Hatching of Clutch 9
When the dragons around the Weyr began keening, the people of the Weyr knew it was time for the hatching. Dragonriders flew the spectators in, both the candidates' families and the others who would watch. The white-garbed candidates were led in, and they stood in a semi-circle around the Sands, trying to ignore the tremendous heat. The dragonriders and spectators had barely settled down when the first two eggs began rocking. One in particular rocked with a violent motion, and soon cracked, splitting into several shards. From the wreckage of her shell stepped a green hatchling. This green was a darling little beauty, and she seemed to be troubled with indescion. She eagerly trotted up to the cluster of female candidates, but when she reached them she looked first at Ayla, then at Carigana, then at Lynia, as though she couldn't make up her mind. When her emerald green mother pushed her, none too gently, closer towards the girls, she made up her mind. Ayla knelt in the hot sand, and obediently scratched the eye-ridges of her new dragon, crying "Oh, you're so beautiful, Aldath!" As Aldath and Ayla were walking off the Hatching Grounds, the other, larger, egg that had been rocking cracked open down the center, and two shell halves fell away to reveal -- a white! As the white extracted herself from the two broken pieces, another dragon head peeked into view. It was another white, and from the same egg as the first white! Green Dasheth looked extremely smug, in that way that only a dragon can, and the female candidates arranged themselves in a group closer to the two little whites. Both hatchlings seemed to want to stay together; they put their heads together and seemed to be whispering about which candidate to pick, while the girls looked excited and nervous. Finally, the larger hatchling, the one who had hatched first, stepped up to one girl, crooning piteously. The lucky girl hugged her dragon tightly, whispering something to her. Lynia, who had her blue firelizard Amar on her shoulder, leaned down and said "What's her name?" Ryana smiled up at the other candidates. "Her name is Etlanith." The other white was still going over her choices for rider, and seemed no nearer to choosing when another egg hatched. Out of this egg stepped a handsome little blue. The blue knew at once which candidate he would pick, and nearly flew to his chosen rider. Kiylor closed the distance between them, rubbing the blue's eye-ridges, and calling "Couloth, don't worry, you'll get fed!" Kiylor and Ryana led out their dragons, and Couloth's haste in choosing a rider seemed to inspire the little white. As a few more eggs began to crack, the white crooned upward at Carigana. The girl smiled as she knelt to embrace the hatchling. "Don't worry, Mandyth, I love you just as much as if you'd chosen me immedietly." Mandyth and Carigana were following the previous two dragon-rider pairs off the Sands when three more eggs began to crack, all at once. Finally, an egg split, and a blue stepped forward. The blue didn't seem indescive, just wary, and investigated each and every candidate before returning to Aladam, who hugged the blue before beginning to lead him off the Grounds and saying to him "Oh, don't worry Shawath, there's plenty of food; after all, I helped make it!" There was another lull after Shawath and A'dam left, and the candidates rearranged themselves around the remaining eggs. All of a sudden, Dasheth's right wing, which she had folded oddly over a hump in the hot sand, began to stir. She pulled it away to reveal that the lump of sand was moving too. Everyone watched closely, wondering what this moving mound of sand was. Then, out of the sand, burst a dragon hatchling! And if this wasn't surprising enough, the hatchling was gold! Dasheth looked ineffably smug, even more than when the twin whites had hatched. The little queen smiled proudly at all the eyes on her, and strutted towards the candidates. With a backward glance at her green mother, she looked into the eyes of one of the female candidates remaining on the Hatching Grounds. She knew right away that this was the one she wanted for her rider. Gaylvi laughed happily, embracing her queen. The tiny gold submitted to the hug, but as it grew tighter, she apparently thought it had gone on long enough, and nudged her rider towards the exit. Gaylvi agreed to this, leading the way off the Sands, saying "Even a hungry bronze couldn't eat all of the food that's been prepared, Nemsiath." There was an aura of disappointment hanging over the last female candidate's head, which was quickly lost in the flurry of excitement as three more eggs broke open. One of the hatchlings was a bronze, one a brown, and the last, a green. The green was not possessed with the indescion that Aldath had, and after looking over her choices, promptly trotted towards the girl with the blue flit. Lynia laughed happily as she hugged the green dragon, saying "When you're all grown up, you can take Amar flying, can't you Saivith!" After this Impression, there was hardly time for the watching crowd to shift their gaze towards the brown and the bronze, who had both chosen their riders already, with uncommon haste. The brown creeled up at his chosen rider, and Zaylin scratched his dragon's eye-ridges, saying "I'd rather have you than any of the dragons I might have gotten at the other Hatchings, Takadath!" Relon was already leaving the Sands, with his bronze pushing him. "Hey, slow down Mellorth! There's plenty of food waiting for you." After Lynia and Zaylin left also, taking their hatchlings towards the scent of meat, there was a moment before the next dragon hatched. A few moments of thrilled anticipation followed the queen's exit, and the crowd of viewers (not to mention the two candidates left) were fairly certain that both Gildas and Osimrik would Impress; the question was, what colours and what would the names be? When both of the last two eggs split open at the same time, revealing a bronze and a brown, Gildas and Osimrik stepped forward to greet the little dragons. They both went for the bronze, but the hatchling knew who he wanted, and, pushing past Gildas, practically attacked Osimrik. Osimrik smiled, and laughed. "Hey, don't hurt me Treduth!" The brown had been about to go for Osimrik, but when the bronze chose him first, the brown turned disappointedly to Gildas. However, once the Impression occured, neither party was unhappy with the pairing. "Don't worry, Lofith, I won't dye your hide green!" the new rider said. This remark caused a laugh from the viewers who knew about Gildas' little 'jokes.' When the dragons (and their new riders) were enjoying a hearty meal, the crowd of spectators left for their own feast. Weyrwoman's note: All the candidates submitted for this clutch were exceptionally good. Although there were only 9 eggs, I wanted all 11 of them to impress.
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