Charyd jumped up, glancing hopefully at the hatching sands to his left as he rushed up to the candidate barracks to put on the white candidacy robe. He barely slowed as he rushed into the crowd entering the stands, so intent was he on getting there before the eggs hatched.
He needn't have worried, he thought as he stood with the rest of the candidates, watching the eggs rocking in the sand. There were now more eggs than there were candidates to Impress them, and unless there were far more dud eggs than usual, there would be many dragons going unbonded.
A loud cracked heralded the cracking of the first egg, and a stately, bright green dragoness stood up and rushed towards her chosen candidate. Charyd watched excitedly as three more eggs hatched, revealing a large bronze, a brown, and a dainty green. Charyd watched hopefully as the brown made his choice, exiting the sands with his rider. The green was next to choose, and Charyd turned his attention, not unhopefully, to the large bronze.
He was disappointed, however, when the bronze just sat back, refusing to acknowledge the candidates. A smaller, darker bronze hatched and Impressed, followed by the small brown that next hatched.
A large green hatched and lay down in the sand to sleep, before her rider persuaded her otherwise. Another green and a large blue hatched and were escorted off the sands by their respective riders.
More eggs hatched, then a brown and blue appeared at the same moment. No sooner had the blue shed his shell than Charyd found himself rushing to the blue's side. Wonderingly, he reached out with one hand to stroke the pale blue wings, and the hatchling crooned.
Thank you, C'ryd! I would be proud to have you as my rider. I am Bikanelth.
Charyd looked up, to meet the whirling rainbow eyes of the hatchling, and was struck speechless. "Bikanelth?" He whispered finally.
The hatchling just crooned again, nodding his head in assent. Aren't you glad now that you didn't leave, C'ryd?
Charyd-no, C'ryd now, he told himself-just smiled.
