Lonely State of Mind -Hatching

[stolenhart]

Astoth hadn't spent much time around the eggs. There was no need to with the gold egg already stolen. And they weren't her eggs she didn't have any maternal feelings towards them. Still she came and dutifully turned them a few times a day, arranging them to her satisfaction and whim. She took a lot more license with these eggs then she would have her own, stacking and arranging them in patterns like giant pebbles. It could keep her amused for hours.

But just before lunch on this fine early spring day, she was chirping and heard a chirp back. She cocked her head and repeated herself only to be copied again. Mine the egg chirped at me!, she sent excitedly. Ilayria sat up in her office, Really?, the dragon sent the memory and Ilayria jumped from her chair and down the hallway. "Tell Brennanth", Ilayria ordered the gold as Astoth began to move the eggs in a wide circle. Brennanth, the eggs! They are Hatching, she sent the bronze, starting to hum quietly.

Weyrlings
Green Cintaxth Impressed to A'ril APC
Brown Biroth Impressed to T'yir
Blue Phigalth Impressed to Giona APC
Bronze Rywysth Impressed to T'san
Brown Tafelth Impressed to K'sor
Green Yihavth Impressed to D'faeAPC
Bronze Dovorath Impressed to Z'ril
Blue Zuioth Impressed to R'skel
Blue Orelth Impressed to M'kal
Green Cagreth Impressed to V'sawn APC
Blue Gfeth Impressed to Lenia
Green Kynoath Impressed to Amaylia

[maiwolf]

They had to be hatching soon. B'oone couldn't really know, though, since Astoth wasn't really showing much interest in them. They aren't her eggs.

[/b] The Bronze said, rolling his eye backward to see His. B'oone snorted, 'but they're eggs all the same. They should be watched over. Why don't you go?' Brennanth seemed thoughtful, I am no gold. Only golds look after the eggs.[/b] B'oone snorted again, and shuffled the papers he was looking at. These Records were all messed up, the dates not in order at all. He wondered if someone had done that on purpose just to make his life miserable.

Brennanth's head shot up. Lovely Astoth has just informed me that the eggs are hatching![/b] B'oone dropped the Records, which fell all over the floor. After groaning to himself, he motioned for a drudge to pick them up. The drudge came over, and knelt down obediantly. He didn't much like telling drudges to do things like that, but now he sort of had to. 'Has Astoth called the candidates together yet?' He asked his dragon.

Brennanth was silent until B'oone hoisted himself up onto his back. No, shall I?[/b] B'oone slapped Brennanth's neck appreciatively. "Of course, dragon!" He said aloud. "The eggs must not be lonely when they hatch!" Brennanth's turn to snort. Candidates, to the sands! The eggs are hatching! Brennanth bugled just as loud as he had yelled those words.

He winged over to the hatching sands and landed on the ledge that a Weyrleader's dragon should land on. B'oone slipped off and joined Ilayria as they watched the eggs. He chastised himself for there not being a golden egg. "They're finally hatching," he breathed, relieved. "But the gold is not here." He still felt like it was his fault for not bringing the gold back, but they would, somehow.[/blockquote]

[stolenhart]

Ilayria smiled warmly as B'oone joined her on the sands. "Don't beat yourself up too much, I don't think anyone could have brought the gold egg back", she told him, wrapping her arm around his waist and putting her head on his shoulder. "Everything will be ok. This clutch will Hatch and then Astoth will lay her's", and maybe there will be a gold egg there. If she'd ever seen a man in need of redemption it was B'oone. He needed someway to validate his Weyrleadership, especially after his Southern failure.

Astoth started humming louder as more dragons began to appear above. The flitts the Weyr possessed also joined in dancing about the Hatching Sands happily. Ilayria rolled her eyes at them, she had never been fond of the little creatures, they were highly annoying and most people did not train them. "Look", she pointed to an egg that was starting to rock, cracks appearing on the shell as the dragonet sought to get out. "I bet you a Benden it's green", she told B'oone as the stands behind her began to fill with the Weyr inhabitants.

[kat]

Amaylia had cursed several times over the loss of Northern's golden egg. Cursed to the very skies, even. She hated Southern, hated it with a passion that seemed to consume her very being. How dare they steal her egg? Yes, she was presumptuous enough to call that egg 'hers'. She had finally had a chance at a gold, and look at what they had done! She'd heard that the incompetent Weyrleader had failed to retrieve it. Gotten there just as it impressed to some sharding, worthless Southern wench. How could he fail! That was the North's egg. Her chance, stolen right from their sands. Well, too late to think about it now. Golds didn't fight like blues and greens did. She'd managed to convince herself that a blue or a green would do her far better than any sharding gold. Still, it enraged her that the North had lost it.

She was alerted by the humming of a dragon who was headed in the direction of the hatching sands what was going on. Alerted, and quickly responsive. Slipping into white robes and putting sandals-she hated sandals!-on her pale feet, she brushed her jet black locks and then put down the brush, glanced in the mirror to make sure she was presentable, and stalked off for the hatching grounds.

It wasn't the first time she'd stood here, but last time her dragon hadn't been amongst those available. This time, she hoped, would be different. She entered the sands, cursing the fact that there were now only twelve eggs instead of the twenty that had been there. Now, thanks to those blasted, accursed Southeners, she had even less of a chance than before at getting one of these hatchlings. There was nothing she could have done, and nothing she could do. She stalked up to the front, eyeing the eggs. Would there even be a single bronze or brown, now that they'd aimed to take the bigger eggs with them? A couple looked like they might contain a brown-but a bronze? Curse them! Her eyes flashed angrily, the icy blue of them seeming to grow even icier. How she hated Southerners!

~~~~~~

They'd done him a favor, really. He had never wanted a bronze in the first place. Never wanted to be placed in the spotlight of leadership, as it were. Most boys were cursing the South. Most girls wanted to go there themselves and tear the eyes out of the people who'd stolen the gold egg. He didn't care, it didn't affect him in the ending outcome. Maybe he'd get his blue or brown after all. Maybe there'd be a bronze left, and he'd have to deal with it when the time came. Whatever the case was, Tyirel was into his robes and on his way to the hatching sands, not caring like everyone else.

He spotted the twelve eggs and shook his head lightly. If he'd been on watch, there was no way those Southern wherries would have gotten that egg. Still, he hadn't been-and could he blame those that had? A surprise attack, a risk no one had thought the South, with their depleted ranks, would dare make. It had been fast, it had been disastrous, and it had cost them eight eggs. His had better not have been amongst them. He glanced over at the girls who had arrived, not failing to miss the anger in some of their eyes. He almost laughed, but held it back. All the girls ever wanted was gold. But to him, golds were just there for laying eggs. A great usefulness, but North had a couple of egg layers left. Pity to lose one, but there'd be another. If he were a graduated rider by then, the Southerners would not get the next[ one.

He shifted in the hot sands, finding it fairly unpleasant, but not making a fuss. The eggs would break shell soon enough. Some would impress, some wouldn't...he knew the drill. So, with arms folded across his chest, he simply stood and did what everyone else had to: wait.

[saidalshuin]

Zoril had been studiously at work tending his crossbow. There were always problems with bows that were badly tended, and a hunter could not afford problems with his bow. The high quality oil he always used to keep the crossbow in top condition was sitting in a pot beside him, and the oiling cloth in his hand was running over the crossbow in familiar, practiced movements.

That was when he heard the dragons announcing the hatching. 'Why must such things always occur at inconvenient times?' he wondered passingly, packing up his supplies. The crossbow would have to wait until later, he supposed. Going back to the small chest that had been provided for his things, he carefully stowed his supplies, wiped his hands clean, and then pulled on the robes and sandals that he had been provided with. He'd always thought the things a little silly, but who was he to step all over custom when it wasn't necessary?

Duly outfitted, Zoril made his way to the sands and joined the candidates assembled there.

[dragonfire]

Khrysor was in his room, cleaning his gitar. He was lost in thought and the bronze's deep voice took him by surprise. When he realized the announcement was about the Hatching, he quickly set his gitar in its case and went to change into his candidate robe.

A few minutes later, he strode onto the sands, jumping a little at the heat. Approaching the clutch, he bowed to the bronze and gold before taking his place among the other candidates. He glanced up at the flitts, smiling at how excited they were. He had always wanted a fire lizard, but they were rare in the North and a mere apprentice Harper wouldn't be given an egg.

But now, he had a chance for something a thousand times better, a dragon. He looked over the eggs, gaze stopping on one that seemed close to Hatching. He wondered what color it would be. To himself, he guessed bronze, only because they were supposed to be good luck.

[Femisis]

Sometimes life sucked. It would figure that the South would get the Gold egg, though she really hadn’t expected them to retrieve it. Things usually happened for the best, anyway, exemplified perfectly by the Queen’s Impression in the South, seeing as her rider was obviously there and not in the North. There would be other Queens especially since Astoth had just flown. Besides, Impressing a Queen wasn’t all that important, right?

“Yeah, right.” Crescentia snorted as she leaned against her cot with a stray cat that had wandered into the female’s barracks. It was currently batting at the stray, wispy strands of hair that hung in front of her face. She hadn’t bothered with her hair today (too many chores to be done and not enough motivation to do something with it), so it was pulled into a hasty tail at the base of her neck. Some hair had come free, though, which was occupying the feline at the moment. He’d be gone soon, but it was still nice to have a bit of company for now. She may have been nursing wounded dreams, but they weren’t broken, not by a long shot. There was still a chance she could Impress, even if to a lower color, though not in her plans, and even if she didn’t, Astoth still had to lay her clutch. Honestly, these people needed to get over it. The egg was gone, the dragon Impressed in the South.

A sigh left her lips as she leaned her head back against the cot and stared at the ceiling, ignoring the cat’s indignant yowls. Pern was a mess, wasn’t it, she thought to herself as she reached down to pet the cat, thereby abating his protests. Weyrs stealing eggs from each other, dragons fighting dragons, Holds turning against the Weyrs… What they really needed wasn’t some leader who could lead them militarily, but someone who could reunite Pern. Bah, fat chance at that.

It was the humming that brought Cresce back to reality in the form of the cat scampering off back to his hovel in the Lower Caverns. Ungrateful thing… Well, she had more important things to worry about right now, namely, the hatching. Another little sigh escaped her as she stood up, stretching to rid herself of the soreness in her muscles and the cricks in her neck. Once completed, the search for her white robe began in earnest, coming to a head when she found it hiding under her mattress. “What the…?! Oh, I don’t have time for this!” Pulling it over her head, she pulled her hair out of the tail and ran a brush through it before deeming herself mildly presentable. Well, they’d all look like crap by the time it was over, so who really cared?

She was a bit disappointed to find that she wasn’t the first person there, but she wasn’t late, either. She bowed to Astoth out of politeness. Even if the Queen wasn’t the clutchmother, it was still good form to acknowledge her as Weyrwoman, right? Shrugging mentally, she made her way to stand with the female candidates, sure that many of them were VERY upset by the lack of a Queen egg. That just sucked for them, didn’t it?

[stolenhart]

The egg that was cracking continued to crack until the shell looked like a myriad of spiderwebs all over the shell. The shell would expand in places and then fall back as the dragonet inside moved. Finally a tiny piece fell out revealing a short dark colored snout. The snout poked out then retracted. The Weyr gave a brief cheer then waited. Then a claw appeared, beginning to pull at the shell. A large section finally fell out then the dragonet fell forward. "You owe me a Benden wineskin", Ilayria told B'oone quietly a smile on her face as the green shook herself. She was a dark green, almost foresty green, and very wide despite her gangliness. She was going to be a large green when she grew up, an asset to the Weyr. They had speedy greens but not many who could take a hit, this one would be a green who could take a hit.

She glanced towards the girls and shook her head, wheeling around and charging for the boys. She tackled a young man and proceeded to lick his face. "Cintaxth", he called out, trying to push her away, "Ger Off me!", he added though he was laughing. The dragonet backed off, right into another egg, sending it crashing to the sands to spill out a bewildered looking brown who wasn't sure if he should be here. He was a chubby brown, chubbier than one expected to find on a dragonet and he just sat there as if he wasn't sure he was in the right place.

[kat]

Amaylia was rather pleased with the first green-and rather displeased to see green she figured was just right for someone like her go to a male, instead. She sighed heavily, hoping she got a green like that. Most greens were smaller, and not very good at taking hits in battle. She could only hope if she got a green, it would be on the larger scale-not the smaller one! Or, maybe a larger blue? One could certainly hope, that was for certain. She needed a dragon who could fight, not one who was only good for carrying firestone or doing runs. She frowned, brows knitted over her eyes as she ran her fingers through her hair-a brown? Well, that was good! She was concerned that their clutch would be left with blues and greens. However, this particular brown? Looked like he needed to lose some weight and bulk up! She hadn't seen a dragon look 'pudgy' before. How had that happened? She sighed again, frustrated. Leave it to the South to take all the good ones!

~~~~~~

Tyirel wasn't sorry to see the green go to another, even if she did look finer than most he'd seen. She'd be a good fighter, unlike some. Still, the next egg made him grin...and not due to the color inside. There was a rather rolly polly looking dragonet inside. It was a brown, but this dragonet clearly had some extra body fat that wasn't required. However, from another angle, fat could turn into muscle, and be lost. It might have a big appetite, but with work? That pudge could be worked with, turned to muscle, and make a large, spectacular dragon. Some were snickering quietly, he noticed, and he smirked wryly, shaking his head. Poor thing-they were looking at the way it was now, and not picturing what it could be with some work. Still, it was amusing looking, this chubby little dragonet. Like it had too much 'baby fat', almost. He wondered how that had happened?

[tariala]

Trepisan had been one of the last to hit the sands, but he made it. He grinned slightly as he watched the first green Impress, briefly envying her rider even though he was pretty sure he didn't want a green and the greens wouldn't want him. That sure looked like a fun pair.

He glanced at the brown curiously, surprised to see how chubby it was. Its rider would have a lot of work to do to get it in fighting trim someday. Still, he couldn't imagine anyone turning a dragon away, especially one of the bigger males. It was a cheering thought regardless, that Southern hadn't taken all the eggs with big males in. If he was really lucky, there was still a bronze or two left here. He'd like to be a wingleader someday.

[dragonfire]

As it turned out, his lucky guess was wrong, but Khrysor had to grin at the sight of the green. Hatchlings were so cute! He could tell this green was destined to be a fighter, though. That was what most people would be thinking about. How these dragons could someday be used in battle. Maybe these hatchlings will never see a fight... he thought to himself, although he doubted it in his heart. It would probably be many years now before peace could be reached.

He sighed, determined not to dwell on such things right now. He chuckled at the green's tackle Impression, then turned to the next egg to hatch. It revealed an almost comically chubby brown. The South hadn't taken all of the brown and bronze eggs, then.

[Femisis]

From the looks of it, the Weyrwoman had just won a bet when the Green hatched, though that wasn’t any of her concern. If she was destined to Impress a Green (Hopefully not.), she’d want one like that, pretty, but a battle-ready dragon even if she wasn’t the most eager to jump into the fray. It was all well and good on the ground when she could easily enter a fist fight in relative safety, but in the skies battling a dragonback? Well, that was a foreign concept to her even if that was the Pern she was living in. It just didn’t seem… RIGHT, in any way, shape or form. She’d fight, though, if it meant defending her home. It just didn’t make any sense.

Shaking her head even as Cintaxth staggered into another egg and broke it open to allow her chubby clutchsibling freedom. He was the farthest thing from a stereotypical Brown she’d ever seen. In all honesty, had she been the lovey-dovey goey type, she’d probably had wanted to march right onto the sands and hug him. As it were, she really didn’t want to and thus refrained from doing so. Besides, wouldn’t that count as a forced Impression, not that Browns Impressed to females, anyway?

“Shardit, I think too much.” She grumbled to herself as she turned her attention to the still unhatched eggs. There were still ten of them, ten to the eight the South stole. They were STILL out manning them, even without the entire clutch. That had to be some sort of horrible irony.

[stolenhart]

The chubby brown gave a slight burp, the first sign of coherent movement from him, and struggled to his feet. He stretched and then began to ample over to the guys, studying them slowly, sniffing hands and ears as if they would hold his answer. He paused in front of one young boy and snorted then headbutted him. Mine I am called Biroth, he announced to Tyirel, headbutting him again, And I am a wee bit hungry. Do you think I could eat something?, the pudgy dragonet asked, leaning back to poke his stomach which gave out a deep rumble. The dragon looked embarrassed for a moment then shrugged it off and continued on his way to the table where Ph'in was busy sorting meat into large bowls.

As the brown another dragonet broke shell, this time revealing a deep blue dragonet's rear end. The dragonet shook his head unable to free it from the egg. The shell cracked against his neighbor and shattered. The blue snorted, kicked dirt on the shell and walked straight up to his Impressor. "His name is Phigalth", the young girl named Giona announced, amazed at her luck in impressing the blue dragonet.

[maiwolf]

B’oone smiled as Ilayria placed an arm around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder. So all that he had been trying to do was getting somewhere; after all, he did have to make up for his first big flunk of his Weyrleadership. But he felt that, now, everything was okay, if only for now. “Yes, and I know Astoth’ll lay a very large clutch.” He didn’t actually know that, but he did know that anything to raise the spirit was fine.

B’oone raised an eyebrow as Ilayria bet on a green hatching first. He normally didn’t take bets on Hatchings, they were too iffy. “A Benden? Are you sure? Fine, I say it’s a blue, and you owe me a Benden. Either way, if either I or you win, I promise to take you somewhere tonight, to share the Benden together.” He turned his head to look at all the candidates who filed onto the sands. “I wonder how many Bronzes are in this clutch, and no, I don’t want to bet on that.” He smiled lopsidedly. “At least they only stole one Bronze from us. We’ll have more fighting force.”

‘But that amounts to nothing with those weapons they developed.’ B’oone thought sourly. That was the reason why he had been scouring the Records. He watched as the egg broke apart, and a green appeared, and then pretended to be mad when Ilayria told him he’d better pay up. “Oh, I will, but remember, I’m taking you for a special night out later.” It was a win-win situation for him.

More eggs began to shake. One egg in particular, a large one right in the middle of the clutch, began shaking vigorously. It seemed the Weyr was waiting with baited breath. This egg was sure to hold a Bronze! The egg fell on its side, and started rolling in oblong circles as the little dragonet inside it struggled to get free. It stopped for a second, as if the dragon was catching its breath, but then the egg burst. The shells flew away from the wet dragon like a miniature bomb had explosion. What a phenomenal appearance for the first Bronze to show! The Bronze was large, beefy looking. He strode purposefully toward the candidate lines, staring each candidate in the eye. Twice. Then he brightened considerably as he found His. Oh, Trepisan! How could you not present yourself to me sooner?

B’oone leaned his head to where Ilayria’s head was, and whispered, “What a fine looking Bronze. He’ll surely catch a gold when he matures.”

[dragonfire]

Khrysor watched as the Brown stepped up to one of the boys and Impressed. Another egg hatched soon after, revealing a blue who Impressed to a girl. Everything seemed to be going so fast. With only twelve eggs, the Hatching would be over very quickly.

He shuffled from foot to foot, full of nervous energy and trying to let it out. Was there a dragon in one of the remaining eggs for him? He would just have to wait and see. At least if he didn't Impress, he still had his Craft to go back to.

One of the larger eggs burst open. A bronze! He looked like a strong one. Khrysor felt a momentary flicker of disappointment when the bronze ignored him, but he smiled at the Impression.

[Femisis]

By Faranth, that Brown was going to be a handful, Crescentia thought with a sad shake of her head as the chubby hatchling Impressed. The stupid thing COULDN’T be hungry, could he? After all, he was bordering on what she would call fat for a dragon… Hopefully Weyrling training would strip the fat off of him eventually, unless he had a bottomless pit for a stomach, which looked quite possible at this point. He’d be a liability in battle unless he did lose some of the extra poundage, but that wasn’t for her to judge, nor was it really her concern.

She frowned in slight disappointment as another girl walked off with a Blue, though that was fairly common all things considered. Female Blueriders weren’t all that rare in the grand scheme of things, though that was about the only other color a girl could ever hope to Impress. She’d sometimes wondered why girls couldn’t Impress the other colors, but the only answer she could come up with was tradition, which really wasn’t an answer at all. Girls were just as good a guys to ride a dragon; they could Impress to Greens and Golds, after all, so why not the other colors? It just wasn’t fair…

The Bronze caught her attention a bit, if only due to his size. He was big, though not very appealing to her eye. She’d seen many more magnificent Bronzes in her time standing and he was a far cry from magnificent. He seemed to not know quite where His was initially, but he found him soon enough. “Oh, not that sharding dimgow.” She groaned when she realized that Trepisan had Impressed him. Now she’d never hear the end of it, especially now when he held rank over him. So much for a punching bag.

[kat]

Amaylia's eyes were drawn to the bronze as he exploded from his shell, and she honestly was filled with envy in that moment. Why was it that the only larger dragons a girl could get were golds? They didn't fight, they didn't flame. She was proud to see that they'd kept two, larger sized male dragons...but she didn't like that they were both impressed off to boys. She seethed inside, though she quickly banked it, remembering that all those here were here for the North. Being envious of them was pointless, and she would have to impress what she could impress. Any dragon could be good-so long as it wasn't too small, that was. Small dragons didn't fight...if she got a runtier dragon, she would have to find new ways to make it into a fighting dragon...speed, maybe?

She was rather pleased the dragons were all impressing without a hassle. They were in no fear of attack from the Southerners right now, and their hatching should go smoothly. Still, with the hatchlings shelling so fast, where was her hatchling? Would she have to wait until the next clutch? She didn't much like the idea, but Astoth had just been caught, so it wasn't like she'd be kept waiting too long. She sighed, eyes narrowing in her obvious impatience, forcing herself to remember her plans, and that they weren't thwarted by not impressing...the other clutch would be soon. Maybe it would hold a larger dragon for her? Still, she wanted to impress this time around. It didn't sit well to be left standing.

~~~~~~

Tyirel was still watching the brown hatchling when the bronze hatched. No...no, don't come this way, he silently bid the bronze. Bronze was not for him. Bronze meant leadership, brown meant semi-leadership...if any. He wanted to do as he pleased, not what others expected, all the time, all the-

"Biroth?" he blinked slowly, having had his gaze diverted momentarily by the bronze, and looked down to see the chubby brown that had everyone smiling so, sitting at his feet. Yes, mine, I am Biroth. I want to be fed, I was sooo hungry in there! Tyirel-no, T'yir now, couldn't have been more pleased if he tried. He hadn't gotten blue. He hadn't gotten the bronze-he'd gotten a brown! Thank Faranth, this was the best impression that could have ever occured! The brown was pudgy but he would be all bulk and strength when T'yir was done with him. He would be a magnificent specimen, more muscular than any! T'yir beamed proudly at Biroth, and reached down to scratch his eye ridge. He felt so full of pride for the fine, chubby little hatchling that Biroth got instantly happy himself-his loved him, and he loved his...but he was hungry?

"Right, food. Whatever you want, Biroth." With that, T'yir led his perfect-to him!-looking and fine brown to the meat bowls, and began to feed the hungry hatchling. Biroth, surprisingly, ate slowly and methodically, rather than quickly-like he was too relaxed in mind to bother rushing anything...how amusing...T'yir could already see his brown grown, he'd be not the largest, but large...his bulk would more than make up for that! He turned to see who else was impressing, because of Biroth's slower eating, chewing steadily and swallowing, before needing more. What else would this clutch bring? He wasn't sure, but couldn't wait to find out!

[stolenhart]

The next dragonet to hatch came out and the entire Weyr took a second to study him. The creature was quite obviously a brown but his head was a dark brown, though bright for the color, his wings a lighter shade and his tail nearly white. Murmurs went through the crowd as the dragonet rubbed extra egg go off in the sand before standing up and shaking. He was a large brown, though short in length, almost boxy in fact. Despite his color he was a good specimen of a brown, and they hoped he would be a good fighter. The brown glanced around, nosed a young boy then moved down, dissatisfied with the offerings. Then his eyes brightened, Mine! I am Tafelth, he introduced himself to K'sor, sitting in front of the boy. He was very happy to have found his rider, it literally made his day.

As the brown Impressed, another green appeared as if by magic. No one saw her shell shatter but the pieces were there at her feet. A bright pastel green she charged for the stands, paying no mind to those gathered on the sands. She found herself a short blonde hair boy who announced in a cracking voice, "Her name is Yihavth". Slowly the pair made their way back down to the sands where another egg was slowly rocking back and forth, heralding another Hatching.

[dragonfire]

Khrysor admired the next dragonet to hatch, a large, multihued Brown. A fighter, he thought ruefully. The Brown took his time in choosing, sniffing at one boy and then passing him by. Suddenly, Khrysor heard a voice in his head. Mine! I am Tafelth![/color]

The words contained pure joy, and Khry--K'sor--had never felt happier in his life. Finally, he understood what the ballads said about Impression. Nothing could compare. Smiling and blinking away happy tears, he gave Tafelth a quick hug. The young Brown rumbled happily, nuzzling his rider.

I'm hungry![/color] he announced, stomach rumbling to punctuate the words. K'sor laughed and led Tafelth off the sands, a proud smile on his face.

[tariala]

Trepisan wondered what had happened during the last flight, to cause such big and sturdy dragonets. He forgot to breathe as he watched the bronze make his way down the lines. How impressive he was! Now there was a fighter. He entertained brief daydreams of Impressing this dragon, riding to battle on his mighty bronze, flying the golds, being a hero all the young boys of the Weyr...

And then Rywysth was there. Odd, he hadn't realized he'd given his imaginary beast a name. Oh, Trepisan! How could you not present yourself to me sooner? T'san blinked in surprise, for a moment thinking the voice part of his daydream. But no, the bronze was right in front of him, eyes whirling brightly.

"That's how a hatching works, Rywysth. We're candidates, we stand for inspection. You're the dragonets, you do the inspecting." T'san explained to the dragon, amused by the notion that he'd been lagging. "Some of you get very touchy when candidates try to present themselves out of turn."

Rywysth chuffed impatiently. Great, a few dimglows have to ruin it for the rest of us. Oh well. You're here, I'm here, and the food's over there. Let's see about getting some of it in me, and your feet off these hot sands, shall we? And without further ago, the bronze gently, but firmly nudged his rider to get him moving.

T'san stumbled back a step or two, but got the hint and started leading the bronze off the sands. You could say please, you know. He told the dragon, groping at one of his former foster mother's favorite reminders.

It was implied. Rywysth told him cheerfully, unbothered by the complaint.