HATCHING
Kale Ikhar entered Ille's quarters and knocked on the wall to alert that he was coming. For a moment he looked around the hallway Ille scared with a few of the other Terramania candidates. It was unfortunate that their little group had been split up, but maybe that would ease the whole 'you're part dragon of a non-human race' issue that needed to sink in for Mikhail and Athail.
"What brings you here, Kale?" Ille asked.
"I heard that the eggs are going to hatch today and Drakha asked me to gather our little family to get their before the others."
"I didn't see the eggs stirring when I was thre this morning." Ille said surprised.
"I didn't know you were checking on them." Kale smiled slyly, "But it was Zaldoon who tipped us off."
Ille shrugged and followed Kale out to help gather the rest of their group. Ille knew he really should go to Wedlyn first, but his sister's room was at the other side of Cy Dragonstake. In stead he turned to to Elior's quarters and nodded toKale as he took the road leading to Athail ad Mikhail's quarters, the same road that led up to Drakha's rooms which were suspiciously close to kale's. Ille grinned when he considered how secretive the two were about their affair when it was obvious to everyone else. Was this going to be the first wedding since long where the children coming from the union might enjoy both their parents? Ille made a note to ask Elior about this after the hatching.
Half an hour later Kale and Ille had gathered all 9 shifters located at Cy to the sands. Zaldoon only stayed for a short while before he left again on some of his obscure businesses and left them to care for themselves.
"What do we do know?" Asakti asked.
"I guess we wait." Wedlyn said seemingly patient, but Ille could see that she was as excited as everyone else, excluding maybe Athail who was more excited than the others of them combined.
"I don't think we'll have to wait long." Elior said, smiling gently at the eggs in front of her... they were rocking.
Mikhail, stunned by the sudden change in te atmosphere of the cave, felt his jaw drop open and took a step back as if to give the presences waking up in front of him more room. Elior took his hand and gently pulled him away from the middle of the cave to make room for the other candidates who were being alerted at that very moment.
And thus the hatching begun. A lot of dragons hatched before things finally focused on the odd group. The seven half-dragons found themselves caught up in the swarm of hatchlings as well, baby dragons zooming in and out of their midst. As a middle fire ambled past Kale he planted his foot on its tail, not hurting it but preventing further movement. "Just where do you think you're going, Tairim?" he demanded as the hatchling gave an irritated squawk.
"I was just looking for..." The dragon did a double-take as she looked up at Kale.
"You! I was looking for you!" She sat down contentedly before the dragon-shifter as many of her siblings ambled past.
As the two newly bonded left the sands Wedlyn found herself the object of several hatchling's attention. A group seemed to have tangled themselves up in front of her and she saw several different coloured tails sticking up from odd angles out of the mess. She watched with an air of slight amusement as one managed to claw its way to the top, a middle ice.
"For a moment there I didn't think that you'd make it out, Akina," she said as the hatchling slid down her brothers and sisters.
"For a moment there I'd agree with you," panted the hatchling as she leaned against Wedlyn's legs.
"That was tiring."
As they left the sands several more eggs burst open, as if they had been waiting for that cue. Several middles of different elements headed over to the group of part-dragons, each stopping in front of their chosen. Athail found himself confronted by a peppy air named Tiatin who promptly declared himself to be hungry. Asakti found an electricity just as graceful as herself who called herself Ghaia. Ille was run into by an earth who proclaimed himself to be Quesul after some questioning.
Each of them greeted their new bond in the way most suiting for them and one by one they left the sands with their companions. Out of the group of seven that had come to Cy there were only two left now, Mikhail and Elior.
"Do you think we're going to bond?" asked Elior nervously as she eyed the decreasing number of rocking eggs.
Athail nodded as he glanced back at her. "I counted the eggs. There should be exactly the right amount for the number of candidates. We'll all bond."
"As long as someone doesn't bond two," she murmured as the hatching continued.
Four eggs.
A lesser plant made her appearance next, a beautiful little creature who would be a sight to see when fully grown. She glanced warily at the other three candidates before heading to one of the three remaining female candidates.
"Elior, its me, Aiyla. Sorry I took so long to hatch... the shell was hard."
"Don't worry about it, Aiyla. I didn't mind waiting."
Three eggs.
One hatched, a greater water. He blinked around at the three candidates, seeming bewildered at his surroundings for a moment. It didn't take him long after that to settle on someone, Mikhail, the last of the group of part-dragons.
"I am Nagare. I think that we should leave soon, though. This hatching is almost over..."
Mikhail nodded, taking a step away from the remaining candidates and eggs. "Let's go."
Two eggs. But now there was no-one left in this story to care that the hatching was reaching an ending.
