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Going clockwise, the eggs are:

The Golden Stag Egg: The large and radiant Golden Stag Egg sits almost in the center of the little clutch. It seems content in its place, and seems to radiate a distinct aura of calm whenever anyone approaches it, both male and female. Though both the Spicy Red and the Orange Stripe Eggs are leaning away from it, it seems to more readily accept the closeness of the New Grass egg that leans almost up against it.

Spicy Red Egg: Brown Akerth - Impressed to Tarusen
Close to the Golden Stag Egg, but obviously with its tip just a bit away, the Spicy Red Egg seems uncertain whether it wants to be involved with the other eggs or not. An insecure socialite or an proud bronze waiting to hatch out? The egg itself gives out an aura of impatience to males touch and this feeling is stronger towards female candidates.

Three Spots Egg: Green Tatleth - Impressed to Kylar
Oops! Looks like something tipped over the Three Spots Egg and it hasn't righted itself! No matter what Kaveth seems to do, this egg always ends up toppled over, lying on its side in the sand. Candidates need not worry about disturbing it; it is completely unmovable. Those who touch it will get the feeling that it seems to be amused by something. Perhaps the neighbouring Pink Charcoal and Streaked Sky Eggs?

Pink Charcoal Egg: Green Betteth - Impressed to Iloraz
This egg has planted itself down right where the Streaked Sky Egg is and continued to point itself slightly towards its other clutchmates. It's obvious this eggs wants to be involved. Each individual person might get a different experience each time they touch it, but the underlying feeling is always that of pleasantness.

Streaked Sky Egg: Only one thing is for certain, the Streaked Sky Egg is clearly avoiding the Pink Charcoal Egg. In fact, the feeling this egg gives off is almost hostile. It is not fond of being touched.

Grey Speckled Egg: Green Erath - Impressed to Yulu
Yaaaawn. Just getting near this egg almost makes you feel tired. Or maybe it's just the heat. This egg is tipped a little to the side, perhaps too tired to stand upright like many of its fellows. Overall, it seems somewhat unimpressed by the rest of its siblings and maybe even some of the candidates that touch it. Judging by its size, it's most likely a green or a blue.

Orange Stripe Egg: Bronze Pipith - Impressed to Sethal
This egg is Not Impressed (no pun intended). Though it doesn't seem to mind the closeness of the New Grass Egg, it definitely doesn't like being so close to the Golden Stag Egg. Perhaps it's jealous of its large size? Or maybe it just doesn't like the fact that the Spicy Red Egg is so close on the other side. It's hard to know what's going on in the mind of an egg, but for whatever reason this one definitely doesn't have a happy dragonet. Size wise it looks like it may hold a brown or a large blue.

New Grass Egg: Green Vespereth - Impressed to Cass
Seated the closest to the Golden Stag Egg, the New Grass Egg leans almost up against the Queen egg, almost as though seeking comfort. Or perhaps it has something it wishes to tell to its larger companion? Candidates who touch this egg will pass extremely close to the Golden Stag Egg, though perhaps the New Grass Egg did that on purpose. After all, what better way to share the spotlight?

Blue Earth Egg: Blue Skananth - Impressed to Folen
Smack dab in the middle of the clutch, the Blue Earth Egg seems to enjoy whatever attention it gets. Those who touch it will get the distinct impression that it likes being handled by both male and female hands. Sometimes it gives a little wiggle, though nobody's sure what the movement signifies. This egg is probably a blue or a green, though it could be a very small brown.

This was it. It was time. She'd felt silly over the last few days, rehearsing leaping out of bed, or getting out of her normal clothes, and pulling on the robes as swiftly as possible. She didn't feel quite so silly now; she was ready to go in no time!... Shards. She was scared, and excited, and everything at once! Her heart felt like it would spring out of her chest. At the entrance to the sands she was side by side with Yulu, clasping hands, but then the other girl was shoved off to the boys' side. They'd been going to stand together though!... But there was no time to worry about that now.

Heart in her mouth, Layla stepped out onto the sands. The heat hit her like a hammerblow, surged up through the soles of her feet, along her spine, slammed into her brain. This was it. She could walk away with her lifemate. She could walk away alone. She might never walk away at all. One way or another, she was about to find out. The wait was over, at long last. Mouth dry and heart pounding harder than ever, Layla came to a halt a proper distance from the twitching eggs. Then she waited. There wasn't much else to do at this point. It was time for the new dragons to make their choices.

Well, that was odd. One moment Yulu was getting out of bed, the sounds of humming from her Golden flitt at the head of her pillow startling her to get dressed, the next minute she was in her candidate robes ( she'd ignore the dress, no time to complain now and heading out the door towards the Grounds. She met Layla near the entrance and took the girls' hand in her own for a moment, giving it a reassuring squeeze that everything would end alright, that Yulu promised to let nothing happen to her. This Hatching would not see Yulu standing idly by while dragons injured those on the sands, her mind made up to try and help in any way she could. This time she had wrapped her arms and legs with extra cloth, trying to make them look more natural, so she would have something to use other than torn robes and shaking hands.

Of course her plans to stay at Layla's side were dashed the moment she was sorted differently, ushered along with the boys, and although Yulu felt in her brain she was standing with the right group of people, her heart worried about the girl from only seconds ago. Would Layla be alright without her there? They'd made a promise, and Yulu swallowed with her vow to still keep it. Forbidden or no, if Layla was in danger she'd move to her side across the sands.

She took her place amongst the other Candidates without much fuss, her eyes watching the eggs in the same way she knew the others were. Fear, excitement. All emotions played over her like there was nothing she could do to stop them, and with everything raging so quickly she was glad that she'd thought to leave Song where she lay. The Sands were no place for a flitt, and surely L'pin would find her running the grounds if she did try to come to Yulu's side. . . right?

There was no more time to think!

Jada was awoken by Allegretto humming loudly in her ear. It was time, it was time. Dolcissimo and Scherzo were not in sight, and Allegretto was almost glowing as she hummed in Jadamirei's ear.

Time, time. Jada knew from Allegretto that she had to hurry, she could feel it. That was why the call for Candidates came as almost no surprise, but the realization it was truth was almost a shock. Kind of like she had been doused in cold water, every nerve was vibrating. This was her first time Standing, and Faranth willing, it would be her last. Somewhere among this clutch, was there her lifemate?

Her hair was bound back out of her way, the waves in a tight braid that fell to her hips. Her face was clean-washed, no makeup or anything. her nerves steeled. There would probably be blood; it would do her no good to shriek and cry like a ninny at the first sight of it. They said people could die. Faranth willing, she would not be among the corpses.

She moved to the place the women were being sorted to obediently, stopping at what she gauged to be an appropriate distance. Allegretto was with the other flits among the dragons circling, all three of Jada's firelizards humming along with their larger brethren and other flits.

She was trembling. Her eyes went to the stands, resating on the familiar form of her bluerider friend before drifting over to try and find Folen among the boys. Was that YULU over there? Her hands were shaking, and she clenched them in the white of her Candidate's Robe to hide them.

Nervous energy prompted her to glance around, and two familiar faces stood out of the crowd; Verianne and Leila. She shot both girls an enormous grin, aware that her eyes were probably huge, and that she was probably rather pale. She could feel her hands shaking from a potent cocktail of nerves and excitement.

Please let her friends find Theirs as well as her.

Let them all the alright.

Let the first egg hatch! The tension was almost too much to take now. For so long she'd been waiting for this chance. Soon she'd know, one way or the other she would know... Where was Yulu? A quick glance over at the boys located her friend and Layla sent a grin in her direction as well, just in case she happened to turn and see it.

L'pin was awoken by the sound of Shamth's rumble, the blue looking towards the grounds with his eyes blue and prideful.

They come. Let us go, I will lead you there Mine.

Never before had Shamth seemed so excited over a hatching, at least not to L'pin's memory, though the man shook it off almost as easily as he shook off the sleep that clung to him like a warm blanket. The two flitts that dozed on his pillow stayed that way as he got dressed decently, his body starting out into the halls. He was making good distance when he felt a familiar distress pike at him, his eyes glancing down to see an overly familiar Gold running along as fast as her legs would carry her. It was an awkward pace, flitts not being made to run, and L'pin reached down to scoop the beast into his arms as he passed. She protested at first, not knowing who this person was, though his thoughts of Yulu soon put Song at ease.

"Hush, we're going to watch Yulu now, I'll take you with me. You have to stay at my side, or in my shirt, and we can watch her together."

He walked fast enough to get back to his weyr to find his dragon ready to fly, and together they made their way towards the Stands in time to see everyone file out. His brow knit with worry as he noticed the placing of his cousin amongst the males, her dress looking so odd with all the pants. Still, why....? No, it was too late to correct things now.

Mine, let us watch. It shall be soon.

"You'd better go. It is expected of you."

Yawing, Y'kar heaved himself out of bed and dressed swiftly. "I know, I know," he mumbled, "and I wouldn't miss seeing who these precious little darlings choose anyway." Another yawn ambushed him as he ran his fingers through his hair to get it in something like good order, and then the scrawny rider padded over to his lifemate and climbed onto her back. "Can't be bothered with straps, so take care."

"I will be," Kannaroth grinned and stepped off their ledge, "but I could catch you if you fell. I am fast enough, you know."

"Mmmmh," Y'kar yawned again, grasping the small green's neck with hands and thighs, "I know," he went on, "but I think this hatching is enough drama for one day. Save it for another time."

"Oh, alright then," Kannaroth grinned as she came into land and allowed her rider to leap to the ground, "just because you ask so nicely."

"Right," now that people might hear him, he spoke to his lifemate's mind, "very magnanimous of you. Now, let's see about these eggs, shall we?" So saying, Y'kar made his way over to one of the areas set aside for riders. "Let the others know which way I went," he added as an afterthought, "we might as well watch this together, right?"

As the candidates take their places the Orange Stripe Egg begins to wiggle, rocking back and forth so violently it almost upsets the New Grass Egg. Back and forth and back and forth the egg rocks, and then all of a sudden it stops. Perhaps the dragonet is already tired? It certainly does not bode well for the hatchling if it cannot break out of its shell.

Kaveth croons encouragingly to the little dragon on the inside of the shell, but she does not move to touch it. A dragonet must break free of its own shell without any help.

Finally, with a sudden great rock the egg cracks straight down the middle. It takes another definite shove before the very small bronze within is revealed. Eyes whirling orange and green, the hatchling gets to his feet and bellows his defiance to his audience. They thought he couldn't do it! They should think again!

As he passes the Golden Stag Egg he snaps his teeth together, clearly displaying some of the animosity candidates had felt during the Touching. His eyes haven't cleared by the time he turns to face the gathering of boys, and he stalks forward with a kind of single-minded determination. Clearly he knows what he's looking for.