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Two Impressions down and now there were no dragons on the Sands. Eggs were still rocking and trembling which was a good sign and so far all the dragonets seemed healthy, happy in their choices. Could a dragon regret their choice, he had no idea. Iskosian shifted his weight back and forth, trying to keep his limbs from going numb. The heat of the sands was starting to get to him as sweat trickled all over his body. He really hoped that it would not take all day and night for the eggs to hatch and impress. What if he fell asleep? He did not want to get sand into weird places.

He shifted in place and tried to move in a small circle to keep himself going.

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"My Weyrleader. I would have never thought to interact with her before the sickness. Now, there was only 20-23 of us left from Ista. We have become, closer in a way. It is nice to know my fellow riders." F'liel replied to S'aren.

The was rarely any sadness in a gold as she watched her children impress and Malsalth now felt none. She had tended her children with care, devoted herself to them fully, never leaving their side and dutifully attending their needs. Her time now was ending, with the breaking of their shells her children left her. Seeking out the one that would make them whole. The one to which Malsalth entrusted their care. Swirling emerald eyes roamed the candidates. They would cherish her children. Love them unconditionally. As her K'rin loved her. There was nothing more that Malsalth could ever wish for her children than to feel the love that she felt for K'rin. No, her task was done, and as each daughter hatched and found their K'rin, Malsalth felt a surge of pride. Her children were healthy. Her children were beautiful. Her children were strong. They would continue on without her.

The gold had remained in her upright position, even as it caused her legs and neck to shake with the effort. She could not falter. The Weyr needed her to provide them with hope, to stay strong. For them. For K'rin. For her children she would remain. Remain and show them the strength they came from. They were the children of Malsalth, last gold of Fort, they were the hope of the North. They had a Weyr behind them. The gold's eyes drifted up to the stands, higher still to the dragons on the ledges. They were one Weyr now. These were the dragons she trusted to protect and teach her children. They could not separate now. Scattering to the wind to live out their remaining turns alone. Now, more than ever, they must stay together.

The humming in Malsalth's throat stuttered, the gold swinging her head around to stare intently at her clutch. Yellow began to creep into her eyes, her hum of celebration dying out completely. The gold rose shakily to her feet, K'rin looking at her with confusion as a hand rested on Malsalth's elbow. Sensing the unnerving of their gold the humming of the dragon's throughout Fort slowly subsided, as too did the movements of the clutch. Malsalth let out a worried warbled as she stretched her neck out over the clutch, lowering her head to gently nose at a green shelled egg. Yellow overtook the gold's eyes as she breath a puff of warm air over the egg, her tail lashing anxiously. The Weyr seemed to hold its breath as the mother inspected her egg, the silence in cavern echoing with the sudden halt of humming.

Suddenly Malsalth jerked back her head, her eyes flooding with grey as she stretched out her neck to scream her distraught keen. The gold cried out in her grief, before her sickness cut her off, harsh coughs driving her down. The dragon collapsed into the sand, still trying to keen as each attempt brought a fresh wave of hacking. K'rin desperately tried to soothe the gold, pressing herself against the great head. With one great paw the gold reached out,drawing the Layered egg to her, wrapping it in the protective circle of her forearms, curling her neck to cry piteously beside it.

Across the clutch a large blue egg exploded without warning, the brown erupting from his egg with a cry of his own. Long legs carried as the hatching as he ran across the sands, disregarding the candidates and joining K'rin. The young dragon pushed himself against his mother's face, nuzzling and whining as Malsalth held her egg close and heaved, both with the strain to breath and the weight of her grief.

E'dal and Wanjouth had been happily involved with each other, chatting and E'dal feeding his green until the colors of content had filled her eyes. They were in the own sphere of happiness, barely acknowledging the other two newly Impressed pairs. Wanjouth had just places her head in E'dal's lap when there was a disturbance on the sands. They both whipped their heads around to see Malsalth, Malsalth, whose joy was suddenly cut short, reach out to the Layered egg and drew it close. E'dal held his breath. He remembered how sleepy, how uninterested the Layered Egg has seemed to him. But the voice has been a steady one. And now...

Tears flowed freely as Malsalth curled around the egg, crying as only a dragon could, eyes grey and voice keening into the skies of Pern. He wiped his tears and hugged Wanjouth closely. She was here. She was his. Nothing would separate them.

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Iskosian had settled back into one spot. He glanced over to Malsalth who seemed at peace, if not in well health. She had to be proud of her clutch. Proud of those who had bonded so far. But then, her tone changed. Her eyes started to go from a happy green to a worried yellow... She reached out for the Layered Egg. Isko panicked. He hadn't touched that egg. He had gone back but didn't get around to that particular egg... Did baby dragons need to be touched by all the candidates before they hatched?? He was panicking internally... What if it was his fault, that the Weyr found out he hadn't introduced himself.

Her eyes were gray and her broken keen shook him to his bones. He knelt down to one knee, covering his ears. This was why! The pain, the sorrow hit him hard and tears fell down his cheeks. Suddenly, the large blue egg burst and a brown rushed to his gold mother and still sibling. Would he leave too? So upset that the Layered Green egg was gone? Isko could only hope not. Could wish that none of this was his fault and maybe it was all a bad dream.

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"I think she is assisting right now, along with the other leaders who are left. K'rin is definitely not in the best state of mind to--" F'liel was interrupted as Malsalth started acting strange and distraught on the Sands. She reached for an egg, eyes yellow and body moving as quickly as possible.

She pulled it close and then suddenly. A mournful keening escaped her throat then sent her into coughing fits. Vesunth added her high warble to the mourning cry. Tears shimmered in his eyes as F'liel watched the gold essentially hug her egg. Suddenly, another egg burst and a tiny brown raced to his clutch mother. Was he trying to comfort her?

"Thank you. Good luck," she whispered back to Joscelin. A little nudge in the right direction was all Starelth needed, but Moluli was positive her nose would have led her there eventually. She smiled a bit shyly as she joined the other two new green riders already there. Granted both were probably pretty busy filling their dragons stomachs.

"Hello, this is Starelth. May I inquire your dragon's names?" Greetings my siblings. This is Moluli, my rider. Moluli picked a pail of meat from those waiting unclaimed yet. Starelth opened her jaws automatically, revealing needle sharp baby teeth and a squirmy tongue. "Don't bite until I move my hand!" She warned the young dragon. Getting her fingers chomped the first time of feeding was not her idea of fun. Moluli dropped in a small piece of meat and withdrew her hand quickly.

Starelth snapped her jaws shut and chewed. While she waited Moluli glanced at the other greens. Hers was somewhat larger than the smaller two. She hoped they were watching the size of the chunks they gave. When the mouth opened she drew her attention back and fed another piece.

It was the sudden fading away of a noise she'd been subconsciously aware of. Moluli glanced worriedly toward the sands. Had all the eggs hatched already? No, it seemed nothing had hatched since she'd left the sands. It was just a pause right? The reaction by Malsalth hinted that maybe one egg would never hatch. "What's going on?" She asked almost automatically.

Mother is grieving. Support hummed in the back of Moluli's mind. "Will it be ok?" I do not think it will hatch. Starelth's eyes swirled faster with distress for her mother, and her rider found tears in her eyes. All the eggs had seemed so lively at the start! To be so close and then to give up? "NO! It has to hatch!" Her hands clenched into fists, squishing the meat forgotten there, as she tried to will the egg to hatch.

One did, a brown went to join his mother. She remembered the Lament egg quite well. Her shoulder had felt soggy during her contact with it. Lament was one to cry with another.

Shaff, was it...? Shaff.

Vee shifted her stance awkwardly as Masalth drew the Layered egg close to her; that one had been pretty sleepy, she guessed it had just... drifted off. There were worse ways to go but shaffit all that was one less hatchling and... and stuff. She didn't know how to deal with the tight feeling in her chest and throat and so she swallowed hard and ignored them, tried to focus on the other eggs that still might hatch.

At least one of them was lively, the very wet feeling Lamenting egg spilled out a brown. Vee would be less surprised to see a herdbeast fly than she would if that one chose her but she watched it all the same, you never could tell with dragons but... But why hadn't Lightning hatched? Vee looked back over at its boldly marked surface with anxiety beginning to bubble in her gut, it had been so desperate to get out of its shell when she'd met it so why hadn't it hatched quickly along with Daydream? Was it okay in there? Vee clenched her hands into fists by her sides and tried to will it to hatch, to live, to achieve everything she had felt it wanting. It had to make it, it couldn't die before it had even begun!

Wanjouth turned her head to her clutch sisters, her hide grayer than it should be in a weyrlng just hatched. Eyes gray with sorrow, she dipped her head at them. Our clutch mate is gone. Our brother comforts our mother. I hope we can find our happiness again. I am Wanjouth and this is E'dal, my rider.

E'dal's fists were clutched at his side as he continued to watch the scene. Would other eggs hatch or would the rest of them stay silent now that their mother was in grief? He let Wanjouth introduce them to the dragons but said nothing yet to the riders. Shards, at a time like this, he wished that they were allowed wine or something to numb the pain. But that wouldn't happen. Hopefully, there would be a day of mourning.

Shivers crawled up Cai's spine even as sweat trickled it's way down it. The eerie silence in the cavernous hatching grounds was so very wrong. The thrumming of dragons never ceased while eggs were still on the sands yet here they stood, with only the soft echo of the shuffling and quietly murmuring crowd bouncing muted from the walls. Even the eggs were still and... did that mean the rest hadn't made it either?

No, at least one small dragon crawled it's way out of the clutch, slinking low across the sands. It's Impression was made almost by the time it had been noticed. Cai watched as the green and her partner made a quick exit from the center of the quiet sands. How awkward this must be for them.