Eller, male, 6’, 150, age 17 turns, bonding at Blue Sky

What happened BEFORE?

Eller's hunting techniques have helped save Caledrus from a rogue tunnel snake, as well as feeding a good number of people year round. After having come to Blue Sky, his duties remained mostly the same, hunting with others, and protecting the lower caverns from any invading creatures.

The weyr was damp and somewhat cold - it'd rained on and off for days, and this weather wasn't changing any time soon. It put a dent in hunting but not in seeking out any stray vermin - there were still mice and other small rodents, as well as native creatures, which roamed the darker low caverns, and flitters and cats only caught so many of those.

"Hunting mice," he muttered to himself, with a grin, "what a mighty man I am."

"You'll be mightier if you head to the sands," someone said, catching him on his way back through the halls. "The eggs are hatching, both clutches are showing cracks!" The steward in training bolted down the hall, trying to locate any of the other locals for the hatching.

It was hardly fun, getting the white robes on and then having to race out to the sands. What dragon decides to lay eggs that'll hatch in the middle of a typhoon? Eller was chilled to the bone, cold and wet, but still, he was standing for a dragon! And these dragons were quite the interesting ones - all of the adults were up in the rafters of the huge cavern, humming their song.

The other candidates trudged in with Eller, he saw Sega looking nervous and twitchy, but she might have just been extra cold. She wasn't known for dressing very warmly.

But the first eggs were trembling and about to hatch - Eller watched with great interest as a big bronze erupted from his egg. The gambling up in the stands was wild, a bronze was a great signal for an exceptional clutch! Apparently though, this bronze was taking his time, and a green had hatched in the meantime while he was drying his wings. She started to walk toward the candidates but suddenly the bronze made off toward the boys, getting in her way and stopping her progress. He impressed, and then two more eggs hatched, another green, and a blue. The blue bonded even before the first green had, but she did shortly. The second green paired up a moment later, and then a third green egg broke. However, this one was a multicolored, she had golden wingsails and belly scales. A big black dragon broke his shell, too, astounding everyone.

The black found his bond in the boys, while it was not a big surprise to Eller that his companion Sega was the one that the green gold had chosen. He smiled inwardly, that was a good choice. She'd be tiny, but she was still a queen.

Eventually, two more greens and a blue impressed off, then another three green hatched. They fought or were just entangled as they exited their shells, broken up by their new bonds. Another set of eggs came open at the same time as the big queen's egg, the others bearing a brown, two blues and another green.

The queen shoved in front of the others, because of course she was a gold - and they deserved all the space they could get. The blues had some trouble pairing off, but they eventually found their friends, while the green and brown bonded shortly. Then...

There were only two eggs, and one broke to show off another bronze! Eller looked around, dazed. Had it been all but him and the other, a girl, left?

The bronze stood proudly before the young man and told him, even if all the other men were left, I would have picked you anyway, Eller. I am Isurth!

Eller grinned widely, "I know," he said. The name echoed in his mind, and he practiced saying it while the last egg broke giving the last girl on the sands her beautiful green.

Eller, or perhaps E'ler, since he kind of liked the elided names of the old world, strode away with his fine bronze.

Isurth lurked around on the hunting grounds, watching. He was far too young and small to participate in a full flight, but he could watch.

"You taking notes?" E'ler asked, and the bronze nodded carefully, his eyes scanning how one bronze ducked below the queen in flight, while another bided his time. They were wearing her down, he realized.

Yes. The bronze in back will win, I believe.

Sure enough, shortly, when the other browns and the leading bronze had dropped from the flight, the secondary bronze had caught his queen. A technique worth remembering. Especially since there were queens that were going to be chase-worthy graduating soon...