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Well. That had been an eventful evening. It had been unreal enough when she'd been chosen to stand. She hadn't really allowed herself to hope it would be any more than that. She got to ride a dragon, would get to see hatchlings close up, and would then get to ride a dragon one more time. That was pretty good to her mind.

And then.. Balkath.

The former Grazier hadn't slept at all, but she had stayed quietly in the weyr they'd been assigned, Balkath needed his sleep after all. The blue woke early in the morning, ready to be fed again, and that was fine with Shalev, even if her leg had fallen asleep, making leaving the shared room without waking anyone... interesting.

~I could go back to sleep Mine, I am not so hungry~

Balkath offered, creeping alongside his chosen. It was rude to bother people who were sleeping. Selfish and bad. Though rising early meant he might snag the best cuts.. No!

Shalev turned a purposely comical look of incredulity on her bonded. She could feel his hunger more than she could feel her own. Besides, she was used to rising with or before the sun, and while her life had never been one of excesses, as far as she was concerned when you were hungry, you ate. How else could you keep your strength up so you could work?

She breathed a sigh of relief as the reached a corridor and then winced as the numbness in her leg turned to pins and needles

~I can fix it!~

The little blue warbled with delight as he carefully rose up on hindlegs and used his front paws to massage the girls thigh.

"Thanks little brother, just as likely to tip over on m'face as to get you your breakfast at this rate!"

A noise in the otherwise quiet halls saw Balkath dropping back to all fours and leaning against his Bonded, though for whose comfort it was hard to say.

~Bal-~

~I go~

The little blue shot forward, with good speed for one so newly hatched, quicker than his Chosen in any case and wrapped himself over the top of one of the tumbling buckets, keeping the meat inside, acting almost like a lid. He didn't even steal a bite, though he could have. He was helping, they were helping. It was good. Even if the smell was almost irresistible.

Shalev was slower than her Blue, but that didn't mean she didn't intend to act. Balkath had saved the precariously tipping bucket, which left the other that while the bucket itself was under control, the meat was not.

"Here."

She offered as she scooped the handle out of the others hands, the up action as she lifted it keeping the escaping meat within until she had it up tight to her chest, tilted slightly, so the meat was caught between her and the bucket. Granted that meant her shirt was covered in blood and such, but that was nothing new.

"I've got this one if you want to help Balkath."

Only once the situation was mostly in hand did she really look at the other. He was young, and she was pretty sure he'd stood on the sands with her.

Balkath glanced back at Shalev for confirmation before gulping down the meat. He was careful not to accidentally n** the boy but otherwise his manners were non existent as he devoured what was offered and then set about licking the blood he could reach off himself.

"Not that hungry huh little brother?"

~Well it shouldn't go to waste..~

"Morning Vesresh, I'm Shalev and my wingbrother down there is Balkath. You're up early!"

Yes, she was quite certain now that he'd stood with her. The name helped cement it. There were usually some other 'v's around him if she recalled correctly. She might not. Other people had been far less interesting to her than dragons.

Balkath, content with himself for now, though he'd need a scrub later, gave Vesresh the once over.

~I remember him, from the egg. He is not Mine, you are Mine, but he is good. Just not.. finished yet?~

Shalev could feel the slight frustration at a concept not properly communicated.

~Not finished? Maybe because he's so young?~

Balkath crooned, his eyes brightening in pleasure as the idea was completed,

~Yes! Still becoming.~

Sisters, that helped to jog her memory. Well, that and the bright red hair. There'd been twins right? What were the chances that with hair like that they were unrelated? It was a fairly safe bet.

~Too big.~

Balkath interjected, with a feeling of big exuberant personalities as he accepted the additional meat with the same care and gusto as he had before, reaching up to grasp the boys hand between his paws and carefully examine it for any missed flecks of meat before releasing him.

Shalev watched her hatchling with amusement. Firstly because just the way he used his clever paws was new and surprising to her, and secondly because of the way he thought of and perceived people. But then this impressions had come from the Touching right? How in depth could a little dragon still inside an egg really get? She wondered what he'd seen in her.

~That you were Mine, of course.~

~Oh of course.~

"Your sisters are the twins right? Ha, I've been here over a seven-day and I still hardly know anyone. I was too busy looking at the dragons I s'pose."

She felt the need to elaborate, so it didn't seem like she was just so full of herself that she hadn't taken any notice of Vesresh or his sisters. All right, so she hadn't taken any notice of them, but it wasn't because she was full of herself.

~You will see the sister when we train, they are Chosen of my clutch-mates.~

So she would have to know them, but not Vesresh. That made her a little uncomfortable. It was like if she accepted that and just carried on that she was saying he was not worth knowing, that he was less just because he hadn't Impressed yet. Besides, he was what, like eight or something? That would be a bit young to deal with a dragon anyway. Well, Balkath was easy, but what about that murderous brown? It probably wasn't good for a childs psychology just being dismissed like that. It was probably like if you made a bovine grow up with no age mates. They went a little mental.

"Oh, thank you, though my parents had more to do with that than me, and I don't really know how dragons get there names to be honest."

~We just know!~

"I c'n see you just know, I just don't know how you know."

~We just do.~

~Oh well. One mystery solved.~

"It's good of you to help your sisters, if their beasties are anything like Balkath, I half think they just send the meat Between, 'cause surely they eat more than can fit!"

~It's impossible to eat more than can fit. If I eat it, it fits. I don't waste.~

~I know little brother, you're a good lad.~

~Xibath and Killakeeth~

Balkath supplied helpfully. Well that was certainly a plus in any case, at least he would know the names of his clutchmates, so it was just the human side she had to try and remember. She didn't bother passing it on to Vesresh though, it was fine that he didn't remember, he would in time, and until then she wasn't going to make him feel like he should have known or any more left out then he likely already did.

So she simply shrugged.

"Something-something-th would be a safe bet."

"Ah? I honestly lost track of the gold after Balkath. That's pretty neat! Wouldn't it be something if you Impressed an egg from your sisters Queen? It'd be a bit like something from a Harpers Tale."

He seemed to be taking it all fairly well, but a little reminder that there were many Standings yet to go wouldn't hurt. Besides, it would make a good tale.

"I can't think of another beast that grows as much as the smallest dragon let alone a Queen! Even bovines get what, four, five times bigger than when they were born? A dragon.. Your sisters Queen probably isn't even half the size her head will be when she's full grown! Hurts m'head just to think about it."

"And she might eat more'n a bucket, but at least this will more than take care of her starving to death phase when she first wakes up. Trust me, she and your sister will appreciate it! Besides, if you like we can drop these off and then go get some more, I need to feed Balkath soon anyway."

~I am not starving anymore though Chosen, only hungry. It doesn't feel nice when my stomach is all the way empty, but I can help now as long as we eat after.~

"Any input their wingbrother?"

She asked looking down at Balkath after hearing the boy wonder about dragon names. It was something she'd wondered herself.

~I knew my name as soon as I knew there was a me to be named. It is who I am, how could I not know? I am me, so I must know me.~

The little Blue had obviously given this some thought, and that was about the best he could come up with.

"Well. The mystery lives on. I don't know whether that was very deep or utter foolishness but that's all right, he says he knew his name as soon as he knew there was a him to be named, and since it is him how could he not know it? He is himself so he knows himself."