What happened BEFORE?

Avatar and Scam made themselves at home at Ryslen. It wasn't so different from certain mountainous lairs they'd visited, after all. But the social conventions were rather odd to both of them. There were riders and their leaders, who obviously headed the top of the heap socially. What bothered them most was that they didn't even really make any money at it. They were just in charge and they didn't really get any stipends for estates or whatnot.

"I sure am glad we'll be headed back to Zekira if we bond here," Scam announced. "I want to start saving for Land holding. Can't do that here, can I?"

"Unless you stay here," Avatar pointed out. Scam knew better than to think he'd remain on this world, while his own needed him. Especially if they bonded.

Shortly, though, the eggs were announced as hatching! While other candidates were vocal about how long it had been before the eggs hatched, again, Avatar and Scam wondered what they meant? But then again... most of those people were not long-lived as Zekirans.

Two clutches were going to be breaking shell here, and the pair of Zekiran men didn't really know what to expect. Neither had been at a Zekiran dragon hatching anyway, so this was going to be their measuring stick for them.

A pretty, shiny green hatched first, and both men found themselves comparing her skin to that of certain people they knew on Zekira. That had potential, didn't it? The next to hatch was a brilliant red who paraded about, loving the attention he was getting before bonding a woman who was with a shy man. A dragon flew in, carrying someone in his claws, and that sort of disturbed everyone a little. They weren't sure why this person had left (they'd been there before, what happened?) but then again, neither Scam nor Avatar really knew the ins and outs of dragon bonding society enough to worry. Dragons were big. They were impressive, and they could carry whatever they wanted in.

Several other eggs broke, including a big gold and a pretty blue. When another shiny green hatched and bonded, Scam kind of twisted his head around and waited. There was a brown, like her - all shiny and irridescent, who shook free of his shell.

His mind was chocolate-melting-on-cinnamon, a wonderful sensation for Scam's mind to handle. I am Delpeth, and you are mine. Won't we look fine in the skies above your world?

"Delpeth..." Scam sighed, as if it were the first word he'd ever uttered. Avatar didn't look all that jealous, but he really was, inside. Scam ignored his cousin and helped the brown-irridescent hatchling to where the food was.

And, it looked as though Avatar was going to have to wait until the next set of eggs broke open - for his chance to bond. He couldn't hold it against Scam. Whenever the dark brown man's mind entered Scam's he felt the second mind there, too, Delpeth, protectively guarding his inner secrets and holding on to the deep love that Scam wanted to share with someone all along.

Half scowling to himself, and half smiling to everyone else, Avatar joined the party for "we didn't bond but there are still eggs on the sands" candidates, as his cousin tended the duties of a dragon rider.

What comes NEXT?