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It would have been funny if everything about the moment hadn't felt so intense, so life-changing. The bronze dropped his poise and moved clumsily, but unquestionably toward Iarodan. He butted him, right in the stomach, and Iarodan fell onto his butt, easily unbalanced in an awkward position and with a leg wound.

I'dan mine! I'dan! I am Luth! I have come to protect you! Are you hurt, mine? The voice projected itself into his head, and with it came a warmth that slowly suffused his bones, seeming to lighten him exponentially until, wound or no, he felt that he could walk on water, or fly under his own power. A broad grin that sparkled out through his eyes grew on his face.

No, Luth. I'm not hurt - not anymore. He didn't care about the blood flowing down his leg, he didn't care about the mauled girl down the way, he didn't care about the intense heat that would probably leave a red mark on his rear end. All he cared about was that Luth was beautiful, and he was his.

I hunger, mine! Where is my food? Why did you not bring it to me? Did you not expect me? The voice came again, more plaintive this time, and finally Iarodan could not resist: he burst out in joyous laughter, draping one arm over Luth's strong neck. We can't bring it out onto the sands, silly. It's right out there - let's go.

He went to stand, but found that it was a bit of a struggle; his right leg didn't quite want to work that way. He glanced up at his twin ruefully.

Rolling his eyes, Iaman stuck out his hand and hauled his brother up onto his feet. "Get that seen to, as soon as this boy here is stuffed." Despite his harsh tone, delight showed in his fine features; he was genuinely happy for his brother. He glanced down at the bronze, smiling broadly. "Welcome to the family."

Luth butted - very gently - at I'dan's good leg. Mine - I hunger very much. Please?

"Yes, yes, Luth. We're going." With one last grin for his twin, I'dan led his bronze off the sand, elation in his every limping step.

Iaman watched him go, a look of satisfaction on his face. Yes - Iarodan deserved a bronze. He could be a leader - had been in training to be one, in fact - if he would drop the pranks and the childishness. He nodded to himself, and refocused his attention on the hatching eggs.

There, one was twitching, and another was cracking. It looked like a brown would come out of that one. He shifted, unused to the lack of his brother by his side, and waited to see what would happen next.

The Hatching seemed to be wizzing by for Kerrit. It seemed whenever he blinked, an Impression occurred. It was still dark, but someone had thought to bring glows at last. At first it had been difficult to see much of anything, other than the blue dragonet's eyes. He sent Tasryn a smile by way of congratulations. He wasn't sure if they were allowed to speak on the Sands. He didn't quite dare, with Amarath so close. One time, Rath had nearly hit him with her tail. He had never been sure if the attack had been intentional or not (he had always heard dragons would never harm humans, except right after they hatched).

He shuddered at the very thought. He definitely did not want to be smushed, accident or not. He had been relieved when the angry blue had passed him by, and pleased when the bronze had chosen Iarodan. A good match, he thought. Iarodan seemed the type to become a leader one day. Maybe he would even become Weyrleader!

~~~

A small green burst from her egg, just behind the brown's egg. She looked through the candidates almost frantically, studying each candidate. She seemed to hope each one of them would be hers, but as soon as she had studied each, she gave a terrible, anguish filled cry, and launched herself between

A blue hatched and started making his way towards the boys.

The smile that broke out on Iaman's face vanished quickly as the newly hatched green gave a pathetic cry and vanished. The hatching continued - a blue hatched, and the brown's egg continued to shift and wobble and crack, but just for a moment, time stopped.

The green's passing could not go unmourned.

He wiped a tear away from his eye, as surreptitiously as he could. It was the way of things, he supposed, but it seemed so... he couldn't find a word for it. The hatching was suddenly dampened for him; the joy he'd felt at his brother's Impression was diminished, and he found himself just a little less hopeful for himself.

He bowed his head for a moment, glancing up at the queen dragon presiding over her children. How did she feel, watching one of them disappear forever, with the barest notice or ceremony? One moment she was there, and the next she was gone - like that.

Biting his lip, Iaman refocused, willing the tragedy out of his mind. Truly, there was nothing to be done about it; it was the way life worked, and she couldn't choose one for hers if hers wasn't there. How sad, though, that someone who could have had a dragon, should now live their life without one, without even knowing what could have been.

The blue seemed in no rush. In fact, he seemed quite the opposite. He yawned widely at the candidates to show his absolute disinterest, and promptly curled up on the warm sands. His eyes were green with contentment, or perhaps amusement. He laid his head down on his forelegs and watched the candidates. He tilted his head slightly, as if to say Why hurry? There's no rush!

Close to Morbad, an egg exploded. It was another green. She ignored him completely, seeming focused on her goal--away from the candidates! She was starved! She had been stuck in that egg for too long, without anything to eat! She nearly trampled over Lorend in her hurry to get to where-ever it was they kept the food (she wasn't sure, but the people watching made it exciting!) She liked people! She wanted to play! First she needed to find something to eat!

Mine! Mine! Sounded a soft voice in Lorend's mind. It was soft--but persistant. It had a trilling, almost purring sound to it. Mine! Lorend mine! I am your Tribleth, and I am very, very hungry! Can you take me to where there is food?

The hatching was off to a rather remarkable start but the only thing the lanky tomboy could think about was how she was missing it again. The heat soaking into the base of her sandals, the grit of the sand somehow finding its way against her skin, sweat trickling down the back of her neck. She missed it, she couldn’t help just feel jealousy crawling under her skin, burrowing deeply into her chest and crawling painfully at her heart.
One after another the dragonets were Impressing to theirs, Taslyn to a blue then---

Iarodan.

A bronze, such a lovely handsome bronze! It wasn’t fair--- it was his first time standing and he Impressed faster than a herdbeast learned to seek out its mother’s milk. Snubbing the side of her nose all too roughly Quindrife found herself growling, she was happy for the boy, her friend but the ache that coiled around her insides made the lanky brunette want to lash out and strike the nearest person. She was so sharding angry. It was all T’rel’s fault!

It was all his fau---

The sound that filled her ears brought her steely gray eyes back towards the hatching grounds, a swansong of a little green as she popped between. Quindrife frowned deeply at the sight and forced her emotions to settle, it just wasn’t meant to be--- what if that was hers and it had given up because it couldn’t see her. None of this was fair. Lowering her face into her hands the brutish tomboy sobbed openly into the palms of her hands and brought her knees up so that she could hug them to her chest. She was a weyrbrat, she had every right to stand but fate was making sure that she would never touch the heated sands. It just wasn’t meant to be.

‘Mine? Mine?! Where are you, mine?! Why are you not here! Come to your Jarith! Your Jarith needs you! Come here, now!’ The voice that projected into her head caused Quindrife to jerk her head upward, her brow creased and her pulse threatened to tear her throat open by the shear strength of the thudding. No! She was just hearing things, it wasn’t real, she just wanted to Impress so badly that her mind was playing games on her. ‘Quindrimine, please your Jarith needs you to come here, now!’ The awkward brown cried again, flapping his oversized wings with time with a bit more panic, he knew his was there somewhere he just couldn’t see her.

Even if she was crazy, even if her mind was playing games on her, even if T’rel would send her to a different weyr the muscular brunette didn’t care. Nothing mattered right now except Jarith. Bolting to her feet Quindrife launched herself from the stands and threw her weight over the seat in front of her and began to rush down the stairs.

“He is calling to me! He needs me, move out of my way! He is mine! MOVE!” Desperation masked the anger in her voice, and her feminine natural pitch erupted unguarded from her mouth as she pushed and shoved to get to the base of the steps as quickly as she could, she would not let him go between, she would not allow that! Long legs snapped loudly as the longhaired brunette sprinted across the hot sands, he needed her, her Jarith needed her!

She couldn’t move fast enough for her own sanity, she was convinced he would between before she could reach him, hammering across the sands Quindrife finally reached the creeling dragonet and collapsed to her knees, stormy gray eyes filled with tears and she brought her strong lean arms around his neck and held him, sobbing openly against his gorgeous brown hide.

“Don’t worry Jarith, Yours is here, I won’t ever leave you. I won’t ever let you go. We will show Ista Weyr how important we are!”