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Cepheith looked upon the eggs with much less anger and grumpiness then she'd shown since, well, the eggs were first lain. She had not expected this motherhood thing to be so annoying! But the Sands were a little less wet and even she hummed with warmth as her eggs began to wiggle and twitch. Still, the Queen's temper was short and there would be no tolleration of fools on the Sands today! Any little flitter that did not heed the warnings of Theirs would feel the simmering irritation of the Gold instead!

Her rider, on the other hand, was quite frazzled and tired. It had taken much more out of her than she'd expected, dealing with Cepheith. But Narisa stood proudly beside her dragon, keeping the weariness from her posture as much as she could. This clutch had been on shaffing thing after another, it seemed! Narisa dearly hoped all the eggs would be alright. Like some of her fellows, the Goldrider feared damage had been done to the dragonets from the wet sands.

Have faith, Narisamine. Cepheith rumbled, head raising high enough to watch the Candidates move to the Sands.

Narisa gave her dragon a pat on the shoulder. She was quite glad she'd finally convinced the Queen to back away from the clutch. So the Candidates could come near. "I'll feel better when I see them hatch, my heart." She murmured. No sooner had she spoken that some of the eggs really began to move. And the first hatchling appeared! A flood of relief went through the Goldrider and she grinned at the pale dragonet.

A pleasant croon was directed towards the two hatchlings. Cepheith was, like her rider, relieved to see them.

(Vail and Nash)


The eggs were moving. Vaail pushed up on his feet to get a better view and grinned as the purple egg rocked and wiggled and stopped. What? Come on, hatch. Wait. He turned his head and one of the eggs the bronzy looking one rocked and spun and split into a white? It couldn't be white, no it was a green. Pale new leaf green like frosted over mint and upside down. He chuckled softly at the little hatching. Silly thing.

More laughter rumbled out as the hatchling sneezed and then stared at her tail as if it was some new wonder. And red was bad. His twin eyes seem to be permanently set to angry, lash, fight and yeah... red wasn't good. Vaail frowned, uneasy and didn't enjoy the hatching of the second green as the purple Antsy egg broke apart to a marble back. A second pale green though. Greens were the most common dragon and was it a lucky thing for a green to hatch?

Naanash watched the purple egg rock and wiggle and instead of hatching the Rolly Polly egg shot down and spun, cracking into a pale green. White didn't hatch without help, no atypicals did and the little girl wasn't shinny enough to be a extremely pale bronze. Or perhaps brown, fawn was a pale brown color nearing white. No, it was a little girl, the green clear as she sneezed and shifted and red.

Hungry or angry red either was reassuring. He wiggled his feet, double checking to make sure the sandals were firmly on his feet and cursed the choice of white robes but praised the sands for being uneven. The terrain shouldn't allow her to charge them... they should have warning though Loche taught for human attackers not four legged hungry dragons covered in egg goop.

The antsy egg revealed a second little green, and he snorted, amused as the little thing got her head stuck in the egg shell but turned his focus back on the first little green.

The green on her feet with the red in her eyes swayed to and fro, head moving from person to person. It seemed she was picking Hers from afar, disinterested in wasting too much effort. Finally, the grumbling in her stomach prompted her to move and move quickly she did. Head down and rumbling her want, she charged the candidates, making a straight line for someone or other. Her round, portly body and solid build made for a comical comparison to pin games as she knocked against one then two then three Candidates, sending one of the slighter boys staggering back in her haste.

Tacelonmine! Feed your Poth! I'm so so hungry!!



The hatchling ran up and practically tackled her rider, going so far as to nibble on his clothes experimentally then give the young man a look that would put the cutest puppy to shame - feed me?

Meanwhile, the other green had backed up enough that she tripped over a fellow egg and went sprawling with a cry of surprise. She whined as she lolled about, blinking at the light and everything around them. She could see!

The boys were hanging out, when their dragons all called them. It seemed they were already behind the rest, but soon sorted out who was going where. F'iar wasn't sure he should stay close with the older two riders. It just didn't seem right, but they only jostled him around and took it all in good stride. The three of them settled into the Stands, watching with a comment or four from Troiseth.

As the pale green wiggled about, then toppled over until she was upright, Tacelon had to give a small smile at her antics. It was kind of cute, actually. But his smile died when she noticed the candidates and her eyes turned red. Red was not good. Had someone done something to anger her? He got ready to get out of the way should she head his way, since he did not want to end up getting scratched or knocked down, even by accident. He watched her a touch nervously, but movement prompted him to glance at a different egg. When he looked for the source, he spotted the Antsy egg as it shuddered again, then burst and revealed another green was hatching. She only made it half out though, and it was hard to tell what she made of the egg covering her head.

He looked back towards the first green just in time to see her charging towards the Candidates, specifically the boys. He yelped in surprise and tried to back away, or jump to the side, or anything to get out of her path. She was already knocking boys down, and he did not want to be the next to fall.

Tacelonmine! Feed your Poth! I'm so so hungry!!

The sudden voice in his head, oddly reminding him of when a dragon had spoken to him as he was helping to clear the water from the Hatching Grounds, surprised him into stumbling instead of moving as he'd meant to. Then the green hatchling nearly ran into him and unbalanced him further, making him sit down hard. Grit shifted under his hands and backside as he tried to get up, scoot away, to leave the dragonet be who was...nibbling on his robes? She hadn't attacked or gone off to look at the other Candidates. In fact, she was looking at him pleadingly. Why?

Because I'm hungry, she answered. Surely you don't want me to starve. You can get me food, right? Poth went so far as to put her head on his knee, the better to give him her puppy-dog eyes.

Tacelon nearly flinched at the dragon's touch, but stopped himself for fear of startling her. But why do you want me to feed you? he asked, unconsciously slipping into the mind-to-mind communication. He wasn't one to speak aloud much anyway, if he could help it. I can't be a rider. I'm not good enough for a dragon. You deserve someone who's good at things, someone...fully functional. Who isn't practically mute, He added, with a touch of bitterness he would never actually voice, mainly because he wouldn't speak of it.

You're only so because you chose to be, she said. And don't you want me? Those eyes grew bigger (if that was even possible) and she looked at him with a face so pitiful he could swear she was about to cry.

No, that's not it, I do want you, he hurried to reassure her. And he found it was true, he really did want this unimaginably perfect dragon, wanted to get to know the mind he could feel settling alongside his like it had always been there, like something he had never known was missing. But he just didn't feel worthy of her, and he didn't know how to put it into words.

He didn't need to, she knew his mind as well as he did now. Worthy or not, you're the one I want. And I want you to feed me. I'm hungry, she insisted as her belly rumbled. That produced an answering pang of hunger from Tacelon, reminding him of his unfinished midday meal. And the sooner you see me fed, the sooner I can see you fed. Will you give me a taste of your food? It looks good, she added wistfully as she examined his memory of the abandoned meal.

You need meat, not bread and tubers, he answered, feeling like he was pushing Echo away from his plate. He wanted to protest more, but the next pang of hunger wrenched their guts to hard it was almost painful. Alright, we'll get you fed. You need to let me up, though.

Poth danced back gleefully as he levered himself to his feet. He paused to try and wipe some of the damp sand off his robe, but the dragon's insistent creel made him abandon the pursuit and hurry after her, since she'd already spotted the tables of meat and was hurrying toward them.

Dragon! Naanash shifted, letting the somewhat pudgy hatching steam roll past him. He shifted, righting himself, somewhat off balance from the sudden charge and cast an eye on the little green before turning to see what the little green had been in such a rush to do. Hmm? Was that it? He faintly remember the young man from the touching and drying the sands. There was no fanfare or anything to proclaim impressing besides the little green busy trying to eat the others robes. "That was different."

He turned back to the other green, watching her turn circles before heading towards them, towards the girls? He couldn't be quite sure.

"She was a pretty thing though." Vaail replied back, tone low and smiled at the hatching as she turned about as if searching or surveying her world. Smart little thing. He ignored the green that had barged past them, even if he hadn't been quite on his toes and got a bit knocked about in favor of watching the new green. What was this one going to do?

Confident and more competent on her feet by the moment, the hatchling seemed to know exactly where she was going. Eyes alight with joy, pulsing red with hunger only at intervals, she wove in and out of the boys, never more than brushing a calf with her tail or wingtip. Abruptly she began to circle, gambolling around a little group of boys in a tightening spiral that belied her earlier trips and falls.

It became clear that the spiral was centred on Shenja only when she skidded to a halt before him in a great spray of sand and pranced up on her hind legs.

S’kor
He looked up as his dragon began humming. S’kor glanced at the sky then brushed his pants off. Have Optheli meet me at the sands entrance. I’ll be there soon. The lanky man loped his away quickly, joining others heading toward the Sands for the upcoming Hatching. It didn’t take long before he spotted Optheli and gave a quick wave.
She knows. Scarath dipped his head and waited until his rider was clear. Then the bronze took off to find himself a perch.

Optheli
A shy croon brought her attention to her mild green. “Oh are the eggs ready Dynith?” The young woman jumped to her feet eagerly. “Lets go get some good spots!”
Mine Scarath says His is waiting for you at the entrance. The green ducked her head shyly and nudged her rider. Go, I will find a spot. Dynith crooned and went off to join the other dragons.

Wykla
Wykla was pleased with the effort everyone had put into the sands. True they weren’t totally dry, but they wouldn’t have to wade either. She smiled and nodded as the robed candidates showed up and gathered around.

“It’s your day. Thank you all for your work on the sands. Remember keep your shoes on, and flits away. Don’t crowd or go up unless your dragon calls you to them. Alright boys on the left, and girls on the right. Do your best.” She sensed Kameth crooning up in the Stands.

F’law
It was the incessant mindvoice that woke him from an afternoon nap.
Mine Mine Mine Mine Mine WAKE UP MINE! Zurith gave a soft roar to help. The eggs are hatching!
F’law blinked slowly, “eh what? Eggs?” He sat up and rubbed his eyes. Taking a moment to realize that dragons were humming. “Eggs!” He bolted up and joined Zurith for the ride to the Sands.

M’rine
This was his second Hatching. Except this time he had one great big marvelous difference. M’rine rested his hand on the young brown’s hide as they walked in to find a seat. It was still hard to believe the lovely brown had picked him out from all the ones standing around him.
Belith crooned as he carefully climbed up so as not to step on anyone. Go and watch, I will be right here. He nudged his rider to a good seat and joined the other dragons at the top.