Welcome to Gaia! ::

The cristata green bugled again, tossing her head in a jeering fashion that was answered by a mewling from the big green. Whatever was between them, the kubaryana might like to push people around but her sister pushed her around.

Turning then, the big green whuffed and started away from the boys, her fun apparently spoiled. Hers was not here, that much was clear. When Winderick puffed up and stood his ground, he caught her attention and she lifted her head only to shoulder check him hard enough to wind him as she growled.

Barely paying attention, she bowled right through the boys, knocking some over and clawing others that failed to get out from under her feet. The motion was matched, though with an air of superiority, by the cristata green who also now headed towards the girls.

In the meantime, the brown who'd seemed so appraising and reluctant had wandered off to select his and the pair were heading towards the table, looking proud and capable.

That left two eggs and two last last chances. And two reasons to hold ones' breath. Benden's clutch had been... less then spectacular. One brown, a handful of greens and a single blue... would their curse now extend to bronzes as well? The thought sent a shudder through many of the attendants.

As the large green apparently changed her mind and started shoving boys out of her way, Antigonos took a smart step to the side in order to avoid her. Not for him, and neither was the new green who seemed to hold sway over her. Pity, it could have been nice to be bonded to one who could manipulate like that right out of the shell... Still, there were two unhatched eggs. He still had chances...

Of course, if he wasn't chosen, he also still had a path in life. He could be quite happy as a harper... But it would be nice to be chosen. To be special. It would be nice to be a rider. They sky would, quite literally, be the limit. He could go anywhere in the world. So many chances... He didn't want to see all of these other people walk away with dragons while he walked away alone. What made them better than him? Nothing, they were not better, they were just lucky bastards.

He could be chosen yet.

One of the Angelfish.

It could happen.

The green's shoulder struck him like a sledge hammer. Working in his uncle's smithy had toughed him up, but not enough to stand up to an angry dragon. The attack was nothing but a blur of green hide and red eyes as confusing as a dream when he came to his senses lying on the hot sand and struggling to breathe, clutching his chest in his arms. Every breath he took felt like someone stomping on his lungs.

Oh ********, oh ******** I can't breathe! Did she break my ribs? I think she broke a rib! Oh ********>

But it wasn't that bad. Only the wind had been knocked out of him. However, during the moments after the attack the pain was so intense that he feared he would die from it. As the shock started to ebb he was suddenly aware of the hot sand pressing against his back. Opening his eyes he saw the other candidates stumbling around, some of them also hurt, and knew he needed to get up before he was trampled or the green decided to finish him off. Wheezing and gritting his teeth, Winderick laboriously rolled onto his side and pushed himself up with one arm, gripping his chest with the other.

Galeia gasped and tensed and sighed with the other girls as the dragons passed through them and sought out their chosen. There was a flood of greens on the sands, and the crowd was growing louder with the sight of each green beak that broke through their shells, but from down here she hardly cared a whit about color. There had been a few nosey dragons, such as that lone blue, but the new, heavyset green was worrisome. The beast was aggressive, and as she watched it cut in toward the boys. Her thoughts went to Winderick immediately and she lost her focus on the remaining eggs. As if the mean-spirited green were acting on her dread, her dear friend was one of the first clouted. And he dropped to the sands, motionless.

She shouted something inarticulate and broke from the girl’s line. Someone cried out some protest, but she didn’t care if it was the Candidatemaster’s reprimand for her breach of formality or just some fool from the stands. He did suddenly start struggling, but she was already across the sands and relief wasn’t enough to stop her. She appeared by his side, grabbing at his arm and helping him rise. “Winderick, are you alright?” Her heart was leaping wildly in her chest, and she’d carry him off the sands hserself if need be, but perhaps he wasn’t so injured.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

K’la nodded as he brought up the mention of the plant. The conversation of ‘breeding’ in this setting was hardly a bother. Runner herders spoke in this cold fashion about their stock. “I hardly believe it myself, but as long as the plant produces the effect they want I’d hardly be in a mind to argue against it.” She wasn’t fond of the idea of digging through records. No no, let that be the chore of that archaic and desperate youth who still needed to prove their worth. She gave a short laugh at his jest, simply pleased that he’d gone through the effort – but her laugh was cut off by a gasp. She rose so swiftly that she might have been accused of leaping to her feet were she not known to be genteel in nature. There, the striped blue, the silly one a few had been grinning at, had picked.

“Kadayon!” Her surprised gasp was echoed by Yvoth, sunny, sweet Yvoth’s, celebratory and loud bugle. She choked and put a hand to her mouth, then looked back at B’tar only to point down to the sands again. “My baby!” she cried, eyes blurring in sudden tears. “My son!”

Finally reaching the girls the kubaryana green perked up as she caught sight of Hers. So she was in the wrong place! Crooning, she bounded through the girls, knocking them over too if they didn't out of the way, and reared up in front of one girl in particular.

The other green hissed and spat to hurry to sister along as the kubaryana green made her Impression. Tiamine! Your Yanath is hungry. Let's be away from here... she wants the space to herself.



Now that the cristata green was fully occupied the second to last egg on the sands decided it was time to come into the world. And he did so with gusto. His wiggling about had apparently been to position himself for a burst from the egg that sounded like a whipcrack in the air. Having clawed through the shell, he heaved and flared his wings as the shell fragments dripped down to puddle at his feet.

And there, in all the glory and prestige that was his brithright stood a striking bronze.

Benden, it seemed, had not come to such dire straight as to require bronze transfers and many sighed with relief.

Tsubari almost jumped for joy at seeing the bronze hatch. Not as good a sign if he had hatched first, but still a good sign for Benden. Tsubari turned to see if Erie had seen the bronze hatch. And found out that she was indeed looking towards him. He gave her a small grin that said 'I know who you are watching' and turned back around to watch the rest of the hatching.

One.

Once the bronze had emerged, Aislin's heart fluttered with elation and then froze in fear. The bronze was a symbol of hope, a dim light in what seemed to be becoming darker and darker days for Benden Weyr. However, with his arrival the chances for Aislin's own future as a dragonrider lessened, coming down to one last egg. It took a great deal of effort not to look past the bronze entirely and focus on the remaining egg, but Aislin managed the proper respect. She dragged her eyes back to the powerful dragonet, and waited patiently for it to choose.