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Post by Dragon on Apr 26, 2008 20:24:27 GMT -5
The hatching sands looked ominously empty now, despite the clutch of some twenty eggs nestled in the middle of the sands. Why the emptiness, well that was simple. The clutchmother, and previous Sr. Queen dragon here at Vyrzen had gone between just days earlier. Verilith had fallen ill soon after her rider had, and when the poor woman had died, Verilith had betweened with no regard to her clutch hardening upon the sands. So now, motherless and alone, the clutch sat upon the sands, bringing sorrow to the hearts of all who caught sight of the eggs. All they had left was the protection the new Sr. Weyrwoman had put upon them, a guard day and night. It consisted of herself and a few of the Weyr's staff, sitting there watching, and waiting for the clutch to hatch. Celestia, the newly appointed Sr. weyrwoman, was now on duty, sitting on the hot sands with her Silver queen beside her, watching the eggs in somewhat of a daze. So she was caught rather by surprise when her silver queen Amath started to hum. Coming out of her daze, she noted that two of the eggs were rocking slightly, and she glance to her Bonded. -Is it time, dear?- she asked, looking up at the silver. The great dragon nodded, keeping up her low humming as she replied, ~It is time~ A grin quickly spread across the girl's face. "At last." She said aloud, turning her attention back to the eggs as she heard the few other Dragons in the weyr take up the call. The hatching was about to begin. And with their lack of candidates, she certainly hoped that these orphaned young dragons would all survive. They could certainly use the new riders in the weyr. Vyrzen was desperately short staffed, and it was quickly falling into chaos. Celestia shifted nervously in her seat, glancing from the clutch to the entrance to the sands, where the candidates should be entering at any moment now. Surprisingly, the queen egg was one of the few already rocking. This worried Celestia. With the lack of candidates, it was likely the little Queen might not find a candidate to her liking. It would be bad news for the Weyr if the little Silver betweened. As of now, Amath was the only Silver in Vyrzen. They needed the little queen badly. On the Sands
Impressed Copper Kivath to Alyana Diamond Seluth to Talitha Silver Rilaveth to Lamia Purple Zutrith to Y'kito Diamond Narith to C'masle Jade Malivath to S'macle Purple Bitrath to Sylla Diamond Lilleth to Kisana Scarlet Fryuth to K'rel Jade Leith to V'lon Aqua Gyranoth to R'kah Onyx Creeth to Sh'ralik Copper Dellanth to Sorcha
Betweened [/i] None yet![/b] [/size][/center]
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Post by Femisis on Apr 26, 2008 22:14:44 GMT -5
Grinning ear to ear as he dripped puddles of water on the ground, Yukito skipped happily back to the candidates barracks. He had just returned from a nice frolic at the beach and was comfortably worn out from the fun. It was quite obvious that he had a good time as, between the sand in his hair and the water dripping from his body, it looked like he had brought the entire beach back with him. Metaphorically speaking, he had, as he hadn’t gotten out of the water until he decided to return to the Weyr. Swimming was all good and fun, but he was doing to look like a raisin if he stayed in too much longer.
The barracks were virtually deserted when he arrived, which wasn’t surprising considering the lack of people in the weyr. There were pros and cons to this, though the cons outweighed the pros at this point. He obviously had more room to himself, but there was no one to talk to and, more tragic, was the lack of candidates for the new hatchlings to choose from. It would be very sad indeed if many of them went between because of their limited choice. Still, that was life and there was little he could do about it but present himself on the sands when the time came to give them something to choose from.
Speak of the devil… He was just pulling his wet clothes off when he heard the humming. “Oh! They’re hatching!” Yukito exclaimed, falling over himself in his rush to get dressed again. True, he was soaking wet and smelled like the ocean, but he highly doubted that the hatchlings would care what he smelled like or if he was wet or not, or so he hoped. Then again, it was an absurd notion to consider that a hatchling would reject a rider on their looks when they chose based on personality.
It had taken some time, but finally Yukito was dressed and off toward the sands. Unfortunately, he couldn’t find the sands. No matter what way he went, he couldn’t seem to make that combination of turns that would take him there. Oh, he could hear the humming, but he couldn’t find the source. “Bugger…” Blinking, he looked left and right, still unable to find his way… Wait! The beach! “I have to be the smartest candidate on Pern…” He muttered to himself with a smile as he broke into a run. He should have just stayed there in the first place.
Finally reaching the Sands, he bowed to the Queen out of respect before going to start the group of male candidates. She may not be the Clutchmother, but it was still good manners to show respect to others. It wasn’t hurting anyone, anyway, so why not? Speaking of Queens, he couldn’t help but notice the Queen egg rocking along with some of the others. Didn’t the Queen usually hatch toward the end? That was all fine and good for the original colors, but maybe things went differently around here. Good. Normal was getting old, and who knew what lovelies would come out of those eggs?
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Post by Pheonix on Apr 26, 2008 22:21:13 GMT -5
Alyana had been attempting to make it look like she was actually doing her chores instead of just lazing about, and that took probably as much effort as actually doing the chore itself. However, she was feeling rather lazy today, and T'rin wasn't around, which disappointed her. He had been on a last-minute effort to Search some more Candidates, and he hadn't allowed Alyana to come with. Which was good, as Candidates themselves really weren't allowed on Searches, even if they were friends with the Searchrider. Oh well, she would just pretend she was doing some chores, while she was really gathering flower and eggs from the kitchen to throw at people from on top of one of the huts... if she could find a way up there. But of course she could find a way up there! Alyana was very resourceful.
In any case, she was in the kitchen pretending to "help out" the kitchen staff, while really figuring out how she could grab some eggs without anyone noticing. The kitchen staff did seem pretty busy, it might be easy to grab some food stuffs to drag up to the top of one of the huts... but she might get caught. Ah well, who cares? It would be fun. Besides, she'd been caught before... and nothing bad had happened. Well, she had gotten punished... but she hadn't been banned from the Hatching, although that was probably only because they were short on Candidates. Good! Alyana was planning to use that "weakness" to her full advantage, now that she knew she was able to do what she wanted to without getting caught. Her manipulative mind had immediately thought up thousands of pranks, and dropping food stuffs on top of people from one of the huts had been one of them. Fun.
However, her little "mission" had been cut short as the kitchen staff suddenly stopped. Alyana looked around, and then she finally noticed it. The hum. The dragons were humming! Immediately dropping her plots, she waved the kitchen staff good-bye (they were pretty happy to get rid of her, Alyana had a tendancy to knock things over, even when she was trying to be subtle) and dashed off towards the Candidate Barracks. She managed to get herself lost, again, even though she'd been there for, what... well, scratch that. She really hadn't been there long. Anyway... she did manage to find her room and ran inside. Her room was a mess, even messier than it usually was. Letting out a stream of curses, she figured that the Candidate Master would look for any reason to bar her from the Hatching, including locking her out or something if she was late. Of course, that would be bad for the dragons... but the Candidate Master really didn't like her. Probably because she had accidently dosed him with water. Really, it was an accident!
Finally, Alyana had managed to dig through a pile of clothes on the ground to find her white candidate robe, though it was rather dirty after being under her clothing. She really hadn't expected the Hatching to be so soon after she had arrived. Oh well, better make the most of it! It was her first Hatching, after all. Alyana knew that most people didn't Impress on their first Hatching, and small amount of Candidates or not, she was still not very likely to Impress. Then again, dragons didn't really care how long you'd been at a weyr, as long as you were theirs. T'rin said he'd only been on the Sands for about two turns before he Impressed... wait, that was a really long time! She didn't want to wait two turns....
Well it wasn't like she was ever going to Impress if she kept putting her hand in the wrong hole of the candidate robe. In her rush, and being caught up in her own thoughts, she fumbled with the robe, cursing it at the top of her lungs, then she pulled it over her head and caught a glance of herself in the looking metal. Well, she didn't look half bad. The robe was kinda ugly, but at least she had taken the time to brush her hair out that morning. She usually didn't.
So Alyana ran down towards the beach, aka the Hatching Sands, her feet hitting the ground hard. She was careful not to step on anything sharp, as a bleeding foot in front of a lot of hungry dragonets probably wasn't the best idea. She managed to avoid cutting open the bottom of her foot as she approached the Sands, and she entered, looking around. There really weren't many people there, and the eggs hadn't hatched yet, though they were rocking. This wasn't her first time on the sands (she had snuck in once before, only to be a coward and run right back out, she denies this happened) it was certainly her first time at a real Hatching. She followed a boy she had seen in front of her, not quite sure what to do, as the Candidate Master had just smirked at her and didn't bother telling her what to do on the sands, she followed the boy (Yukito)'s lead and curtsied to the Queen. She couldn't stop the huge grin that worked its way across her face, she was starting to get excited. Although she was a bit worried... there weren't many candidates here.
She continued following Yukito to the boy's semi-circle, not quite sure if it mattered. However, a very kind NPC girl came up and grabbed the back of Alyana's robes before she could follow this boy she didn't even know (though she had to admit, he was pretty cute) into the boy's semi-circle. "You're not a boy, right?" the NPC girl said with a small smile, and Alyana blushed furiously. All she could do was shake her head and follow the girl into the girl's semi-circle with an embarassed sigh. Well, this was certainly a great start for her first Hatching.
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Post by Pheonix on Apr 26, 2008 22:46:28 GMT -5
Cemasle was laying on his cot, looking at the ceiling. He was thinking, about nothing really, just thinking. He liked these times where he got to just sit back and think to himself, and while this made Cemasle feel a bit guilty, he was almost glad there were very few Candidates. For one, he didn't have to share a room. While the boy did love company, he didn't really like to share his room. For obvious reasons, one being that he liked to talk to Semacle outloud, and muttering under his breath got a bit tiring. Two was that he did enjoy his alone time, although he was never really alone. Semacle also enjoyed the alone time they had, in fact, he loved it. The more time they spent in the room, the better, although he did like it outside.
So the "two" were laying in silence, just staring at the ceiling in content. Cemasle almost wished every day could be like this, calm and peaceful... though he knew that wasn't true. There was always Thread, and all the other turmoil that came with being in a weyr, and also the Hatching. After the Hatching... Cemasle wasn't sure. He wasn't even sure he wanted to go to the Hatching, although he knew he was needed. There were so little Candidates, he couldn't just drop out now! He would feel bad. Besides, Semacle was convinced that something bad would happen if they were to Impress. His mind was already crowded enough, what would one link do to it? The boy really hoped his head wouldn't explode. That probably wouldn't be too comfortable.
However, they were trying to keep their thoughts away from the Hatching until that time came. When it came, they'd worry about it. But for now, they were having a nice, peaceful- and then they both heard the Hatching hum. Cemasle sat bolt upright, biting his lower lip. This was it, another Hatching. Having been born at a weyr (though not this one, he probably transfered in since he's 16 and it's only 10 years old... I'm rambling now so I'm gonna stop) Cemasle had become a Candidate at the age of 14. In those two years, he had been through quite a few Hatchings, although he obviously never Impressed. However, the Hatchings always made him nervous, and it made Semacle's temper shoot through the roof. So to speak.
'Well hurry up and get down there, [/color]' his other half snapped angerly, but Cemasle didn't move. He was hesitant, as he always was. His other half was getting even more annoyed, although he softened as he felt Cemasle's nerves and sighed, ' If you don't want to go, I'll go for you,[/color]" Semacle said, his voice a bit softer. He would protect Cemasle, that's what he was here for. But Cemasle smiled weakly and shook his head, " No, don't worry. I'll be fine," and while this calm, natural voice would have made anyone easily believe him, Semacle knew otherwise. Afterall, the two shared a body. He felt all of his other half's inner emotions, and he could feel the uncertainty and nerves roll off him in waves. Semacle wanted to say something else reassuring, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He just really wasn't the sappy type. However, Cemasle got off his cot, and grabbed the candidate robes from where he had neatly placed them, throwing them over his head. He looked at himself in the looking metal, adjusting his black hair which almost looked blue under the light. He looked at his reflection for a while, as if he was trying to stall for time, and then turned and walked out of his room. Cemasle had lived in this weyr for a while, he knew his way around pretty well, and he had been to the Hatching Sands a few times before. So it wasn't too hard for Cemasle to find his way to the Sands, and he, unlike Alyana, had worn sandals, so he wasn't worried about stepping on anything too sharp. He entered the sands and looked around, noticing the Queen. She really was beautiful, even if this wasn't her clutch. The eggs themselves were also very pretty, and he stared at them for a little, almost regretting his previous fears. ' Stop standing there like an idiot and move,[/i][/color]' Semacle was back to his irritable self, and Cemasle couldn't help but smile. It reassured him, at least, that Semacle was acting normal again, and he made his way towards the male semi-circle, stepping into the circle next to Yukito. He didn't think he knew this boy, and personally Cemasle thought he was pretty cute (at which Semacle suddenly grew even angrier, though Cemasle couldn't figure out why), but he didn't say anything to the other boy. There would be time for introductions after the Hatching was over, if they Impressed or not. At the thought of Impression, he bit his lip again, and looked at the eggs. He had lived here for a while, almost since the start of the place, and he was pretty used to the different color variations by now. Afterall, he had only been about 6 when he first left the weyr he was born at to come live here, so Cemasle really didn't know the other dragon colors very well. The Queen egg was shaking, and Cemasle found that a bit odd. There would be a bit of a problem if the Queen were to between, as this Weyr desperately needed their Queens. They only had one! That was a bit worrysome... but Cemasle attempted to remain optimistic. Well, as optomistic as you can be with a cynical other personality that was ranting about how the weyr was going to perish if this Queen didn't Impress. However, Cemasle was pretty amazed Semacle even cared, as he had figured his other half hated this weyr like he hated everything else.[/center]
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Post by Lamia on Apr 27, 2008 12:15:15 GMT -5
Lamia was locked in her room deep inside the Candidate Barracks, once again lost in thought. Her head was bent over a small piece of parchment, her russet curls falling down covering her face. Quill raced across the page despite the fact that her hand was sore after hours of writing. She sang quietly to herself to calm her nerves. Though she was new to this weyr, the worry about the lack of candidates twisted through her mind. "What happens if I don't impress?" She thought. "Will they kick me out?" She shook her head to clear her thoughts, trying to focus on what she had been writing, but it was no use. And to make things worse, an obnoxious humming sound had stated up-probably a prank from one of the other girls with whom she didn't get along. They were always trying to trick her.
But wait! The humming grew louder, it's true source finally apparent to Lamia. Cursing her stupidity, she lept from her chair, knocking it to the floor, and searched her small room for the white robes she was given to wear for the Hatching. "Where are those darn things?" She said aloud, as if they would leap out from their hiding place with the response "Here I am!". "Closet...no. Under the desk...no."
She ran about her cluttered room, searching all the nooks and crannies. "Ah ha!" She cried, finally deciding to search under the bed. They were a bit wrinkly, but hopefully no one would notice. Besides, could they really kick her off the Hatching Sands just because her robes weren't pressed? Lamia laughed as she pulled them over head, amused by her own worries. Pausing only to make sure she was presentable, she raced out the door and towards the Hatching Sands.
Precious minutes later, Lamia skidded to a halt by the semicircle of girls, eyes fixed on the large Queen egg set slightly apart from the others. Remembering her manners, she dipped a clumsy curtsy in the direction of the Werewoman and her Queen, Amath, almost falling over in the process. Lamia felt the heat rise in her face when she realized she was once of the last to arrive. But now the eggs were rocking and she chose instead to focus on them. Would she be lucky enough to impress?
It was not like she would mind too much going back to her Hall, or remaining at this Weyr for another few turns in the hopes of impressing a dragon at some other time. She shook her head in an attempt to move her hair away from her eyes so she could see better, but almost regretted her decision. The bright sun shone harshly upon the Southern Continent, almost illuminating the sands below Lamia's feet. The heat seemed to billow across the land in a never-ceasing wave. She didn't know how she would ever become used to this. But now was not the time to dwell on things she couldn't change for the dragons' collective hum seemed to swell into a crescendo. The Hatching was about to begin.
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Kisana
Candidate
Vyrzen's Panda
Posts: 63
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Post by Kisana on Apr 27, 2008 18:05:41 GMT -5
Kisana sat on her bed, poring over an old Record she had taken to read. She had always enjoyed reading the old, dusty hides, learning about dragons gone Between long ago, and riders who had long since been gone from the land. Many days she had spent hidden away in her room, or sitting eagerly in the Harper's Hall, learning, listening, watching.
As she read, she heard a faint humming on the breeze. It grew gradually louder, before Kisana finally realized what it was - the Hatching! It was starting! Running frantically around, Kisana couldn't seem to find her robe anywhere. She grabbed her white robe, which had been sitting, folded neatly, on a chair, and dressed hurriedly. The robe was much too long, and she tripped over it. In her hurry, she forgot her sandals, but Kisana was too excited to care.
She ran out of the Barracks, her calloused feet pounding the floors in her urgency. The hums grew louder still. Kisana listened to them lovingly, anxiously. Many dragons' calls sounded through the Weyr. One day, her dragon would be part of those calls! She could hardly stand to wait until the Hatching. If any of the few Candidates didn't hear the dragons, she pitied them! Singing one of the old Songs under her breath, Kisana soon arrived at the Hatching Sands.
A woefully small group of Candidates stood nervously on the Sands. She ran to them, breathing heavily with excitement. Noticing with a scowl that all of the Candidates were taller than she was, she huffed and stood up straighter. Besides, her dragon would know to pick her, regardless of height. The Queen egg was already shaking on the sand. Other eggs of myriad colors were shivering enticingly beside their clutchmates.
Kisana noticed, sadly, that there was no Queen on the sands, gurading the eggs. Their mother had gone Between several days ago. Hopefully, none of the dragons would come out ... damaged. There had been a few dragons mentioned in some of the old Records that were just wrong. Couldn't fly, couldn't walk - some of the eggs never even hatched. They just sat there, cold. Kisana shivered at the thought.
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Post by Dragon on Apr 28, 2008 15:41:00 GMT -5
Valon had been, like almost all the other candidates, in his room. Laying on his bed with his eyes half closed as he relaxed for a little. Earlier he had been out on the beaches, trying to spot Dolphins or wild Fire-lizards, and it was easy to see he had been out there a while. His clothes were covered in sand, his bare feet also sandy. There was even a bit of sand in his hair. But he didn't mind, because time spent on the beach was never wasted, and he always enjoyed it, even if he was a little sandy afterwards.
He was just getting up, going to the looking metal to attempt once more to tame his spiky hair and free it of sand, when he first noticed the hum. Tilting his head slightly to one side, he stared at his reflection in confusion for a moment, brush poised mid-stroke in his hair. And then it clicked, as the sound grew louder. The hatching! His dark eyes widened in excitement, and the brush began to push its way hurriedly through his short hair, sand falling to the floor and making a messy in the generally tidy room.
Finished brushing his hair in seconds, though it really had not helped tame it at all, Valon then hurried to his dresser where his candidate's robe was kept, neatly folded and blindingly white. Clearly he had put effort into keeping his candidate's robe clean and neat in the six months he had lived at Vyrzen. He quickly pulled it on, carefully smoothing out the creases.
His features lit with a joyous smile as the hum continued to grow in volume. quickly pulling on his sandals, so he wouldn't be too fidgety while standing on the burning hot Hatching sands, the short, stocky boy left his room at a jog. His eyes followed the dragon's in flight on their way to the sands, causing him to come very close to crashing into a wall numerous times. But that was alright, because he never actually did run into a wall. His sandals made a gentle drumming pattern on the ground as he rushed up to the Hatching Sands, eagerly bowing to Amath with a huge grin. It may not be her clutch, but she had watched over it since the old Queen had betweened so she had to be as happy as any to see the new clutch ready to hatch at last.
After bowing, he quietly took his place among the boys, taking his place on the other side of Cemasle from Yukito. He shot a quick wave to the other boys, not caring one bit he was probably going to be the shortest boy among the group. Then his eyes fixed unerringly upon the clutch, shifting from one rocking egg to another, and then a quick glance at the ones that had yet to show signs of movement. This quickly became a pattern, rocking egg, rocking, rocking, still. Oh, this was just so exciting. His first hatching. And there was no doubt in his mind if he would Impress. The searchdragon had brought him here, so clearly he was meant for one of these young dragons. As to what colour it would be, he had no idea or preference.
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Just as Valon took his place on the sands, the first egg cracked. This caused the hum to intensify to a painful pitch, and then die as the first dragon spilled onto the sands. All sound from the onlookers died at once as the big Copper freed herself of her egg and looked at the candidates thoughtfully. Stepping away from the shards of her egg in the direction of the female candidates, she stumbled a bit at first. This place was so full of people, and there were others here, just like her! Her attention was turned to the dragons settled all over the sand, those of Rider's within the Weyr who had come to watch. They had come to see her!
Shifting her wings, she went about showing off, her path to the one she had already chosen as her Bonded forgotten as she danced around in front of the crowd, enjoying the attention she got as being the first to hatch of her siblings. For a Copper she was a good size, her hide gleaming with more of a reddish sheen then was strictly normal, but not enough to classify her as anything other then a Copper. A good sign for such a healthy Copper to hatch first.
Celestia couldn't help but laugh as the newly hatched Copper preened in front of the crowd, losing herself in all the attention she was getting. Amath left out a snort that could easily be identified as laughter to match her Bonded's. -I was not like that when I hatched. All I wanted was to find you, Mine.- The silver commented, causing Cele to laugh harder. ~Yes, but after you did find me and got some food in you, you loved the attention just as much.~ Cele replied, shaking her head with a smile.
While everyone's attention was on the Copper, more eggs had started to rock, barely noticeable. And a hairline crack had appeared in the Queen egg, setting slightly apart from all the others. It was difficult to even tell it was there, but the Queen's egg was shaking harder now, and it was clear it would hatch very soon indeed.
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Post by Femisis on Apr 28, 2008 16:58:11 GMT -5
Being the polite and friendly boy that he was, Yukito waved back eagerly to Valon in reply. It was obvious that there was little time for socializing at the point in time as the eggs had instantly become the center of attention as soon as the dragons began to hum. And with such a clutch at hand, why wouldn’t they be especially with the unfortunate passing of their mother? With luck, that wouldn’t influence the hatchlings in the slightest, as superstition liked to imply. Some people just got these ideas into their heads and couldn’t get them back out. For Faranth’s sake, what was going to happen to the hatchlings? Well, at this point, it seemed as though many of them could go /between/ due to the unfortunate lack of candidates.
However, the hatching seemed to get off to a good start as the first egg broke open, revealing a healthy, hearty Copper. An unbidden squeal of absolute delight tore from his lips for the creature. So adorable! She had to be the sweetest thing he had ever seen; maybe even cuter than kittens, if that was even possible. However, the way she pranced and preened reminded him so much of a cat that the resemblance was uncanny. Maybe she had been a cat in a past life…? Nah. She was just an uncannily cute dragon. It was hard to believe that such a seemingly innocent creature would one day fly and breathe fire. Looks can be deceiving, after all.
It was at that moment that he realized how grateful he was to just be STANDING there. There may be hundreds of dragons on Pern, but not everyone got to stand at a dragon hatching. With twenty eggs and so few candidates, it seemed likely that he would Impress, though not guaranteed. Some dragons might think it better to go /between/ than Impress to someone not JUST right for them. It was sad, but they shouldn’t have to suffer just because they didn’t want to die.
Though Yukito was still gushing over the Copper, it was a good thing he hadn’t been paying attention to the Queen egg or it would have been five times worse. He had a weakness for anything cute and female, and if the Copper’s personality was any indication of the rest of the clutch, he would be squealing for the majority of the hatching.
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Post by awenys on Apr 28, 2008 18:25:00 GMT -5
Talitha was hiding from her mother when she heard the huming. "Iiee" she yelled then crawled out from her hiding place by the beach, and ran off to her chest where she had placed her Impression robes. As she ran she noticed that there were no peole about and wondered what was going to happen to the dragons that didn't Impress. But as she remember the conversations of yesterdays, that subject was on many people's minds.
Reaching her room, Tal quickly dug through the pile of clothes in the chest. Not finding it there she went through the clothes she had dumped out of the chest. It wasn't in the pile so maybe they had ended...under the chest. Triumphant Tal held them up. How they had gotten under there Tal had no clue.
She quickly dressed and hurried to the sands. It wasn't that easy, as she didn't often visit that area. She ran back and forth back and forth. Wait, Hatching Grounds-sand, beaches-sand. Off to the beach. Even by narrowing the search area down to the beach, Tal still had a hard time finding the Hatching Grounds.
Tal reached the grounds right after the copper had hatched. She quickly bowed to the queen, a queen is a queen, respect to all of them, then hurried to the circle of girls. She nodded to Alyana, Lamia, and the others. Then took her place in circle on the sands, away from the queen egg, yet near the other eggs. A queen was not in her thought of Impressing, maybe a Diamond or Purple. A Copper or Silver was way to high. Tal turned her mind from what she thought she might like to Impress to the current Hatching. A copper prancing about the grounds? I would think she would like to eat about now, Tal thought to herself.
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Post by Pheonix on Apr 28, 2008 18:37:42 GMT -5
Alyana was still getting over her little embarassment as she stood in the female semi-circle. She did have a lot of pride, and making such a huge mistake in front of all those people... well, it was humilliating! She crossed her arms, trying to will the redness out of her cheeks. She saw an NPC girl giggle at her and that just made her flush more, though this time in anger. She was muttering angerly to herself, completely forgetting the whole "happy dragons, happy thoughts" thing that they had been told. It was one of the few things the Candidate Master actually bothered telling her. In any case, she finally managed to return her face to it's normal shade, and by then, the first eggs were vigorously shaking. In fact, a few had cracks down them already.
Her eye had been on another egg that seemed to be hatching, and she was making a mental bet with herself as to what egg would hatch first. Just to pass the time and try to get over her nerves, really. Alyana wasn't a generally nervous person, but as time went by, she began to realize she had no idea what to expect. For someone who loved controling things, that was torture. She still had her arms crossed, and she was taken a bit by surprise as the humming intensified, and she was very tempted to cover her ears, though she wasn't sure how well that would go by with the dragons. Then the first egg cracked open, revealing a rather... jovial... Copper.
Alyana still kept her arms crossed and she watched with a raised eyebrow, not quite sure what to make of this. Well, she had always heard of Queens showing off like that, but a Copper? Well, she was a beautiful little thing, if not a bit... hyper. She seemed to have quite a lot of energy, and while Alyana felt it was good for the Clutch, as it showed the dragons were very healthy, if not TOO healthy, she couldn't help but find all the energy just a little bit annoying. If she spent all her energy prancing without Impressing and getting food, would she go between or something? Alyana shuddered at the thought and immediately regretted it. She couldn't help being a bit of a pessimist (she called herself "being logical", but generally the most logical outlook was the most pessimistic) but these were living creatures, even if she was still slightly confused about the whole "mindlink" thing. Didn't having a voice in your head make you sort of crazy?
Well, not when everyone had a talking dragon in their mind.
In any case, Alyana attempted to switch her mind over to watching the Copper, although she couldn't help but steal a glance at the boys. A rather excited looking boy was doing some sort of dance? Maybe a ritual for the dragons. Ah hell, Alyana didn't know! She had only just arrived at the Weyr! And the people here were so strange, she had encountered a boy talking to himself in the Barracks when she first arrived. That's not quite out of the ordinary, but he was responding to himself as well, which caused Alyana to turn and run in the other direction. Maybe that's what living in a Weyr did to you, made you lose your sanity. With a "pfft" of disapproval at her own thoughts, she looked back at the Copper hatchling.
She had been under the impression (haha, I made a funny) that dragons hatched and imediately went out to seek their Bondeds. Wasn't this Copper hungry? Oh well, if she wanted to prance around instead of getting something to eat, she could go ahead and prance all she liked. It wasn't Alyana's concern.
Unless this was her dragon, of course. She allowed a bit of hope to dash through her mind before her logical side informed her that she needed to pay attention or she wasn't going to Impress anything. That's what she was here for, to Impress... not to think about horribly off-topic things. She had even gone to thinking back when she first arrived here! Well, she couldn't help it that her thoughts tended to wander. No, stop, shardit pay attention!
As she looked around the Hatching Sands, trying to mentally bet on which egg would hatch next, she managed to spot the Queen egg shaking. Interesting, it seems like the little Queen was still intent on hatching early on. That was a little strange, and Alyana did hope that nothing was wrong with the little thing, god knows the Weyr needed it's Queens. Anyway, figuring the Queen would hatch when she was good and ready (which seemed to be soon) she turned her attention back to the Copper, growing less annoyed with her little show and more amused, especially with Yukito's squeals adding to the atmosphere.
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Post by Pheonix on Apr 28, 2008 19:11:40 GMT -5
There seemed to be a lot of short boys on Pern. The boy who just approached, Cemasle thought he was a little late, but no, no one was late until the eggs actually started Hatching, was around his same height, as Cemasle himself was rather short. His brother had been tall, although at the thought of his brother Cemasle felt as though he was going to throw up, as the thought of what had happened added to his slight nerves, resulting in an odd mix. However, it quickly passed, and he looked out at the eggs again, watching them with bright, light brown eyes. Semacle was completely silent, which Cemasle found... odd. His other usually wasn't so quiet, he was usually making sardonic comments, and it scared him. He felt... alone.
'I'm still here, quit freaking out and pay attention the eggs, not me, [/b][/color]' Semacle snapped with an annoyed sigh. Really, he was quiet a lot! Cemasle picked the strangest things to worry over... he should be worrying about the eggs! Semacle had offered to take over, but no, he said he could handle it.... Cemasle let out a sigh of relief at the sudden flood of emotions and thoughts from his other half. It gave him a bit of comfort, and calmed down a few nerves he didn't even think he had. As used to hatchings as he was, they were still horribly nerve-wracking. Not to mention that with the lack of Candidates he had a pretty good chance of Impressing, something that made Cemasle bite his lip nervously. He had heard of double-Impressions, though he had thought they were just a rumor. Cemasle really wasn't sure if he could put up with two dragons, let alone one. On the opposite end of the scale, he hoped that his split personality wasn't going to scare away the dragons. Semacle had a bad habit of always thinking of the worst thing possible, and making horrible comments to just about everything. If the dragons were able to pick up on their thoughts, he hoped that at least his thoughts would be stronger to the dragons. Cem really wasn't sure if he could deal with a dragon that acted just like Sem.... Now, Cemasle ignored his other half again, who felt a bit indignant about that, -why had he been worried that Sem was quiet if he was just going to ignore him anyway?!- and turned his attention back to the Hatching. An egg was shaking, and cracks had appeared all along it until it finally broke open, revealing an excited looking Copper. He watched with amusement as she began to prance around, flauting what she had. He almost jumped when Yukito started squealing, the sound had surprised Cemasle so much. That's what happened when you were stuck in your mind, loud sounds tended to be a rather surprising jolt out of your mind. Not that Cemasle minded, he could really use something to get his mind off Semacle... though a squealing boy next to him wasn't quite what he had in mind. Recovering from the surprise, he looked over the Copper, and he couldn't help a grin slowly work its way across his face. It was always great to see an energetic hatchling hatch (try saying that 5 times fast) and Cem had been to hatchings where the first few hatchlings... weren't quite so energetic. He winced at the thought, and silently thanked some all knowing being for letting this hatching be a good one, he had seen too many dragonets between before their time, and that included the mother of this clutch. The poor old Weyrwoman and her dragon.... While Cemasle hadn't really known them very well, he had still lived in this Weyr since it was first built, so he had grown up with this Weyrwoman. ' Cem, you need to focus,[/color]' Semacle informed his other half. This was also rather normal with them, as usually during hatchings Cemasle let his mind wander and Semacle would bring him back to the hatching... so to speak, of course. Nodding to no one visible, he watched the Copper with a bemused look. Coppers generally didn't Impress to boys, but Cemasle thought the little thing was adorable all the same. Albeit not to the extent that Yukito did, but he thought the little dear was quite the charmer. [/center]
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Kisana
Candidate
Vyrzen's Panda
Posts: 63
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Post by Kisana on Apr 28, 2008 21:00:18 GMT -5
Kisa watched with glee as the eggs started to shake and crack. One egg cracked open, dumping its cargo on the warm Sands. A Copper, by the looks of it. A little redder than normal, but quite the peppy one. Staring longingly at the freshly hatched dragon, she lost herself for a moment in old myths and legends. So many dragons she could remember, all the way back to the first eggs hatched long ago.
The Copper started dancing around, shaking her wings and flaunting herself to the audience. She distracted attention away from the other eggs, and Kisa couldn't help but track the dancing dragon with her eyes and head, swaying back and forth. Clapping her hands with delight, she glanced back for a moment at the rest of the clutch and -
The Silver is hatching! She thought excitedly to herself. All thoughts of the jaunty Copper vanished as Kisa examined the shuddering silver egg from afar. A skinny crack had already appeared across the surface. Kisa's breath was tight in her chest as she watched hopefully, anxiously, fearfully.
For a moment, she feared she would faint with nervousness, but she steeled her nerves. Do not be afraid... they said in the old tales. So Kisa would not be afraid. To calm herself, she hummed a medley of old Ballads, keeping the beat with her foot, tapping her hand against her thigh. Everything fell away except Kisa, the pounding beat - no, it was her heart, she realized - and the rocking eggs.
She knew it. One would choose her. With so few Candidates, one MUST choose her! Kisana of Ruath's Weaver Crafthall, a Dragonrider! The very thought sent shivers down her spine. She hummed louder, tapped harder. Anything to keep the fear away. I must not be afraid! She sang to herself in time with the lyrics. The humming of the dragons rang in her ears, an eerie accompaniment. Humming, tapping, hoping, she waited.
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Post by tiamat on Apr 28, 2008 22:46:43 GMT -5
Sylla woke with a start, lying still where she was under the shade of a tree as she tried to figure out what had caught her attention. The sun hadn't progressed far enough to chase away the cooling shadows she had stretched out in, so it couldn't be Rukbat's heat. It was relatively quiet out here as well, nothing but the faint humming of dragons to disturb her. They could almost be mistaken for the buzzing of insects but for their distinctly deeper voices... abruptly she sat up. Humming?! It couldn't be...
Still she surged to her feet, squinting and shielding her eyes against the sun's blazing light as she rushed from her protected nook. It wouldn't hurt to make sure now would it? There would hardly be anyone around to laugh at her eagerness if the dragons were simply, say... feeding or something. Did they hum when they ate? Socializing, then.
The bustle of activity when she reached the center of the Weyr, people scurrying about in a flurry of activity, was almost enough to make the place seem decently populated. It only took a second's inquiry of a passing man to learn that the eggs were, indeed, hatching. Immediately Sylla's heart rate soared and she raced for the barracks, stumbling and reeling like one of those wobble-toys that always popped back upright as she did her best to avoid careening into anybody.
Flinging herself into the proper attire she sprinted for the hatching grounds, glad she had wandered by them often enough to learn where they were in relation to the rest of the Weyr. She might have trouble getting to the kitchen, but the Sands? No problem. To her dismay one of the eggs had already cracked, leaving a preening... it was a Copper, right? Not a Scarlet... on the sands. Sylla was still adjusting to the surprising new array of colors these southern dragons had become. Taking her place as quietly as she could, she tried to heave for breath without making a sound.
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Post by tiamat on Apr 29, 2008 6:46:28 GMT -5
Everyone in the kitchen froze as the humming began, then erupted into a renewed frenzy of activity. The light-skinned youth with candle-flame hair resumed his chopping of vegetables, the only sign he'd heard the dragons apparent in the blurring blade as he rapidly sought to finish his task. A passing cook did a double take and stared. Having recruited Sharralik to the task, the man was well aware of the boy's candidate status.
"What are you still doing here? Get to the Hatching Sands!"
Sharralik didn't look up. "You're short-staffed as it is, preparing a Hatching Feast on such short notice is going to be hard enough, I can at least finish these. I've probably got couple of minutes."
"Shards, boy, you're insane!" The cook pushed forward and snatched the knife from Sharralik's hand just as he sliced the last few roots. The candidate danced backward a few paces as the sharp blade was brandished half-threateningly at him.
"Not afraid I'll lose my lifemate between, are you?" He blurted. The ill-conceived joke fell flat, Sharralik belatedly reminded of just how possible such an occurrence might be. Brief silence descended– or rather, the din in the kitchens lessened– as the dragons ceased humming. The Hatching was truly underway now. Shells! He turned and quickly weaved his way out into the open, the tone of the cook's parting shout of 'Go on, get out of here!' assuring him the other hadn't taken offense at his crude attempt at humor.
Breezing through the candidate barracks, the adolescent snatched his robes and opted to struggle into them as he ran. Trying to force arm and head through the same hole, he crashed into someone and just as swiftly moved on, hollering an apology into the air. At least the coarse cloth covering his entire upper body would obscure his identity to whoever he'd run into. Finally getting everything into place, he staggered into position on the Sands. Smoothing and straightening his rumpled garb, he nodded deferentially to Celestia and her silver. Turning his pale gaze to the cracking eggs he did his best to look as nonchalant as possible.
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Post by Chellie on Apr 29, 2008 22:04:00 GMT -5
Silence. It was a gift from above, at times. In this room that held a balcony-like window (though she be surrounded by many a rowdy youngsters in the barracks, Sorcha was able to ignore the sounds), it provided time for one to think- to mull over ideas such as the future, the present, and the past. A small sigh was ushered out of full lips while the eighteen year old shook her head, the inky strands of hair spilling over her shoulders and falling in no particular order to rest down the middle of her back. Grey eyes gazed out of doors through the small window that was offered for viewing, taking in the sight of the beautiful clouds. Their mountainous tops reaching far into the heavens, to the point where her eyes could no longer tell cloud from sky. And then there was the silver lining, the beautiful streak of color that broke apart the sullen grey hue of the nimbus. It was beautiful, ‘twas the only word she found suitable to describe the wonder of nature.
Man might have created art, but that was only artificial. It only capture a moment in time, and stayed that way for all eternity- the fascination with the work losing its first enchantment after being viewed several times. But nature, nature on the other hand was ever changing- it was natural, never once staying in the same state for longer than a breath. It caused for constant wonder, questioning of how things were possible- but answers were never found. Perhaps that is what made it so enthralling, so mystical. Simply because nature was something that the human mind could not grasp entirely. It was one thing that homosapiens could not control, and never would be able to control. Unpredictable and wild, perhaps that is why she found it to be so interesting. It never held care for the useless; it just had its cycle of life. Be born, live, destroy, die, and become resurrected with the coming of spring and summer.
Nature obeyed no law, and never bowed its head to a higher authority. It did what it did; just be.
Delicately it caresses the cheek, promising sweet secrets of golden hue. It oversees all that you do, with bright eyes to seek. Fiercely it burns the land. Burning to kill. While with its will even the oaks in fright bend.
Sunshine. It brings hope. Sunshine. It brings fear.
The touch of a lover, the temper of a tyrant. Sunshine is life and death, awaiting to bring either in the blink of an eye. The thought of the paradox provoked the woman rather sharply; the dual-affect that the beloved sun graced upon the world slapping her like a palm to the face. The thought, in itself, was random- but yet symbolized so much more than just the cherished rays that she embraced with the arrival of dawn and mourned with the coming of twilight. There was a warning inlayed into the thought, a warning of being wary of the power that was held. Of the balance that could be risked if she was to continue with living constantly with the guilt that weighed heavily on her chest. It was not Rukbat she wanted to be like… Nay, but the bridleless wind.
Sorcha was envious of this trait, longing to just feel the freedom the wind held. To travel without barrier across the world, to touch what it wanted. To punish without guilt or memory, and to never suffer. The wind was invisible to any eye, one only having knowledge of its presence by the feel of its caress… Or the wrath of its howl. Most would desire to stand out like Rukbat; letting their power be evident for everyone to be hold. To have people shield their eyes when in its presence. This was not the case for this candidate. Aye, like any human she desired power… But what she wanted was the power of the wind. To be able to make a decision with a free will, with no bonds to hold her down. To be invisible to most, but known by all. And ultimately, to liberate herself from her past demons that haunted her every waking moment. Alas, gloom and despair had not fully consumed the minx’s life- oh no, for salvation did come in the form of wit, arguments, and fighting.
It would be safe to assume that Sorcha had been oblivious to the merry on goings barracks, and ignorant of the screaming hysterics of some girl that had found her hair to be missing a good three inches or so after another had taken the privilege of giving her a trim. Sorcha had fallen into the ocean of deep thinking, and was submerged in its warm waves. The waters lapping over her mind with a cleansing affect. An immense silence laid claim to the land, not even the sweet whisperings of the wind dared speak. Life seemed to be at a stand still, the land barren of any movement. No tree bothered to wave their branches to greet Rukbat’s rays that penetrated through the darkness. Slivers of silver and grey chilled the vast empyrean; the breath that had been held by nature released in a startling sigh. The foreign hum of dragons signaling the time was at hand, the cavernous halls carrying the sound as if it were a roll of thunder. And then the torrent of pondering’s water was stopped when the sound filled her ears. It was during that poignant moment that the first glimmer and release of emotion was let loose from Sorcha’s guarded heart. The lass pulled back from gazing out wistfully in the window. Her fingers, almost numb with the dawning realization that she were to actually participate in this ludicrous Hatching (honestly, what reason did she have for being in a Weyr? None, and by her past sins, she should be punished by these people. Not honored with standing at a Hatching. Ultimately, the whole ordeal was insane in the black haired girl’s mind). It had started as a single tear, rolling down and leaving behind a salty trail for others to follow. And follow they did. Tears of rage, sorrow, and joy. Two out of the three she knew all to well for someone barely turned eighteen turns.
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Hardened by the trials of life, Sorcha refused to lower herself to meager standards. Now, mind you… It was not out of vanity the adolescent objected to formalities- but out of the knowledge of being judged by others. To have them think they were better than her, just because of some absurd ranking system. Aye, a peasant she might be. But a peasant with a fighter’s heart. Aristocratically she gazed across the sands, watching on while other candidates filtered in. This place was almost like a forest that she had traversed once before… It being foreign. Unique in every branch that bowed in the power of the wind, and mesmerizing with each blade of grass untrodden by tracks. Wistfully the eighteen turn old sighed, consumed by the immense adventure that lay in her wake. In a silent manner she nodded her head in the direction of which her ‘destiny’ (as the people around her had continued to babble on and on about) waited; the great mystery of it all still looming ahead and tempting her curiosity in such a cruel manner to endeavor deeper into this ‘timberland’ of a climax in life and follow the path set before her. A flash of white was produced as she grinned, revealing her teeth, “It’s almost time…” Those solemn eyes studied each and every person that entered into the ominous cavern that served as the Hatching Ground, putting faces into memory for later pondering. No emotion was displaced on her relatively fetching features, as the grin faded away when she noticed the staring of another girl, that thin-line that served as a frown putting away any reason to believe that she was a social butterfly. Well, she wasn’t.
This would be a Hatching to be remembered, that was for certain.
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