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Winter was coming to an end at Ryslen and the spring equinox was nearly upon them. Prima Jeyann, Primo Ke'l and Tiyanni stood on a ledge inside the immense hatching cavern, the one that connected to Mezireth's nidulus and Jeyann's office/apartment. They all looked down at the eggs and the two very pregnant mammalian females.
T'malia ty niaran Alamyr, the Ambassador from Mirus, seemed comfortable enough in her warm sandy nest, butHemassa seemed downright miserable. Jeyann and Tiyanni, being mothers themselves, empathized greatly with her plight. Koiri and Niteo joined them on the ledge. "Did we take this long to hatch?" Niteo asked in a lighthearted way. "Eggs hatch in their own good time." Ke'l said in reply. "Some clutches take weeks longer than expected, sometimes waiting until the right number of candidates arrive." Jeyann suppressed a frown. "How many novos do we have?" "Sixty-six." Tiyanni answered. "It's been a while since the last few arrived." Jeyann looked to the whites. "How many eggs are there? Those sands are notorious for having 'buried treasure.'" "About a hundred." Niteo said cheerfully. Jeyann's face displayed something that was a cross between a scowl and a frown of concentration. "The Lians often double bond. How many hybrid-Mini eggs?" "23." Koiri answered promptly. "And 72 'full-sized' eggs." "That's only 95." Ke'l said. Hemassa made a strained sort of sound, drawing their attention. Her discomfort was plain to see. She's in labor. Mezireth and Litayth reported to their bonds simultaneously. The goldriders began their descent to the sandy floor while Ke'l - having been informed by his bronze - went to help the dragonhealers gather whatever might be necessary to birth a dragon pup. This, a live birth, was yet another first for Ryslen, as every other dragon had come from an egg. Fortunately for the Nidus, T'malia was no stranger to draconic livebirth and it's attendant ideosyncracies. Though the white was hugely pregnant herself, she coached them through the whole ordeal. Niteo and Koiri had been hard pressed to keep the spectators to a minimum - a task they appointed themselves to - as birthing pups was akin to clutching and most queens did not appreciate an audience during that painful and undignigied time. After what seemed like an eternity, two striped babies lay beside their exhausted mother. One was dark like her, and the other more silvery. They both had Thumoth's tiger stripes. Tokifosa, and Sykanaya She said, naming first the dark male and then his pretty silver sister. "Do we need to bring the novos?" Tiyanni asked the new mother. Not yet. Vatkari pups generally don't bond until they're about a month old. Hemassa said, snuggling her pups. "Everyone will want to see them." Tiyanni reminded her. "But we'll keep them out as long as you like." Hemassa nodded her thanks. Thumoth had arrived by then, and was overjoyed at the sight of his progeny. Later, Tiyanni sat with her daugher and Ke'l, enjoying a late supper. "Ninety-seven." She said, and the Primes of Ryslen looked up at her. "Seventy-four dragons - not counting whatever T'malia's still carrying - and only sixty-six novos." Ke'l said, sharing her concern. Jeyann however, was quite rational about the whole thing. "It's not unusual for dragons to choose not to bond." She reminded them. All three of them were often caught in an old-world mindset wherein all dragons must bond or perish. "And I've already had offers to sponsor any hatchlings who don't bond." Tiyanni smiled at her daughter. "You're going to allow it?" "Off course. Frux Ivou came weeks ago with two of his adopted daughters - they're here to bond, but he requested to sponsor Niteo or Mico's offspring that don't bond." Ke'l thought about that. "So technically there are 65 novos and one confirmed sponsor." Jeyann nodded. "It will all work out." Tiyanni said with a knowing grin. "This is Ryslen." |