Summer 2003 (1)

"So Lucas, what is this new project you've been working on?" asked Donriven when he entered the Holiday Hatching Grounds. Donriven saw Lucas wrenching, hammering and screwing like a madman on some metal boards.
"Well I want to finish this for the hatching..."
"What is it?" Donriven nearly shouted, curious as he had been for the past weeks.
"It's called a tv screen. This place is just so small. These 50 eggs barely fit in here, let alone the candidates. And that brings me to another point. People can't come to watch the hatching."
"I see, but how is that thing going to help you?"
"tv sends pictures recorded by this device -a camera- and sends it to this screen we can place anywhere on the Isle!"
"And this will be a test run?" Donriven asked.
"Yeah, it's a beautiful day outside, I bet you a lot of people will stay outside, sunning and swimming if we place the screen outside on the beach. It beats trying it in Winter."
Donriven shrugged and watched as Lucas lay the last hands on the so called tv. The thing was heavy and Donriven knew Besanth wouldn't be able to carry it outside alone. If Ensith helped however...
Finally, a few hours after the screen had been installed, with the help of Besanth, Ensith and Dresynith to fly behind the two others with the extension cord, Lucas was happy with the settings.
"The colour is just marvellous." Donriven said, hoping Lucas would stop tinkering with it.
"It's wonderful." Trix added knowing what was going on in Donriven's mind. She had watched the whole affair with rising amusement about Donriven's temper. He couldn't take much more. She watched the screen. She looked closer. Was that movement? Or the wind passing through the caverns again?
"Are the eggs hatching?" she asked Lucas.
Lucas looked up confused and then dropped the control panel he was holding. He hastily picked it back up and started running around the beach gathering people.
"I think that's a yes." Donriven said.
"Where's Cyan? She usually loves this type of hatchings... chaotic."
"I think I saw her near the Greenroom." Donriven said and shrugged.
Trix left him standing near the scream, being screamed at by Lucas to help find the candidates. She was following the small dust road past the lake when she saw Cyan. She walked and looked rather desperate. A big dustcloud was following her on the path.
"The clutch is hatching!" Trix shouted at her.
"I'm coming!" Cyan yelled back and started running. The cloud behind her followed.
"Stay there!" Cyan yelled watching over her shoulder.
Only then did Trix see the Venus Fly Trap following her sister.When Cyan got close to her and opened her mouth to explain, Trix said: "I don't even want to know. Hurry up."
Both women entered the hatching grounds and beyond that the Holiday hatching cavern. The small cavern was packed with candidates and their dragons.
"Good idea to allow dragons to enter..." Donriven smirked and nodded in the direction of Lucas. At least there'd be enough candidates. Where they had all came from Donriven didn't know. Engell, Kalkin, Daverin and Brianna from Alsky with their dragons, none too big to fit in the vaulted room. Mora Applebee and Summera from the Lands of the Rose who came to adopt some dragons for Lady Eternal Rose. A'xes and his mothering green Miasth, Z'na and blue Michoth from Darkling Dawn were already arguing about who would get more. Evora with her blue stickyweed Celiny who had been invited by Cyan. And last Monique who had only signed up yesterday. But who were these other people? Who were the three girls standing on the left? Who were the two small elves fluttering around yelling? And what in the Universe was that small black creature hanging upside down from the ceiling?
But before Donriven could alert Lucas on those facts or investigate them himself the first egg broke. Maira, rider of Green Dresynith and the searchrider who had helped them set up the screen nudged his elbow and pointed toward the little creature crawling out of the egg.
"Look at that cuty! It's only the size of a firelizard!"
"Hmmm, then why did it need that large an egg?" Donriven remarked, looking at the cherry red dragon. The reason for that soon became clear. The Cherry wasn't the only one to hatch from the egg. Another red female hatched, this one slightly darker and sprouting fire from her nostrils.
"Was this intended?" Cyan had the guts to ask Lucas.
"Not really... shh." Lucas was too far gone admiring his creations.
The Cherry female trotted toward the Z'na, A'xes and their dragons.
"I knew I was going to get more then you again!" Z'na told his bbrother, only to be left standing as the Cherry didn't have Z'na in mind but his dragon, Blue Michoth.
"My name is Berri!" the Cherry shouted and flapped her little wings in excitement. "Can we go play? Can I find you food? Can I ..."
"Calm down!" the startled Michoth said to all this cheeryness.
"But I'm HUNGRY!" Berri said.
"Then we go eat."
Michoth guided his little Fruit dragon towards the foodtables set against the right wall. Meanwhile the pepper dragon, for she was hot and spicey made her way toward A'xes.
"My name is Trin and I'm hungry too."
"I impressed first!" A'xes yelled happily. In the corner Michoth snorted. He had impressed first.
"You know I didn't mean it like that Michoth!"
After the first two lonely impressions a loud sound of cracking filled the cavern as three eggs hatched simultaniously adding another 6 hyper hatchlings to the world. A green, two reds, a brown a yellow and a white.
The three identical Paprika females quickly chose who they wanted to be with and fluttered right to Green Askabeth.
"We are the Paprika Triplets! Will you love us? I'm Drina! Mari! Xema!" they said.
"Are we all accounted for?" Askabeth asked.
"We are." they chuckeled and followed Askabeth to the feeding tables.
"Are they all supposed to be able to fly right of the egg?" asked Trix. She knew they hadn't put that in there...
"Well they are small so they dry up a lot faster." Lucas said shrugging.
The white hatchling fell a bit when she tripped over some egg shells. Flying, cradling her food in her hands -making her look quite strange- she managed to fly to the first creature around. Green Miasth hastily cradled the small hatchlign in her arms.
"Thanks." the Milk said eyes whirling blue..."Will you wait for my siblings to find you? They'll love you almost as much as I do." she whispered and fell asleep.
Miasth intensly happy about finally about finally being able to hold a hatchling -even if it wasn't one of her own- sighed and rubbed the belly of the Milk with one of her fingers.
The brownish Pineapple made a hasty run for Z'na while the red female snuck up to A'xes from behind, still feeding his earlier catch.
"Drats!' the Pineapple said..."For a moment you were even."
From across the room a small Red Currant stuck out her tongue and said: "My name is Gita."
"Don't worry Palmar, there are still many eggs left." Z'na said to comfort the brown hatchling.
A brieff silence came over the hatching cavern and more then one mind vigorously hoped the rest of the eggs wouldn't be duds when a single egg split revealing bright yellow dragon. He flashed his brightly white teeth around and then jumped-sprung toward Maira who had been waiting near the exit.
"Hey! You aren't supposed to impress me." Maira said startled.
"Don't you want me?" the little rascal asked, knowing darn well she wouldn't refuse.
Maira picked him up and went to the feeding tables..."I better not get in trouble for this with Dresynith." she said. "Lemon or no lemon, Siter."
Another two eggs cracked spilling three more fruity dragons. This time and icy blue got most of the attention. She strolled over the ground leaving a very welcome chill wherever she passed. She stopped in front of Kalkin, who was standing on the hot ground barefeet. The chill the Ice provided was even more welcome for him than for the others. Of course the headaches of the mindspeech weren't comfortable. He'd have to ask Sixth to translate them until they got the hang of the whistling language he had thought Sixth.
"Kalkin," she spoke, "You named me chill and that is what I'll be from now on. Like me?" the last part was added in the happy voice all these hatchlings seemed to have.
"Of course." He said, "But we're short of some alcohol... I was promised alcohol."
"Russa will be with us shortly." Ice added cryptically.
"Russa?"
"Yeah, What's it to you!" One of the transparent greystreaked dragons that hatched from the other egg said. She had followed her sister towards Kalkin and was now vieing for attention.
"Russa? Might you be a vodka dragon?"
Russa nodded and pointed at the drink he was still holding. "We know what you like." she said playfully.
The other Vodka, this one male headed towards Evora and her Sticky Weed Celiny. It stopped in front of Evora, sat down and looked at both: "My name is Swung. Who of you likes me best."
Celiny took one look at him and said: "I can't hold liquor so that would be Evora."
"I found you at last!"
"You knew you wanted me from the start." she said.

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