Tavula waded through the water, her sand nekrat Wamid completely
chill with people wandering close to her eggs. In fact, the candidates for this
clutch had been welcomed to swim, touch and talk to the eggs. Wamid in fact had
enjoyed the company and extra eyes to guard her babies. It wouldn't be long now.
She could feel it in the currents and the tense flicks of her mate's fins.
"Calm down; Volludh." she urged.
"I know they are coming. Our family is
growing."
The lake nekrat was teetering between panic and jubilation and was basically on
edge. His bond, Keshri, was running around the edge of the island, trying to
calm himself. Wamid made a small note to Tavula to keep her lover from doing
another tour of the isle when he would next come by.
"Better ask the candidates to not roam far
either."
Tavula's nod was hardly noticeable and she waded back to the beach to do some
prep work.
About an hour later, more people were milling about and Keshri didn't need to be
told to stick around. Almost as if the babies knew that everyone who needed to
be there was around, small fountains of escaping air announced the
hatching.
People stood ankle- to knee-deep into the water, sea dragons swam closer to be a
part of the occasion. It was hard to see the kittens as their colours blended
well with the water of the bay.
Tammu; the fisher-girl, jewel witch was the first to bond. Her long blond hair
floated on the water and as the girl nervously twisted one of it's strands
around her fingers, another lock was grabbed and pulled by a seaweed green
mouth. The nekrat didn't want to stay hidden for longer and her deep green tail
curled around the young woman's legs while her fins created the lift needed to
lift her head above the surface. The female nekrat bumped her head against
Tammu's chin and told her:
"Why would you need to gut and skin fish? Those
are the tasty bits!"
"I'll gladly save them for you, Gahshani." Tammu replied
tactfully/
Next up, two rascally twin males, one wave and one foam, twirled around each
other in the surf and headed for the deeper waters where they found a likeminded
mind in Rakh Filidegembira, a dark blue, sunset sea dragon from Shizuka Cove.
The two kittens were on the smaller side but they made up for that in grace and
synchronised swimming, seeming to be of one mind. The sea dragon was eager to
make friends and spoke to the hatchlings before they could state their names:
"Are you my bonds? I seem to feel you are."
We are..." the lighter foam answered, "I'm
Prayid."
"I'm Otkhul." the wave added with
a playful splash of his tail.
Nikoko, one of the Dawn Cove bonders, had not noticed the bonding of the sea
dragon. His eyes had been locked on the swamp green colour that floated in front
of him. The male kitten had been looking at him, but seemed as of yet hesitant
to talk. Did that mean they weren't partners? Maybe the swamp hatchling was
looking for someone else. Nikoko didn't really intend to try and sway the
dragon's mind. They chose to bond after all. He didn't mind waiting a bit
longer...
"I'm not sorry to say that you won't need to wait
longer." the lazy voice of the swamp hatchling finally told him,
"I was just making sure."
"There is nothing wrong with that, Jimwul." Nikoko nodded, "Thank
you for making sure."
Wamid and Volludh decreed that all their eggs had hatched and that no hidden
eggs were lingering in the bay, signalling that spectators and newly bonded
pairs could leave to feast at the waiting buffet.
Tammu
(f) and Seaweed Gahshani (f)
Nikoko
(m) and Swamp Jimwul (m)
Rakh
Filidegembira (m) and Wave Otkhul (m)
& Foam Prayid (m)