Now that I've Found You

Writers: Estelle
Date Posted: 17th December 2017

Characters: R'fal
Description: R'fal impresses to Marlath
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 2, day 17 of Turn 9

When the humming started, Renfal was elbow-deep in soapy water, scrubbing plates. Not a chore that boys had usually done back home, but he was astute enough to realise that it would be unwise to object and besides, he'd come to like working in the kitchens, with the delicious scents of baking and roasting and the constant buzz of gossip. Much of the talk was about people he didn't know, some of it made him blush, but when they got onto the topic of the Hatching he pricked up his ears. The main point of speculation was who'd Impress the gold, but he also listened out for hints about what to expect on the day.

Within a few days, he'd got to know which of the kitchen staff was soft-hearted enough to slip a sweet cake or a slice of pie to a poor little homesick Holder boy who missed his Mama's cooking.

He licked his lips and wondered who he'd try that routine on today, once the dishes were done - and then he heard it, starting low but soon building to an uncomfortable loudness that set his nerves on edge and his heart racing. At first he didn't connect it to the eggs - the Weyr was so full of unfamiliar sights and sounds that he'd come to expect them at every turn - but when the woman who was drying up immediately set down her cloth and pushed aside her stack of clean plates, he realised that something important was happening.

"What's going on?"

"Don't you know? The dragons are humming to welcome the new hatchlings." Realising he was a Candidate, she took hold of his shoulders, turned him round and gave him a push in the direction of the exit. "Go on with you - you don't want to be late!"

Outside, as he sprinted across the Weyr bowl to the barracks, he was aware of dragons taking to the skies from all sides, on their way to fetch the guests for the Hatching. Since he'd been fairly close by, he was one of the earliest to get there, but that didn't stop him nearly getting his Candidate's robe on backwards in his haste. Then he had to wait, trying to hide his impatience and pretend to be calm like the other, more experienced boys. He imagined himself in Turns to come as an aged uncle on the farm, telling his family for the hundredth time how he'd once stood at a Hatching, and suppressed a slightly hysterical giggle. He'd need to stay alert, so that he'd remember every moment of this day.

Then, after what seemed like forever, they were led out into the Hatching Grounds. The heat was intense and the humming louder still, and though he tried to recall what he'd been told in class about what to do, he kept being distracted by different sensations - the bright clothes of the spectators, the burning sand beneath his feet, the glowing eyes of the queen - and then the sudden movement as the eggs began to rock, slowly at first and then more and more violently. He remembered, at the last moment, to be sure not to get in the way of the hatchlings, in case of accidents...

Off to his left, there was a sharp crack as the first egg hatched. Fascinated, Renfal watched as a blue emerged and approached the Candidates. Despite his strong suspicion that he'd be going back home with his family after the Hatching, he couldn't help feeling a jolt of excitement - might the blue be looking for him? But no - another boy stepped forward and Impression was made.

Close by, a crack shivered through an egg and split it open just as it rocked forward, and the startled occupant tumbled out and fell on his face, kicking up sand as he struggled to rise. Instinctively, Renfal stepped forward, just as he would have if he'd seen a small child fall in front of him, and then he froze as a new wave of sensations hit him. Hunger and panic and disorientation, the itch of sand on his damp hide and the ache in his sore nose...

}: Help me! :{

The piteous cry echoed in the boy's head, and he hurried forward to kneel at the hatchling's side. "Don't move! Your wings..." The flailing claws of one hind leg were perilously close to those delicate membranes. For a moment, the excitement and heat and noise of the Hatching were forgotten. Tentatively, the boy tried projecting a sense of calm and stillness, and it appeared to work. Now he could right the wings and help the dragonet sit up - but as he raised the head, their eyes met and Renfal was lost in a dizzying whirl of colours and the warmth of gratitude and love.

}: Thank you. :{ Dignity restored, the little brown nudged his new lifemate's chest with his nose. }: I am Marlath, and you are R'fal - and I am hungry! :{

"Oh - of course, Marlath! I'll get you something to eat, right away." R'fal carefully brushed sand from Marlath's nose, taking care that not a grain got into those shining eyes. His hide was so soft - and such a lovely rich, dark shade of brown. "They said there would be meat for you. Can you walk?"

}: I can do anything, now that I've found you, :{ Marlath replied proudly, ruffling his wings as he took a wobbly step forward.

R'fal steadied him with a hand on his neck, and together they made their way from the Hatching Sands. Around them, shells were cracking and hatchlings stumbling towards Candidates, but he was so intent on Marlath that he even missed the wild cheering that had to be for the golden egg. Perhaps he would tell this story one day when he was old, but it wouldn't be on the farm. He'd be in the Weyr, and his Hatching tale would end with him Impressing the most beautiful, brave, delightful brown dragon in the world.

Last updated on the December 23rd 2017

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Now that I've Found You