Nalira and Malta
:Story::Search::Candidate::Hatchling::Weyrling::Adult:
:Falas Weyr::Tripaldi Weyr::

Something woke Malta up early that morning. She wasn't sure what it was that actually woke her but she sat up rubbing her eyes and became aware of a lot of activity in the hallway. She blinked and walked to the door, hearing someone yelling that the hatching was going to take place and she was immediately wide awake. She roused Nalira who of course went straight to the mirror and started primping. Malta just shook her head and threw the girl's white candidate robe at her.

"Here, Na, put your robe on. You don't have time for that!"

"There's always time for beauty, Malta," was her friend's casual reply and Malta shook her head again, not able to believe her friend could be this calm. "The last thing I want is for a dragon to turn me down because I looked like I just got out of bed."

"Na, how many times do I have to tell you," said Malta with an exasperated sigh as she grabbed Nalira's arm and physically dragged her from the room, "the dragons don't choose based on looks, they are interested in who you are inside!"

"Still," replied Nalira, trying to smooth her hair as Malta dragged her towards the hatching sands, "I want my dragon to remember me looking beautiful the first time she sees me."

"You know you might not impress at all..." Malta trailed off as they entered the sands and she saw Flynnth, the small, golden queen hovering over the eggs. She watched the mother wide eyed for a moment before leaning over to whisper to Nalira, "Do you think she'll let the candidates near them? She looks awfully protective to me..."

But Nalira wasn't listening. She had strode forward and was standing at the front of the group of candidates smiling prettily at the male dragonriders in the stands. Malta rolled her eyes and walked forward to join her friend so they both had an excellent view when Flynnth finally backed up and the first egg split to reveal one, no two! two-toned dragons! The first was a gold-blue female, the second a blue-gold female which seemed like some sort of fitting tribute to the fact that the mother was a gold and the father a blue.

Malta watched in awe as the two little dragons chose their new lifemates and had to shake her head to clear it as a brown burst from his shell. From then on for her the hatching seemed to fly by, dragons, alone, twins and even triplets! hatching left and right.

Then came that amazing moment when a pair of green twins stopped in front of Malta and Nalira. Malta smiled at her friend and saw her smile in return then led her green Szarath quickly away from Nalira's green Ezarath. She had noticed how the other twins and triplets had bickered and didn't want to risk it with these two. At least Nalira had enough sense to try to keep Ezarath away from Szarath as well. Unfortunately the two hatchlings saw each other just as the food was being brought out.

I get to eat first, Malta! declared Szarath and snarled at her sister.

No, I get to eat first! Nalira tell her! Make her let me eat first, I'm older!

You're not older, I am! declared Szarath indignantly and Malta almost growled at the hatchling.

"Enough!" she cried grabbing Szarath's headnob and pulling her head around to look her in the eyes. "Szarath, neither of you is older, you were both born at the same time, so therefore, you will both eat at the same time as well. Now eat, I can feel how much your stomach hurts from hunger!"

Malta let go of her dragon's head and the tiny green turned to exchange a look with her twin sister. Neither of them said a word though and they soon had their mouths quite full of the fresh meat that had been brought for them. Even with all that meat before them as they tried very hard to gorge themselves Ezarath still managed to stop eating for the two seconds it took to grumble, I still think I should have gotten to eat first. and it was only Malta's new-found control over her dragon that kept Szarath from retaliating.