A Moment In Time (Pelegaoth's Clutch Hatches)

[Invisible]

By the time the queen hatched Genet was tired of the whole thing. If she had known it would be this boring she might never have agreed to stand. Never again she promised herself as she watched the other girls a moment before looking at the queen. Once the egg hatched all thoughts of dancing had fled because, really, it would look like she was trying to force the gold creature to notice her. And I don’t need such foolery.

So long as she doesn’t pick Vera she told herself as she watched the queen finally move. And when she did there was really no surprise it was not to her. Genet knew what type of girl she was and the sort to be bored to tears helping run a Weyr she was not. Salina’s impression caused a bit of a mental start however. Really? she thought. Her? How dull. I guess the new queen thinks the old one needs babying? Ugh. There go my chances for working for her though. I’d sooner eat my foot than deal with that sickly sweetness all day. She makes my teeth hurt.

Looking over at the other girls left standing alone she asked, “Do you think we can finally go? I feel like I could drink a lake. And I want a bath before I look for G’tet. Ugh. It’s like working all night in the laundry and going right to the fields in the middle of summer to work.” Genet, at least, was unbothered by the way things worked out. So long as she could get a drink soon.

[Xinnai]

Time literally did stop for her, suspended immobile as each breath seemed to sear in lungs. The nerves, the fear of being passed over, hung in the back of Salina's mind, dull and unfocused as all life seemed to pause within the cavern. There was no noise, there was no movement. Only the queen there before her.

She didn't notice the crack of the newest egg hatching, couldn't even stir the faintest interest within the occupant and whom the dragonet would call their own. She could only watch, still slightly awe-struck as the little gold took to her feet, not even bothering to shake her wings free of the muck that still coated them. It didn't matter. She struck a regal figure nonetheless.

That hope was still there, burning like fire within her. Now it had been allowed to feed, it stayed there, crackling and spitting out little sparks as she watched the dragon watch them. She didn't move, except for whirling red eyes, looking demonic within her shining head, but th creature could never possibly be compared to any sort of demon. She was perfect and beautiful in every way.

She felt those eyes lock on to her and had to close her eyes, her breathing staggering. It tore into a soft gasp, jagged with tears, as she felt a voice brush against her mind, like metal being drawn, but still so lovely.

I have, Salina. Come. I must eat, and then there is so very much to do. I am Deoneth. This is only the beginning.

She inhaled, trying to keep her composure, as she felt something touch her hands. Eye opened slowly to see the queen resting golden snout open her hands and those whirling eyes fixed upon hers, filling her vision, all she could see.

Salina's smile bloomed, radiant, across her face as she bent to kneel in the sand, eyes hooked to Deoneth's as the roar of celebration surged, unheard, around her. She wiped some of the muck from the little gold in her arms.

Yes, it is only the beginning, isn't it? We'll get you fed and cleaned and then we'll start. How does that sound?
That is fine. Let's hurry. I am so very hungry.[/i]

"Of course." Salina stood, and with the sturdy Deoneth beside her, she began her walk across the sands to where the next life began.

[Selvagem]

(OOC> No prob Hockey BTW, would you like to start a seperate thread between C'cao and A'jun when I get back from vacation? And...I'll post for H'tio when I've gotten certain details )


C'cao
An explosion of shock and fear left C'cao stunned and staring from where he had fallen in an untidy heap beside A'jun. It was a few seconds before he realized that most of the shock and all of the fear was not his, but Opheriath's. The green dragon had, in fact, already launched herself from her ledge and was now drifting towards his position in the Stands, her eyes whirling an alarmed shade of orange. He started to get up, reaching quickly for her mind above the waves of worry still hitting him like hammershocks.

I'm fine Ria, I'm fine, please don't worry...

"Shards, are you alright?"

A strong hand on his arm was helping him regain his feet. Torn back into his own body, C'cao stared blankly at the bluerider a moment, and then tried to smle reassuringly.

"Sorry about that. I suppose we're all a little preoccupied at the moment, aren't we?"

C'cao chuckled with him, "Yes indeed, I'm sorry about that, I was...preoccupied," he turned as his dragon alighted beside him, and reached out gently to stroke the green muzzle thrusting into his chest, examining him for injuries. She made no sound at all, a fact that may have seemed strange to another rider, but was perfectly normal to C'cao. At any rate, the sense of her concern for her rider was so strong that several nearby spectators were beginning to wonder why they were feeling worried for no apparent reason. The greenrider rubbed her headknobs and sighed, "Really I'm fine, Ria, please, relax."

The greenrider turned back to A'jun, an apologetic smile tracing his lips, "Is your foot alright? I think I owe you a klah for walking into you that way."

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

Thordis
The Queen Egg had hatched. Thordis caught his breath, staring across the Sands with the small cluster of spell-bound candidates around him, watching as the gold Hatchling approached the line of girls. His light gray eyes, usually so expressionless, were dancing: it was not the first time he had seen a Gold Impression, but it was once again the first time he had ever been so near to one in his young life. In his attention he missed the Impression of a singing brown to a candidate near him. Missed, even the hatching of a magnificent bronze that began at once to stalk the Sands.

Then the gold dragonet made her choice, and Thordis cheered with the rest of the Stands. It was only then that he came back into himself with a jolt: the bronze dragonet had wandered into his field of vision, and he remembered where he was and what he was doing. The Hatching was nearly over, but there were still unpaired dragonets around - any one of them could have mauled him while he stood and stared. Perhaps he was being paranoid...but then he was a Weyr-child, and he had once watched in horrer as a bronze dragonet gutted a candidate as neatly as Thoris could gut fish. Cursing his inattentiveness, he glanced around quickly, assessing his position and ready to run or dodge if a dragonet should come barrelling at him. Though he wondered, quite honestly, if even talons could have gotten through his heavy and stifling twin layers of clothing.

[Tabula Rasa]

As though their golden sister's impression inspired them, those eggs that had not hatched split, crumbled and shattered. From them spilled hatchlings of varied colors, a bevy of smaller dragons fanning out behind the prowling bronze. They each found their partners before their larger brother did, taking the boys who'd stepped forward to offer themselves to the powerful beast and were found less than fit for his need.

The wide-chested bronze abruptly spread his soot-traced wings, causing more young men who'd come forward in hopefulness to go leaping out of the way of his burly spars. He lowered his head, eyes swirling slow but with great hunger, and slowed his march even more. It was apparent now that he'd found his rider; the thrust of his wings had served to split off from his chosen one the two boys that he'd been clustered with. There was no safety for the little lad now.

Th'dis. Brutally the beast broke down the boy's name and reformed it to his liking. Heavy-handed as he seemed he was not without feeling, however, and as he butted his head toward the lad's hand he explained, Guiyath must eat, Th'dis. The hunger hurts.[/i]

He was the last of the hatchlings to impress and a roar went up from the galleries to rival the cheers that had met the making of Telgar's latest weyrwoman.

[Selvagem]

H'tio
Horatio did not bother to find a group to cluster with. More bodies only added to the already stifling heat of the Sands and he rather preferred to have space to dodge if anything might happen. It made it easier to think too. The rising hum and buzz from both the crowd and the dragons made him glance around: all at once he saw what had made them raise their voices: there was a gold dragonet on the Sands, still moving amidst the shell bits of her egg and creeling softly. For a moment all was silent to Horatio, staring in wonder at the gold dragonet, and then a voice rose above the thrum into his mind.

I feel such a pang in my - stomach, I shall call this thing in my belly.

The gray-eyed boy turned to see who was speaking to him: all he saw was the brown dragonet that had hatched earlier, sitting on its haunches and watching him, and...singing.

It's painful, yes, like being stabbed from the inside out; in fact I feel I might simply collapse upon myself, I am so empty. I am hungry, H'tio, truly.

The boy realized that his mouth had dropped open and his shoulders were slack with his stunned staring. He gulped his jaw shut and stared some more as the dragonet ended his humming as if a song had just ended in his mind, and came up to him with firm strides.

I should clarify. My name is Runimeth. There; we are properly introduced. Perhaps now we might dine?

His newly found lifemate gulped again, tried to find words, and realized he no longer thought of himself as Horatio, but H'tio. The shortness of the name made him grasp at it a moment, and Runimeth bent his snout to bump him lightly.

H'tio my chosen, I begin to feel light, I am so empty. Perhaps we might sup before we consider any more of this naming issue?

Ye..yes, sure, H'tio smiled, stroking the light beige muzzle, This way.

The dragonet inclined his head gracefully, After you.

A cheer rose as the gold dragonet Impressed, and the pair naturally turned to look. Then, as the sound died away, H'tio tapped his new dragonet lightly on the wing and began to lead the way to the feeding areas, bemusement still colouring his features.

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

Th'dis
The rest of the clutch was hatching rapidly, and Thordis felt his breath go still a moment as he watched all the eggs erupt at nearly the same time. That had to be the fastest rate of mass hatching he had ever seen, even faster than it had been earlier.

The sudden explosion of so many dragonets only served to put the boy more on his guard. He dodged and jumped back, or stepped quickly aside as neccessary, trying to present himself to a dragonet whenever possible while still allowing space to avoid a mauling. Most of the boys, especially the older or bolder ones, were trying to get the attention of the bronze. The result was that Thordis soon found himself being pushed and jostled as candidates flooded back and forth. He tried to stay out of the way, certain he would not catch the eye of such an impressive beast, and uncertain on whether attempting to was worth the risk of being attacked.

Thus it was that he eventually found himself on the outskirts of the main group again, clustered with two other candidates, and no dragonets left except the lone bronze still prowling the Sands. The flurry of activity had done little for Thordis's mood, trapped as he was in two layers of clothes and positively sweltering from everything. He felt his temper begin to fray, which surprised him - that hadn't happened in a long while. He chaffed his feet and wished the bronze would hurry an choose and let him get out of his robe...

The big bronze passed nearby, and the two candidates standing beside him surged forward eagerly. But a snap of wingsails sent them jumping aside, startled as wherries. And Thordis, stunned at his sudden isolation, stumbled back before the blunt strength that drove straight into his mind. He groped feebly an instant, feeling the heavy weight of something he could not identify settling like a thick blanket into his senses, his thoughts...

Th'dis.

He blinked. The bronze had spoken. He stumbled back again at the unfamiliar feel of his name in his mind: somehow the dragon had taken it and remade it altogether. But the implication of that failed to sink in still, until the dragonet butted his hand.

Guiyath must eat, Th'dis. The hunger hurts.

The newly named Th'dis blinked once, and reached out his butted hand to run stunned fingers lightly along his dragonet's eye ridges as the crowd erupted into applause. But the roar was lost to him in the wonder of the moment. He tried to smile, tried to be strong for his new dragonet's sake, and failed as everything was swept up in an overpowering sense of awe. The dragonet bumped his hand again, more insistently this time.
Th'dis, you must feed me.

The words were more command than request. Th'dis felt his smile widen. He drew back his fingertips, nodded lightly and businesslike to the heavy-set bronze.

Yes, I'm sorry, I understand. Come.

Together the two began the walk back towards the feeding areas, moving side by side like equals, rather than weyrling and dragonet.

[Omnia Munda]

In Pelegaoth's graceful shadow J'fel impulsively embraced Aderes, an act which inspired another wave of commentary - some sweet, some derisive - from the galleries. The weyrwoman gently stepped back from her weyrleader and spoke quietly to him, and then J'fel turned to address the galleries, walking across the cavern to the foot of the stands with arms out and hands up in supplication for the crowd's attention.

"Please join the people of Telgar Weyr in celebrating our newest weyrlings with us. Tonight we'll feast in the main caverns." Another weyrleader - a man like S'lyn, for example - would have more to say, formal words about the hope of the weyr and the defense of Pern, tradition and old ways kept wise - but J'fel just beamed up at his people and cried, "See you there!"

Meanwhile Aderes was addressing quietly the girls who'd stood for the queen egg and not impressed its contents. Having said his piece to the crowd and saluted them, J'fel turned to similarly address the boys that remained, instructing them on returning to the candidate quarters to change and inviting them to the feast where they'd be honored for their service to the Weyr and its clutch.

It was done at last. People began to file out of the gallery seats toward the bowl and the caverns beyond.