To Seek Out New Lives

Writers: Anika, Avery, Paula, Yvonne
Date Posted: 9th February 2015

Characters: Kapera, J'nus, Ciendra, P'ton, L'pin
Description: Riyanth's first clutch hatches and Candidate lives are changed.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 11, day 18 of Turn 7
Notes: Notes: congrats to Ciendra and Paulton!
Mentioned: R'taran

Kapera

The candlemark before dawn, and the Hatching Cavern was as dark as it
ever got, the glows mostly covered so that there was only enough light
that one knew where the sands ended and the stands began. The dimness
was broken by a blueish glow as the eyelids of the sleeping gold
dragon on the sands cracked open.

Riyanth shifted around the sands, nudging at her eggs with her snout.
Yes, her babies would come soon, and find their lifemates. She curled
herself around them and let out a slow crooning noise. This would be
the last time she would protect them. Once they hatched and found
lifemates, they would belong to others. But now they were _hers._

Soon dawn came, and the gold felt little shiftings. She began the
resonant hum of welcome, and as she did, firelizards domestic and wild
began popping in from /between/ to sit on the stands, their eyes
glowing pricks of light.

She reached out to the bronze who had fathered them. }:Kopth. It is time.:{

Kapera woke immediately at the brush of her dragon's mind. **I'll be
out immediately,** she thought, stumbling in the darkness of the
still-unfamiliar temporary weyr. She uncovered a glow and pawed
through the closet, glad she'd pre-selected a gown. Laying it on her
bed, she rushed off to the bathing pool.

Along the way, she passed a caverns worker. "Tell the kitchens to get
cracking, there'll be a feast soon!" she commanded.

Oh his ledge, Kopth let out a brassy bugle before spreading his wings
and gliding
into the Hatching Cavern. He perched on the ledge closest to the Sands-- the one
usually reserved for the siring bronze -- and began to hum in harmony
with his queen.

Far above, in his weyr, J'nus blinked into the dark. Kopth was... humming. A
Hatching! His Hatching. The bronzerider sprung out of bed and made a
dive for his bathing pool. A quick bath and shave, and he'd put on his Gather
best-- a dark green shirt with no collar and wide, embroidered
sleeves. Soft black trousers
and his usual Hatching sandals to deal with the heat. The compass - Kapera's
gift - went over his head and tucked into his shirt. He hurried from
his weyr to Kapera's to knock on her door. For all he knew, she was
already on the Sands.

She was adding the final touches as he arrived. "Come in," she said.

For her first Hatching in Turns, she'd gone all out. A lovely dark green
dress hugged her torso tightly, then flared at her hips to fall downwards.
The sleeves flared at the elbows. It had silver ribbons as the straps and
at the sleeves. Her earrings had green gems. Her black hair had a silver
clip holding a small bun and the rest fell long rather than being braided.

"Do I look good?" she asked nervously. Her hand went to her neck, wishing
she had a necklace.

"You look amazing." He leaned in and kissed her, what was meant to be
a greeting turning into something a little more.. lengthy.

She leaned up into it and wrapped her arms around his neck, pleased by
the stirrings of feelings between them. It lasted too short a time, as
far as she was concerned, but there were other pressing concerns.
They'd have time for each other later -

much later, she realized, when she thought about the feasting and the
greetings of luminaries and the dancing. It would be a busy day.

"We should go," she said as she started for the Stands.

J'nus took a moment to admire the sway of her skirt. "Lead the way,
goldrider."

They were some of the first to take their seats, as was only proper
for the pair whose clutch it was. Kapera watched the visitors come in
and be escorted to there seats. When she recognized someone, like
visiting lords or other dignitaries, she offered a polite wave. And
soon enough the Candidates came in, bright in their white robes.

"How many bronzes, do you think?" she said softly to her companion.

"All of them?" J'nus chuckled when Kapera gave him a look. "You're right,
too many bronzes is never a good thing. I'll guess... five."

"I'll guess one," she said, fighting the urge of pessimism. "But I'm
hoping he'll Impress to a nice lad. Maybe that strong weyrbred one." She
pointed at a tall brown-skinned lad.

The rush of people entering was petering off and those who had arrived
were taking their seats. She scanned the candidates, trying to figure out
which ones she knew. A few of the girls she faintly recognized, and there
was that charming holdbred.

}:They come,:{ Riyanth warned as her crooning rose in pitch and
volume. But the gold didn't move from her protective posture around
the eggs.

**You have to move back so the Candidates can see them,** Kapera told
her gold. **Your babies need riders now. You've protected them so they
can Hatch, but now you need to let them be.**

Riyanth's eyes were whirling fast, but the color wasn't alarm, which was
good. The gold lifted her head to challenge her rider, but a crack from an
egg caused her to dip it back down, touch one with her nose. }:Very well.
The Candidates may come.:{ Riyanth shifted her bulk backwards, keeping her
eyes on her eggs.

Now there was a clear path for the Candidates to see, and Kapera saw
the white figures go towards it, waiting for their lifemates to come
out.

A crack punctuated the air and her nervousness rose. Which color would
be first out that dark egg? She hoped for a good omen.

The wing that spilled out was dark, almost as dark as the wall of the
Hatching Cavern. J'nus held his breath-- a bronze?! The dragonet
finally fought his
way free and law sprawled and creeling on the Sands. Wet from hatching, it was
difficult to tell the colour of his hide... J'nus' hand tightened on
Kapera's. "A-- I
think he's brown?"

"I think he is," she agreed after a moment. "Looks a little wobbly on his
feet."

Another egg cracked, spilling out a large blue, who went straight for
his choice. "He's Palfyth, and he's choosing... Rishtel."

"Rishtel-- R'tel?" J'nus was beaming, caught up in the hum from the
dragons and the drama on the Sands. These were _Kopth's_ dragonets,
Kopth's and Riyanth's.
His and Kapera's. The pride that Kopth felt reverberated through their bond and
made him feel as if he was glowing.

"I guess so." She reached for his hand and smiled. "Look at how
beautiful they are."

She pointed at a green dragonet, the color of the pine forests.
"Pretty and sleek." Then she admired a very light-colored brown. "And
he's handsome. Oh aren't they beautiful? We've made the best dragonets
in the history of Pern!"

"We did!" He leaned over to kiss her cheek. "But Riyanth and Kopth did
most of it. You should be proud, Kapera."

"I'm so proud. Her first Hatching in so many Turns..." It was overwhelming.

The pine-colored green pushed against a young man. "That's Sarayeth
and Follaris. That name could go a couple ways."

"He's _tall_." Taller than J'nus by a good amount, if he was judging
correctly. His little green Sarayeth looked miniscule next to him.

"He's tall and she's tiny. They're going to be interesting to watch," the
goldrider agreed.

A determined bronze dragonet was making his way along the sands towards a
cluster of boys. "Who's he going for?"

Paulton's chest had tightened at the emergence of that first brown and
had not relaxed an iota. Something inside him insisted that his
lifemate would be on the Sands today. He saw one candidate after
another Impress and kept looking anxiously at each new dragonet who
arrived, or tried to at least. It was hard with several eggs cracking
at once. The tall auburn-haired candidate had had his eye on one egg
in particular that had barely started to wobble when his attention was
drawn to an approaching dragonet. The boys around him shifted toward
the single-minded baby dragon, but when Paulton's blue eyes met the
whirring muli-faceted rainbow orbs,everything else faded away. There
were no candidates or spectators or anyone. There was only Cirynath.

}:You are mine:{ Cirynath stated confidently as he negligently pushed
a smaller candidate aside to reach his lifemate, never wavering from
his intended destination.

**Yes, we belong together. You are magnificent.** The boy replied,
overwhelmed with the feeling of completion as he reached to touch the
soft hide of the most incredible being on Pern.

Kapera grabbed J'nus' arm. "R'taran's brother got a bronze!"

A few more dragonets had tumbled onto the sands while she was watching
them, two blues and a green, seeking their own partners.

Standing in the circle of candidates, Ciendra tried not to get her
hopes up. She had stood several times and disappointed every time. She
watched others Impressing and then turned to stare straight down to
her feet. To her dismay, she noticed a stain in her robe. She had
forgotten to wash her white candidate robe after the last time. She
moved her hands to cover it, hoping that no one would notice it.

}: Why would they care? :{ A voice in her head asked, a voice that
sounded like silver bell or like sweet, fresh water. Taking a deep
breath Ciendra lifted her gaze. Her eyes met a whirling jewels of a
green dragonet, pieces of egg shell still clinging to her hide.
"Lialeth?" She couldn't believe it. She could barely breath. Tears
steamed from her eyes when the young kitcher worker kneeled to embrace
her. "Lialeth! You're here!"

}: Yes, and I'm starving!:{ the hatchling replied, crooning and
rubbing her chin on Ciendra's shoulder. Her robe was getting all new
stains.

"Of course, food. That way!" Ciendra pointed towards the cave's
entrance where meat bowls waited. She absently picked off the egg
pieces while starting to guide her dragon..._HER_ dragon! to the right
direction.

L'pin, holding a pail full of meat, waved the newly Impressed
weyrlings over. "Don't worry, we have plenty for them," he reassured.

In the Stands, Kapera grinned and waved at the last Impression, a
large green dragonet to an older holdbred girl. The disappointed
Candidates were filing off in one direction, while the new weyrlings
went in the other. The cheers from the Stands were dying down as
people realized the show was over.

"I'll have to congratulate them all at the feast," she mused. She
planned on being very involved in her triumphant return class.

Last updated on the February 10th 2015

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To Seek Out New Lives