Blood on the Sands

Writers: Suzee, Devin
Date Posted: 17th June 2024

Characters: Briata, Cyradis, N'vanik
Description: The eggs hatch and pairs are made, with a few shocks and surprises.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 10, day 5 of Turn 11
Notes: Mentioned: R'lor, C'pier, Vytian, Corland, Blue, Naradis, Saedyna, Cirina, Tirraze, Obrosin, Zelah, Rilfayne, Ocaridyn, Lafael

Briata

Cyradis

N'vanik

The Weyr vibrated with the dragons announcing the Hatching. Loseth's
eager anticipation battled with N'vanik's worry. Santhiath's Hatching
had gone smoothly, but that didn't mean the threat was over. Maybe the
conspirators wanted to give them a false sense of security before they
tried again, or maybe they'd waited for the Senior Queen's clutch.

N'vanik wondered if he could ever feel safe again.

}:Everyone is guarding the Weyr.:{ Loseth was unhappy with his rider's
mood. }:My hatchlings should be welcomed with joy. Fear is what _they_
want.:{ He squeezed his bulk into the inner weyr, endangering the
furniture to poke his head into the sleeping room. }:Stop worrying.
And hurry up!:{

The bronze's huge head looked funny framed by the curtains on either
side of the room's entrance. A little smile curved N'vanik's lips as
he went over to pat Loseth's nose. **We have plenty of time. I'm
supposed to look nice and represent the Weyr, right?**

He dressed quickly but without rushing, and shooed the bronze out
ahead of him. Loseth knocked over a chair on the way out, but nothing
was damaged. N'vanik used the ledge to head toward the Weyrwoman's
weyr, a small box held carefully in one hand.

"This is lovely Briata," Cyradis smiled at the weaver as she viewed
herself in the mirror turning this way and that to see the entire
dress. It was nearly floor length on her tiny frame and in the Weyr
colors. The fabric was soft and nearly floated around her.

Her curls were up on the top and back of her head and she'd put some
flowers tucked in here and there. "Perfect," she smiled.

"I am so glad you like it," Briata said. "Aughashyth says the guests
are all here."

"Then you need to get out of here," she smiled and patted Briata on her arm.

N'vanik stepped in from the ledge entrance and took a moment to admire
Cyradis. "You look good."

Briata smiled and slipped out the door to go back to her Weyr and take
over the care of her children so the young drudge to go to the
hatching.

"So do you," Cyradis smiled. "Are you ready for this?"

"One thing first." N'vanik offered the narrow box to her.

Her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh my! N'vanik!" She plucked the fine
gold necklace out of the box and lifted it to view the tiny bronze
dragons and the one gold in the center. "It's beautiful," she
breathed, then she held it to her neck and turned her back so he could
fasten it. Then she went to the nearby table and picked up an ornate
wooden box and turned back. "This is our fifth turn leading this Weyr
together. So I had this made for you."

N'vanik gave her a curious glance before opening the box. At first he
could only stare, eyes roaming over the details. A bronze torc with
dragon heads on each end -- one bronze, one gold. Light glinted off
the dragons' ruby eyes. "Wow." He set the box down and put the torc
on. The weight of it felt good where it settled against his neck.
"Thank you." Had it really been five Turns already?

"Looks good," she smiled and put her hands on his shoulder to adjust
it slightly. "Shall we?" She turned to lead him through the door and
down the hallway toward the hatching grounds.

The noise was like a wall -- dragons humming, the roar of voices as
weyrfolk and guests filled the Stands. Guards were scattered
throughout and N'vanik quickly scanned them to make sure they were all
in place. Shuvan was gone, C'pier had lied about an infiltrator, and
several more people had been captured or chased out thanks to the work
between Weyr, Hold, and Hall. Maybe . . . maybe things would be okay.
N'vanik led his Weyrwoman to their seats.

Anticipation built as a few late arrivals scrambled up into the
Stands. The dragons' hum increased and a moment later R'lor led the
white-robed Candidates onto the Sands, directing them into an orderly
semi-circle around the eggs.

Panitath greeted her and her mates riders with a croon of welcome that
filled the cavern and the sound of the humans seemed to stutter and
subside to a muted muttering. She smiled and waved then took her
seat. Her eyes sought out her daughter of course. She thought Naradis
looked a little nervous and silently encouraged her to think happy and
loving thoughts to the eggs in front of her. As the eggs began to rock
and the humming grew louder she reached for N'vanik's hand. "Please,
please only good things today."

N'vanik squeezed back as the rocking increased. One egg toppled over
and then burst dramatically, shards flying. The little green creeled
demandingly and started forward on awkward legs. Then a bronze head
poked out of an egg. He pushed and struggled his way out, then started
forward. A boy with shaggy brown hair boldly stepped toward him. The
bronze hatchling barely glanced at him before turning aside, but the
Candidate moved too, blocking his path.

"_What_ is he--" N'vanik started.

At the same time R'lor shouted, "Vytian!" But it was too late. The
bronze lashed out, flinging the boy away, who crashed hard into Blue.
Both of them went down hard and two sharp, distressed cries rose over
the gasps of the crowd. A blue and a green made their way toward the
fallen Candidates as Corland and an older girl went to help them up.
Blue winced as he got to his feet, cradling one arm, but then he
froze, blinking in confusion. The blue went straight up to him,
nuzzling him with concern, and then their eyes met.

}:Azureth,:{ Loseth informed his rider as the Healers reached them.

The green wailed as she got to Vytian, the bleeding boy ignoring the
Healer as he knelt to caress her head.

"That sharding dimglow," N'vanik grumbled. Still, he hoped the injury
wasn't too bad. If he died . . .

Cyradis held her breath as healers got the pair off the sands and the
hatching seemed to pick up speed. Another beautiful deep green broke
her shell toward the outside of the clutch and began to creel her
hunger. She stumbled down the line of candidates to the very end and
beyond until she bumped into the legs of a young man off to the side
who seemed to be observing the rest of the hatching.

}:Why are you so far away,:{ Sojanth cried at her choice. }: I need
food L'fael:{ she added quite demandingly. L'fael's startled eyes
took in the little green bundle at his feet.

}:We knew you would be good for our Sojanth:{ Panitath's warm voice
told him. }:She's waited for you a long time,:{ Her eyes whirled
green and blue as her head reached out to the new pair.

"That's two candidates she's spoken to this month," she said. Then
Cyradis' startled eyes turned to the other side of the Sands as a tiny
sea green hatchling took a tumble toward the female candidates. She
fell forward on her head and Zelah immediately leaped to help the
little one up. Cyradis turned a triumphant smile on N'vanik. "Looks
like we made the right call. That is Nymeiath," she added as soon as
Panitath supplied the name.

"Yes!" N'vanik pumped an arm. The Hatching had a rough start but
things were looking better now.

There were several dragonets wandering the Sands now. There was blood
on the Sands but that seemed
forgotten as the joy and excitement of new pairs took over.

N'vanik's eyes were drawn to a tiny, dainty green as she made her way
cautiously through shell fragments and rocking eggs. She was making
the saddest wails as she made her way toward the Candidates. She
paused a few times when a clutchmate rushed by, as if scared.

}:Go to yours, little one,:{ Loseth encouraged.

}:I do not know if she will want me.:{

}:She will,:{ Loseth insisted.

The jade green hatchling moved a little faster, and when N'vanik saw
where she was headed, he gripped Cyradis's hand. The tiny green sat in
front of Naradis. }:I am only a green, but do you want me?:{

Naradis looked down and said something lost in the noise of the crowd.
Then she burst into tears, dropping to her knees to wrap her arms
around her lifemate.

}:Maylith needed someone strong,:{ Loseth said. }:She chose well.:{

Cyradis' hand crept toward her mouth and her heart was in her throat
as the little green chose her daughter then before she realized it she
was on her feet clapping and shouting "Yes! That's my girl!" She
couldn't help herself and covered her mouth and nose with her hands
and her heart filled her chest. She blew out a slow breath as tears
filled her eyes and sat again.

The number of little ones still on the Sands were dwindling when the
very thing she'd been watching for seemed to slow time for her. A
little lapis colored blue with glistening shards on his haunches and a
wing dragging so that he kept stepping on himself stopped in front of
the female candidates and turned his head. Tirraze reached down and
gently pulled up his hind foot and put his wing back on top of his
back with a pat.

Their eyes met and the connection was made.

"Oh my," Cyradis breathed. "It's not a fluke." She looked at N'vanik.
"Riamorth has chosen a female rider."

N'vanik grinned. A female bluerider! "Well, I'd rather be first, but
second is good too." He winked. Not that he wanted to take anything
away from Kadira, but he was thrilled to have such an unusual
Impression at Dolphin Cove. His gaze followed the pair as they headed
off toward the tables full of meat pails -- which were very well
guarded, just like last time.

He turned back to see a green waddling toward Cirina and Saedyna, who
were still watching their friend Tirraze with wide eyes. Saedyna's
head suddenly whipped around, and then she looked at the green,
blinking in confusion for a moment before her face broke into
surprised joy.

"Good for her!" N'vanik said. That poor girl deserved something good
after what she'd been through.

"Yes," Cyradis nodded.

Other Candidates were staring after Tirraze too, and one didn't move
quickly enough. A large brown knocked into a boy barely old enough to
Stand and sent him sprawling. N'vanik tensed, his gaze flicking
between the boy and where the brown was headed. No blood on the pure
white robes, at least for now. The brown went straight for Corland,
who had taken a step toward the fallen Candidate. He froze as the
brown met his eyes with a whirl of rainbow. }:Berlinarth knew who he
wanted,:{ Loseth said.

Then two perfect little blues, one dark as night and the other the
color of the sky burst their shells at the same time and started
across the Sands in almost the same direction. The lighter of the pair
was a little faster and crossed right in front of his darker brother
and straight up to Ocaridyn. Genireth looked up at his
lifemate, }:Is there food here?:{

A moment later Skadith asked the boy standing next to him the exact
same question. R'fayne blinked, frozen for a second until the little
blue butted him in the knee knocking him down. }:Food:{ he demanded.

After the flurry of activity, things slowed a little. There were fewer
hatchlings on the sands and a bronze drew the gazes of most of the
remaining boys. He came close to Obrosin, head tilted. A sharp cry cut
through the other noises and a brown raced straight toward Obrosin.
The bronze gave a tiny bugle of alarm and stumbled out of the way. The
brown was moving too fast to stop, newly-hatched as he was, he didn't
have full control and he slammed straight into the Candidate. Dragon
and human both cried out as Obrosin went down and the brown's claws
tore into him.

"Flaming shards!" N'vanik half rose out of his seat.

But after a moment of struggle, their gazes locked and Impression was
made. }:Aeoluth is very worried for his rider,:{ Loseth's voice was
tinged with concern.

"By the sisters," Cyradis' hands shook "Did we have too many new
candidates on the Sands that they didn't know when to get out of the
way?"

Healers and Weyrlingmasters both got the last of the pairs off the
sands and let the dejected remainders of candidates back to the
barracks. "Come on," she grabbed N'vanik's hand. "I have to see
Naradis... and the others of course."

Last updated on the June 23rd 2024

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Blood on the Sands