Greeting the Eggs

Writers: Amilianna, Avery, Beth, Bree, Eimi, Elaine, Emma, Shelly
Date Posted: 4th August 2005

Characters: Jaela, Teseada, F'lik, Denala, Kamira, Toriat, Kavlyn, Kandris, Talwynn, Birigundi
Description: Jaela takes the candidates to visit Calyth's clutch
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 7, day 16 of Turn 3

Teseada

Birigundi

Jaela watched the candidates pool together at the edge of the Sands.
As always, the heat from the the Hatching Grounds radiated around her and she looked down, trying to gauge if everyone had followed her instructions to wear thick soled boots.Well, if they hadn't,that would be their first practical lesson for a hopeful future dragonrider--follow directions or else get hot feet--or worse.

"Is everyone ready?" Calyth was as close to her eggs as she could get without Jaela admonishing her for trying to scare the candidates. The queen might lead the Weyr, but she had a surprising mischievous streak at times and Jaela never trusted her not to do something to send a poor nervous candidate shrieking out of the Hatching Grounds, never to be seen again!

"I'm ready." Talwynn said, husky voice not betraying her slight apprehension. While waiting for the other candidates to check in and the visit to start, she shifted her weight slightly- it wasn't that she'd forgotten to wear thick-soled boots, it was that this pair was barely broken in and they started to chafe her feet. Not that she cared; there were far more important things then physical discomfort.
Like the eggs.

Birigundi strode onto the sands easily. He had remembered to wear the comfortable boots he had worn for all his egg visits, save the first one. The young man smiled at the memory. They had told him that the sand would be very hot, but the young runner thought he knew sand well. How hot could it really be? He had an unpleasant lesson that day. His eyes flittered over the field of eggs before them.

**The biggest clutch _I've_ ever seen.** He thought. **Maybe my chances will improve this time.** But Birigundi pushed that thought from his mind. Best not to dwell on it.

Though Kamira had visited the Sands many times with previous clutches, the sight of all the glittering shells sticking out of the sand never failed to impress her. She took a deep breath and steeled herself for another - and maybe her last - visit to the Hatching Grounds. With a clear mind and steady pulse she broke onto the sands along side her peers.

Kavlyn was having more fun grinning at the Weyrwoman than looking at the eggs... he'd seen enough clutches over the turns to not be very impressed by them, but it was fun to try to catch Jaela's eyes and waggle his eyebrows at her.

For once, Teseada was quiet. The sight of the eggs was enough to quell any smart remarks that might have formed. There were so many there, and a gold as well. She dared not dream of even impressing it, or was there the chance that all the girls had? But in any case, she was ready for this.

Toriat was awed. His candidancy was finally sinking in. Since being searched he had continued in his craft, only the location and people changing really. But now, with those shiny eggs, especially their mother, he thought as quietly as possible, it seemed a lot more real, immediate.

Felarik and Denala arrived with main stream of Candidates. While he knew being early was a valued trait, Felarik had heard enough of Calyth's challenges to passing dragons to be wary. He hadn't wanted to be too early and find himself confronted by the broody queen. He found himself more awed by her eggs than her, however, as he arrived on the Sands. The way he felt at this moment, knowing that the eggs before him contained tiny dragons, that one of those dragons might choose him,was a feeling he'd longed for in all the time he could remember.

For her part, Denala could hardly believe she was really here. She'd been quite incredulous about being Searched, and she still found herself wondering, in a most grateful manner,that they'd wanted her here. As they approached the queen and her clutch, Denala imagined she could almost feel the minds of the baby dragons curiously inspecting their choices.

Kandris wiggled her toes in the boots that she had gotten from the Headwoman a few days ago - her own hadn't had thick enough soles. They were second-hand, which was a blessing as it meant they were already broken in, and a bit too big so that they slid slightly as she walked in them. She had a moment of panick when she first stepped onto the Sands and felt the ground give beneath her, almost tumbling her headlong into the blistering heat. Luckily, her wildly flailing arms had not hit any of her fellow Candidates and had let her regain her balance, if not her dignity. Kandris was blushing furiously as she listened to the awed chatter around her.

It was swelteringly hot in here and Kandris found herself sweating profusely. She untied a thong from about her wrist and used it to secure her hair into an impromptu bun. The relief along her back and neck was immediate, and the heat became almost instantly more bearable. As the rest of the Candidates were focused on the eggs, Kandris's eyes strayed upwards to the looming Queen, protectively guarding her clutch. Unsure of the protocol, but feeling it would be very rude indeed to ignore the mother in favor of her eggs - Kandris remembered how her mother had admonished the family for that after Jessila was born, fondly scolding them for ignoring her in favor of a squaling, pink infant - Kandris purposefully turned towards the Queen and bowed to her.

"Thank you, Calyth, for allowing us to come and see your eggs." She said to the beautiful Gold dragon above her, not sure if Calyth could hear her or not, but wanting to have good manners none the less.

Calyth might not be able to talk to the girl, but her hearing was superb and she leaned down almost frighteningly close to the girl, her eyes whirling in shades of green and blue. Staring at her for a moment, the queen moved back, then leaned toward her rider, nudging Jaela gently.

"She said 'you're welcome'," Jaela replied, drawing the candidates' attention back to her. "Now, you can get as close as you wish, you can even touch them...but be very careful. While the clutch is quite hardened, you do have a very nervous Mama here as well...so show the same respect you'd show for any infant." In Jaela's opinion, eggs and dragonettes would always be more useful than squallingbrats in any regard. That opinion she kept herself as she smiled at the group in front of her.

Kandris trembled slightly as Calyth came very close to her, letting out a sigh of mingled releif and a bit of sadness when the Queen moved back. At Jaela's words, Kandris couldn't help a small smile of delight that crossed her features. Calyth had heard her, and had responded! A bubble of happiness swelled in her chest. At Jaela's invitation to touch the eggs, Kandris stepped carefully towards the nearest egg, letting her hands gently caress the shell as a quiver of joy passed through her body.

"Touch every egg /but/ Calyth's beautiful golden daughter, or is she allowed to be touched as well?" Talwynn asked Jaela quickly, before anyone could get too far. She intended to touch as many eggs as she could, to admire them all, and felt she would be remiss if she didn't touch the gold and they were allowed to.

**Well?**

}: If they have the nerve, then they are worthy...but they had better be _very_ careful! :{ "She said...yes...but be careful..."

Kamira carefully laid both hands on the topmost arch of each of the eggs she past. Eventually, she found herself feet from the most coveted egg on the Sands - the next golden queen. She waited until no other candidates were near her before approaching the distinctly mottled shell. With a final look at Calyth for confrimation that the shell could be touched, Kamira laid her hands on the golden egg so softly that she hardly knew she was touching it.

**Little golden one, I wish you all the happiness, beauty, and grace your mother possesses and all the courage and strength of your father.** She withdrew her hands and continued to mill through the other shells, showing no less reverence to the other eggs as she had shown the queen.

Kavlyn saunted over to the gold egg as soon as Kamira had wandered off, and raised an eyebrow at the Weyrwoman. "I suppose you're going to tell me I've got no chance at this one, hmmm? Shatter a poor boy's dreams?"

Jaela just rolled her eyes. He was completely incorrigible. And that was only in a good way some of the time!

Toriat strolled calmly through the eggs. As an older candidate he should have been nervously trying to caress as many eggs as possible.
But he personally found the other candidates actions interesting, wondering if he could gleen something from those that were repeating.

Talwynn stood before the eggs. She walked through them, laying a hand on each, taking a moment to appreciate the beauty of the shells and feel a reverence for the life within. She amused herself with a guessing game. This one, here, with the bluish-green shell like a shallow pond with water plants in it- could it be abronze? It was certainly a large egg. And this one, here, small and speckled. What did it contain? To each dragonet she sent hopes of Impressing the right lifemate. She took her time, lingering over every one.

Finally she approached the gold egg, staying out of touching distance.
Ignoring, for the moment, those near it, she turned her attention to the clutch mother. She bowed deeply to the great gold Calyth. "Thank you, queen Calyth, for giving us all of these eggs, these beautiful shells holding Pern's future protectors." she said, one arm gesturing to the eggs behind and around her. "Thank you, especially, for this gold egg, the future of Pern, and I thank your patience in allowing us to handle your babies." Rising from her bow, she stepped foward to touching distance of the egg.

She knelt before it reverently, ignoring the touch of the hot Sands.
Gently, so as to cause no harm to the shell nor alarm to the gold mother, she placed both hands on it, sending thoughts of awe and hope to the golden dragonet. Awe, at the fact that this beautiful shell would hatch a great gold like Calyth, and hope that the gold would Impress the best lifemate. She wasn't hoping for herself to Impress the gold, but that the gold would find a perfect lifemate and lead Pern well.

Feeling that she'd taken enough time with the egg, she stepped back, bowing to Calyth and her rider one last time before moving to the edge of the Sands.

Denala hung back a bit, letting the others gather around the eggs.
Though she could hardly resist rushing in with the rest of them, she felt that this event required a certain calm and respect, and she wanted to gather her thoughts before getting near the eggs. Seeing only one other girl waiting to see the golden egg, she placed herself in the small line.

When her turn arrived, she followed what appeared to be the protocol, and gave a curtsy to Calyth, trying to send thoughts of gratitude.
Then she turned her attention to the enormous egg in front of her.
Marveling at its size, she held her hands over it, then caressed it gently. Denala tried to open her mind as much as possible so the developing dragonet could see her full self if she chose to look. She spent another moment deliberating before curiosity overcame her.
Placing her ear on the top of the shell, she listened for any sound from within the shell. She wasn't surprised when she heard nothing, and felt pleased with her experience overall. She took another brief moment then moved off to greet the other eggs.

Felarik moved among the eggs, feeling a revence almost too great to bear. He had an irrational urge to flee the Sands, most surprising since he'd waited so long to get there. Overcoming it, he stepped closer to the egg nearest him, hands outstretched. He wasn't sure if he would be feeling something when he touched them, and he was almost surprised that it felt so normal. Remembering the previous instructions, and advice that he'd received from others, he filled his thoughts with love and joy. Feeling a bit uplifted, he removed his hands, and moved on to the next egg, excited about what each might contain.

Toriat approached the revered golden egg when he noticed his sister close by. He bowed deeply to Calyth, then a much smaller, but just as grave to the molted egg. He stood for a moment by his sister as she stroked it, but, it didn't feel right, he didn't want to break the not quite silent hush of the moment.

While she had been there before, like many of the weyrbred candidates, Teseada looked and spotted all sorts of emotions flowing across the faces of those enjoying their first times. It seemed that she was there with them, she thought, crouching to inspect a slightly smaller egg that drew her close somehow. After a moment, and a caress for the shell, she rose and crossed to the gold.

Looking up at Calyth, she then bowed her head. "My duty to you and your rider, thank you for this opportunity," she said, knowing that the gold would hear her. She lifted her head once more, and paused to admire the gold, breath catching in her throat as she did so.

Jaela watched them all, trying to remember how she'd felt the first time she'd stood on the hot sand and wondered about the possibilities of a life changed forever by the bonding of her mind and soul to a dragonette.

Last updated on the August 30th 2005

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Greeting the Eggs