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 Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2010 3:22 pm
It was like being hit between the eyes with a silk glove, wrapped around a very large bronze brick. Suddenly he wasn't alone in his mind, suddenly there were new wants and needs. Food came top of the list, the desire was so pressingly urgent that he felt his own gut clench in sympathy. "Acriculeth," Antigonos said aloud, "let's go and find you something to eat then."
"Yes, let's." The sleek bronze gave a satisfied rumble and turned towards the smell of fresh meat, his rider at his side. "It doesn't look as though we have much competition for power as yet," he commented as they drew near to the gaggle of smaller dragons, "and nothing big is coming to come out of that last egg to challenge me."
He quite liked the feeling of that 'me'. It included him as well as the bronze himself. We, me, us. Two people, and yet in some ways the same. He already knew the hatchling just about inside out, and thus knew how alike they were... Yet not totally. "You're not into pretence, are you?" he asked rhetorically as he shot and excited grin at the other new riders and passed his lifemate his first ever piece of flesh.
"Mmm," Acriculeth gulped down the meat and opened his jaws for more, "not really. I shall let it be know that I chose a rider who was good at getting along with, and showing concern for people. That's a fair contrast for us to have, and for similarities we have wit, intelligence, and ambition. Mine is supposedly harsher than yours. I am rutheless, apparently, where you are not."
"Right," Antigonos smiled and nodded, "excellent start, we can work on the details later."
"Yes," the bronze gave a rumble and nudged his lifemate gently, "for now; more meat."
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Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2010 3:31 pm
Winderick turned to watch Antigonos walk away with the bronze and felt a small pang of disappointment. If this had happened earlier during the Impression he might have felt more annoyed. By now he couldn't imagine anything that could possibly make his day worse. If he was lucky (but he obviously wasn't) that green would Impress Gale and she would stay instead of going to Benden's harper hall.
There was still one egg on the sands.
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Dragonflight Pern Captain
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Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2010 3:35 pm
The green hissed as the Bronze bugled and surged forward, utterly annoyed to have attention pulled from her. Sweeping a girl down and cutting across her with a growl, the green reared up and bugled, flapping her still-wet wings. Ah there! A gem among the ash! Making for the girl, she crooned ever so lovingly at Hers. Come away from the dullards, Canoakemine, and shine with your Tatath! And with that the last of the hatched dragons was Impressed. It left just the one egg... much to Kestril's disappointment. Glancing up at her gold, she arched a brow as she asked if everything was over. The great gold rose then, striding across the sands even before Tatath and Hers were at the tables and nosed the little egg. It gave a single stir then settled. A soft sigh of disappoinment escaped from the gold as she arched her neck and regarded her rider. The Hatching was done. Or was it? One Aislin was hit by a wave of panic not their own as the egg toppled over, rolling a little ways. Whatever was inside was having trouble and it was calling out, having apparently sense its lifemate among the Candidates. The gold turned to regard the egg between her feet with a curious expression but not once did she lift a claw to help. All dragons must be strong enough to hatch on their own - that was the natural law. If it could make it, it would be welcomed. In perhaps the first show of motherly care, Yirath warbled at the egg, encouraging it.
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Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2010 3:42 pm
S'raid's eyes caught on the newly Impressed Bronze and his rider, an eyebrow raised in silent inquisition. Watching the pair together reminded him strikingly of himself, all those Turns ago. Strange that he had not noticed that lad before now. ... Ah well, his attention had been rather narrowly focused. It was difficult to concentrate on the boys when it was among the girls that his own hand picked Candidate stood. But this was Benden's future, the single pride of the newest generation. S'raid rather felt like laughing in his weyrleader's faces, but he was no fool.
He was certainly not going to resort to such childish measures to express himself. One strong pairing in the seven that had been established was but a drop of water in the bucket, and they were ... flagging. One Bronze from Benden, when Trine had boasted two? The dragonet held himself as befitted his color, but that would not make up for the blot that this clutch was on Benden's honor. Nine eggs, eight of them hatched. Nine. Alumanth's clutch had been impressive by comparison, for she had been a Crimson.
... And then the final Green Impressed. Aislin had not Impressed. I told you this would happen, S'raid grated at Galvanth, who simply crooned at the little Bronze, and Green, eyes whirling with his encouragement. But what was this? The Gold was nosing the small egg. It stirred, barely. No, it was over. It was well and truly over, and his-- no, he would not dane to attach the pronoun to the girl.
Yirath was not finished. S'raid stared at the egg, and then a look of dawning comprehension crossed his face, flickering there for a moment before being replaced with his usual neutral mask. An Atypical? Was it... perhaps... an atypical? At a Benden Hatching? That was almost unheard of! Almost, but not entirely, for it was on these very Sands that Ruth, the very first of the surviving atypicals, had been clutched, and hatched. Hatched from his egg with the help of one Jaxom of Ruatha. What could this mean? Would it hatch on its own, and prove to be a Green, or a Blue?
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Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2010 3:43 pm
Tsubari watched the green find Hers. Another joyous occasion. He watched the as the Gold went to the last egg. It seemed the hatching was over. His smile was wide for there were new dragons and none went between.
He turned to step off the sands, when the egg toppled. That one was determined to hatch. One could see it wanted out, it just needed extra encouragement. He sent as many good thoughts and called out to the egg, "Come on, you can do it."
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Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2010 3:50 pm
Lukah frowned and slouched in his seat. He supposed he should have felt happy for Canoake, and in a way he did, but he wished Sileny could have Impressed today. There was now a strong possibility that she would age out before the next hatching, especially if this trend of infertility continued.
"Zhac, look." Lukah leaned forward as the gold rose, a chill running down his spine. So there was an atypical after all. "Uh-oh. I hope this one makes it," he murmured in a hushed voice.
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Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2010 3:53 pm
The hatching was over, and Aislin had not Impressed.
Disappointment filled her in one horrifying rush, swallowing up all of that hope and fear and replacing it with an unfamiliar emptiness. It felt like a pit in the center of her stomach, a gnawing realization that the sudden loneliness she felt had just become a permanent condition. Twenty-two would soon come – and go – without the Impression she had been waiting for for nearly the latter half of her life. She was going back to the caverns, back to a life of should-have-been longing. No, no no. It couldn't be! It couldn't have come to that. She had worked so hard. What did the other girls have that she hadn't? What was missing? What could she possibly lack that had resulted in her being overlooked time and time again?
Help.
The voice hit her mind like a lightning bolt, and Aislin felt herself sway slightly as panic gripped her. Her forehead beaded with sweat as she suddenly felt claustrophobic in the crowd, lost in a sea of faces all focused on the small, still egg. Her chest tightened, and Aislin found herself fighting for her breath, as though iron bands were compressing her lungs. The ground felt like it was slipping away from her feet, and Aislin swayed sideways and stumbled, practically falling on another girl. She grabbed at whatever was near her, hauling herself to her feet.
“No,” she murmured. Her hands shoved and pulled, forcing her way through the other candidates and towards the limp egg. Her heart was breaking over something that she could not quite understand. Feet seemed to move of their own accord, fueled by some knowledge that had slipped from her grasp. Her panic was no longer her own, but something far more dire than fearing a life of bakercraft. It had adopted a life or death sense of urgency. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't see. She had to get out and doing so was all that mattered.
Help.
Aislin all but erupted from the crowd of girls in a flat run, and she was headed right for the egg.
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Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2010 4:00 pm
The egg shuddered again but would not crack and the sense of panic that filled Aislin's mind soon became edged in grey exhaustion. There was little time left and barely any marks had appeared in the shell.
When the girl came running forward, Yirath arched her neck and growled low in her throat, the sort of warning that every sane creature heeded.
But the egg's emotions flailed at the girl, caught her and held her even as its fear and desperation touched the minds of those nearby. This was no frustration or lazy dragonet, it was a fight for life... and a fight the dragonet was quickly losing.
The swift peak of its efforts marked it as Atypical for those familiar, and many waited with baited breath. Whispers of duds and weaklings and runts interlaced with ones of hopeful thoughts of whites. If Benden produced a white, that in and of itself would trump the other weyrs but soundly and salvage this meager Hatching.
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Dragonflight Pern Captain
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Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2010 4:01 pm
Zhac mirrored his friend, leaning forward as the huge queen warbled at the egg. “Don’t get too riled,” he muttered, as if hostile ears were near. “They don’t help the ones that can’t break free themselves. It’ll likely go still in a minute.” His tone, no matter how quiet and calm, was not approving, but it was the way the weyr handled itself. He’d seen wher eggs smashed to control the population – even some smaller ones of Zhask’s clutches – but ignoring the dragon eggs sat more uncomfortably on his mind. They were developed, only a breath away from life, and as much as he doted on his gold wher, he knew the bonds between dragons and their chosen meant more. It seemed pitiable not to let that bond be.
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Galeia sagged, watched the green (her markings almost tended toward a striking blue) choose Hers. Her eyes focused intent, twitching and burning, at the sands. Egg goo and shatter shards made a mess of the fine sand. Sticky, crunching, and awash of colors that became so ugly when mixed, there was one fair bit remaining. The last tiny egg, hard, wobbling, impossible to hope for. She almost ignored it, knowing better than to hope, but the queen and her bulk was moving for it now. Her breath caught as the Yirath stood over the egg… and did nothing. “Oh, let it out,” she said to no one in a half-wailing tone. Perhaps the queen would hear her, perhaps no one. “If human babes were left to die by their strength at birth this way, there would be no one for your dragonets to Impress to.” She felt too sick to want the thing herself, but it’s wobbling was upsetting to watch, even if many in the stands were already apt to turn away from the sight.
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Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2010 4:07 pm
"No, that girl is going to try something. You can see it in her eyes," Lukah whispered back. His eyes were now locked on the girl. Even Yirath's furious snarl could not deter her. "Shards, she's going to get herself killed!" --------- Even Winderick was shocked out of his dark thoughts when the girl sprinted onto the Sands. Having just experienced the strength of a newly hatched green, his stomach churned at the thought of what a Queen could do when provoked.
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Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2010 4:09 pm
“She's dying!” Aislin screamed, her voice half a cry of pain and half an outraged scream.
They were going to let her die. There was a dragonet in there, a baby capable of serving Pern – serving Benden – and they were just going to let her die! The gold's warning went either unnoticed or unheeded. If Aislin had heard it at all, she gave no sign of slowing or stopping. All she could feel was a burning in her lungs and a single-minded focus, a heated desperation to reach the egg. She could feel the dragonet inside pushing at the shell, unable to escape. She could feel it drowning, suffocating before it got a chance to see the world. Her own vision blurred and darkened, and Aislin felt an emptiness slowly growing inside of her. In an act of desperation, she threw herself at the egg with all of her strength, hoping that it would be enough to crack it.
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Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2010 4:11 pm
More pleaseYanath insisted, nosing at Tia's hands hungrily. She had already put away a considerable amount of meat, and wasn't showing particular signs of slowing down, and Tia had the unfortunate feeling that she might yet have to discuss with Yanath that it wasn't a good idea to kick other hatchlings from their food just to get more.
Oh good, she found hers. Yanath noted cheerfully, chomping enthusiastically on more chunks of meat from her partner, and Tia glanced back toward the sand to see what the smaller, angry green had done, but really she was more concerned with Yanath. Yanath's fascination with her sister was obvious though, she could feel her deep attachment through the link, and it did make her wonder who the other rider was, since they may well be more deeply tied than either of them had planned.
That was when she saw another girl break from the candidates and rush, blindly for the egg, and felt her heart skip. Had she impressed? Impressed a dragon still in the shell? Yet with Yanath she could wholeheartedly believe that bond.
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Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2010 4:12 pm
Galvanth, watching the proceedings with tense anticipation, warbled to the egg that lay quiescent on the Sands. Would this, too, be a failed hatching? Would this egg be just one of the many that had been taken between over the Turns? He gave a worried croon, and watched with eyes that wavered between the happy blue that he had worn throughout the Hatching and a dull grey. Occasionally, flickers of orange appeared, and vanished as soon as S'raid reeled him in. What does Yarith do? he asked his rider, stretching out as far as he could go without dislodging any of his fellows.
Yarith growled at Aislin, and Galvanth hissed in return, eyes whirling all the more rapidly. For one tense moment, S'raid thought that his boneheaded Bronze would try to assist the egg, and the girl, and he held up a hand in warning. "No!" There would be no heroics, no attempts to 'save' anyone from the Queen. "Don't. Don't flare your wings, you foolish creature," the Bronzerider ordered his Bronze, who, rather guiltily, folded his wings onto his back. They did not need to mantle them over the girl, or the egg, no matter who else might be watching.
Let it be White, was S'raid's wish as he kept a tight rein on his dragon. S'raid, Yarith must not stop her! Now, that was just too much. Cut that out, you dimglowed Bronze! There will be no rebellious behavior. Not now. Not toward a Queen. He didn't care how much Galvanth wished to protect whatever hatchling lay inside that egg. There were lines that were not to be crossed. And don't you get hostile. Don't even consider it. Deflating, the Bronze watched anxiously, searching for a white head.
When Aislin screamed, Galvanth nearly bugled his defiance, and it was only his rider's furious glare that kept him silent. This must be done on her own, or not at all. You will not step in. He was very firm, very serious, and as he turned his gaze back to the Hatching Sands, rather... worried. What would come of this? The girl was throwing herself at the egg, working away at it with all her might. But S'raid... the Bronze protested, his distress very apparent to his rider. But nothing. It will be as it will be, and that is final.
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Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2010 4:16 pm
K’la shook her head, trying to clear the fog, when she spotted the last green. Impossible, the lovely thing squared her head at Canoake, and K’la gave another gasp. She gave a laugh this time, weakened now by the waves of emotion. “I was hoping for her too!” Her head shook even more loosely, and she finally released B’tar to pull an embroidered handkerchief from a sleeve. She dabbled her eyes with it as the hatching seemed to wind down. There was still an egg on the stands, but it was negligible in its inactivity. “I think this is nearly-“ She broke off, having started to rise from her seat, as the queen started for the egg. Surely not. She watched, puzzled, almost afraid of the scene on the sands. They were meant to do this like those people at Trine. At least at Trine there had been some sort of measures of safety for it. The sands had been cleared and they had a tool (a revoltingly brash shovel of all things) for breaking out the odd-colored dragons. She was scared both of the strangeness, and for the hapless girl throwing herself at the egg below. “Oh no, why didn’t anyone stop her?” K’la pressed herself to the rail and watched the queen, praying she would remain docile enough not to hurt the stupid girl.
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Zhac said nothing, now too tense to advice. He hadn’t seen the girl dashing across the sands until she’d reached the egg. The queen’s disapproving growl sent a chill through him as he watched.
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Dragonflight Pern Captain
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Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2010 4:21 pm
The hairline fractures that the dragonet had managed to create in the egg gave way under the girl's clawing and weight, breaking with a wet smack. The egg goo oozed out and covered Aislin even as the dragonet jerked and roled, chest heaving and eyes spinning grey and yellow that faded to blue as it shiverred and stood, as soaked and dirty as its rider, mental voice as calm and strong as if this was nothing but an eventuality. Aislinmine. Your Saazeyth would have hatched. Above, the gold inhaled sharply, her nose pulled back in a surprised grimace as the baby that had been pulled into this world was no white but a bold, bright crimson. The Stands were silent then, the gold's surprise echoing among the minds of those gathered. Some, whose sensibilities were affronted, turned with a scoff and moved to leave. Those more open minded peered closer, curious as to what would go on. Kestril, however, was furious. A bad Hatching had turned worse and now she was disgraced. Yirath rumbled, nosed the crimson then turned away without a word as the Senior Queen and Weyrwoman stalked sauntered off the Sands. With the Weyrwoman retreating, those on the Sands whirled into action and began to shuffle about in the closing chores for a Hatching. Some looked sadly over at the girl who had Impressed an enigma and others simply chose not to look at all. A sharp glance would reveal that those tending the feeding table had played a quick game of rock-paper-scizzors of which the loser was left to wait for the crimson. Nine eggs had hatched, and nine dragons had impressed and yet Benden wasn't nearly as triumphant as such an occasion deserved. Change was, indeed, in the wind.
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