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HATCHING
People were running on the Isle. Eggs had been announced to hatch at the nekrat bay. Then, when most people had started to speed toward the joyous event, more dragon's voices rose. It were the twin voices of Kirawinktra and Naywinktra whose clutches were also showing signs of live. 
For a moment there was a stagnation of movement. Which hatching should be attended? Which clutch would be the most spectacular? Almost as one did the crowd turn to the regular hatching sands. Nerats hatched under water anyway.
Kirawinktra had her eggs shielded by her glossy purple wing membranes, while Kaywinktra seemed to be more open and happy to see her children bond. Milineth and 'Xeth, along with Arajaxth and Ciqatanth, sat close to the twin purples as the eggs rocked under their watchful eyes.
It was near the end of the hatchings on Kaywinktra and Kirawinktra's eggs when Avalonath too raised her voice and announced that her three eggs were hatching. Her eggs rocked and tossed and soon a wet muzzle pierced through the shell of one of them.
The next egg of Avalonath smashed to the ground spilling not one, but two dragonets to the floor. One was a very small bright female rain, the next a small opal male. Both of them were small even by Lantessaman standards, but they were healthy and all the more agile.
The male was the first to move. He dashed toward the dragons, leaving his sister sitting on the sand.
Meanwhile, Urusth's twin was still sitting on the sand, not making a move toward the candidates, though they tried getting her attention. It wasn't until a school of dragonders burst in that the hatchling finally got to her feet, albeit just to reach out toward them.
"Aren't these supposed to be locked up?" Trix asked Donriven sitting beside her.
"Herein tries to keep them locked in," Donriven answered, "but he also states that they are intelligent little critters. they seem to have a love for escaping he can't really get out of them."
"I hope they don't cause too much of a commotion." Trix shrugged, "I can miss the paperwork."
"You love the paperwork." Donriven replied with an ironic grin.
"You know me too well."
Their attention returned to the hatchling female who seemed to be the center of activity. A humming sound suddenly filled the cave and slowly words started forming from the hum.
"We are yours, Yorthopa." the buzz said, "We long to be free. Take us away."
"Why aren't you free?" the rain asked.
"We cannot leave without a dragon. Be ours as we are yours..."
"Where would we go?"
"Everywhere..." the dragonders whispered, after which they got too excited to make out much of the humming buzz. "Take us." seemed to come back a lot of times, but whatever else was said got lost in the murmur.
"I too want to be free." the rain said, "I will go with you." she smiled, "I'll have adventures." with that said, the tiny blue dragoness nearly skipped away from the sands.

STATS
Name: Yorthopa
Gender: Female
Species: Dragon
Description: A small and bright dragoness, Yorthopa is hardly big enough to take a rider. Maybe because of this, she didn't bond to a human but instead chose to stay with the dragonders, the little sentient fish that live in one of the more hidden caves on Lantessama Isle. They need a dragon's mental energy to survive and go to great lengths to be near them. Surprisingly these dragonders have quite a lot of mental energy, being able to form little bubbles of water around them which they levitate and move to go where they want to be. 
Place of Origin: Lantessama Isle

TO TAKE IN A HUMAN
Yorthopa might have a thirst for adventure but she always returned to Lantessama in between her travels. She had a cosy cave here, right above the dragonder cavern and she had even been able to rope Herein into keeping it clean. The dragoness knew that the dragonder keeper often slept in her home, but never when she was in residence. Yorthopa didn't mind. She wasn't a possessive sort. The things she held most precious were her experiences and memories.
The bright blue dragoness basked in the last rays of the sun, wondering if she could spend the night outside on the beach. Her pod of dragonders was perched on her back and shoulders and one was, as usual, keeping watch.
"Someone's coming." the little guard alerted the others.
"Relax, we're on lantessama, nothing is going to happen here." Yorthopa replied.
Still, Yorthopa's ears twitched when she recognised the voices of the Laedrysses. The sisters were apparently taking an evening stroll. Their voices didn't sound alarmed. But still, their words caught Yorthopa's attention:
"Do you think we have a dragon here that might fit the bill?" Cyan asked, "I can always hatch a plant dragon."
"I think they'd prefer a regular dragon." Trix replied, "Also a plant might not be able to give the amount of care needed."
"True, most prefer a human with a permanent residence."
"I really do want to send someone. The message seemed to indicate a lot of potential. And it would be another tie to one of the nexus agencies."
The Laedrysses appeared on the path through the dunes and Yorthopa nodded her head in greeting.
"Good evening." she told them.
Laedrys Cyan stopped and suddenly said: "How about Yorthopa?"
"What about me?" Yorthopa asked, her heart picking up the pace.
"We've received a request from the Warren on Tris'Hath, asking for dragons in need for a bond. It's not a certainty, which is why they're asking for as many dragons as are willing to come. The humans are young adult orphans and are looking for a family too. You'd have to train at The Warren so you'd be gone for at least half a year. After that you'd have to come back so we can make your bond feel at home here, showing them that they have become part of our extended family. Think about it, we don't need an answer right away because we know it's a big commitment."
"I will let you know what I decide." Yorthopa agreed.
The Laedrysses walked on and disappeared behind the dunes. Yorthopa was once more alone with her little entourage. Any decision she made was not solely her own to make. Because she came with a little support network of her own.
"What do you guys think?" Yorthopa asked the dragonders.
"Humans don't really give us energy." one replied.
"But they can be nice." another interjected, "Like Herein."
"Some don't like us though." a third added, "Some seem scared of us."
"We should probably not show our claws." the fourth added.
"I'd like to see the Warren." the fifth simply stated.
"That seems like you wouldn't be too opposed." Yorthopa surmised.
The idea started to sound appealing. After all it was like a paid vacation to Tris'Hath and she had yet to visit it. She was not aching for a bond but she wouldn't mind caring for someone else. After all she knew that family-ties existed beyond blood and species.

In the end, Yorthopa had been the only Lantessaman resident who'd volunteered to go. She didn't mind as she wasn't going to be alone on the trip anyway. She followed the coordinates and appeared in the sky above the Warren. When she landed she was greeted warmly and before she'd been even shown her quarters, she'd been presented with a white shawl to wear. Unaware of any customs of the locals, Yorthopa had graciously accepted it and would continue to wear it during her stay.

FIRST CONTACT AT THE ORPHANAGE
Yorthopa had followed the other dragons as they teleported to the orphanage. Behind her neck, the five dragonders in their protective bubbles followed with barely contained excitement. A multitude of dragons appeared in a carefully orchestrated show in the sky. Blues, greens and even golds. Some carried people while others, wearing the white shawls, had come to see if they might bond.
The youngest children came charging out first, screaming in delight to see all the dragons lined up before them. A few looked hesitant, slightly frightened, but buoyed on by the joy of their companions, they didn’t dare slow down their run. The older ones came afterward, some of them rushing to keep up with the younger charges and stop them short of running directly up to the dragons. Others strolling leisurely past the matron screeching and hollering at them to stop.
“All of you, get back here at once,” she screeched.
Some of the younger ones came to a halt and looked back at their stand-in parent figure, suddenly unsure. One of the girls chose that moment to let out a squeal of delight. The young woman stood before a blue dragoness with her white shawl draped artfully around her neck. On the dragon’s back, tucked between her folded wings, sat a host of small, dragon-like creatures with long, spiny fins and fish-like tails.
“Blessed gods, you are all too cute,” the girl squealed again. She had a nest of dark, tight curls atop her head and skin the colour of burnished oak. Her clothes were simple, well worn leathers and cloth of dark mauve and brown.
One of the dragonders curled on Yorthorpa’s back, a little green female, bared fangs and claws at the squealing girl. Another, bright red and nearly double the size of his sister, swatted at the green.
::We are not trying to scare them,:: he said.
::I wanted to see if she would be scared. If she’s scared, she’s not for us,:: retorted the green.
The girl made another high-pitched sound of delight and bounced in place.
“Oh, that was absolutely terrifying. I love it. Can you all do that?”
The dragonders looked at each other, and one by one crawled slightly further out onto Yorthorpa’s shoulders. As one, they bared fangs and claws and hissed as ferociously as their little bodies could manage.
The girl responded with another squeal of joy and bounce.
“Fantastic,” she cooed. “I don’t suppose there’s any chance you lot like the water, do you?”
The dragonders looked at each other, then up at Yorthorpa. It was the blue dragoness who bent her head and touched her thoughts to the girl’s.
::The dragonders are water creatures. We live in a cave overlooking the bay. I am Yorthorpa, by the way.::
“Brilliant. My name’s Marisol, and I’m a pirate.”
“Marisol,” the matron hollered. “You get away from that dragon this instant.”
Marisol’s delighted contenance soured in an instant. She was an expressive girl, and she wore her emotions like some people wore hats. Pivoting on her heels, she directed a glare at the matron.
“Pirates don’t take orders from sodden old biddies like you.”
The matron sucked in a breath and pursed her lip into a line so thin, it could have threaded a needle.
“For the last time, Marisol, you are not a pirate. You are a troubled young lady who needs-”
“I am a pirate. Just like my mother was a pirate. I don’t need or want your help. I want to be free.”
Marisol took a step back toward Yorthorpa and tilted her head back to look up at the dragoness.
“Could I do that with you lot? Be free? I’ve never had a dragon in my head before, but you feel natural. Like a soft, fuzzy blanket for my brain. And your little ones are cute enough to kill for. I’ve not felt at home with anyone since my mum… since before I got here. You feel like home though. Is that okay?”
Yorthorpa bent her head and nuzzled the girl’s cheek, and Marisol responded by wrapping her arms around her snout.
::This one is ours:: The dragonders hissed in unison as they crawled down to perch on Marisol. ::You may not have her back.::
The matron’s mouth dropped open in a disbelieving gape, then snapped shut hard enough to make her teeth clack.

STATS
Name: Marisol
Gender: Female
Species: Human
Description: Marisol is a feisty young woman with a nest of dark, tight curls atop her head and skin the colour of burnished oak. She's ready to take on the world (or even the nexus as it turns out). She might have an idolised view of the life of a pirate, as she was only a child when she last lived the life. The fond memories she has of her mother as well as the yearning to be free and do her own thing, have left her all too keen to go along with her new family. The dragonders are very happy with their new family member and like her wild spirit, as does Yorthopa.
Titles: Honorary Dragonder Keeper, Honorary IceLander
Place of Origin: Tris'Hath

TO VENTURE FURTHER AS A DRAGONRIDER
The year of training had flown by. Yorthopa had felt a bit silly learning to fly in formation as most dragons usually avoided her cargo of dragonders anyway. The dragon had had the distinct impression that sometimes extra dragonders found their way to her and then somehow disappeared again, most likely looking to live on Tris'Hath.
"Finally, freedom!" Marisol interrupted the completely irrelevant musings of Yorthopa.
"I'd love to show you lantessama." Yorthopa responded.
"I hope there won't be any more training...." Marisol said cautiously.
"I doubt it. We've seen plenty and I'd already gone through training back home. Not that I had an official duty."
"But you do have a home there?"
"Certainly." Yorthopa sooted, "Right above the dragonder cave."
"Great!" Marisol smiled.
The five little nuissances surrounded her with approval and promised to show her around as well. With little to prolong their departure, Marisol clambered upon Yorthopa's back, only having just enough space for herself and her backpack. They took off and disappeared from Tris'Hath. Both knew they would return at times, but none wanted to visit too soon. They had a lot of exploring to do after all.
As they appeared again, Marisol had to get used to the new views. They landed and Yorthopa led Marisol to her home. She then introduced Marisol to the other dragonders in their tanks.
"Be careful!" Herein warned her, only to add, "Oh, you're with Yorthopa so you won't need much coaching."
"Thanks, I quite like the dragonders." Marisol said.
"You're always welcome to help out, the laedrysses will gladly pay for some of these duties and it's getting to be a much for me on my own."
"Would you need me all the time?" Marisol asked, her face showing her doubts.
"I get it, you're young and want to travel. No, just come find me when you need a little extra and I'll gladly give you chores."
"Thanks!"
The dragon, her new rider and their quintet of bubbly sentient fish left to explore the isle. Soon, they met up with some other young dragonriders. No-one seemed to question who she was or why she was here. After a short introduction they happily included her in their plans... and after they learned that she liked exploring, and was a pirate, they really got going.
"You should come to Meriseng with us. We could use another explorer. The other dragonriders are too busy but it's going to be our home one day!" one girl told her with a look of promise and faith in her eyes.
"Gladly!" Marisol said, the promise coming easy.
 

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