Records: Kethoda
Wild 1
Knux sat beside the eggs, watching Zermana. He wondered if she knew what she was doing, he had tried to have her touch one of the eggs, but she had told him flat off that her egg wasn't among the ones that were left in the torch-lit cave. In stead she had taken the one egg that the dragons had deemed too fragile to make it until the hatching. She did not speak to anyone what she did with the egg, or if she thought she was getting somewhere.
Once, Knux had asked Bae'istal if Zermana's dead egg was reviving, but the dragon had told him that the egg was as empty as ever, and that it was to be expected with parents so fragile.
Sighing again, Knux got up and walked over to the other three eggs, laying peacefully in the pillows that kept them warm. The purple mother ghost, Impara, barely an adult herself was looking at her babies with her big expressive eyes. Looking from a bit further away, the clutch' father, a red ghost named Dommer, looked worried and expectant.
"They are hatching." Impara announced.
Knux smiled cautiously, hoping that this first experiment with the ghosts would prove useful. They were amazing dragons, and more ghosts might boost the awareness that abandoned dragons were worth being adopted as well. The librarian vehemently hoped the ghosts would be taken care of, he loved them all, but this was a waystation, not meant to be a permanent residence. Yet the danger was real that these dragons might not leave the shelter.
Almost as if to prove him wrong, the first egg cracked open and a blue-tinted grey dragon dropped out. Looking up at the person stading beside him, the male ghost went:
"Danyx..."
"I know Martyr." Danyx answered with a smile, "Nothing beats living." with a playful look at Fairlight he said, "Come, you need to meet a lot of people and dragons."
"Oh, I know." Martyr answered, "I'll be loved."
"Very much so." Danyx replied, looking at Valentine, Fairlight's dragon who was already reaching out toward the hatchling, offering him meat and a nuzzle.
Knux was releaved, the hatching was a succes as of now, with even one hatchling remaining this had not been in vain. He had not really doubted that Danyx would bond a ghost, there was no other dragon that suited him more. With eagle eyes he looked at the other eggs, waiting for them to move.
Slowly, one egg wobbled over, dropping to some lower-laying pillows, it's shell pealing away. The hatchling inside this egg was also a
female. She was green-tinted with the characteristic rastafari hair and the half-moon tattoo around
her eye. With a soft cry, she rolled from the pillows and was immediately helped up by Arianne who had been standing at the edge of the pillows.
"Don't cry, Helian." she told the little hatching, "I'm with you."
"I know, Arianne." the dragon sobbed, "But it is hard."
"Together we'll get through. Wouldn't you like to know what the outside world looks like? How the stars shine at night and how the water sparkles in the sun?"
"It's beautiful!" Helian answered, "What else is there?"
"You'll just have to go out." Arianne smiled, "And see for yourself."
As they walked away slowly to get some food, the third egg hatched. The two remaining candidates,
I'youc and Angun arched a bit closer. For this hatching, more candidates than the amount of eggs had been searched, to ensure that the hatchlings had the choice to bond. It was a little unconventional, but this was done to have the kindest, strongest candidate bond the dragon, to give it the strength it needed to face the world. Baby ghosts had never been seen until today and the results, in Knux' eyes were looking up.
The third hatchling, an apple male stayed in the pillows, looking comfortable and warm, while he looked at the candidates. Finally he yawned and said:
"Angun, can you scratch my ears? This place is sooo hard to reach."
Angun obliged and saw her new dragon, Kyron, close his eyes in contentment, the most beautiful sight she had ever seen.
"Aren't you hungry, Kyron?" she asked.
"No, just sleepy. Maybe later."
Sitting down, Angun pulled the pillows a bit tighter around the young male, "Stay warm, honey."
Knux was about to get up when suddenly, Dommer, the sire of the clutch got up and announced:
"Seeing my children step out bravely into the world, I feel that I am ready too."
Bowing before I'youc he said, "I know you have not bonded, but
I suspect my sons knew that i had my eye on you from the day you walked into this cave. If it pleases you, I'd like to go with you."
"One baby is enough for me." I'youc answered, "I'd be honoured if you'd go with me."
Knux looked in wonder at the male ghost. He had been one of the first that had come to Kethoda and that he was now leaving was both a sad and joyous event.
But even with this developement, the first ghost hatching ever was not ever. Zermana walked toward the middle of the cavern, taking knux' hand that had been trying to wipe away a tear from his cheeks.
"Feel!" she said and Knux did feel, a slow beating heart, pulsating strongly beneath the shell.
"She is rising." Zermana said with excitement in her voice, "She is ready."
"Who is?" Knux asked.
"Leithia. The lifestream exists here too, though masked..." her voice trailed off as the egg started crumbling in her hands. Suddenly she held a black-white-teal dragoness in her hand, strands of long hair falling down her neck, below a masked head.
"Zermana!" a faint echo cascaded of the walls,
"I am here."
"I knew you would, Leithia."
Hugging Knux she whispered: "I knew this egg was mine, I knew it would work. Didn't you?"
"I had my doubts." Knux admiited, "But today is far more joyous than I had ever expected."
"Ehem." a soft voice sounded. Impara, the purple juvenile ghost that had at one time been a young, agile mountain - in another life, eons away it seemed, but in essence only 4 months since her rider had passed away - looked up at Knux and said:
"Something was made clear to me today. I know now that
I must search for the one who will help me. This person is far away, but I know where to look. Two words linger in my head, Vella Crean. This is where I must go. I am sorry I must leave you, but
I need to find my bond."
"Oh Impara." knux answered, "I just want you to be happy. Find your soulmate. Then I'll be happy too."
"I thank you." she answered, "I might need help getting there..."
"I'll ask Lewin to help you find this world."
Knux watched Impara leave the cave and could not resist asking Zermana: "Did you know any of this?"
"I knew some things." she answered, "But not all, would it have mattered?"
"No, finding out this way is better I think."
"Let's go. I think Leithia can use some food too, and of course she needs to get to know Bae'istal and her brothers."
They three of them left the caverns, with none left to leave behind. The experiment was a complete succes.
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Pickup:
Martyr -
Hatchling,
Adult
Helian -
Hatchling,
Adult
Kyron -
Hatchling,
Adult
Leithia -
Hatchling,
Adult
*Normally adopted ghosts have only one stage, but for this occasion the
hatchling stages of Dommer and Impara will be given out. You're free to
use them*
Impara -
Hatchling,
Adult
Dommer - Hatchling,
Adult
