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 Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 7:18 pm
Bali and Varro lived in two small weyr's in one of the far outer corners of the Weyr out of the direct rise and fall of the sun. Their small weyr's were separated in two parts. One part belong to the handlers or as it was designed for riders. The other half was a shallow bowl for a small dragon. Connecting the two weyr's that had been curtained off and turned into wher dens was a small hall like common room with a large fireplace.
In front of this large fireplace which roared with a healthy blaze sat two eggs in their separate containers. The pair's shells had been hardening steadily for the past days and were on the peak of hatching leaving the two handlers to linger and worry over their unhatched charges.
The air was heavy with heat and expectation. Bali was knelt before the hearth stroking gentle fingers over the large bright red and gold marked shell of her wher trying to keep her hand from shaking. It'd be soon, she knew it.
Glancing up at Varro she nodded. The meat was carefully cut up, they'd requested a drudge be in hearing distance to be shouted for for the special blood mix. Everything was ready.
Now they were simply playing a waiting game.
"Soon." Bali murmured tracing the golden crown pattern on her egg.
Soon.
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Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 7:41 pm
"Should I be worried if you start whispering 'My Precious' over that egg of yours anytime soon, Bali?"
The teasing tone and light smile bit down the rebuke as brown eyes flicked over the scroll in his hands. While he might not look it, Varro was indeed worried about the earthy shell tucked so snugy against the warm crimson of the other. But there was no point in really brooding like a Queen Wher; when the little ones hatched, they would hatch.
They simply had to be there to make sure nothing went wrong was all.
.....With a sigh, he rolled up the map scroll before dropping it on the small mound of straw and fur he had been using as a make-shift chair.
No furniture yet but, hopefully, that would be a problem soon fixed. Cold floors were hard floors. In the meantime, their bedding and the bedding of the Whers would have to make due. With a grunt, he shoved himself to his feet before making way towards the "nest" to touch his own egg with gentle hands. The hard shell was warm to touch, given the heat of the fireplace and the bricks under the straw, and....well...if the Handler really focused, he could almost feel the baby shifting inside.
But nothing definate yet.
"We should lower the fire once the eggs start to crack and ready the glows." He nodded towards the baskets hooked on the walls of the 'common room'. "Covered, they'll be easier on the eyes of the little ones but we'll still be able to see."
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Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 8:55 pm
Bali's head swung around as she shot him a glare her lips pursing into a tight line of displeasure, but she said nothing relaxing after a moment at his teasing smile. Turning away from him once again she continued to huddle over the eggs. Her constant fussing being one of the ways she dealt with her nervousness. Her egg would hatch. This one would not be a dud.
It'd be a healthy happy wher. She was sure of it.
"I think it'd be safe to go ahead and bank the fire a little. They're already snug and warm and as long as we keep rotating out the bricks I think they'll be fine." She nodded already moving to stir the fire a little shifting the logs out of the main blaze and spreading it out enough to make it simmer, the lapping tongues of flame settling down. "It's also safe to go ahead and ready the glows. If they die out we can get more." Bali continued only leaving the side of her egg to check the carefully laid out little pot of numbweed and bandages she'd laid out for the blooding process.
Glancing up from her work her cat green eyes once more settled on the two egg, the rich earthy brown shell and the bright fiery red. Her gaze lingered a moment before she looked up at Varro. She hadn't quite figured out what to think of him yet. She so far he seemed decent enough. He was a good conversation despite his teasing and wasn't a dimglow by any means. He might even prove to be an interesting partner with time.
Sighing Bali shook her head and went about helping to get the glows ready before plopping down on another pile of straw not far from Varro's. Yes they really did need to move some furniture in. The moment the whers were adjusted enough she'd see about asking the headwoman about maybe pulling some pieces out of storage. Good sturdy pieces mind or ones that could be mended. Baby whers after all did tend to be rather hard on furniture even when they were being gentle. She'd had some leather straps readied and some chewing bones and other play things and now there was nothing left to do, but wait.
She really was trying so hard not to hover, but no matter her calm exterior Bali worried. Most women her age were getting married and settling down and having children. Though she currently had no wish to do so her wishes did nothing to deter then clawing tight grasping grip of maternal instincts which latched onto her need to protect this egg like crazy. This was her job though. She would love her wher, but she couldn't coddle it. No she had to train it well.
With Varro's help they had to prove to the Weyr that they were an asset, not a burden.
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Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 9:10 pm
Varro made a move towards the fireplace, carefully pushing out the larger logs and gently moving a blanket of ask over the glowing coals. Already, the light had begun to dim with the less fuel they fed it, but did not take away from the warmth that was still lingering in the air.
With luck, as he moved towards the baskets one by one, the warmth would hold for a good handful of candlemarks. With careful adjusting, the dim glow of the glows lit up the small room; pleased, he moved to join his comrade by flopping down on his pile of belongings. But not before casting a glance at Bali out of the corner of his eye.
He had approved of her from the moment he had met; all of his instincts told him this young woman would make a fine Wherhandler, and he had no reason to doubt them. But, whether they would be actual friends or enemies had yet to be seen.
But the fact they had yet to rip each others' heads off at this point was a good sign....right?
"Perhaps you should try and get some sleep, Bali?" He rolled over on his little "bed" and grinned. "Or at least some form of shut-eye? We have everything we need at this point and there's no sure-fire belief that they might even hatch tonight." Other then instinct or that feeling in your bones sort of thing.... "Or heck, here!" He offered the scroll he had been skimming before to her. "At least look at something other then your poor Wher. You might start burning holes in the shell if you keep staring at it."
Unnoticed, being so tiny it was, the brown egg gave a simple hint (an illusion caused by shadows and the heat of the fire if one was to believe it so) of a twitch before settling back down.
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Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 9:35 pm
Bali took the offered scroll and flipped it open, but made no move so far to do more then settle down leaning against some of the unfinished leather straps she'd been working on and read though it. "You can get some sleep Varro. It'd be wiser if we took shifts in case they do hatch. Sides I've had my fill of klah tonight so it's unlikely I'll be sleeping till the dragons rise." She replied giving him a grateful nod and even a small slim smile as if she wasn't quite sure how to make such a gesture in regards to him.
"Oh please. I do hope your wher doesn't take after you too much. The first Queen knows I'm not sure the Weyr can handle two of the likes of you Varro. Even less a wher version of you." Bali replied rolling her eyes at him, her tone much to his surprise one of light teasing.
Yet Bali had been impressed at how quickly he followed her advice on basking the fire and readying the glows. Many men would have argued with her over it, not because she wasn't right, but simply because she had said it. Then again that had been back when she'd been a Wherless senior apprentice unable to make journeyman despite all her skill and training due to lack of eggs and bad luck.
It was rather nice to not have to fight with him on every little thing like she had to with most of the boys. This warmed her too him somewhat, not much, but a little. Perhaps together if things worked out they really could make a difference. In their own way they were pioneers.
Almost as if sensing his clutchmates early jump on him the crown egg shivered knocking lightly against the earthy brown shell as if playfully scolding it. Fine if that was how the other egg wanted to do things then the Crown egg would too.
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Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 9:51 pm
He decided to let his tension run out at goofiness, clutching his heart dramaticly as if he had been physically wounded by her words. "Why Bali! Your cruel, icy words tear at my tender heart so!" He then chuckled and rolled back over on his back with his arms folded under his head.
"I'm fairly sure I won't be getting to sleep anytime soon either. Too excited and I shared that bucket of Klah too, remember?" He, again, chuckled while watching the ceiling above his head. "But that makes me wonder if a Wher like you would be any better then a Wher like me? Or perhaps vis-versa? Or maybe not at all? They could be our polar-opposites for all we know."
Then again, Kulsk was the polar-opposite of his Grandfather and those two got along swimmingly. Maybe it was that little matter of two halves meeting into one whole or something.
But HE saw no merit in arguing over trifles and little chores. They worked together, things got done faster and less fur would fly.
While he mentally brooded over the subject, the Earth Egg chose that moment to relatiate the little nudge with a rather quick shake. A playful nudge that caused the shell to click against the other before suddenly freezing; in all honesty? Is was like a child that made a noise that it was not suppose to then freezing to see if other heard it.
In this case, it was heard...not seen.
Varro frowned and looked up slightly, head turning both sides. "Did you hear something? Or did something fall?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 10:02 pm
Batting her eyelashes at him and flashing a mocking grin she mimed fake modesty. "Oh yes I am such a dastardly ice cold little vixen now aren't I? Oh woe is me." She continued throwing the back of her hand against her forehead in a silly gesture as if pretending she was going to faint. "What ever shall I do." Then shaking her head Bali shrugged it settling back down to reading, not even looking up from the map as she returned his jabs and comments.
"Well you looked bout ready to freeze. By the first shell man I'm from Nabol and a woman and even I don't get that cold!" Bali answered shrugging her shoulders and smiling behind the cover of the scroll.
Then there was a soft clicking noise and silence her head shooting up at the sound. "No. I heard it too." She replied scanning the area to see if anything had fallen.
The Crown egg though wasn't one for silence. Jiggling in it's place it began to constantly rock jerking and clicking up against the Earth egg as if trying to tease it's companion into playing. It had every right to make noise. As a matter of fact had Bali not settled the furs so heavily around the massive egg the Crown egg likely would have rocked and jiggled itself right off the hearth, but instead settled for continuing to nudge the Earth egg insistantly.
Hey? Hey? Was it listening?
"The Eggs!" Bali gasped out and there could be no doubt now where the cause of the noise had come from. Not with her egg flopping all over the place, yet other then a few chips in the shell where it had hit the Earth egg there were no cracks yet. Staggering to her feet she dragged the bucket of carefully cut meat over by the fire sticking her head out to rouse the drowsing drudge to fetch the blood mix as fast as possible for the two eggs.
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Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 8:37 am
"It's not my fault my genes don't mix well with the cold...."
But that's all he could really mutter under his breath before scampering over to join Bali when she finished calling out to the servant outside. The eggs were starting to be a bit more active, almost in a playful/sibling shove fight he had seen other Whers get into as hatchlings back home.
The Earth egg would clicked back, had Varro not chosen that moment to gently hold it down. Instead, it twitched rapidly as he ran his hands over the rippled shell in an attempt to find....where was it?
Or maybe the weak spot hadn't formed yet?
Leaning closer, he placed an ear on the top of the egg; after a moment, he pulled away with a smile. The little one was well on it's way of coming out. No problems as far as he could hear...but Varro was ready to step in if something was.
"How is yours doing?"
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Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 10:56 am
"No sounds of trouble yet." She replied having to put her weight down to keep the egg still just long enough to listen before having to settle for just keeping the Crown egg from bouncing off the hearth.
"I didn't hear a lot of scrambling though. Maybe it hasn't gotten around to using it's claws on the shell?" Bali questioned doing her best to keep the bright red egg steady.
Well she'd be right about one thing the wher inside wasn't using it's claws on the shell. There was no room to use it's claws. Everything was tight! Too tight! It needed out!
Spreading it's wings and limbs it threw it's weight and strength against the shell. Outside the egg visibly convulsed then didn't crack so much as exploded. Pieces of shell went flying everywhere leaving a massive bronze wher sitting proudly in the remains.
It was the handsomest bronze Bali had ever seen and he was hers! Turning she snatched for the bucket carefully getting some small pieces of meat and coaxing the wher too her with it with low welcoming whispers.
The bronzes head followed the meat and it stood shaking out it's little wings creeling for food. Proudly the massive hatchling puffed himself up and took a step forward, only to catch a foot on the hearth edge and go rolling tail over nose and crash right into Bali's lap with a startled squawk.
"Shhhhhh shhhhh my handsome king. I've got you." Bali murmered to him stroking his shining bronze head eventually calming the errant wher and began to feed him the meat. Carefully mind, so as not to let him choke despite him wanting to wolf it all down. Then grabbing her knife she slit a shallow gash along her inner left arm, careful not to hit a vein. Then holding the bleeding limb out was pleased when her bronze happily licked at the wound cleaning it with a possessive care.
"Balisk. His name is Balisk." She told Varro, looking up from her bronze with a look of such love, such warmth and care that it was hard to believe this was the usually so duty-bound cold woman he usually saw on patrol.
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Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 11:18 am
Varro could only chuckle at the introductions between the two before the cracking of his own egg forced him back to attention. In the open space of shell between his hands, spiderweb-thin lines grew from the tiny epicenter before two large chunks popped off after a moment of work.
A squeak was questioning as a little, dirt-colored nose poked out and wiggled slightly. Apparently, this little Wher....brown, Varro could see as he carefully broke off pieces of shell and more of the muzzle poked out in return, was a bit more cautious then his bronze companion was.
Which the Handler was thankful for. Large pieces were easier to tidy up then small ones.
The little brown squeaked again before withdrawing back into his shell. A few rapid taps and scratchings later did the shell break rather neatly, sending a lean Brown tumbling into the soft bedding of straw and furs. A quick shake and flutter of wings, he opened his mouth to plead for food-
Only to find Varro ready and waiting with a spoonful of the sour blood-mess-in-a-pot the servant had brought a few moments beforehand. The spoon was quickly licked clean and a demand for more was met with more; only when the small stomach was tighter then a drum did Varro take his own knife to create a shallow cut along the old blooding scar on his arm.
"Varrosk...." He smiled at Bali as the brown in question licked the wound clean, pausing only to squeak up at His human. The same love Bali had in her eyes was matched by the emotion Varro had for his little charge. "I wonder if this is how Riders feel after Impression?"
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Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 11:31 am
"Hmm it's a good name." She answered him with a smile nodding politely to the brown until her bronze charge insistently butted his large head against her arm creeling and calling for more food. Chuckling she snagged the bucket of blood mix and took the other spoon carefully feeding the bronze a while more until he too was sagging, belly full, draped over her lap. The hatchling a bit too big to fully fit in his female handlers embrace.
Scratching his eyeridges Balisk let out a low and loving croon his second eyelids already down and sleep fast coming to claim him. Smiling down at him Bali felt her heart would burst for love. "Oh most certainly though no dragon could ever take my handsome Balisk's place." Bali replied and chuckled with a low answering chirp came from her bronze. Balisk doing his best to snuggle deeper into her lap one of his eyelids sliding open to reveal a look that clearly said 'Mine.'
Now that her charge was fed and cared for Bali reached for the bandages and numbweed carefully smearing the goop over her the scab that was beginning to form on her arm and then bound it loosely in bandages before passing them to Varro.
There'd be clean up later and the Queens know Bali would probably still be finding bits of egg shell for days with Balisk's entrance. For now though it was a moment of peace and rest.
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Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 12:01 pm
Accepting the medical supplies from Bali, he carefully wrapped up his arm before slipping his glove back into it's proper place. Before he could gently move the little hatchling so the empty tub of blood-mix pushed out for someone to collect, he glanced down as Varrosk sleepily clamored into his lap.
With a chuckle, Varro chose to stretch out in the "nest" (pausing to shove wayward pieces of shell away) as his little one stretched out on top of the Handler with a happy croon.
Mine....Mine was the feeling that drifted between the two of them, woven between that feeling of contentment and love.
"I guess i'll be sleeping here with you tonight, little guy." The gentle scratch on the Wher's head was ment with another sleep croon.
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Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 12:16 pm
Bali unlike Varro didn't have much of a choice where she was sleeping. Balisk was heavy. The egg had been hard enough to carry back when she'd first gotten it, back before he'd grown as much in the shell.
Not that she minded sleeping here with him or even with Varro nearby. Nothing short of the Weyr falling down around their ears could upset the content happiness that wrapped around the pair.
Twisting slightly wher she sat she grabbed hold of the pile of leathers she'd been busy working on, separating about half of it to shove over to Varro so he could use it as a pillow as she was doing. Then settling down she leaned back and stretched her legs out somewhat. Balisk simply adjusting to drape himself over her hips like a large bronze blanket crooning happily and letting out a little yawn showing off toothless baby gums and a green wher tongue before he blinked, fluttered his wings and settled shifting to rest his head on his handlers stomach.
Bali was sure she'd wake up sore and stiff tomorrow, probably by Balisk's insisted urging for food, but it was worth it and she hardly wanted to sleep for fear she'd wake up and he'd be only a dream. Sensing his handlers worry Balisk simply nuzzled his big head against her stomach crooning harder as if to assure her that he wasn't going anywhere.
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Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 12:34 pm
Varro gratefully accepted the offered leathers, half-asleep as he was, and carefully tucked them under his head before flopping back down into a restful position.
Varrosk, murmuring sleepily in that cute way only babies could manage, had shifted so he was draped over His bonded with forelegs and head resting on his handlers' stomach. He yawned, revealing fangless gums, before nuzzling the leather tunic happily.
Eyes drooping, Varro let a hand linger on that slender neck before letting himself drop off into dreamland. Chores could wait until they woke up; the little ones, with the bottomless stomachs they no doubt had, would see to it themselves that he and Bali were bright-eyed and perky.
For now? Sleep.
Varro yawned loudly as his eyes slipped shut, the soft straw and the warm bricks buried underneath easing tired muscles.
Yep...Sleep was a good thing.
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Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 12:45 pm
Bali was not quite as quick to slip into dreamland. Instead for a while she simply lay there staring up at the ceiling and eyeing her surroundings ever vigilant. Yet there were no sounds of attacks, no threats, only the drudge peaking her head in very carefully and collecting the bloody empty bucket as quietly as possible with a nod from Bali before scurrying off hastily.
The fire was low. It'd be a bit chilly come morning, but she doubted it would fully die and with a few good pokes she could rouse it from it's embers. Besides with the living heater that was Balisk she doubted she or Varro would freeze.
Everything was good. Everything was quiet. Everything was safe.
And so Bali closing her eyes slept.
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