Clutch 4

Written by Xalia

Xalia stifled a yawn as she left her weyr. The sun was just above the water of the nearby ocean and it had been yet another long day. She shook her head wearily and sighed as she padded softly across the Weyrbowl toward the hatching sands. Mialyth’s eggs were due any time now and she hadn’t had a chance to check on mother and rider in a few days. Frinaith landed on the rim of the stands as Xalia walked through the tunnel on the ground. She’d have had Frinaith fly her there but she was afraid she was too tired to hold on.

Kalisa looked a little bored as she turned her gaze to the Weyrwoman. Xalia flashed her a sleepy smile and took a seat on the lowest rung of the stands.

“No movement yet?” she asked, stifling another yawn.

“Nope, not yet,” replied Kalisa with a sigh.

Xalia just nodded, understanding the girl’s frustration. She let her gaze wander over the eggs, a small one wavering a bit in her eyes. She blinked, reaching up to rub her eyes and blinking several more times before she refocused her eyes on the eggs. They were all still and she shook her head, laughing silently at herself. She needed to start getting more sleep; she was starting to see things.

She got up to leave but didn’t get more than two strides before Mialyth and then Frinaith began to hum softly. She whirled around to take another look at the eggs and sure enough a few of them were beginning to rock very gently. Xalia flashed a grin at Kalisa as the rest of the Weyr’s dragons took up the hum.

It didn’t take long for the candidates to arrive and soon the hatching sands were filled with excited chatter and the hum of anticipating dragons. Xalia took her usual seat and frowned as she realized F’rol wasn’t present. Where could he be? What could he possibly have to do that was more important than this hatching? Xalia’s eyes narrowed as she scanned the crowds of people and didn’t see the Headwoman, Piliana anywhere either. Xalia crossed her arms in front of her and sighed disgustedly. Of all the times to be...

Just then an egg split open and a sturdy green tumbled out with a fierce cry. She stood up tall and regarded the gathered girls with sharp eyes. Xalia tore herself from her gloomy thoughts and forced herself to pay attention. The green looked around taking a few steps in one direction, then a few in another, never really looking directly at anyone as she did so. She barked commandingly a few times and Xalia saw a girl in the group stifling laughter. The green noticed it too, barking angrily again and slowly walking toward the girl. Kersti stepped forward then, her laughter gone as she smiled in surprised delight.

“Are you sure, Penath? I didn’t really expect to impress,” said Kersti as she shook her head in disbelief. The green barked commandingly again and headed off the sands without her as Kersti rushed to catch up.

All eyes turned to the gold egg then as it began to rock furiously and gasps could be heard around the cavern as people began murmuring about the incredibility of the gold egg hatching so early. But it was a false alarm and as everyone’s eyes were focussed on the gold egg a sturdy brown had hatched. He sat in his eggshells, content to wait to be noticed, while another egg not far from him cracked open to reveal a blue. The blue creeled, pulling the attention away from the gold egg, which had slowed in it’s rocking.

The blue stood on wobbly legs and made his way rather precariously toward Torresan. The young man flashed a grin at his brother and turned immediately to lead the blue away, his black fire lizard flying about his head chirping loudly. “Come on, Kith.”

The brown watched them go, completely unfazed and then looked up at Sylvan as the young man turned back around to watch the eggs again. Their eyes met and Sylvan’s widened in surprise as a grin slowly spread across his face. He dashed across the sands to help the brown up and called out, “Hey Torresan, wait up! You need to meet my brown, Hursth!”

The pair hurried to catch up with their brothers as another green creeled as she struggled from her shell. She managed to shake loose and headed straight across the sands to Merelan, declaring herself to be a very-hungry Ferlith.

Another green broke her shell then, followed by a nearby blue. The two turned to look at each other, and for a moment Xalia couldn’t decide if they liked each other or if they were going to attack each other. But then they turned and headed for the candidates, the green heading unerringly for Casana and the blue heading for Hinan. The two friends looked up from the hatchlings to declare in surprise, each talking over the other.

“Her name is Anneth!”

“His name is Kroulth!”

A few people in the crowd chuckled at their reactions but then they were leading their dragons away and another brown was struggling from his shell. The brown was on the small side and he creeled piteously as he struggled to loose himself from the confining eggshells. A few of the young men stepped forward but he snapped them away until Hotohori reached out to help him. He creeled piteously again as the feminine young man helped him free of the shell. Hotohori straightened, his gaze flickering into the stands momentarily before he led the brown from the sands, murmuring softly, “Come on Lukath, let’s go feed you. You need to eat so you can grow strong and fast.”

Xalia searched the stands where the young man’s gaze had rested and saw D’van sitting there, his face flushed, but his expression stormy and she chuckled her gaze shifting to find a very proddy Sereath sitting not far from Frinaith. She turned her gaze back to the sands then as another egg was wobbling and cracks were appearing in its sides.

This egg shattered suddenly to reveal a sturdy bronze hatchling. The bronze stood surveying the males for some time as another egg hatched beside him. A blue tumbled out and creeled questioningly. The bronze snapped at him, rustling his wings as he walked forward. Before he made it to the candidates though an egg beside him cracked and a green tumbled into him knocking him down. He barked angrily and got to his feet, scolding the green furiously. Meanwhile the blue had started moving cautiously toward the candidates and the bronze, seeing this, barked angrily again and made a dash for Talaforal.

The young man’s eyes opened in surprise and then he laughed. “I know females can be trouble sometimes, Wickhath, and I don’t think that blue really wanted me.”

The bronze barked as if he wasn’t convinced and the two of them left the sands. The blue meanwhile had circled around behind the candidates and butted Arien in the back of the knees, making the elf stumble forward. He caught himself and turned, laughing softly as he greeted the blue hatchling. “That wasn’t very nice, Collinth.”

The young man looked over at Tarmenel and was surprised to see her grinning back at him with her hand atop the green hatchling. “This is Biath!”

Xalia scanned the remaining candidates as the newly bonded led their dragonets from the sands. Eight girls, four of them clustered nervously around the quivering gold egg, and four males remained. Xalia frowned as her gaze traveled over a young man standing apart from the others. His posture remained relaxed, but his face was a twist of emotions that Xalia could not make out. He rested one hand upon the head of the cheetah who was always at his side and Xalia shook her head, what was it he called himself? Runner, that was it. An odd young man to be sure... Xalia’s gaze snapped to the eggs then as a bronze broke his shell. Her eyes widened as the bronze crept toward Runner and the feline, cocking his head this way and that as he examined the small cheetah. Eventually he cocked his head up to stare at Runner and crooned low and soft. An expression of wonder came over the young man’s face as he reached out to rub the hatchling’s head and spoke softly to the bronze. The crowd only caught one word, but it was the one word Xalia needed to know for the records, “...Fitzwith...”

As Runner led the feline and his newly impressed bronze dragon from the sands two small eggs began to rock side by side. One cracked and rolled, knocking and cracking the other. Two whites soon spilled onto the sands and sat beside each other blinking in the light of the glows which had been set about to light the cavern. Two young women regarded each other and then the whites and Larra grinned, grabbing her sister by the arm and pulling her across the sands to where the two whites sat waiting patiently. Daya looked hesitantly from one to the other and her eyes widened as one of the whites reached out her nose to gently nuzzle her hand. A smile spread across her face as she turned to her sister who was already grinning and scratching the eye-ridges of the other white. Their eyes met and Xalia could tell they were communicating telepathically. She hissed in frustration, but Frinaith intruded on her thoughts. Daya and Lambtath, Larra and Merytonth.

Xalia smiled, happy for the twins, as she turned her attention to the remaining eggs. Three eggs split at once then, a brown, a blue, and a green. The brown made for Isaquar and proclaimed himself to be Bourgth. The blue surprised Lazarus by butting him demandingly in the legs. Lazarus quickly led the blue, Benneth, from the sands as the green stumbled over to Larein creeling loudly. Larein grinned and seemed to search the crowd before blushing even as her grin widened and she called out, “Her name is Jenkith!”

Two eggs remained, not counting the gold egg, which was still quivering gently. The next egg to hatch though spilled a brown and the only remaining male candidate watched the hatchling nervously as if fearful that the brown would not want him. But the brown crooned happily and bounded, albeit rather clumsily, to Tarrilon’s side and barked up at him. Tarrilon smiled slowly, “I was so worried I wouldn’t impress, Bingleth, I’m glad you wanted me.”

The last egg shattered before the pair could even start walking off the sands and a feisty black hatchling creeled loudly as she flapped her wings and looked about her. Her eyes passed over the remaining female candidate and she stared intently at the gold candidates for a moment before dashing sideways and colliding with Brelaven’s legs. She squawked indignantly and looked up, crooning happily as her eyes met the young woman’s troubled ones. She scrambled to her feet to nudge Brelaven comfortingly and tears ran down Brelaven’s face as she knelt in the burning sands and wrapped her arms around the hatchling, “Oh, Darcyth, I know you’ll never stop loving me.”

And then gasps could be heard as the gold egg shattered suddenly, egg shards flying everywhere. The gold creeled loudly and unpleasantly as she surveyed her options. She squawked and creeled and tossed her head from side to side as three of the young women before her sent loving feelings at her. Her gaze fell on the one candidate that did not send feelings to her and she barked angrily, turning from the young woman. As she did so her eyes met those of Kuroneko and she crooned softly, her eyes whirling blue and green for only a moment before they returned to the angry red of hunger. Kuroneko gasped in surprise and delight as she reached out to scratch the young queen’s eye ridges. The gold butted her hand away impatiently and Kuroneko laughed. “One thing at a time, Lorinyth. Let’s get you something to eat. I’ll tell you all about fighting and Shiku later.”

Xalia sighed and got up to go comfort the remaining gold candidates. She assured them all that they were welcome to return for another hatching and went to congratulate the new riders. Frinaith landed in the Weyrbowl and watched as Xalia walked out of the hatching sands. “Another hatching out of the way, Love.”

Yes...and before long it will be my clutch hatching on the sands, said the queen with a discontent growl. And I’ll not let that lout Dritenth catch me again either!

Xalia just laughed and rubbed the gold’s head affectionately before heading to where the new riders were receiving their first instruction on caring for their dragons from K’naret.