Meraidt and Yumiel looked up as the three draks and the human entered the Deep Caverns. The aspirants had already gathered inside and some were playing with the draklings. They were a diverse bunch, of all ages and professions and from all over Planet Icarus. As Lian settled down with his drak companions, the draklings started to announce their decisions.
There were six of them, three from each mother, and an equal number of males and females. Clustered near Meraidt were a pair of deserts, staring interested at everything around them when they weren't play-fighting with each other. Yumiel sat with a pudgy rain drakling between her front paws. The other three draklings were mingled with the aspirants and talking with them and each other.
A greenish brown drakling leapt into Hugou's arms with a purring sound. "I'm Haosel, Hugou, and I'm coming with you!"
Meanwhile, a clumsy male plant drakling was following one of the male aspirants. Dru looked down to see what he kept stumbling over, and grinned when he saw the drakling. "Do you want to come with me, Naelos?" he asked.
"Yep. Why do you think I've been following you arrrround?" Naelos replied.
Now the two deserts from Meraidt's clutch rushed towards the aspirants as though concerned they weren't going to be able to Pair with their choices. Yudtan stopped in front of Nahl, and announced his intention to Pair to the entire cavernful of people. The other desert, Naldtan, slunk quietly over to Philip. "Let'sss get out of herrre, Philip," he said, somewhat grumpily. "I'm hungrrry."
"Whatever you say, Naldtan," Philip replied, a smile tugging at his lips.
The rain jumped away from her mother, padding toward the remaining aspirants, and she was soon joined by the last drakling, a female ore. The mottled grey drakling stopped in front of Lisora, flapping her four wings excitedly. "My name'sss Deosel, Lisora, and I'm going to Pairrr with you!"
Kims looked down at the last drakling, who gazed back up at her silently. "Well, do you want to come with me?" she asked.
The ore nodded. "I wass waiting forrr the otherss to Pair, but don't worry. I wass going to choossse you anyway. My name'ss Helandt." Kims smiled and nodded, and the last Pair walked out of the Deep Caverns to join their fellow knights.
Meanwhile, Chakiai was trying to glance at Lian's books, where he was busy recording the events of the hatching. "What takesss you sso long to jussst wrrite down a bunch of namess, anyway?"
she asked.
"Hey! Get away," Lian yelled, leaning over it protectively.
"He alwaysss embellishesss it a little," Lian's drak, Kortrvan, explained. "But he'ss a good writer, ssso I think that'ss why Head Arrrchivist Kurin alwayss hasss him rrrrecord the hatchingsss."
"Alright, alright, can we leave already?" Lian asked, cranky and a little embarrassed.
