Tamanjul glared at his father and crossed his arms. Tamanjul was bigger in stature than the older man, but his father was not in the slightest swayed. “I. Will. Not. Go. To. Sidra’s. Hatching. I had to stand once before and not even one single dragonet ever looked in my direction! I refuse to ever watch a hatching again.”
        “Taman…you will go to this hatching if I have to tie you to my runnerbeast and drag you there myself. You are the next to become Lord Holder of this Hold and you will be respectful to Sidra Weyr. They are having a hard time and need all the support they can get. You are going whether you want to or not.”
        “Make me!” The fifteen-year-old shouted. He’d been hurt because no dragonet had wanted him, now he wanted nothing to do with any dragon ever again.
        “Fine…when the day for the hatching comes, I will make you go.” Tamanjul’s father stormed out of the room and down the stairs. I won’t go! Tamanjul told himself.
        “I won’t go! I won’t go!” Tamanjul shouted after his father.

        Yet, his stubborn father did not hear him and Tamanjul's yells soon subsided into quiet cursing. His father would force him to go one way or another, Tamanjul knew this.

        Tamanjul pouted in the back of the wagon, glaring at his father’s back. He didn’t want to go to the stupid hatching! His sister, Amil and his other brother, Symon, watched him from another corner of the wagon. They had to keep an eye on him in case he tried to get away.
        “Why do I have to go to this stupid hatching?” Tamanjul sulked. “The dragons are all stupid. All they know how to do is fly and breed.” Part of him thought his statement to be true, but the other part berrated him and he hung his head.
        “That is not true! You wouldn’t be saying that if one had Impressed to you!" Amil retorted.
        “Yes, well I didn’t Impress, now did I?” Tamanjul growled, his anger flared once again. “And no dragon chose me because they were too stupid to know that I was better for them than the ones they chose! A green would have been perfect...but no...I get stuck on the sands staring at the remaining eggs, the eggs taht were duds! I don’t want to see anyone go through that either, cause I know how they’ll feel...and I can’t stand looking at dragonets anymore.” He said in a softer tone. His siblings just looked away.
        Taman layed down and looked at the sky. He was old enough at fifteen...wasn't he? He had been lucky then that his father had let him stand that one time. Very lucky. He had been Searched by a blue dragonrider who had been very persuasive and convinced Tamanjul's father that his boy should stand.
        Much to the relief of his father, Taman had not Impressed. Now he hated hatchings. He hated going to them. He hated that fact that he would have to carry on the duties of his father by taking over the hold once he was old enough.
        All of those lovely hatchlings. Each one of them had passed him by. First a bronze went...so what? Then a green and a blue. Then half the clutch had been gone and only two more showed signs of life. Both had been browns and they had walked right past him and chose someone from the stands...from the stands! Who deserved more to Impress from the stands instead of someone who had been Searched? Obviously the stupid browns had thought their chosen did.
        Taman turned on his belly and pretended to sleep. He didn't want his siblings, much less his father, to see his tears.

        Tamanjul watched the eggs rocking back and forth from the stands. Despite what he’d been saying, he was still excited to see this hatching begin. He looked the candidate's faces. How many of them would go home sad, without a dragonet? There were plenty of eggs, of course...but would all of them hatch? Or would there be duds? Who would be left to feel as he had? Who would be left standing, with their hearts broken? That was a question that would not be answered until the last egg hatched, and the first egg had only just begun to crack.