Welcome to Gaia! ::

Seated at a table in the lower caverns, Gabriel was occupied with watching Mace sleeping, a warm smile on his face at the sight. He heard people starting to chat a little louder than they had been a moment before, and hoped that they didn't wake the little flit. Instead of reducing the volume, however, the people were getting louder, excited about something. He looked up, wondering what all the fuss was about, when he heard another sound. Mace had woken up after all, and was humming. His heart began pounding. Were the eggs Hatching already?

He ran to change into his robe, then across the bowl he went, arriving at the Hatching Grounds panting for breath. Gasping, he crossed the hot Sands to join the others around the eggs, hoping deep down that he wasn't about to be left standing again.

One of the medium sized eggs wobbles as the dragonet inside flails about trying to break free.

Suddenly, the other eggs begin wobbling a bit too.

Ray's eyes dart nervously to the cluster of tiny eggs, which Wrath had at some point rolled toward the outer edge of the clutch. They seem to be twitching. After trying to swallow her worry for those eggs, she tempoarily forgets them as an egg cracks into a glistening blue. She lets out the breath she was holding. Not the best of signs, but the little fellow seems to be healthy. Shrieking with his first gasp of air, the blue flops down onto the sand and struggles to right himself.

Flapping his wet wings, the dragonet hisses at the crowd and the candidates, foiling his wings in infant menace at them.

He's quickly shown up, however, when one of his brothers hatches, a deep brown... no, it's a bronze! There's definitely something metallic in his hide. The bronze is a fairly decent size, and yawns endearingly as the crowd "Awwws," stretching and shaking flakes of egg off his wet hide.

Exhibiting all the manners that the blue disdained, the bronze begins picking his way through the sands toward the candidates, his eyes whirring with excitement and curiousity. As he passes another egg, a deep crack appears in its surface. Fragments are pushed away tidily by a green nose.

The cracking egg pitches over and rolls, then wobbles a bit unsteadily as its occupant begins struggling in earnest after her first breath of air.

With a lurch, she's free, but doesn't seem to realize it as she continues her struggles in the open air.

Before Ray can quite react, two more eggs split open, one with shards flying everywhere, and the other a bit more sedate.

The explosive egg reveals a feisty brown who begins stumbling around the sands playfully. The sedate one reveals a green, who--after finding her balance, stays very still and cranes her head around, examining all sides of the room, but not going anywhere.

::Myyth throws up her hands as a brown explodes out of his shell. Blinking slightly she looks about the sands, and catches sight of a green that has just emerged out of its shell::

She's looking at me!, she's............looking....away..........I guess she's not for me or I for her. Will I Impress? Maybe I'm not right to be a rider......

::She takes a look over at the smaller eggs, and especilly the one she felt a bit drawn to, but it wasn't moveing, or at least not that she could see.::

Kevat rushed onto the sands, still struggeling with his robe. The dragons were already hatching, he was going to be late! Rita, his newly hatched flit was alternitly humming and scolding him for upsetting her place on his sholder.

The bronze is still looking. He seems to have gone in the wrong direction, however, as he finds himself facing some of the onlooking adult dragons. Blinking at them, he turns around to make his way back toward the Candidates.

The first green twists around on the sand and finds her feet underneath her body! Lurching slightly, she stands and takes a moment to catch her balance--and her breath! Sand sticks to her wet skin, giving her a somewhat patchy appearance.

Continuing to prowl irritably, the blue find himself facing a group of male Candidates. Perplexed, he sits and looks at them. No, no, he doesn't like any of them. He finds his way back to his feet and looks for another one. He's already gone through most of the boys though, is he looking for a girl?

The playful brown continues looking, pausing every now and then but passing everyone at least once. He's still undecided, and is slightly more interested in enjoying being able to move around.

The second green, after scanning the candidates quietly, abruptly makes her move.

Walking quickly, with only the occasional wobble of her new legs, she makes her way to a latecomer. She pauses a few feet away from him, then nods sharply and sits up on her haunches.

I found you! She reaches her forelegs toward Kevat in a movement that almost looks like a hug.

Ray glances away from the newly Impressed pair at a slight rumble from Wrath. Looking up, she sees a somewhat familiar dragon in the sky. "That must be Tolara," she muses to herself. "I'm glad she decided to come."

Boryanor was unable to take his eyes from the Hatchlings. They were bigger than he'd thought they'd be! There were five dragonets wandering about the Sands, and as he watched a green walked over to a boy. What must it be like? Perhaps he'd find out soon. Turning his attention back to those remaining, his eyes were attracted by one particular shimmering hide...