The Darkest Hour (Loraketh's 2nd Hatching)

[Lark]

Inali laughed at her weyrmate as he brushed himself off and responded to her jests. "Relax Tor, I wasn't meaning the laughter for you. He's amusing." She smiled at the black hatchling, the grin widening as it was joined by the white. I say she's female...entirely female. Loraketh tilted her head, confused for a moment before shaking it off and nuzzling the white back. "Completely female...but whites have no gender." This one does. The gold stated it as if it were a simple fact that Hers should have already known.

Sighing, Inali shrugged. "The male she named Ebony, the white...it's female. Completely female. She is a white though, she's not a new color." The Weyrwoman tilted her head as her dragoness straightened hers, then she leaned into T'rian's chest. "I'll take you on that bet, I think the black will be first...but let's go up to the stands. Loraketh, you'll be fine on your own?" The gold snorted and flicked her wings. "That's what I thought. Come on T'rian." She held out her arm for her weyrmate to take.

[Aarin]

Well well, the smallest egg to hatch was a White. Who would have guessed? Even though a few Whites had hatched at Trelis, he still kind of thought of them as rare. The fact that it hatched on its own was also quite astounding. Perhaps the mutation that allowed the other colors to come into being also thinned the shells of the Whites? He remembered reading in a history about White Ruth, who had only been able to hatch due to the intervention of the Lord Holder Jaxom. Quite frankly, if it had not been for Ruth, he thought that people would not be dealing with the multitude of new colors that Trelis was popping out with some frequency. He watched the White scamper about comically. It seemed upset that it had knocked into another one of the eggs, and was currently cowering under its mother. Adorable, really. He spared the Bronzed Fish egg a glance, seeing if the tiny White had done the thing any damage. Probably not- it was so very small after all. Anyway, he was half expecting the Dualities egg to hatch next, to keep up with the black and white pattern. Maybe an Obsidian would hatch next, just to keep things all neat and tidy. He chuckled to himself. So far, this Hatching was delightful. He just hoped that there were no Garnets to ruin things. He had heard terrible things about the violent natures of Garnets, and he did not want anyone, dragon or human, to get hurt. His attention briefly returned to the washed-out bloodstains on his robe. Unfortunately, dragon claws were sharp, and the young were clumsy. He was kind of putting his life on the line standing there, but no more so than while working with stubborn bulls or half-wild runnerbeasts. He figured the experience was worth it, a thought that was accompanied by a mental shrug.

[Zirin]

Spiderweb cracks spread across the bronze coloured shell, so small that at first the egg would seem to be completely fine. It only lasted a moment however. The shell of the Bronzed Fish Egg gave way under the weight of the small white. Shards fell from the shell here and there, but otherwise there seemed to be little movement from the egg. In fact, other than the spreading cracks caused by the Innocent White, the Bronzed Fish hatchling wasn't doing anything at all! The Innocent White was completely ignored by the newest hatchling. Did it hear her? Maybe it didn't realize it was hatching? Or was it... it couldn't possibly be... dead?

A moment ticked by.
Then another one.

Finally, the lightest twitch of a tail caused the rest of the shell to fall away and a hint of movement was seen from one edge of what could only be called a blob. A big blue blob. Finally, woken by hunger more than anything, the slate blue hatchling lifted his head lazily, jaw hanging loosely as he let out a gigantic yawn. His eyes were half lidded as he peered about him, barely taking notice of the two other dragonets on the sands. No, all he seemed to notice was the hazy warmth of the sand... and an annoying buzz near his head.

The Bronzed Fish Blue looked above his head, rumbling in annoyance as if something above him was disrupting his peaceful nap. A swat with a dark blue from claw, barely missing his own head in its awkwardness, seemed to clear the air of whatever it was that had been bothering him. At least, for the time being it had. Another long, lazy yawn escaped him, followed by a long stretch as he rose. Well, it looked like he was rising, or attempting to, but even once standing his chubby belly was barely off the ground. It looked as if he had been eating nonestop for days!

The blue lifted a short hind leg to scratch idly at his belly as his gaze wandered towards the candidates. Was he finally going to begin searching for his partner? Nope. The Bronzed Fish Blue turned around where he stood and flopped ungracefully back on the ground again with a huff that clearly stated it was still bed time. A droopy, lazy looking eye remained open; however, and he regarded the candidates with a look of complete boredom.

[Aarin]

There was a moment of rest. This was, in and of itself, a rarity at a Hatching. In his experience, Hatchings had always been over so quickly because they were all hustle and bustle. Once they began, it was a barrage of constantly happening things until, before you really knew what hit you, it was all over and everyone clapped, and the happy new lifepairs would walk off, the dragonets with fat bellies and eyes swirling in happy blues instead of fiery, hungry reds. Then the Weyr would be a hive of whispers and rumors until the Hatching Feast, when everyone would be full and get plastered, and then go off and have fun. There was a very, very good reason that Hatchings were regarded so highly, and it was not just because there were more dragons around the Weyr. While there was a brief respite, it of course was not meant to last. To Aarin’s slight and vague disappointment, the next egg to hatch was neither an Obsidian nor the Dualities egg. Well, so much for keeping that theme up. Instead, it was a Blue. A Blue that was fat on its yolk and still covered in sticky albumen, as it appeared to have no intention to lick it off anytime soon. In fact, it seemed to have no intention to even look at the Candidates or Impress at all! It just wanted to sleep, or so it appeared. Aarin covered a chuckle with his hand. Oh yes, this Hatching was simply full of surprises. Well, everyone had their priorities. As long as the little thing did not between, it could take all the time it wanted. There was, honestly, no rush. It was the Blue’s big day, after all. It was his party and he could sleep if he wanted to. Anyway, it was unlikely that Loraketh was going to let him sleep long anyway. She probably wanted to see her babies paired off more than anyone else in attendance. Aarin was infinitely patient, though, and saw no need for the Blue to rush.

[Akira]

T’rian shook his head at Inali, and wondered how he had ended up with a woman like her. He loved her, and that’s all that mattered to him. He looked at her quizzically when she talked about the white being female. I don’t understand how a dragon who is supposed to have no gender, has a gender. He was telling the truth, he really didn’t understand how that worked, but he wasn’t going to pester the golden mother about her children. He didn’t have a death wish after all, and was quite happy having his head attached to his body.

T’rian smirked mischievously when he heard that she had agreed to take him up on his bet. This, he thought, would be one very interesting hatching. He took her arm and let her lead him from the sands. He was quite confident that Stallorth would take care of whatever Loraketh needed if she didn’t want to do it herself. He chuckled at the snort he received from the bronze, and knew that he was right. Stallorth would bend over backwards for that dragon, and all she had to do was ask. Stallorth growled at his rider as he walked away, and made a mental note to whack him over the head when this was all over.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tiris chuckled as he watched the Innocent Egg hatch into a white that seemed to be so extra innocent. It was all quite cute in his opinion and he enjoyed watching them. He gasped when he saw the little white stumble into the Bronzed Fish Egg, and prayed that the hatchling inside hadn’t been hurt. It looked like the white was sorry for what it had done, which made him smile once again. At least it was trying to apologize for it’s accident. Then he turned his attention to the Bronzed Fish Egg, and wondered what would come out of it.

Tiris’ eyes widened when he saw the egg fall apart around the fat looking blue. He wasn’t sure he had ever seen a dragon that looked as large as this one did. Then he realized how lazy the blue looked, and wondered if that would the hatchling for him. He knew Buster would like him, and he himself found him quite entertaining. At least then he wouldn’t have a dragon nagging him like Max did. Maybe if he had a dragon like that, he wouldn’t have to listen to the brown firelizard’s constant complaining about him and Buster being lazy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rayas looked around him, and wondered if there were any other late candidates. Then he noticed Iirla and Xaemia in the stands. He waved to each of them, though, he knew Xaemia wouldn’t actually see him, but it looked as though she had someone telling her what was going on, so maybe he would tell her that he had waved. He wasn’t sure if Iirla had seen him either, but hey, she had other people to worry about. She might have been like an older sister to him, but she was also the Junior Weyrwoman, and she had responsibilities to attend to.

Rayas turned back around just as another egg hatched. This time it was very fat looking blue, and he wondered how the hatchling had gotten so big inside of his egg. Oh well, he didn’t understand how things worked inside of a dragon’s egg, and there was no point in trying to understand it either. So he shook the thought off and went back to watching the ebony and the little white. The two of them seemed so sweet and playful that he just couldn’t help himself. He smiled at them, and wondered if they would play with each other now that everything seemed to have calmed down.


(((OOC: Pandora is here, she's hiding in the stands. Oh, and everyone else is here too so if you want to rp with any of them, just say so and I'll type up a reply. It's just hard to fit thirteen characters into one post XD )))

[kitsuneko]

For one terrible moment after the white tripped over the Bronzed Fish egg, it ceased to move at all, and Bryden thought it may not hatch at all. But no, there was a sudden shudder and a blue tail broke through the shell, followed quickly by the rest of the hatchling as the egg fell apart around it. He smiled in relief at the appearance of the blue. Although...he didn't seem to be in a hurry to do much of anything...but perhaps that was due more to laziness than anything being wrong.

[Zara]

It was the Poisoned Apple's Turn. And oh the hatchling inside sounded mad. The hissing and the shaking coming from teh egg as one forced crack after another shattered it could only be described as riveting. It was time for this confining cage to break under his might - that's right, his. The blue that now stood above the remnants of the egg, his eyes swirling red as he destroyed what was left of them with delight, his tail swishing back and forth madly.

He turned towards the other blue, and with little warning, jumped at him with a roar. One that irritated him. It wasn't big and booming like it should be! He shook his navy blue hide with his gray blue markings. He was slender. Almost looking malnourished... as if he hadn't eaten in quite some time. His long lanky limbs and his almost bony appearance were not deterrents to him. His small and light build would come in handy, of that he was certain. And he would prove it to his fat and lazy brother. He hissed again and lashed his tail around, jumping onto his brothers back as if to hold him there, hissing. Oh! His brother was too lazy to have any of the attention that should be his! He snapped at the other blue, though he did not so much as bite him...

Once he noticed the candidates, however, he was off and rushing towards them, snapping at one or another, enjoying their fear. Oh it was beautiful! Now! Where was His! Why was His not there! It made him angrier to find His missing. HIs antics were aggressive... but also... there was something childlike, wanting and frightened about him in the way he moved and looked around. he was beautiful. All eyes should be on him.

His attention turned to his mother who he gave a soft croon too. Didn't she love him too? Yes, she had too. He was amazing.

[Zirin]

Of COURSE he had to be chipper. He was J'dol! He was sex on two legs! Why wouldn't he be chipper. "Aww you used my name! Guess this means were best buddies now eh?" He smirked at the other man. He had the feeling that his very presence bothered the dragonophobe on some strange level, and that made sitting near him all the better.

"We are quite lovely thank you. Kayath demands that you get over your fear so she can force you to oil her. I told her it wouldn't happen in a million Turns. She's watching you from up there eh. Give her a good wave, won't you?" His grin grew as he spoke, curious as to how Keegan would deal with him.

---

Ari silently gasped in delight as an adorable little white hatched, What a marvellous partner she will be to someone, don't you agree, Harmony? She thought towards the sapphire flit and grinned as a chirp was given in response. Her son was just a thrilled, even more so each time Harmony sent the young boy an fuzzy image of the events on the sands. The two blues that hatched afterwards seemed equally interesting in their own unique way. It was if one of them had stolen all the food from the other.

The chubby one seemed an absolute darling, even if he didn't seem to want to move, but the lanky one... he seemed like trouble. She sincerely hoped no blood would be shed upon the sands!

[Zara]

---Iirla---

Iirla smiled. "Well... maybe later, hmm...?" she teased him right as he kissed her cheek and pulled her to sit with him. D'rian was surely something else compare to most men. He really seemed to love her. And the fact that he wouldn't just up and kiss her right now.... Well, she actually appreciated that. She had missed Vl'kan's look. Of course, even if she had seen it, she would be unlikely to understand its meaning. She was rather clueless whenever it came to... romantic intentions, unfortunately.

"Well would you look at that..." she muttered, one hand resting on D'rian's knee as she leaned forward to get a better look at the ebony. "He sure is something, isn't he...?" she said in what was almost a whisper. It made her wonder what would come of Izanycorth's clutch when it finally came time for her to, well... clutch. Her dragoness snorted at that. That is still a long way off.

The little queen turned toward Kelath and walked around him, nuzzling him gently before laying down, her hide right up against his. Hello KelathLoveofMineOwn. She turned her eyes to the hatching then. This is going to be an exciting hatching... she said, watching first the black colored dragonet, the white... an the two blues. Hmm... one is a handful... the other... well... She didn't say anything more.

As soon as Iirla spotted Rayas, she stood to her feet and waved at him. Tell him I wish him the best of luck, I know he can do it and that I'll be right there when he Impresses, Iz!

Izanycorth rumbled in amusement. Your sister says she wishes you the best of luck and she is confident you can do it. She'll be right there when you Impress. I think she means she'll come down to the feeding station.

"Oh... I hope my 'little' brother Impresses, D'rian..." she said, biting her lip and crossing her fingers. "Rayas sure deserves his own dragon." Of course they weren't related by blood.

---Xaemia---

Xaemia smiled warmly. "Thank you Keegan," she said, her voice gentle and sweet, as always. She gently tightened her fingers around his. "Thank you very much," her tone was most definitely grateful. "Oh! He must be a new color..." She sat still, with a smile on her face, listening to all the sounds, though really she was listening for Keegan's voice. A little blind girl like her really couldn't do much as a hatching. It was just a fact of life. This wasn't the first she had attended and she wondered if it would be the last. She bit her lip at that thought, but tried to let it go and smile again.

---Yanoya---

The Ebony was something else, but the emotionless exterior that the girl put out didn't show any excitement or betray any feeling. Instead, she turned her eyes t othe very innocent seeming white and watched her. She was vulnerable. She would be easily hurt and manipulated. She was almost certain. Where as the ebony was more likley to let things slide off and just be his exciteable self.

Now that lazy blue was likely not to rise to much at all and more likely to need a push to get him to do much of anything. The other blue now... he was going to be a terror. She wondered if perhaps he should ahve been born a garnet. Not that there weren't enough with how many there already were.

Yanoya almost seemed bored... until the little blue came snapping and hissing and prancing towards the candidates. She pulled back her hand just in time to avoid injury from his sharp little teeth. "Bad temper, hmm?" though that couldn't be all that there was to it.

[jillianna]

(sorry if i miss anyone!!!)
D'rian:

D'rian smiled settling his arm behind her to cushion her back against the rough backboard of the stands. He experienced the hatching with more enjoyment seeing her reactions, and he nodded lightly at her statement. "He sure is a handsome little thing, dark and dulled unlike the obsidians before."

Kelath's voice echoed softly in both of their heads."Loraketh aunt called him an Ebony. It seems he is the newest in our New colors tradition here at Trelis. And a fine young dragon he is."
He crooned softly and shifted so Izanycorth had more room, but was still up against him and licked her cheek before tucking her head beneath his. Not an easy feat considering she was still bigger than him, but he couldn't have been happier or more comfortable.

Each one of the little one's is special in their own way IzanycorthLovemine. The white one is going to be a gem of sweetness. Those two blues couldn't be more opposite if they tried. Kelath's kindness woulnd't allow him to elaborate on that, so he simply settled in to watch the hatching .

"Oh I'm sure Rayas will do just fine Iirla love. He's a special boy that one, you can't judge a kid by their blood family." The boy got a wave from him as Iirla waved as well, and a kind smile. The poor kid had had a hard time of it, being from southern weyr. It was slowly getting better for him though, and all in all, he knew the kid was a good one.

~~~~~

Keegan pointedly tried to ignore J'dol. The attractive man seemed hell bent on provoking him, and he tried to let it roll off of him. Xaemia's attention and need helped him with that task for a few moments at least... He sqeezed her hand lightly and spoke, a forced smile on his face.

"It's a little male. He's kind of like a slate gray or black color. Not metallic like the Obsidians are though." He watched the little dragons until the small innocent egg hatched into a cute little white, relaying what was happening to Xaemia.

The more J'dol talked the more he explained what was happening to Xae. Until he ran out of things to tell her about. The chubby lazy blue, its slightly psychopathic and annarecsic looking brother..." With each little comment the knuckles of his free hand turned whiter and whiter until he finally felt that little barrier in his brain go 'snap'. Blanked out, he removed his hand from Xae's grabbed both sides of J'dol's face and gave him a deep wet star causing kiss, then pushed the guy back.

"Will you shut up and let me watch my sister's hatching?!" He gently took Xae's hand again and went back to trying to force himself behind his Zen wall again, clearing his throat and keeping his eyes glued to the sands.

[Zirin]

He could feel the disapproving eyes on him, judging him for being lazy and big. Their judgements matetred little to him. They could coo all over his siblings and ignore him for all he cared. It would simply allow him to watch the goings on around him better. And watch he did. Through lazy, half-lidded eyes he watched the crowd and candidates' every move. He saw their curious glances and their disapproving looks, saw the hope and the worry in their eyes. Curious, very curious. So many supple minds waiting patiently for a future that might never come. They did not all dream, did they? Although... the blue thought plaintively, they were all here, on the sands. They all shared a common dream, did they not?

It was not bad to dream, not at all. Without dreams, life was meaningless, for what was there to look forward to if one did not dream of future to come, and of great things in the past or present. But dreams were not always pleasant. Some led to horrible visions of the future that one never wanted to come true. He had had such a dream, while slumbering in his egg. Would it come to fruition, this dream of anger, of blood? Or was it simply a dream meant to pass once he had truly woken? It would be foolish to wait too long, of that the Bronzed Fish Blue was certain. He could feel the pull of a mind somewhere among the robed dreamers, and his stomach grew more pained the longer he stayed. He didn't have to move yet, did he? Another moment of rest wouldn't hurt...

It was around this time that the Poisoned Apple Blue hatched. The roar from the lanky blue made the Bronzed Fish Blue jump in surprise, but he gave no other indication of caring. His brother could have the attention if that was what he desired. The encounter, though, hurried the pudgy blue along a bit. It was time he moved wasn't it. The dreamers were waiting and the sands were growing a bit too warm to be relaxing. He rose slowly, as if every step took every ounce of effort in his large body, and now that he was standing and moving, the markings on his body could be truly seen. For the most part he was unremarkable; a slate blue hide with darker blue wings and forelegs and an even darker face. However, a bright blue marking on his neck, looking more like a beard than anything else, stood out against his otherwise plain hide.

He took a few slow steps, then a few more, giving lazy nods towards his siblings as he started towards the candidates. After what felt like a long time, he flopped back onto the sand with another long yawn. His was out there, he could feel it, but let's face it, looking through the candidates was way more work then he planned on doing at the moment. He thought he had an idea which one belonged to him anyways.

Are you aware of how far away you are? I am beginning to think you don't want me.... and after your Hyslehoeth went through all that tiring hatching business.... The lazy voice reached out among the candidates, picking one in particular that called to him. I am afraid I am... so very tired, dear heart. I have come halfway... Yanoya, lady of my dreams, won't you meet me here instead? His large stomach gave a pitiful gurgle as the blue waited patiently.

---

Bronzed Fish Blue Hyslehoeth

Impressed To: Yanoya
Pronunciation: HIGH-slee-hO-th
Rank: Blue
Size: 30 Feet
Color Codes:
Base: 3a6576
Head and Feet: 11374c
Wings and Arms: 2b465e
Light Markings: 70c0c3

Appearance:
While Hyslehoeth will one day sit on the larger end of the size scale, he is by no means the largest blue around, length-wise at least. Width, however, is a different story. After breaking shell, the first thing one might notice about this blue is that he has quite the tummy. A roly-poly baby blue, that’s what Hyslehoeth is. He has a light sprinkling of muscle, evident even under his baby fat, but honing those muscles will be a tricky job, and losing the chub even harder. Hyslehoth is a lazy blue, and it shows in his body, a preference for lazing about will make it near impossible for this blue to become streamlined in any sense of the word. That aside, Hyslehoeth is a powerhouse. With strong, broad wings, this guy will be able to outlast his fellow blue brothers in the air, and even browns may lose in a race of endurance, assuming of course he decides to actually get up and fly. As well as strong wings, his extra weight will also help him plummet to the ground faster during dives. Midair twists and twirls, however, will always be a hard thing for him to achieve.

His hide is a medium slate blue with tiny hints of true blues and greens dancing lightly on his hide, evident only after a good oiling. His head, the tips of his tail fork, and his front claws are both a dark, green-tinted blue. His wings, and from his wrists, up his arms and across his back to the base of his tail is a darker blue that almost looks like a coat. Indeed, when this guy rears on his hind legs, wings tucked close to his body, the illusion is quite visible. Hyslehoeth also has three areas of bright markings. The first is just behind the dark markings on his tail fork. The second marking is a ring around the thumb of his wings; the only break in colour on their otherwise darker surface. Finally, a strange spiking chunk of bright colour on his neck can be seen, even from far away, and in the right light looks quite beard-like.

One strange thing about this fellow is an odd tick that began during his hatching. He developed an incessant need to occasionally swat at the air over his head with his front claw, as if trying to shoo a bug that isn’t there.

Personality:
If there was one word to describe Hyslehoeth, it's that he's lazy. This big boy loves to sleep, and it can be extremely difficult to rouse him into doing anything other than lounge about. It's not to say he's a useless dragon though. Of all his brethren, Hyslehoeth is likely the most observant. He doesn't simply lounge, he lounges with one eye barely open in order to watch others. One might say he doesn't want to stand up for what he believes in, but in truth this blue is just sensible. He understands his strengths and weaknesses and uses them in a way he feels is best for himself.

Mind-Voice:
Do I have to get up….?
Hyslehoeth’s voice is, if anything, exhausting to listen to, and even the most active listener might just need to stifle a yawn after hearing him speak. His voice is a deep, drawling sound that leaves you wanting to curl up and sleep. It often sounds bored, regardless of the situation, and indeed that may be so. Getting this guy worked up is near impossible, but it moments of high emotion, it might just perk up a little.

Why:
Some may not see the connection between us, my lovely Yanoya; however, I felt that deep down, there was something about you that I could not be without. I like your wit and intelligence of course. I like to think I have a fair share of my own. I am worried though... what are your dreams? I cannot see them yet, but I hope in time you will come to share them. Then we shall dream together, I think.

[derek]

After the White had knocked into the Bronzed Fish Egg, cracks appeared. Moments passed, and then finally the shell broke, but no Hatchling emerged. Zion tensed again. Was it dead? He hoped not. He hated to see-- or be part of --bloody Hatchings. Hatchings should be joyous affairs, not murderous.

Seconds ticked by again, until finally some impercievable movement caused the shell to fall away, and a large, round, blue hatchling became visible. He didn't move for another few seconds until... he yawned. He didn't even seem to notice his other clutch siblings, or even the Candidates. Zion blinked. That was one lazy dragon!

When the Bronzed Fish Blue finally did stand up, Zion forced back a chuckle.He was so chubby! The blue gazed at the Candidates, but just flopped back down onto the sands, obviously intending to sleep some more.

While watching the already hatched little ones, Zion almost missed the Poisoned Apple Egg hatch. The shaking and rumbling that came from the egg made it seem to Zion that the hatcling inside was quite angry, and wanted out now.

Finally, the shell shattered, and a lanky blue stood above the shards, his tail thrashing in anger. Zion raised his eyebrows. This blue was quite different from the other. This one looked almost malnourished, while the other was fat!

The Poisoned Apple Blue seemed to realize this, and jumped onto the Bronzed Fish Blue with a roar. He was hissing and snapping, but then he noticed the Candidates and rushed through them, snarling and snapping as he went before turning his attention to Loraketh.

Zion was quite glad that no one had been mauled. Again-- he hated bloody hatchings. After being attacked, however, the pudgy Bronzed Fish Blue "hurried" along, taking a few steps before calling to His... and the first Impression of the day was made! How exciting!

Zion wondered if today would finally be his day to Impress and Bond to a dragon. That dream had been nursed for so long... it would be a shame if he could hear every dragon in the Weyr... but none of them were his. That would be a sad existance, indeed.