“Maybe this just isn’t my home,” Pleiades sighed as she sat on the parapets with a few of the male members of the Pern Clan, “I think I’m going to see about another clutch if I don’t impress at the next hatching.”

“Don’t say that, your clan’s here,” The marble blue web winged gargoyle pleaded from his perch on the nearest roost next to her.

“She has a right to that chose, Alex,” a dark blue and green gargoyle replied with a roll of his eyes “She’s been waiting for months. If she waits any longer the next Flurry will be upon this place.”

“Well if she wanted to she could impress in that clutch, Keikan,” Alex retorted and looked to a black gargoyle in a kilt, “Don’t you think so, Daten?”

“That could be,” the bald gargoyle replied thoughtfully, “but it is up to Pleiades to decide… but we will have to discuss it with the clan. I mean we need a pendant in each place that we have clan members standing at… but we’ll have to discuss this later, the sun is rising.” He pointed to the east where it was turning red already.

“I’ll leave you to sleep then,” Pleiades replied hopping down from the outer wall, allowing Keikan to take her place.

“Have a good day, Pleiades,” Alex smiled at her winningly. Before the marble blue gargoyle could turn to position himself for the day he, like ninety five percent of the clan turned to stone leaving his happy face to greet anyone who came near to the sleeping clan.

Pleiades smiled weakly at her sleeping friends, and after taking a brief look at the rising sun turned and leapt off the battlement like structure and glided towards the courtyard bellow. Kind of chilly today… probably be worse if I was human. Wonder what Jilly’s up to with that dragon of her’s being nearly a year old now.

Upon landing she cloaked both sets of her leathery wings around herself to guard from the chill that was in the air. No sooner had her wings settled than she noticed the ruckus that was coming from the hatching sands. Curious, she walked over just in time to see the Icarian Rain Aosihari running candidates, residents, visitors, and dragons alike out of the sands.

“Stick around, Aosihari’s clutch is hatching,” a rider told her as he passed, “she’ll present them to impress soon.” Pleiades opened her mouth to reply but the messenger was already on his way to find other candidates. It would figure that the day I said I’d only stand at one more hatching would be the day one hatches… Oy, there’s going to be a lot to talk about tonight. No sooner had she thought this and settled in to wait, Aosihari appeared once again at the entrance to the sands to present her hatchlings.

In the end Pleiades found no hatchling next to her. She sighed in dissapointment. Guess I’ll be leaving here within a few days… I was hoping that maybe fore a little longer this could be my home. I better see if I can talk to Jilly now so I can get this over and done with. The dark lavender gargoyle hung her head and started to turn for the Weyrlings barracks.

It was then that a warble was issued from the hatching sands. What in the name of the dragon? Pleiades swore mentally and quickly followed everyone into the hatching ground. There she saw it, six eggs shaking haphazardly about. The dame, a green by the name of Kalkt, sat proudly by with a loving look upon her features. Pleiades had hardly any time to take this in as the first of the six eggs hatch.

A blue came forward first, looking happy and game. He was quick to impress just before the biggest of the six eggs hatched. From this one spilled a ball of purple… to be exact two when they became untangled. They found their match in two dragon candidates. A third egg cracked to reveal another purple dragoness, yet this one had duowings attached to her. She didn’t choose a partner and for a few moments Pleiades felt sadness for the hatchling. Is she like me and thinks none like the fact that she has two sets of wings instead of only one?

She hardly noticed the green whom hatched next followed quietly by a brown. Instead Pleiades was noticing, not for the first time, that she was awake during the day once again. Maybe I’ll take a day off of wearing this pendant soon. It is tiring being awake twenty four-seven, she thought as she finally realized the impressions of the green and brown. She felt the stress of working like this… but she wasn’t working was she.

Her attention was drawn to the last egg of Kalkt’s clutch. The creamy shell produced web-like cracks across its formally perfect form from the strain of the hatchling inside. The shell burst open with a mighty roar from its previous occupant and out came another green… this one however was like the unbonded purple; she was a duowing. Without meaning to, Pleiades’ eyes locked with the dragoness who was around the size of a full grown gargoyle beast. Clear as day she heard the strong voice of the green enter her head. Long has the wait been, but great will be the rewards. I am Gaviaktrath

“Welcome,” Pleiades smiled embracing the dragon, her own wings opened and circled lightly around herself and the hatchling, “Welcome home, Gaviaktrath.” Thank you, Pleiades, I am sure I will like this home. And I adore your wings, the green told her rider in all seriousness, Will my wings be beautiful as yours some day? They are beautiful now, Gav, and they will grow bigger and more beautiful every day of your life. Oh, that is good to hear… but I feel hungry now, may we get me something to eat? Of course, of course my darling. You must eat to become a big and strong dragon.

That was a very good meal, Gaviaktrath told the dark lavender gargoyle nearly a hour later as they sat in the barracks with the Pern Clan leader, Jilly, and her sunset winged silver turn old dragon Konjakuth, I believe I am tired… may I sleep?

“Of course you can, my dear,” Pleiades replied rubbing the small head knobs that protruded from just above the hatchling’s eyes, “I think I might sleep myself… but not like the humans, I need a little stone sleep, this has been a very eventful day.” Ah yes, stone sleep, Gaviaktrath nodded her pretty little head before tilting it at her rider, What do you mean by that?

“Jilly, she doesn’t understand,” Pleiades explained to her friend.

“It’s probably because unlike Konjakuth with me your Gaviaktrath found you awake instead of asleep like I was,” the powder blue female told her and tapped her talon on her chin, “Which might mean she might panic if you did change to stone right now… uh maybe we should show her what you mean. We’ll us me as an example for her. Konjakuth, dear heart, will you explain how you know I’m still alive to her when I turn… try to help her understand.” The silver dragoness nodded her crestless head and nuzzled the hatchling to get her attention.

“Now what watch happens to Jilly here when I take off her pendant,” Pleiades asked of the duowing. Carefully Pleiades lifted the magical pendant off over Jilly’s head. The moment the necklace no longer encircled any part of the blond gargoyle’s body the creaking of stone skin echoed through the barracks and the green dragon looked at the stone Jilly in amazement.

So this is stone sleep? Yes, this is what your rider’s species normally sleeps like. She does not seem alive to you does she? No, but I feel something from the statue. Good, tap into that… That feeling is her mind, you won’t feel it as strongly as I do as Jilly is my rider but that is what you must do to remind yourself that Pleiades is still alive and only sleeping… They stay this way until the sun sets and then the stone breaks away and your rider will appear refreshed and renewed. The little green nodded as she seemed to understand the silver.

Konjakuth looked to Pleiades then, Place it back on Jilly, we have classes to attend today. The lavender gargoyle chuckled at the commanding silver but did as she was told. Within seconds of the pendant being around Jilly’s neck she broke out of her stone sleep with a wild feline like roar and burning red eyes. Gaviaktrath looked a bit startled at the awakening gargoyle and hid behind the leg of Pleiades for a moment.

“Now you see what to expect,” Pleiades cooed at her dragon. The green nodded sleepily, “Now I’m going to have Jilly take the pendant off of me. I want to you do as Konjakuth told you so you don’t worry and then you go to sleep too. I’ll be up again at sunset unless you really need me. If you really need me, then either talk to Konjakuth about getting Jilly over here to wake me up or talk to Jilly directly… can you remember all that.” I may have just hatched but I think I can remember that.

“Alright, Gav,” Pleiades smiled, “Why don’t you lay down on your couch and then I’ll have Jilly take off my pendant so we can both sleep.” The green agreed with a low trill and soon both were in possion. “Have a good sleep, my lovely.” As long as you do too, my rider, Gaviaktrath replied lovingly.

Jilly stepped forward and removed the pendant. No sooner had the stone set around Pleiades did Gaviaktrath start to panic and creel loudly. Aaaaaaah! I can’t feel her! Why can’t I feel her! You said I should feel her when she’s in this form, Konjakuth! PLEIADES!!!

“Whoah! So this is what it’s like for a dragon to loose the connection between herself and her rider,” Jilly blinked and became fearful for the dragonet. Konjakuth stepped forward and put a reassuring paw over the hatchlings strong neck while her other forepaw tried to ease the dragon’s two sets of wings. Shhh, my young friend. Calm yourself. She still lives. Shhh! Calm yourself and look for her mind, the silver told the green while making soft snuffing noses as if to calm her with the noises, Look for her mind, you’re still connected to it.

Gaviaktrath calmed some and looked for her rider’s mind. Pleiades? the green crooned and then blinked as she found it, it was the same as it was when the gargoyle was not in stone sleep, only it had a slightly muted way to it, She sleeps…! And it makes me more sleepy. Thank you for your help. Any time kid. If you need Pleiades to feed you or oil you anytime today just call on us and we’ll wake her up for you. Sleep well Gaviaktrath. Before the silver had finished her well wishes for the sleeping duowing, the green was joining her rider in a deep rest.

“You are an amazing dragon, Konjakuth,” Jilly told her bond with a smile, planting a kiss on the silver’s muzzle. I did was what necessary. Any dragon would have done the same. But possibly not as well as you did, dear heart. The silver seemed to shrug and the two left the set of duowinged species to their sleep.