there are things to be done, and when he is awake tends to be quite impulsive. He doesn’t mind jumping right into action or jumping to conclusions on the spur of the moment. However, when he gets it wrong, he is the first to apologize and make things right. Velageth is a naturally warm individual, always there with a spot of encouragement or advice. He just needs to make sure that he isn’t overbearing and he will make a wonderful companion.
Hex: b19060
Adult Length: 32 feet
Impresses: Chiara (Ch'ara)

[shapeshifter]

Andromedae watched the chaos ensue. The dragonets caused a chain reaction amongst the eggs, with four more being revealed to the Sands. She watched as they ran around like crazy children, the little Grey pulling a cute little stunt; finding herself near the beautiful Aurora seconds later. She eyed the Purple and DarkBlue and felt a sense of pride rise in her chest. Only a few more minutes and the last five eggs should be revealed! She grinned from ear to ear, feeling the excitement in the air course through her body.


Hunter was highly amused at the little dragonets running around like wherries on the Sands. She almost wanted to clap for them but didn't, knowing she would look silly clapping at their antics. She had a grin on her face, feeling the tension in the air coming off the crowd who threw off mixed facial emotions. Her deafness may not allow her to hear the excitement, but her empathy for emotions around her was greatly heightened.

She watched as the six ran around in mad circles, bumping into and knocking each other out of the way. She had spent so much time researching in the library and her room since she got to the Weyr she had almost forgot what it was like to laugh at foolishness.

It was then a little gasp escaped her lips. The little brown barreled into the Sunset, sending it towards other Candidates. It stopped in front of the young lad Chiara who had introduced himself to her on her arrival day. Such a bold young lad deserved a striking dragon like the Brown! She smiled and clapped with the rest of the crowd at the first Impression of the Hatching; the crowd hoping as always it would hurry the dragonets along to make them want to Impress too.

Hunter never understood how Impression worked, then again how would she? Translation for things of that nature tended to be hard, especially when they tried to describe how the "mind-speak" worked. With her being deaf, would she ever be able to hear a dragon?

[Breeze]

Fedri couldn't help the slight laugh that bubbled past his lips as the chaos began. This was insane. Insane, yet hilarious. He looked at the running dragonets, eyes still wide, shaking his head slightly. Someone was going to get hurt. His eyes were drawn to the rolling grey, He looks like a giggly child. He raised an eyebrow, distracted, then he heard the sound of shuffling sand as a dragonet approached and looked ahead. 

The DarkBlue was coming straight at him. His knees locked in place and his widened further as he found himself unable to move. Oh, by the egg, whatever did I do to deserve this? The thought barely formed before the dragonet collided with him. Fedri let out a soft 'umph!' as his legs gave way to the sudden force and he landed smack on his bum, colliding with the boy behind him and causing him to fall as well. I'm such a deadglow! I really hope I don't start another chain reaction like those eggs! He put his hands down in the sand to try and push himself back to his feet, wincing at the heat and staring over at the now calm DarkBlue, glad that the collision had at least calmed one of them.

Fedri pushed himself up off the sands and back to his feet, wobbling slightly before regaining his balance. He brushed the sands from his white robe, wrinkling his nose before brushing his hands off as well. He was certainly awake now.

[summerrain]

Chiara looked away from the chaos on the Sands. He hoped nothing else happened. But his curiosity got the better of him, and he saw six dragonets, each one a different color, running for the Candidates. He braced himself to help catch any of the younger ones that might've gotten hit, but instead he saw the Sunset get hit by the Brown, and then he felt an overwhelming hunger and a burning in his lungs and limbs. He blinked a couple times, confused. Why did he feel like...?

Ch'ara, you are okay? Velageth just needs a quick break, and then we’ll make sure my siblings don’t try to run into you again. The Brown was sitting down in front of him. Chiara... No. Ch'ara's eyes widened. He Impressed...? This was HIS DRAGON. He smiled, then laughed.

What's so funny?

"I won't get hurt by being tackled by a Hatchling. As long as the claws don't cut into my skin." He scratched the spot on Velageth's head, just above the eye ridge. "C'mon, let's get you cleaned up, then get some meat in you." He looked up and met Hunter's eyes, waving at her with a smile. He led the Brown off the Sands, noticing then the lighter color. "You're a light color for a Brown, aren't you?"

Am I? Right now I am just hungry. And I am glad that I got to you before she did. Of course, he was speaking of the Sunset. Ch'ara laughed.

"I am yours, and you are mine. I'm surprised Weyrlingmaster R'niaan isn't here yet though..." he said as he sat down with a bucket of meat. He took a small handful and began feeding Velageth. "Even though Yuki's in the south, the Weyrlingmaster should be here for a Hatching. Especially a Queen's Hatching." He shook his head. "Well, after you eat, I'll oil you, and then we can go to bed."

[Jay Kitten]

Outside of the Bowl, Ice Stone Weyr was mostly, if not completely empty. The skies nearby were filled with dragons, however, still gathering for the beginnings of the newest generation of dragonets. But one dragon in particular erupted instead near the entrance to the kitchens and lower caverns, spiraling down into a landing position to deposit his Rider and charge. The Rider was accompanied by a male, and it seemed that the pair were unrelated Riders even to this entire Weyr.

"Here y'are, one Ice Stone Weyr, courtesy of Lemos watch." Luna grinned, sliding from the back of the small blue dragon, waving to the Rider. "Thanks again, W'ren, your continued assistance to the Starsmithing Crafthall is much appreciated." The man nodded, but then stopped for a moment, and turned, his curling red hair catching a breeze on the side and blowing back ever so slightly as he did so.

"Y'know, Luna... If ya haven't quite seen it, there's somethin' goin' on over in tha Bowl. If I'd have any kinda a Rider's gut, it's a Hatchin' I'd bet. Might wanna go see." And with that, he saluted, before his blue lurched back into the air, and flew off towards a clear point before entering between. As soon as W'ren was gone, he shivered, and pulled the scarf about his face more, looking over at the Bowl so bustling with activity. He couldn't help it, his curiosity grew, and his eyes narrowed as he trudged now through the snow towards the Sands.

It took him a few minutes, as the snow wasn't at all what he was used to walking in, but as soon as he got to the entrance, he could really hear the roars of people cheering for the dragons. He heard mention of all sorts of colors, and his brow arched, he headed up some nearby stairs and moved into the Stands.

Down below him, just under the edge of the seating area he was now hovering around the back of, he could see dragonets all rushing about on the blistering sand, Candidates cowering or standing in defiant courage of the dragons whom could potentially harm them. There was one in particular of interest, however, a small brown, whom seemed more tame than the rest, but suddenly bolted toward one of the males, bashing into the Sunset along the way. He almost chuckled for their behavior, were dragons really like this? This was definitely his first Hatching experience, and the sheer amount of dragons in the area was almost staggering when he took a good look at them.

But, he finally resigned to taking a seat, and moved down the rows until he could get a front-row spot near a pair of Riders who certainly seemed chatty enough that he might hear something interesting.

[Shoki]

On the sands there were still a pair of eggs left, the largest of the group, and the smallest. They had been the only ones to escape the chain reaction and had been to the outside of the group. As it was, they were left to their own devices to hatch, though both were well on their way, web pattern cracks starting to form on the pair of them. However, it looked like it would take some time.

The Grey, having now recovered from his amusement, dusted himself off and took a better look around. He spotted the candidates and seemed interested in them, stalking over to the boys first. Instead of standing in front of the line and inspecting them as dragonets have been known to do, he went behind the line of candidates and padded around them as softly as he could manage. Every once in a while he could poke one with his snout that looked unawares, often getting a little jump or yelp for his work. However he just continued to walk, not interested in anyone yet.

The Purple, having been somewhat left in the dust by her siblings, took the Grey’s idea and headed over to the boys, taking a look at all of them. She fell in like beside the Darkblue, though they looked at each other warily before heading down the line of boys together. It looked as if they were not going to get into a fight, but there was some sort of tension between them. Still, they didn’t do more then proceed on together, observing each of the male candidates in turn. The Purple paused as she looked at the boys that had been run over by the Sunset, and looked past them at where the Sunset herself was still reeling. Looks like it would take a bit for her to recover from her fright. The Purple proceeded onward.

The Blue, still sitting next to Temperanth watched the proceedings with enthusiasm. The Ice observed her son, who made a pleasant croon for the Queen, but remained where he was. Temperanth remained content with that, observing her other children, trying to keep an eye on them.

The Black and Flame, having recovered, started their quarrel again. This time it was located right behind the line of female candidates, much to some of the candidate’s dismay. The Aurora, having seen that, headed toward the boys, or rather, away from her fighting siblings. However, she stopped halfway in the line of boys and looked back to the front. She speedily made it back to the start of the line of boys and started inspecting each one critically. Perhaps something was there.

The two eggs still on the sands continued their movement, not quite ready. However, everyone could see it would be soon.