The Rabbit Flees: I Follow }{ Zodiac Hatching

[lredd011]

Illissa hardly noticed when the other healers joined them. She was watching Ansй who seemed to be fully unconscious now. Illissa had not seen many blood transfusions performed in her life time. And the ones she had observed had not exactly been successful. But so far, Ansй did not seem to be showing signs of an unsuccessful transfusion. So Illissa could only hope that against all odds, it had worked.

It was Liseli's voice that caught Illissa's attention and made her aware of the new team of healers around them. Liseli was updating them on the girl's condition.

"Yes, it was the vein, not the artery. She seized shortly after repairing the vein, but thankfully the repair held. Journeyman Illissa and I performed a blood transfusion minutes ago, using Illissa's blood. It was a shot in the dark, but...she is not showing any signs of rejection so far. I think the procedure just may have worked, thank Faranth. She sustained a number of other injuries, which will require further surgery. But for now I think the best thing would be to move her to the infirmary."

Liseli paused for a moment when the Copper hissed at Arendon. "And for Faranth's sake, someone needs to get this dragon some food. It's bound to be famished, poor thing."

At Arendon's indication, Liseli nodded and as gently and carefully as possible, she positioned herself to help transfer Ansй to the stretcher. "Ready. On the count of three. One...two...three!"

The girl was not heavy, but she was long and tall, making it a bit of challenge to transfer her for the short and stout woman. Illissa stood up to help, but rose a tad to quickly. Everything grew dark as the blood rushed to her head, causing her to waver in place for a moment.

Once Ansй was successfully moved to the strecher, Liseli noticed Illissa standing there, teetering like a sapling in the wind, and rushed to grab her arm. "Illissa, don't try to move. You stay here and I'll send for some food and drink for you." She helped Illissa back to the ground slowly.

"Besides, there's still eggs rocking. If a half-dead girl can Impress, then surely there might be hope for you yet!"

Illissa gave a half-hearted smile and slowly sank back to the ground, feeling somewhat lame for not being able to stand on her own two feet. It wasn't as if she had been mauled today. And it seemed silly to think any dragon would want to Impress her as she sat there, weak and dizzy. But then again, Liseli was right. Crazier things had happened at this Hatching. So why not her?

[ricci]

Almost as if Iron Charenath's Impression had been the sounding bell to finish a day's work, the Ox Egg stopped moving. If anyone was paying attention, though, it was easy to tell that it was not that the beast within had given up. No, it was still quite determined, but its work was done. The dragonet stretched, and a million weaknesses that it had settled into the shell were exposed. The egg cracked like a boiled egg that had been rolled on a hard countertop, bits of egg sticking to itself and hardly any falling off. Decidedly leathery hues could be seen through the shell, and before long it was decided that a dark Red had come to join her parchment and flame sisters. She stretched again, and it became evident that for a Red, she was immense. Not just in general size, but in girth. She would have some weight to lose in Weyrlinghood.

A dozen girls and a handful of boys' attentions were caught, hopeful that the Red who was stretching slowly but surely from her shell would choose them. A thousand egg shell pieces clung to her hide, a dozen and a hundred more hung from her hide from gooey, fibrous, almost cartilaginous strings. It was impossible to see more than a few chunks of hide from within the shell that was no longer a shell, but practically armor. She snorted bullishly. A couple of her babyfat rolls jiggled, and a piece of shell fell off.

/This is not... what I intended./ came a low, bell-like voice. Almost masculine for a Red. Almost a high male voice.

The Red managed to brush off some of the egg shell that clung to her body, revealing more of that brilliant deep red color. But then, it really was the color of a fine leather now, was't it? Perhaps... Yes. Given the size, given the way the creature walked slowly but with a masculine confidence, the voice which seemed somehow more masculine than the first time it had graced the audience. This was a Brown. A Brown that veered on the edge of Red as far as coloration went, but now that more of his hide was revealed... He was one of those dragons that could be, perhaps, easily confused with the other, such as a blueish Green or a greenish Blue, but his gender was as decisive as any Green or Blue's. He was male, he was Brown.

/This is also not what I intended./

Without much more to do, he plodded slowly but determinedly towards a certain boy laying motionless on the Sands. Rainbows swirled in his eyes. He had found his, and his was half-dead. This was not right. Not at all.

/Why are you dying, C'len?/ he asked as he settled beside the youth and his crushed legs, his crumpled, mostly unconscious form.

/I am Tahmorsth. You are C'len. You cannot leave me. I will not allow it. I will be upset if you die. So you may not die,/ the Brown explained matter-of-factly to the youth who squeezed a Redrider's hand tiredly.

Tahmorsth glanced up at Keeliah and gave her a distinct nod of approval.

/Your brother has Fahimth. This does not mean you may leave me./ Tahmorsth reminded Caelen turned C'len, silently and wordlessly urging him to stay with him while simultaneously allowing him to rest. Yes, rest would be a good, positive thing. C'len would survive. Tahmorsth was stubborn. He wouldn't let C'len die, not now.

---

The Narrow Path Dragon
Brown Tahmorsth

Impress To: C'len
Final Size: 34 Feet
Color Codes: 7F1300 :: 996633 :: 620000

Appearance:Big. The first thing anyone has ever noticed about Tahmorsth is that he is big. Genuinely large. In spite of not being the very longest Brown in the world, there's something about him that reminds viewers of a hefty Bronze in build. Even if he were a small Brown physically, there would still be the appearance of hugeness to this dragon. At birth, he looks to be a roly-poly pudge-ball dragon. He's all chub and flub and flabby limbs filled with baby-fat. While nearly all dragons are capable of flight upon their birth (but merely will not due to a high rate of injury), Tahmorsth does not have that ability. He's just too chubby, and his wings just haven't caught up with his weight in the egg. As he ages, however, his body quickly morphs. In adulthood, he is made up of wonderously sturdy, thick, ropey muscle clinging to strong but light bones. Tahmorsth would be a dangerous one to get in a fight with. He's the sort that someone could run up to and smack with a baseball bat, and he would just kind of look at his assailant and shrug before whapping him with his thick, powerful tail. His shoulders are wide, as are his hips, giving him a proportionally slender waist, though certainly not skinny. His back slops up gracefully to his hips from his shoulders, and his wings follow along the whole length from shoulder to tai. His wings are immense for his size in order to handle his higher than proportional weight, but they are not any longer than is proportional for a 34 foot dragon. Instead, they have a massive width from pollyx to most distal aspect of the most distal phalanx. They are almost square-like. He is not an agile dragon, that is for sure. Sharp turns will never be his forte, nor will speed, but as far as time in the air goes, Tahmorsth is the perfect example of a Brown. Tahmorsth will never struggle for weariness, and he will be quite the contendor in Gold and Silver flights despite his color, as he can stay in the air as long, if not longer than any Bronze.

In coloration, once again Tahmorsth sits on the unusual end of the spectrum. He is decidedly brown, et there is no simple shade of brown on his hide. Instead, his base color is a crimson-tinted hue not unlike fine leather, and borders on a dark color for one of his Red sisters. Indeed, nobody would look twice if his base shade painted a Red her color, it sits so closely to the line. The lovely red-brown is marked with what initially seem like simple (though surprisingly bright) golden dappling. Upon closer inspection, what may have initially seemed like golden splotches are clearly hand-sized prints. Pinched half-moons with the points nearly touching at the apex of the implied ellipse. These lay on a barely imperceptible "path" that winds along his trachea, travels over his right shoulder, under his right wing, loops above his right hip and travels down the left side of his tail. The are evenly, carefully spaced, and give the effect of a working beast's endless walk.

Personality: Dependable; Ambitious; Methodical; Stubborn; Narrow-Minded

Mindvoice: Such a massive dragon ought to have a massive voice, but this is not quite so. While his voice is rich and powerful, Tahmorsth has a distinctly high tenor, clear and bell-like. In fact, his actual, physical voice seems to match it, giving him a strangely high overall voice-set for this Brown. But while it seems odd when you think about it, when people just let it be, his voice is completely natural to him, and it's completely beautiful. Tahmorsth adores music, especially rhythmically strong music. His mindvoice lets this love shine through. He speaks with a beat, a constant, rarely deviating beat. Most of the time, he speaks in a clear 3/4 chant. When irritated or excited, however, his voice takes on an uneven 5/8 beat, with a higher tempo. His voice is never simply spoken either. It is definitely a chant, not unlike a Gregorian chant in style, often monotonous but still enthralling. He is eloquent, but there is a simplicity to his speech that is hard to put your finger on. Tahmorsth never uses contractions, save for his rider's honorific, and he never uses complex sentences. Dichotomous, perhaps, but it is the way Tahmorsth is, and he sees no reason to concern himself with this.

[escape]

Tin glanced at the male who was still sobbing over his impression of the red, he didn't mean to feel it but he felt envious of the pair. Oh how he wanted a dragon to be able to cling to and cry on just like that...he wanted someone to give him attention all the time and love him. Friends were nice, but they didn't provide as much attention as he needed, he needed to constantly be reassured that he was wanted and loved. He glanced to the iron, he knew it probably wasn't for him but oh how he wanted it to at least look his way.

The iron did finally move, but it never even went near him or glanced his way. Instead it went to another male and Tin watched the two with the desire to be able to be in the other male's boots. He looked away feeling guilty as he looked at the four eggs remaining. Was his dragon among them? Would there be one that would at least glance his way? Brush their mind against his and at least inspire hope in him?

The Ox egg hatched, it was a red! Another red, his breath caught as he leaned forward. It was a massive creature but size mattered little to him as he stared at the creature with a longing, when it was revealed that it was a brown instead of a red he still looked at it with the same longing. He wanted the dragon to come his way and impress...he wanted it so badly. Instead the brown impressed to another male that was dying which made Tin think of his friend M'tel...the male could be dying right now and all he was doing was sitting and hoping the dragons would impress to him.

Shards, there was only three eggs left and he dearly wanted one of them to be for him.

[spades]

Weyrling Sh'kal of Red Laohuth

The iron dragon finally made his move, and Sh’kal didn’t so much as turn his head. Perhaps later, the teenager would grouse about the iron, but for now, his face remained buried against his hatchling’s neck. His cheeks were wet, his eyes closed as he held the lithe red close, listening to her thrum softly as she nuzzled his side. Eventually, Laohuth shifted, her eyes whirling as she tried to draw away from her little blond. Eying the goop that had made it’s way into his hair, she gave it a lick and crooned. Ridermine, we leave the Sands. I am hungry, the young dragon prompted, rocking back.

Grunting softly, the youth shifted, wiping his face with his bare arm. “You’re hungry? O-Okay. C’mon, I’ll take care of you,” he mumbled, wondering how on Pern he was going to do that. Glancing to where the other weyrlings had gathered, he motioned for his red to join him. The tiger hatchling lashed her tail and stood, nuzzling his leg before surging ahead. Laohuth was certainly graceful for a dragon so young, all but leaving her new rider behind now that he’d agreed to feed her. Come along, darling. I told you, ignore my brothers. We will see plenty of those boys later.

Nodding dumbly, the youth stopped for a moment, his hand resting on Tinsley’s shoulder. “I gotta go now,” he mumbled, his eyes still wide. “I’ll uh…look out for Meltel, okay? Good luck…” Sh’kal was barely aware of what he was saying, waiting for the candidate to respond when Laohuth glanced over her shoulder.

Ridermine! I told you, chitchat later.

The tiger red never even stopped walking.

“Coming!” chirped the shirtless blond, and he was trotting off after his hungry young dragon, Tinsley all but forgotten for the ravishing hunger that would surely consume his Laohuth.

[spades]

Candidate Bennet

Things seemed to fall quiet once the red Impressed to Sharkal and the blond began to blubber. The healers took care of Anse and Caelen and…and nothing much happened. The Iron watched, and did nothing. For a moment, Bennet wondered if she should do something. Glancing at A’rys for a moment, she looked at the Copper, looked back towards the unbonded hatchling watching the candidates like entertainment. The brunette glanced towards the crowd. She didn’t see her father, but surely A’ur was up there. (Up there, waiting for her to Impress. He’d been waiting for Turns now, but at least Bennet could take comfort in the fact that her brother hadn’t Impressed yet, either. But she would make him proud. She would.)

Clenching her fists by her side, she made a low whistle between her teeth, trying to catch the hatchling’s attention. “Heeeere, dragon, dragon, dragon,” she murmured, physically trying to urge the Iron towards her. When he finally decided to move, Benny’s heart fluttered, leaping into her chest as her eye grew a bit wider. Had she done it? Had he heard her? The youth took a step forward, but the dragonet kept moving, mingling through people until he approached the lad standing off by himself. Making a confused noise, she realized much too late what had just happened. Impression! “No!” Ben hissed, cursing herself for not moving fast enough. Perhaps, if she had been quick, she could have grabbed him, could have made him… Would it have even worked?

Well, the question would never be answered now.

Another Healer had joined the little party, and the candidate stepped back a little further as the talk of moving the nameless young woman was introduced. Bennet raised her eyebrows, watching the Copper as he hissed and yielded to the journeyman. “Should somebody feed him?” she wondered aloud, remembering from somewhere that hatchlings really did need to eat. Her thought process was interrupted, however, when the Ox Egg finally decided to show his face. Or, her face? A freakishly large red was starting to emerge, shedding the shell away. “About sharding time,” the candidate murmured, her brows furrowing as she watched the beast.

Could that really be a red? So many reds! No, she was too big. She was a he, in fact, and he was a brown. Perhaps not an iron, but a brown could certainly lead a wing with the right rider. Just as the young woman started to get ideas, the Ox brown sat himself down to…to Caelen?

“…are you kidding me?” she whispered under her breath, shaking her head fiercely. “That one must have a death wish!” In fact, up until this point, Benny had been pretty sure that the candidate squashed under Grenth had actually been dead, but dragons didn’t Impress corpses. At least, she was pretty sure.

No, she was definitely sure. That would be really problematic.

Not that it made much of a difference. He had been flattened by the deceased Queen. How in Faranth’s name was he ever going to take care of that poor brown? The beast was as crazy as his mother, she was sure.

[escape]

Ria tilted her head at the person she was standing next to, but finding that he gave no response to her she merely shrugged it off and returned her attention to the hatching. So far nothing had happened though the iron seemed to have finally began to notice that there were 'worthless' people waiting for the sharding beast to lose some of it's ego. The beast began to make it's way over to the candidates, it was a rather annoying beast in Ria's mind.

Surprisingly enough, the annoying iron made it's way over to the boy she was standing next to. Well at least he'd get rid of the lemon sucking face that he had been making at the eggs with that egotistical beast looking at him. She shifted away from the newly impressed pair though she did clap for them as she had for the others that had impressed. Maybe the male would ground the rather big headed monster and make him a bit more humble...or maybe they had just bred another sharding dimglow that tried to womanize everyone.

She glanced back towards the eggs, the Ox egg had stopped moving now. It was covered in cracks which became apparent as the creature stretched and pulled apart it's own egg. The dragon was massive in size and girth, people began to whisper and murmur excitedly about another red. It did look like a red, a rather massive red in her opinion. People shifted forward towards it, there were too many candidate and too little eggs left for people to be picky about what they impressed. Ria merely crossed her arms across her chest and leaned back a bit.

A rather interesting twist in events changed the red from massively bulky to it actually being a brown with a reddish colored hide. Many people looked disappointed by this fact, mostly the females though. Ria didn't care as she watched the brown move to stand over one of the fallen candidates. "Well shards, looks like you have to be mauled to death to stand a chance of impression." She told someone who was watching the impressed brown with a rather envious look.

Three eggs left and Ria would be able to go back to selling her wares to those who were a bit down in the mouth because of their lack of impression. That was perfectly all right with her though, it was just another opportunity to earn some marks.

[danaphantom]

This is not... what I intended.

No, Caelen certainly did not intend this. Sure, he had always planned to risk life and limb for his Weyr, but he never expected his crushing defeat to be the Queen crushing his feet. As well as the rest of him.

This is also not what I intended.

So much for going down fighting, bringing Southern down with him. So much for valiantly defending Holders from Thread, taking it Between with him. So much for his dozens of other dreams. Not that he wanted to die. But he had dreamed it would always be more... but they were just dreams.

Why are you dying, C'len?

He wasn't dying. Crippled and baked by the scalding sand, yes. Dead... no, this sensation was the opposite of dying. Could it be the fellis? Forcing one eye open, he realized, indeed, it was not.

I am Tahmorsth. You are C'len. You cannot leave me. I will not allow it. I will be upset if you die. So you may not die.

C'len struggled, not against the pain, but against the drugs he had been administered, focusing on the rich red he bleerily saw, the rainbow. His jaw worked, making the candidate - no, Weyrling - look somewhat like a fish out of water. He made a few indecipherable sounds,

Your brother has Fahimth. This does not mean you may leave me.

If he could have shaken his head, C'len would have. At last, he managed a small "Tah," the dragonet snorting his disapproval. Reaching forward with his muzzle, he wordlessly closed C'len's eye for him, a last wave of strength washing over the Weyrling. The fighting was over for now. It was time to look at the accomplishments, to see that this was no Pyrrhic victory.

Assuaged and urged by his dragon, C'len let the fellis take him, shielding both himself and his dear Brown from what was to come next. Bones would not set if left haphazard on the sand. He would need transport, surgery, and time.

[lredd011]

Candidate Healer Illissa

Illissa was soon given some sustenance which came via firelizard - some sort of juice concoction, high in sugar - and a sweetroll. She gladly took them, nodding to the flitt in thanks, and quickly consumed the roll and topped it off with the juice. The heavy feeling in her head soon cleared and she felt a little bit of strength return to her limbs. The sand beneath her burned and she was glad to be able to stand on her own two feet again, though she rose slowly, testing herself for stability. As she stood, towering above most of the Candidates, she found another one of the remaining eggs had hatched, revealing an enormous red dragonet with unique gold dappling across her body.

Soon it was discovered that she was in fact a he, and a brown at that. And he seemed to have made a decision already as he made his way over to the older Candidate that laid virtually motionless on the sands where he was crushed under the weight of Solace's former Queen. After all that had transpired at this Hatching thus far, Illissa was not at all surprised by the brown's decision. Tough luck for the female Candidates this Hatching. She hadn't been here for all of the Impressions of course, but so far it seemed only one female had Impressed, and out of all the female dragons that had hatched so far, they had all Impressed to males. But somehow, the backwardness of it all, it was fitting. This whole Hatching had been backwards, in every way possible. Illissa supposed they should all just be grateful that the dragonets were Impressing at all, and weren't wandering around the sands in all the confusion and going Between.

Illissa, being closest to Bennet, heard her mutter something under her breath about having a death wish. She glanced over in the other girl's direction and gave a chuckle. Not that it was really that funny. Who really knew what was to become of the newly Bonded pair; whether they would make it or not. But the entire situation was so ridiculous that she really didn't know what else to do but laugh. It was so clear to her now that the dragons were going to choose who they were going to choose. And there was not much they could do as Candidates to sway them one way or the other.

"Well shards, looks like you have to be mauled to death to stand a chance of impression."

Illissa now turned her attention to an unfamiliar girl who stood nearby her and Bennet. She couldn't help but feel relieved that she wasn't the only one having similar thoughts. Don't get her wrong. She was relieved the dragons were Impressing at all given the current circumstances. But again, nothing was happening as it was supposed to at this Hatching.

"It's insane," Illissa suddenly said outloud, echoing Bennet's and the other girl's feelings. "Just when I think I've been to enough Hatchings to think I've seen it all, the little dragons throw everyone for a loop. I don't think I'll ever know the secret behind Impression. Especially after this. It's a complete mystery..." she continued to watch the reddish brown dragonet and the new Rider. She couldn't help but wonder what would happen to the newly Bonded pair. Was the boy even going to make it? Was the girl she had just given blood to going to make it? It was all so uncertain. Never again would Illissa think she had it all figured out.

[ricci]

((Post via Ricci; Dragonet via Spore))


Oblivious of the chaotic going ons outside of its shell, the Horse egg began to rock. Like Brother Ox, the egg rocked with a distinct steadiness, a gait-like movement that seemed to quicken in excitement. The egg ultimately burst with very little hubbub. It had taken less than a minute for the egg to Hatch, a feat the lovely, moss colored Green ought to have been proud of. She was long-limbed, and it was clear that her legs were a little beyond her at first. Her legs stomped awkwardly as she struggled not to fall face-first in the Sands. Her wings flared up from her sides, revealing the striking, darker striping that marked her hide as distinctive and ultimately very lovely. Her wings, though unpatterned, were lovely in form as they flared backwards, upwards, flapping momentarily, giving her lighter feet, causing her forefeet to rare up into the air before she came back down into the Sands.

She snorted.

She galloped, and "galloped" was the only word for it, around herself, legs kicking in awkward, clumsy directions. What it was she was doing, it was impossible to say at the moment. Ultimately, she gave up the ring-around and cantered evenly (if clumsily) out towards the Candidates. It was clear that unless her forelimbs decided to slow down in their pace of growing that she would be a wonderful sight to behold once she had grown accustomed to her long limbs, because even her awkward, infant run was beautiful to behold when compared with the awkward foreward slunk gait of a normal looking dragon.

Suddenly, she found her voice.

/Oh, oh dear,/ she began, her delicate, piping voice, clear as a bell into the minds of all who were near.

/I thought for a moment that there was something on my side. Did you see anything? I think it may have been just a stripe. Do dragons normally have stripes? Is this a bad thing?/ Again, her question was asked of all who could hear. She stumbled forward a bit, forgetting just where her feet were, it seemed, then paused, as if startled. She stopped moving, stopped even breathing, it seemed.

/This was my mother, wasn't she?/ Her eyes whirled with confusion as she looked upon the body of Grenth. She glanced back at Rekhath, as if waiting for some sort of approval. She looked lost, terribly lost by the situation. But things seemed to rectify themselves soon enough.

/You,/ she managed, slowly walking ever-nearer to the Candidates. She ultimately stood before Illissa, looking up at her with rainbow facets. /You are my Illissa, aren't you?/

Her failure to have any confidence faded away now that she had her Illissa. A calm settled over the anxious energy that caused muscles to twitch, her tail to flick, her head to toss without reason. She was soothed in the persence of her Illissa. She didn't care how surprised Illissa was, and she ignored the other two girls. One of them, the boyish one, likely ignored her just as much. Perhaps this whole situation would throw Illissa's mind for yet another loop, because frankly, the Healer girl had already been through quite a bit, it seemed.

/My Illissa. I am your Whosoath. You are not hurt, but you do seem tired. Won't you feed me before we rest, at the very least? I am hungry. My stomach rumbles like a good gallop,/ Whosoath said, butting her head against Illissa's hip softly. /And I will only accept a meal by your hand./

---

Green Whosoath
"The Jittery Scholar"

Impress To: Illissa
Final Size: 22 Feet
Color Codes: 535A4A, 94A57F, DCE4D2

Appearance: Like pale forest moss, or a polished stone at the bottom of a river, Whosoath is a calm, clear green. The colour of her hide is quiet and reserved, a peaceful shade that is soothing on the eyes. Indeed, she is one of the more attractive greens to look at, if not the flashiest. Her sober colouring belies the energy and anxiety that runs through her in concentrated bursts, but it's quite nice to view from the outside. Though mostly a solid colour, Whosoath's hide pales to almost white on her lower legs and feet, forming distinct "socks" on each of her four legs. The near-white colour continues down to stop at the tips of her toes, which are dark green. The ends of her headknobs and muzzle are the same dark green colour as well, and it can be seen spreading in graceful lines up her face, ringing her neck and continuing down her body, upper legs, and the base of her tail. A thick stripe of dark green spreads down the back of her neck and the ridges on her tail, dripping down into the pale green in faint whisps. The tip of each neck and tail ridge is light, white-green, like the hide on her lower legs. Only the second half of Whosoath's tail and wingsails are free of any markings, being the pure, pale green that is the base colour for the rest of her body.

And what a body it is! Whosoath may be a dragon, with fine, working wings that any green could admire, but although she was born to fly, her body seems built to run. Anchored in a lean, muscular body, her legs are long and strong and slightly more even than it seems the legs of a dragon should be. Her forelegs are rather elongated, coming closer to the length of her powerful hindlegs so that when she moves, Whosoath's gait is less of a humping hop or scuttle, and much more of a smooth pace. In fact she'll be much more competent on the ground than she will be in the air, a strange trait for a dragon, albeit not a completely unuseful one. She's fairly small for a green, but not truly in the lowest tier, hovering more on the lower end of average. Although her wings and tail are quite moderately-sized, nothing out of the ordinary for a dragon of her size, Whosoath's legs will always be the first thing others notice about her form, especially as a hatchling. She'll be a sight as a young dragon, all stomping feet and jutting joints angling here and there, but eventually Whosoath will grow into her limbs, managing to acquire a strong grace that few dragons ever manage to master on land.

Personality: Witty, Perceptive, Talkative, Intelligent, Anxious

Mindvoice: Whosoath's mindvoice is high and fluting, a breathy and open voice that rings like pipes in the wind. Musical, charming, inspiring and lovely, it's quite deceptive to hear her speak so clearly and so beautifully. It doesn't seem to correlate with her anxious demeanour at all. It's well that she has such a lovely tone to her speech, however, since Whosoath is a dragon who enjoys hearing herself talk. She'll talk about anything, targeting whomever happens to be nearby, regardless of her nervousness. She'll chatter about all her horrible fears and worries if it comes to that, but she certainly won't be quiet. Out of a worrying setting, she's actually quite lovely to talk to. Whosoath is a gifted linguist and skilled in the art of conversation, and can be quite charming if she lets herself be. She favours lyrical puns and sing-song remarks, although her laugh is high and somewhat nasal, which is the only thing about her which sounds unpleasant. The rest of her vocalizations are pretty standard for a dragon, though you won't hear them often, as she much prefers to speak with her mind.

[/justify][/center]

[lredd011]

Illissa's attention was tugged away from the girls around her to the egg that now rocked on the sands. There were just three left now. Never before had Illissa been so ready for a Hatching to be over in her life. She wasn't sure what else could possibly go wrong. Was that even possible? Hadn't everything wrong already happened in this twisted, backwards Hatching? But really, Illissa did wish the remaining eggs would hurry up and hatch and Impress already. The egg Illissa was watching rocked quicker and quicker now until it literally made it's breakthrough. It was a lovely green, and as she untangled herself, she revealed to those watching that she had some unique markings. They looked like stripes - why yes, they were stripes! The little green tested her limbs, long and gangly limbs they were, appearing to lope around in circles as if she were a runnerbeast.

Illissa smiled as she watched the creature, hardly realizing that she was leaning forward in the dragonet's direction. And then the hatchling spoke for the first time, pure music to Illissa's ears.

Oh, oh dear, the voice said, and Illissa frowned, instantly concerned for the green. What was it? Was she hurt?

I thought for a moment that there was something on my side. Did you see anything? I think it may have been just a stripe. Do dragons normally have stripes? Is this a bad thing?

The words tumbled out, one after another, and Illissa smiled at the green's antics. She was positively endearing. Illissa was absolutely captivated by her. No, no little one, Illissa thought. It's not bad at all. You are beautiful.

And then the little green faltered, pausing in front of the lifeless body of Solace's former Queen. Illissa's heart instantly broke to watch the encounter; to watch as the little dragonet who came into the world only moments before had to discover that she would never know her own mother.

This was my mother, wasn't she?

Illissa nodded slowly, though the dragonet wasn't even looking in her direction. Yes, but it will be OK. Just find Yours, and it will be OK Illissa urged, inwardly.

You,

Came the musical voice again, quite suddenly. She was walking over towards the Candidates now and Illissa's breath caught in the air. Who was the 'You' meant for? Bennet? Rialin? One of the remaining boys perhaps? Then, much to Illissa's surprise, the green stood square in front of her and the Healer was paralyzed for a moment.

You are my Illissa, aren't you?

"Oh," was all that Illissa was able to say for the moment, caught completely off-guard. She had been to so many Hatchings. And she hadn't even been planning on attending this one. She was ill and tired. Was this even real, or was her head still confused from the amount of blood she had given?

The voice came again, calm and clear. It was unmistakable in her head.

My Illissa. I am your Whosoath. You are not hurt, but you do seem tired. Won't you feed me before we rest, at the very least? I am hungry. My stomach rumbles like a good gallop, the green said, nudging Illissa softly. When the green made contact with her for the first time, it felt...right. There was no denying Whosoath was hers. And she was Whosoath's. And she was absolutely perfect.

And I will only accept a meal by your hand.

Yes, yes of course, Whosoath, Illissa managed to say, finally. She reached out with her long, elegant fingers to rub the green dragon's eyeridges. I would be happy to.

Excellent, Whosoath crooned. Then let us go at once! said the green earnestly, as both dragon and Rider turned to leave the Hatching Caverns turned war zone.

Illissa had always thought it strange to witness Impressions from the outside. There didn't ever seem to be anything that special about it from her point of view. But whenever she looked at the human, well, you would think they were under some sort of spell. And now that it was happening to Illissa, she understood. She was under a spell. Under Whosoath's spell. And it was simply magical. 'Perfect' was the single word that kept running through her mind, over and over again.

[escape]

Rialin nodded a bit, smiling almost in amusement at how people were upset. Ria had just mostly been joking when she said it but it was clear people were beginning to get bent out of shape out of those nearly dead impressing over the healthy. Ria didn't care though, she was just there for the entertainment. There was only three eggs left which meant that the chance of impression had decreased radically for most and the stench of desperation of impress seemed to seep from everyone on the sands, or maybe it was just bad body odor. The young woman shifted back and forth, wondering if there would be a large hatching banquet for those who impressed...maybe she would be able to sell a lot more at those then she normally would.

Soon one of the eggs was hatching and Ria was pulled from her thoughts of prices and customers to watch a green awkwardly move about. It wasn't long before egg hatched to reveal a green. She was rather pretty in Ria's opinion, and the girl glanced at the other people. So far there were no more dead or dying people to impress to so the green would have to chose from one of the living or perhaps just jump between.

The green walked up towards her and for a second she thought she was going to impress before she realized that the green was looking at the girl nearby. Ria frowned a little before shrugging and looking away, clapping obediently even though she was irritated that it was the second person she talked to that had impressed. She glanced towards the other girl now left standing alone and considering talking to her before she decided that it would probably curse the girl to impress if she opened her mouth and said one word. So she looked back at the last two eggs, wondering who or what would be inside them.

[[Will post Tin tomorrow ]]

[escape]

Tinsley watched Sh'kal with a mixture of envy and awe as the male pulled himself together. Tin glanced down and shuffled his feet back and forth as he wondered about the three eggs left, he desperately wanted to impress. His friends had all moved on without him, he didn't want to be left alone again. Could he beg a dragon to take pity on him? Would they even listen or care? He took a deep breath, shaking a little with the fear that he was going to be left standing and alone.

Shark came up and put his hand on Tin's shoulder, causing the male to jump a little. The words the male said were kind, but they did little to cheer up the male. Somehow those two seemed to have become friends, in an odd way but he would have done anything to have a friend. He tried to smile, but all he wanted to do was beg the male not to leave him there standing alone. It would have been in vain though, because the male was following his beautiful red and the two were already leaving. Now Tin was alone with no one to talk to and only the worry of not impressing and his friend dying hanging over his head.

Another egg hatched and it turned out to be a beautiful green, Tin's breath caught in his chest as he stared at the green. There were so many candidates left and now two eggs and a green. The green moved awkwardly at first, but then seemed to gain her legs and moved about. He took a deep breath as he watched her, but the green didn't even go near the boys. She went directly to a girl and impressed, the male felt himself deflate slightly.

Two eggs, two eggs left and a bunch of candidates just as desperate and just as hopeful as he was. He shifted back and forth again, wishing desperately that the eggs would hatch and that he could either move on as a weyrling or stumble out without a dragon and try to be there as support for M'tel.

[bloodfire]

The Hatching was coming to a close, and everyone in the Hatching Sands knew it. Out of thirteen eggs, only two remained now; the Pig Egg and the Rabbit Egg. Both were rocking profusely now, both eager to break their shells and get this business over and done with, but which one would managed to do so first? Both seemed equally capable of hatching soon, but if one took a good look at both eggs, the pinkish Pig Egg had just a few more cracks on the surface than the dusty tan Rabbit Egg. While it certainly wasn't a noticeable difference, it would matter all the more in the end, or so riders would tell anyone who cared to listen. More cracks meant less effort required to break through the shell, after all. This was confirmed when a hole appeared in the Pig Egg, allowing a green head to peek through. The green was a darker color, unlike her brighter sister that had hatched and Impressed mere moments beforehand. She shook her head slightly as she pulled her way out of the egg, her limbs expanding the hole that she was crawling through. She opened her wings as she stepped out onto the warm sand, her voice giving sound in a small squeaking noise as she took in the carnage that now surrounded her. She left the egg for this? Something had gone horribly wrong here, she just knew it! This wasn't what was supposed to happen at all!

As the Pig Green continued to reel over the sight she had entered the world to, the final egg cracked open, splitting neatly in two and allowing a lovely young black to step out onto the sand. The black glanced towards it's sister for a moment, wondering vaguely why she was so upset over matters that had already come to pass. Nothing could be done about it now, after all. Slowly, carefully, she neared her sister, crooning softly to allow the other dragon to realize that she was there before she was actually right beside her. Settle down, sister, she commented, rumbling softly as she rubbed along the green's side for a moment, trying to comfort her before moving away. All is well. Now move along, your rider waits for you.

No! the green exclaimed, surprising the black into glancing back at her with a confused expression on her face. All is most certainly not well, sister! My rider...I can't sense my rider. They aren't here! And with one final, anguished cry, the green threw herself back towards the remains of her egg, hopping between and leaving nothing but a sudden blast of cold air in her wake. The keening of dragons soon followed, letting everyone who couldn't hear the green's cries of sorrow know that she wouldn't return. Her rider hadn't been there for her, and there was no other option left to her than death. A sad occurrence, but one that had to happen. A dragon with no rider was something that simply couldn't happen; dragons needed a human partner in order to survive, and there was nothing that could be done for the green now.

The black, who was now left completely alone on the sands, jerked her head back in shock at the sudden disappearance of her sister. That was unexpected, and the little female wasn't exactly sure of what she could have done to reassure the green. She was adamant in the fact that her rider wasn't there, so there was nothing that could be done. Still, she felt a pull, leading her onward; her rider was there, as sure as her sister had been that her rider wasn't there. She couldn't deny her rider, not while they were there and waiting so patiently for her. But still, something about what her sister had said still worried her. All was not well? Whatever did she mean by that? No, I am only looking too much into it, she told herself with an emphatic shake of her head, her eyes scanning over the candidates as she did so. As her eyes settled on one boy in particular, they shifted colors, turning to the rainbows of Impression for a moment before settling back to a hungry red. Isn't that right, my dear T'sey? Now, if you would kindly come to me? I don't wish to move through that crowd to get to you.

Black (F) Tiavenath
"The Elegant Debutante"

Impress To: T'sey
Final Size: 23 Feet
Color Codes: 323232 & 656565

Appearance:
Tiavenath holds the impressive title of Solace Weyr's skinniest Black. At twenty three feet, her body is longer than is expected for such a total length by quite a bit. In fact, with a tail that is only half as long as is average for a body of her size, giving her body, neck and even her headknobs a decidedly stretched appearance. There is some possibility that Tiavenath is in some way stretched. It shows in the frailty of her bones. Her first turns of life will be marred by minor injuries in the form of tiny hairline fractures, but with a proper diet and good exercise, by the time she is in her third turn of life, only the hardest of landings will harm her. Which is good, because she will be a daredevil flier in the air. Her strangely long body is paired with knife-like wings: narrow, sharp, long. Her wings will cut through the air giving her agility that her tail could not give her, and with her surprisingly light body, she will be a match for any dragon in her class. Of course, her quick body is accompanies by an equally quick mind, which is, in theory, because of her equally stretched headknobs. Her headknobs are one and a half times the length expected, perhaps even a hair longer. When paired with rather adorable facial features, including a very small, and somewhat twitchy snout, she is certain to remind some of a dark-furred rodent friend.

In coloration, Tiavenath is polished charcoal. When oiled regularly, her hide will shine like few others have the ability to, despite looking like she rolled about in a barbecue after a cook-out. Of course, there's nothing ugly about the blacks and greys of coal, and Tiavenath is one to prove that. With a deep black for a base color, silvery greys streak across her hide, catching the light as she moves. Despite her coloration being simple to describe in base with words, to truly give justice to her beauty is difficult in written or spoken form, because the markings are so complex that they never quite seem to be the same, and so "streaks across her hide" truly is the only way to describe her. How else do you describe a dragoness who never seems to look the same twice?

Personality: Aloof, Stubborn, Cautious, Sensitive, Clever

Mindvoice: Before anything else, there is a quality to Tiavenath's voice that is old. Grainy, like a film from decades ago, before color was a thing. And there is little color to her voice, because her voice is smoke. Pure and simple, her voice is smoky and low. There is something dangerous to her voice: seduction. She rarely raises her voice, speaking slowly and surely. If she wanted to, she could wrap men and willing women around her smallest digit with a few purring words, the heat in her voice overwhelming, smoldering, burning. It is, perhaps, lucky that Tiavenath's nature is not malicious, not malevolent, not manipulative, because if she was, Pern would be in a whole world of trouble from this dragoness who is all woman. A woman on fire.

[escape]

Tinsley had been standing there, watching the last two remaining eggs with a lot of hope and fear. The same chant of 'two eggs' repeated over and over in his mind as he gazed upon the two eggs. One had increasingly more cracks than the other but neither seemed rather hurried to hatch. Would they hatch? What if they didn't? What if they did but impressed to other people and he was left alone and forgotten again? He clenched his hands at his bare stomach, feeling sick to his stomach with the worry that began to fill him. He had gone from being hopeful to being bitter to all those who had managed to impress, half of them being nearly dead. Sure, one of his friends had been one of those near dead people but he still couldn't help but feel the lonely ache that began to fill him.

The Pig Egg began to cave in and finally a dark green pulled herself out of the egg. Tin's breath caught in his chest as he gazed upon her, he wanted to impress and had stopped caring what color as long as it belonged to him. She was beautiful though, he wanted to reach out to her but the green recoiled from those who were left waiting for the green and hoping. The green obviously didn't want to come near any of them, but some of them were inching towards her with the same desperate hope that Tinsley was feeling deep down.

The Rabbit Egg hatched and a skinny yet beautiful black came out of the egg. The black tried to sooth the green, but the green didn't take well to the comfort. Tinsley didn't know what happened, but suddenly the green sprang away from the black and in all that moment the green blinked between. The death keen rose from the dragons gathered and Tinsley felt the noise vibrate through him, it was just so horribly saddening. Even Devi raised her voice to join those around them in the mourning keen, Tin put his hands over his ears as if to cut out the noise. He didn't want to hear it, he shouldn't have had to hear it. It hurt too much to listen to.

The black began to move towards the people, but stopped short of them. Isn't that right, my dear T'sey? Now, if you would kindly come to me? I don't wish to move through that crowd to get to you. The feeling of another mind melding with his was amazing and shocking all at once. T'sey, that was his new name. He couldn't believe it but suddenly he was shoving through the crowd, getting startled looks as he pushed and ran through the crowd and broke free to sprint across the sands towards the black. He stumbled, but he kept moving until he made it to the black and then he allowed himself to fall onto the hot sands and throw his arms around the black.

At first the black pulled back in surprise, not used to the the sudden emotional burst from the boy as he cried out her name. "Tiavenath!" He cried, almost repeating the name over an over as he babbled and cried into his dragon's neck. She was his dragon, he wasn't alone. Tiavenath had come and filled in his life and now he would never be alone. She was his and he could be able find some comfort and stability.

The black nuzzled the boy, before finally managing to pull away from her boy. Come now, T'sey. Your Tiavenath will never leave you but I would like to be fed now.[/i][/color] Though her voice was firm, she still brushed her muzzle against his arm to show that she wanted what was best. The boy stared for a moment before rubbed at his face and nodding as he stood up shakily and followed after his black who walked with an assured step.