Hatching 10 & 11
Sun Jasmith and Earth Quail
Foliage Askabeth and Rain Zegth

by Trix and Cyan

A tropical rainstorm was brewing outside when Qanyina entered the hatching cavern to check up on her Jasmith. She left the damp windless overcast sky and wished for the storm to start so it would blow over. Since she had been on Lantessama she had seen 2 other storms like this one, each one forming a curtain of rain so dense that you couldn't see more than 5 metres outside your cavern.
"But the air always smells good when they're gone." Jasmith noted.
"I know, but I can't shake the images of a world-covering flood." Qanyina said, her religious background giving her ample descriptions of what it would be like, and unlike thousands of years before, there wasn't a big ship waiting to save the righteous.
"I think that's pride." Jasmith said, opening her mouth to yawn.
Qanyina watched in wonder as her dragon reorganised her body to fit around her eggs. What the dragon said next made her jaw drop open.
"It is fitting that my babies will smell that beautiful clean smell on the day that they are born."
Qanyina looked at Jasmith, one eyebrow lifted. "I thought you said we still had over a week time before your eggs would hatch. So unless you can predict storms they're early."
"It has been hot lately." Jasmith said uninterested, "All I know is that they are ready."
Qanyina looked closely at the eggs and saw that they were indeed rocking softly. She turned back to the entrance of the cave, thinking that she should alert somebody when all intention of leaving the cavern faded from her mind. Outside the tempest had burst loose, making it look like the world ended just outside the cavern.
Suddenly a figure appeared through the curtain of rain. The black shadow deflecting the raindrops from their original path. Qanyina made a cross over her chest to ward away evil.
"Quail!" she heard, "Why did I have to come?"
Chimera entered the cavern followed by the father of Jasmith's eggs, Quail.
"I told Quail to come." Jasmith told Chimera, "And to alert the candidates."
"They're coming as we speak." Chimera said, twisting her clothes to get them dry.
"All of them?" a voice asked coming from the back of the cavern.
"All of them are coming yes." Chimera said absentminded.
"Good. Askabeth called us for her eggs too." Daverin said.
"How come you are dry?" Chimera asked when she saw the couple of dragonriders approach the two dragonesses.
"Easy," Brianna said, "We took the back way through the holiday cavern."
"I wish you had been that smart." Chimera snarled at Quail.
"That's because I think before I make people come." the foliage remarked smiling.
"Ah shut up!" Chimera said, turning away from the center and trotted off to mumble and grumble on one of the highest places on the benches.
One by one the candidates entered. The first four, Calix, Calum, Playror and Theyra, all Pernese searchees ran in as if running away from certain doom to stay ahead of the rain. They failed miserably. By the time they jumped into the cavern they looked more like drowned kittens than like people. On top of this all Calum tripped, falling face down into the warm sand.
The other three laughed and even Chimera couldn't contain a smile when the boy got up again. His front was entirely covered in a pale yellow mud that no matter how he tried wouldn't fall back down. There was only one thing he could do though. With a yell he ran towards Calix and hugged his brother, pushing him down into the sand as well.
They were saved from more embarrassment by Dinae, Zara and Melody who walked in carrying ultra-light compact umbrella's that kept them dry, even in the rain outside. Only their feet had gotten a little wet, but once they saw the two young men wrestling in the sand they wisely decided that they were better off.
Sovyl's blue Aviath carefully walked into the cavern, serving as a shield for the three humans below him. The searcher and Calix and Calum's sisters who had impressed plant dragons. The small seedlings in their containers trying hard to get into the rain. But the girls wouldn't allow it, they held them firmly under the dragon.
"Now why didn't I think of that?" Theyra said looking enviously at the two other Pernese girls.
Next Canthyi and Helia entered, the gangmembers not worried about a little rain when it was still warm outside. The girls walked without a doubt as far away from the opening of the cavern as they could, not a bad strategy since they were headed to the warmest part of the cavern, the part that would drive the cold from the water away the soonest.
The last to enter were the four mercenaries that had arrived the last of all candidates at Lantessama. And yet three of them had already impressed a plant dragon. The seedlings eagerly using their leaves to catch as much of the rain as they could. 
To Chimera's surprise the three of them climbed almost as high as her and sat down only a couple of rows below her. Enough so she could follow their conversation and not very happy about it either. She wanted to be left alone in her present condition of moistness. 
"Go Ivar!" the youngest of the three called out, "Make us proud!"
Ivar... Chimera had heard that name before. She sent a disguised look at the young man that was standing at the edge of the cavern, an axe in his arms and a sword stuck through his belt. He looked determined. She knew the feeling. Chimera grinned.
Qanyina looked at the few people who had come through the rain to see their friends impress. She almost wanted her friends to be here, but she hadn't seen any of them for a long time. A crack reached her ears and she focused on the eggs, seeing the first of Jasmith's clutch break.
When the dust settled around the hatchling a small foliage was revealed. The female crooned and Qanyina heard the voice of Jasmith: "She loves the smell."
The small foliage tiptoed out onto the sands and headed for the two Kelvar candidates. She looked at each of them, but finally headed to the elder of the two, Canthyi.
"Hi Salmander." she thought quietly, "My name is Salliera."
Helia gave Canthyi a soft nudge in the direction of the baby dragoness to get her going.
"Hello Saliera." Canthyi stammered.
"Do you want to be mine?" the dragon asked with just a hint of impatience in her eyes.
"Wha...? Oh Of course I do." Canthyi said, following the foliage to an empty corner where food had been placed on tables inside the cavern unlike on other occasions.
When those two had left the sands, another two eggs of Jasmith broke. They came down in the same hollow in the sands, crashing the eggs and spilling the dragons that were within onto each other, causing some distress to the two hatchlings.
"Look at them!" Playror called out, somehow he knew how it felt what it was like to be caught up like that, "Someone should help them."
"Come on!" Calum called out, dragging the other Pernese out onto the sands. He too felt some of the problems the two hatchlings were having. That did mean that they were going to impress them, right? Calum had lived around Starburst long enough to have learned that, or so he thought.
Getting to the two dragons, both the teenagers felt the distress growing, but once they were in eyesight of the dragons, the feelings of being lost faded.
Calum headed for the light rain that was perched on top of the other dragon, trying to get a hold without hurting his brother. Calum pulled him gently away from his brother, while Playror crawled closer to the faint cream dragon underneath. The dawn looked in Playrors eyes and sighed happily, allowing the young man to pull him from under his brother.
"Playror! You came!" the dawn cried out.
"Yes I came, Ikster." Playror said, falling down in the sand next to his dragon. His!
Playror heard someone laugh beside him and when he looked up, he saw Calum being licked clean of sand by the rain.
"Stop it Xarineth!" he called out, trying to control his lungs long enough to breath properly, but the rain wasn't about to quit yet. He kept licking until he finally gazed into his bond's eyes and gave one last wet lick on his nose. "I like you!" he said happily before trotting off to the food tables.
"I want to go too!" Ikster said whining a bit.
"Go ahead." Playror said, "I'm coming."
Playror held out a hand and was pulled up by Calum who, still laughing now and again, followed him to the tables.
Meanwhile, Askabeth carefully nudged one of her own eggs, making it fall down into the sand slowly. A crack appeared and it was just enough for the hatchling inside to break the weakened shell and break through.
"Thanks Mom!" the foliage said, looking up at her mother before trotting off to the candidates.
"Sometimes a mother just needs to help." Askabeth said smiling shyly at her rider.
The baby foliage walked directly to the tables, passing all the candidates on her way, but one quickly followed the slashing tail of the dragoness.
"Wait up!" Helia called out.
"But I'm hungry!" the dragon hatchling said, "I told my mother over and over again... and now she finally helped me I'm not waiting another minute. If you can catch up with me, I'm yours."
"Wait!" Helia called again, starting to run in the loose sand. Finally she caught up with the dragoness, "What do I call you?"
"You can call me Aklisth, but anyone else better watch out if they call me that." she said, small puffs of smoke rising from her nostrils.
Next another of Jasmith's egg hatched, waiting just long enough for all the eyes, little though they were, had returned to the sands. Then the dragoness cracked her shell right in half and stepped out, her tail swinging gently over the warm sand as if it was light enough to hover above the sand. The dragoness unfolded her fragile white wings and showed her pale gold skin below them. Everything about her was pale, almost making her look more dawn than sun, but the way she walked, the way she acted made sure no-one would make the mistake of calling her dawn.
Carefully, the female made her way over the sands. She headed out from the center of the sands, crossing wobbling eggs and avoiding sharp shell fragments before she reached the one she wanted.
"Dinae." she called out, "You can call me Arciney." she said.
"Don't you need to ask me if I want you?" she asked.
"Would you deny me?" the sun asked.
"Of course not, I'm not like that, I would have taken you if you were polkadotted."
"Then why should I ask about that which I already know?" the sun said putting her tail around the leader of the bodyguard's waist, "Let's go eat!" she said, pulling gently.
Two eggs of Askabeth's had repeatedly bumped into each other while the opal-sun bonded and now finally, as she left the sands, they clashed together with enough force to break their shells. Another rain and foliage fell to the sands and easily crawled up, shaking the sands from their wings. They started out in different positions, but soon realised they were headed in the same direction. To the Pernese candidates.
Once she realised this, the foliage stopped and placed herself in front of the rain.
"Brother," she said, "You better not be heading to my chosen."
"You better not want mine!" the rain called out to his sister.
"Wanna piece of me?" the foliage called out, lashing her tail at her brother.
Both dragons got up and started running as fast as they could to the remaining Pernese candidates. The foliage, her feet faster on the sand was the first to arrive. She knocked over Theyra and sat on her chest like she would never move again.
"I won!" she crooned.
"Hah!" her brother said, "You picked the wrong one!"
The rain nudged Calix's leg and gazed deep into his eyes. "You're mine!" the rain crooned and then said: "My name is Xilarenth and I think you're the best person in the world."
"He doesn't know what he's missing!" the foliage protested, "And you are far better than that boy."
"Thanks Verlegath." Theyra said, "Do you think you could maybe... let me breath?"
"Oh!? Sure." the dragoness said grinning foolishly.
The two siblings were still fighting over which one of their riders was better when they headed to the food tables where Theyra and Calix greeted their own siblings.
Another one of Jasmith's egg smashed open, eggshells flying in all directions. The presence of the dragon inside was felt by everyone in the cavern. But only one of the candidates gasped. Zara felt like she had been wounded when the egg crashed. She looked around the cavern, trying to find the sniper that had shot her before her eyes returned to the sands where a strange earth dragon stood. The male hatchling flexed his wings where blood-red stains obscured the camouflage print. 
"Are you hurt?" she heard herself asking.
The earth looked at his wings, "Not really, I think it looks kind of funky."
Zara for a moment didn't know what she had to answer to that for a moment. But then her mouth twitched into a smile, "You'll scare off quite a few people back home."
"Only doing my job." the blood-tipped earth said, "I'm Evernov."
"It will be good working with you."
While the strangely patterned earth left the sands another duo-toned hatched. This one was the last of Askabeth's children and she had waited a long time to hatch. The dragoness' hide was a light purple but her wings were the green of a foliage.
The female, knowing that everyone was looking at her, shyly walked as fast as she could without running to one of the last two candidates. The dragoness' eye had fallen on Melody, the last member of the White Orchids who hadn't impressed yet.
"I waited for you." the young woman said, patting the foliage-nebula on the head.
"Thank you, but it wasn't my fault that you had to wait, someone always beat me to hatching!"
"Frustrating."
"Very. My name is Nissath."
"Well Nissath, I see Dinae and Zara waiting at the tables. Are you hungry?"
"Starving!" the female hatchling said and though Melody felt that the poor creature really was starving, the nebula kept her speed down and walked calmly alongside of the bodyguard.
There was only one egg left on the sand. Jasmith gently nudged it with her nose to fall. A little chirp sounded from the inside when the egg cracked and the small dragoness was woken up abruptly.
"No time for sleepyheads." Jasmith said gently, "Go impress young lady."
On the side Ivar looked a bit worried. Had he heard the large dragon say 'lady'? But how then could she impress him? How could she fight with him.
Yawning the baby rayant closed in on him and with one swift move of her paws flipped him on the sand where he lay for a while trying to make sense of what had just happened.
"Never ever doubt me again. That I'm sleepy doesn't mean that I'm worthless!"
"I get it... ow." Ivar said, "Do you have a name?"
"Of course I have! It's Fiacha."
From the stands Ivar heard his friends call out to him about the catch he'd made. Ivar could feel his cheeks turn red and kept his head down, after all, he was their leader and he didn't want them to see that he was blushing.
On the benches Vaik turned his head to where Chimera was sitting. "Hey!" he said, "Aren't you coming down too for the feast?" he asked her.
"I don't really feel like it, thank you." Chimera said coldly.
"Awww... I want to see my babies!" Quail said.
"Maybe you'll get into the mood down there." Vaik shrugged, "Come on! We're not that bad company."
Chimera looked at the mercenaries, they all carried their swords and leather armour.
"You're right, but not in the way you think." Chimera said, her life could use some new excitement.
"No killing!" Quail called out.
"Hush you!" Chimera said glaring evilly at her dragon.
She followed the men down to the feeding tables and was surprised when Ivar stepped forward, or more exactly was pushed forward by his mates. 
"Eh..." he stammered, "There's been something I've been wanting to give you since I first saw you."
"What?" she asked, getting ready to punch him.
Chimera was surprised when he didn't try anything but hang something around her neck. When she brought her hand up to her neck she could feel it were pearls.
"A necklace?"
"You don't have to wear it... but it would make me happy." Ivar said, his eyes still averted to the floor.
"Whatever." Chimera shrugged, treating herself to another piece of cake.
"You're not fooling me!" a certain brown woosy voice said in her head, "You like him, don't you? Admit it!"
"Hush." was all Chimera said, but she couldn't help her eyes being drawn to the young man all evening.

Sun Jasmith's Children
Dinae and Opal-Sun Arciney (f)
Ivar and Rayant Fiacha (f)
Zara and Blood-tipped Earth Evernov (m)
Playror and Dawn Ikster (m)
Calum and Rain Xarineth (m)
Canthyi and Foliage Salliera (f)

Foliage Askabeth's Children
Melody and Foliage-Nebula Nissath (f)
Calix and Rain Xilarenth (m)
Theyra and Foliage Verlegath (f)
Helia and Foliage Aklisth (f)