When Only A Candle Lights The Way (Hatching, Open)

[adhoc]

((Just throwing this out there: Thank you so much for putting such a huge amount of effort into this! The pictures, descriptions, and suspense are all fantastic. It makes me excited to keep posting. ))


D'ron nodded, noting that Eltanth was slowing down as he made his way through the third bucket. "Of course," he said somewhat absently.

It was hard for him to take his eyes from Eltanth. The hatchling's steady feeding gave him an opportunity to really take in the magnificence of his partner's form and color. He had never seen anything so beautiful. And he certainly had never seen a dragon so dramatically colored. D'ron was not one to focus on aesthetics; he preferred and understood function over form. But Eltanth was on an entirely different plane. He was not simply blue: he was blues. And they were theirs. That was incredible.

Eltanth did not respond to this scrutiny verbally, but the opalescent blue took a moment to preen, and D'ron felt his warmth and pleasure.

The youth figured that if the dragon had lost focus on food enough to puff himself up, he was probably about finished eating, and so he set down the bucket.

I could have eaten more, Eltanth said quickly, as though hunger had not only been a feeling but a challenge.

D'ron laughed, I'm sure you could, but you don't want to end up with an aching belly. Eltanth flicked down his tail, sending a spurt of sand into the air, but made no further argument.

D'ron looked to Phaedon now. "Alright," he said, still glowing with the joy of his impression (and perhaps speaking a bit too loudly because of it), "What would you like us to do?"

He sensed the blue's curiosity. He just wants to make sure you're healthy.

I am sound, and magnificent. You said that. The blue extended his neck again, and spread his wings wide, displaying the odd but enchanting coloring of their underside to the Dragonhealer. His hide caught the glowlight, and its illumination emphasized the haunting green so he seemed to radiate light from within.

You are that, mine. You certainly are. D'ron unknowingly imitated his partner's posture. How could he not? He was as proud as proud could be.


~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lucan had done what he could for the girl's wounds, but felt little relief as another denizen came to extract her from the sands. He turned back to the dragons, and felt strange. It had been an accident, certainly, and one of thousands in the history of dragonkind, but that made it no less real. He shook his head to clear it, and looked himself over cursorily. There was remarkably little blood on his robes, but what was there was incredibly obvious against the bright white. Well, that was as it would be. Sand had stuck to the blood in places, dulling the red, and dryness would do the same. And what people would remember of today would be the hatchlings.

It was incredible the pull the little dragons had on him, to recapture his mind so quickly. Yet there they were, strange and new and beautiful, and as he watched them the discomfort melted from him. Perhaps it was not so strange. After all, observation and analysis were his default modes (along with foolery, but that had little place here).

He grinned to see Caselo impress that sturdy brown. Surely if anyone ought to impress it was the good hearted young man, and even the color of the dragon appeared to suit his nature.

The same was true of the darkly colored dragon who had slashed the girl whose blood he now wore. He hoped that Deltontai's partner would give her some peace, but sadly doubted it.

That behemoth of a boy from the kitchens had also found his companion. That was another fit that could only leave you smiling. There would be no where either could go and not stand out among the crowd, and the simple joy and solidity of the baker would make him an excellent bluerider.

His attention was pulled in all different directions.

[E]

Deltontai had found herself caught a step behind the rest of the candidates. She had already made it further onto the sands than she had been able to the sevenday before during the egg touching. But even now the pale, golden queen looked furious that any of them were there… Yet the humming that was emiting from her and the rest of the dragon’s around the cavern shook Deltontai to the core, and it surprisingly gave her the courage to at least not run.

The dragons were not angry today… they were happy that the eggs were hatching, she could feel it, but the fearless woman who had been raised in the fighting pits found terror creeping into her blood even as the heat crept into her thick soled boots. Was she sure this was where she belonged? Every fiber in her body told her she needed to fight, or run. But who would fight with a dragon?!

Then the blood sprayed. Flecks of it splashed Deltontai across her face and she found her lost, fearful mind focus on the nearly black dragon in front of her. The dragon was now covered in blood and looking hungrily up at the holdless girl.

I am Alioth. They think us little, but we are much more than they shall ever know. Deltontai I am very, very hungry.

Deltontai found herself falling to her knees, in front of the little green-black dragon, the heat that ran through the fabric of her robe ignored. She searched those multifauceted eyes and found a fighter as well. “Did you…. Did you just speak to me?” she asked confused.

Alioth stretched her long neck and flicked a tongue out to lick Deltontai’s cheek, smearing the blood worse than cleaning it. Yes, I spoke to you. I am hungry Deltontai. Very Hungry.

Deltontai raised a shaking hand to rest it on the nose of the dragon before her. She had done it, hadn’t she? Looking over to her younger sister, she gave Itona a look of disbelief before standing and walking slowly toward the tables that had been set up as if she were in a dream. A nightmare of sorts, but still a dream…

[LyricalBlue]

The lovely jade moved forward, sensing the fear in the one she wanted. She paused and shook her head, confused at the whirling emotions around her. Soon though, she simply couldn't stand it any more and the medium sized green moved again, straight to the girl she wanted. She sat down in front of Itona and cocked her head to the side. A small purr like sound echoed from her throat, for the moment far more concerned with her rider's fear than her own gnawing hunger.
I am Maiath. You do not need to fear any more, I am here.


Name: Maiath (means “Grandmother/Mother/Nurse”)
Age: Hatchling
Color: Green
Clutch:1188: Gold Nisurath/ Bronze Rovanoth
Appearance: Although Maiath is a little below average in size, she makes up for it in her expressive face. She has deep set eyes that seem to swirl more than the average dragon. Her long tail balances a mostly well proportioned frame. Dark jade in color there are few if any variations of this on her hide. Maiath's claws are a darker green.
Personality: Maiath is a sweet natured green with a very kind heart. She cares deeply about those around her both human and dragon. Her emotions can often be in control of her when she is feeling something deeply. As a very loving sort of dragon she also can be a bit of a worrier. Even when she knows there is nothing to worry for she can not help but want to make sure they have done everything to be sure nothing bad will happen. While not a chatty sort of green, Maiath still does converse with other dragons easily and tends to pick up on humans who are extremely empathetic more so than other greens.
History:
Weyrling Class:
Font Color: 417433




As the Topaz egg rocked and cracked so did the Tiger's Eye. The dragon that emerged from the large orange-brown shell took the crowd by surprise! It was another blue and hardly to be outdone by his flashy brothers. He was noticeably smaller than his older glass like brother but still appeared to have a wingspan that would be one of the larger for his kind. He had an elegant head, tapered and nearly regal. He was in between his two older brothers in shading and as dramatic as they were. He paused, limp and exhausted on the sands, the hard egg had taken much out of him.



As if noticing that another blue was on the sands now, the glass like Moonstone moved finally to the Candidate he desired. The boy was as wiry as he, and would perhaps grow into such a large blue. The hatchling snuffled the boys hair and sighed audibly, yes this was right. This one was perfect, the blue knew he could be the other half of what this one was missing. His gaze locked onto the young lad's and he spoke softly, gently, as if this moment was as fragile as the glass he so resembled.
S'din. You will never be alone again, I will carry you. I am Ankath.

Name:Ankath (means “Bird in Arabic myth”)
Age: Hatchling
Color: Blue
Clutch: 1188: Gold Nisurath/ Bronze Rovanoth
Appearance:The coloring of Ankath is beautiful and pale. Its reminiscent of a light blue morning sky before the sun is fully up. This light blue is even lighter on his muzzle almost looking white. This color is also on the webbing of his wings. As large as some browns, Ankath boasts a large frame for a blue without losing his agility or his nature as a blue. He has pale blue claws that look almost clear.
Personality: Ankath is a reliable blue. He rarely has an impatient moment and can be seen as a very calm dragon. There is much however that Ankath keeps to himself. Though he is highly intelligent, very few will know of it because he is very modest and not one to brag or boast about his abilities. He likes humor and will try to make his rider laugh as often as possible. Of course, sending ones rider into a fit of giggles in the middle of class is probably not the best idea. Every so often, the dragon can seem depressed and will mope about. Sometimes he is unable to see the great value in himself that others see.
History:
Weyrling Class:
Font color: B5FFFF

[hrsegrl]

Phaedon was sure to make note of the size of the dragon as well as his vigorous behavior. He seemed quite happy with his new rider, as they all were. "I'm going to touch him and look his hide over. Need to make sure all is well before he can get some rest."

He then touched the blues hide to make sure it was normal and made sure to look for any impurities in on the surface. Also he had to be sure the dragonet had not been scratched leaving the shell. As the blue continued to eat he finished the conversation with the young man. " He is good to go, whenever you are ready." With that he moved on to the green who had impressed next.

-----

The dragons were impressing quickly now and the young man seemed almost not to care. He was tired and hot. This was not how he wanted to spend his morning and it was unlikely with so many Candidates that any of the dragons would care to see him. He stretched for a second time and made certain to stay out of the way of any approaching new dragons.

Another couple people impressed whom he did not know. A small boy, probably barely old enough to stand and some Holdless girl. Great, now they had two Holdless on dragons. What was the Weyr coming to?He scanned for people who were left still that he might know. Not many but then people he knew weren't up at times like this. Then he caught a glimpse of a face he recognized though it did little to appease his mood.

That boy who had been staring at him when he fell the other day was still unimpressed. Well that figured, he was a twirp. Akriseus let out a long sigh. Hatchlings were pretty but he wondered why they would hatch in the middle of the night rather than at a decent hour. He was in a better mood when he wasn't tired.

----

Ainth made quick work of his food and found himself being looked over by one of the dragonhealers. Tilting his head while they measured him he turned his eyes to Caselo. Why are they doing that? "They want to make certain you did not get any scratches leaving your shell. Also your growth will be monitored to make sure you are on track."

Caselo's answer was good but the dragon was still unhappy. He was growing more and more so until he snapped irritably. I am bigger than my brothers and sisters. My growth should not be a concern. "They are almost done then you can get some rest. You are very tired." Hmmph

[E]

Even with the extra inch and a half he had grown since the last hatching, he still barely stood as tall as half the hatchlings on the sands. He had watched several from his class impress already and he had to say, he was happier to see many from this class impress than some from the last. Even so, he found his eyes watching the hatchlings on the sand intently, all of his hopes and dreams were now butterflies in his stomach.

Well all of those butterflies seemed to think it would be much safer in his throat as the blue who had been resting in the sand finally stood and made his way straight for Somadin. The small boy froze, unsure for a moment if this meant something good… or if he was going to be mauled like the girl had by Deltontai’s green. As the blue stopped in front of him, however, Somadin’s fear of a mauling flew swiftly away and both of the boys hands were to his mouth.

He felt his hair move as the dragon snuffled it, and Somadin couldn’t help but giggle at the feel of it. The dragon, even now was a little bigger than Somadin, though not by much. Watching that blue-white muzzle come down from his hair so the dragon could look him in the eyes, Somadin let his hands leave his mouth to show a huge, goofy smile.

S'din. You will never be alone again, I will carry you. I am Ankath.

“Oh thank you Ankath! Thank you thank you!” Somadin couldn’t help but sweep his arms around the little blue’s neck in a swift hug. The little hatchling, still ungainly on his feet, found himself teetering dangerously and the both of them yelped in surprise as they both feel over into the sand.

Blushing feverously, Somadin quickly untangled himself from the blue and helped him regain his feet. “Sorry….” He said sheepishly.

The blue snuffled S’din’s shirt this time, still happy despite the mishap. It is okay, S’din. Just warn me next time!

[Rowen]

Itona watched as the green settled down in front of her and let out a sigh. I am Maiath. You do not need to fear any more, I am here. Swallowing Itona took a careful step forward and reached out a hand to stroke Maiath. Itona found that Maiath was right she didn't need to be afraid now that Maiath was here. Of course I'm right, now that you are not afraid I am really quite hungry. Can you feed me now?

Itona blinked then smiled and nodded. "Yes Maiath let's feed you with the others." She walked with Maiath to the area where all the others were feeding their impressed hatchlings. Standing there she relaxed feeling Maiath so close as she fed Maiath she found her gaze wandering to the hatching that still wasn't quite complete. Maybe that large one would be a gold? Or a bronze? Nisurath had been really protective of her eggs, but that one was biggest, she'd probably had trouble laying it. "Do you think it's a gold Maiath?"

Maiath chewing on meat lifted her head but didn't glance in the direction of the unhatched egg. It matters little right now. Itona blinked at Maiath then nodded. Maiath was right, it didn't matter right now, not to her or Maiath, later it might matter but Itona was content with Maiath.

[LyricalBlue]

The Topaz blue strode foward on long legs, nearly at a run towards his chosen rider. Iaslia found herself smiling silly as her younger half brother wrapped his arms around the dragon and cried out. "His name is Tszeth!" As they were hustled off the sands towards the buckets of waiting food, the crowd's attention shifted again.



It seemed the whole of the cavern held its breath as the Tiger's Eye Egg rocked and cracked. But it could not grab all the attention as the much smaller Tourmaline Egg began to twitch. And while the larger egg drew most of the attention it was the smaller who was first. The hatchling that stood on unsteady legs, just about confused everyone who looked on. A small thing, but well built by all standards, the confusing thing about it... was the color. The hatchling was such an even mix of blue-green that by looks alone it was almost impossible to discern which it actually was.



The Tiger's Eye egg would not wait longer and it shattered in dramatic fashion. An arrogant head rose out of the shards and there would never be doubt in anyone's minds just was kind of dragon this was. He surveyed the surrounding Candidates fairly, but of course, he knew which he already wanted. Like his sire, he was a bright bronze. Long in wing and tail, he promised to have size and stamina both. Though, he would never match the size of an old time bronze like Malekith.



He picked the egg goo off his wings with his nose then rubbed it neatly on the sands. Oh no, he was not going to be sloppy and messy the same way some of his brothers and sisters were. He was a bronze. The bright hatchling took one step forward and then another, almost stalking in his deliberation. The crowd watched in near silence; up on the ledge, Iaslia gripped her skirts until her knuckles turned white. A bronze, and a good sized bronze. It was a reaffirmation of her bond with the golden Queen and on the sands, Nisurath visibly relaxed at the sight of this son.

The bronze stopped in front of his chosen boy, arrogant head bent down with a powerfully arched neck to look him in the eyes. Still wet wings, dangled at his sides, long enough to drag in the hot sands.
Why are you looking at everyone else. I am Rasalath, L'can. I am here.


Name: Rasalath (means “Head of the Lion”)
Age: Hatchling
Color: Bronze
Clutch: 1188: Gold Nisurath/ Bronze Rovanoth
Appearance:
Bright bronze for most of his body, Rasalath has a darker bronze on the underside of him. He is slightly above average in size and has an even larger wingspan than needed for one his size. His tail is also slightly long for his body, possibly to steady himself from having such large wings. Everything to be seen on Rasalath screams Bronze from his sheen to his size to his demeanor when he moves. Even his claws match the darker bronze color of his underside.
Personality: A Bronze through and through, Rasalath is a charming dragon. He has a quick mind which he uses to analyze situations. This makes him both a logical dragon and a bit of a troublemaker. He ends up in as many sticky situations because he feels the need to explore everything. Curiousity may have killed the feline but it hasn't killed him yet. Rasalath does not care to converse with lesser colors than himself although he will chat with the occassional brown. He prefers to only talk to humans he deems worthy of his time.
History:
Weyrling Class:
Font color: CC9900



After her larger brother had Impressed, the Tourmaline hatchling stepped foward and nearly stumbled into the boy she wanted. They went down in a tangle of dragon and human limbs, though luckily it seemed they were largely unhurt. He cried out joyously, "Her name is Charth!"
As the Tourmaline found the one she wanted, the other more brightly colored green egg rocked and cracked, spilling a bright green hatchling onto the sands.



The last of the hatchlings on the sands, she took her time finding the young man she wanted. But soon, the nearly neon green's name was announced by a tall lad with a fully deserving grin.
"She says shes called Nashirth!"
Each of the new pairs was led to the side to feed as they would and soon enough they would be settled in the barracks and fast asleep. Only then, would it be time to Feast. Ten new dragonrider pairs and a bronze to boot. Iaslia sighed, life continued and Nisurath did well enough indeed. The pale gold turned her head to view her rider, now much more relaxed with the whole affair.
Of course I did well. I am a Queen.

[adhoc]

It was as though mention of rest reminded Eltanth of his ordeal.
The blue refolded his wings and bumped D'ron roughly with the side of his neck.

Mine, I am tired.

The tap would have unbalanced a lesser person, but D'ron simply reached up to wrap an arm around his partner. He knew that though his mind was wide awake, his own body was sluggish with lack of sleep.

Me too, Eltanth, let's go get some rest.

The highly visible pair made their way off to the Weyrlings' quarters along with the rest of the newly impressed. Eltanth paused a brief moment before they left the sands to look back over his flank at the rapidly emptied meat buckets. The voice in D'ron's mind was hesitant.

Then...we will eat again?

D'ron's laughter echoed down the hall.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After the waves of confusion, exhaustion, frustration, and wonder that he'd endured throughout the hatching, L'can looked up into the face of the hatchling with a feeling of complete calm. He smiled his slow, magnificent smile. He didn't need to observe or calculate or examine anything in this moment: all at once, here was a being fully revealed to him in all its nuance, and he to it. A sense of utter comfort and rightness enveloped him, tinged with wry humor.

Do not worry, my own. I will never fail to give you proper attention again.

When he called out to the crowd, "He is Rasalath!" his voice was clear and controlled, rather than the hollered exultation of the other candidates. He reached out a hand to place it on his companion's proud nose, and stood up to his own full height.

Rasalath's recognition of his own impressiveness-- was it truly arrogance when it was so deserved?-- was infectious. L'can felt a strong sense of purpose, and also the certainty that it was right for him to achieve. Yes, he could and would do everything to deserve this. He felt he was himself now.

This is necessarily so, the dragon reminded him, and then turned with a deliberate grace as L'can led him toward the food at the edge of the sands.

Was it only a few weeks ago that he had nothing ahead of him but a life of fetching, carrying and scrubbing? And now here they were, Rasalath managing to maintain a magisterial dignity (well, almost) while swallowing piece after piece of meat. He mused that if there was some guiding force in the world, it was not doing a very good job at teaching him to stay out of trouble. But then, he supposed that being responsible would curtail that kind of activity. So that point went to the universe after all.

[hrsegrl]

The Weyrleader despite the size of the clutch was relieved that they were healthy and mostly unharmed. The Bronze that was second to last to Hatch made this a sort of victory for Nisurath. If she could clutch a Bronze then a Gold was not much larger and it might be possible. Then again the trend here had not been for more than one Queen at a time in a long while.

Glancing over at his Weyrmate he knew she was tired. The feast would not be till this evening and though it was customary for them to be congratulated, he would prefer to be in bed. Rovanoth from his perch commented that he could rest fine where he was if they were going to be a while.

Ev'os sighed, duty first. At some point he would finally have a moment alone with Iaslia without the stress of an overly worried Gold. He missed the time they had at the cove. It was easier to be themselves with their dragons without all of the stress of running a Weyr. Those days were in the past though. His dark eyes turned from the Weyrwoman to look at the people approaching.

----

Although Akriseus was not one to admit failure he suddenly felt a blow to his ego. The last three eggs hatched and impressed more quickly than their clutchmates. Worse, the Bronze impressed to that snarky boy who had witnessed him at a weak point. Not someone he could slap in the face now. Ugh. There was always next time, if he felt up to it.

The only reason he had not impressed was because none of those dragonets had been good enough for him. That was why he had to wait. There was nothing wrong with who he was. A smile spawned on the Candidate's face as he began to walk out of the Hatching Cavern. Plenty of time to meet one's life mate. Besides the next clutch was bound to be bigger wasn't it?

---

Master Phaedon took no time in looking over each and every dragonet. Every single one passed his checkup though Charth had a slight scratch from falling on her rider during impression. The scratch was so superficial it was barely worth mentioning or notating but he wanted to leave no details out.

Glow was still sitting patiently on his shoulder watching each dragonet get pushed through inspection. The Weyrling Master had a nice small group to start with. He could only hope it would be easier to keep them alive. They were really too impressive to see die in training. A fact he really disliked about Weyrlinghood was the number of dragons lost.

Reaching for his daughters hand he began to walk toward the Weyrleaders. This was the time to congratulate them on a wonderful Hatching and that he would see them at the Feast in the evening.