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Stromath's attention turned from their hatching siblings back over to Gneisth as the brown nudged him once more. They certainly will be, he agreed, glancing back over at their mother and what was left of their unhatched siblings. Very soon they would be paying their final respects to the gold that had birthed them.

Before he could say anything further to the brown, Stromath's attention was captured by Orthoth's enthusiastic shouts. Yes, the meat is good, but this is hardly the time for such shouting, he replied, half-scolding the rather undignified bronze. Save the volume for a later time when it is appropriate.

"Stromath, he's not really doing anything wrong..." K'en said quietly to his bronze, even if he rather agreed with him. Still, you couldn't scold a baby for being enthusiastic and happy.

We are of the same age, he reminded His. Having just hatched is not a valid excuse.

Just... leave him be for now, the brunette begged back, not wanting there to be any scenes. Also, creating bad will with others before one's even left the Sands was not very high on his to do list...

Green Impressed, blue still searching, and a new brown on the Sands with the final eggs, including the golden egg, set to rocking. The brown seemed to need a bit of a push to search, unlike some of the others. Once again B'nen was all too grateful Gneisth had resolutely known exactly what he was looking for--he could barely remember what it was like now to sit on the Sands and worry while the young dragons took their sweet time in deciding.

Gneisth was all too amused that scantly after commenting on said loud bronze, Orthoth had chosen to announce his presence to all. the brown said, with what B'nen realized could only be the draconic equivalent of a grin. Gneisth gave a welcoming trill to Rhodonth, albeit one sounding something like a chuckle at her 'worry.'

Stromath's disapproval of his fellow bronze also amused Gneisth, but the brown seemed to know better than to tease him just yet. Besides, he rather doubted Orthoth would be quieting down anytime soon...or ever. "He was an interesting egg, but I have to say, I don't really envy the fellow he chose," B'nen said quietly to his brown, who nudged His' hand. the brown pointed out helpfully.

The blue, growing impatient, poked through the boys, deliberately walking such that the young men had to step back or forward and reform the ranks lest they stay in his way. The rippling colours of his body made it seem as if water flowed through their ranks and it came to a pause as he spotted his, the blue's mind curling and fusing with his Lifemate's in the instant of Impression. Your Pectolath is here, Winderickmine. Come feed yours?



With the brown toddling towards the boys and the blue now Impressed, another egg popped and a green came stumbling out of the Balancing Earth egg, knocking against the Queen egg as she got her feet under her. The Queen egg gave a violent wiggle and cracks began to appear.... but it wasn't hatching just quite yet, it seemed. What was taking so long?

The other eggs - there weren't that many left now - were all wiggling and jostling as well now, cracks here and there, holes here and there where hatchlings were working to get out out of their eggs.

But then the startled chitter of a flitter drew the protective queen's attention with a growl and she arched her neck, eyes flashing crimson in an instant. The firelizard wheeled and tried to avoid the gold as it swooped around, its companion popping into existence nearby - to fetch or to warn, it was impossible to tell. Yirath bellowed again, though the sound trailed into a loud rumble as her head shot up and her teeth caught the pair of flits in a vice grip, their death squeaks piercing in the air and punctuated by the cry of a person in the audience.

She was up and watching the crowd now, eyes whirling red as if just noticing them and she was angry. Very very angry. Her tail lashed, her gums were pulled back, stained green from the ichor of the flits she'd just slain.

The Weyrleader's bronze bellowed again, broadcasting to all this time in a voice that sent ears ringing, ALL FIRELIZARDS BEGONE. NOW. He flared his wings and trumpeted again, all of his noise and bluster drawing the enraged queen's attention to him. Every last firelizard in the Weyr vanished without any further encouragement, presumably to lands elsewhere... far from the deadly queen.

She snarled at him but remained where she was, wings twitching, tail lashing and sending up waves of sand as below the hatchings toddled and stumbled around, scattering away from their angry mother as they searched for theirs.

It was impossible to tell if she would attack the Weyrleader's bronze for this intrusion or not. He wasn't sure either, and the Weyrleader glanced at his dragon, worried. Yirath was still a gold and a gold could command utter obedience in dragons... if she wanted to kill, she could do so, easily.

Kindra noted in the back of her mind that the Blue had Impressed and other eggs were hatching here there and everywhere, including a green next to the Golden Egg, she took a quick intake of breath as the Queen egg wiggled and began to crack.... but sagged a little as it didn't hatch just yet.

The scene that occured next had Kindra thanking the starstones that Patches was safe, she might not have been happy that the Brown seemed to Bond to her but she did care about him and would have been devastated if one of those flits had been him.

At the Bronze's voice in her head she clamped her hands to her ears and screwed her eyes shut as if that was going to help the great, booming voice stop ringing in her ears. She was tense now, watching the hatchlings scatter but still she kept her eye on that Queen egg.

It can still happen, she informed Gneisth, Even if they are careful about it. They can give us small pieces, but we still have to swallow them. Speaking of which... Mine, find me a small piece?

Before Lilah, still mutely shocked, had a chance to begin feeding her dragon, a pair of firelizards intruded on the Hatching, and were quickly disposed of by Yirath. Rhodonth observed this with no small amount of distress, but also a tiny bit of relief. You see? It is good we got off the Sands. There were still a lot of boys and girls left, though, and a few dragonets and eggs. And Bruinth. Yellow began to work its way into the young green's eyes. The gold and bronze were going to fight, weren't they?

Rhodonth all but wrapped herself around Lilah's legs, anxious but more determined than ever to broadcast out her love, to siblings and parents alike.

Well, that had most definitely not been pretty, and it might even get worse considering the look that Yirath was giving the Weyrleader's bronze. Who in their right mind brings their shardin firelizards to a Hatching with a half-crazed queen? Keela thought to herself, not remotely amused. As if those little pests didn't already cause enough trouble on a normal basis. Now they'd gone and made Yirath even more murderous than she already was. Sheesh. Whoever those had belonged to certainly wouldn't be repeating that mistake if they ever had any more in the future.

Rejected. Pahlen stepped back, and if he was a little awkward doing it, it was understandable. Self-conscious about what could be nothing but a failure, he looked out over the sands at the Queen. With a sinking heart, he realized that with so few eggs left— but that Gold!

Well, they'd just have to wait and see— but then Yirath moved, like liquid lightening, but with teeth. The cry from the stands was as heartbreaking as the Queen's grief. More poignant, because the one who'd made it was helpless and a gold dragon was anything but.

Pahlen felt rooted to the spot, so caught up in the suddeness of the flitter's death and the void of their leaving that he hardly knew how to breathe and certainly didn't notice the new dragonet, or the brown still on the sands.