She lead Treowe to the stables before rejoining J'ril and Alcuin to sign up for the clutch. The gold-green mother was curled up around her clutch of ten eggs, eyes swirling rainbow. The father, a silver, bugled from a ledge above.
Rea glanced up at J'ril. "Is there a queen egg?" She asked.
J'ril smiled. "No, but with a gold-green mother and a silver father, the hatchlings are sure to be special."
Alcuin grinned, staring at the other mother on the sands, a green. She was curled around her own eggs, twelve in all. Her red eyes glared at anyone who came near.
"Which one will hatch first?" Alcuin asked as he ran to catch up with J'ril and Rea.
"Probably Ornath's, as it was clutched first. But you never know, they could surprise us." J'ril answered.
"Which one are we standing for, then?" Rea asked.
"The two of you will be standing for gold-geen Emynth's children."
Alcuin was excited about the prospect of standing at a rare's clutch. True, his chances of Impressing a rare were slim at best, but he could still hope, couldn't he?
Rea, on the other hand, would be more than happy with just a green, and didn't even hope for a rare.
They reluctantly left the hatching sands, passing a dark, cold room as they left. "The abandoned sands." J'ril said as they passed. They shuddered, deciding to pass on looking inside.
A tall, black-haired man passed them, heading to the hatching sands. He batted away a chirping green fire lizard, annoyed, before giving up and letting it perch on his shoulder.
Alcuin's eyes lit up. "Hey, do you think I could get a fire lizard egg?"
J'ril shrugged. "Sure, there's usually a clutch by the hearths."
Alcuin grinned as he headed off to find the fire lizard eggs, Rea trailing behind him.
Alcuin eventually ended up with not an egg, but a bronze hatchling. He grinned as he finished feeding the little flit. "Heh. Good timing, huh, getting there just as the eggs were hatching."
"Good luck." Rea corrected him. "And let's hope it keeps up until the Hatching."
Alcuin grinned. "Why didn't you take one, Rea?" He asked as he looked up at the girl.
Rea snorted. "Treowe's enough for me. A flit would be too much trouble."
Alcuin shrugged. "Suit yourself." He said as he stroked the bronze's head. "I think I'll name him Calchus."
"That's nice." Rea muttered as she headed off to bed. It had been a long day, and she could hardly keep her eyes open. Alcuin, too, yawned as he headed off to bed. With being searched and his first day at a Weyr, he only hoped he would be able to sleep tonight.
