Finally a Future

[stolenhart]

R'lyn would have shooed the girls off but they were merely being friendly. With a sigh he urged her forward. "Down to the ship", he nodded towards a ship that was now beached on the sand, several herd beasts being herded aboard it. There was enough beasts for at least three sevendays. It would take one sevenday to get to the island, and then she would have two sevenday to find another home. He knew the Northern Weyr took in their girls, if they would could find them, and it pained him to hand over another girl, especially a Healer. But if he didn't, another rider would do it and they would literally force him out, without even a flight.

"Don't worry. Someone will come for you soon", he told her as he began the march across the beach sands. They did try to helpt the girls but it was hard on them, hard on the Weyr. Mutterings would be this night about the Northern dragons and their female Impressing dragons. There would be talk of going North to kill the Northern gold before she could fly or lay her clutch. He would have to make sure they failed. Killing a gold was a terrible thing.

He had seen her to the ship, then froze as dragons erupted above the sands. A commotion ensued from inside as dragons leapt upward to protect their unhatched queen. And though R'lyn did not know it, the queen had finalyl saw fit to grace they Weyr with her prescence, jsut as the death knell of dragons broke out. "Shards", he snarled, making his way as quickly as could, Castogath shrieking madly from his spot on the sands, head waving as he tried to keep the dragons away. But it was the newly Hatched gold who stopped them all. YOU WILL GO BACK TO WHEREVER YOU CAME FROM, she shrieked angrily, tiny wet wings furled in the sands as she shrieked at her invaders. My Rider is here, not where you are from go back, she added. R'lyn finally broke through the chaos of the sands and saw her standing there, resplendant despite her wet hide and furious posture. Siten, come to me this instance before I go a killing things!, the gold commanded her rider, hissing at the brown who had killed one of her dragons. How dare he! Isiloth commands you to leave, she gave a roar that shook her entire body. The brown, who had yet to Impress, stumbled away from the gold in the wake of her fury and bumped int his own rider. And like that, all eight dragons were safely Impressed to Southerners.

(If you have any questions, please pm them to me. Do NOT spam the cbox)

[accelerando]

♥ ildessmor ♥
Now if she touches like this
will you touch her right back
Now if she moves like this
will you move like that
shake, shake, shake
SHAKE, SHAKE IT

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T

[/b]urning to the girl in front of her, she glanced around her quickly. There was no time for any interference here. Seeing that there were no dragon riders near the three of them, she leaned forward and whispered Take your dragon and find one of them alone, Her idea spilled forth as a blue dragon took off from the mountain. Ask them to take you in, they should know about the Southern tradition and be willing to help you out. she finished, standing back up.

A[/b]s she was standing back up, she saw a flash of movement from the corner of her eyes. Looking up, she was just in time to see the blue dragon be hit in the side by a brown dragon. The blue dragon instantly plummeted towards the ground, unmoving and silent. No, it couldn't be, she thought to herself as she glanced around to see where the rider was.
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[dragonfire]

Brogan nodded silently at Ildessmor, then followed R'lyn to the ship, Cath close beside her. At first, when she saw the herdbeasts, she was offended that they had to ride with livestock. She was a mere green weyrling, but still. Then, she realized the beasts were meant to be food for Cath.

She was getting ready to board when the keens rang out. Brogan gasped, her heart aching in response as Cath let out an answering keen of her own. Brogan turned her eyes back to the Weyr, seeing the unfamiliar dragons circling above. She felt a jolt of fear and loathing at the sight of them, but then she remembered...she was practically a Northerner now.

I am sad for the blue, but are they here for us?[/color] Cath asked, pressing against her rider. Brogan sighed. Not for us, but maybe we should stay and see if they want to talk to us. I might have some Healing to do, anyway. No matter what, she couldn't walk away from injuries among what had been her own Weyr just moments ago.

[saidaltam]

-----T'REL-----

T'rel was mere dragonlengths behind his wingleader and Weyrleader when the collision occurred, and the moment he realized what was coming, he winced away visibly. Vijaith was little better off, either, but they had a job to do, and the dragon was of no mind to fail in his duties, for, like his rider, there were few things for which he had less respect than negligence of duty.

When Isiloth shouted, however, even Vijaith recoiled, looking to Brennanth for direction. :She is shelled. What is our avenue?:[/color] The thought was directed both at Brennanth and his own rider, but just then, T'rel had no insight for him.

------SITEN------

The unprecedented arrival of the Northern dragons, and the shocking death of the blue, had drawn all eyes, to include Siten's, away from the hatching. In silent shock, Siten listened to No'ln--Noeln--cry out at the loss of his dragon, stunned.

Then, Isiloth spoke.

Siten was momentarily dazed by the hatchling's voice filling her head thunderously like that, and clapped her hands uselessly over her ears before actually registering what had just occurred. When she did, and when the dragon's fierce, cold mind melted against hers, she staggered, awed, and fell to her knees beside the hatchling, one hand coming to rest on the dragon's small, perfect head. "Isiloth?" she whispered, then smiled slowly. For several heartbeats, she sat like that, and then her eyes flicked over to the intruding riders, flashing darkly with Isiloth's rage moreso than her own, and in that instant, the anger she'd felt at Brogan's banishment found its outlet.

"Isiloth spoke well. You do not belong here!" she snapped, voice projecting as only the practiced can project. "This is not your Weyr, and Isiloth is not for you! She chose me, not one of your Northern girls, and she chose without hesitation! Be gone from here, intruders!"

In truth, had she been thinking clearly, she would not have said much of that, and would have taken a rather different view on the entire event, even with the tragic death of Noeln's blue, but with Isiloth spurring on her own pre-existing anger, Siten saw nothing but the crime of their intrusion.

[stolenhart]

The captain, who could not disobey orders, but his hand on Brogan's arm. "Miss you cannot go back. They will kill you", he told her, believing the statement. She had to get on the ship, or he would die. "Come, no one has been hurt and there is no need for you to get the young dragon excited. It will do her no good", he coaxed her, "And there is food on board, she needs it. She is hungry", he added, hoping that would get the girl on board the ship. There was no sense in her running back to the Weyr, they had already forgotten she existed.

[strawberrylush]

She had failed at the Impressing the gold. She knew that the moment the gold Hatched. She didn't even look her way but instead went straight for her's. How disappointing, still there was another Hatching to get too, another chance at an egg. She would be back, of that rest assured. She left the Sands at a run just as a wingsecond broke away and landed. She scrambled aboard the brown dragon, white candidate robe stark against his hide. So much for her Southern Harpering, they didn't like her anyway. She wrapped her arms around her brother and the two of them retreated in the wake of the gold's anger. She'd be back on a fighting dragon, Southern was dying by inches and they didn't know it yet. No backward glance was spared as they went up and into between.

[maiwolf]

Live had not realized the importance of this hatching until then, when Bronzeriders and Brownriders winged in the air overhead. She heard an earsplitting bugle, and saw a blue body plummet to the sands below. A dragon had died. At a hatching. Live turned, horrified, to see the blue's bonded stop, crestfallen. Live furrowed her brows, and knew at the moment of the queen's hatching, that she was not the one. But this was not over. Live would Impress, one day.

---

Brennanth hovered there uncertainly. Then he nodded, acknowledging the queen's wishes. He could not disobey a queen, any queen. There is no more need for us here. Our presence is needed elsewhere. The queen has chosen, I cannot go against her. We must tell the Weyrwoman the bad news. The first sentences had been meant for all Northerner ears. The last was meant only for B'oone's. B'oone nodded, and raised his hand. A signal.

When he dropped it, as if on cue, all Northern dragons dispersed between, back to their Weyr.

---

Noeln sat there, stunned. Pandorath. The blue body. Vague, he saw shapes. His eyes watered, he could not stop them. A piece of his soul was dead. Not even Raya, his flit, could comfort him. Raya was blue. Pandorath had been blue.

But Pandorath was dead.

Noeln made up his mind.

"WAIT!" He called up to the riders who had just killed his dragon. But they were gone. A green had Impressed a girl, right? Noeln shot up, racing shakily toward the ship. He had to get on that ship! He had to leave Pandorath behind! Noeln ran, tears streaming. His only thought was Pandorath. Raya flew behind him, cheeping, dutifully keeping pace. "Cap-cap-cap!" He called, but could not get the words out.

The dragonless man needed no words. Sympathy could be felt, radiating most as they looked at him, as he flew past. Flew past seemingly on Pandorath's wings. He stopped next to the girl. So blinded by his own shock, it did not register what he was doing. He would not realize until it was too late. "I w-w-w--sail, you-you-y ship!" he said, barely coherent. But he made it clear by his actions, gesturing, tears falling. He could not stay here any longer.

[saidaltam]

With a rueful sigh at the sight of the little gold and her newly found rider, Vijaith relayed Brennanth's words to T'rel, adding sadly, :And she's such a perfect colour, too.:[/color] Then, without giving the bronze rider the opportunity to reply, or do more than realize what had happened, the dragon dropped between. Isiloth was right. They did not belong here, anymore.

((I know it's short, but it's such a perfect, fitting exit for them that I just can't bring myself to add to it.))

[tariala]

And just like that, it was over. The battle, and the death, and the gold's Impression. Oridale's heart still raced from the adreniline rush and anger at the Northern attack. How *dare* they have disturbed what should've been a happy time with death! If they'd wanted their egg back, they should've come earlier, Weyrleader or no. Surely one of their Wingleaders could've led it. Stupid, fardling, interfering Northerners and their stupid, wherrybrained dragons-

And flaming stupid gold for not choosing her, her heart added. Her silent tirade ground to a halt, and Oridale turned to leave the sands with a sigh. Time to go have a good cry, and get back to her regular duties. Her lips quirked in a reluctant smile- her master would be pleased not to lose her, at least.

[kat]

Maya was as startled as anyone else when suddenly, the hatching sands were invaded by the dragons from the North. Everything seemed to happen in a blur after that-the gold hatched, and impressed-and not to her. Her plans were suddenly put back on hold, and she was put off guard by the Northerners. She hadn't impressed gold, she hadn't impressed at all. She was no further ahead than she'd been at the start of the hatching. A brown Northern dragon swooped down, and, forgetting herself, she sent out forcefully, ~leave, now!~

Only then did she recognize her mistake. Still, no one seemed to notice as they were ordered to leave. No one had noted, right? Would the brown have even known it was her? She hoped not...she glanced around nervously, glad to see that no one was looking her way, before slinking out of the hatching sands. She'd be a Candidate, still. She could stay one until she was too old to stand for the gold. Still, her disappointment was raw, knowing she had no power to do a thing without a dragon by her side. She'd have to continue to hide what she was, continue to wait. She only hoped that she wouldn't have to wait too long...

~~~~~~

Kyrsin cringed as suddenly, dragons were seen flying overhead. They were Northern dragons, and everything suddenly began happening so fast, that all she could do was watch in rapt horror. Cask gave a frightened shriek of terror when suddenly, the life was taken from a Southern blue, just like that. He shuddered from where he had alighted on her neck, little claws digging in as he peered out from under her hair. Kyr herself didn't even notice the gold had impressed-she only found out because suddenly, the gold and her new rider were telling the Northerners to leave. But they'd killed that young man's blue! She was horrified, knowing that dragonless were like half a person-and then that green had impressed to a girl! The girl was being banished...what a horrid end to the hatching!

She was still frozen in mollified horror as they left, the whole lot of them, and she realized that she was still a Candidate-with relief-and now she suddenly decided she would stay one. Life in the barracks was better than life at the Hold. There, she was merely a drudge. Here, she was at least something, right? She could stand again, and maybe here she would learn something more, become something more...she wasn't too sure of it herself, but the decision to stay was final in her mind. What did she have to go back to? No friends. No family...nothing. Maybe here, she could try and start anew. She scurried out of the hatching grounds and headed back for the Candidate barracks, needing to calm down after all the 'excitement'.

~~~~~~

K'ian clutched Namyath closely to him when all of a sudden, dragons began to burst into the sands. He knew why they were here, and who they were-Northerners! They'd come for their eggs-their queen. He looked over just in time to see Siten impressing, however. It was too late to reclaim her-what would they do now? Would they go so far as to kill the hatchlings? He glared at them, daring any of them to come anywhere near him and his new bond, ready to protect her even against the dragons themselves. Namy whimpered, and buried herself in his arms, and then K'ian scooped her up in his arms, backing away to the wall.

You will keep your Namyath safe, right K'ianmine? the small peridot green asked, laying her head over his shoulder as he held her close.

Always, my dear Namyath. Always. No harm will ever come to you when you are with me, he assured her. Surely enough, the new young queen and her rider spoke out, and, much to his surprise, the Northerners were suddenly leaving! He watched them go, his expression flooded with obvious relief, surprised that they had even listened. But she was right-they didn't belong here. There was nothing they could have done, at that point, to get their queen back.

Still carrying Nemy, he went back to the feeding buckets, heart still racing, and began to finish what he'd started. First things first, then he could get settled into his new home-the Weyrling Barracks!