A Hatching...
~
The Weira woke to the sound of dragons thrumming, the deep, almost musical sound vibrating through the stone of her weir. She sat up at once, reaching for her clothes and casting out her mind to touch that of her dragon on the Hatching Ground, curled protectively around her clutch of ten eggs. Seuth?
I am here. The eggs hatch.
Now?
Soon.
Maleka reached for her formal tunic, hung neatly on the back of a chair, and began to shrug into it. How long?
I am not sure. I shall ask one of the others. Maleka felt the blankness that meant her queen was speaking to another dragon, and then she was back. Rebeth says that it will be today, this morning. There is time for breakfast. I will eat after.
Good. After several mintues of searching, she found the matching trousers, deep blue with gold striping on the sides, and pulled them on. I'll tell the headwoman to start on the Hatching feast.
She already has. The gold dragon sounded smug.
You told her? Maleka was surprised.
No, she heard. A mental chuckle. The humming began an hour ago, dear rider. You were asleep.
~
"Robes! Now!"
Lights went on in the candidates' rooms, and loud scuffling and crashing about could be heard in the hall outside, along with frantic cries and angry muttering.
"This looks like a sharding dress..."
"Larna! That's MY hairbrush!"
"Sorry, they all look the same in the dark..."
Another light went on, as one of the girls located the glowbasket.
"Oh, for heaven's sake, you two..."
"OSCAR! I'm not wearing a DRESS!"
"It's not a dress, it's traditional. Honestly, anyone would think you didn't want to Impress a dragon."
"Bonding, they call it Bonding here."
"Right."
A pause.
"It's a dress."
~
Some time later, the candidates found themselves being herded along a narrow passageway and out into a wide, high-ceilinged cavern, floored with pleasantly warm sand brought up from southern beaches. Tiered seating rose up on all sides, with space for humans in the front two or three rows, and enough room for dragons higher up. Already dragons bearing riders and guests were entering, dipping down to let off human passangers and then winging up to perches on higher tiers. Half of the seats were full, and a dull rumbling mutter filled the huge space, echoing and adding to the impressive crooning thrum of the dragons and salamanders.
Great gold Seuth had moved back from her eggs, and sat on her haunches, watching. Jewled eyes sparkled, different colors whirling and spinning: calm blues and greens, but with hints of yellow and red. Just let anything try to hurt her eggs! As the white-robed candidates entered, she blinked, and then settled down over one egg that had been moved some distance away from the others: the queen egg. They don't look like much, she commented to her rider. Very small.
So was I when you chose me, Maleka reminded her, smiling a little.
You seemed bigger then.
The two were distracted by the sound of an egg cracking. All heads turned to look as a little blue emerged, fighting his way out of the thin, brittle shell, wings and hide glinting wetly.
Not quite so lucky as a bronze...
Superstition! Look, he knows his choice.
And the blue did. As soon as he'd shaken off the last of the shell, he stood and wobbled unsteadily over to one of the male candidates, a skinny lad with pale skin and brown hair. Nipping at the boy's robe, he demanded FOOD in a mindvoice loud enough for nearly everyone to hear. The first Bonding had been made!
A brown was next, but he seemed to lack his brother's decisiveness, and stood uncertainly as two more eggs cracked, a green and a bronze. The small green hatchling headed for a tallish blonde girl, while the bronze made a beeline for an older, brown-skinned fellow near the back of the group. Realizing that they were likely to get trampled, the other candidates moved hastily away, spreading out in a semicircle around the eggs, and the bronze, squeaking with excitement, was able to reach his chosen bond.
A deafening crack signalled the bursting of the queen egg, and all five of the girls moved towards it, watching eagerly as the little golden queen picked herself up off the sand and began to look around. The green hatchling followed, mewling and tugging at the blonde's robe. The girl didn't seem to notice. Finally, with an air of desperation, the little green threw herself bodily onto her choice, knocking her over and burying her face in the sand. By the time the pair struggled to their feet again, the bond had been made. The green looked quite smug, as if she'd just caught a particulary fine wherry.
The queen had been moving toward the blonde, but when the green knocked her over, she changed course, heading instead for the youngest and smallest of the remaining female candidates. In the stands, Maleka caught her breath. She's too young!
It is the dragon who makes the choice, Seuth reminded her. The huge gold clearly approved the match. I chose you. She choses the young one. It is her decision, as it was mine.
Five eggs and the hesitant brown remained. He seemed quite unsure as to where he should go, blinking and scuffing at the sand with his forepaws.
Foolish hatchling! Maleka could hear her gold scolding the brown. Just pick a boy.
But before the hatchling could obey, one of the boys chose him, walking carefully across the hot sand to meet him.
Ah, finally!
The newly bonded pairs were beginning to make their way off of the Ground, human companions holding up both their dragons and heavy bowls of chopped meat. Half of the candidates still remained, however, two boys and three girls. They moved in closer to the shaking eggs, hopefully.
Two eggs shattered at once, the greens inside heading immediately for the younger of the three girls, a slender girl with strawberry blonde hair. One changed her mind at the last minute, though, going instead for the girl next to her, seemingly a shorter version of the other.
Three eggs left. Three candidates. Maleka hoped that only one of the remaining would contain a green. She had nothing against having males ride the small dragons, of course, but parents often objected to being told that their sons had Bonded green. And these were offworlders... She let out a sight of relief when the next egg cracked, revealing the greeny-gold shine of a bronze hide. The dragonet headed immediately for the nearest lad, who was so overcome that he had to be nudged rather sharply before he remembered his place and began shoving meat down the hatchling's throat.
The next egg hatched brown, and without hesitation went for the remaining male candidate. Only the girl remained, looking defiant and slightly worried. Maleka knew why. If the last egg contained a brown or a bronze as well...
It did not. With a resounding crack, the egg split, and out tumbled a small, green-sized hatchling. Only it wasn't green...
A dun!
I told you there would be special ones in my eggs. She sounded smug.
Yes, and I never doubted you.
They watched as the last pair walked unsteadily off the sands, each supporting the other.
A good hatching, rider of mine. A good hatching.
~