“What possessed you to bring a baby tunnelsnake here and let it loose in the Weyr?” Cravitomin asked breathlessly as he tried to hide himself around a door jam. His muscular frame making it very hard to do so. Katzy’s eyes looked up at him brightly in mischief.
“I couldn’t resist,” Katzy grinned, “That one kid just reminded me too much of Tana. He needed a scare.”
“But now there’s a tunnelsnake loose in the Weyr,” Cravitomin winced, “What if it somehow gets to the hatching sands.”
“Laureth is like any gold,” Katzy assured him with a pat on the shoulder as she peeked around the corner to see if they had truly been followed, “she’ll do like any of them, stomp it out within seconds. She won’t let it get anywhere near her clutch.” Cravitomin just shook his head at the reckless blue riding prankster. With a sharp intake of breath, Katzy grabbed the candidate’s wrist and whirled around, running down the hall they had entered. “They’re still looking!”
It was getting late into the night when the duo finally lost their pursuers. “Either that or they tired of the chase,” Katzy had winked.
“You are unbelievable,” Cravitomin chuckled as he caught his breath leaning against a wall. He didn’t notice the sly yet somehow shy look that crossed the blue rider’s features, “You’d think you would have calmed your pranks since becoming a dragonrider.”
“Pfff, I just got bigger and better ideas with Balaroth,” Katzy replied boldly and took a place on the wall next to her friend. The duo became silent for the time being, both catching their breath and grinning about the chase. As their breathing steadied the continued to not speak. Cravitomin slowly started to noticed that the silence between them was uneasy… something that had never been there before. Or maybe it had never been right on the surface as it was now. The silence was only broken with the duo oddly enough yawned at the same time; they chuckled at the coincident.
“How late is it?” Cravitomin asked with a grin, “I mean it has to be pretty late if we’re both yawning.”
“Past Tana’s bed time if you ask me,” Katzy chuckled, Cravitomin’s deep smooth chuckle echoed his friend’s. Suddenly Katzy went stiff causing the Moon Shadow Weyr candidate to look at her oddly. The blue rider’s eyes had clouded over and worry crossed the candidate’s handsome features.
“What is it, Katz?” he asked, fearing the worst as it was obvious that the girl had been talking to her blue Balaroth.
“The eggs are going to hatch!” she belted out. This time it was the former Rakun who was grabbing the dragonrider by the wrist and dragging her towards the hatching sands.
“I can’t go onto the sands with you, Crav,” Katzy chuckled as they came near the entrance and pulled her hand away from his. He chuckled as he realized what he’d tried to do and gave her a sheepish shrug before disappearing for a moment under a white robe. He smiled at Katzy and gave her a quick wave before hurrying towards the sands again.
“Cravitomin, wait a moment,” Katzy called to him. The young man paused on his way into the hatching grounds looking at the brown streaked blond questionably. For one of the first times since Cravitomin had met this girl she looked quite a bit nervous if not sheepish.
“What is it, Katzy?” Cravitomin replied with deep concern for his friend.
“I don’t think I’ll get another chance at this,” Katzy mumbled to herself looking at her feet.
“Chance at wha…?” Cravitomin started to reply but was suddenly cut off by Katzy as she stood on tiptoes and, to the candidate’s utmost surprise, kissed the man on the lips.
“I know you’ll impress well, Crav,” Katzy told him after giving him a quick, shy, embrace, “good luck!” With that, the blue rider dashed off to the stands, leaving a dumbfounded Cravitomin behind to enter the sands and ponder what had just happened. 
It was then that his bronze fire lizard, Zatmon appeared from between and landed on his shoulder with a confused chirp.
“You and me both,” he commented aloud as he touched his lips. He could hardly believe that Katzy had done such a thing to him. True, he had thought of kissing her, but only in his wildest dreams. He had hardly expected the girl to kiss him first, and without much warning. A warm smile came to his face, he would do her proud. With that, the well toned candidate marched out onto the sands where some of his fellow candidates already stood and where others would follow.
The hatching started soon after the Weyrleaders were seated in the stands. A brown was first to hatch followed rapidly by a green, a blue, a purple, and another brown. Cravitomin wasn’t able to totally concentrate on what order the other four had come in as he was still too busy thinking about the kiss Katzy had given him. He only knew that the purple came last of the first five to hatch. I’ve never seen a purple dragon! Cravitomin thought, highly impressed. It was during the impression of the purple that he noticed a second egg, the largest of the eggs, second only to the gold egg, rocked and shattered. 
A large bronze sat in the ruminants of shattered egg, chest puffed out proudly. Loudly the bronze creeled saying that he had arrived.
Cravitomin, like most of the young men, went wide eyed at the hatchling. The proud bronze strutted over to the male candidates. The nerve, Cravitomin thought with a chuckle as he saw some similarity between the bronze and Tana. He took a few steps forward, daring the bronze to continue his arrogance in his presence. Their eyes connected as the candidate stared the dragonet down.
I am Gintath, will you be my lifemate? a voice suddenly chimed in his head. Cravitomin grinned and walked forward, I would be most honored, Gintath. I am Cravitomin. No you are not. You are Cr’tomin! Pushy aren’t you? The bronze merely smiled as Cr’tomin rubbed his eye ridge and started to guide the two of them off the sands. He happily looked up into the stands as he left, the smile grew wider as he saw Katzy turning to leave the stands and come down the stairs. Come on, Cr’tomin, I’m hungry, Gintath cooed next to his rider. Cr’tomin nodded in reply yet kept an eye on the blue rider, I’ll introduce you to my friend Katzy when she gets here.
He watched as Katzy reached the lower level of the tiers, that was when he noticed the combination happy/sad look on her face. To his confusion, Katzy turned her back on him and headed for the exit. Where is she going? Is she leaving? Cr’tomin wondered just as he entered the kitchens where Gintath’s other five siblings were now eating their first meals. Who are you talking about, my rider? Gintath creeled up at him and looked over his own shoulder as if he might see what had his rider’s attention other than himself.
“My friend, Katzy,” the bronze rider replied aloud. The bronze’s eyes looked up at his honey eyed rider and gave a sort of mew, “she gave me a kiss and wished me luck right before I went onto the sands. I thought she’d at least come down and congratulate me before she left.” Do you mean this one? the bronze asked showing his rider an image of Katzy, She seemed sad when I spotted her watching you.
“She was sad?” Cr’tomin asked his dragon who nodded and shook his still wet wings. Food now? “Uh, yeah sure, Gintath,” came the reply, sitting down and starting to give the young bronze chucks of meat. Now Cr’tomin was truly confused. Katzy had wished him luck and given him a kiss, but she had left saddened by his impression. Why would she react that way. Uh, Crav, that’s my eye, the dragon commented, bringing his rider back to reality.
“Oh, sorry, Gintath,” Cr’tomin chuckled and took a towel and whipped gently at his dragon’s eye at the same time as giving the bronze the meat. I’ll worry about it later, she probably got called away by the Dawn Sisters Weyrleaders or something. I’ll just write her when I get the chance.
For the rest of the night, Cr’tomin devoted his time to getting to know his new lifemate. He would have plenty of time to maul over the “Katzy leaving problem” with time. It wasn’t like he wouldn’t see her again!
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