The Lian mini eggs' hatching was soon after, though it was the first clutch to hatch on Ryslen's sands in quite a while. On the day of the hatching, Thersalyin and Zaddizh were surprised to find more than just the usual crowd around the eggs. In fact, the number of spectators was large enough that Ke'li and Ke'l decided to move them from the Nook onto Ryslen's regular Sands where a clutch of dragon eggs sat waiting.

The candidates did not have long to wonder what beauties might break free of their ivory cradles, for almost as soon as Ke'li set down the last egg, it began to rock and shiver, finally releasing its shimmering fushcia contents. Everyone watched as the Red Glitz made his way to one of the candidates.

Thersalyin turned to Zaddizh, her eyes swirling with humor and joy. He looks like his fathers, don't you think?

Ziyazh guffawed then stopped to really look. "Actually," he said quietly after his initial outburst, "you're right, he does look rather like a gem." Silvery and like liquid crystal as he toddled across the sand, all knew that it was not just the contents of the egg glistening on his hide.

The nearly full-grown Cream nodded her great head once, turning back to the hatching. Secretly, he hoped that if anyone bonded to a little one, it must be Zaddizh. I can wait, I will wait... her thoughts whispered through her mind, just please let him bond... What did you say?

Zaddizh was frowning, and the others wore similar expressions. "He doesn't have a name."

No name?

Ziyazh was shaking his head negatively as the second egg hatched, revealing a handsome sapphire-and-silver glitz.

He slipped across the sands and past the spectators to where a cream and white feathered beauty waited. Hello Thersalyin. The mini said, climbing between her huge Ryslen paws.
Hi baby. The dragoness said to her new tiny bond. You don't have a name either, do you?
The mini blue lay on his back and waggled his paws at her. Nope?
Thersalyin nuzzled his belly. We'll find a name for you.

~ Exerpt from Ryslen's first Lian mini dragon hatching

For an eternal moment, Thersalyin forgot her anxieties over Zaddizh. She finally had something she wanted and needed, something that had been missing in her life since the beginning. She watched her tiny Blue adoringly as he played with her feathery tail-tip. She fluttered it over his body, waving thermal-heated air over him; he sniffed, snorted, and squirmed, eyes rolling in rainbow-hued happiness.

Unnoticed, Zaddizh felt the first twinges of jealousy. They were not aimed at Thersalyin and her new bond, his was simply a sweet longing for those emotions that painted the Cream Featherwing's face with rosy adoration. He looked away as the bitter-sweetness threatened to overwhelmed him.

He watched several other bondings and realized suddenly that there were fewer eggs than candidates. I'm not going to bond? he wondered to himself as the number shrank from few to two. Within each were the watery-metallic hues of dewdrops on fall leaves: coppery-orange and sunshine-yellow. The first hatchling found a tiny, long-eared elf who would likely be able to ride his bond once he grew to adulthood.

The elf wrapped his arms around the brilliant hatchling and they watched as the last mini dragon egg burst like a ray of sunshine through the cloudbank. Indeed it was a dark silvery yellow glitz hatchling. At first, she seemed confused, but soon was heading tentatively towards a young woman with an unusual shifting talent. At the last moment she turned away and headed straight to a young man who lingered at Thersalyin's side.
Zaddizh! You have two names - can I have one of yours? The boy scooped up his mini dragon and laughed. "You can be Ziyazh if you really want, but it might get confusing..." The yellow licked his cheek like a puppy might, and they all laughed.

"Make sure you let one of our scribes know when your bonds choose names." Ke'l said after getting the attention of the newly bonded.

~ Exerpt from the Lian hatching

New bonds slowly began to file off the Sands as they sorted out themselves, their hatchlings, and their thoughts. Shock and excitement began to disappate as Thera and Zaddizh's bonds began to tire and drift off to sleep. Feeling emotionally drained, they realized muzzily that the Sands had begun to vibrate with the sound of humming dragons.