Wild Clutch 3

The fourth clutch in the shadow cavern was showing signs of life. That morning Donriven had come in and had seen the strings of shadow inside move and pulse. This was like the clutches before, but also slightly different. The forms inside seemed to be more agile than usual, but maybe the DNA-blend had been more successful then before. Practice makes perfect, after all.
When the candidates filed in, alerted by Ensith, Donriven carefully watched them, how they moved, how they acted. The ramp leading to the sea was blocked by the large body of Charybdis, shoved in beside her, was her companion Scylla who did not see, but smelled and heard the life that was soon to be born, it smelled like darkness.
Perched against the wall stood Kenet, the only human that had signed up for this clutch. He stood there holding his own beside a blue xeno dragon and two Cy-xenos, the three of which knew each other and were hissing slowly amongst themselves. Talking perhaps, though Donriven did not understand what they were saying, neither did Ensith. Though Donriven got the distinct feeling that his dragon had not tried very long or hard to understand anything the xenos might be saying.
Finally the first egg broke and immediately a queen was slithering on the bare cavern rock. Moving like a snake, two sets of flimsy flipper-wings folded back on her back, the young queen did not hesitate. She looked past Charybdis toward Scylla.
"I shall hunt with you." she said, "My name is Daerona... and I am hungry."
Moving a bit aside, Scylla freed the sea-entrance of the shadow cave, giving everyone a clear look on the distant overcast sky, dark clouds coming in while the sun was still shining at Lantessama. But nothing of the fabulous view could catch Daerona's attention, for a large shark lay bleeding on the ramp. 
"We have provided food, my pupil." Scylla said.
Almost happily and childish, the young queen rushed to the shark, gorging down the meat, completely oblivious to whatever happened next in the hatching.
What happened next was that three eggs seemed to merge together in a dark fog. No human eyes could follow what happened, which truly only disadvantaged Donriven. What happened was that two bright eyes had opened, and it was Kenet who the eyes had looked at. Kenet knew the shadow dragon within, he had bonded, but why the other two eggs had been sucked in the fog was something he did not quite understand.
"Let me explain..." a voice whispered, "I need a diversion to bond."
The Brilliant Sea Shadow appeared alongside him, seemingly having no problem using his small wings for flight, for a moment only those two brilliant eyes looked into Kenet's before they faded to red.
"What happened?"
"A disguise, mine. I cannot ruin your small little dress up party, now can I? My name is Vensuil. And to the world, I will look as whatever I wish to be seen, which is a nice medium shadow. No-one will pay attention to us."
"Aha, and the eggs?"
"Free to hatch now." Vensuil flicked his tail and a loud shatter echoed of the walls.
Donriven shook his head in surprise. What had happened in that fog? Hadn't there been three eggs? Dnriven looked up confused and saw a medium-sized shadow standing along the human. He did not remember seeing them bond, but likely the comparingly docile medium had just crept past him to the boy Kenet. Shadows tended to fade away against the walls of this cavern.
The two eggs that had shattered yielded two more mediums. One was a Sea Shadow, the other a Land. The Land, moving quicker than his Sea brother, reached his chosen first.
"Besen." he said, "My name is Woekun."
"Greetings." Besen answered.
At this time, the Sea Shadow reached Chypheus, Besen's brother from a past Cy Apocalypse Clutch.
"I am here, Chypheus." the Sea spoke, "My name is Jereis."
"You feel hungry, do you want some meat, Jereis?"
Turning his head, the Sea Shadow looked at Daerona's shark. Daerona feeling the looks, hissed menacingly without even turning away from her food.
"I'd rather have a nice juicy shark..." Jereis dreamed, "Can you catch one?"
"Of course."
"And you?" Besen asked Woekun, "Do you want a fish too?"
"I'd rather have some red meat." the land shrugged, "I'm not that hungry yet."
Another egg hatched, spilling out a Big Sea Shadow. The Big crawled, possibly even slower than the mediums toward Charybdis, but in stead of moving around obstacles, he merely crushed them.
"Finally." he said, "I am Paenos, Charybdis my sweet."
"You are hungry from the effort." Charybdis said, surprisingly gentle for a creature her size. She rolled a bit to the side and pulled out a dolphin from behind her. "I have also caught food for you as is the custom here."
"I thank you." Paenos answered, "I shall return the favour many times."
"We shall hunt together."
"I know."
Starting on the dolphin, Paenos heard the last egg crack open behind him. Looking up without much interest, then returning to his food, he and the others saw a Small Land Shadow run around the broken shards toward Maraxaess. The shadow was agile and disappeared at times - partly or completely - against the wall until he reached the last unbonded.
"My name is Raiszon." he said.
"Welcome, Raiszon." Maraxaess answered, "Will you come with me to the sanctuary."
"Is there food there?"
"Aplenty."
"Can I eat all of it?"
"I think we shall have to stay away from some of the nicer foods..."
"No planet?" the dragon asked.
"Better not... but horses are pretty good."
Thinking, the Small Land finally nodded and said: "I shall go with you."
With the last egg hatched, Scylla, Charybdis, Daerona and Paenos left through the Sea entrance of the shadow cave, soon followed by the Medium/Brilliant Vensuil who, in the water did not hesitate to take on his true form. He got some stares from Daerona and Paenos, who had missed his hatching, but other than that he was very capable of catching his own food, a nice slimy kraken. He would meet up with Kenoch soon, for now all he had was Kenet. Vensuil could hardly wait.
Chypheus, Besen and Maraxaess did not even bother to go outside. The three xenos simply returned home, to the sanctuary. All they needed was there. And somehow, they felt that Donriven did not mind that one bit.

Riders:
Scylla and SEA Queen Daerona (f)
Kenet and SEA Brilliant Vensuil (m)
Charybdis and SEA Big Paenos (m)
Chypheus and SEA Medium Jereis (m)
Besen and LAND Medium Woekun (m)
Maraxaess and LAND Small Raiszon (m)