A Moment In Time (Pelegaoth's Clutch Hatches)

[Xinnai]

Salina was getting caught up in it all as the Eggs began hatching with more fervor, spilling out their precious, multi-hued contents onto the burning sands with few time in between each. It was like watching the process entirely fast-forwarded. From her new view, so different than where she was ever before, she caught flashes and blurrs of motion, could just catch the sounds that men and dragons made.

She shifted on the the hot sands, feeling serenity draw over her once more. It was almost surreal. It wasn't as if she were a Candidate for the Hatching at all. She was just there, watching and applauding as each Impression was made.

And she applauded the most loudly for the one person she really, knew, had really talked to. Jansen. And a bronze! What an odd turn of events. Her smile was wide and excited as her hands flew together and then they were gone, other weyrlings and newly made riders taking their place.

It made her head whirl and she smiled, glancing over at the Egg that so enraptured the other girls clustered about her. That was their goal, their dream, their prize. Only one would be lucky enough to be claimed by the creature contained within. But who? Eyes swept over the host of girls gathered about. One of them was going to be the new junior Weyrwoman of Telgar. It made her shiver excitedly.

She smiled at Genet's hanging questions, her scatter-brained way of talking. She reached out and gave the other girl's hand a brief squeeze, her face alight with her delight and joy for the Hatching, for the sudden bond of unity she felt with the other women.

"Don't worry," she pitched her voice over the sounds of the celebration being made for another Impression being made. It was all going so fast now, blurring together. "They'll be here." She gave Genet's hand another squeeze and was sliding back to her spot as she saw that elusive, dream-bearing Egg twitch. So the beauty inside was getting restless now...

She smiled, attention turning back towards the boys now, noticing a pair being made. A Brown and...was that...Konomar? Salina frowned, brow puckering. She knew the man slightly from about the Weyr and also knew he had a rather volatile temper. And a brown? She clapped, confused, but enthused none the less.

[dragon]

Torad's attention was yet again diverted as he noticed a newly hatched green rushing towards the group of boys. Torad jumped back and landed on one knee and one hand, quickly bolting up at the difference in temperature each place felt. "Ow, ow", he quickly let out the usual response as he shook his hand. However, he stood straight and dusted himself off, as if to gain composure of himself, only to turn his head to notice one of the male candiddates on the ground, with the small bronze he noticed earlier next to him. Once the boy got up and limped away, Torad applauded.

More and more boys were impressing, while he was left on the sands. He couldn't help the creeping thought of wondering if he would leave the sands yet again without impressing. But once again he stopped the thought short to focus on something else. That something else being yet another male who impressed. He recognized him, that was the one who gave such a rude response earlier. He hadn't paid much more attention to him after what little bit he saw and overheard. However, he applauded anyway and shortly afterward put his focus on what eggs remained.

[Invisible]

He had no idea what to expect even having spent the better part of a decade dreaming of this moment. There was no way that dream, those secret and desperate hopes, could hold a candle to the actual occurrence. Konamar had nearly missed the approach of the brown so subtle were his movements. It seemed like there was too much going on to keep track of it all and in a surprising instant there was one ever so simple thing, no, creature demanding his attention. Later it might surprise him how unprepared he was when this was what he had been preparing for his entire life. Later he might be amazed at how unreal it all seemed. How simple a thing, how utterly natural an event, that finally brought Konamar, no, K’mar the conclusion of his life’s quest.

“Volsteath?” he whispered first as if maybe there had been some mistake. Surely a creature as beautiful as this brown would not want him? But, no, there it was. That impression in his mind of another was unmistakably right, perfect. “Volsteath,” he said again, only louder, nearly manic in his joy, almost shouting out this affirmation of his place now in the world. Volsteath, yes, and you can tell me whom we are mad at if only you do so while feeding me. The absence of tears on now brownrider K’mar’s face was due only to the heat of the sands having dried him out. (The wine beforehand certainly was no help to the potential dehydration.) “Of course, yes. I’ll feed you now. As much as you want. I promise.” Dragon and weyrling headed for the meat that would soothe the hunger knotting both their stomachs. K’mar didn’t even wonder if his father had been watching to see his triumph.

[flamewolf]

Sunyu
Sunyu laughed at the answer just as the bronze roared. It was an unmistakeably loud, demanding sound, one that made him jolt and cut off his laughter. He was glad he wasn't near the charging dragonet when he realized that the other candidate was. So he was only slightly caught off-guard when Jhorna bumped into him (again). He stumbled to the side for a few steps before regaining his balance, then started laughing.

"Seems so," he agreed good-naturedly. He was a prankster himself and he knew it had only been an accident. His temper wasn't going to show today. Hopefully. "Though I wouldn't have cared if I had knocked into the Weryleader himself if I saw myself in that bronze's way," he admitted with an amused glanced to the now bonded pair. His gaze flickered over to see the brown, the one that he had somehow missed (quiet little dragonet), with...Konomar! "Good for him!" he said with a smile, glancing to Jhorna with a laugh and gesturing to the man. "He deserved it."

Keldara
So many dragonets hatching! Too much to keep up with. Though she did see- and hear- the bronze and blinked in startled surprise as the dragon injured his own rider! "Shards," she murmured, then saw how close the dragonet had been to her brother. She gave a little sigh, shaking her head, then turned back to Genet with a smile. Before she could say anything, a slight movement of the golden egg seemed to catch everyone's attention for a fleeting, eternal moment. She only glanced over to the Queen egg before turning back to the fighting dragons, the rest of the clutch.

She wasn't worried. The Queen would hatch on her own time and with her own welcoming way. There was other dreams to watch come true. Like Konomar and Volsteath, for instance. That was a perfect example. And hopefully, a dream would come true for Sunyu, too. She just didn't realize that his dream was for her, and not for him. If she had known, she probably wouldn't be standing there. Or maybe she would. Fate worked in its own way. She turned to Genet finally. "Surprisingly I'm not nervous," she responded with a slight smile. She knew that her destiny of impression or not was already set. Unless the Queen didn't know; then, probably not. But she was calm, not at all nervous. If she was, anyways, she was ignoring it fairly well. "And don't worry. Your brother will be here," she assured her with a smile. By the sounds of it, G'tet wouldn't miss it for the world if it included his sister.

It was odd how she viewed this. Normally, if anybody told her that she had no choice in something, she'd fire up and tell them how wrong they really were. But this wasn't something she could change; it was not only including her, but the life of a dragonet too. No other human could tell her that she couldn't be someplace because she was too young, or a girl, or she couldn't join in on an adventure because she wasn't capable of it and get away with saying it. Shards, she might even go just to prove them wrong. But this was something that she held respect for, and she wasn't about to doubt the choice of a dragon. Hatchling or not.

[Invisible]

“But he’s not here yet!” Genet said with a frown as she scanned the stands again. “I don’t understand. If he were here surely he would have let me know somehow? He promised to save us seats if we got out early.” A glance at the egg that had just now made a single move brought out a sigh. “Although she doesn’t seem inclined to let us go early, does she?” Another look at the egg before she gave Salina a smile. “I hate waiting. That’s all it is mostly. I think she’s just doing it to show who the boss is.” Shaking her head she scanned the stands again before looking at Keldara.

“He’s got to be here. But I don’t see him and I couldn’t see Kalpeth with the others. She’s easy to spot.” For all that she seemed to divide her time between searching for G’tet and watching the gold egg she still managed to see what went on with those other eggs. “Oh! Did you see! That was that Caminar boy! That means G’tet’s candidates impressed. Both of them! Oh! I hope he saw that. Way to go Kalpeth! And did you see grumpy ole Konamar impressed? Hopefully that makes him a little nicer for whichever of us gets to go through weyrlinghood with him. Come on! Hatch already!” As if the queen inside her egg would listen to the hazel-eyed girl who couldn’t even award that egg all her attention.

[Tabula Rasa]

A blue barreled his way out of an egg next, and his deep chest and sturdy form were a contrast to the sleeker shapes of both his dam and sire. He took only a moment to gain his footing before, with a determined growl, he marched his way across the sands and toward the boys. He seemed to know just who he was after, but as he'd hatched a bit away from the cluster of candidates, it was difficult to determine just who it might be. Up in the stands, several clusters of eager betters were already laying out predictions and pooling marks.

A very small egg was having a very hard time breaking open, shaking back and forth in its sandy cradle. A particularly hard shake sent it crunching up against its neighbor, breaking the larger shell into a shower of shards. A chunky little brown tumbled out and, after a blinking and creeling moment, stumbled forth to impress a boy from Crom.

The rich and dainty green paused before several boys, but none seemed to meet whatever exacting standards she held. It wasn't until she came to a boy near Sunyu whose feet seemed particularly affected by the scalding sands that she made her choice. Her voice was delicate, and the smell of fine perfume came with it. Jh'na, don't fidget so. Your Mirabeth has found you, and we can go somewhere more comfortable, now. For a moment, the fair green's tummy unleashed a quite unfeminine gurgle. More comfortabe for us both.

[rigantona]

Katashi watched the spectacle with more interest than usual for him. Everything was moving so fast, and it was exciting. He even relished the danger of dragonets rushing at them, knocking some boys down. Surely he was graceful enough to avoid such a collision! There had been many greens so far, which was no surprise, as well as a few blues and browns and a single bronze. The bronze charged at the candidates, trying desperately to draw attention to himself before injuring his own rider in the process. He chuckled at the irony. Now, hopefully his own dragon, if it was here, would have the sense not to do that.

The Gold egg gave a teasing little rock, and he grinned. He bet the little queen was taunting the candidates on purpose. He had almost forgotten about the girls, and now he glanced over at them. A couple seemed really distressed. It must be really unpleasant for them, he reflected, having to stress out about the Gold egg while everyone else Impressed around them. Ah, well. Good thing he wasn't born a girl.

[hockey]

It was difficult to keep up with everything going on around her. There was so much going on, and actually being on the sands was such a bad location if one actually wanted to see anything. Kersha wanted to see things, and was becoming frustrated, only catching about half of what was going on, if that. Oh, she could hear just about everything, but she would much prefer actually getting to see what was happening. Watching a few new weyrling pairs walk off to eat, she realized that she did not really know anyone else on the sands. If A'jun knew that, he would probably push her into more forced socialization. She admitted that she probably needed it, but that fact did not make her any happier about it. In the last six months she had changed so much, and the rider had allowed her to keep to herself for a while. However, in his view her isolation had gone on too long. Kersha did not think it had gone on long enough.

She might have been thinking those things at any other time, but just then, nothing held her attention more than the dragons on the sands, none more than one that had not yet hatched. Even as she strained to keep track of whatever else was going on around her, Kersha always kept the Gold egg in view. Her eyes snapped to the large egg that all of the females were gathered around. Had it just moved? She was fairly certain that it had, but even if it had, it did not move again. She almost felt that the creature inside was toying with them. At the thought, the corner of Kersha's mouth twitched up, only for a moment, but it was there and it was genuine.

After a moment of intent staring, she turned her gaze to the other girls. They seemed about as relaxed as she felt, she inferred from the looks on some of their faces or the way they spoke. One girl seemed to be rambling, which many people did when they were nervous or anxious. It was kind of amusing to listen to. "I do wish she would hatch. It's blistering hot in here." Her tone was brighter than it had been lately, and she even managed a small smile at the others, though it did look a bit queasy.

[Xinnai]

Salina's unease seemed to rapidly be disappearing as she easily slipped into the role she'd assumed many turns before. They'd been right when they called her little mother. It was exactly what she acted like as she moved forward by Genet's side, taking her hand again and squeezing it. For a moment, light glinted off a delicate gold braided ring she wore before she was comforting the other girl once more, seemingly forgetting about all the activity going on around them.

"He'll be here. Maybe he is and you can't see him?" Salina shrugged, all common sense and soft assurances. "Yes." She slated a look over at the Egg, laughing softly to herself. "She does seem intent upon keeping us in suspense, doesn't she? Oh," she said, in reference to the candidate, now weyrling, that the other girl mentioned. "Jansen? Yes. And a bronze. How perfectly odd and right." She shook her head, laughing again. And how could she have forgotten? Her friend Ez had Impressed too. Blue. Well, she really was getting lost, now wasn't she?

She glanced over at the boys as she heard a shout go up. They were so far away...And yet so close. She smiled, clapping enthusiastically as she saw a brown, then green impress while a sturdy little blue seemed to consider his options. Her lips curled into a delighted smile. A Hatching never failed to make her happy, even this one, one where so many hopes and oppurtunities lay, made by those who surrounded her. And she couldn't help but wonder who, just who would by the lucky girl who was able to proudly proclaim herself as junior Weyrwoman of Telgar Weyr.

[Omnia Munda]

J'fel crossed a hand across himself and laid his fingers across his weyrwoman's. His face lifted toward her - he was shorter than she, a fact never more highlighted than now as they stood dwarfed by their dragons but otherwise exposed in the vastness of the hatching cavern - and he looked upon the calmness of her countenance in profile for a time. It seemed to soothe him, and after a moment he squeezed her hand, then let it go.

The young weyrleader was tipping his head toward Aderes to share some murmured secret, lifting his hand now to point at the girls circled 'round the buried queen egg, when whatever he'd been saying and his gesture were both rudely interrupted by the loud bursting of another egg closer to the line of white-dressed boys. Shell-shards flew like shrapnel as the echo of the shell's breaking resounded up through the cavern's highest reaches, rattling off the stone walls and pausing for a moment even the insistent hum of the dragons' hatching song. The crowd was quieted for a moment to stare, but then voices stirred anew in wonder as a thin, whippy brown slunk forth on outsized paws, his sooty snout swinging this way and that as whirling eyes investigated the morsels in white gathered for his perusal.

Those morsels, anyway, that weren't scrambling to get out of the way of the solidly built blue that was barreling his way still toward the object of his affections. Where are you, he asked of that one young man who'd be his rider, found but yet unfound, and this touch was an impact quite likely to bring the young man right back to the hand and knee he'd just been down upon. But even in asking that question, where, he seemed to know the way and an inevitable moment later he was bent before Torad with his handsome head raised, large eyes a demanding and soul-absorbing whirl of stomach-wrenching hunger. You are not leaving alone, T'rad, the powerfully built little beast informed the new weyrling. Not without Paleoth.

[Selvagem]

(OOC> Could A'jun please respond to C'cao when ready? Thanks.)


Horatio, Jh'na and Thordis
Horatio scrambled back onto his feet as a blue hatched and a brown after that. Everything was moving so quickly that it was all fast becoming a blur, and he was just another uncertain moment trying to find his place in the midst of it. The boy with the dark blond hair paused to orient himself as the brown Impressed to someone from Crom, and then started back towards a cluster of candidates that included a curly-haired boy fidgeting against the heat on the Sands. He was perhaps half-way there when he saw the dainty small green step up to Jhorna.

He saw his friend look up, froze in mid-step as he spotted the stunned expression on the boy's face. The green lowered her head towards him, and the blank look on Jhorna's features became incredulity, and then a grin of sheer amazement. Realizing what had happened, Horatio backed a step, blinking, and slowly began to make his way toward another group of boys. Wistfulness echoed in his dark gray eyes as he nodded, once, a farewell on the friend he had once known - nothing, he knew, would ever be the same again after this.

Turning back to the fast-hatching dragonets, Horatio took a breath, and made up his mind. He would embrace his future, whatever it held, and do so whether or not a dragonet was going to be part of it. He was here already, anyhow - he could do no less than face it ll bravely.

Jhorna, now Jh'na, was too stunned to notice anything else around him. He reached a hand to stroke the crooning green's head gently, his grin wide and silly and wild ecstatic all at once. His dragonet was gentle and soft and beautiful all at once, and even the sound of her mindvoice was so aristocratic that he could not help but marvel. He was honoured that such a lovely creature might have chosen him. He recalled her request just as her belly rumbled agan, and nodded earnestly.

Of course, of course, come.

Jh'na turned and began to lead the way back towards the Weyrlings' area, following the rest of the newly-Impressed weyrlings. Mirabeth followed behind him with small, dainty steps, and he took care naturally not to walk faster than she would follow. The candidates still on the Sands made way for them, some casting envious glances at the elegant proportions of the green, and Jh'na revelled in the sense of respect they accorded a rider, even if only a greenrider.

Why should they not do so? Mirabeth's tone was questioning, Are we not worth such?

Of course, Jh'na smiled back at his lady, You are right again, m'dear.

I know.

Thordis, for his part, had managed to regain the relative safety of a cluster of three candidates standing towards one side of the still-intact eggs, and was watching the proceedings with keen and awe-struck eyes. It was his first Hatching, and he knew that even if he didn't Impress and Stood for ten more he'll never forget this day: his first time on the Sands.

And especially so since his double layer of clothes was truly giving him agony by now. He pulled at his collar irritably, wishing he could shed the robes, but not daring to dishonour the Sands by doing so. The blast-like hatching of yet another egg drew his attention, and he watched in amazement as the brown almost blew his egg apart. Well, that had certainly been explosive. There was a commotion nearby as candidates scrambled to make way for the blue seeking his lifemate, but Thordis's eyes were on the brown, wondering at the stalk-thin shape of him. Remarkable, indeed, that such a willowy creature could have effected an entrance as he had.

But then, dragons were remarkable creatures by nature.

[Invisible]

“I’m not a child,” Genet snapped to Salina. Really, one touch had been quite enough for the hazel-eyed girl and she drew away from the other. “G’tet is my twin. I would be able to see him. We always knew when the other was around.” Super secret mystical twin powers activate! Or at least be exaggerated with an irritated huff of air as she moved another step away from Salina. “Save your babying for someone who needs it.” Being the baby of the family had long since left Genet devoid of desire to be coddled. With a final annoyed look at Salina she eyed that gold egg again.

When done eyeing the egg she turned to Kersha who was finally speaking. “Here I thought the sand had gotten your senses and your voice,” she said with a merry tease.”I’m Genet. If you don’t remember. I know I’ve surely seen you about and all. Still, that’s me. And my brother is supposed to be watching but I don’t see him at all. Hey! Speaking of which. Has anyone seen Selvagem? Do you think she got scared? You don’t think she’s hurt do you?” Now she had one MORE thing to focus on beside the heat and the still unhatched queen. Because, let’s be honest, the egg was rather boring at this point. It was all she could do not to want to shake it or something to make something happen. Instead she focused on the other candidates. And still looking for G’tet or Kalpeth as well as watch the other impressions.

[flamewolf]

Sunyu
His conversation was ended suddenly as a green dragonet walked calmly up to Jhorna and BAM! Instant oblivion on the weyrling's part. It was a quick transition but immediate and permanent. He fell silent, biting back his comment, then stepped back politely. He couldn't imagine how different it must feel, but his gaze returned to the clutch fairly quickly afterwards. After all, there was so much to see, and he didn't want to miss too many impressions. The dragonets were oh-so intriguing and seemed to tug at your attention and your concentration.

He glanced sideways towards the girls and could barely see his half-sister among a small group of them. The Queen still hadn't freed herself from the egg and it made a smile tug at his lips. The girls must be going batty over there, seeing everyone else impressing. Too much was going on for him to worry (except for the odd dragons that charged at him maniacally), so he was fairly calm at the moment. Unless he remained still for too long, which he'd just done, and know he was hopping on either foot while wincing because of the heat. Whoops.

Keldara
Kel let Genet ramble with a smile. They were twins, she had a right to freak out. Not to mention that it was nerve racking with that Queen taunting them inside her egg. Though it wasn't really bothering her all that much, because there was too many other things going on for her to totally focus on the egg. Her gaze swiveled over to the new girl and she smiled. "Hey," she said to Kersha. "I'm Keldara." The other girl looked familiar, but she hadn't spoken to her before. Not that that really surprised her.

She glanced around to see quite a lot of them together, mainly around Genet who was much more talkative at the moment. She didn't mind being quiet, however, since she didn't know many of them well. Her gaze lingered on them before traveling out to the main clutch. There wasn't enough excitement in the Queen egg's area to attract her attention and keep it there. A pity, really, for she didn't mind looking at the still queen egg, but...

[dragonmage]

Several of the eggs hatched and still the Queen egg lay silent, but it had rocked a little, so it wasn't dead. None of the dragonets even glanced at Nocia, and her heart burned with jealousy for the riders of the new greens, even though she should have and indeed did expect this result of being ignored, it wasn't any easier to bear for all of that. Come on, she willed the Queen egg, just get on with it before we all fry our feet standing here.

Really, was it just her mind thinking up crazy things, or did the queenling seem to be deliberately dragging her hatching out. Nocia's eyes dropped towards the sand and tears sizzled softly on contact with the burning substance. What would a queen see in her, anyway? She was in no way that she could imagine worthy of the golden-hided dragon and the rank that came with her, but what did it matter? Tears streaked her face, but she forced her dragging eyes to the golden egg.

[Omnia Munda]

Unconcerned, Pelegaoth turned her head just so, and from the galleries it seemed the senior queen gazed down upon her somnolent golden offspring; for this seeming expression of maternal caring came a variety of oohs and ahs from the folk gathered to witness the making of Telgar's newest weyrlings - and weyrwoman. But under such scrutiny, whether it be that of the queen mother or that of the eyes of the candidates who surrounded it, the golden egg seemed unwilling to move again. It lay still in its shroud of sand while its siblings went on hatching and hatching.

From the shards of one of the smaller eggs stepped a light and freckled green, gooey with egg slime and treading carefully around the sharp bits of broken shell. She lifted her head high, nostrils quivering, as bright eyes observed the cluster of eager, white-clad boys. Some crept closer to her. Others, noting her color, inched a pace or two backwards. It was one of these, a wary and anxious young man who looked hardly more than fifteen, that she picked. Her steps were steady for one so young, and the boy started moving towards her, despite his prior hesitation, when she'd only gotten halfway to him. "Oh, Ptolemeth," R'sen sighed, his mouth quirked into a helpless smile. "I know. I'm sorry. Let's get you fed."

Another small egg had cracked open, too, and from it came forth a hatchling branded with bands of blue, dark to light and back again. He pranced several steps away from his egg as though its cloying shards and goo disturbed his frosty paws, then turned slowly in place to get the best view of what waited for him. He even gave slow consideration to the little cluster of girls circled 'round his sister egg, but in time tilted his long, sleek headknobs back toward the young men as though he listened to them, to their hearts beating and their lungs breathing.

The slinky brown was not interested in taking so much time as the banded blue. He'd made his choice already and all that remained was to inform the fellow who'd receive him. S'yu, he hissed in a voice full of hunger and need, slinking not to but a little bit past the honey-blond so that he could curl his body serpentine against the young man's legs. Here you are, crackled the sooty and slender hatchling. I am Wujinth. I think you had better feed us now.