A New Future
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Avery, Eimi, Emma, Roxanne
Date Posted: 3rd January 2008
Characters: Kapera, Teseada, D'wrayt, T'mahl
Description: Riyanth's eggs Hatch, bringing together dragons and their new riders to start a new future.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 7, day 11 of Turn 4
All the dragonets had found their lifemates except for a small brown, who creeled piteously. He had been one of the first to hatch, but he hadn't found his chosen Candidate yet, despite having inspected them all multiple times. Instead he stood their on the Sands crying.
Everyone had been so caught up in the excitement of Impressions made, very few had taken note of the little brown wandering around the rim of the Sands. The dragon's humming had stopped, the crowds cheers had been silenced, and now the sound filling the cavern was that of a little dragonet piteously crying out for a lifemate that just wasn't there.
The sound sent a chill down many a weyrman's spine. That was how it had always been before. In the days in when only the Weyrbred Stood, before they had reclaimed the right to Search, the end of every Hatching had been clouded over with sorrow as they counted the number of dragonets left screaming on the Sands until death released them from a short life of fear and misery.
The Candidates left turned towards the sound in confusion.
They were too young to remember. They were unsure of what to do. Some of the boys called to it, a few even dared to walk towards it in the hopes that the little brown had been looking for them. Their disappointment was turning to hope that perhaps they might not have been left on the Sands after all. But the Weyrlingmaster knew better. That brown had plenty of chance to find them, and had rejected them all. Now they would only succeed in scaring and confusing the dying dragonet, who could lash out at them in its fear with bloody consequences.
T'mahl walked along the rim of the Stands until he was standing directly behind the brown on the Sands below. "Candidates!" he called over the cries. "You may be excused!" Many of the girls had already started for the door, but most of the boys waivered slightly, unsure. How could they leave when there was still a dragon on the Sands? "I said you are _excused_!" the Weyrlingmaster repeated more forcefully, pointing towards the exit of the Hatching Grounds.
D'wrayt joined T'mahl down on the Sands. He had seen this too many times before and couldn't believe that it was happening again. He had thought that those days of not enough candidates were over. He ushered the last lingering hopeful young men towards the exit and came to stand by the Weyrlingmaster. "Should I try to talk to him? Perhaps we can find out who he's looking for. I can't stand the thought of losing him." the Weyrleader mused aloud trying to think of something to do to help find the little one's lifemate.
"You should do what you think you can, sir," T'mahl sighed. "But, we have all seen this before. I think we know how his story will end." If their lifemate was not here, the dragonet would not eat, they would not want to live. "Please give the Weyrwoman my congratulations, and my sympathes. It will not be an easy Hatching for her, I'm sure. If you'll excuse me, sir, I have to attend to the Weyrlings."
Teseada was struck dumb by the events on the sands. It seemed impossible that the little one couldn't find his match out there. In the end as the candidates left, she could only watch as events unfolded.
Kapera couldn't look at the Sands anymore. Once the Weyrlings had left, she turned away, knowing what was going to happen. Riyanth had told her that the brown couldn't find anyone. And now that the Candidates were leaving too, and the riders and the families and the weyrfolk were all streaming out of the area, she could do it. "We'll take the...the body away." she told the others. She'd never lost one of Riyanth's before.
But she had to sound positive. "But in the mean time, there's new Weyrlings to congratulate and Candidates to comfort and a feast to attend. There were, after all, all the successful ones. We can celebrate their future."
~~~**~~~
Congrats to our new Weyrlings! They are:
C'sar, brown Schinlith
Trealeina, green Tamineth
M'yex, green Enyth
D'jun, brown Tigeth
M'delon, brown Valinth
Ch'lis, blue Omath
L'rew, brown Chairoth
A'ral, blue Gyreth (NPC)
Last updated on the January 4th 2008