Bond Story of Nuadha The day was hot, and Nuadha was tired of being forced to stay at the Healing Den. He wasn't going to bond! As a dragon started humming again, Nuadha had a feeling his head was going to burst, and he glared across and through the rock to where the female dragons were becoming protective over their shivering eggs. Nuadha couldn't comprehend why the Healing Den wanted to have so many females lay at once, considering the racket and the fuss they were putting up. The still didn't have enough bonders for the eggs, and he was quite sure they were having trouble with some of the bonders, but Nuadha shrugged and pulled his attention away from the dragons. He wasn't bonding, remember? Nuadha held a letter in his hand from Niaha. She told him that the six at home were getting along well, just as Nuadha had told her the seven of them at the Healing Den were getting along fine. She spoke of how much easier it was with less people around, and how big and empty the house seemed. They had moved onto a small farm shortly after Nuadha had left, and he felt sad that he hadn't been able to help with the move, angry because he was stuck at the Healing Den until every last egg had hatched. He sighed and let his head fall back, closing his eyes as he found a moment of silence. Until some brat ran out of the Den, yelling for all bonders to get to the sands. Nuadha snorted. They'd been saying that all day, and still not one egg had hatched. He stood and stretched, knowing he'd been found sooner and later, and deciding he'd rather go to the sands on his terms. Dozens of bonders came into the room, some of them seemingly for the first time. Nuadha recognized some, but for the most part, they were complete strangers. With groups of kids from Earth, Alskyr, the Old World, Danach and many others, it was hard to know even half of them. The dragons had mostly removed themselves from the sands, and were lining the ledges which made up the dome, above. Dozens of them watched, looking at their precious mound of sand or their nest of eggs. A couple of them didn’t want to move, claiming that their children weren’t ready yet – but they were far outnumbered by those who did get off the sands. A couple of the golden queens refused outright to leave, and no one wanted to prod them into doing something against their will. Nuadha eyed them carefully and chose a spot away from their mounds. People from everywhere were coming in, dressed in all sorts of clothing. Nuadha was in a loose pair of breeches and a white shirt which he'd left half untied. As Nuadha looked around, he wondered again how the Healing Den was managing to house and feed everyone. There were people everywhere, and more coming and going even as he watched. His attention was drawn to one of the mounds of eggs. Soon, everyone looked – and the dragons above started their song in full force. As if they’d never been stopped, the huge noise deafened many and startled a number of the bonders. Then, when they were at their peak, several eggs from all over the sands erupted open. Nuadha couldn't help but give a sigh of relief, wondering if maybe he could leave once the eggs had hatchd and he hadn't bonded. The dragons shook shells off of their wet hide, and then paced toward the awed bonders. Everyone held their breath. There were five, radically different looking dragons. A red-skinned and white-wing-sailed one, a stone-and-striped one, a deep blue with vivid wings, and two dark greens of wildly different looks. The red dragon made her choice quickly. She – it became apparent when she bonded – moved quickly up to a male Nuadha had seen shapeshifting. Shivering, he was glad he wasn't any closer and turned back to watch the bondings. Next to choose was the brown-dappled with rust shade and solid-backed wings, which were grey on the outside and deeper rust on the inside. Nuadha couldn't help but notice that at regular spaces down his whole spine, where each of the small triangular ridges were, a darker rusty colored streak-stripe dripped down. The dragon looked as though he had rusted nails along his back...and he strode carefully up to a strange creature. The girl seemed surprised, but they bonded, and Nuadha turned back to the sands. The darkly colored blue, with small horn-buds on his head which matched those ivory tines coming off his wing-wrists, stood onto his back legs and began fumbling about looking for his bond. With a reddish gleam in his whirling eyes, the blue suddenly bellowed, startling several bonders and making one or two back away. Nuadha was far enough way that no one around him moved, but he still watched to see what the blue was doing. The people around him left room for him to walk along and find his choice. A handsome boy, Caiseal if Nuadha had his names correct. He grinned and turned his intrigued attention to the greens. When the lighter of the two dark greens approached the bonders, many of them backed away at her snapping jaws. She already had a full mouth of teeth, and her grey-green wingsails snapped open when she wanted through. She quickly bonded a strong-willed looking girl, and the other green, the darker green, with the high Ryslen neck ridge and strong curved wings, shook sand off her feet before carefully examining the throng of bonders. All the bonders in the world seemed to be here. She shook her head, and then sat down beside a boy. And that was that. While the pairs took their time choosing whether to remain or seek food, another four eggs broke open. It seemed the mother's cheered on their hatchlings, even while keeping track of whose were hatching.....and to whom. A brown-red dragon had a spectacular speckling of white dots along his whole body, with tiny ones on his limbs. White candy-striped wingsails completed the image, and the slender-legged long-tailed dragon went directly to the theater group. One of the girls gasped, and Nuadha smiled. The theater group were an amusing bunch, and he was glad to see that they would bond. Another deeply colored dark-green hatched, sharp spines ran down her neck, while her black hindquarters nearly disappeared into shadow. The elegant looking dragon slipped through the crowd, and found her bond. Nuadha couldn't see her choice and so turned back to the hatching in time to see a yellowy-green bond a surprised looking huge dark brown dragon. When a dark teal-speckled black dragon came from a rather intimidating looking female, she was greeted by her mother’s cheerful cry. She had her mother’s outline, but that was about it. Her keel chest bone was strong, she would be able to move those wings quickly, perhaps like a hummingbird! But for the moment, she searched for her bond, and quickly found her. There was a bit of a pause, while everyone congratulated the new bonds, shared stories of their own bonding, or bet on who would bond to what. While those who were waiting to bond stood around, they were treated to chilled water and a towel to dry up if they were hot from the sands. Most of them were. Nuadha certainly was, and his intrigue was drying up, leaving him....irritated. Another big batch of eggs started wobbling, and their mothers urged their children on. Almost all of them were in the larger right-hand side of the sands, though the first to truly break his shell was a tan and buckskin shaded brown. He had droopy ears, and his two-toned wings seemed hard to raise up very far. He came from the middle part of the sands, and sniffed around a particular male, bonding and moving off the sands. A black and brown-tan mottled dragon came next. This brown had a long, flattened face, and sharp small spines spaced widely down his neck and back. His wing sails were semi-transparent, and shimmered many colors of brown and dark, when he held them up. He carried himself to a feline-shaper, who was looking rather nervous, and bonded. Meanwhile, near where the brown-black had hatched, a green with several shades of color on her body and wings, camoflage yet bold, opened up her wings. She was clearly Ryslen descended, with the forward swept neck crest and the curved wings. The underside of her wings was a brighter yellow-green color, while the outside was a deep forest color. She made her way quickly toward the bonders. A stunning violet-purple two-toned dragon came bolting out of her egg next. She had deeply colored wing sails, and a paler pinker body, with horns and a broad dragon grin spread across her face. Her forelegs barely touched the ground, when she trundled toward the group of four sisters-of-different-blood. The dragon looked each one of them up and down, and decided that the red-haired was the right bond for her. A light colored green hatched from the eggs, about as opposite as she could be from her darker sister who hatched earlier. No neck ridge, little head knobs, and brilliantly mint-colored wings. The mint-green dragoness waved her wings up and down, waiting as her bond approached her on careful feet. A medium colored blue dragon walked away from the nest area, his drying wings almost pitch black underneath, like his neck ridge. The rest of him was a paler shade, with the wing sails above being a brilliant color. He strode to a boy, and sat back onto the warm sand. Nuadha couldn't help but think something was being said at each bonding, but couldn't be sure. Before anyone could applaud or change their bets, four more eggs broke open. One from the far back of the chamber, another from a different clutch, yet a third from one dragons, and one from the far left hand side. A pale and bright-winged red dragon sprang from one area, snarling and growling, snapping at the others who might be in her way. Bonderss backed up from her, staying away from her long, quick wings. Nuadha was amoungst them. Several of the other dragons hatched got out of her way as the red and her shapeshifting companion moved out. From that bunch, a sunset-winged brown with long horns on his head walked with purpose toward a slightly distressed looking young man, sitting down and studying him until he nodded. In dark contrast to the other dragon hatchlings of this batch, a black one unfurled his very slightly brown wings and sighed. He walked slowly up to Nuadha and pawed at his leg. Looking down, Nuadha thought perhaps the hatchling wanted to get by and stepped back. I think you are looking for me. “I wasn’t looking for any dragons,” Nuadha said, terse. “I was supposed to be looking after my siblings with my...” He blinked. Was this dragon talking to him? “With my... um...” The black-brown dragon tilted his head, and looked expectantly up at Nuadha. He was so dark! Peimolath, said the dragon, into Nuadha’s mind. Nuadha spoke it a moment later, as the fourth dragon found his bond. Nuadha bonded at the Healing Den