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It was happening. NOW. Despite all her on-the-fence thoughts, Kella once more found herself out on the Sands. Shards, its hot, she thought as she shifted her weight from foot to foot. The heat never got old. She had never gotten used to it, despite being out here several times. The lanky- dark-skinned girl waited with feigned patience. Pfffbt, she had all day! She'd much rather stand her on the sands, sweltering and sweating her buns off, then running around doing the odd-man jobs in the kitchens. Ew. Her palms were sweating. Gross! Kella wiped them on her white robe- and her hands tightened into fists, clutching the thin fabric as the eggs began to rock, shimmy, and shake.

This was it. They were hatching! Would it happen this time? Kella's throat tightened; she forced herself to take a deep breath and relax. It certainly wouldn't happen if the dragonets could sense her uneasiness. That would drive them away, if anything at all. She stood alone on the sands, slightly away from the main line of candidates. By slightly away, Kella was only a few footsteps away. Not very far at all. But she spoke to no one, and had eyes for only the eggs. Besides. She wasn't very friendly with any of her fellow candidates. What would she say? The fact that the young woman had no one for support made her all the more nervous and uncomfortable.

The queen egg was the first to show signs of hatching. "Oh, Faranth," Kella groaned, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She had to calm herself! She forced her eyes back open and stared at the queen egg for a few moments. She stared for so long that she missed the Akhal Teke egg splitting- but she noticed it quickly after. Her attention turned away from the Nightmare egg, Kella waited for the first hatching to show itself.

Vaythel's smile faded as he spotted Kella in the female lines, a blush quickly replacing it. Oh dear. I hope I don't trip her. the Candidate thought abashedly, coming very close to shuffling a foot in the Sands like a wayward child being lectured. He turned back towards the eggs once more, the blush still clouding his face like some kind of irritating mist that refused to go away. He hadn't known that Kella was a Candidate, but now that he did, he gulped, having seen her temper in action--and directed at him. Though I really should give her a bit of a chance, as it was my fault... Vaythel thought with a mental shrug, letting it trail off into oblivion. What he should be doing was watching the eggs to see what else would hatch, all the while keeping an eye on the dragonet under the shards of the Akhal Tekhe egg. It was, after all, the one that had caught him at the start of the Hatching. Maybe the little dragonet would come to him? Shards, that would make the rest of his life. He did have to keep the thought that maybe he would be left standing again, but that one was stifled under the layers of hope that Vaythel had reinforced.

It was the same as last time, and the time before. There he stood, none different among the other robed candidates. It was a wonder he hadn't become totally disenchanted with hatchings, this being his third, but he was less anxious. Only a tad less hopeful, though no one would hear him say so. There seemed to be more eggs at this one than the last and, where he would have been even less cheery if it were the same as the last, it did help to bolster his mood into to a harsh positive. If he hadn't cared he'd be standing there with an annoyed look plastered upon his face, tapping his foot impatiently.

In actuality he stood there just like last time, shifting his feet so much he began to make himself a crater in the warm sands of the hatching ground. Tideal looked at his feet and kicked the sand a bit. He returned his gaze to its proper place, resting his eyes upon the egg that had just shook. He snickered a little that that one managed its way out before the queen. Audacious of the little dragonet. He itched to step closer to the front, suddenly disliking the spot he created for himself and wanting to truly make a stand this time. He may as well be named vetran of failure, but he was not yet one to give up hope so easily. Pushing a little he came to the front of the crowd of candidates.
It was a nicer view.

Ollen was just settling into her room and getting her little Firelizard tosleep where designated with the little beast began to hum with the rest of the Weyr. The tall candidate had been told during lessons this was it, this was the start of the hatching! Shucking her clothes she pulled on her white robes and filed into the halls like the other Candidates taking her turn to get to the hot sands.

Remember what La said, positive thoughts, stand still, do not touch a dragon that is not yours. She used these words as a mantra as she tried not to tense at the hatching eggs. The queen was hatching and she knew that a gold would never be for her. Still interested in what would come out of the egg her eyes lingered on the spidering cracks in the shell.

The large egg near the Queen had begun to hatch and she drifted her attention to them. Positive thoughts, stand still, do not touch a dragon. La's words the other night were a reassurance and she felt ready for this event, her first hatching.

The Nightmare, of course, was not about to be outdone. No sooner did the Akhal Teke burst from his egg did the Queen break her own shell, screaming (or rather, squeaking) as fiercely as a newborn dragon could. She was certainly Cheoth’s daughter, K’em thought wryly. Of course, the large Queen would have it no other way. It was clear it was all Favan could do to keep the bulky gold calm, but if a Queen could breath fire, K’em was certain all the candidates standing on the sands would have been charred to little bits.

The Akhal Teke surged forward, shaking little bits of shell off. The crowd gasped in awe. He was brown! Possibly the biggest dragon in the clutch, though none could be sure judging solely on egg size, but the dappled dragon was absolutely enormous. He was also very clearly unhappy. The brown dove towards his candidates, uncaring as he pushed by two boys only to be confronted with a third. The Akhal Teke growled, slashing at the unfortunate lad and shied away, leaving Goran with a nice, deep set of claw marks down both his legs.

Eyes whirling red, the brown was about to continue when a scream caught his attention.

The young Queen was barreling her way through the females, wings aflare and teeth agape as she pushed her way through the crowd violently. She could not find Hers, and she was not impressed. Neither, did it seem, was the brown. His tail lashed as he stared angrily, completely unaware he had just knocked a boy off his feet, and whirled around. Of course, the Akhal Teke promptly tripped. The boy on the ground remained relatively unharmed, but the dragon caught both Mal and Jisken with flailing limbs as he fell. The wounds were not grave, but they were certainly painful.

((Just a note; mauled Candidates ARE allowed to remain on the sands. <3))

"MAL!" S'van got up from his seat and strove to get down to his friend's side. Vera, of course, was having none of that. "Stay put, S'van," she hissed, holding onto the stronger, larger brownrider. "I said stay put!" He dragged her along with him several rows before he came to a stop, and seemed to come to his senses. Helplessly he watched as the little Brown kept the boys at his mercy. "Back up in your seat." He wouldn't budge, not for a moment. "S'van I said to get back in your seat!" the diminutive Harper commanded. She was sure as Shells not going to give poor Xeran a heart attack now.