A Trip to the Creamery }{ Firelizard Hatching

[angel]

Celette had finished handing out more meat and was watching with rapt eyes as the big egg started to seriously crack. It was so big she thought it would be a bronze for sure, but boy was she wrong. As the shell seemed to fall apart a beautiful, delicate looking Gold sat there looking at them all like they were beneath her. Well it was clear that this one was going to be a handful. Cel was certain the pretty thing would fly to the weyrwoman but low and behold the little gold glided onto her shoulder and made it very evident that she was waiting to be fed.

At this moment the most amazing thing came over her, she had just impressed a gold flit, GOLD! She, Celette had a queen creature to love and call her own. A smile split her face giving it a radiant kind of beauty as she dug her hands into the bag of raw tidbits; a huge contrast of things in her mind and quite funny as well. Crooning to the gold she popped a safe sized chunck of meat in the queens mouth and took out another ready to feed her as much as she wanted.

"Chew precious you don't want to choke. My little Persnickety, aren't you? You are so pretty!" she had to laugh at the way the queen looked at her as if to say, "Well of course I am silly I'm the best queen ever!" Which was quickly followed by a visual mind link that apparently said just that.

"Well aren't you confident." with that Celette looked around at the others and smiled her beaming feelings out at them. She really hoped the weyrwoman wouldn't be upset, it was possible that she might have wanted the creature. Looking at her worried for a second she was quickly chastised by a claw to her hand pulling the next bit of meat to the queen delicately.

How dare her human think to pay attention to anyone but herself. Persnickety was the most important creature here and deserved the full attention and admiration of the whole crowd.

Again a laugh escaped Cel's lips as she appologized to her little queen and continued feeding her. "Weyrwoman I would like to say sorry but I think Persnickety would claw me to shreds if I did. Thank you so much for inviting the weyr here....I never thought I'd have the chance to own such a beauty. Even if she is full of attitude." she again smiled and attempted to bow to the pair with only a little grace. Persnickety being in the process of eating didn't take to this movement so well and quickly swatted her owner and chirped impatiently at her.

"Alright alright I get it feed you then be respectful....little imp."

[hedgie]

"What did I do wrong this time?"

He'd been locked out, a large portion of his belongings locked inside the weyr of his current...err...ex...or..who-even-knew bedmate,..and there was no way to get back in that wouldn't be deemed destructive or troublesome. The other man was still inside, probably leaning against the door C'ady rested his forehead on. The greeenrider's arms hung limply at his sides, even as Forfeit clambered all along his sides, nudging at the stilled limbs. The little blue's constant cooing and squeaking did nothing to make him smile, even if that was his pet's intended purpose. Sighing, eyes downcast, C'ady trudged in the direction of ambrosineth, knowing his gnarled and lumpy dragon would be waiting with comforting words.

Is he dead yet?

Or not.

"Oh, Ambrose..." If it'd been possible, he would've slumped even lower towards the ground, bu he opted for hanging onto one of her headknobs instead. She tried, really, to make him feel better, but it didn't always go as planned. He had a place to stay when these things happened, a place to make him feel better, and someone who would take care of him while he felt fragile. It would be okay for a while, but he couldn't suppress the few sobs that escaped his chest. Slowly, C'ady rose back into a standing position, feeling the comfortable weight of Forfeit on his right shoulder. He let go of Ambrosineth, watching and waiting. What hey did next was all her decision. He didn't have a clue.

Oh, Mine! Eggs...we should go see. They might be all be duds!

Eggs? Well, there must've been a hatching of some sort and he had to run to keep up with the swift waddling movements of his bonded. "Oh, sure, Ambrose....because we're going to be alerted to a clutch full of dead eggs. What a pleasure." He shot back, jogging along beside her. "What's hatchin', anyways?" The answer didn't come right away..perhaps Ambrose didn't know. Perhaps she knew, but thought it was no point to tell in case they were duds...even if it was unlikely. Maybe she thought a surprise would be good for her somber rider//something to cheer him up.

Well, he found out eventually as everything came into view. Firelizards, like the one resting upon his shoulders..Several had already hatched. It was alright by him if they'd missed a few, even if they were all very pretty...and there was a gold among the mix. "Still a good bit left, Amborse. Hate to burst your bubble."

((Fail post...darn wrist.))

[chessur]

Saarth lounged casually with his tail curled around his body and his wings draped loosely. His hide had been well-scrubbed and oiled just a little while before and now the iron dragon was content to soak up as much of the day's sun as possible. A'san leaned against his dragon, having already devoured two meatrolls, he eyeballed a third clenched tightly in his fist. His tunic had been dropped carelessly to the ground and his trousers and bare chest were streaked with oil after laboring over his dragon.

Three? Really? Isn't two enough? Gorge yourself stupid and it'll be your own fault when your stomach hurts later.

" 'ey, a guy's gotta eat you know," A'san said in his own defense. "I scrubbed and oiled your butt all morning after my run. I earned it." The iron rider stopped suddenly as he noticed his dragon's head following the path of several people hurrying across the weyr and sneering. "What?" A'san asked, nodding his head toward the people. What's the deal with them?"

Fire-lizards hatching, apparently. Nasty, noisy little things...

The dragonrider sprang to his feet, pocketing the rest of his snack. "Oi seriously?! That's great! I've always wanted a fire-lizard. Thanks Saarth!"

The dragon snarled irritably as his rider departed, disgusted that A'san would actually want one of the pests and aggravated at the thought that he could possibly return with one. Well, he'd have to deal with that when it came around, if it did. Until then, the iron lay his head down on his forearms to resume his basking.

A'san tore after those who seemed to know where these eggs were hatching. At least one person had thought to bring food for the little beasties. He recognized several other dragonriders but was most surprised to find Mairin and her gold Rekhath there. And just as Saarth had said there were indeed fire-lizard hatchlings. Several eggs had hatched, including a gold, a blue and a green that he could see. And there were still unhatched eggs! He wasn't too late!

"Weyrwoman," he said respectfully, nodding his head. "What a pleasant surprise! Have you got one for yourself yet?" He pulled the meatroll from his pocket and tore it in half, offering a chunk of it to the goldrider in case she wanted to try and tempt one of the hatchlings with it too.

[beastiepie]

Naria knew the call of Firelizards wasn't for her. She was tempted, so tempted, to set out as soon as the words echoed in her head. The idea of having a mini dragon appealed to her. Even more so if she wasn't lucky enough to Impress a dragon egg. But still..... she had her misgivings. She was sure that the offer had been or more senior members who were deserving and not just any anyone. But maybe.....

She could watch. Observing the scene would be a very interesting endeavor. it was unique and something that not many people had the chance to do so, so she would really just be screwing herself over in the long run if she didn't. Plus, it wasn't as if she was doing anything major and important that she would be breaking off. Well, if counting how many hairs were on your head for two hours counted as something major or important she guessed she was, but that was besides the point. She was getting off of her lazy bum and going.

She moved silently through the Weyr, sticking to the walls as she moved. It made her a little sad that as a Candidate (certainly not how freakishly tall she was) that she couldn't people watch as she had before. Even so, she managed to observe a number of odd goings ons around the stalls and shops. This made Naria happy as she came into view of the Cove. She could see the shapes of people and dragons in the distance, and was almost pleasantly surprised to see other Candidates there. There were also a few dragons and their bonded, and it seemed a few of the eggs had already hatched.

When she got closer, she quickly took in those around her. A Gold was present, and given that Grenth was with eggs, it must have been the Junior Weyrwoman Marian. She recognized Wirena, Celette and Aether as her fellow Candidates. She wasn't sure if they knew her- she tended to keep to herself. But she knew them; or of them at least. Naria made it her business to know everyone. The dragons and riders, save for Lady Mairin and her gold, she did not recognize. It annoyed her a bit that she didn't, but she supposed she would have plenty of time to learn who everyone was and what they did. She wasn't big on introductions or speaking, but she felt she needed to do something. Smiling, she gave a
slight nod to her peers and the riders, then a half- bow to the Lady. It felt wrong, but she meant no ill will and what was done was done.

It seemed a few of the little flits had already hatched. It was a shame; she would have liked to see how everyone reacted to the first one escaping from it's shell. It looked like five eggs were left of the clutch, and if no one who had already Impressed didn't Impressed again, that would leave one person out. With that in mind, Naria settled herself at the edge of the group, close enough to be included but far enough away that she hoped not to intrude.

[. s p o r e ♪]

The hatching was looking quite lively now, with two of the smaller eggs wiggling about in the midst of the eggs and shell fragments. It was the Cinnamon Egg that was shaking about the hardest, although its sibling the Cake Batter Egg was not far behind, and both quivered quite heartily as small bits and pieces flaked from them. Cracks spread rapidly over both eggs, fracturing them into dozens of barely-held together pieces, until finally both eggs simply.... popped. Flecks of shell flew everywhere, revealing two slick little firelizards sitting in the midst of the decimated clutch.

One of the flits was tiny, skinny and dark green. She looked around and slid over to her newly-hatched sibling, a bright-coloured amber. The two flits cheeper happily at each other, tussling for a few minutes and rolling out of the nest as they did so. It wasn't until they both rolled into someone's foot that the two jumped back and seemed to realize that there were humans present. With a soft cheep, the green took to the air and circled those gathered, quickly latching onto Naria and nibbling her ear, apparently mistaking it for food. Her amber brother tried to mimic his sister's maneuver, but apparently he did it a little too eagerly, for in his excitement at finding a new friend, he almost overshot A'san's shoulder, and ended up clawing his neck, wings flapping in his face, in order to keep himself from falling off.

THE CINNAMON GREEN
Impress To : Naria

Appearance : This green is the complete opposite of everything that makes up her sister from the Strawberry Egg. She is dark, with a hint of blue to her shadowy green hide. Pale spots mark most of her body except for the undersides of her wings, which look as if shadows from an unknown source slid up to gather there. She is a thin creature, not in a graceful, attractive way, but rather in a fashion that looks mildly unhealthy, as if she really isn't being fed nearly enough. Her limbs are twigs, her wings are poky and sharp, and her stomach sucks in almost to her spine. Her figure doesn't seem to affect her health at least, for she'll grow normally and Rise just like any other green. It doesn't look natural, but in fact she just doesn't tend to put on weight, and really doesn't eat that much to begin with, so there's little that can be done to remedy it.

Personality : Subtle, Quiet, Mischievous, Fiesty



THE CAKE BATTER (M) AMBER
Impress To : A'san

Appearance : This little guy is pretty much the average size for a flit of his rank, and will eventually grow to be in the neighbourhood of 24 inches. He's a slim thing, though, and agile too. He's built long and narrow, with a whippy tail and short, pointed wings. Once he masters himself he's going to be a whiz at hovering and doing all sorts of tricky little maneuvers. At first he appears rather golden, as is usual for his rank, albeit confusing. He lacks the metallic sheen that true golds possess, though, and is notably smaller. Then there's the fact of him being male, as well. Faint dapples of darker and lighter amber wash across his hide, giving it depth, making it interesting. Not that he needs his hide to be interesting for him, as he is quite capable of that on his own.

Personality : Foolish, Whimsical, Distracted, Energetic

[ricci]

Ansй was a wanderer. She had given up her life nearer to her home, gone further and further along the coast. It had been half a turn since she had last run into the caravan. A part of her was thankful, but a more nagging part of her was needful of suppies. Nevertheless, she had gotten stir-crazy. The wild woman had calculated her decisions cautiously. It was either walk, or lose any semblance of sanity, and Ansй knew that she was aready too close, perhaps, to that particular line. The dark-skinned woman touched her breast, scarred and scabbed, somewhat absently as she walked along the coast for hours on end each day, stopping only to sleep. Where she was going, she didn't know. She had no purpose, no ultimate end-goal other than to live, and so live she would. She had with her dried meat that she had stolen from a cothold some days ago, which would prove useful in another hour when she would stumble upon this very fire-lizard Clutch that had begun to Hatch already. As it was, she was chewing on a small piece slowly, considerately. She savored it in the same way she savored everything: that is, without emotion, and with only consideration to her physiological needs. She was dressed admittedly poorly, in a pair of man's trousers with holes in the knees and beneath the line of her bottom. That was what had convinced the Caravaner to give it to her without making use of her body. She had retrieved a blanket in similar conditions from the same man, however, with a trade. A fair trade, perhaps, in some peoples' eyes. That same tattered blanket was wrapped around her body, acting as a shirt and a dress all at once. Her last shirt of the three that she had once had had disintigrated one day, literally falling off of her while she fished.

At least she had scissors to handle her hair. It was cropped close, as always. But that was unimportant, though functional. She looked to the sky and made a decision to stop and forage for supplies soon, something that she normally did not do, but this region looked especially lush. She never would quite get the chance, however, to do that. As soon as she had made the consideration to stop, sounds entered her hearing range. She stopped and crouched, alarmed. Why would anyone be here? Had she stumbled upon a settlement? She did not especially want to find people today, though other days she did for the sake of... borrowing their things. The woman creeped forward, then stood. The sounds were still a ways off, she did not need to act like this. Finally, she drew near enough to crouch down and peer over at the people collectedhere. She was still far enough away that she could see them easily, since she was looking for them, but they might struggle to see her, hiding behind a thicket of trees. She eyes the lanky Gold dragon, the fire-lizards... It must be a Clutch. Ansй could not bring herself to be uninterested, for whatever reason. She did not need a second mouth to feed, especially if a fire-lizard from this Clutch proved to be as stupid as Tiamnor had... She looked to her hand, the dried meat still clenched in her long, calloused hands.

It wouldn't hurt to stand behind the crowd, would it?

She must be hungry. Normally, Ansй did not indulge in such thinking processes. They were damaging and dangerous, but hungry she was, and not just for food. The fact was, it had been six months since she had last spoken to another human being, an turns since she had last enjoyed the company of others. After all, it was difficult to enjoy the company of the men who were using you for their... needs. She drew nearer slowly, but confidently. There was no need to show fear. She was alive, she was living, and she would keep on living, no matter what these people did. She stood to the back and said nothing to the others. In fact, it was not entirely likely that the others even noticed her, for how she ghosted in towards them. The logical part of her said that she would not Impress a fire-lizard this day and that she would carry on on her meaningless trek across the Continent. Another, quieter part of her hoped. And Ansй was not one given to such fallacies as hope.

[beastiepie]

Naria was not keeping an eye on the eggs as everyone else was. Her eyes were glued to the faces of those around her. She stayed on each face for only a moment; long enough to take in the reactions and nothing more. They ranged from person to person, but were not very varied. Glee, hope, joy, amusement, disappointment- that is what she saw. The way each person expressed something different and yet so similar was fascinating. She would treasure this occasion very much an-

Hello. Something was eating her ear. Giving a strangled cry, Naria lurched backwards, as if it would help. It did help in that it stopped her attacker from eating her, but it caused new pain in that her attacker dug claws into her shoulder for leverage. A firelizard she dully realized. So one had Impressed on her.... she couldn't imagine why. The little flit chirped eagerly, and the fleeting filling of hunger flashed in her head. It was a little distorted and warped, so she assumed it was hunger at least. To bad she had no food. Her eyes flickered over Celette, who was currently gorging a golden flit from a large bag of..... who the heck knew what. It was only important in that she had seen the girl giving away food from said bag.

The little green was still on her shoulder and grumbling in her ear as Naria made her way over to the girl. In just a few long strides she saw standing at her side. She smiled broadly and nodded her head, pointing to the bag. "May I? I need to feed little..... Natt." Natt. It was a nice name. One that was unassuming and didn't ask very much of people. Perfect for a green.

[bloodfire]

There were times when Akahanath would tell her rider about something right away, because it was something that was of a shared interest to the both of them. Now...wasn't one of those times. Firelizards were noisy little things that distracted one's rider from the more important things, so the red simply didn't care for them. Her rider, on the other hand, simply adored them, but the dragon couldn't tell Alassiel, and in fact refused to right away. They were working on honing their aerial prowess, making sure that they had the same sort of skills that kept them out of danger in each and every Threadfall; annoying little beasts could wait for another day.

Unfortunately for the red, that wasn't meant to last. Just as they reached the midpoint in their training, Alassiel happened to notice the gaggle of people down at the cove. She also couldn't fail to notice Mairin's queen, since Rekhath was undeniably among the most noticeable dragons in the Weyr. People gathering wasn't anything unusual in and of itself, but the cove was a rather unusual place to do so in. The redrider knew that Mairin often walked along the shoreline with Rekhath, but why, oh why, were so many people there? "Akah?" she asked, turning her attention towards the red as the dragon suddenly swerved midair to avoid this group of people and the object they were gathering around. "What's going on down there, Akah?"

Well, not that it's any of our concern, since we're busy training, Akahanath started, snorting lightly at the nickname her rider used for her. She tended to say it in this distinctive tone when she was aggravated with her, but the red wasn't about to let the woman know it bothered her; she'd simply never hear the end of it if she did. But Rekhath and her rider found a clutch of firelizard eggs down there. And they're hatching. The last sentence was said almost as an afterthought, but knowing her rider, Alassiel would catch on to it right away. Particularly the words 'firelizards', which always caught her attention, and 'hatching'.

"Firelizards hatching?" Ah, Akahanath knew her rider all too well. Alassiel glanced back towards the group of people, and for a moment she wondered just how long the dragon was going to avoid telling her about it. She could already see the tiny forms of firelizards flitting about amongst the crowd, and the young woman gave the dragon a sound thump on the shoulder. "Turn around, Akah. We can train after the hatching finishes, but I want to at least watch the rest hatch. Not that there will be many left, but you know what I mean."

Training comes first, Alassiel. You of all people should know that, Akahanath retorted, though she did turn back in the direction of the firelizard eggs and the people gathered around them. She knew better than to argue with the woman too much about matters such as this, and she would simply make her train that much harder later on. We haven't remained score free for nothing, and you would do well to remember that. Annoying little flitterbys are a distraction you do not need.

Alassiel waved a dismissive hand as the red landed just outside of the group of humans, and she slid off the crimson shoulder before offering a smile to her dragon. "I know, Akahanath, and believe me when I say that we'll work harder after this is over. A few more minutes won't kill anyone," she retorted, grinning at the dragon as she reached into her pocket for a couple of the emergency meatrolls she kept there. Her dragon was obviously aggravated over the fact that she wanted to Impress a little firelizard when she had her, but surely the red could understand that she needed some companion for when she went into places that a full grown dragon simply couldn't venture. There weren't that many eggs left, she noted with a slight sigh as she saw three shells still intact. Hopefully, one of the firelizards within those three eggs would see her as a fine companion and caretaker, and would come to her. But she wouldn't know until they hatched, so she inched her way to the front of the group, smiling at those she passed before giving a respectful bow of her head towards Mairin. "Good day, Mairin. I trust you and Rekhath are doing well? And congratulations on finding this clutch; the young firelizards look absolutely beautiful."

[chessur]

A'san was delighted to see and two more fire-lizards hatched. The two hatchlings pounced and rolled about together, oblivious to their audience. No wonder it was so common for many wild hatchlings to barely make it out of the nest. If Rekhath hadn't summoned more people, the nest might have been greeted by a flock of hungry wherries instead of people with food! The ironrider watched as the pair rolled over someone's foot and for a moment he was envious. Two at once? That kind of luck was unheard of. It was luck enough if you managed to snare a fire-lizard as a pet, but two? The green took to the air and circled, apparently she did not Impress to the foot-owner after all. Before A'san could make any kind of noise or lob food at her she had landed on Naria's shoulder and tried to eat her ear.

The amber hatchling shot upward after his sister and seconds after she chose a shoulder A'san nearly shat himself from surprise because the amber creature seemed to explode in his face, Tiny talons scrabbled frantically for a hold on his shoulder and did a better job of tearing him up than holding on. The dragonrider sucked in a breath and winced in pain. He should have put his tunic back on after he'd oiled Saarth and maybe he wouldn't be bleeding now! Pale amber wings beat soundly at his face as the fire-lizard sought purchase. Simply reacting, A'san grabbed the creature, pulled it away from his body and then quickly cradled it close so it would settle down. He snatched up the half of a meatroll he'd dropped when he'd been assaulted and shoved a little piece of it into the gaping maw that was now emitting horrendous noises. Shards, would he always sound like that?! The food worked to stop the noise, but only briefly. As soon as the food disappeared, the little amber started screeching again. What A'san didn't realize was that the hatchling figured out very quickly that if he let loose these bloodcurdling shrieks, then the dragonrider made food appear that much faster. The cycle continued until the fire-lizards belly was stuffed and somewhat distended. He gave a little hiccup and burp and snuggled deeper into A'sans arms.

The ironrider stood there looking bewildered and amazed. Had that really just happened? Now that the hatchling was quiet and drowsing, he could appreciate the fine color of the amber body. He was gorgeous, really. He was darker on top and lightly dappled. A'san, being an ever-hungry young man, likened the coloring to something akin to a freshly baked biscuit in the way he was mottled, but only if you looked at him through a honey-colored sheen.

"Alright then you spastic little bugger, I'll call you Biscuit." A'san smiled down at the flitter who gave a sleepy sigh and continued to doze. "You better learn to behave pretty quickly or else Saarth will probably make a snack out of you. Either that or learn very quickly how to stay out of his reach!"

[. s p o r e ♪]

It seemed that a lull had appeared in the hatching; with several of the clutch's eggs hatched, the remaining few seemed to be taking a bit of a break. They were the quieter eggs, not as excitable as many of those who had hatched already, but they were good eggs in their way. For now all three rested almost motionless, only the occasional tap coming from one or another, until gradually the Cookie Dough Eggp began rocking more firmly. A small hole appeared in the otherwise whole shell, and that hole lengthened into a line that began to spread, circling the egg until the top of it could be pushed deliberately away from the whole.

Following the jagged lid, a dappled bronze head poked out of the egg. It waited for a moment before proceeding further, followed by a large bronze body until the entire young flit was standing on the sands. The sleek little creature stumbled a few steps, gazing around at all the big, stupid-looking creatures who were staring at it. Pitiful. Fixing his eye on one of the more timid-looking ones, he flared his wings and flew directly at it, careening off at the last moment with a look of mad glee. Circling back, he steadied into a glide and came to a stop clinging to A'zira's clothes. This rider would be his, and his alone. But, and he nipped his new pet to command his attention, before anything else, he needed FOOD!

THE COOKIE DOUGH BRONZE
Impress To : A'zira

Appearance : As is fitting for a flit having hatched from one of the largest eggs in the clutch, this boy is big. Easily the largest that a bronze can get and still be within his normal range, he'll reach a good three feet long if he finds enough to eat through the first months of his life. And he will, because if there is anything that this bronze is driven to do, it is to find food. Currently he's a handsome little thing, dark, yellowish-bronze all over with lighter dapples and smudges over his hide. His ventral surface is lighter than his dorsal, so it's quite the lovely surprise to see him lift his wings and flash gold out at you. As he ages, though, he is going to grow, in every meaning of the word. This flit loves food, loves it, so by the time he's reached full growth he won't only be among the longest of bronzes at the weyr — he'll be by far the "doughiest" as well.

Personality : Arrogant, Conniving, Possessive, Gluttonous

[mousy]

{ ooc :: ah, i love him! owo }

Remind me why we are doing this, A'zira?

A'zira and Ibath were still there, for some reason. Even though a good number of the Flits had already hatched, they were still there. Ibath was sniffing around boredly, and A'zira was sitting boredly beside her, his legs crossed. Neither of them were really paying any attention, Ibath occasionally looking around to see what the others were talking about, but otherwise remaining completely silent.

One way or the other, nothing was going to happen, and nothing would happen for a while. And so, A'zira and Ibath were bored, and needed something to do, even though there was very little to do.

I don't know, dear.

Ibath sniffed at A'zira's jacket, vaguely interested, and then went back to looking around, specifically back at the eggs. She silently willed them to hatch, but there was very little movement from any of them.

A'zira peered absently at Ibath, watching the small dragon watch the remaining eggs. And the dragon continued to watch, until a hole appeared in the Cookie Dough Egg. Turning to look at A'zira, Ibath made a relieved sort of noise. The egg cracked down the middle, and a small Bronze flitted out. It looked around all of the possible Candidates, before flying over to A'zira and Ibath.

The Bronze circled around A'zira, slipping off his shoulder. The Bronze then flew around again, gliding on to A'zira's outstretched arm before nipping at his arm.

It wants food, Ibath observed, sniffing disapprovingly at the Bronze. A'zira nodded. And a name, the dragon added.

"Hm," A'zira replied, peering at the Firelizard and leaning down to stroke his head. "What do you say to Flocke?" he asked, frowning at the Firelizard, which continued to nip at his fingers. "I suppose that was a yes?"

He leaned down to dig something out of his bag, which hung at his hip. He had a bit of bread, which he wasn't going to eat - for some reason, there was always a small amount of bread in his bag. He was strange like that, but no time for thought, really. He offered Flocke some of the bread, which he greedily accepted.

Ibath peered down at the Bronze Firelizard, who responded by trying to fly at her, but failing and falling out of the air on to A'zira's feet. A'zira chuckled, and Ibath snorted.

Ni doubt it'll get the hang of flying soon, the black dragon taunted, before taking off. A'zira ran after her, Flocke following him at a short distance. It looked like he was flying back to Solace today.

...

Great.

[/justify] { ooc :: hah~ quite the strange little family, owo }

[bloodfire]

After a short time waiting with no visible reaction from the clutch, Akahanath was starting to grow rather short-tempered. Remind me again why you convinced me to sit here, rather than train as we should be doing? If one had to be frank, the red didn't foresee any of the remaining firelizards bonding to her human. And even if they did, she could find a way to scare them away later on, she mused with a light rumble as she glanced between the three remaining eggs and her rider. Alassiel may find the little things adorable, but they wasted so much precious time that she personally found them a nuisance, at best. You don't honestly think that with so many people around, one will come to you, do you? Do you even have food to offer the little cretin?

Quiet, Akah, Alassiel hissed through the mental link she shared with the dragon, shooting a cool look towards the red for a moment before patting her shoulder reassuringly. Look, even if one doesn't come to me, at least we'll be here to watch them, she added silently, choosing not to say anything to the red, but rather show that she was wrong by holding up the meatrolls she firmly held in her hand. She did indeed have food to offer a firelizard, it was only a matter now of if the thoughts of love and devotion that she was focusing on the eggs would be enough to direct one her way. After all, they were such lovely little creatures, and no matter what Akahanath said, they could certainly be useful if trained by the right hand. And there was no doubting in her mind that she was that right hand. She did well enough with her dragon, didn't she?

I heard that, you know, the dragon teased, rumbling again as she settled slowly onto her belly, deciding that she had better get comfortable, since it seemed they would be there a while. Some moments passed before one of the remaining eggs finally cracked open a bit, allowing a dappled bronze to slither out. Even though she found them annoying and a waste of time, the red had to admit that the little bronze was a rather nice shade for his color. Perhaps this would be the one to accept Alassiel? A flash of irritated orange flashed in her eyes for a moment when the bronze chose another's rider rather than her own. Well, he simply didn't know who would be best for him, then. A lovely young bronze. I would congratulate Ibath's rider through her, but it appears as if the bronze has other plans, she commented, rumbling in amusement once again before turning her attention back on the eggs.

Alassiel had taken her eyes off of the eggs for a moment, frowning when that handsome little bronze chose another. But that was simply the way of things, wasn't it? Some were considered lucky enough to have a creature--be it dragon, wher, firelizard, or crawler--bond with them, but for others it wasn't simply a matter of luck. She had tried ever since arriving at Solace, but all these efforts had been in vain. For the longest time, the woman assumed that the right one simply hadn't hatched yet, but she finally came to the conclusion that firelizards weren't like dragons in that sense. It all came down to which one would find her the most interesting to them, in all honesty. Perhaps this would be the day one would finally approach her, bond to her. She could certainly use the company, not to mention the help they would provide when the time for bathing Akahanath came about.

[ricci]

It did not surprise Ansй that the fire-lziard that Hatched did not come to her. She was, afterall, standing in the back of the group, not even up against the rest, still some distance away. For a fire-lizard to find her, it would first have to navigate through all the other enticing bits of food that would surely be waved in the poor thing's face as soon as it Hatched. Nevertheless, Ansй was glad that the creature had Impressed instead of gone wild. They tended to survive longer, and for the most part, the tall woman liked things to survive. Unless they were going into her stomach, or were causing her problems. She stood loosely, her arms never quite settling right as she watched. Maybe she should leave.

She was not quite uncomfortable. As soon as this whole thing was through, she would be on her way once again. The woman glanced away from the group, glancing at Rekhath. Rekhath did not alarm her the way that some wild women might. She was nearer to the Weyr than she had thought, clearly, by far, but she would continue on her way before long, and the dragons would be left far behind her to defend Pern. She wondered briefly, as she occasionally did, about what it would be like to fly. It would be so much easier to make this trek, but then, Ansй thought, would she miss other opportunities key to her survival on the ground? It was hard to say. Nevertheless, the shadow of a woman looked back to the group of people and the eggs on the Sands.

She still had not successfully justified her presence here among eggs. She did not need another mouth to feed, so if she did Impress, it had better be self-sufficient, unlike Tianmor. Maybe it would be Brown. Maybe it would look like Tianmor, but not be so stupid? That would be nice. Or would it? Silently, she stepped back another step, glancing to the other dragons in the region. Were they looking at her? Did they notice her? Anxiety began to well up, unfamiliar, in her chest. She took a deep breath, and began to walk slowly, but surely away.

[. s p o r e ♪]

Finally the very last of the eggs began to hatch, the dark-spotted Chocolate Chunks Egg and pale Sweet Cream Egg nudging about in the sand, ready at last for the final push that would carry both of the hatchlings within out of their prisons. It was the former which would make it first, although there was little competition between them. Although the eggs were obviously making an effort to hatch, it was a subdued effort at best.

Subtle as it was, though, it still wasn't long before a small, dark-blue foot burst from the smaller egg, followed by another foot, and then by the tip of a nose. Soon an entire young firelizard was clawing its way onto the sand in a gush of egg-slime. The blue was an elegant creature, well-formed, and attractively coloured. It would be a prize to Impress despite its low rank, for even if it turned out to be useful for little else, it would always be a lovely companion.

If any remaining in the circle coveted it, however, they were destined to be disappointed. The small firelizard cast a slow, appraising glance around it, spotted something that seized its attention, and immediately took off, leaving a wake of flying sand and shell fragments behind it. Skimming the beach, dodging around legs and jutting pieces of driftwood, the blue flared his wings and arrowed up suddenly so that he could cling to Ansй's shoulder and press himself against her neck, chittering quietly with distress that she had been leaving without him.

THE CHOCOLATE CHUNKS BLUE
Impress To : Ansй

Appearance : Long, strong and serpentine, this blue is extremely elegant in appearance, even as a hatchling. His body is lithe and powerful, sleek as a snake and almost as long. In fact, though he is one of the largest firelizards of his rank, he is still lightweight due to how incredibly long his proportions are. The lines of his torso are barely distinguishable from his neck and tail, and as a result he will be able to slither into even the tightest cracks. He is truly a beautiful firelizard, and not only because of his form. This flit's hide is a deep, intense blue, washed and dotted with white like the sky as evening sinks into night. Pure white lines fall down the length of his tail and neck, and when he opens his wings it is possible to see a strange white design on the underside of each, curved and strange like writing from a foreign language.

Personality : Melancholy, Suppressed, Observant, Morose

There was now but one egg left unhatched in the midst of all the broken shells and scuffed humps of sand. It was moving gently back and forth, not bothered one bit that it was the last to hatch, for it was making steady progress. Large chunks of creamy shell flaked onto the beach, nudged away by the egg's inhabitant. Soon there was a hole large enough for the hatchling to begin pushing its way out, and so it did, until a pretty, silvery-green firelizard was lying tiredly on the sand next to her ruined egg.

The flit was lovely, if fragile-looking, but it was plain she did not like being under the eye of so many. Up she stood, forcing herself off the sand, and shied away from those humans and dragons whom she distrusted. Presently she spread her drying wings and fluttered into the air, coming to rest gratefully upon C'ady's shoulder. Finally, she was safe.

THE SWEET CREAM NICKEL
Impress To : C'ady

Appearance : A slim beauty, this nickel is quite a feminine-looking creature. She's all elegance and quiet poise, with a long neck and graceful limbs. She isn't all straight lines--her hips have a bit of feminine curves to them, and although slender enough, she's by no means overly skinny. She just seems to have the perfect body for a firelizard of her size, which is respectable. Somewhat big for her rank, she'll reach just below the maximum size for a nickel, coming to 33 inches when full grown, although she seems smaller at first glance due to her tendency to curl up into a smaller shape. This flit's entire hide is pale, silvery green, dappled all over with darker mottles. Her dorsal surface is the darkest, especially on her neck and tail, while her four feet are the palest parts of her, lacking any darker dapples and instead being solidly silver-green.

Personality : Shy, Watchful, Gentle, Affectionate

[ricci]

She had been walking away, she had decided she hadn't wanted to be a part of this, had decided that this was far too much human contact for her liking, and now what was this?

Did this thing really not want to go back to any of those many people back there? The Blue chittered sadly at her, glancing back at the others. If she really wanted him to go, he would try to leave, but it would be so hard. He did just want to please her, but he didn't particularly want to leave.

Very well.

Ansй considered him for a quiet moment, standing still and stiff, then lifted the meat she still clutched in one hand to his hungry mouth. His mouth darted forward, and he began to eat. Ansй even managed to smile for a moment. Names did not come to mind, and she did not even think that he would need a name, and so for now, the Blue was simply nameless, and would remain so likely for quite some time. But words were unnecessary already. Ansй did not turn around, she did not want to see the curious eyes that would have followed the Blue towards her, and she carried on, and left.