Sand Gruyt and Nadath-Anyaythlis'Refugium

"How can you be late to your own swim?" Bujoca tugged at Wamid's fins ineffectively, her little claws digging into the sand.
:: It's not going to start without me, is it? :: Gruyt replied, her mind-voice lazy with sunshine - unworried and unhurried.
"Maybe not, but it's not very nice to your suitors!"
Gruyt rolled over with a yawn and casually pushed herself back into the water. Bujoca followed at a harried pace, twisting and turning around Gruyt's massive bulk as they made their way to Lantessama's designated nekrat cove. The very place Gruyt herself had hatched, with all the warm feelings of home and nest.
A group of males were already churning the water, likely agitated from their longer-than-usual wait. Gruyt cast them all a lazy smile, fanning her sandy fins.
They were a disparate group of aquatic species; a couple nekrats (of course!), two dragons with long bodies and magnificent sets of fins - brightly colored but not ostentatious, and a pair of tentacled dragons that looked like an absolute delight. Gruyt circled them slowly, waving her fins in greeting.
:: Let's keep this groovy, alright guys? :: she said.
There were murmurs of ascent. Water rippled in anticipation.
Gruyt shrugged all her fins, whipped around, and darted off quick as a sailfish.
The suitors scrambled in surprise!
The first to recover were the nekrats, Urquar and Alnar, who had some understanding of Sand-types and expected this sort of thing might happen. Urquar flexed his powerful fins and took off in a straight line, ignoring Gruyt's zig-zagging pattern. Alnar, on the other hand, sank into the depths between the rocks and disappeared from sight.
Kihnashen - the betta fish dragon - was small and fast. Although he took longer to recover from his surprise, he darted through the water at rapid pace, quickly making up ground despite the much larger dragons around him. When Gruyt took a rough corner dipping deep around a corner, Kihnashen zipped straight through it! His hand grazed her tail fin, but she surged onward out of his grip.
Foelrhon, Isi, and Nadath took up the rear - Foelrhon for his lack of recovery time, and the two tentacled dragons for their more awkward swimming motions in the water. Wings made for low energy consumption but gobbled up their speed.
Gruyt jagged to the side and doubled back. Previously hot on her tail, Kihnashen and Urquar were left zipping into the open blue as they stuttered to recover from Gruyt's speedy turn.
Gruyt charged toward the shoreline, giggling great bubbles of glee.
Suddenly Alnar burst out of the depths, careening straight toward her. Gruyt nearly slammed herself into a jut of coral to avoid him.
:: Oh, you're a tricky one! :: she said, laughing as she twisted away.
Isi had been straining himself to cut through the water as quick as his rivals. Where some of the dragons were beginning to flag, Isi stubbornly pushed through the burn to keep going. He was careful and precise with his movements, watching Gruyt's mad dash with a calculated stare.
A crazy hairpin turn to avoid Foelrhon's next strike sent Gruyt toward Isi's carefully crafted trajectory. Isi burst forward in a slash of tentacles, grappling Gruyt's tailfin. The nekrat proved slippery as an eel as she managed to wriggle and squirm from his grip, darting to the freedom of open ocean.
Thwarted for now, but nothing if nor persistent, Isi followed as fast as his tentacles could go.
Despite her laziness, Gruyt never missed a day of hydroball practice, which leant her some serious stamina to go along with her zippity speed. But even an athlete needed a breather between runs and Gruyt was beginning to feel the strain of avoiding her suitors for so long. Her turns became less precise, her bursts of speed becoming shorter and shorter.
Already, Foelrhon, Kihnashen, and the nekrats had folded to exhaustion - leaving only the two tentacled dragons in the game.
There were two of them, right? Gruyt narrowly avoided Isi who remained in hot pursuit, but she'd only caught occasional glimpses of the other fellow. Where could he-
Gruyt glanced back over her shoulder.
A shadow fell above her.
She looked up in time to see a mass of writhing green tentacles descend over her, and a flurry of deep red block out the sun.
Nadath had sprung from a rocky outcropping hanging like a miniature inlet cutting through the sea. He just needed the right moment of distraction to pounce! He wasn't sure he'd be fast enough to catch her, or strong enough to wear her out - and the potential shame of being unchosen held him back for the first half of the swim.
But now he tightened and twisted his body around her.
Isi cursed in the distance, but shot Nadath a sporting nod.
Gruyt laughed and bumped her noggin against Nadath's wiggly chin. :: I think you've caught me, dude! ::
:: I have? :: Nadath replied. His mouth curled in a small smile. He and Gruyt pushed to the surface, where Nadath immediately sought out the distant image of his bond on the shoreline. :: Summas! I did it! ::
"That's great, now get back down there!"
Gruyt gently tugged the aquatic mutt deep below the surf.

- written by Bughnrahk

Sand Gruyt and Nadath-Anyaythlis'Refugium

Nothing felt quite as lovely as the warm waves of Gruyt's home waters. She basked lazily in the shallow surf, her head propped on a bed of seaweed, fins tucked between rocks. Her clutch of eggs swayed gently beneath her, warm from the sun and eager to greet the day. She knew they were ready to hatch, but there was no need to alert the candidates yet.
Especially when most of them were already nearby. The majority of the candidates that had shown up to greet her clutch were at least partially aquatic in nature, and quite happy to hang out in the bay on a beautiful sunny day. If Gruyt cracked an eye open she could spot the silhouettes of a few land-bound humanoids chatting together. Probably that sort-of princess - the one with the excellent snacks - and the crafter, Vera, who'd made Gruyt a beautiful necklace of clamshells in exchange for a few pearls she scooped up from the ocean bed.
A slick blue head popped out of the surf, followed by the long, wet body of Gruyt's bond, Bujoca.
"Gruyt!" she squealed. "They're hatching!"
:: I know :: said Gruyt. :: They're not all out yet. Shouldn't they get a bit of space before the candidates are over here swarming them? ::
Gruyt felt the tickle of little whiskers on her undersides as some of her children wiggled from their eggs and gave their mother a playful nuzzle.
"I'm going to get Nadath," said Bujoca, turning swiftly back to the water. "And get the candidates over here."
:: Alright, alright. :: Gruyt rolled over with a hearty slap of tail fins and began to croon her song to announce the hatching.

—

With the combined efforts of Bujoca, Nadath, and a little from Gruyt herself, the candidates gathered near the shallows where Gruyt had laid her clutch. The eggshells had long drifted back out to sea, but several colorful little shapes dipped and flashed through the water.
The first to properly make his presence known was a little teal (pool), covered in sandy spots. He bristled his whiskers at the candidates and cut through the water straight toward the ornery cascatan. Prodigucor dwarfed the little hatchling, but even as she stared down her nose at him she was careful not to knock into him.
:: You'll like me :: boasted the hatchling. :: My name is Soliotedu.::
"I will," Prodigucor agreed. "But we've got a lot of work to do at the Cove, you should eat up so we can make preparations."
:: Wait! :: Nadath hurried toward them, before Prodgucor could turn her attention to the feeding stations. :: They're only a quarter wheke-ika, but they should have First Names too. ::
Nadath cleared his throat and crooned a series of whale-song syllables that Soliotedu knew meant; Beach Breaks the Shore.
:: I want a name too! :: cried another hatchling, a deep purple female.
:: And me! :: squealed a green-mottled blue male.
:: You'll all get First Names as soon as you find your bonds :: said Nadath, ruffling his wing sails close to his body. :: Don't keep the candidates waiting. ::
While her siblings squabbled, an elegant pearly-cream female (a clam!) wound around the young princess Kiisha, who'd waded up to her hips to meet the hatchlings.
:: Whatever my first name is, you can always call me Gallinda :: said the hatchling. :: And you'll always be Kiisha to me. I don't need a princess. ::
Nadath's song reached their ears, and Gallinda translated; Sand Makes Pearls.
The Dahkala Zohana remained a few strides back from the rest of the candidates, observing the group with sharp eyes. As much as this was meant to be a vacation, it was difficult to turn off well honed habits.
But she also remembered how much work it was learning those habits.
"You're not as sneaky as you think you are," she said, casting a glance over her shoulder.
A pale-blue gletsjer hatchling with deeper blue fins swept up from the surf, frowning. :: Aw, you saw me? ::
Zohana smiled," We can fix that."
:: I hope so! I want to be as cool as you are. I'm Arayal. And dad says I'm also Hunts With Sharks.::
The brightly colored Kran accompanied his sii-Linyaari bond to attend the hatching of his nieces and nephews.
"Lantessama is fascinating," said Yehal, leaning toward his bond to keep his voice low. "It would be nice to explore more of Syl'Neriss."
:: I'd like that too :: piped a little voice from below them. A spotted pond-lake kitten popped his head out of the surf, locking eyes with Kran and then Yehal.
:: I'm Takuid, and I'm coming along with both of you, no matter where we go. Dad says my first name is Travels Many Oceans, so I think I was born to explore! ::
He was one of the first kittens to clamor for their First Name, and Takuid puffed out his chest as he presented it to his new bonds.
A pale blue kitten was cutting through the water, fast and slick as a dart. He twisted around the remaining candidates, brushing several with his sensitive whiskers before moving on. He completed a broad round encircling all of them before finally making his choice.
:: Is this any good? :: the gletsjer kitten asked, holding a piece of pink coral out toward Coral. :: I don't know if I can learn to make things like you do, but I'd like to help as much as I can. I'm Pecten. ::
"If it's not good right now, I can turn it into something better," Coral replied, accepting the offered gift from his new bond.
Pecten beamed. Whale song filtered through the water around him and his eyes grew wide as he said; :: Dad tells me my first name is Eel Protects the Reef. ::
A purebred wheke ika waded among the group of candidates, looking pleased and bemused at the colorful hatchlings churning the waters.
The purple female who'd demanded her first name from Nadath whipped away from her sire just as soon as his whale song ended to rush toward Nine Waves Evening.
:: I'm Tentacle Sting :: she chirped :: But I'm also Tenoca, and I'm definitely going with you! ::
Nine Waves gave her a broad smile and ushered her under his wing as he started toward the feeding stations.
The whirl of colorful hatchlings was beginning to settle as kittens paired up and wandered away. Only a few candidates remained in the water, including the young human Vera, who stood up to her hips in the ocean with all three of her flits chirruping excitedly around her.
A deep blue abyss kitten, spotted with bright red-orange fountain marks, eased toward her with a curious stare.
:: I like your flitters :: the kitten whispered, :: But mostly I really like you. I'm Chione, but also Deep Waters Run Clear. ::
A bright blue kitten circled a strangely colored fish, pawing at it through the waves.
:: I can't bond you like that :: he said, making a grab for the fish.
The water shimmered and the fish grew and stretched until it transformed into a man, who smiled cheekily at the hatching. "No?" he said, "Something wrong with bonding a fish?"
:: I knew you weren't really a fish, Sketch! :: chirped the kitten. :: I'm Kanile, or Sand Sifter, according to dad. ::
The last of the candidates was an odd squid-like alien, curling her tentacles into tight, worried spirals as she watched the hatching. Her body flickered with odd pings of light until a brightly spotted seaweed kitten splashed toward her.
:: Were you worried, Kylryn? :: said the kitten :: You needn't be! I'm your Mossala and I'm part of your crew now. ::
"This one is glad you made a decision," said Kylryn. "She expects you will fit in well with the crew."
:: You don't need to be so formal with me! Dad says my first name is kind of like a soul name, and it's Dazzling Fish Scales. ::

—

:: This looks like a hatching well handled :: said Gruyt, giving her last kitten a gentle nuzzle before they dove off with their new bond. :: Nothing to worry about at all. ::
"You think you're recovered enough to get back into Hydroball?" Bujoca asked, from where she was curled around Gruyt's shoulders.
The sand-colored nekrat grinned. :: Absolutely. I'll miss these waters, but I can always come back to lay more eggs next year, right? ::

- written by Bughnrahk

Prodigucor Dacia (f) and Puddle-mottled Pool Soliotedu (m)
Kiisha (f) and Clam Gallina (f)
Vera (f) and Fountain-mottled Abyss Chione (f)
Zohana (f) and Deep Sea-finned Gletsjer Arayal (f)
Sketch (m) and Crab Kanile (m)
Yehal and Kran-Anyaythlis'Refugium (m) and Pond-mottled Lake Takuid (m)
Coral (m) and Gletsjer Pecten (m)
Nine Waves Evening (m) and Squid Tenoca (f)
Kylryn (f) and Jellyfish-mottled Seaweed Mossala (f)

*Abilities: seadragons from this clutch will have some (limited) water magic due to Nadath's dna and will be amphibious

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