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Grevy’s Zebra Egg- This egg is easily one of the largest in the clutch. It stands near a ring of smaller eggs, almost as if it is providing a sort of benevolent protection to them. Its creamy white shell is marked by random stripes of dark brown and black that range up and down the egg, occasionally punctuated with a dot of the same color. It’s a rather crazy and chaotic pattern, and some people complain that it gives them a headache. Never the less, there is something soothing about the sheer size of the egg that sets most people at ease. Bronze Hanumanth to Cilyme

Lion Egg- Were not this egg so small, it could be mistaken for a Queen egg. It’s a tawny gold in color, ringed by a darker brown at the top and bottom. Towards the center, the hue of the egg turns amber, very bright and piercing. It is a smaller egg, though not quite as small as some of the others. It lies near the Zebra egg, resting slightly against it, as if it’s too lazy to stand on its own. The way the egg lies seems to be in direct contrast to the energetic color in the middle of the egg, though you can never tell, can you? Blue Kuulath to Raena

Masai Giraffe Egg- This is an egg medium in size, with a distinctively ‘stretched’ shape. Like its sibling the Zebra egg, the base color seems to be a cream color. Medium brown, rich hued brown blotches are all over the shell, continuing the trend of thus far ‘natural’ colors. It stands a bit apart from the Zebra egg, and presides over a few more eggs smaller than itself, as if its eager to show that it can be as good of a protector as the larger egg. The warm colors are calming to look upon. Green Isonth to Lanakirene

Crowned Crane Egg- This is one of the smallest eggs in the clutch. IT stands close to the Masai Giraffe egg, though it is by no means hiding in the shadow. An egg with these colors could hardly hide. With a base of the black, the spikes of yellow, almost like a sun, in the direct center of the egg stands out like a clear flag. It’s a cheerful color, edged at the bottom by a deep red that seems almost seductive. The top of the egg is black, shot through with dashes of yellow similar to that that is in the middle. The very edges of the egg, from where it lies in the sand, are white in hue, again dashed through with yellow. This egg is simultaneously extremely colorful and extremely… well, extremely grey.

Hyena Egg- Another small egg, but a powerful one. It sits short and squat to the ground, its golden color dashed with brown, and sprinkled liberally with black dots. It sits directly between the Zebra egg and the Giraffe egg, as if unwilling to associate itself with either. It seems almost independent, if an egg that relies wholly on the protection of its mother can be so. Green Haanyath to Tseka

Gemsbok Egg- A medium sized egg with a striking grey and black pattern. The shapes of the black are very clear and angular, and are occasional interspersed with white. The egg itself is quite visually arresting, and its medium size holds all sorts of promises. What will come out of such an egg? No one knows, but plenty are eager to find out. The sharp patterning lead some to think that despite its medium size, it might even hold a bronze, but no one will be able to tell until the dragon inside breaks shell. The Gemsbok egg sits close to the Grevy’s Zebra egg. Together they make a striking pair.

Sable Antelope Egg- This egg looks like the smaller twin of the Gemsbok egg, in darker colors. It is extremely dark brown, almost black, in shell. It’s another rich color, which this clutch seems to have plenty of. It has fewer markings than the Gemsbok egg, but they are in white and are extremely distinct once again. The dark color makes this small little egg look rather depressed, doesn’t it? But it seems happy enough, lying close enough to touch the Gemsbok egg, in range of its mother to be poked and prodded. Parts of the egg fade to a lighter brown, though most if it is dark.

Flamingo Egg- Yes, you guessed it. This is the most colorful egg of the clutch, and also the smallest. As if it to make up for the size, the egg is almost blindingly pink, only broken by a thin band of black across the center. The pink almost seems unnatural on Pern, and this egg certainly attracts attention. It doesn’t seem to mind though, even if the Queen gets a bit annoyed and sometimes halfway covers it with sand. Well, it is bright. It stands apart from the first main group, compromising the second grouping of eggs, those that lie closer to the Queen than the rest. Its tiny size and bright color give the egg a quirky feel that attracts the odder Candidates.

Hippo Egg- This egg also has a pinkish tone, though it’s not nearly as bright or as small as the Flamingo egg. Its pink is tempered with grey, and the two mix together in a way that is strangely pleasing to the eye. It’s another large egg, and leans close to the Flamingo egg, as if it is somehow shielding it from everyone else. Or perhaps its just annoyed that its developing eyes can see only glaringly pink through the thick shell. Either way, this grey and pink egg seems to be larger than it really is. Most are surprised when they come close and its not quite the size they imagined. Brown Khunoth to Ghilani

Nile Crocodile Egg- The texture of this medium-small egg is almost rough, compared to that of its siblings. It too leans close to the Flamingo egg, the tip of its shell just barely, lovingly caressing the pink egg. It’s a nondescript brown in color, and might have gone totally unnoticed were it not for the odd texture. There is speculation over whether or not a dragon will actually hatch from the egg, or whether it will be stillborn. Such things happen in dragon clutches, especially when the egg appears to have some kind of deformity as this one does. But is it deformity, or is it simply a quirk?

African Sunrise Egg- While not quite as bright as the Flamingo egg, this small egg comes close. The smallest in this clutch seem to be the most colorful, and this egg is no exception. It is a riot of colors, beginning with a deep violet that gradually fades from red to yellow to orange, spread evenly in peaceful swirls and blots. It’s a peaceful egg in general, with the extreme points fading into navy blue. It lies near the Nile Crocodile egg, on a careful pile of sand laid out by the Queen. It’s slightly larger in size than the Flamingo Egg, though not by much. There’s something sleepy about it. Green Alcherath to Laflan

Elephant Egg- One of the largest eggs in the clutch, this egg elegantly blends both ivory and a soft, misty grey in a dream-like palate of colors. Despite its large size, there is something delicate looking about the egg. It almost looks like it could be pushed in and destroyed easily, which makes some uneasy about touching the shell. Still, they shouldn’t fear, for the shell of this egg is as strong as the others, and the monochrome palate is appealing to both males and females. You never know what might come from the shell, after all. The Elephant Egg sits on the very edge of the clutch, though it is by no means ignored.

Jackal Egg- A primarily grey and mottled egg, the Jackal Egg is medium-small, and splashed with liberal amounts of tan. The speckles themselves on the grey are an ecru color, almost like bone. There is no distinct, set pattern to this egg- on the whole, it seems rather chaotic. It’s another egg that doesn’t have wide appeal, but to the right Candidate, it seems full of promise. The size could be several different colors, really, and its position in the clutch, near the edge, is no indicator of what lies inside. There’s a rusty red bit of color on the side facing the sand that sometimes shows when the Queen turns the egg. It looks almost like blood.

Cheetah Egg- A medium orange egg with irregular black dots. The orange fades to dull tan towards the middle, and is brightest near the edges. The black dots are fairly small in size, and almost uniform in shape. The whole egg is very sleek looking, and there’s something proud about its entire bearing. It’s another egg that seems to invite speculation and betting. Mayhap people just like to bet… a lot. The Cheetah Egg lies near to a remarkably similar egg, the Leopard Egg.

Leopard Egg- This egg is almost an identical twin of the Cheetah egg, and lies close to it. It is of a similar size, though it is marginally smaller. It takes a good eye to notice that the black markings on this egg are slightly different- they are shaped more like rosettes than dots, and are more irregular in shape. The patterning is quite complex, when you come up close. The color of the egg is also more golden in hue, rather than orange. Something about the way this egg leans on the other seems to indicate a deep friendship engrained in the shells, though it looks oddly like the Cheetah Egg is trying to tip away.

Tribal Egg- The top part of this smaller egg is a cheerful red, that takes up about a third of the egg, and gradually becomes darker, into a rich brown. The brown darkens to near black in the center, then gradually begins to fade. After taking up another third of the egg, the last third is taken by a rich, forest green. The fading is quite lovely, and the colors are almost startling. The egg is smaller in size, and lies near some of its siblings gracefully. It doesn’t lie as jumbled as the rest. There’s a very dignified air about it.

Gorilla Egg- A medium-large egg, it blends a dark grey almost seamlessly with dark, rich green that puts one in mind of mysterious mountain rainforests. The dark grey is dominant over the green, though only marginally. It’s a mysterious looking egg- not quite bold enough to be a bronze, perhaps, but too large to be many other colors. Let the betting begin! It lies further apart from the clutch, near the Queen’s tail. She has the very tip rested protectively on it at all times.

African Wild Dog Egg- Wildly patterned and large in size, the Wild Dog egg commands attention. Across the entirety of the egg, dark brown, silver, and gold fight for dominance, blotching over each other and bleeding into each other. Its large size has warranted it a place close to the Queen, presiding proudly over both a smaller egg and the larger Queen egg. Whatever is in the egg seems to be determined to be noticed. It’s certainly a forceful little bugger, whatever lies within the shell. Putting your hand against the warm surface, you can almost feel the dragonet within struggling to get out already.

Bongo Egg- Lying in the shade of the Wild Dog egg, this little egg would go unnoticed where it not for its rusty red coloring, striped with white. In a clutch of many distinctly patterned eggs, the rusty red does help this egg stand out some, though it seems like people always want to pass over the poor thing for its bigger sibling or its golden sister. Never the less, the Queen keeps it close to her chest, indicating that she wants others to acknowledge it for what it is- her child.

Springbok Egg- This is it. The big cheese. The Queen egg. It’s the largest egg in the clutch, and brilliantly golden. The gold is fairly uniform, with mild mottling of a darker color across the shell. The Queen always has an arm about it, but will reluctantly let female Candidates step forward to briefly stroke the shell, before she hisses and shoves them off. This egg is also rather delicate looking, despite its size, and seems almost… sprightly. Who knows what it has in store with this little Queen?

Pfft. What rabble. Who gave them the right to stand here? The eggs were as pearls before swine with this lot. A huff escaped Faranie ans she strutted onto the sands. It was far too hot too. What a place. Nothing like the last clutch, which had been near the fall. The animals many of the spectators had ridden in on could be smelled from here, along with raw meat and sweat...nasty. While inwards it was no secret what the girl felt about this place, outwardly she had shifted to the very picture of a bright, cheerful young girl, proud and pleased to be allowed to stand and such a clutch at this. Ever two-faced, she smiled, thoughts carefully shielded, and curtsied to the Gold and her rider once she'd found her spot. Shards. With the sand piled around them it was nearly impossible to see what eggs were which. Where was the queen egg? Lovely. It looked like she'd have to make do with what she had. And at least in the crowd I won't have to pretend I can't see that wherry-brained...

...Idiot. The cruel but accurate name echoed in his head at every hatching since that one, years ago. When he'd been left for the first time, all the way through this time. Gar felt a cold prickly mix of horror...and subtle relief. No more waiting. No more guessing. He would not be forced to stand after this, knowing he would only fail, again. Distantly he'd hoped that he would not feel the need to attend this hatching, or that the old feelings would not come, but come they did. Like wraiths they tormented him, scratched and clawed at the walls in his mind. They would not break through, but there would be damage all the same. Gar wasted no time in finding his place. It was near the back of the crowd. He knew Faranie would not look his way. It might be bad luck. Still, he smiled feebly and waved. She looked tired, though likely only he could tell. She'd been sleeping poorly lately. He himself had not had trouble. Being a Starsmith was a blessing sometimes...or a curse. He fidgeted in his seat. Impression or no, his other duties had begun to nag at him. Tonight he needed to see the stars. He had to. Tonight was the night to predict thread.

For their parts, Tyven and Merase had claimed seats in the stands. Merase was beside her father, not to mention beside herself with joy. These were REAL eggs! And REAL dragons! She applauded the strange green, unknowing it was strange. Tyven meanwhile was content to cross his arms and scowl. Midday was NOT what he was used to.

And, last but surely not least, Laflan strode in. He had dreamt of the sea again...the dreams were fewer and further between these days, replaced with sleeping images filled with dragons and the stink of firestone. It rankled him slightly. Shouldn't he miss his da and home? The sea had long called to him, but its cries were so faint these days. Nogard helped a time, filling him with the sounds and smells of the ocean again from flying between them, but it had waned all too quickly. Some part of him wondered briefly, if he did not impress, should he simply return home, before the call of the sea left him entirely?

Ugh. Robes. Mal shifted uncomfortably in his new white robe, feeling rather exposed. And ‘exposed’ was not a feeling he wanted to have while around freaking huge dragons that could chomp him in half. The sandals, at least, were a little better, as he was used to going completely barefoot. Prior to today, he wasn’t feeling all that anxious about the Hatching. With his low chance of Impression, he simply didn’t feel like he had a whole lot to worry about, besides how to get Aeron to stop attacking his feet every now and then. And, possibly, how to stop the resulting wound from festering. But then he began to think about Aeron…

Aeron was a little bronze flit. Alright, so he was larger than average for a firelizard, but still. He was tiny compared to these full-grown dragons which were currently humming up a storm. Mal glanced down at his feet now, looking at the newest gash from his ‘darling little lizard’. If a little firelizard could do that, what sort of damage could these larger dragons do? And a couple of the other Candidates---veterans---had started to talk about these maulings. While grown dragons were perfectly tame and obedient creatures---more or less---hatchlings were apparently a good deal more dangerous.

Wisely, Mal decided to stay in the back. All of the eager Candidates---the ones he felt were more likely to Impress---could push their way to the front. He was perfectly happy being in the background. Still… despite his certainty of his non-Impression, Mal felt a little jealous of those who would soon Impress. Aeron was a pain in the a**---and foot, as of late---but… well, if dragons were anything like the bond he had now with the little bronze, Mal could see why people wanted to become dragonriders. Maybe he ought to stick around. It wasn’t tough work here and, besides. He didn’t have anywhere else to go. And, quite frankly, anything was better than trying to follow dear ol’ Mum’s example. His own bow towards the Queens was somewhat clumsily done, since he was hardly used to such elegant motions.


Mal wasn’t the only boy who had a vendetta against the white robes that were the traditional garb of Candidates at a Hatching. Cil fussed with his own white robe, trying to feel more comfortable with it. This was a battle that was lost long before it began. By the First Egg, he wished he could just wear pants… he understood the whole lecture on, ‘no shiny things that might scare dragonets’, but, personally, he would’ve been more afraid of a bunch of kids all dressed in the same exact robes. That seemed a good deal more frightening than a pair of pants! But, then again, he wasn’t a dragonet. They probably saw things differently. For one thing, instead of seeing a bunch of frightened kids, they would see a potential partner… he shuffled his sandaled feet anxiously and ran a hand through his touseled hair. While he had time to brush it earlier----and, in fact, had----Lytah had taken it upon herself to carefully mess it up once more.

Perhaps it was her revenge for being forbidden to enter the Hatching Grounds while the Hatching took place. But, Shards… Cil wished she was here right now. He swallowed hard, his breakfast fighting a battle to breath fresh air once more. This, battle, at least he won. It was like the Touching all over again, only much more… intense, for lack of a better word. Everyone knew what was happening the moment that the dragons’ humming filled the air, making it practically vibrate with intensity. And all of those scintillating eyes were fixed on the eggs, as if the mere force of their stare would help them hatch. Cil himself could hardly take his blue eyes away from the eggs.

There were so many of them… just so many… but, as he looked around at his fellows, he realized that there were a lot of Candidates too. Hopefully no dragonet would be forced between. Uneasily recalling an earlier conversation about dead eggs, he glanced briefly at the bumpy egg. Hopefully it would get out alright… He bowed to the Queens low, since it was only polite to pay his respects to these powerful beings.

Forcing himself to calm down, Cil attempted to act as a sort of example to the younger Candidates. Just stand, proud and strong, he told himself. Don’t let your knees shake. Don’t collapse. And don’t barf. And don’t… the list went on and on, repeating itself in his head.

Just don’t screw this up.

Elae, meanwhile, was drifting off into her own little dreamworld, one preferably filled with lots and lots of water. She briefly used the neckline of her robe to try and cool herself off, but that rather… well… it attracted attention to something she didn’t really have. All she could do was think cool thoughts and wish that a torrent of water would wash over everyone. Some small part of her brain considered the whole ‘white+girls=???’ but that part quickly started giggling over the possibility. Well, considering some of her new friends, she wouldn’t have minded seeing that! Speaking of new friends… Elae bustled over anxiously to stand by Nan for moral support.

Or, if failing that, at least some new juicy gossip. Perhaps Nan knew of some long-forgotten technique that could bring rain anywhere. The humming dragons never became boring, that was for sure. Elae opened her mouth to complain about the heat, but her words became stuck in her throat; the Hatching was starting… her eyes opened wide at the sight of the squat little Green bursting from her egg. Oh by the First Egg… she had never seen such an angry-looking hatchling before! If Elae’s mouth hadn’t already gone dry from the sheer heat, it certainly went dry now.

So many fates were intertwined here. So many lives about to be connected forever. Now that was gossip… she simply stood and stared in awe at the eggs. She very nearly forgot her own manners, but she caught herself and offered a quick bow to the Queens. If their children were even as half as impressive as the Gold dragons… well, it would be quite the sight.

Jahangir had been sitting on his bed, practicing his music when the first signs of the Hatching reached him. Wasting no time, Jahangir threw his flute towards the bed and started stripping so he could get dressed into his white robes and get to the hatching grounds.

He had never changed so fast in his life but he was ready and pushing his way out of the door, trying not to get run over by the other candidates rushing into the room. Hopefully this Hatching would be the one for him.

Tossing on her white robe, Raena didn't even have time to touch her unbound hair as she ran as fast as her legs could take her to the hatching grounds. Almost to the mouth, one of the other healers stopped her to pull off the scarf that she had been wearing to keep her bangs out of her face without binding her hair. Smiling a thank you, she ran until she hit the hot sands. Bowing, a good cover for nearly falling over in the process, she gave respect to the Queen and other dragons .

Moving quickly she stood to the left of where everyone else was the pounding of her heart seemingly guided by the humming. Taking deep breaths she watched as her wits stayed with her and the lessons she had learned floating in her head as her feat subtly danced to the heat. Serously here a few minutes and she was already sweating!

Like the rest of the Weyr, Kella just wanted to get her chores done as quickly as she could and retreat into the cool depths of some inner-Weyr room. Her chores as a candidate had been suspended, but Kella's foster mother had other ideas about that. After she was done sweeping, she'd find some unused classroom, perhaps, where she could sit alone and just think about things. As the hatching loomed closer and closer, Kella found herself strangely reflective, mostly about herself. She wondered if, perhaps, she were too combative, too obnoxious. As she swept, the broom bristles scratched the stone floor in a steady rhythm. She became so absorbed in listening to the bristles against the floor that, at first, Kella didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

Then she heard a voice in her head. Her eyes went wide, and the broom clattered to the floor. "Wha... what?" She said out loud, though no one was close to her. But then some innate instinct took over, and Kella's little legs pumped furiously to carry her back to the candidate barracks. Thankfully, her robe was hanging on the peg where it should be. She yanked it down, and after stripping away her other clothing, pulled the white shift over her head. The sandals provided to her were hastily shoved over her feet, and then the little girl was part of a long line of candidates filing out of the barracks and onto the sands.

The first thing Kella noticed, was the heat. It hit her with a ridiculous amount of force. Next, was the intense humming coming from the dragons. She could feel it more than she could hear it! The tiers of seats were filled with people, but as Kella scanned the crowd, she realized that very few of them were Holders. Snorting, the little girl wasn't entirely surprised. Shaking her head with a sigh, she shoved the negative thoughts out of her head as quickly as she could. They wouldn't do! Dragons were drawn to happy, warm, loving thoughts! A grin spread across her face as she bowed to the two queens on the sands, mentally sending them her thanks for allowing her to stand. Whether they heard her or not, Kella wasn't sure, but it made her feel better.

The young girl was, initially, overwhelmed. Everywhere she looked, she saw both a sea of white robes, and the shudders of rocking eggs. Her eyes darted back and forth between this egg, and that one~ oh, look at that one there! Kella thought she might faint by the combination of heat and excitement. She couldn't help but squeal delightedly when the first egg cracked, the hyena egg! "Oh, look! A green! I told you so, I knew it would be a green!" She said to someone standing close to her, but she didn't take the time to recognize just who she was bragging to. Her focus remained on the dragon; Kella thought, despite the green's squat stature, that she was adorable!

Pendra felt the the hum before she heard the call and a thrill went through her as it had the times she had stood before. The women she was working with in the cool cavern peeling tubers grinned and wished her luck as the young woman left them with little more than a wave. It was always the hardest part getting to the barracks to changed while everyone else in the Weyr was making their way to the grounds no preparation needed. Still the weyrfolk knew the sound of a canidate's running and moved out of the way, no one wanted to be responsible for an injury or delay that might cause the right candidate to not be there on time for their hatchling.

Pendra knew her way without thinking, she smiled excitedly at her fellow candidates that arrived in the corridor at the same time. Before she knew it she was opening the chest at the foot of her bed and taking out her robe and sandals. her clothes were off and the robe on in no time. The boots took a moment longer and the young woman was halfway to the door before she noticed the sandals were in her hand and not on her feet. She hopped first on one foot than the next not wanting to stop in her progress to the hatching grounds for something as silly as sandals.

She joined a large cluster of canidates filing onto the Grounds. She took a deep breath as she gazed around the grounds at the now rocking eggs and... let it out in a rush as the first hatchling made her entrance. The young woman almost forgot to pay her respects to the Queen, at the first dragonet appearing so soon, but she looked up at Vesonth and bowed respectfully, though the Queen's attention was surely on her daughter and other children.

Two very frantic boys had raced halfway across the Weyr from wherever they'd been to get to the Candidate Barracks. The barracks was turning into a madhouse as Candidates raced in, trying to change into their robes and get over to the Hatching Grounds before they missed the whole Hatching.

Greloren pulled the robe on and stuffed his feet into the thin sandals, not bothering to straighten his robe or make sure the sandals were properly on his feet. That didn't matter. What mattered was getting to those Hatching Grounds. And NOW!

Riordan took a bit longer, pausing with a bit of nervousness to smooth the white robe he'd donned. Relax, Riordan. Calm down... Got to be calm for the Hatching. He ran with the others to the Hatching Grounds, but slowed and took a deep breath before entering.

Greloren quickly bowed to the Queen and scurried to his spot, giving a bit of a start as the first egg opened and spilled a green. He frowned a touch... that was a funny looking green. He managed to get to his spot and gave the green one last look before looking at the other eggs. A green wouldn't want him. He wasn't exactly greenrider material. Plus, he was looking for a sign of bronze hide. Too bad the first to hatch hadn't been a bronze. That was always a good sign.

He was also a bit miffed because he'd pegged that egg to be a blue. Still... he hadn't been too far off. The weyrbrat glared over at Kella, catching her brag about how she'd thought it was going to be a green. Shards, you could say all of them were going to be green and be right on about half of them. He cast an eye towards the eggs he'd pegged as possibly holding a bronze.

By the time Riordan bowed and made his way to join the other boys, the green had already hatched and he quickly picked up his pace to slip into his spot. He watched the green, curious as to who she'd pick. Hatching had started... no time to be nervous now! And shards the sands were hot! The boy was trying not to hop about, but the heat was already starting to burn his feet through the thin sandals.