The Hatching: Two Perspectives

Rill

The buzz and thrum of the hatching sands, as well as the sticky heat that filled the air, fluttered through Rill's mind like an annoying gnat. Though already hot, she clung to Ra'al desperately and refused to let go. All around her, people were watching and waiting for the moment when the shivering, jumping eggs would hatch and the dragonets inside would choose their bonds.

Normally, Rill would be fine in a situation where every eye was on her. At the moment, when she knew that she would only be noticed if she Impressed, she was shaking with nervousness!

Yet as she stood there beside her best friend, Rill realized that everyone else was as nervous as herself. Something about that fact calmed her enough to stop shaking and loosen her death grip on Ra'al's arm a bit. She even dared a quick glance into the crowds, taking note of the many unknown riders and the one, red robed figure that she knew to be Mystic. For a moment, Rill pondered whether or not to wave to Mystic. Her thoughts were cut short as the first egg snapped all attention to itself.

Gasps ran through the crowd at the sight of the green and blue wingless dragon. Rill was more amazed by the luminescent, green glow that surrounded its small frame. The creature was so tiny and curious that Rill squealed with delight.

"Oooh!" She purred, nudging Ra'al to make sure her attention was on the same dragonet. "He's so pretty! I hope they're all like that."

Ra'al nodded briefly before returning her flustered attention to the next hatching eggs. Rill continued to watch the glowing, two-tailed, wingless dragon and his bond until they had exited the sands. Then, the Lironess' attention was dragged back to the sands by the hatching of the third egg. She had missed the second.

"Look at that!"

"It has two heads!" Surprised and confused voices whispered urgently to their neighbours. Rill stared in wonderment, watching the hatching of this beautiful, two headed dragoness.

The hatchling pushed herself from the remainder of her shell and flapped her small, wet wings in the open air. She glowed as the others did, accented by patches of blue and gold that caressed her sleek hide. Two stubby horns protruded from each head and her tail spades ended with another set of tines and sails, sky blue like her wings.

She waited until she was sufficiently dry before picking up her twin tails and prancing elegantly over the sands. Both heads bobbed with the motions of her feet, not yet as agile as she would become.

Before she could stop herself, the little dragoness plowed into another egg, a dead egg. Gasps and groans came from the crowd again. Even Rill whimpered and closed her eyes to the sight of the lifeless corpse that spilled to the ground. Yet the live dragonet continued on her way without a second glance to her dead sibling.

Her prancing steps carried her all the way to the candidates and ended at Rill's feet. Four sets of shimmering blue eyes focussed on the Lironess and a soft coo thrummed in the hatchling's throat.

::Hello Rill. My name is Katzeth.:: The delicate, sweet tones that swept through Rill's mind caused her to gasp in amazement. Slowly, she knelt to embrace her new bond, enchanted by the feeling of another mind in her own.

"Her name's Katzeth!" The tan Lironess shouted to the stands as she lifted Katzeth in her arms. She giggled as her bond cooed and brushed two cheeks against her own. Together, they turned and walked from the sands.

Rill navigated the tunnels of Firestone Weyr as she had been shown in candidate class, heading straight for the feeding area. Katzeth purred in her arms, two tails swishing in front of her belly like off beat pendulums.

::This is going to be great! I knew you were the one for me!:: The green-gold-blue dragonet bubbled energetically in Rill's mind. The Lironess giggled and nodded her agreement.

"We're perfect for each other! And then when Ra'al Impresses, you'll have another friend to play with!" Both rider and dragon giggled excitedly at the thought of fun times to come. Rill hugged Katzeth tighter and Katzeth surrounded her bond's neck with both of her own.

::I wonder if me and the other dragon will be just like you and Ra'al.::

"Of course!" Rill purred, her green eyes finding all four of Katzeth's whirling blue facetted ones. Katzeth purred again, a low rumble in her young throat as she rubbed one cheek against Rill's. Her attention was quickly drawn away from the sentimental moment as a new and inviting smell wafted up her nostrils.

::Food!:: The dragonet exclaimed, two heads turning sharply to see the paradise of meat bowls set out for the hatchlings. She squirmed in Rill's arms as her bond laughed and picked out a place where they would have some privacy while still being able to watch the door. She wanted to see Ra'al as soon as her friend had Impressed.

"Here's a good spot." Rill commented cheerily, setting the eager dragonet down beside a food bowl while she pulled another one closer for Ra'al's bond. Finished with her rearrangements, Rill sat down beside Katzeth to watch her eat.

She didn't wait very long before the hungry hatchling had gobbled up her meal and sat contentedly back on her haunches. An unexpected burp escaped Katzeth's mouth, causing Rill to giggle with laughter. Katzeth brushed off her body's rude noise and curled up in her bond's lap for a little rest after a good meal. She rested her heads on Rill's softly furred legs and watched her twin tails settle on the ground before her.

::Do you think I'll be able to fly with these?:: The odd question came with a motion of the fins at the end of Katzeth's tails. Rill reached a hand down to stroke the dragonet's head gently and cast a contemplative gaze at the sky blue sails.

"I don't think so." She grinned, looking down at one of the dragoness' heads. "You've already got two wings for that." Katzeth giggled and flapped her tails as if to imitate wings. Both dragon and rider dissolved into more laughter at the sight.

As they sat and talked about anything from fur to fins, the rest of the feeding area was quickly filling up. Rill began to get worried as the last few newly bonded entered the room with no sight of Ra'al.

::There she is!:: Katzeth exclaimed happily, pointing out the tall, tan felinoid as she and her bond stood in the door way. Rill quickly caught their attention and waved them over.

"Hey!" She called cheerily as Ra'al joined the small group. Katzeth lay contentedly in her lap, one head napping while the other watched Ra'al's bond curiously. "Ooh! She's beautiful!"

"Thanks! Her name's Kedith." The smile that lighted Ra'al's face was as bright as the sun. Her green eyes sparkled with the same joy Rill knew and her excitment was barely contained.

"Do you think they'll get along?" Rill asked between giggles. She was literally bursting with joy.

"Well they're our bonds! And we're best friends." The slightly taller, more protective Lironess boasted, followed by another round of giggles.

"Best friends to the end!" They chimed together then dissolved into more laughter. A few of the other candidates cast them odd glances and a few evil glares.

Kedith had finished her meal quickly when Ra'al had first set her down. Now she fixed the other with a whirling blue gaze filled with curiousity, mirrored in Katzeth's eyes.

::Hi!:: She began cheerily.

::Hi! I'm Katzeth!:: The green-gold-blue giggled girlishly and blinked two sets of facetted eyes.

::I'm Kedith.:: Kedith returned with a curious chirp.

"Awwww!" The high-pitched coo came from both Rill and Ra'al as they watched their dragonesses interact. "I think they're getting along!"

"That's so cute!" Ra'al purred as she lifted Kedith in her arms and cuddled the dragonet close to her head. Rill did the same with Katzeth and together, they oozed enough sugary good feelings that some of the darker candidates felt sickened by the display.

The two feline friends continued to purr and coddle their dragons until all four had exhausted every 'cute' word they could think of. The dragonets, both tired from the long day and playful romps around the room, found peaceful sleep in their bonds' laps. Rill and Ra'al soon followed, carrying the resting hatchlings back to the barracks before collapsing tiredly into bed.

Mystic had watched from the door way as the two Lirons had found happiness and love in their Impressions. She didn't intrude on the giggling conversations, nor stopped them as they walked out the door and right past her. Tomorrow, she would congratulate both riders on their wonderful bonds. Tonight, Mystic smiled slyly to herself, she would inform Siltek that she now had five wandering minds to deal with instead of just two.

Ra'al stood beside Rill, clutching her friend's arm tightly. They were both the perfect image of a nervous yet excited candidate, watching the eggs as if afraid they'd disappear if they so much as blinked. The call had gone up with plenty of time to gather the candidates together. Though the two Lirons were eager and ready to go, they met a small difficulty when none of the candidate robes fit them! The silly white sheets made their curves disappear anyway.

*

Ra'al

Ra'al cast a quick, searching glance through the crowd gathered up above and noted the presence of Mystic. Though being the center of attention, Ra'al couldn't shake her feeling of nervous tension. The thought of bonding a creature that would change her life forever was too overwhelming. So she didn't think about it. Instead, Ra'al held to Rill tightly and the two Lirons crossed tails as the first egg cracked open.

Gasps ran through the crowd as the green and blue wingless dragon disappeared into thin air, only to reappear again by his chosen bond. Not only did he not have wings, but he had two tails and was glowing!

"Oooh!" Rill squealed quietly. "He's so pretty! I hope they're all like that."

Ra'al nodded quickly, her green eyes pooling with wonder as the next egg hatched. Then another. Another gasp came from the crowd followed by confused murmurs as the third dragonet had two heads! Yet this strong little girl didn't seem to mind the odd stares she received as she pranced across the sands. Almost as if she was dancing. Her two heads bobbed to the motions of her feet and before she knew it, she had tripped over another egg and split it wide open.

Rill whimpered quietly at the sight of the dead hatchling that tumbled from the broken egg and Ra'al closed her eyes. Not once did they let each other go.

::Hello Rill. My name is Katzeth.:: The little green-gold-blue female spoke into Rill's mind. Ra'al watched as her friend gasped and brightened with the wonderment of Impression. She released her hold on her friend and knelt down to embrace the dragonet in a loving hug.

"Her name's Katzeth!" Rill announced to the world. As she and her bond walked off the sands, Ra'al knew she would be waiting for her dragonet completely alone.

It was a while before the moment came where Ra'al would experience what her friend just had. She stood by herself, shifting nervously from foot to foot while her tail made dust patterns in the sand. All around her, people were bonding to these wonderful, glowing dragonets. All of them special. She was special too.

Ra'al pouted quietly but quickly remembered that such an action would give her wrinkles. Smoothing out her features, she tried to act normal while her heart beat a drum rhythm against her ribs. Her mind wandered briefly to wondering what Rill and her new companion... Katzeth... were doing right now. She smiled lightly at the thought that Rill had Impressed such a beautiful, unique little dragonet. She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she almost missed the hatching of the last egg.

The egg shuddered and jumped, cartwheeled and bounced, until it finally came to a stop and split neatly into thirds. Beneath the confining shell lay a softly glowing, green-blue-white dragonet who crooned in delight at being free. Two tails whisked across the broken shell shards and pushed them away from her glistening hide. Strange spikes, like those curving beside her head, adorned each side of the tip of her long, powerful tails. She waited for a moment, fluttering small wings to dry and examining the delicate shift from blue to white painted across her wing sails. Finally satisfied with herself, the dragoness picked herself up and stepped lightly across the sands.

Rill watched as it came down to herself and another woman. A woman who seemed to always be on fire, though not literally. The green-blue-white stopped and examined each of her choices carefully, brillant blue gaze shifting from one to the other as if looking into their souls to see who would be best. When she began walking again, it was to Ra'al's feet.

::Well, hello Ra'al. I'm Kedith.:: The small hatchling projected in a voice that was both calm and energetic at the same time. Her tones were soft and light, like a gentle breeze in Ra'al's mind.

Ra'al squealed with glee, kneeling quickly and scooping up Kedith in a crushing embrace. She felt the dragoness croon happily as she was pressed against her bond's soft fur. Two tails swung in unison against her lap.

::Did you think I wasn't coming?:: Though only a few minutes old, the humour in Kedith's mind was obvious.

::No! Of course not.:: Ra'al returned, thrilled to be using her mental bond for the first time.

::Good! Then feed me.:: Ra'al had to laugh as the dragonet nipped playfully at the furred tips of her ears. She stood carefully, cradling Kedith in her arms and flashing a triumphant smile to the crowd.

"Her name's Kedith!" She shouted, following Rill's earlier example. Satisfied that her Impression had been noticed, she turned on her heels and began walking out of the sands.

::Is Katzeth prettier then me?:: Kedith turned curious eyes on her bond as they strolled happily down the corridors of Firestone Weyr to the feeding area. Ra'al blinked in surprise then smiled sunnily.

"Of course not! You're both beautiful. But only you are my bond." Her smile changed to one of love. Kedith purred, rubbing her small, angled head against Ra'al's cheek.

::I love you, Ra'al. You and I will be the best pair out there!:: A squawking bellow accompanied the bold announcement. Ra'al giggled lightly, cuddling Kedith close to her.

"Yes we will!" She purred against the dragonet's neck, reveling in the joy of bonding. A happy shout and tan paw waving from the crowd signaled to her where Rill sat. Ra'al noted that her friend had readied a bowl of meat for Ra'al's bond, fully expecting her to join her as soon as she Impressed.

"Hey!" Rill called cheerily. Katzeth lay contentedly in her lap, one head napping while the other watched Kedith curiously. "Ooh! She's beautiful!" Ra'al's friend exclaimed upon seeing the small, green-blue-white set down beside the bowl of meat.

Ra'al's smile could have rivaled the sun in it's cheeriness. She tucked her legs under her and sat close to her bond as the dragoness tore into the bowl of meat. "Thanks! Her name's Kedith."

"Do you think they'll get along?" Rill asked between giggles. She was literally bursting with joy.

"Well they're our bonds! And we're best friends."

"Best friends to the end!" They chimed together then dissolved into more giggles. A few of the other candidates cast them odd glances and a few evil glares.

While her rider was talking with the other Liron, Kedith finished up her meal and licked her lips clean delicately. It didn't do to have food on one's face. Happy with her cleanliness, she turned blue tinged eyes on the other dragonet.

::Hi!::

::Hi! I'm Katzeth!:: The green-gold-blue giggled girlishly and blinked two sets of facetted eyes.

::I'm Kedith.:: Kedith returned with a curious chirp.

"Awwww!" The high-pitched coo came from both Rill and Ra'al as they watched their dragonesses interact. "I think they're getting along!"

"That's so cute!" Ra'al purred as she lifted Kedith in her arms and cuddled the dragonet close to her head. Rill did the same with Katzeth and together, they oozed enough sugary good feelings that some of the darker candidates felt sickened by the display.

The two feline friends continued to purr and coddle their dragons until all four had exhausted every 'cute' word they could think of. The dragonets, both tired from the long day and playful romps around the room, found peaceful sleep in their bonds' laps. Rill and Ra'al soon followed, carrying the resting hatchlings back to the barracks before collapsing tiredly into bed.

Mystic had watched from the door way as the two Lirons had found happiness and love in their Impressions. She didn't intrude on the giggling conversations, nor stopped them as they walked out the door and right past her. Tomorrow, she would congratulate both riders on their wonderful bonds. Tonight, Mystic smiled slyly to herself, she would inform Siltek that she now had five wandering minds to deal with instead of just two.