Welcome to Gaia! ::

Corloss took the bucket of meat from Wykla with a grateful nod. He was glad they provided buckets of meat already prepared; he could sense Nimith’s hunger already gnawing at him. “Yes, I can manage. Thank you.”

Soon after, the healer Bereck approached, kneeling down to inspect the claw-marks. C’ross instinctively shifted the bucket of meat to the hand on his uninjured side to help keep his balance, reaching out his other hand to rest lightly on Nimith’s offered headknobs. The blue wasn’t big enough to catch him or anything, but he stuck close enough to provide a steadying presence.

“Frankly, I’d be happier with leather armor,” Corloss agreed with the healer’s mutterings. If the blue who’d mauled him had aimed a little higher, then he would have been having a really bad day, and it distressed him that the robe-that-was-nearly-a-dress offered no protection whatsoever for more vulnerable regions. “But I guess the robes are traditional – and at least I don’t have to worry about that anymore, right?”

It seemed that Bereck was somewhat concerned that Corloss was going to faint away on him. “Don’t worry, Healer, I’m not going to fall over on you. I’ve had worse.” He winced as the redwort was applied, stinging sharply as it disinfected the wound, but it was followed up shortly after by the soothing coolness of numbweed.

But before he could offer his thanks, there was a scream, and the Vibrant blue was charging, and so was the healer, and – another Impression mistaken for an aggressive charge? Well. It made Corloss feel rather better to see that a healer and adult rider could make the same mistake that he did in mistaking a hatchling's intentions. It seemed that most of the blues this hatching were rather overzealous creatures, weren’t they?

“Thanks for not charging me, Nim.”

You’re welcome.

"I think they're supposed to be robes," Ildresaak remarked, plucking at his own. It was too short - not too short to be a problem, in any sense, just too short for him to feel comfortable. The damp sand was sticking to his ankles (when had he ended up getting sand on his ankles?) and the loud blue had Impressed, so that was...just one dragon left on the Sands right now? And she seemed to be quiet, still heaped on the Sands. "But yeah, they kinda feel like a dress." He looked at Kaeyne again, giving another glimmer of a smile.

"My name's Ildresaak," he said quietly, a brief nod. If they were going to be awkward Hatching-buddies, they might as well learn each other's names.

The Watchful Egg had remained relatively still as the hatching wore on. A wiggle here, maybe a jerk there, it drew no direct attention to itself as it's siblings entered the world. Even as Obnoxious started climbing eggs and Vibrant screamed himself silly Watchful lay still.

Inside though, the hatchling was hard at work and without any fuss, he slipped from his egg, beneath the egg goo that he carefully cleaned off his face a dark stripped pattern was revealed. The newly hatched brown turned sedate eyes on the candidates, giving them a cursory inspection before he got up and stretched.

The Kind and Keen Green chirped, surprised by the appearance of the brown next to her. She stood quickly and staggered, splaying her legs and throwing her wings out in an attempt to steady herself. It didn't take her long to close the distance between herself and Watchful brown. She aimed a sweet little headbutt at his side.

Watchful was having none of it though. He rumbled in a not-quite threatening way and smoothly slipped away from the green. Watchful glanced back at her then walked out to the middle of the Sands and stopped in front of the boys, barely even glancing at the women. There he sat, and stared, his tail twitching on the ground.

Kind and Keen green wasn't put off as she bounced in the other direction. She pranced in front of them, the red of hunger still only dancing at the edges of her blue eyes.

[Kaeyne]

"Dresses make it sound much more humiliating," Kaeyne murmured back with a not-quite smile. He had his own nervous energy, hidden though it may be. This was no fight, no life or death situation that required him to be punching or snarling. Instead, he snarked, and spoke with this new man, and watched the dragons. "Kaeyne."

Small talk, how do. Then a new dragon, and an adorable green. Kaeyne's eyes followed the playful companionship between green and... green, really. The brown seemed to want none of that. Serious little thing, as little as dragons could be, but if anything, Kind and Keen could at least brush off the grump.

"Hrm. I was sort of hoping that it'd be a clutch of all blues and greens." And, for once, there was no sarcasm to his tone. Kaeyne turned his eyes from the little brown; this one would not be for him. Nor the green... or at least he hoped. Kaeyne did not do well with adorable. "Still.. healthy."

Kaeyne didn't return the smile. The Sands felt too warm, uncomfortable, and the robe hung on him in awkward draping. He didn't move away from him either, standing guard in the relatively relaxed presence of the other young man. Things on the Sands could be worse - maulings, for instance, more severe than the few scratches. No one screamed or ran away, the brown seemed sedate enough if somewhat unnerving. Kaeyne returned the hard stare with one of his own and an otherwise blank expression.

More sand flicked to the side with a s**t of his foot, the slightest of flicks of Kaeyne's sandal. "Because without them, Pern would have died of Thread a long time ago. Breeding power can only do so much until something wipes out the ones too big to dodge when the time calls for it." Dark eyes slid to Ildresaak, gaze not as hard as the one he'd given the dark brown dragonet. "And why not? Disappointment is good for the color bigoted character."

Z'fer

Finally a brown! The large one must be a bronze then. This was just ridiculous. Z'fer was not making any money this clutch. That was for certain. Calanoth watched happy and oblivious to his rider's musings. What did they matter to the large bronze? Calanoth adored hatchlings of any color.


Cai

Cai flinched. The muscles in her arms clenching as Wen touched her. It was better than a hug, but still uncomfortable and unwelcome. She shifted away ever so slightly. She had no idea how to respond to his request or Jemi's for that matter.

Why don't you spend time with them? Rynsemth is my brother. His should be Yours!

Rynsemth isn't your brother. Cai's voice was tight and forced past the constriction in her throat. "I don't wear dresses..."

(Wen and Jemi)

Wen glanced back at Cai, blinking slowly before turning back to the sands. "They would look nice on you. And a brown just hatched." He glanced at the serious little hatching. A brown was a good color and it was relieving to see some larger colors.

"Brown?" Jemi turned around to look at the sands and gave a surprise sound. While yes, there was a little brown on the sands. "Think about it? You can always drop by the barracks if you care to take me up on the offer to go shopping."

Tacelon was not surprised this time when Shenja spoke to him, but he didn't know how to answer the other boy's question. How was he feeling? He hummed thoughtfully to let the other boy know he wasn't ignoring him as he fed Poth several more pieces of meat. He tried to sort himself out, and finally came up with, "Surprised." Then he frowned. That didn't seem quite right. "Doesn't feel real yet," he elaborated. Even with a dragon sitting in front of him, filling his head and taking meat from his hands, it still seemed like some kind of mistake or a (increasingly cruel) joke.

I am here and I am not leaving you, Poth interjected, pausing her chewing long enough to headbutt him gently. You are mine and I am real and nothing will change that.

The feel of the draconic skull nudging his stomach made Tacelon realize he hadn't actually touched Poth yet. She'd touched him, when she nibbled his robe and put her head on his knee, but he hadn't touched her. He'd fed her by putting meat in her mouth, not letting her take it out of his hand. It was like he was afraid to touch a bubble for fear of it bursting and leaving him alone. Well, if this was really real...

Tentatively he reached out to run a finger along one of her eye ridges, feeling the tough hide there. It felt solid enough, he could feel the ridge of bone underneath. For once she stopped asking for more food and sat still, watching him. So he stroked he head from nose to crest, as if with a canine he was trying not to startle. She did not startle, did not more, just watched him still. So he stroked her neck, just alongside the ridges, and found her hide was soft under his fingers. He'd never imagined dragon hide would be so soft until he'd been Searched and ridden dragonback to the Weyr.

Tacelon had only been on dragonback a few times, enough that he could count them on one hand. From Harper Hall to Benden Weyr, when he was searched. From Benden to Malvren, when Benden was overtaken and refugees had fled. Then from Malvren to Trine, when Malvren also fell. Then to the mines and back, technically two flights, when he'd been sent with a party searching for some of the stolen eggs. Five times in his whole life, and he had never expected his chances to fly would grow any more common. But now...did he really have a dragon who would carry him many more times, wherever they wished to go?

He'd paused with his hand on Poth's neck, and now she turned her head to rest her chin on his forearm. I am here. I will go where you go, and we may go many places together, if that is what you wish. She turned an eye that swirled blue and green to gaze up at him, and an unconditional love stronger than anything he'd ever known flooded through their bond. There was nothing Tacelon could day to that. What could he have possibly done to deserve such a marvelous dragon?

Then Poth spoiled the moment but saying, But you have to feed me first. I am not full yet. And opened her mouth again. Tacelon just smiled fondly and resumed popping bits of meat into her maw.