Shards and Shells (HG)

[E]

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Somadin had stood on the hatching grounds for a long time, no longer aware of the people leaving the stands and the hatching grounds; No longer aware that the rest of the unimpressed candidates had left for the hatching feast and the new weyrlings and gone to put their new lives to sleep. All he was aware of was egg shells that lay scattered across the sands. The good sized clutch had completely hatched… And Somadin had been left standing alone.

Moving toward the shells, Somadin swallowed to attempt to clear his tightening throat. Trevan had impressed… and to a sturdy brown too! Somadin was so happy for the once blacksmith, one holdbred man. Yet despite that happiness the small boy could not help but feel the slight twinge of betrayal. He felt forgotten, so small and alone, left among the neglected shells the hatchlings had rejected; for he too had been rejected by all of the hatchlings. For each one that emerged from their eggs they had found someone larger, stronger and smarter than little Somadin.

The tears came unbidden. Perhaps if he had listened to Trevan from the start… Perhaps if he had attempted to fight back, to show everyone larger than him that he did have some fight in him… Perhaps then the dragons would have found him worthy. Oh but you can’t change your nature can you? Somadin couldn’t help it, he knew what it was like to feel pain… why would he want to make anyone else feel pain whether it was physical or emotional?

Finding a small little shell he had remembered seeing one of the littlest greens emerge from, he sat down among the ruins of it. His white robes were wet on the bottom from the egg goo and wet on the top from tears. Running a hand along what was left of the egg wall, he took a deep breath attempting hard not to full out weep. Breaking off a piece of the shell, he held it in his hands and lost the battle. Curling into a ball among the rejected egg shells, Somadin lost himself to his painful thoughts of regret and rejection as he cried. No, the dragons knew the right of it, he was not yet strong enough to be a dragonrider and perhaps he never would be.

[hrsegrl]

Sometimes even the most optmistic people realize things are not going as they should be. Caselo stood staring blankly at the shell casings where the small dragons had come out. What was wrong with him that none of the eighteen who hatched wanted him? The thought of living without a dragon scared him a little though he could live somehow. At the very least he had a place outside with herbeasts and runners. That was however, a paltry exchange for a dragon. Better than nothing! Which was precisely what he had at the moment.

He scratched the back of his neck and stretched out his muscular arms over his head. There was no point in this mindless self pity party. He should go to the Feast and enjoy himself. Aliath was young she would fly again and there would be another clutch next turn. Breathing in deeply he closed his eyes and calmed his body. Tomorrow would be even better than today.

About to walk out of the Cavern he heard a sniffling sound. Was someone else in there? He searched the room with his eyes but found nothing. Hmmmm, he still heard something. When he turned to the right a movement caught his eye. Was that an egg moving? All the eggs had hatched. He knew this to be true but he still held out a little hope that maybe one had been forgotten.

Caselo walked closer to the moving egg shell and found that no dragon was inside of it but a boy. Oh, he knew him. "Somadin? You had me wondering if a dragonet was left. " Caselo almost laughed but caught the mood of the other boy and bit his lip. "Amazing Hatching eh?"

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Somadin wiped his eyes and sat up, looking to where the voice had called to him from. Finding Caselo standing next to the egg he had sat in, it took Somadin a moment to realize the older boy hadn’t impressed either. And for the first time ever Somadin did not hear laughter coming from the boy. Gosh I didn’t realize how sad impressions were for those left on the stands with no dragon of their own…

“It was amazing actually.” He said after a moment’s thought. Forcing himself to smile, he continued, “A bronze first to hatch and even a queen egg! I don’t ever remember there being two queens in the Weyr, do you Caselo?”

Even as he asked, he felt his chest tightening again. It was an amazing clutch, the young queen had done very well… if only he could have done as well too. Sniffling again, he looked back up at the older boy, his smile gone again. “Caselo, I didn’t know it would hurt so much if I didn’t impress…”

[hrsegrl]

Cautiously he stepped a bit closer so he could see the other boy better. His face looked a bit blotchy from here. Must be taking this very badly, he thought with a grim smile. What could he do but try to help him.

With a nod he agreed, "Never heard of two Queens at once. Kind of makes you wonder if something terrible is coming or if something wonderful is coming. I wish it was the latter but somehow I very much doubt it." At this thought Caselo shuddered and instantly wished he had kept it to himself. He did not realize how sensitive Somadin was an felt horrible for even trying to make light of the situation they were in.

"It is not all bad. Maybe none of them were right for you but there should be another clutch in about a Turn and perhaps then will be your time. Your just waiting for your dragon to hatch. Before you get too old to impress even Nisurath will be having clutches which will increase your chances immensely." Caselo did not know if that would make him feel all that much better. He was thinking about ways to cheer him up but he did not know Somadin that well yet.

"There is no reason for us to doubt that we were meant for dragons. I know we both have the heart to be fighters. Perhaps this test of our faith in the future we envision is something we must go through in order to achieve it." Caselo believed what he said though it may have been a bit cheesy to some. He was going to impress, he could feel it in his bones. If nothing else he trusted his own instincts. The right dragon, thats all he was waiting for.

[E]

Somadin has been listening closely to Caselo, his eyes growing slowly wider as the words sank in. ”…makes you wonder if something terrible is coming…” Visibly shuddering, he looked around at the shells of the newest hatchlings. There had been so many eggs, but would the larger number this time make up for the two turns that had gone without a hatching as the young queen grew? And there wasn’t even a handful of bronzes in the entire weyr…

“Caselo…” he said quietly, almost a whisper. He had never really given the old tales true thought before, believing them to be simple stories told to the crèche children… but two queens? “Do you think… think thread is coming?” Somadin never felt so tiny, huddled in the enormous egg shell with the realization weighing heavy on his heart.

“Even if our queen rises every turn – and remember the last didn’t – and the hatchling grows strong… two queens and a handful of bronzes can’t repopulate all the Weyrs!” Somadin’s voice was slowly growing louder from the whisper it had been as panic took hold. “The dragonriders won’t be strong enough to save Pern if… if…”

Standing up, Somadin came up to Caselo’s chest and again he was reminded of how small he was. The adults wouldn’t listen to someone so small… not when Somadin didn’t have proof of his fears. Chewing his lip, he looked up at the taller boy.

“The adults have probably already thought of all this, you think?” Pausing again, he shook his head. “Oh but they wouldn’t tell us if they knew if thread was coming or if they had plans. We’re just Candidates…” Searching the taller boy’s face, he frowned. “Do you think Thread will leave us with much of a future to have if the last Weyr on Pern isn’t even half full to meet it?”

[hrsegrl]

The only thing worse than breaking someone's heart was probably ruining their hope for the future. Caselo immediately began to regret saying anything or even hinting at anything about the future of Pern. Somadin seemed to have taken what he had said to heart and also expanded on it. The usually smiling blonde looked rather grim and truly seemed a little nervous.

Should he say what he really thought instead of what the common belief was throughout Pern? He was not one to lie in general and so he was not about to become someone who shaded the truth just to comfort a younger man. "Well, Somadin, as a matter of fact, I do. Thread is going to come back, thats why we've had to preserve the dragons whatever the cost."

He saw the smaller youth struggling with the big picture and swallowed hard knowing he was going to have to do something, anything to show that there was hope. "We have no choice I'm afraid. The future of the world revolves around our ability to find a way to save it. Which is why we cannot give up on our hopes to find our dragons. Pern needs us." He had become more wistful and while he never really had a quiet voice it seemed louder in the cavernous Hatching Sands.

"I am sure the Weyrleader has a plan. From what I know of E'dian he's a very committed dragonrider. Unlike his brother, he's quiet but in a more thoughtful way. I wouldn't put it past him to have already been looking at solutions. When thread comes, we will have no choice but to fight." He remembered his ballads as well as any.

"Dragonriders must fly when Thread is in the sky." Suddenly Caselo smiled brightly. "Once the two of us are riders, we can help find the solutions and work with the Weyrleaders. Imagine it. We could very well save all the people and things that we hold most dear." The dreamy light in Caselo's eyes was not uncommon, he truly believed that good would prevail over any evil.