Summer 2003 (3)

Two more eggs shook violently and bumped into eachother, adding a helping hand to the dragons within. Four startled dragons fell to the sand and got up, screaming and twittering of astonishment. The small green Pisang Ambon soon found shelter with Merel.
"I wasn't ready yet." she sobbed about missing a great entrance.
"Don't worry Indra. I was here wasn't I?"
His twin, an Orange male hastily ran toward Summera for her comfort and confided her that his name was Kerin. "I heard you from the first moment you entered bu that bozo didn't want to cooperate!"
Summera smiled and quickly put some food in his mouth to quiet him down before he would get the idea to fight his sister.
The occupants of the other egg, a pineapple male and a rather dashing blue Curacao huddled toward the Alskyrian riders and found Engell and Kalkin suitable.
"Do you like Pineapples, Engy? You don't have to, but you wouldn't mind touching them for me wouldn't you? I'd be sooo happy..." it started.
"I like pineapples Plage." Engell said demonstarting that statement by eating a piece and handing over another to Plage.
"You know what it was like living together in the egg?" the Blue Curacao asked. "Agony."
"I get your point Nyan, but you won't have to hear him all the time from now on."
"Splendid."
On the sands two more dragons were dancing in a circle, trying to get their tails unwound when they bumped into another egg. Now that the sands were getting a bit more rooły the hatchlings seemed to get less carefull in finding their way to their chosens.
The two tripped, crashing another egg and finally getting loose from each other. The female, a Rum, kept running in the direction she had been headed and found herself near Maira when she noticed her Calypso could still use some Rum. "I'm Babelyn." she grinned and stuck out her arms to get lifted up to Maira's shoulders.
The other one, a transparent, grey streaked Vodka male smiled happily as he saw Lucas and flew up to claim the unoccupied shoulder as his own. "I'm Zast." he said and averted his eyes from Lucas' to watch the hatching.
The two hatchlings that had erupted from the shattered egg after their siblings had danced it to pieces were finally able to go out. The green Lime made his way toward Evora and her entourage, adding another number to the growing group.
"I'm Twist... I don't know what a Flis Flop tastes like, but it must be good if it's got lime in it." he grinned and sat down beside Celiny.
The female white Milk turned a few rounds before she finally saw who she had been looking for. She saw Monique, strangely not the oldest candidate though she might have been if this had been a normal hatching.
Monique gracefully nipped from her Country Rose and waited for the milk to come to her. She had finally made herself comfortable on the chaise longue she had carried in from the beach. A small table next to her had some more cocktails on them as some other candidates had placed theirs on it. The Milk hopped onto the chaise longue and chittered, extending her wings before she said: "I'm Shake. Milk flavoured" and winked.
Next to hatch was another rich brown that was clearly another Alcohol. The dragoness walked around and heard everyone wonder what she was. "Why, I'm a Wild Turkey of course." she said audible for all before she went to Brianne and anounced more privately: "The only Wild Turkey! My name is Constanze."
Another egg crashed open and a Vodka male came out. The transparent greystreaked bodies were quite common it seemed. That didn't stop the male of making a grand Elvisiesque entrance however.
"Can I get sunglasses when I'm bigger?" he asked Donriven, "I'm Vladi."
"Fine with me as long as you don't wake me with hard rock in the morning." Donriven said and shrugged. Why did he always get the hard ones?
"You think you got a hard one?" Trix asked, trying to get Lemon Trone out of her long hair.
Finally she got out the lemon, who held a full hand of thick brown hair in his claws. "On this Isle we don't pull any hair. No matter who it belongs too!" Trix said, waving her finger.
The lemon looked sad and threw away the strands of hair as fast as he could. In doing so he also knocked over a glass filled with fruit juice that spilled over some eggs. Those immediatly hatched and a new wave of 7 hatchlings emerged out of 4 eggs. All of the dragonets went into another direction, and impressed almost simultaneously.
"I'm Cherry Termy! Can we go play in the sea later?" it sounded in Gelena's ears while Monique was busy feeding a small Ice female by the name of Splint.
Two small dragons also made their way toward the Alsyrian riders, while another pair made for the two elves.
"I'm Lime Sansever." said the green male near Kalkin, "Do you like my pastel green?"
Kalkin grunted and left the dragon form his own opinion about pastel green. Kalkin was too busy avoiding headaches to discuss colour preferences.
"Don't mind my brother, I think he's fruity." giggled the purple female Passion Fruit at Daverin. "My name is Inez and I like you. I like you a lot. Of course you knew that because I chose you."
"You got it Inez." said Daverin.
"Apple!" a yellowish green female said, "I'm Quasi... and I think we will have lots of adventures together."
"I think so too." said Apple grinning at his two dragons.
"Oh no you're not!" said the yellow male that had found Carrot perfect for bonding. "I'm Banana Split and I can easily stop you two losers."
"Want to come over here to prove it?" the Pear asked and shook her tail, rattling the leaves.
A scream sounded, making the candidates turn around. The source of the scream was soon found. Trix now had two little dragons pulling her hair. A male bright bubbly transparent male was busy making a warm nest from the long strands.
"I give up!" Trix said, undoing her braid and placing most of her hair on the table for the dragons to make nests in, "But if I find one more ripped hair..." she said to the Lemon and the Tonic.
Only 10 eggs remained at the sands. Kalkin and Engell were betting among themselves which egg would crack first. Brianna interrupted them and said: "That one." Immediatly after the egg hatched revealing two pastel yellow-orange dragonets. "Pay up boys!" she said.
While the three were arguing about wether Brianna had cheated the male Mango found it's way to Summera while the female Peach headed over to Celiny.
"Summera... I'm hungry, very very very hungry. Can you give me food?"
"Of course Luz."
Seeing that the Peach started pulling Celiny's leaves: "I'm hungry too!!! Give Ola food!"
Celiny uncovered some slices of pear she had been saving.
"What? No peach...*sigh* It'll have to do." The Peach attacked the fruit with a mighty leap and devoured the slices whole. "mmmm." she said afterwards, her eyes already falling shut.
Another egg hatched silently in the corner. The small Carrot inside waited a long time before she finally stepped into the light and looked in a certain Laedrys' way before she said: "Trix... I know you don't want me, but I need you. And I'm vital for the cocktail..."
"As long as you behave Telra, I'm ok with you." Trix said.
Three more eggs hatched, three more twins chirped in chorus as they entered the world. Three of them -one of each twin- headed toward the Alskyrian riders. A Kiwi male, a Coconut female and a brightpurple headed their way. The Kiwi was the first to chose, while the other two waited patiently.
"Easy!" the Kiwi said to Sixth, "You're just the dragon for me. My name is Ivi."
The coconut female had a harder time choosing, but she wasn't at all happy to see her brother trying to squeeze in first.
"Engell!" she shouted, "Don't you see what he's doing!"
"I see it, but that doesn't matter know, does it?"
"I guess not, my name is Frika."
Engell nodded and waved at the remaining starsfruit.
"My name is Venia," she said to Byrnth, "I know I'm supposed to be yellow, but can I help it I shared my egg with a very persuasive purple Raspberry? Do you still like me?"
"Of course, Colour doesn't make a difference." Byrnth said keeping as much dignity as he could to not tell the fruity dragon that all her siblings were too brightly coloured for their own good.
The purple Raspberry didn't hear her sister's words, nor would she have minded them, She was very persuasive. And very independant, that was why she chose for Mora Applebee and her crew of purple fruits for Lady Eternal Rose.
"Can I have my own room?" she asked.
"Why not Mill?" asked Mora, "Just choose a place and have a sign erected saying Keep Out or something."
"I'll do that, thank you."
Another bluis-black dragon was not that independant. She needed someone to bring her breakfast and groom her into perfection... or play hide and seek with her. Celiny was her choice.
"You like hide and seek too?" she asked the blue stickyweed,
"It's my favourite, Solang!" Celiny crooned delighted.
"Then let us play!" she cried and hit two eggs full trust causing them to clash and shatter. "Oops."
"Don't worry Solang, See! They're coming out."
Indeed three dragons, two males and one female rolled out, shaking their heads. The female, another Blueberry, was ready to move first. She ran, jumped over an egg, partly flying, partly falling and landed right in front of Mora Applebee and shouted: "I'm Ara" as she bowed to the crowd.
The two males, not impressed, made for their candidates in a more traditional fassion. The Orange, an outgoing, easygoing chap soon found his bond in Gelena and announced his name was Perin. While the other, a brownish orange Tequila found his way on Monique's chaise longue.
"Shoo!" he said to the Strawberry... "You've had her long enough, now I, Avond, need her."
Only 5 eggs remained on the sands now. The countdown could begin. Almost as if they wanted to go along with the feeling each egg hatched in turn, waiting to crack until the previous dragon had found his or her bond.
The first dragon to emerge in this countdown was a small clear male. He looked around and strode elegantly toward Cyan as he saw she only had one dragon so far.
"That's no reason to go to a candidate." Cyan said
"No it isn't, but wouldn't you like some Cachaca to go with that raspberry?"
"Hmm, I guess that wouldn't be bad Rode."
Next hatched another orange-brown Rum dragons. The male had no problem finding his bond and went straight for Daverin who was tending her two non alcoholic friends.
"Sibral has arrived!" he said and shoved in between the two others vieing for Daverin's attention.
Next up were a Passion Fruit female and a Lemon male. Both headed in the same direction at first but then each diverted to a side. The female went to Summera and announce her name to be Riane, completing the fruity Tropical mix.
The male bowed to his right and ran right into Lucas who just came back from the feeding tables.
"Finally!" he said, "I have a short attention span you know. My name is Sour"
 Only one egg remained, and that one didn't seem intent on hatching. Ten minutes passed. The egg didn't even shook, nor did it have hairline cracks.
"I think that's a dud." Lucas said.
Celiny slittered toward it, gesturing Evora to follow her and said:
"Don't be so negative! It just needs waking up."
The Stickyweed tapped her tail tail on the egg and waited. As if touched by magic the egg shuddered and broke away. Out fell a small Cranberry dragon. The last of the clutch.
It looked up at Celiny and asked: "Mommy?"
"Close enough. Come Stina." Evora said, happily grasping the last dragonet from the ground.
And thus the Summer Cocktail hatching of 2003 Ended. Lucas wearily grabbed his 3 new sleeping companions and followed the rest of the happy bonders out to the beach to show them off. He only hoped there'd be enough attention for the 83 dragons hatched. 

Riders