Selena

The girl was outwardly composed. Anyone who saw her would think that she had no emotion in her what-so-ever. She held tight to the runner’s mane and lifted her face to the wind. Outwardly Selena was emotionless, inwardly she was laughing.

Faster! She urged Terentia on. Terentia whinnied and obeyed her master’s mental command. The pair flew over the ground. Selena laughed to herself as Terentia finally tired and they walked back towards the warren. If I hear one more person tell me that you’re not the fastest runner anywhere, we’ll show them won’t we Terentia? The runner reared and whinnied loudly.

Selena smiled quietly to herself, the first outward expression anyone saw. A lightning bolt of pain then shot through her head. It came and went quickly, but it left a promise of return. Her face contorted in pain and she put a hand to her head, feeling dizzy. The world began to spin as the pain returned. It was twice as bad and twice as long. Selena collapsed on Terentia’s back. She felt the air being forced from her body. She couldn’t breath. She began hyper-ventilating. The pain passed leaving her dazed and confused. The world span faster and faster in her vision and she stopped breathing. The third burst of pain was too much for her. She fell from Terentia’s back with a scream. She screamed for as long as she held onto consciousness which, unfortunately for her, was a long time. This pain wasn’t fading. It was only going to grow and grow until her head exploded. Her lungs felt like they were going to explode, as she still wasn’t breathing. Unconsciousness slipped up on Selena slowly. A wistful smile crossed her face as she succumbing to it. Her mind recognized the source of the pain and embraced it. Something was getting excited. Something large was announcing an event of utmost importance to it. Something........dragon-sized perhaps........

* * *

"WAKE UP!!!!" Selena joined the world of the living with a start. She found Mystic and Magika looking over her. She felt Mystic’s mind helping her back to consciousness, and, more roughly, Magika’s hands.

Mystic stopped projecting and glared at her friend. "Very gentle Magika. Very soothing. It worked so well too. You’re lucky you didn’t give her a heart attack!!!!" Mystic started off sarcastic and moved gracefully into anger.

Magika smiled, pretending to be oblivious to the fact that Mystic had been sarcastic. "It did work well didn’t it?" The Weyrwoman smiled at Selena. "C’mon. We’ve got a hatching to get to."

Selena, mind still a little fuzzy, sat up and looked dazedly around. "That’s why Anitraya was so excited."

Mystic nodded and with a few words of magic, whisked them all to the clearing where the hatching would take place.

* * *

Selena barely remained conscious the rest of the afternoon. Even though she’d been training with Mystic for a while, nothing could blot out the raw emotion streaming from the candidates, the dragons and the spectators. When the first bonding occurred, Selena felt everything go numb. The feelings of hunger and joy, of pain at seeing light, of relief at bonding. She couldn’t take it all. Her vision began to swim and she inwardly cursed herself for being so weak.

Mystic’s voice filled her mind. Remember what I have taught you.

Selena nodded weakly and grabbed mentally onto consciousness. She couldn’t see anything, her vision was too blurred, but emotions were coming through nice and strong. She had no clue what was going on. She stood, dazed, barely awake, confused, but conscious. Her vision finally cleared and she looked around the clearing. Her heart sunk and she almost felt physical pain as she looked around.

No! She screamed/cried mentally. This is too much. I can’t take this! What do I do? She gazed tearful eyes upwards towards Mystic. All the eggs had cracked. All the dragonets were gone. There were none left for her to bond to. What do I do?

Don’t!!! Mystic called as Selena turned to run away. Colours all blended together in her mind. She was lost in a sea of emotions. Everyone else was projecting their happiness and she, in her despair, was drowning in it. Do not leave! Not yet!

Selena collapsed against Magika. Magika, obviously not used to having someone sobbing in her arms, appeared uncomfortable. "Awww. C’mon kid. Calm down. There’s been a mistake I’m...." Magika trailed off as she looked at the proceedings. The mother dragon lifted her wing to reveal three more eggs. "That damned creature. Lying to us all this time. Why I aughtta...."

"Step back and let Selena bond?" Mystic suggested. Magika glared at the draca on Mystic’s shoulder.

"You had something to do with this, didn’t you? I’m gonna skin you and feed you to Vienna!" Magika threatened. Mystic smiled and the two friends returned to the stands.

Selena stepped forward with another candidate she’d never seen before. He glared at her and she ignored him. He wore a sword and his hand moved unconsciously towards it. She snorted. She would impress one of these dragons. If he tried anything she’d snap him in half.

An egg cracked down the middle. A silver dragonet spilled from it and rolled on the green grass. Her sparkling silver scaled gleamed in the sun. She strode gracefully up to Selena and looked up at her.

I am Teranya. I’ve been waiting for you for so very long. I’m pleased to make your acquaintance.

Selena bowed respectfully to the young hatchling. Suddenly Teranya’s emotions hit Selena like a wall. She stumbled back a few steps and collapsed in the grass. "Teranya...." She murmured.

The silver’s thought became clearer. The emotions of all the other newly bonded were forced out of her mind by Teranya’s voice. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I had to control my voice that much. Is that better?

Selena smiled and lifted the tiny creatures in her arms. I have an odd feeling, Teranya, that after today, everything’s going to be better.

Magika sighed as she watched the young girl finally bond. "Thank the gods." She murmured and watched her friend sigh with relief as the hatching ended.

"Tell me again why I agreed to do this?" Mystic questioned.

"Because you’re gullible." Mystic glared at her and she continued. "You’ll do anything to help someone or something out and you’ll always see it through, no matter what, right until the very end." Magika smiled and watched Selena leave the clearing to find her new lifemate some food. "Just like me."

* * *
Read Selena’s canidate story!
Selena bonded to Teranya at Mystic Dragon’s Forest.
Terentia is from Lasair Weyr.
Background from Myrror Images.