Happy Beginnings

Writers: Len, Paula, Suzee
Date Posted: 3rd December 2011

Characters: A'shel, Y'gel, B'joi
Description: Angshel's in for a shock when he helps the Dragonhealers at the Hatching
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 5, day 4 of Turn 6

Y'gel

When the humming began, Angshel looked up, startled.

Beside him, another apprentice boy dropped what he was doing and said,
"the eggs! They're hatching!" He waved at the boy and ran off, no
doubt to get himself into his white candidate robe.

Around Angshel, all the other apprentices were doing the same thing.
Soon he was the only youngling left in the cavernous hall. Feeling
very sorry for himself, he ducked his head down so the masters and
journeymen couldn't see him crying a bit and plucked at his red tunic
as it blaming it for not being a white robe.

"Hurry up, lovely! If you're not Standing, you're helping us," B'joi
called the apprentice. "We must stay on call in case some of the
dragonets manages to get hurt. Probably by sheer clumsiness," he
continued, smoothed down his tunic, checked his knots were orderly and
patted his curls. **Savioth-love, how long before they crack?**

}: Not long :{ the green replied, she had joined the humming.

"Grab a couple of these pails will you Angshel?" The big bronzerider
had no less than four of them clutched and walked rapidly toward the
grounds. They had to get these placed before the first of the
hatchlings began their demands for food.

The boy did as Y'gel complied and followed the man and B'joi into
the cavern. As he stepped in his mouth dropped open, taking in the
huge place, with all the eggs rocking. Since he wasn't a candidate he
hadn't actually been in here before. Feeling more than a tad
intimidated he scooted close to B'joi and put the pails down.

B'joi had already positioned his pails. "Don't you just love
Hatchings?" his question was kind of rhetoric and not really meant for
anybody.

"I've never been to one before, to be honest." Angshel smiled at
him...no, her. He fidgeted with the pail handles before finding some
bandages that he could re-wrap. Anything but look at his friends
filing in to the eggs, in their white robes.

Y'gel knew he'd given this speech before but there were some new
assistants this hatching. He turned to the assembled group as the
cavern began filling. "For those of you who are experiencing your
first hatching, stay off the sands unless a dragonet is too severely
injured during the hatching to come to us." He nodded toward pairs of
eyes that looked to him. "They're clumsy and may trip and fall but
they're ravenously hungry so don't get between them and their new
lifemate or between them and food. They won't understand and will try
to go through you. Also, get cooperation of their newly impressed
lifemate, they'll know if any injuries need attention right away. Last
of all if you can't decide look to a journeyman or me for your
answers. Everyone got that?" The nods reassured him, he clapped a
nearby apprentice on the shoulder and went to examine the pails of
salve and redwort to be used in repairing any injuries to the newly
hatched dragons.

B'joi had heard that one so many times before that he didn't even
listen it anymore. He just nodded, his attention on rocking eggs.

Angshel sidled up to him when the first egg cracked open and a hungry
blue staggered about, looking for his lifemate. When the Impression
was made, he closed his eyes, unable to witness the joy in the boy's
face.

B'joi cheered when someone he knew Impressed.

Angshel wished he could, but his heart just wasn't in it. When the
lad--and his blue lifemate--came off the Sands he did usher him over
to the food but avoided eye contact with the overjoyed boy. It was
the same for the girl and her green dragonet that followed. The
bronze and two browns weren't so hard for the boy, as these were
dragons he knew would never have use for him. And for all he knew,
none of them would, not even the greens and blues. Inside he wanted
to kick himself for being so utterly selfish. Was he not in a much
better place now than six months ago? And he did note that his
friend--and Y'gel's daughter--was still standing alone on the Sands,
even though more than half the eggs had hatched now.

"Angshel," Y'gel called. He could see the desire written all over the
boy and wished he'd been able to Stand even as his eye grazed over his
daughter still Standing hopefully on the sands.

"Here son," he said. "Can you please sort these tools onto the
workbench so I can find what I need?" He knew the activity would turn
him away from the action on the sands and help him deal with the
hatching going on behind him. Y'gel hefted the pail onto the bench and
spread a clean towel down on it for the instruments.

After one last look at the hatching, Angshel turned to the tools Y'gel
were talking about. They were just the thing he needed to get his
mind off of what was happening behind him. He laid out the knife for
cutting meat, the scalpel for cutting any minor injuries, the scissors
for cutting away any torn cloth, the...

}:Aren't you going to even look at me? I'm hungry, A'shel, please feed me.:{

The boy looked up, shocked. Who had spoken? And in so quiet a voice?
He glanced at B'joi but he was turned away. So was Y'gel. Who had
spoken?

}:Me..Himarth. Please, I'm hungry.:{ At that the draonet butted
Angshel's legs.

Who? Wha...?

Angshel spun around and looked into the whirling eyes of a brilliant
blue sitting at his feet. "Himarth! You can't be for me...I'm not
allowed to Stand!" In a panic, he turned to his master. "What do I
do?"

Y'gel's head whipped around and he took in the sight in a flash.
Against all odds a perfect little blue had found his young apprentice.
Eyes were whirling adoringly as the boy asked him for direction. He
stepped to his side and laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Why you feed him of course A'shel!"

"Hah! Always knew he was destined to Impress!" B'joi beamed with happiness for the apprentice. Then his eyes turned moist and he dappled them. "Oh, I so love happy endings...or should I say beginnings."

Last updated on the January 16th 2012

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Happy Beginnings