"Ugh..." Sherry felt like she was going to pass out. It was hot, plus the fact that a lot of people were watching her, expecting her to be all prim and proper, added to the concern that she was going to make an idiot of herself and made this entire experience a little less marvellous than the girl had originally expected. After a good long wait, while Barcardi grew bigger and Sherry grew more and more impatient, the second part of the cross gender clutch was hatching. Now I know why Li was so nervous out here...everybody’s looking at me...
"You’ll be fine!!" Li was standing up in her seat, yelling to be heard over the noise. Hundreds of other people were yelling at hundreds of other candidates. When the dragons began immerging, the crowd would quiet down, but at the moment, Li could compare the noise to the sound of a Superbowl crowd after the final touchdown. "Don’t worry!!" Li was tempted to stand on her chair, but figured it probably would do nothing, but make A’diar nervous. As it was, the black/brown rider was trying to keep his friend from climbing over the guests seated in front of her and joining Sherry on the sands.
"Shards’ sake Li, sit down!!" A’diar grabbed the girl around the waist and plunked her down on the bench. "You had your chance to impress!! Bacardi would be very upset if you tried again."
Li glared. Over the months they’d spent waiting for the first part of the clutch to hatch, and the months they’d spend waiting for the second part of the clutch to hatch, Li was finally beginning to act more like her old self. She was starting to hold her own in arguments with anyone, male or female, and, even worse, she was beginning to defy A’diar’s supervision. She could never forget what had happened to her, but as her friend Sherry had told her, ‘Your past only affects your future if you let it.’ A’diar smiled when she told him that, and never bothered mentioning that he was the one who’d said it to Sherry. Li seemed to think her friend was a veritable font of strength, and A’diar would die before convincing her otherwise. "She needs our support."
A’diar rolled his eyes. "She’s not in any danger. She just has to stand there and smile. Hell, she could sit up here and ignore everyone, if the dragon for her is down there, it will find her."
Li bit her lower lip. "What if she doesn’t impress?"
"Hey!" A’diar tried to look insulted, but the effect was ruined by his smile. "Every single person I’ve kidnapped from Earth has impressed."
Li didn’t appear to find this very comforting. "I’m the only one!!" A thought hit her. "Am I?"
A’diar’s eyes opened wider revealing his shock. "I didn’t know you were so selfish Li."
The new rider whacked her friend’s arm. "There are other Earthlings here and you didn’t bother telling me?"
A’diar pouted and rubbed his arm. "That really hurt." Seeing Li’s angry glare he decided to continue with the information she actually wanted. "And the other Earthlings are back at Adanuk."
"Ugh!" Li glared and turned her attention back to Sherry. "I can’t believe you."
A’diar grinned and put an arm around Li’s waist. "Neither can I. I’m not a very trustworthy person."
Li removed A’diar’s hand quickly and with a guilty look at Sherry. "It’s starting." She refused to acknowledge any attempt at conversation after that.
A’diar sighed, sadly keeping his hands to himself. Are you sure they’re not together?
Doroboth, who was already at the feeding grounds with Bacardi, smiled. They are not together rider-mine.
Then how come whenever I try to... A’diar thought of several words that he could use, but none of them were very tactful. Then how come when I touch one of them they look at the other...or when I bring up dinner or something they run to each other!
Because you have not been very specific in your interests Diar. The brown/black look hungrily towards the meat, but he knew he couldn’t touch it. Even now you say ‘either one’. They each think the other likes you more...or liked you first.
That was a thought that had not crossed A’diar’s mind. He knew that he often flirted with both of the girls indiscriminately, but only because he expected only one of them to flirt back. He didn’t realize his problem was their friendship. This could make things difficult.
"Look!" Li grabbed A’diar sleeve, forgetting in her excitement, that she wasn’t supposed to touch him.
A’diar turned his attention back to the sands and saw a beautiful little green/white making it’s way towards Sherry. All thoughts of the two girls were pushed from his mind as he prayed Sherry’s wait was over.
* * * Sherry had watched Li and A’diar talking and seen Li hit A’diar. Now they were sitting apart from each other and A’diar looked like he was moping. Sherry figured he’d said something stupid. She smiled. Not really surprising. Love makes idiots of everyone. She decided not to look at them anymore and fixed her attention, instead, on the beautiful dragonets that were entering the world. As always she was mesmerised by their beauty.
Sherry felt her attention drawn to one egg as it shattered and a beautiful white-green dragoness was expelled. She unfurled her mint coloured wings and looked around at all who had gathered to see her. A few girls took a few tentative steps out towards her, but they stopped. This dragoness had a mission.
The sad one has no reason left to worry about you, my friend. And you have every reason to be happy for yourself, because I have chosen you as my partner. No one else deserved you, no one else is good enough for me. I am Ozeki, and I will love you forever. Ozeki nodded her head once, to signify that they decision was final.
Sherry had so many things that she wanted to say all at once, so many conflicting emotions. She couldn’t believe that the dragon had read her that well. Here she had her soulmate, here she had the missing piece of herself, here all the answers were, and she’d been made to wait. She felt tears running down her face, ashamed at her anger. She’d just calm down, never mention it again. She would be happy she had a dragon now. She would forget.
The words made it to the little dragoness anyways. I was not ready to hatch then. Don’t you think I was worth the wait?
"You were! Ozeki, you’re so worth the wait..." Sherry ran and fell to her knees, grabbing the dragoness as if she were her only lifeline in a turbulent sea. The answer seemed to be avoiding the true nature of the question, but the same way Sherry’s unwanted thoughts travelled to her lifemate’s, Ozeki’s true meaning travelled to her rider. Ozeki had waited, not because the tiny green wasn’t ready to come out of her shell, but because the rider wasn’t ready to meet her on the sands.
Ozeki’s hide shone like green glass, lit from within, as Sherry helped her to stand. A wave brought the madly cheering Li and A’diar to her side. They all walked towards the feeding grounds together.
"What is she called?" Li was showing polite respect for the little white/green, but she obviously thought her Bacardi was a class above her.
Sherry understood that. After all, she believed her Ozeki was the best. "Ozeki."
Li smiled, recognizing the name. "That’s amazing..."
Sherry looked to Bacardi as she offered meat to the starving pale green on her lap. "Really?"
A’diar shook his head. "What is it with you girls and alcohol?" He was leaning comfortably against Doroboth’s side.
"Don’t you know?" Sherry was entranced by the way the light glittered off her beautiful lifemate’s skin. "Girls always feel more affectionate after drinks."
Li smirked. "Yeah. Alcohol’s the easiest way to forget your troubles." She stroked Bacardi’s hide as she spoke.
What’s so funny? Ozeki’s question went unanswered as the humans continued to laugh.
I have no idea. Bacardi shook her head, glad to share her clutchmates meal. But be prepared to put up with a lot of it.
Doroboth’s eyes whirled blue as he rested his head next to the two dragonesses. It’s a long story...
And life goes on... * * *
Read Sherry's candidate story.
Read Li’s candidate story. (Note: Doubling as part of Sherry’s candidate story.)
Sherry is a candidate at The Healing Den.
Pictures of Sherry from The Woman Says..
Background from Myrror Images.