[13.1.2707] Wake Up Call (HATCHING!)

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Shemmoral watched the events of the Hatching with fascination. Things seemed to be going well so far, except for a confused green scratching up someone's legs in an attempt to find Hers. Smiling, she witnessed all the new Impressions, clapping softly for each one. Oh, good for them! They all deserved their new lifemates! She still hoped she would Impress - there were lots of eggs and babies left, after all.

A black dragonet hatched out, and Shem focused on him carefully. He seemed thoroughly out of sorts - hissing, snarling, and generally looking rather fearsome. She opened her mouth slightly,watching the young king go for the white, and then another white stopped him, and he came flying towards her, landing at her feet. About to step back, the candidate was too slow, and his claws caught her across the thigh. Eyes widening, she clutched at the wound, glancing down to see her white robe being stained red. Oh. That was lovely. At least she wasn't faint-hearted.

There was a little grey in front of her now, keeping the black from attacking again, and Shemmoral was about to cry a warning when the black's jaws closed on the grey's forearm. Wincing in sympathy, she pressed down on her own wound, and then an unexpected voice threaded its way into her mind: I am Hematith, my Shemmoral. I will always protect you, but you must be strong.

[/color]

What?

Confused for a moment, Shem merely stared at Hematith, and then a warm smile spread across her face and, forgetting all about the gash on her leg, she knelt, and reached out to touch the dragonet. The grey tolerated this quietly, although the new weyrling left bloody smudges on her hide. "My Hematith," the girl repeated stupidly, and then remembered the bite mark on her new lifemate's foreleg. "We should get that..."

She was interrupted by Ravis' arrival, and a bright grin appeared on her face when he knelt next to her. "I did!" she agreed gleefully, and Hematith flicked her tail, waiting for Hers to stop being so scatterbrained and figure out what was important. Shem didn't take the hint for at least the next few seconds. "Her name's Hematith! You know what that means, right?" She laughed softly. "You'll Impress too, and we'll go exploring as soon as they're grown!"

Shemmoral, Hematith's voice interrupted dryly, you are bleeding and I am hungry. Allow your friend to Stand, and let us attend to our duties, the dragonet ordered. Shem, blinking, nodded, and then reached out to touch Ravis on the shoulder, using her un-bloodied hand. "Good luck, Ravis!" she chirped, and then heaved herself to her feet, favouring her gashed one slightly. "I'll be... waiting..." she trailed off as the dragons began to mourn the lost dragonet, and shivered. Oh, no. It had been going so well, too! Still, Hematith was right, and she had to perform her duties. She extended a hand to the candidate to help him up, and then, with Preske creeling unhappily about the lost dragonet, she headed towards the meat buckets.

It didn't take long to get there, and Shemmoral picked a bucket for Hematith, then carried it over to the healers so that she could get patched up while she fed her new dragon. The grey didn't comment, and instead responded with a faint wave of approval. Hers was learning already, although she still had a long way to go. Shem asked one of the dragonhealers to take a look at her new partner, too, and Hematith was promptly cleaned up and bandaged.

With all of their duties thus attended to, the pair chose a spot near the wall where they wouldn't get in the way, and sat to wait for Ravis and the dragon Shemmoral was sure he was going to Impress.[/center]

[Kendrall]

C'olt sighed as the first dragon - a Black - hatched and so far, everything was going smoothly. Idly he wondered just how long their luck would hold out. A brown followed, and quickly Impressed to a Scribe from Harper Hall. A dark blue and a white Hatched next, followed by an odd-looking Gray. The blue and gray both Impressed; C'olt watched as the Black and white dragonets seemed to take their time. A Green Hatched and ran all over the Sands, not realizing where she was going until she ran into one of the Candidates - Tara, his own cousin! and sent her to the Sands, badly scratching her shins. C'olt quickly raced over to where she lay and started to dress her wounds, knowing she needed to get back on her feet and soon lest she fail to Impress.

The very same Green managed to find her lifemate, as did the first Black which Hatched first. It wasn't long until a striped Green came over and peered at Tara, crooning at her, her rainbow eyes giving away the fact his cousin had Impressed. "Congratulations, cousin. You've Impressed to a Green! Nice way to keep it in the family," he winked playfully at her, tightening the bandaging enough and helping Tara to her feet. "Go get your gorgeous girl fed. I'll catch up with you later." C'olt then turned just in time and his eyes widened in horror. Another Black had Hatched, slashing at the thigh of another Candidate and injuring a dragonet. The Healer turned and waved two Apprentices over, directing them to tend to the fallen Candidate while he himself was trying to figure out what was going on.

Until he grimaced at the sight of a Candidate - Mordecai - trying to prevent two of the dragonets from collding with each other. If that boy gets himself injured for trying to interfere with a Hatching, he deserves it. Sure enough, the Black charged...only to collide with Mordecai, sending both Candidate and black dragonet to the ground. An audible crack was heard, and C'olt groaned. Mordecai, he knew, now had a broken forearm and would be out of comission for a while. But it all paled in comparison when an odd gray dragonet failed to find her lifemate and keened her death cry, jumping between.

C'olt closed his eyes and hung his head, sadly. This wasn't going as well as he hoped.

[Kit]

Arktos buried his face in Kiyoni's hair, breathing raggedly as the pain of of his long ago loss came to the surface fresh. Only the bond with his sleeping wher and the presence of his weyrmate kept him grounded enough to eventually turn and face the Sands again, wiping his eyes with his hand.

Seeing the pandemonium the dragonets were causing, Tesni raced down to the Sands, going first to Bresala. "Take it easy now, you got to keep calm for your dragon, and we'll get you patched up," she said. An apprentice handed her a cloth wet with reddish and she began to gently clean the girl's wounds.

Everyone in the Hatching Cavern was still a bit shaken by the sudden death of one of the Hatchlings and the two as yet unImpressed dragonets were no exception. The white drooped visibly, and he craned his neck around, obviously looking for his lifemate, fearing to be left alone like the gray. Finally, he seemed to spot what he was looking for, and he moved across the Sands with a determined stride until he he stopped right at Myntaluna's feet. Mine, I am glad you are here, and now neither of us will be alone ever again. But your Halith is hungry. The young black who had given Halith so much trouble still sat shivering on the Sand, not even looking up.

The Lucky Shine Egg cracked open slowly, pieces falling off in a gentle rain. Finally, a handsome coppery brown emerged, his eyes whirling a cheery blue. Shaking the bits of egg and membrane from his damp hide, he trotted around the Sands examining anything he found interesting. Then the Green Dragon Egg gave a forcible jerk and tipped over only its side, crumbling to reveal a lovely dark green dragonet. The brown and the green greeted each other warmly, the green nuzzling her brother before going to search for her lifemate. The brown crooned happily and almost seemed to skip over to the line of Candidates.

Whether he'd only just recovered from his shock enough to walk or whether he only just realized that Mordercai was still there was unclear, but the black suddenly pushed himself upright and staggered over to examine the young Harper. Instead of the angry red they had been since birth, his eyes changed rapidly from yellow to green and finally to the prismatic regard that marked the moment of Impression. I am sorry to have caused you pain, my M'cai. But your Obsidiath cannot allow others to interfere with our plans. We are meant to lead. 

During the commotion, the Pure Spirit Egg had Hatched a timid little gray, and she almost immediately Impressed to a Holder girl from the stands, over her parents vehement objections. She and Pietyth were ushered to the meat tables by a helpful rider, while the parents trailed behind her, wringing their hands. Meanwhile, the dark green dragonet, whose name was Nephrith, had Impressed as well, to a round- cheeked weyrbrat who was just barely of age. 

The Luck and Health Egg rolled over suddenly, and stopped just inches short of bumping into another Egg. Cracking neatly in half, a pale, elegant green jumped out and galloped up to the brown, nearly knocking him over with her exuberant greetings. They jumped around and chased each other's tails for a few minutes, but then the green became distracted and ran off to do something else. Finding himself alone, the brown took a last glance around the Sands and trotted expectantly up to Laret. Your Cupreth is excited to finally meet you L'ret. I'm really hungry, but after you feed me we should do something fun.

[Mik]

Nocheth had been up long before the first hums drifted throughout the Weyr, drifting on the wind lazily above the Weyr with his rider in the greyness of the world, their new found freedom wonderful for the both of them. The humming had long been expected and the huge brown had been anxiously awaiting every waking moment for it for the last sevenday. His sudden bank toward the Bowl was only the warning as his whole sandy body started vibrating with humming. The Littles come! Can we go?! the great beast asked even though he was already heading for the Bowl and ultimately, his mate and the Sands. Ask Chrysoberyth first, Z'zak though to his dragon, feeling some excitement himself. He wondered if Kanly was more nervous or excited about this event now that the time was finally here. Nocheth rumbled excitedly and carried out the request as his glide toward the Bowl was hardly the laziness that he had just recently displayed. Lovely Chrysoberyth! May I and Mine be by your side yet? he inquired of the red, hoping that the answer would be what he was expecting.

They were delayed only briefly due to Z'zak's attempts at stalling his excited brown to keep him from showing up too early on Kanly and Chrysoberyth. They had not been assigned any pickups due to them still learning coordinates after their long isolation. Gliding in as calmly as he could, the brown landed and let his rider off before he got as close as he dared to Chrysoberyth. Only she could tell him the proper distance that she required and he was willing to listen to her every command. Z'zak gave both dragons a bow and their riders as well, stepping up to Kanly with a smile. He liked being there for her whenever she called. One could call it more of a fatherly feeling than anything, at least from his way of thinking.

The Benden rider smiled as the first egg cracked shell, revealing a black dragonet. They were up there among the bronzes, right? That meant well, did it not? Z'zak watched quietly as the events unfolded in the usual frenzy of a Hatching. How it was wonderful to see a proper Hatching again. He watched as a brown hatched next and moved to the Candidates to Impress straight away. The first Impression had been made! Then a blue and white and they both headed for Candidates. Things were going quite smoothly if he thought so himself. The blue Impressed, then a gray emerged and looked like she Impressed, too. The smile on the brownrider's face was quite content as he glanced at Kanly to see her reactions.

Then an excitable green ran over a Candidate and the Rebel Rider cringed in sympathy to the girl, only to catch sight of the green finding another girl to be her rider. He sure hoped that the downed Candidate was okay. The black finally Impressed, he noticed. He watched the white finally Impress to one of the lads that looked to be all related to the Candidate Master's greenriding Assistant. A glance toward her and he had confirmed his thoughts as the proud look on her face was one that only a mother could show. He watched the green and the red Impress to the downed Candidate and a young cook, it looked like. There had always been and would always be unexpected Impressions like that young cook. His Impression to Nocheth had sort of been like that. He had no sooner been Impressed that he was Standing on the Sands that very day to walk away a dragonrider. The thought was shared between rider and dragon with a peaceful contentedness at that happy memory.

Nocheth crooned at the green that came up to him and Chrysoberyth before she scampered off to cause some havoc by knocking over a few other eggs. A rumble-like chuckle escaped the brown as he watched the dragonets spill out of those three eggs, the amusement shared by his rider. The amusement was further entertained as the green had found her lifemate, a girl that she had knocked over after noticing the mess that she had caused.

Z'zak cringed as he watched an event unfold on the Sands, that of dragonets fighting. It looked like that black had a nasty disposition there. He sure hoped that whomever he Impressed to had a strong enough will to straighten him out. Shortly after that mess came a red plowing over a Candidate and Z'zak held his breath as the dust settled. Was she alright? He missed the Impression of one of the whites as his dark blue eyes were trained on the downed Candidate for the moment. She looked hurt quite badly. It was Nocheth that drew the Old Timer's attention away from the red and the Candidate on the Sands. The collision of the angry black with a Candidate instead of the white dragon that he had been charging. The must have been a very hard hit if the black looked as stunned as he did just then.

His eyes saw the blue Impress briefly before the wail of the gray told him that one had not Impressed, Nocheth's sadness joining that of the others as the large brown reached over to give Chrysoberyth a nuzzle of comfort.

Eyes drifting over the Sands again, Z'zak was relieved to see movement from the one Candidate and noticed that the red was still with her. She must have Impressed then.

More dragonets hatched and Z'zak again scanned the Sands for the happenings going on. The black looked to have Impressed to the Candidate that had gotten between him and the white. Then a brown found another of the lads that looked related.

[sorra]

Bresala opened her eyes briefly when she heard Tesni's voice. "Okay," she whispered. She was trying her hardest to keep calm. She didn't want to upset her beautiful red any.

Garneth crooned softly. I am sorry. I did not mean to hurt you. Will you be okay?

"I am okay, Garneth," she said softly, looking up at Tesni. "She is hungry." Her voice was a bit faint, but she was going to be strong for her dragon.

Ravis smiled at Shem. "She's beautiful, Shem. If I Impress I would see you shortly. If not I will catch you later." The teen stood up and backed away, so Shem could take her little gray off to eat.

El'dan made his way down the stands. "Can I help at all?" the blue rider asked. He was a Healer after all and there had been quite a few who had been injured. He just wasn't sure how many of them would trust him yet.

Kikaya gasped. "Those poor candidates," she whispered, clutching N'huel's hand. She hadn't seen her brother yet. Although she had nearly started jumping up and down when Micala had Impressed. She couldn't wait to meet her sister's green.

[Mik]

Z'zak saw his blueriding companion from the old days step onto the Sands. It was good that he could feel useful again. K'ain had been horrible for him, always wanting him to use his skills in the wrong ways.

A loud humming sound startled Tardol awake in the guest room that he had been staying in for his planned sevenday stay to try to persuade Ranelli to come back with him. After a few moments and a several excited and fleeting images from Elli, the Holder's Heir realized just what was going on. The eggs were going to Hatch! Today! Part of him was thrilled about watching the spectacle unfold and part of him was worried, concerned, and possibly upset that his love may end up Impressing. Either way, he vowed that he would be there to comfort or congratulate her. Above all else, he wanted her to be happy with her life's happenings. If it meant waiting several turns for a marriage, then so be it. he would wait for her and for her alone.

After finding a quick breakfast, the young man headed for the Hatching Sands, dressed in his finest to represent Nova Hold as was his position. He found a seat in the Stands as the first eggs began to break open, sitting remotely between Ranelli's parents and his own that had been fetched by a dragon at some point that morning. Throughout the whole ordeal, Tardol watched the goings on between dragonets stumbling all over the place and Candidates getting run over, bumped, or attacked by errant dragonets. Tardol worried for Ranelli, but every glance he took at her showed that she was still holding her own throughout all of this. He honored her choices of staying at the Weyr. He had always loved their ways, even if they were far from traditional. At the Weyr, he felt like he belonged with the way they were so relaxed in so many things. The whole while, Elli perched quietly on her Pet's shoulder, her little body vibrating with joy and excitement and a moment of extreme sadness when the gray dragonet went Between.

[Kit]

More than half the eggs had Hatched, and already the Hatching seemed to be winding down, but the feeling of excitement was only growing, because the special silver shiny egg that Chandrath had been cradling between her forearms for months was finally rocking with purpose. Nearly every eye was on it. 

Every eye except for Lirona's two, that is. She knew she had no chance at a silver, for everyone agreed that this was what the egg contained, so she was one of the only people to see the Wild Growth Egg crack apart and the green inside to come tumbling out in a tangle of limbs.  She was the color of new leaves, and quite helpless, seemingly, as she had ended up upside down with her back feet tangled hopelessly in her wing membranes. After a few attempts to free herself, she began to whimper a bit with pain. Lirona found herself feeling sorry for the creature, overshadowed by her larger sister, and after glancing around to see that no one else was paying attention, she strode over to the help the little thing. 

It only took a moment to get the green righted again, and with a pat to the head, Lirona stepped back, expecting the newborn to toddle off to her lifemate. But that wasn't what happened. Instead, the dragonet turned and fixed the young girl with a rainbow gaze. Thank You, Mine. Your Fertilyth was getting uncomfortable upside down. But now that we are together, I know that we will create beautiful things together.

Lirona gaped soundlessly at the green, at the flow of love, and happiness which she assumed must becoming from her dragon. Her dragon! Even when Izon had Impressed his white, she had not believed she would come away a weyrling, and now for one of the first times in her life since she began to follow her own path, things had not gone according to plan. She might have stood there staring for quite a long time, but there was now an insistent, almost painful feeling of hunger in her belly and she realized that Fertilyth must be starving. She placed her hand experimentally on a small neck ridge and guided her new lifemate to the meat waiting for her. I'on was there, with Visioth, and he gave her an unrestrained hug of joy, which she didn't mind so much returning. Once the dragonets were introduced, she began to feed Fertilyth, paying no attention to the rest of the Hatching.

The Unbreakable Logic Egg began to crack, slowly, almost methodically. Many of the girls who had not yet Impressed moved closer in hopes that the dragonet inside would be minded to choose them. Tense seconds passed, everyone in the cavern seeming to hold their breaths at once. Finally, the shell came apart, folding in on itself in a way that almost seemed choreographed. If the spectators had been expecting a lithe, elegant creature like Artemth, they might have been disappointed.

The pale silver dragon that stepped from the shattered egg was huge, vying to overshadow every bronze in the weyr at full growth. Even now as an awkward newborn, her strength was evident. She gazed around the cavern, weighing and measuring every person with an intelligent gaze. Stillness seemed to come naturally to her, for a moment she could've been a dragon cast in metal save for the slight fluttering of her damp wing membranes. But once she was sure of her own movement, she began to walk deliberately around the group of girls gathered before her. She stopped for several moments in front of each one, smelling them, probing their thoughts with her senses, but so far she did not show any preference.

While the newborn Queen weighed her options, the Shining Truth and Precious Blood Eggs both cracked open. A large, handsome brown shook himself free of the first egg and after finding his feet, trotted over to the silver. Apparently, he had appointed himself as bodyguard for the female dragon despite the fact that she was quite capable of defending herself. The second egg had produced an energetic red the same odd vermillion shade as her egg. She ran over to the pale green that had not yet been Impressed, and the two began an impromptu game of tag.

Amidst the chaos, the Frozen Rain Egg broke apart with an audible crack and a pale blue dragonet spilled out. He had a remarkably clear gaze for a newborn dragon and seemed inclined to observe for a moment as he spread his wings to dry. Perhaps this was a good idea, since the game of tag that the red and green dragonet were playing had gotten rather boisterous. The red appeared to be It and she was chasing the green at breakneck speed, when they took a sudden detour towards some of the remaining Candidates. The red skidded to a stop just in time, but the green dragonet barreled straight into Veekally, and the two tumbled head over heels and there were at least a few audible cracks. 

As the chaos settled,  it was clear that both Veekally"s arm and several of the green's smaller wingbones were broken. The hatchling moaned with pain as the Healers rushed over, and the red hovered nearby, as if unsure what to do. A young dragonhealer, just having received her posting to the weyr, began to soothe the little green and Impression was made. This was extremely helpful in calming Aventurinth and soon enough they had her wing stabilized to move her to the infirmary. The Healers were still busy setting Veekally's arm in a splint but the red dragonet had been creeping closer and closer, and finally her head was just level with the Candidate's. 

Oh it is you, My Veekally. I'm sure Aventurinth is sorry she ran into you. But your Carneliath will keep you entertained while you get well.

Now that the disturbance had died down somewhat, the pale blue seemed to feel safe to move, and he walked steadily over to the Candidates and fixed his clear eyes right on Mikan. Your Iocolith thinks we should get out of here before one of us gets broken, my M'kan.

Now the silver and brown were then only dragonets left on the Sands and the silver had examined all the Candidates. She sat down, apparently considering her options for several seconds, the brown standing steadfastly behind her. Finally, she gave a snort of satisfaction and stood up, shaking the last bits of damp out of her wings before stepping up to Ranelli. Your Titaniath has chosen you, Ranelli, because you are strong. Together we can solve any problem.

[taenia]

Suddenly, so much seemed to be heppening.. the silver broke her egg and all eyes and attention went on the creature. Ranell was taken back by her sheer size, a very large dragon indeed! She hadn't spent much time with the other silver, Artemth and estimation suggested this this lady would certainly be large..

...her breath held in her throat, Ranelli watched as the pale beauty started to walk up and line of candidates, wondering, if for a moment.. would she impress so such a gracious creature? She glanced away at the silver for a moment and cringed when she realised that another dragon had fallen to the dragons.. poor Veekally. At least she seemed happy with her impression.

The girl looked back to the silver, finding her in front of her.. and Ranelli found herself looking at the silver with hope and confusion all rolled into one.. her hot feet forgotten for the time being..

**

Bilteran had been watching the hatching closly, and saw Ellimae sit up straighter as the silver queen stood infront of their daughter, so, Ellimae wasn't as anti Ranelli as she pretended to be..

...the woman was happy, inwardly willing the silver to pick Ranelli.. thinking of the type of standing it would hold with the other holders.. yes, it would be the talk between the ladies for a while.. and reason for Ellimae to outstand them..

**

Osirith's attention fell onto the newest silver.. a possible future mate. The black was very silent as he observed the silver, as probably everyone else in the sands did..

[Kit]

There were only three eggs left unHatched now, plus the as yet unImptessed brown. He seemed at a bit of a loss now that Titaniath was gone and he was alone on the Sands. But the final three Eggs hatched within seconds of each other, as if sensing the impatience of the crowd. The False Glitter Egg was first to crack open, splitting neatly in two to reveal a beautiful bronze. He stood still for a moment, somewhat awed by all the people looking at him, a picture of perfect draconic proportions. Then he took a step forward... And fell promptly on his face. While struggling to get up, he caught sight of his own tail and fell to chasing it as the other eggs revealed their occupants, which were both blues.

The Overcoming Obstacles Egg had been rocking for quite a while, and its surface was webbed with a network of hairline cracks. Finally, a small piece broke off, then another, and a dark wet nose pressed out of the hole, nostrils flaring. There was a moment of stillness as the dragonet caught it's breath, and then, with a mighty heave, the egg fell over and shattered. A dark blue dragonet wearily picked himself out of the wreckage. After divesting himself of the remaining bits of eggshell, he trudged over to Dankal and nuzzled the boy's knee.  My D'kal, your Perserveth is so tired and hungry. But I had to keep going to find you.

The Gates of Sleep Egg had meanwhile produced another blue, this one wildly splotched with every color of blue imaginable. The dragonet looked so relaxed, he almost seemed to ooze out of his egg and flow over to the Stands to Impress to a girl wearing Farmer knots. After a journey consisting of much stumbling and ungainly wobbling, the lone bronze had also made his way to the Candidates. He crooned piteously at Ravis. Oh my R'vis, your Pyrith got lost on the way to finding you, and I fell down a lot. My nose hurts.

Once again the brown dragonet was all alone on the Sands, the last dragonet left, and he was beginning to be visibly upset. This wasn't supposed to happen, His was supposed to be here. He had felt him! With a snort, the brown trudged back towards Titaniath, intent on asking her where His was, when he ran into a boy, not one of the white-robed ones, heading in his same direction. The dragonet tottered dangerously to one side and clutched at the young man for support, scratching his arm in the process. The poor brown was so sorrowful that he turned to the boy, perhaps to offer comfort, and he looked straight into the eyes of the Heir to Nova Hold.  At that moment Impression was made. Where have you been, my T'dol? Your Integrith has been looking all over for you!

After this startling Impression, whose implications Cybele did not even want to contemplate, she had a bit of trouble getting enough silence to make the next announcements. "There are some refreshments in the Dining Cavern for everyone. The Feast will begin at the sixth candlemark after noon, after everyone who has been up so early has a time to rest. See the Headwoman if you'd like a place to sleep. Congratulations to all 27 new weyrlings!"

[sorra]

Ravis was starting to get nervous. He hadn't gotten his hopes too high just because for this reason. Although he was thrilled that Shem had Impressed. Maybe another time he would. He watched the bronze fall and start chasing his tail and had to laugh. He knew a bronze wasn't for him, but he was enjoying watching the bronze.

As the two blues Impress Ravis' shoulders slumped. The bronze and brown were still on the Sands, but why would they ever look at him? Ravis' dark eyes widened as the handsome bronze moved toward him. He nearly fell in shock as Pyrith introduced himself.

"Me?" he whispered. "You're choosing me?" The boy dropped to his knees and threw his arms around Pyrith's neck. "Oh you are so handsome. Come on, let's go get you some food and get your nose looked at." Pyrith crooned happily and followed. Although he got sidetracked a few times on the way. "Shem!" R'vis called when he saw his friend and after he had picked up a bowl of meat for his handsome bronze.

T'tarel grinned as he watched the Impressions. Only one lost wasn't bad. He set his hand on Cybele's shoulder. It had been a great hatching. And one to remember. He would have to make sure to congratulate all the new weyrlings.

[taenia]

Ranelli hadn't noticed any further impressions after Titanith came into her world, the young ex holder had taken her beautiful pale queen over to the meat and had started feeding her, just as the dragon had wanted. She was hungry and had no problem informing Ranelli that it was her duty to feed her, and she wanted feeding now, at this second in time...and not another moment later!

{{My Ranelli}} The silver started, trying to concentrate on both talking and scoffing down the meat that hers was providing to her.

"Yes, Titanith?" She asked, wondering how on earth she was ever going to get used to having something in her mind all the time. "Slow down, otherwise you'll get sick" She instructed the ranvenous beast, making sure she provided the meat at a slower rate.

{{Why are people unhappy with the choice Integrith has made?}} The silver asked, curious. {{He has found his, and surely that is a good thing}} She said, turning the blood covered maw towards the hatching sands where the last hatching had taken place, taking Ranelli's curiousity with her... as the girl scanned for the bronze dragon that her silver mentioned. Who'd?

...she stoped as she noticed the familier sight of Tardol with the bronze... oh dear..

"He is Nova Hold's Heir" Ranelli said simply but the feelings from the silver told her that she didn't understand, or really care..

[Mik]

As the silver egg began to rock, Z'zak's eyes drifted toward it. Was it really another silver dragon or was it a gold? Either way, it was a very important dragon breaking out of that shell. Nocheth had not missed the Impression of the tangled green. His eyes were darting everywhere about the Sands, so thrilled he was of all the youngsters hatching and some of them had been his own doing. While the pale silver dragonet took to investigating the remaining girls, two more dragonets broke shell, a brown and a red who moved quite quickly into action, though they did not exactly go to the Candidates straight away. Z'zak smiled as his gaze followed the amusement of his brown's attention. The two playing tag turned ugly as they plowed over another Candidate and the Old Timer winced at the sounds that came from the collisions. He was relieved to see that the girl seemed conscious still and the dragonet was still mobile, albeit flightless for a while with the look of that wing. Then the last of the Assistant's sons Impressed to a blue it looked like and another glance at the greenrider confirmed Z'zak's thoughts on that matter.

Glancing back at the silver, the brownrider noted that she had stopped in front of the Holder girl that he had heard so much about. She came from good standing. He supposed that she would do for a queen. A fair number of holdbred girls tended to Impress golds back in the history of his days of Thread-filled skies. The brown that remained looked ready to jump Between as his glances about the Sands appeared to not show his lifemate among the Candidates. Two more blues Impressed and the unusually goofy bronze found his lifemate among the Candidates. The brownrider's eyes went back to the lone brown. Surprise finally struck his expression. The lad that the brown had bumped into and Impressed looked to be one of high standing. The gasps that he heard as a result further confirmed his thoughts. Another Impression that was not agreeable it looked like.

Turning to Kanly after all was said and done, Z'zak gave her a friendly smile. "Do ya' need a escort to the Feast?" he asked her, having worked on curving his cussing while he had been stuck in isolation.

[Mik]

Kanretia woke to a vibration against her head and covering part of her shoulder. It was not until she had become aware that a humming also invaded her mind that she realized just what was happening. Intrigue was sprawled across her shoulder, humming excitably while Oceanth was already fully awake and awaiting the order that would come from Arkysk any moment. The Littles come today! Ready the young ones! the large green paused in her humming to announce before getting the order from the black wher she had been waiting for. Kanretia was already hurriedly getting moving, having flung her covers on top of her little brown in the process. While Intrigue squawked about to get out from under the covers, his Pet was hurriedly slipping into her Hatching attire, a simple white, ankle-length, short-sleeved gown with vibrant greens and blues decorating the hems of it. She had taken to bathing before bed over the past sevenday, knowing that the Hatching could come at any moment, especially with the odd time of the last one. She unwound her long hair long enough to run a brush through it briefly and then wound it back into a flat plait while she headed to the girl's side of the Barracks to rouse the Candidates, Intrigue scuttling along behind her trying to multi-task with flying and humming at the same time and failing horribly.

"Up and at 'em, ladies! This is it! Quickly! Wash up, get your robes on, no shoes, and meet in the Common Room in less than half a mark!" she called throughout the girl's side of the barracks, watching as some were literally falling from their cots or stumbling half awake toward the bathing pool. She hung around the sleeping area to hurry up any girls that seemed to be slacking, reminding them that they could not be late for this event. Once she had ushered them all to the Common Room, she took a few meatrolls to settle her excited stomach. Her boys would be Standing for this one and she could not help the proud feeling of the possibilities of them Impressing. Intrigue stole his few bites from his Pet by perching haphazardly on her shoulder and then went about zipping about the room merrily, announcing the Hatching to anyone that cared to 'see' it.

Once Arktos had deemed it time, Kanretia helped the Candidates that lined up behind her to focus just a little on where their feet were going on them. Following Arktos' lead, she led them next to him until they stepped onto the Sands where she guided them to the left to create the half circle that Arktos was wanting. After bowing to the Weyrwoman, Kanly, and their dragons, she followed Arktos to the Stands, finding her own seat next to her husband with the few surviving relatives that she had left, one of them having fetched her husband for this event involving all four of their boys.

Dividing her attention between the Candidates and the hatching dragonets, the greenrider's eyes focused numerous times on her boys, looking so splendid as they waited for dragonets to pick them. Squeezing her husband's hand with joy, she pointed out their second youngest. "Look! Kanlar's Impressed!" she said excitedly, Intrigue falling from her shoulder at her sudden excitement. The pair were congratulated by the riders that sat near them.

Her excitement dimmed somewhat as she watched Tara get run over by a green and she watched the site closely for a few moments, hoping that the girl was okay. After seeing some movement, her green hazel eyes returned to sweep the current dragonets and, more importantly, her other three lads. She was just in time to see her second oldest Impress to a little white. "Miklar, Tialar's Impressed a white! See?!" she said excitedly, pointing to the teen kneeling down to look at the little white that clung to him.

She watched as another Candidate, Micala, was knocked over, resulting in the Impression of the green that had done the deed. She gripped her husband's hand in anticipation as she watched a rather mean tempered black start causing havoc on the Sands, Shemmoral getting clawed it looked like before a gray stood up for her, then a red had wrecked into Bresala and the end result was Impression. She watched while holding her breath as the timid white had Impressed Izon and then the black's charge resulted in a nasty impact with Mordecai. She hoped that he was okay after that collision. When a gray went Between, Kanretia's eyes quickly sought out Arktos as her large green joined in on the keens that echoed throughout the cavern. Good, he had Kiyoni to comfort him. At least he was not alone.

She watched a few more Impressions from the Stands and Sands alike, including the nasty tempered black to Mordecai. He was quite the responsible lad. He would struggle no doubt, but she was certain that he could manage that big creature well. Then a brown trotted up to her youngest boy. "Miklar! Laret!" she cried out merrily. Laret had been Searched and while she had no doubt that he would Impress, he had been the only boy of hers to have been Searched while the other three had the right to Stand due to their birthrights. But Laret was her baby and he would always hold a special place in her heart. She missed the Impression of Lirona and looked about for her oldest son, the only one left unimpressed so far. Every hope that she had went out to him that he would Impress before this was over.

Distracted by the green's tumble with Veekally, a survivor of unfortunate circumstances, she nearly missed the Impression of Mikan to a blue and so, her reaction was delayed, but once she realized that her oldest boy was walking from the Sands with a dragonet at his side, she turned to give Miklar a hug and a kiss, disturbing Intrigue from her lap. The poor brown could not find a good place to sit for this Hatching! "Mikan's Impressed, too. A cute little blue!" she said joyously, turning to her other relatives nearby them.

The last few dragonets were a blur as Kanretia watched the silver closely until she chose none other than Ranelli and she could not help a smile at such an Impression. Yet the most shocking Impression was that of the last one, a brown that looked ready to Between until he bumped into the Heir to Nova Hold. "Oh, no," she whispered to herself. He had probably stepped onto the Sands to congratulate his runaway bride and wound up Impressing? Staring at the pair a long moment, she almost missed the announcement by Cybele before being moved into action. "I'll meet you in my weyr. Gotta go see if there are any Candidates left that need some consoling," she said before giving him a parting kiss and making her way down to the Sands, excited for her boys and curious as to what young Tardol's Impression was going to cause.

[taenia]

Ellimae's eyes widened as she realised that the weyr had once again taken another holderbred child. and one of high standing. She wondered how Tardol's parents would take to loosing their heir to the dragons? She felt angry with the weyr, far from impressed... how many children did the weyr have to take? She;d go searching for Lady Dolia as soon as Bilteran decided that they were ready to move from the sands.

[Mik]

Tardol sat toward the edge of his seat as he watched the silver dragonet approach the girls. When she sat in front of Ranelli, his heart skipped a beat and he held his breath. Was she going to Impress to that pretty creature? Then what would he do? He would have to talk his way onto the Sands for a chance to Impress down the road. He had been Searched after all and only he, the one that Searched him, and Cybele knew of it. The token rested safely in a pocket of his vest. When he saw his love start walking from the Sands with the silver, he knew that she had Impressed and he was not going to wait to congratulate her. He had to tell her now. Before the Feast later. She had to know that he still cared deeply for her. Little did he know what setting foot on those hot sands would cause. He had merely gone ten paces when the lone dragonet caused him to stop in his tracks. A brief moment of pain from the bump and instinctively turning to catch whomever he had bumped into, the Nova Hold Heir turned dark green-hazel eyes on, not a person, but a dragonet, and a rainbow of colors in his eyes. A brown and quite handsome he thought as the pain from the scratch was suddenly forgotten. What had happened in the fleeting few moments, he could never describe with words.

Where have you been, my T'dol? Your Integrith has been looking all over for you! came words into his mind that had not been spoken by his own lips. After a long, silent moment, a smile crept to the young man's lips. He had Impressed? T'dol was his honored name? Kneeling down, he looked at the brown at eye level for another long moment, emotions of love and happiness and longing rampaging throughout his mind at this revelation. T'dol-Mine? Can I eat now? came another phrase and the proud smile that broke the Heir's face was enough word to answer any further doubts. "Yes, you can eat now. Let's find out what we're supposed to do," as he stood up, leaving a hand on the damp hide of the hatchling. "Integrith," he said to the first person that cast a questioning gaze at him as he headed for the other hatchlings and their new pairings, any idea of what his parents were thinking far from his mind as this new presence was exalting in his opinion...