Hatching 20
Sun Iristh and Rayant Sysith

Sun Iristh sighed as her eggs started showing the first signs of hatching. The past months she had guarded them, nursed them. And now those days would end. Soon she'd be able to leave this foreign place after her rider who'd already left this place.
Bugling, she alerted the Weyr, no isle, she corrected herself, of the impending hatching. People filed in as was common for such a happy occasion. But there was a silence that was uncommon for the joy of a hatching. Some of the humans and dragons were already mourning her passing even though she hadn't left yet.
The first of her eggs broke open and a bright green foliage appeared on the sands. She was small in built, but looked to be intelligent and fast. The egg next her broke open and the hatchling was just quick enough to jump away and avoid being hit by the flying shards. Another foliage, this one a bit bigger and darker green in skin, wandered from the remains of her shell.
The two dragonesses looked at each other and then, as one, walked over to the twin girls from Rukabat. Selene and Amira looked at each other and smiled broadly as the two dragonesses approached. The smaller, lighter one talked first.
"My name is Enduressth, Selene." she said in the girl's head.
"My name is Indiressth, Amira." the darker hatchling added.
Next to hatch was a rain male. He jumped rather excitedly out of his egg and wasted no time to go to his partner of choice, Alfero, one of the Pernese youths from Remyndall Hall that had only arrived in the nick of time for this clutch.
"I like how you do things." the blue-coloured hatchling said as he nuzzled Alfero's hand.
Alfero grinned and answered, "I can't wait to have fun with you, Jonketh"
Two more eggs shattered and both a rayant and a rain male appeared on the sands. Their tails had gotten tangled, but after some pulls, a squeak from the rain and one final tug from the rayant, the two of them were finally free to go their separate ways.
The Rayant headed for Reckuf, a harper apprentice. The blond youth who'd taken the chance of becoming a dragonrider with both hands bowed forward when the rayant hatchling tugged his shirt. Gazing deep into each other's eyes, forming a bond that would never break, Reckuf felt the presence of his dragon enter.
"My name is Lendurth. We shall be together for a long time yet"
The rain hatchling meanwhile, went to Ceejah, the most unusual candidate in this hatching. The Meera stretched his wings nervously when the dragon approached, but was eager to look into it's eyes when it stood directly in front of him. The brown Meera and the blue dragon stood there silently for minutes, taking no notice of the growing anticipation of the crowd.
Finally Ceejah opened his mouth and spoke: "He tells me his name is Dacrath."
The next dragon to hatch was another foliage. But surprisingly, the hatchling wasn't female but male. Iristh however did not show a single sign of wonder at this un-Pernese happenstance. The green hatchling also did not wait for people to get accustomed to his gender. in stead he skipped happily toward Rebecca Cee.
"Hello." he said, "I'm Greagon."
More whispers ran through the audience at the mention of this un-Pernese name. Bets were wagered that this egg had not come from Iristh's clutch, but from another. Others knew for certain that his egg had been influenced by the powers of the moon(s) and yet others simply blamed genetic instability. Whatever the cause, this hatchling was truly untraditional.
After this three more eggs hatched in near succession. An earth male that looked rather chubby stood beside his sister, a foliage female that was small and slender in built. A little bit away stood the third, a rain female, yet another unusual gender for a Pernese blue. The hatchling was healthy though and she wasted no time in showing of her natural nimbleness and flexibility by attempting to fly with her wings while she ran toward Malika.
"Catch me!" she squeaked and fell onto the faerie who just barely matched her height.
"Peronth!" Malika squealed, "Get off! I can't breath!"
"Sorry." the rain remarked and then happily sat down next to her new bond. An occasional nervous twitch of her tail was the only thing that made visible her uneasiness in sitting still.
The earth and foliage both walked to the remaining two candidates from Remyndal. The brown earth looked into Wemar's eyes, while the foliage stared into Elsbeth's. It was Wemar that first heard his dragon speak: "Zanth." he said, "My name is Zanth."
Elsbeth focused a bit harder and finally felt a push at the back of her mind.
"Don't struggle." a tiny voice remarked and Elsbeth waited, trying not to think of the sensation in her mind. Silent seconds passed before she heard the same voice, now harder say, "I'm Markth."
One egg was left on the sands and it took it's time to hatch. Bits and pieces of shell dropped away, revealing some skin now and again. People tried to get a better look but after a while everyone concluded that a yellow-tinged dragon was in there. Could this be a gold?
Minutes past and more and more of the egg dropped away. Finally, the hatchling rolled out of it's halfbroken egg and stood. She shook her head and nearly cringed when the audience started talking. This hatchling wasn't gold at all. Her hide was the faint cream laced with pink of a dawn dragon.
Isandara, knowing that this dragoness was hers since she was the only candidate left, bridged the short distance to the dragon and held her tight as she tried to get away from the stares.
"Calm down." she said, "I'm here."
"Are you mine?" the dragoness asked faintly, "Do you know my name?"
"Of course I do. It's such a beautiful name. Dawn Tiremuth."
With the last of her eggs hatched and the last of her children bonded, Iristh vanished into the elsewhere, taking the path of her rider. A high-pitched keen ran over the isle and Tiremuth once again tried to hide behind Isandara. Being sadness and new life, the last and the first.

Reckuf and Rayant Lendurth (m)
Wemar and Earth Zanth (m)
Isandara and Dawn Tiremuth (f)
Cejah and Rain Dacrath (m)
Alfero and Rain Jonketh (m)
Malika and Rain Peronth (f)
Selene and Foliage Enduressth (f)
Amira and Foliage Indiressth (f)
Elsbeth and Foliage Markth (f)
Rebecca Cee and Foliage Greagon (m)