Grugrantal sighed as he looked at the marbleized egg Aisu had given him before he left Seiryuu Weyr with Ar’wen only a few days earlier. It had not hatched yet. Any day now, I’m sure of it, the young man thought. He wrapped the egg in a warm scarf and set it on his cot as he got up picking up his ice skates.

Grugrantal had discovered within a few hours of arriving and recovering some from the trip through time that Dragonhope Weyr was a hockey players paradise… with one draw back. Grugrantal had no one to practice with. He’d heard whispers of there still being hockey in this time, but this Weyr was one that had no team. It didn’t even have a pewee league for the kids. And some much ice!… I miss having a coach telling me to do Herbies, now that’s really sad!

“Hatching! Hatch… Oh, you’re the only one in here, Grugrantal?” a voice boomed and then questioned the hockey player. The young man nearly dropped his ice skates in startlement. He hadn’t expected somebody to come into the barracks at that time and surely not the Weyrling Master, R’vfen brown Yukanth’s rider.

“Yeah,” Grugrantal replied placing his skates back on the peg they’d originally been hanging from, “Mulgoith’s clutch is hatching now?”

“Clean your ears out boy, that’s what I said wasn’t it?” R’vfen chuckled, “let’s see you get going… think of it as training for the sport you’re so interested in.”

“Hockey, sir,” he replied as he raced from the room towards the hatching grounds. He arrived at a slow trot realizing that unlike some Weyr hatchings he’d heard of from his two brothers, this clutch was giving more than enough time to get there and get settled into a spot to wait before an egg cracked open. As he adjusted his white robe he found himself placed next to Kede. He noticed with a small chuckle that Kede was about an inch shorter than himself. Grugrantal’s family had a tendancying to be around six feet tall, even the girls, he was one of the shorter men in his family at 6’5”.

With a crack in front of him, Grugrantal focused on the hatching as it started. A blue was the first to appear of the clutch. The hockey player grinned, though the look faded some as he saw that the blue was not looking anybody, least of all him, in the eye. Guess that tells me he’s not looking for me. he thought and was comfirmed on his belief as the blue impressed to Jeren

Two greens burst forth into the world. Grugrantal only barely registered them as a sort of snorting sigh startled him. He missed the one green bowling over her sister. His eyes now rested on the largest of the eggs which was only slightly than the blue’s egg had been. Perhaps a brown’s in there. Grugrantal thought. To his surprised the egg started to pulsate. The hockey player was sure that what ever color the hatchling was, it was having a ball trying to kick it’s container to bits. Grugrantal couldn’t help but smile at the egg and moved a bit closer with the rest of the candidates.

With a loud crack the egg shattered and the white hindlegs of the hatching burst forth followed quickly by the rest of its white body. Grugrantal’s eyes grew wide and glee was clearly visible on his features.

“Wow! He’s beautiful!” Grugrantal breathed

“How do you know it’s a he” Kede asked him. Grugrantal blinked, yeah, how did he know that information. Whites could be female or male, nobody usually knew until the white made its choice known. His mind was brought back to the hatchling as it rolled around on the sands. Grugrantal had to blink a few times. I must be hockey deprived more than I’d thought, he thought to himself though he grinned at the hatchling, I could have sworn I some two sets of blue lines. The white rested for a moment on his back with his legs laying limp but comfortably at his sides. Then the dragonet roll over and onto his feet.

Blue wings! Grugrantal gasped in surprise, No wonder I thought I saw the blue line. His wings are practicly blue lines in themselves. The hockey player watched the hatchling as if in a daze as he didn’t walk yet strutted up to him, still wet wings dragging slightly on the sands, and proudly saluted him with his right forepaw.

What's a goalie? Can I see a puck? Do they have ice here? What's ice? Why are you laughing?

"Garretth, I'm just happy is all!"Grugrantal, now Gr'ant, announced. You look like a hockey rink, Garretth! What’s a hockey rink, Gr’ant? I’ll show you when you’re older. Oh, alright. With that the newly impressed pair walked over to where the food for the newly hatched dragons was ready to feed the hungry creatures. Grugrantal gently lay a hand on Garretth’s neck ridges and found to his surprise that the ridges even seemed to be tinged a bit blue.

You are an amazing dragon, Garretth, Gr’ant bespoke his dragon, the blue winged white held his head proudly. You are too, my rider.

“And why am I so amazing, you’re the white with blue wings,” Gr’ant winked at his lifemate. But you are the one who has seen more of the world in the relationship… and you play hockey! the dragon winked back to the laughter of the blond.

Later that night, Gr’ant and Garretth walked slowly into the weyrling barracks, both were dead tired. Upon seeing the small dragon couch next to Gr’ant’s bed the hatchling charged towards it and practically leapt upon it like a feline pouncing on a rodent. Ooo, this will be so nice to sleep on. We are going to sleep right, Gr’ant? Yes, my heart, just as soon as… hello? the white rider blinked as he spied the marble egg still on his bed. Had it just moved?

It’s going to hatch…! Like I did!

“Shards!” Gr’ant yelped and picked up the egg in a rush. Without no real words he indicated that Garretth should follow him as he raced off towards the kitchens for meat. The occupant of the egg started to roll about as it tried to find a way to hatch. Kick, little cousin! Kick! That’s how I got out and found Gr’ant. You can do it too!

“Garretth, as helpful as that may be to the fire lizard, ” Gr’ant replied to his dragon’s cheering, “I’m trying to get it food before it hatches out, and you’re defeating the purpose by getting it to come out before then.” Sorry, she asked if anybody could help her get out. “She’s stuck?” No just tactful.

“Scraps! Meat! Food! Anything, I got a flit hatching here people!” Gr’ant called out as he entered the kitchens at full tilt and nearly ran over the headwoman.

“You don’t have to yell… weyrling,” she scolded and then was startled by the fact that a dragonet was following, causing her to realize he was one of the newly impressed weyrlings, “And what were you thinking, getting a flit the same day of the hatching.”

“I didn’t mean to,” Gr’ant replied with a slight annoyance though he hid it well unlike most of his expressions, “I got the egg as a present right before I got to the Weyr and it decided to hatch today, I’m not making it do so. Shard it!” The egg shattered at that moment. Yet only the wider bottom was the part that had shattered, sticking comically out of the end were a pair of marble green hind legs. “It’s a green!”

“And here’s a bowl of scraps for the little, thief,” she grinned as the rest of the shell crumbled as the hatching tried to stretch her wings. The hatchling was small enough to fit in the palm of one of Gr’ant’s hands. Though she was that small in body adding her tail and neck made her quite long. Her legs were also quite long.

“She’s cute isn’t she?” Gr’ant asked the blue winged white as he tried to balance the hatchling and the bowl of scraps as he tried to feed the fire lizard hatchling. She is pretty. Oh, watch out! The little green suddenly raised a paw and swiped at some of the meat that Gr’ant was dangling for her to eat. As the little flit swiped three little claws extended out of her cat like paws.

“OK, she forgot to tell me that had retractable claws,” Gr’ant commented about Aisu having given him the egg. She was feeling playful. Thanks for the warning Garretth. They do not name themselves, she wants a name while she eats.

“Hmm,” the white rider thought out loud. The little green swiped at the meat again and the little claws came out like a trio of little switchblades. “Blade? Works for both her claws and for being the pet of a hockey player.” The little green chirped happily. She likes it. As the hatchling became a tiny bloated version of herself Gr’ant smirked.

“Now, let’s get to sleep.”