[Hatching] A Million Marks and a Dream

[Arcane]

Mithras of Blue Solarachath- Costanza, weyrlings

"Maybe it depends on the dragon. Dragons have eyes, right? So they could like bright colors or eye catching patterns or sparkly jewelry," Mithras speculated.

Costanza's preferences sounded reasonable, more so than most. Mithras smiled at him as she said, "I hope your dragon is nice. But I think you're capable of more than you think. It shouldn't just be the ambitious people with the burden of leading the weyr, don't you think? It'd be better for everyone if we all did our part."

She shook her head at Constanza's second question, "I don't think they would. They enforce the age limits strictly on everyone. But I don't understand why there are age limits at all. Dragons can tell how old we are and can choose for themselves. If they want a fifteen turn old rider, there are still plenty to pick from."

Mithras winced and squinted her eyes, as one of the blues ran rampant over the waiting candidates. The blood and maulings were always her least favorite part of hatchings.

A small, shameful part of her was very glad that the blue did not turn her way. A rider should be strong enough to welcome a dragon with blood on his claws- but Mithras wasn't sure she was.

The next green hatched and Impressed without issue.

The next egg to crack was the quiet one, but Mithras never doubted it had a dragon inside. She'd felt something, even if faint.

And indeed, the dragon inside was a healthy blue, who looked back at them in terror, before his mother extended a protective wing.

Mithras tried to look less frightening, resisting the urge to stare directly at the blue, as he darted out, like a rodent startled from its den, straight towards...them. No...her.

You don't have to be sorry, Mithras said, crouching down to meet the blue- Solarachath- on the sands, You just have to be you. Thank you- for choosing me.

Her dragon wasn't bad or cold or uncaring. He was just shy.

And that was okay. There was nothing wrong with shy.

He was hers. He wanted her. And she was going to be the rider he'd always dreamed of.

Solarachath shifted uncomfortably, trying to crouch beneath Mithras' robes, Good. That's....good. Because I don't think I could not be me.

Want to go get some food? Mithras suggested, smiling warmly at the hatchling.

Yeah, food sounds good, Solarachath agreed.

"Good luck," Mithras said to Constanza, as she walked away with her dragon, matching her pace to his to let him continue to try to camouflage himself in her robes.

You don't have to be nervous. Your classmates are going to love you. They're your siblings, which is like your family, Mithras told him, as they reached the other weyrlings. She pulled out a bucket of meat.

... Solarachath looked uncomfortably away and started eating, Or maybe I can just talk to you. Two's a pack- or a family.

I'm your rider. I'll always be your pack. But it's good to have friends, Mithras said, without pushing the issue too hard, You don't have to make them right now. I'll be here to help, whenever you're ready.

"Congratulations, classmates, fellow dragonriders," Mithras beamed at her new classmates. Whoever they were, whatever their foibles, they were all in this together now. Faranth, she was a rider.

It was hard to believe.

She had finally done it.

She was a dragonrider!

"This is Solarachath. He's a little quiet because he's shy. But he's a wonderful dragon I can't wait for everyone to get to know."

[Ezra]

Ryne of Green Iseleth - Aoi, Mithras (mention), Hatching chaos (reaction)

Ryne nodded to Aoi and would have more to say but then a brute of a blue hatched and attacked two candidates and almost another if its person had not shoved them back and impressed. Horror and concern were clear on Ryne's face, those injuries looked serious. Not thinking and tears welling up in her eyes, one of her hands covered her mouth and the other grabbed Aoi's, though she did not register she had done so. " Oh.. no! Someone please help them!" She called softly, and she felt Iseleth responding to her swirling emotions and rather than words, her dragon tried to project a sense of calm into her mind.

" Calm yourself my Ryne. They will be attended to. But your yelling may startle the hatchlings yet to be born." She gently responded, not so much to chastise her rider but more to keep her from diving further into her emotional tailspin.

That seemed to have an effect as Ryne took in a few breaths and let them out slowly, and closed her eyes for a moment to recenter herself. " Thank you Iseleth." She said out loud softly and realizing she grabbed Aoi's hand, she let go. " I am sorry I touched you without consent, do forgive me." She replied, flushed slightly, normally she did not do anything like that but.. panicked for a moment.

Seeing her rider was calming down, Iseleth layed her head down on her front legs and watched as a much calmer pair of greens and a beautiful blue hatched and impressed without blooding anyone else. Ryne then noticed who the recent blue went to and the panic from earlier melted into excitement as she started to shout in joy for Mithras but noted how shy the blue was and thought better of it.

Instead she raised her hands into the air in a cheer motion and looked directly at Mithras, she was so proud of her friend and excited for her! She would congratulate her properly at the feast later for sure. " Hurray! Mithras impressed, that is the friend I was talking about. Now your friend needs to impress, that would be wonderful yes?" She said, her attention back to Aoi. It was nice to have company today.

[MothyCake]

Aoi of Blue Kurabeth - Ryne, Meguyakuth (mentions Mithras)

When Aoi saw the attacks on the sands, he turned pale, especially as one of them looked like their arm had been broken. He was scared for them, but he soon took a deep breath, Kurabeth turning his head to look at Aoi before looking back towards Meguyakuth.

'Meguyakuth, please do excuse me. Aoi looks terrified and I don't like seeing him like that.'

Instinctively, Kurabeth put his head on Aoi's head, speaking into his mind to tell him to take deep breaths. Aoi did as the other spoke, sighing softly before looking at Ryne in worry. In fact, he had not realized that Ryne had grabbed his hand until she mentioned it. He gave a gentle, albeit weak, smile.

"No, it's quite alright. I was admittedly startled when I saw the attacks myself. I can understand if you were scared as well.." Of course, that being said, Aoi was never good around injuries. He looked at the other and smiled gently, before looking alarmed when she raised her hands in the air after letting go of his hand. He turned to look and soon smiled widely.

It looks like the friend Ryne had talked about had impressed.

"Tell her congratulations for me when you can!" Aoi smiled widely at Ryne. He was so happy for her friend, but he had never interacted much with Mithras, or even at all if he remembered correctly, so he didn't want to make things awkward by congratulating her.

Kurabeth looked happily at the two before looking back at his sibling, "What were we discussing before this occurred?"

[FirebrandPhlox]

Candidate Costanza - Mithras

He frowned at Mithras's comments. She of course didn't know him, and didn't know that really, he was not capable of much. Leadership did not suit him, and he wasn't suited to any kind of work. Being a rider was really his last chance to make something of himself, he couldn't go back to cycling through different crafts just to fail at everything he tried.

He yelped when the vicious blue tore into a pair of female candidates that had made their way to the front of the sands. He had been standing up there not to long prior, that easily could have been him falling to the ground, having to be carried away to the healers.

While he was still processing what he had seen, two more dragons hatched, a green and a blue. The blue walked towards him and Mithras, and he beamed. This is what he wanted! A nice, subdued blue. Then the dragon's eyes swirled rainbows at his companion, not him.

"Oh, come on!" He lamented, unable to keep the thought to himself. There were so few eggs left, and that blue would have been an excellent match for him, he was sure of it! He quickly backpedaled though. "I mean, congratulations! You deserve it, I'm sure." His tone was meek and unconvincing.

[Ezra]

Candidate Nielle - Izumi, Rekka, Constanza, Bede, Neidellah, hatching (mention)

Nielle felt her stomach still coiling like a pit of angry tunnel snakes. It was hard to focus past the nausea but somehow, she managed to swallow back the bile bubbling in her throat before it spilled out. As the next eggs hatched without blood, she felt a bit more at ease. One even came to Izumi! " Oh! Congrats Izumi! What a beautiful dragon! Go take that victory lap my friend, I am so happy for you!" She said and really meant it. Seeing Mithras impressing after made her smile, she knew she had been here a really long time, longer than a lot of people on the sands today.

It was the sweet shy little egg that contained that dragon. She offered a word of encouragement and celebration to her as well before turning back to Rekka. " Well.. and then it was just you and me kid. Today has been a bit.. egg-stream hasn't it?" She whispered to the other candidate, trying to use humor to swallow back the anxiety that was still stirring in her. Seeing the huge egg... Ice Wall she thought she remembered, rocking, she was optimistic but also cautious, shifting her position slightly in an almost protective stance, just in case the teeth came flying again, better her than Rekka. She amusedly realized how somehow she was acting like an older sibling and shifted again, just to make sure she was not blocking the girl from being seen by the dragons but still, making sure she could be protective if needed. It was weird but the instinct came from nowhere.

Looking over to a few candidates that seemed to be standing alone now, she waved to them. " Hey there! Do you all want to come join us over here?" She offered, knowing how much of a bummer it was to be standing down here alone.

[Ignys]

Candidate Neidellah - Nielle

Finally, there were a couple more eggs hatching without issue. She found herself worrying over the anxious little blue at first, before Serapheth shielded him and he finally stepped forward. Neidellah released a breath she hadn't known she had been holding. Violence aside, she didn't want to see a hatchling go Between. Then she noticed how sparse the candidate line had gotten around her. And with only three eggs left...

She blinked and turned her head towards the voice calling out to her - ...Nielle? Yeah, Nielle - and walked over, settling next to her with a wry little grin.

"This one's been pretty eventful hasn't it?" dhe glanced towards the healers taking care of the more seriously injured candidates, giving a half shrug. "They're in good hands. Better to not crowd them. The healers know what they're doing." The next egg was big. Maybe another bronze? A brown maybe? "Three more.. ahh, I cant say I'm not a little dissapointed its come down to the wire already. But things should finish up before the storm hits. I'd rather be warm and cozy in the mess hall during the feast than out here."

[Arcane]

The Ice Wall egg rocked enthusiastically and energetically, before splitting cleanly in two. The dragon within climbed out, stopping to examine the remnants critically.



A brown! A big, extremely fat brown.

Every part of him was big and chonky, from his limbs to his neck to his rounded belly. His hide was a true medium brown, a bit on the lighter side of average. He had a more yellowy tail, with the same color running up his spine and speckling his back and the underside of his wings. His muzzle was a dark brown and his underbelly was pale.

He turned away from the neatly cracked shell with a bellow and strutted towards the candidates, stopping for a moment to pose and show off his form, as if he found himself the peak of draconic perfection.

The brown walked the lines of the candidates, gaze discerning, but warm. He chortled encouragingly at Costanza.

But when he reached Tygir, he stopped, bellowing in triumph, before looking critically at the torn edges of his robe, from the blue's bite, My draconic instincts have guided me here- to you. Never fear about your robe- we will repair it! We will make it better and stronger than ever, in the name of Faranth and all my draconic forbearers.

The Spare Egg began to shake dramatically, like it was ready to begin the show.

[FirebrandPhlox]

Candidate Costanza - Reaction to hatching

This was looking bad. Really bad. There were only three eggs left on the sands, only three chances left for him to impress. Three chances. And there were significantly more candidates still standing than three.

If he got bit by one of the remaining eggs, so be it. With determination, he resumed a position at the front of the sands, close to the eggs so each dragon that hatched would be forced to look at him. No more leaving it up to chance.

The Ice Wall cracked open, revealing a large, impressive brown. Costanza wasn't sure he had ever seen a fat dragon before, but there was a first time for everything. The dragon posed before walking towards the candidates, as if he was showing off. Costanza swallowed hard. A self-absorbed brown was better than no dragon though, so he stood firm as the dragon approached him.

Please pick me, please pick me, he thought repeatedly as the brown looked him over. Then the dragon chuckled before moving on to the fashion disaster of a candidate.

"He laughed at me?" Costanza burst out. "What does that even mean?" These dragons were getting worse with each one that popped out of an egg. Getting laughed at was worse than being bitten!

[nineofswords]

Heiro - Kylan, H'nel, Aneesa

CW: Blood, gore

Heiro was grateful that Aneesa was calling for help, mostly because she couldn't do it herself very well just then. She managed to find her voice, though, as the healers showed up. Unfortunately, the pain also had its talons in her, and she was gasping from it, taking short, abortive breaths. She tried to do as Kylan instructed, struggling to breathe normally, but it was not what her body wanted to do. "I...I'm....Heiro," she managed to get out. "H...hi, Kylan..." She hoped they didn't think she was being rude by not greeting them better. Even hurt, she expected better of herself.

"O...kay..." she agreed when they explained what they were doing. She winced as she was picked up, and with each step. She could tell they were trying to be delicate about it, but each step sent a jolt of agony through her anyway. She bit down on the inside of her cheek to keep from crying out. They were really trying their best, and she would hate if they thought she wasn't appreciating their efforts.

And then she'd been put down on a cloth and another healer was looking at her, cutting away her robes to look at them. "H...hi H'nel," she said, grateful that this healer's name was easy to gasp out. Maybe that was why so many riders elided. She would consider it, assuming she lived and assuming a dragon actually wanted her. She wasn't sure they would, given that one of the hatchlings had intentionally slashed her like that. "H...eiro..." she repeated for H'nel, then turned to Kylan at their question. Friends? She wracked her brain. Most of her friends were back home. Of the candidates she'd actually seen impress, she was friendly with many of them, but...she wasn't sure it was fair to count them as friends. The closest she'd gotten was the candidate she'd just been talking to...

Thinking of Aneesa, her gaze drifted to the other candidate. "She's...hurt too," Heiro said, not trying to get up, but still trying to get the healers to look at Aneesa, to not just ignore her. She was scowling, trying to convey with her face that Aneesa should not be asking about her when she was hurt too, but she was in too much pain for that to come across as clearly as she'd wanted.

Once H'nel got the robes off, the wound was better than it could've been, but it still wasn't good. The gouges were deep, and would need stitches. Had a more slender girl received the same injury, her stomach lining would've undoubtably been torn, but Heiro had enough healthy fat to her that it had stopped the blow from tearing into any of her major organs. Still, though, the slash had gone all the way to muscle in some places, and would take quite some time to heal.

[FirebrandPhlox]

Candidate Aneesa - Heiro, healers

TW: Blood and gore

Aneesa grimaced as the Healers got to work on Heiro. Her torso was horribly gouged, and there was a lot of blood. So much blood. Aneesa averted her gaze from the wound to Heiro's face, which was scowling at her. Heiro had to be in terrible pain, even worse than the searing heat in her own arm. The fact that the scowl was supposed to be reprimanding Aneesa went over her head.

"Don't worry about me," she said, wincing as another jolt of pain shot through her arm. She blinked back the tears in her eyes, trying unsuccessfully to keep her voice even. "You need help first. I'll be fine. I've had worse," she lied through clenched teeth. She had never had an injury this bad before, but she couldn't have Heiro worrying about her when she was clearly much worse off.

"Ignore what she's saying," she pleaded with the healers. "Take care of her first."

[nineofswords]

Heiro - Aneesa, Healers

Heiro sighed in annoyance and then immediately sucked air back in, wincing at the pain it caused her. Just because someone had experienced pain in the past didn't negate the pain they were feeling now (which was hypocritical of her to think, naturally). And that break looked bad.

Still, she knew she was in bad shape and couldn't ask the healers to stop tending to her. "There...there's....two healers," she managed to get out. "We...both...need one..." The edges of her vision were starting to go gray, and she was getting light headed. Faranth...she was actually about to faint, wasn't she? She'd be embarrassed if this didn't hurt so much.

[Ezra]

Candidate Nielle - Neidellah

" It really has been and yeah, just still that looked very painful." Nielle replied and then nodded. At this point, she was thinking it was going to be another return to her room, the very familiar room that had been her home for many years now. " Yeah.. definitely do not want to get caught in that storm, its looking to be a nasty one, judging by the clouds." She added as she looked up at the sky for a moment. Then Ice Wall hatched a very large brown and Nielle watched them intently but they seemed peaceful enough and impressed without issue.. good. That was a BIG brown. " Well two now. I have been pretty curious about that plain white egg, not often you see a dragon lay an egg that lacks any markings if I remember correctly." She replied, stroking her chin. Spare was starting to rattle and Nielle's attention was then drawn to it. Who was going to be the next weyrling.. and would there be another bite?

[FirebrandPhlox]

Candidate Aneesa - Heiro, Healers

TW: Blood and gore

Aneesa continued to blink back her own tears of pain, even as Heiro tried scolding her. She would normally find such concern for others endearing, but Heiro was quickly growing paler as the healers worked on her. Aneesa was fairly certain she could tough out the pain long enough for them to stitch Heiro up and get her properly cared for before she would get looked at. Not entirely confident though.

"You need them more," she said, wincing as she spoke. Really, Heiro was being unreasonably concerned about her for someone who was bleeding as profusely as she was. Though the girl was getting frighteningly pale as she tried to direct the healers to Aneesa. "Stop talking! Conserve...your strength!" Aneesa scolded back, her own words growing more difficult to express with each passing moment. She wanted to get closer to Heiro, offer some kind of support for her fellow candidate, but she didn't have the energy to try and push past the healers to comfort the other girl.

[nineofswords]

Heiro - Aneesa, Healers

CW: blood

The other girl was crying, and she seriously wanted to wait to have a healer see to her? "Not...contest," she managed to ground out. "Hurt...is h...hurt..." That was about as much as she managed to get out, though, before she lapsed into unconsciousness. This would be mortifying later, undoubtably. She'd gone from being flirted at by her fellow candidate to being slashed, to fretting about Aneesa's broken arm, to passing out from blood loss and pain. What a hatching, and what a first impression to make on someone who'd called her 'cute' mere moments ago.

[Arcane]

The Spare Egg shook with earnest enthusiasm, until at last, a small head emerged, announcing his arrival with a loud cheep.



A blue!

A bright, flashy blue, with a brilliant blue hide further emphasized by the bright turquoise blue of his underbelly and appearing in large splotches on his wings, accented by streaks of a rich navy blue. He was a slender, almost twiggy dragon, slightly tall for his length.

And unlike his blue brother, he seemed entirely comfortable in the spotlight, stretching his wings and taking a moment to bask in the attention of the crowd before trotting towards the candidates.

He nudged at the candidates curiously, greeting each with a cheerful chirp or twitch of his tail, until he came to a stop in front of Nielle.

Greetings, fair Nielle! I am Tredjeth- dragon, blue, up-and-coming threadfighter...And your new bondmate!

The last of the eggs, the Bubbling Brew, started to shake, seemingly ready to finally make its grand entrance.