cyclic dawn [Altaph's First Hatching!]

[Kat]

Wegmeph just knew. It was so early in the morning that the sun had not even begun to peek into the inky sky, but the simourv could feel the eggs beckoning to him regardless of the harshness of the hour. He stirred, his great body lifting off of the floor of his Eyling, and he moved, his legs stiff at first, not yet flexible and limber, sidestepped beside Ros’n’s bed so that the woman would not waken. He was not sure why he bothered ever being careful of his rider, who tended to sleep through any disturbance, especially when she was as exhausted as she was currently, worn by multiple days of overnight watch and her strange, pestering worry about the hatchlings. As Wegmeph slipped past Ros’n’s bed, she did stir, her body flinching, before she rolled over and grabbed her pillow which she tossed over her head, so that her ears were covered from Wegmeph’s minuscule noise. He sniffed in amusement at his rider’s form, sprawled naked under the covers even though the air around her was so absolutely frigid. She had been so tired when she went to bed that she had just removed her dirty clothing and never made it to her trunk to discover any clean bedclothes. But she had at least managed to take off her mud-splattered pants before she climbed into her clean sheets which still held the deep red stain from the last time she had gotten into bed without changing—after the last koxi attack months before.

The blue stalked out of his room, sliding each step carefully forwards so that he made as little sound as possible, as it seemed inappropriate to make any noise so early in the morning before the rosy fingers of dawn even thought about touching the sky. Then he reached the edge of the Eyling ledge, and he powered off of the ground and into the air, before he opened his great, blue wings and fluttered back to the ground. He landed with a small thud sounding like a loud drum beat in the still, winter air, before he slowly padded into the nesting sands to see if the eggs were actually hatching. He might have felt only the tingle of a worried father who was becoming increasingly more anxious as time passed. Each day seemed to take some much time; each day seemed far too long, and Wegmeph wanted the eggs to be born in the winter, because that was when Ros’n was born and he would like to see the cycle reach a symbolic conclusion. The ebb and flow of time was daunting, but Wegmeph wanted Ros’n to be represented in the chicks beyond the connection that he brought to her by being their father and her rider.

The nesting sands were empty, completely devoid of any other people or simourvs, as even Tawny Altaph had left the side of the eggs to rest with her rider, except for the three eggs which Wegmeph could almost feel breathing, pulsing, even though they remained perfectly still. Except, the blue simourv noted as he watched his children in their hard casings, they were not still. The purple egg on the sands wobbled. It only teetered for a second on the moment before it wiggled, the small crest of its base, before it returned to its original position. The movement was so tiny Wegmeph thought that he had not seen it, just a small, hesitant pause, which the egg did not repeat. But after a second of reflection, Wegmeph convinced himself that he had seen the egg move, and that meant that the hatching was about to begin.
Ros’n, wake up and get dressed! The eggs, they are about to hatch!
And the usually stoic Wegmeph sounded thrilled, excited, and a bit panicked as he screamed into his bonded’s head. He knew that she would wake up; he knew that she would come.

Ros’n jolted awake, her body flopping around in her bed as her arms flailed around in the chilly air for something to wrap around her very cold, very naked body. Goosebumps erupted across her arms and the back of her neck, her chest, and her legs, before she adequately cocooned herself in the quilt. She hesitated for a moment, her mind foggy with sleep, and still confused by the deep darkness that surrounded her, before she realized and remembered why she awoke. The quilt was abandoned as Ros’n streaked to her trunk, her toes dancing across the cold ground, and her body spinning in an attempt to warm up her frozen joints. She threw herself onto her trunk, and she immediately began to dig through it, trying to find any garment she could get onto her body quickly. A small dress, pink and floral, was tossed onto Ros’n’s body, and as she dashed through the door of her Eyling, and she grabbed her leather jacket and a bright red scarf from the hook as she moved. The woman lept down the stairs, and unlike her simourv, she did not care how much noise she made. Ros’n was focused on racing and she was focused on keeping herself warm, as her jacket and scarf only kept the top half of her body warm, and her boots were not enough to keep the length of her legs warm.

Ros’n launched herself into the nesting sands, careful not to step onto the sands themselves, but also moving with a lithe gracefulness which brought her close to Wegmeph. At first, Ros’n thought that Wegmeph was over reacting; she could not see any movements amongst the eggs, but then, Ros’n noticed that the largest of the eggs wiggled most certainly. In fact, it bumped into the smallest, plainest egg, which seemed to bounce back up with a bitter gusto to hit against the bigger egg vengefully. Ros’n’s eye’s widened. They were really about to hatch. She turned to Wegmeph, her hands slipping to her hips, and she stared at him.
Well, what are you waiting for? Call the candidates. We don’t want them to be late like they all were for Eceph’s hatching!
Ros’n did not want a repeat of Eceph’s hatching. She did not want to see any blood on the sands, not today, not with Wegmeph’s eggs. The blue simourv bellowed, his voice calling in a mighty trumpet, which he was sure would waken the entire Eyrie.
Everyone, attend the sands! The eggs are beginning to rock. They will hatch soon. Candidates, wake up! Riders and Winglets, too!

[/b]
Were they supposed to gather the candidates as they had done last time? Should they tell Ts’kal, who would get the children to stand? Ros’n was not sure, and Wegmeph seemed perfectly content just to bellow and wait for the candidates to appear. And Ros’n, well, would do whatever Wegmeph wished.
[/blockquote][/size]

[winged]

The circumstances of Altaph's Flight and concurrent clutching had provided a subject of abjection fascination for Laraph. The gray had but briefly considered the notion of birth upon hatching (she still had only the barest concept of how eggs were conceived), but this impending Hatching drew her like a moth to the instinctual flame. Hers held little of the same fascination, regrettably. Whenever Laraph attempted to broach the subject in her partner's presence, she was always met with uncomfortable avoidance. The chick was unable to fathom her human's distress, so alien from her own delight and curiosity and it seemed to have driven a wedge between them.

Both halves of the disturbed relationship were dreaming fitfully when Wegmeph's anxious summons dragged them from that fruitless endeavor. Laraph was at once alert, poised on the cusp of action as half-dreamed notions tumbled together with the crisper excitement of reality. I'dou merely grunted and rolled over, buffeting herself from any physical distractions with a conveniently placed pillow atop her head. She hadn't been sleeping much lately, too much weighing on her mind - add to that the discomfort that thoughts of clutches and flights brought her, and she only too eagerly willed away any presumptions of duty that might have dragged her from bed.

They're Hatching, I'dou. A stubborn trickle of awareness from Laraph persisted past the woman's sleepily conjured barriers. I want to watch them. The simourv's voice remained pleasant, but it took a fool not to understand the steel reinforcing the velveteen calmness. I'dou writhed uncomfortably on her cot, the constant pressure of her mate's will gentle but unrelenting. Finally she violently tore herself from her tangled sheets, chest heaving and pillow seized in hand as though she aimed to fling it at the gray. "What do you care about those eggs?" Laraph's expectations chafed humiliatingly, bringing to the surface imperfections that she'd much rather bury than face.

To the simourv's credit, she neither flinched nor balked at I'dou's childish rebuttal. She was a picture of poise, if a tight, restricted poise. Her dark eyes spoke volumes for what her body's language did not - Laraph was displeased, and her gaze conveyed that with a sharpness that rarely surfaced. They are my kin, and their riders will be your people. Why don't you want to see them hatch? And as neat as that, Laraph had reversed the flow of power, had redirected the indignation and concern right back onto I'dou.

The woman did flinch at that,retreating from her challenge if not her angry stance, her thin a thin, twitching line of displeasure. She was humiliated, not just because she'd been outwitted by her own, adolescent simourv, but because the thought of airing her concerns and fears frightened her in a very unhealthy way. She was undoubtedly closest to this very creature that challenged her now, but still she couldn't bridge the gap to let Laraph see all that she ought to be privy to. I'dou couldn't really help it, years of conditioning had taught her what hampered them now.

"...you could just go yourself." The suggestion hung there limply, before with a shaky sigh and a large dose of recalcitrance, I'dou began to dress for the chilly venture down to the Sands. Laraph continued to watch hers with considerable thought, the tip of her tail lashing as if to mark each separate consideration. I want you to watch for me. Unremarkably, I'dou bristled at the idea of attending in her simourv's absence when she wanted nothing to do with it, but she relented regardless. "Fine." Laraph was playing some sort of game with her, and the implications were enough to needle in just the wrong way. Hastily yanking on a sweater over her thinner shirt, I'dou stalked from their shared quarters, Laraph following Hers' departure before wearily closing her eyes and giving her feathered head a good shake of remorse before curling up once more against the chill that seemed to suddenly pervade the room. The strain had been there a while, and now it was threatening to break over both their heads - well, no matter. This was a day for hatchlings!

I'dou had remained stubbornly mute the entire trek to the Sands, dead-set on obeying Laraph's 'command' and taking no joy out of the event in and of itself. She was hurting, and she avowed to take it out on whatever she set eyes on. Fortunately her haste and the earliness of the hour prevented most from incurring any outlash, and by the time she'd reached the Sands she'd almost worked her frustrations to a tolerable level. The rush of warmth from the heated sands certainly thawed her, even with I'dou hovering outside, uncertain as to where to place herself to view the unfolding event. She'd unerringly taken the same path she herself had taken as an anxious candidate those months before. The familiarity provided an excellent distraction from her own troubles, and she settled in her distant spot, stalling until she figured out just where she ought to be - or where someone else thought she should be.

[Kat]

It was common knowledge that the hatching was quickly approaching, and so Morgana had made a point of ensuring that she was ready to leave as fast as possible once the hatching was proclaimed to be absolutely imminent. The girl had been subtly unpacking her room for three days now, taking down as much of her decorations as she could manage without Amira becoming overly suspicious. The other girl was still trying to convince Morgana to stay, and Morgana wanted no part in the redhead’s excitement or plans. She liked Amira, but that was not a good enough reason to abandon her dreams and replace them with more drudge work and many authority figures. But if anyone would be able to convince Morgana to remain at the Eyrie, it would be Amira. Embry could, theoretically, but the boy was not enthusiastic enough about the life of a rider to even launch an attempt. Amira, though, would absolutely do something like that, and she had been for weeks now. Morgana remained steadfast. The tapestries were kept up, but her clothing was packed and clean, as well as her extra accessories that she wished to keep. She had put away the draping on her bed as well and replaced it with an ugly smear of gray velvet, which made it seem like she had only wanted a change of pace. She would leave that behind as well as her hangings, which she hoped Amira would enjoy.

But despite the shared knowledge of the closeness of the hatching, when Wegmeph’s voice thundered into Morgana’s head, she was so startled that she jerked upwards and sat straight up in her bed. The voice was unfamiliar. It was neither Aburoqaph’s or Seronaph’s voice, although it had to belong to a simourv. She did not like the new voice. It was stern. Morgana bit her lip, and the metallic taste of blood leaked into her mouth, salty and vile. She licked the blood off of her lip, and she stood up out of her bed. This was going all wrong! She was supposed to leave before the hatching started! But she was not yet ready to leave. She had not prepared Hamlet for travel, yet, and the bird would be upset that she just took him without covering his cage or asking him about it. He would need to be fed before they departed, and it was too early in the morning, or too late at night, to attempt to find him food. Morgana stared at the wall in front of her, even though it was too dark to make out any shapes along the stone. Morgana dropped her head in her hands, before she reluctantly stood up and stalked to her trunk. She had no choice but to attend the hatching, as if she attempted to scuttle away now, she would most absolutely be stopped. Besides, where would she go? She had not found a party to take her away yet, and she imagined that no one would travel on this day, as for some reason, everyone, even the people unaffiliated with the rider’s mission, were obsessed with the idea of the new babies.

The girl bitterly pulled on a pair of men’s cropped pants and a bright purple silk blouse. She pulled her hair back behind a blue and violet scarf, and then slipped on her pair of tall, brown boots. She looked unusually casual and unornamented, and she remained so even when she slipped into her black velvet cloak. The hood was pulled up over Morgana’s face, so that only the edge of the scarf could be seen under the black fabric, and her face was rather obscured by all of the fabric around it. She planned to go to the hatching with the others and then to sneak out while everyone was distracted by the mayhem and excitement. Maybe there would be more maulings at this hatching. That would make quite the distraction! It never occurred to the candidate that she could be in danger, as the concept of injuries or bondings by the claws and minds of simourvs were things that happened to other people. Morgana wondered if she should wait for Amira to go to the sands, but she decided that such an action was unnecessary. The other girl would absolutely go, and if they went together, then Morgana might have a harder time escaping. Amira would be a distraction.

Morgana moved to the hatching with haste. Part of her was curious about the event, and the other part of her wanted to get there before the other candidates so that she could hide herself amongst the onlookers more effectively. She practically skipped to the nesting sands, and then she slid into them, a grin set on her face. There were already people here, although there were no other candidates that she could see. This was all perfect, Morgana thought, as she tucked herself away on the periphery of where it was acceptable to have the candidates stand. She had been taught all about where to go, and she knew that she was a bit off to the side, but that was the point. None of the hatchlings would know that she was a candidate if she stood here, and then none of them would notice her and her plan would be perfect. She could barely see the eggs from where she stood behind a large cluster of kitchen workers, but she could tell that the largest of them was slowly tilting, while the little one next to it seemed to be furiously wiggling; it almost jumped. What a strange egg. The little purple egg, Morgana could not see, but that did not matter to her. She could see two of them, and that would be enough to appease her curiosity.

---

Ri’ley jolted awake as well, and he sat up, placing a hand on Dionyph’s flank in order to pull himself into a sitting position. He had once again, for about the fifth night in a row, fell asleep tucked between one of Dionyph’s legs and the black’s chest. Ri’ley liked that he could hear the beating of the large simourv’s heart with his ear so carefully positioned against gray-and-black feathers. Dionyph was so warm and comforting, Ri’ley thought, and now that he was so big, the physical contact Ri’ley had been upholding for the early months of the hatchling’s life was becoming very difficult. Dionyph was barely a hatchling, now. He stood a few meager inches over eight feet tall, and thus he towered over Ri’ley already. The circumstances under which the man could drag the hatchling to every location which the man graced were quickly slimming. Pretty soon, Dionyph might not fit into the infirmary, for example, or the kitchens, and the thoughts of having to leave the chick anywhere made Ri’ley upset and uncomfortable. So, for the past few days, Ri’ley had been sleeping with Dionyph, which not only kept the pair as physically close as possible, but also kept Ri’ley warm, which was becoming more and more difficult without the proper winter attire.

Ri’ley stood up, then, shakily stretching himself to his feet, while Dionyph opened one of his large, silver eyes which danced with excitement and awe.
The hatching, mine! We have to go! I cannot wait to see the new batch of brothers in arms against the threat of the koxi. They will be fellow warriors like us, and we will be as proud of them as we are of my great siblings.
At his hatchling’s words, Ri’ley’s face twisted into a large grin. He had already assumed they were heading to the hatching, and he had been digging through his trunk to find appropriate clothing. Once his sleeping robe was removed and his body was covered in a dark shirt and a dark pair of pants; possibly of clashing colors, because Ri’ley could not see tone in the dark, he moved towards Dionyph and stroked the simourv’s dark gray beak.
Of course we will be going; Amaryllis and Amira will be standing.

[/i]
Ri’ley replied in agreement as he began to walk towards his door. Dionyph chirped in an agreed excitement. Before the man stepped into the hall, however, he grabbed his box of medical supplies, just in case they were needed. He wanted to be more prepared for this hatching then he had been for the last. Although, with only three eggs, Ri’ley hoped that the injuries would be minimal.

Dionyph lead the way into the nesting sands, and as soon as he saw Laraph he began to head in her direction instead of heading into the sands itself. Ri’ley dutifully watched Dionyph depart, but instead of following him, the man stalked into the nesting sands to watch for signs of the two girls he came to support. He saw neither one, not yet. That meant that he must be rather on time for the hatching, which was good. Upon reaching the gray, Dionyph dropped into a small, but formal, bow.
Queenly sister, this is so exciting, is it not? We have the chance to witness the creation of a new batch of warriors and protectors. I feel as if I am intimately connected to the dewy fingers which tie the tides of time together in past and in future.
Over the past few months, the black simourv's voice had been changing, and now, it was a great, resonating low rumble, a grand and impressive voice, that was increasingly more comforting to listen to. It was not that Dionyph's voice had been unpleasant when he was younger, but it was slowly settling into an almost lyrically deep cantor. Ri'ley's own voice would never be able to compete with his simourv's, which only promised to become deeper and more impressive as the simourv matured into adulthood. At Dionyph’s announcement, which Ri'ley mentally overheard, Ri’ley shook his head, a large, amused grin fixed on his face. As Dionyph aged, he became more and more verbose in language, which was an impressive feat for a simourv who had contemplated the nature of his existence on his first day of life. Dionyph moved to stand politely and proudly next to Laraph, and almost as if he had been inspired to do so by the large black, Ri'ley approached I'dou, who was, in justification, the only person from the Alpha class currently present on the sands.
”Early morning, no? But this is quite exciting. I’m afraid I missed most of the last hatching’s details. I’m glad I have the opportunity to observe the process.”
Ri’ley said in greeting, and his voice was unusually cheery and emotive. Even when he was happy, the man tended to sound a bit flat, but the possibility of babies animated both his speech and his dancing brown eyes. The smile he flashed towards I’dou was bright, focused, and utterly genuine; the prospect of new hatchlings made him happy, and a part of him was excited by the mere possibility that his sister could share the transcended wonder of ridership with a partner. Dionyph was Ri’ley’s very existence, and he wanted to share the wonder with the girl who meant so very much to him. The possibility was absolutely joyous.
[/blockquote][/size]

[Kilnarak]

Muraaph was awake, bright and early, nearly as soon as she heard Wegmeph's bellowing voice - her ears pricked toward the sound, alert and excited. The green was on her feet before his message even had time to sink in, thrusting her great head into her rider's chambers and nudging the young man awake. Mine! Altaph's clutch are hatching! Let's go, let's go! Her voice held a strange edge, bright and happy and excited, but there was tension buried beneath it all. A're, however, was not coherent enough to note or comment on his bond's excitement.

The greenrider had not been on watch duty the night prior, and had taken the opportunity to go out and enjoy himself. He had returned to his eyling in what was either late night or early morning - really, he hadn't been quite sure at the time - and so very far from sober that the very concept had seemed the quality of a hazy dream. Upon returning, he had done little more than awkwardly remove his boots before falling into his bed. As such, A're groaned and tried to shove the insistent simourv away, curling over into his blankets and burying his head beneath his pillows. While he had slept, he had felt fine, but now that Muraaph had nudged him to the edge of wakefulness he came to the realization that his head hurt. The headache throbbed within his skull, pain just as insistent in seeing him awake as his much gentler green bonded.

Muraaph didn't intend to give up, of course. When Hers only bundled himself tighter within his blankets - muttering something that could, with a stretch, mean 'go away' - she huffed sharply through her nostrils. The green shifted slightly on her ledge, her claws digging into the stone as she reached forward to oh-so-carefully gather up the cocoon of blankets binding Hers in her beak. They were going to see the new babies whether he woke up for it or not. She made a grumbling noise deep in her throat as the man yelped indignantly and began to squirm. Just hold still! It isn't a long flight, anyway! Muraaph's mental tones were a touch irritated, but still held a hit of affection and amusement, as she carefully turned about and launched herself into the cold morning air.

The green glided down toward the nesting sands - keeping her wing-beats as even and smooth as possible so as not to jostle Hers too much. Soon enough she was coming in for a landing in the section of the cavern set aside for viewing. She deposited the wriggling bundle of blankets that trapped Hers (whose muffled voice was loosing a stream of obscenities, mostly regarding the cold air and certain overbearing greens) carefully upon the stone, giving it one final affectionate nudge before she moved to the edge of the viewing station to observe. Muraaph's wide orange eyes took in the scene below her, the fidgeting eggs and their handsome father. Truly, she had never thought such of Wegmeph before - the blue was too much of a stick-in-the-mud - but seeing him thus, so protective of his children, seemed to have changed her mind. She would have to go down and congratulate him, once the eggs had hatched and the hatchlings hidden within had chosen Theirs. Not now, however - there was something dangerous about the blue now, and she did not think it would be wise of her to approach him yet.

A bit behind the green, A're struggled free of his blankets, spitting curses. When he realized other riders, as well as a handful of winglets, were already there, however, he silenced abruptly and a flush spread across his cheeks. Oh, he was making such a good impression, wasn't he? The greenrider gathered up the blanket that had previously been his prison, draping the cloth over his shoulders to keep himself warm - not that it wasn't already warm in the nesting chambers; he could feel heat seeping up through the stone at his feet. He offered those around him a rather sheepish grin, riffing fingers through his sleep-tousled hair, and then trudged his way over to stand closer to Muraaph. He squinted his eyes against the glare of light against the sand, watching the eggs. "They aren't movin' too much yet, Mura. Coulda given me 'nough time ta wake up. Maybe take breakfast," he grumbled to his green, who only snorted softly in answer and flicked her tail around to curl possessively about the small man.

---

Mashiro woke up as an unfamiliar voice resounded in his head. He brought a hand up to cover one of his ears as if he might block out the noise, although, of course, it did not. Yukimori had also awoken, and was standing tense and alert beside his bed. She had not heard the simourv's mental call, obviously, but that bellowing roar had rocked through the Eyrie and it set her ears back and left her to whining. The dog cast worried glances back and forth between her master and the doorway. When the pale man sat up, however, the dog barked and gave a slow wag of her tail, turning fully toward him and licking the man's offered hands happily as he tried to pat her reassuringly.

The albino sighed softly as he regarded his dog. He couldn't bring her with him, it wasn't safe. But he also doubted he could leave her here, not after what had happened the last time - while it had been immensely amusing to watch his roommate shriek at the sight of his ruined wardrobe, it had also been rather discourteous. Even if, distantly, he thought the younger boy had deserved the discourtesy given his own impolite behavior. Mashiro's pale blue gaze flicked across the room to take note of Embry as the boy woke to the same booming call. No, he would need to find somewhere else to leave Yukimori for the duration of this event. He offered a curt nod to his roommate when the other boy looked his way, and a simple: "Morning," before he went about readying himself to leave.

He dressed himself quickly and simply enough, his garments plain and unadorned, nothing impressive to look at but they would serve to keep him warm. He did, however, drape his fur cloak about his shoulders after he had finished pulling on his boots. He clucked his tongue to get Yukimori's attention, alerting her to follow him before he left the room - the well-trained hound didn't even hesitate, padding quickly after her master. Luckily enough, he had a good enough idea of where he might leave the dog - picking his way quickly through the circuitous route to the living quarters on the ground floor. Mashiro saw to it that the dog was comfortable, staying for the moment with his uncle in the small room the older man had rented. He gave the dog a pat on the head, and accepted his uncle's well-wishes graciously, before leaving there as well.

As it was, this trek aside lead to him being among the last of the candidates to arrive at the sands. Seeing a familiar face just outside of the great cavern, he offered Ri'ley a nod of greeting before continuing in to stand with the others - not in their midst, but not so far apart from them. He hadn't allowed himself to think much about the hatching on his way over, focusing on the long walk, on anything else. But now that he was here, he couldn't help but think on it. He doubted any of the great birds would want him, but it seemed to be some sort of tradition, coming here to stand, so he would fulfill his part and then he would go back to his daily routine - whether or not they intended for him to stay.

Mashiro had been here before, once, but he had stood in the section reserved for those who were not standing for candidacy. The great chamber seemed different from where he stood now, larger and emptier. The albino's eyes barely glanced over his fellows, instead falling upon the eggs with interest. They were very large, much larger than he had truly expected, even given the size of the great beasts. There were only three, the two more earth colored eggs made sense to him - they would blend in with their surroundings well enough, the pale hues of the sand or the dappled color of cliff-born shadows. The vibrantly magenta egg gave him pause - such bright hues would surely attract its death in the wilds; it didn't make sense to him. He frowned softly, still regarding the eggs with a detached sort of interest as he waited for the event.

---

T'gan had similarly awakened to the blue Wegmeph's bellowing roar. Othokenph bounced up at the noise, bustling about energetically. Isn't he loud? Will I be that loud, too, Mine? the... no-longer-so-little blue chirped and fell into a play-bow, before excitedly prancing away and across the room. T'gan couldn't help but laugh, although she felt a bit sorry for their roommate - Othokenph's antics would certainly wake the other girl up, if Wegmeph's cries hadn't. We're going, aren't we? Amira will be there! Othokenph pranced back to His as the girl rolled out of her bed, stretching.

"Of course, Oth. I just need ta get dressed," she smiled broadly as the hatchling bounced away, crowing his delight. He was likely big enough now that he could carry her easily upon his back, but she still couldn't forget when he had been small. He was still the same, just... bigger. He was only slightly taller than she was now, not nearly as large as some of her siblings, but of course he would be growing much taller. Perhaps he would rival Wegmeph, one day? T'gan smiled to herself as she thought this, and went about clothing herself for the day ahead. She hadn't owned any winter-clothes before coming to the Eyrie, but she had at least managed to make up for the lack with a small number of new garments. A heavy coat, bleached pale and lined with fleece, and darker, soft leather slacks. She had also bought heavy boots, and a woolen scarf - dyed bright blue and white and standing out like a gem against her otherwise earth-toned attire.

The young blue-pair made their way to the sands - as I'dou had, following the path they had taken as candidates. T'gan didn't know of any other way - there must have been another, one that those who weren't up to bond took. She smiled at Ri'ley and I'dou as she saw them, and Othokenph chirped brightly at Laraph and Dionyph, bounding to the pair and butting his head against them affectionately. Hello! Are you going to watch too?

T'gan padded a bit past the other two, peering around the edge of the cavern and inside. Could they enter this way? She glanced back at the pair of them after a moment, offering another friendly smile. "Ah, maybe we shouda gone 'round ta the other side, huh?" she laughed softly and folded her arms over her chest, huddling a bit against the cold of the morning.

[zeis]

K'huna, ever the early riser, was already up when the call came. He had been sitting quietly at his desk, idly picking at his breakfast, and going over notes scribbled in that ledger his Canph had come to despise. When the familiar voice of Wegmeph came screeching through his head, proud but also slightly hysterical, he paused with glass of cider to his lips. He smiled at no one in particular, and downed the remains of the glass as he pushed himself to a stand. He'd have to go in casual dress, for once not as clean and neat as he'd like. Eggs waited for no one.

Though he had spoken to no one about it, the Wingletmaster had been worried about this particular batch of eggs. Over a stupid reason really. Ecephs egg's had hatched fine in their nesting grounds, all healthy. But that had been during fall, and this was the chill of winter. Of course, the nesting sands were still blazing hot, and they would most likely be fine. Then again, he was not the type of person to be satisfied by 'most likely'. But this winter seemed to hold only good tidings. The first wild simourv seen in four years, and now the second successful hatching. His relief turned to mild apprehension as he made his way onto Canph's ledge, and noticed the dark feeling of jealousy from his bonded. He furrowed his brows, and stopped behind the giant red simourv, putting one had on his hip. "We went over this."

I know, and I don't care. Canph muttered sullenly, crouching like a flamboyant gargoyle on the edge of the rock, gripping with with his talons. I should have won. "But you didn't." He cheated. "It's been two months, get over it." You get over it! The simourv turned suddenly and snapped his beak irritably at his rider, who in turn simply stared at him with one eyebrow raised. The bellowing of Wegmeph, joyous and urgent still sounded through both of their heads as they sat in silence. In a lull, the red turned his gaze back toward the huge cavern of the nesting grounds and whined like a child. Why is he so special?

His rider watched him a moment longer, before moving to stand at the edge beside him. The red ignored him at first, then lowered his head to nudge him with brown eyes gazing at him intently. K'huna stroked the monstrous beak infront of him. "Don't work yourself up." He sounded unsure of whether he wanted to be scolding or comforting. This yearning of Canph's had been a recent development, and for all he claimed to know about Simourv, K'huna was unsure how to handle it. He said nothing as Wegmeph sounded off again, before tentatively stating. "I'm going. You don't gotta come with me."

The red glanced down at the hatching ground below, and retreated from the ledge, settling back down on the stone with his back to the open sky. Go ahead, I'll be watching. K'huna observed him for a moment, judging whether or not he liked this reply, before starting toward the door at a brisk jog. He felt excited, but his excitement was dulled. Canph was still troubled, and that would need to be addressed before the troublesome red decided to act out on it.

On the way to the sands, the Wingletmaster stopped by the Candidates Barracks to assist Ts'kal in what way he could in rounding up the candidates that were not presumably already on their way. There was already a sizable crowed when he arrived, and he surveyed the rocking eggs with a sense of pride. It may have not been Canph responsible for the new lives born today, but they were dear to him anyway. Their dream was becoming a steady reality. His eyes wandered the crowd for Ros'n, wanting to congratulate both her and Wegmeph, but that of course could wait till after.

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

M'ari, like a certain other greenrider, was also in an unlucky state when the call went out. Unlike A're, he had not gone drinking the night before, and would have been mildly upset at the idea he had been left out. So, instead of being passed out in his bed, the Sweeprider had been climbing out of what had been a very relaxing bath when Wegmeph started bugling. At the sudden shouting in his head he gave a startled yell, and with an uncharacteristic lack of grace slipped and went head over heels back into the water. Thankfully the bath was deep enough that he didn't hurt himself. The man burst from the surface with a spluttering gasp for breath, and simply clung to the edge of the hot spring baths like a man shipwrecked.

In his head, Valenph laughed good naturedly. Try to keep from killing yourself long enough to come see them with me. Back on her ledge the vibrant green shook the sleep out of her feathers, and spread her wings for flight. In the air below her, she caught sight of Muraaph carrying a wriggling shouting bundle through the air. She bobbed her head with amusement, and leapt after her sister, eager to chat with her. I'll meet you there. Hurry! You can't miss it! I wouldn't for the world, love. The green landed shortly after, and padded over to sit companionably by her sister, maintaining the respectful distance Muraaph had decided upon. Hello, Muraaph. I bet that little beige one will hatch first.

And the often dishonest M'ari meant it, as he hauled himself from the bath. He had not quite forgiven himself for missing the first hatching, which had been the start of so many important lives. He'd been stupid, and Valenph had quite easily agreed. The green-rider didn't intend to disappoint her like that again, and besides. It would be interesting to see a simourv hatching without a red tearing him to pieces. Granted, it could still happen to someone else, but it would be much less distracting. He dressed quickly, regretting that most of his flashy jewelry was back in his room. He'd have to go to this thing underdressed! Well, there was always the feast to look forward to.

He arrived on the sands with his long, normally curly, black hair still sleek and wet. It dampened the open neck shirt he wore, but he figured both his hair and clothes would dry out in the head of the sands. It wasn't quite the look he was going for, but it would do. He looked over the eggs with a smile, remembering the vibrant orange and purple egg that had yielded his Valenph. Even with the comforting feeling of his simourv in his head, his eyes looked over the assembled faces for human company. He spotted T'gan's Othokenph in the process, and eagerly searched the crowd for her. The green-rider sauntered up to her, and made a leggy bow, made less elegant by his straggly wet hair. "Ah, there is my beautiful wife. How goes? Excited?" He asked teasingly, utterly tactless around the Winglets that were her peers.

[Fox]

Silas was the only one of the much reduced batch of candidates to have his own room. Technically, it wasn’t his room since it was plainly furnished for two, but with the odd number of male candidates, Silas had gotten lucky. On this particular early winter morning, the man was cocooned comfortably in his bed with the extra blankets he had repossessed from the unoccupied bunk. He was awake, but just barely, and not at all inclined to move from the warmth of his nest. Still, when the call came from Wegmeph, it took only a moment for Silas to process the idea that the eggs were hatching before suddenly he erupted from the bed with a haste that was the only indication as to the excitement that raced through him at the thought of a hatching. Back on the bed, the only stable female in Silas’s life complained loudly as her source of warmth disappeared, making the dark-haired man grin affectionately.

Dressing was a rushed affair; with Silas hardly even sparing a glance into the mirror to make sure he was presentable (a previously unheard of lapse on his part). Eventually, he was at least fully-dressed in a thick coat, pale shirt and breeches of an unidentifiable dark colour, and he finger-combed his hair hastily out of his face. Silas dashed over to the bed briefly to run a hand across Lady’s head, fur and velvety ears smooth beneath his calloused palm. ”Sorry, milady, gotta run.” Then he was out of the door and on his way to the Sands and Altaph’s clutch, heart drumming in his ears. Left alone to curl comfortably in the warm cavity left by Silas’s body, the large female cat could only knead her paws in her new domain, disapproval outweighed by the comfortable warmth on such a chilly winter day. Honestly, nothing of any interest ever woke up before it was light out. These Humans with their silly customs could learn a thing or two from Lady. With a yawn that displayed pink tongue and gums and dangerously white, sharp teeth, the she-cat simply tucked her pink nose under her white-tipped tail and contrived to go back to sleep until a more civilised time of day.

The walk from the Candidates Barracks to the Nesting Sands was not a long one, and Silas arrived on the scene neither early nor late. There were already other candidates present, though Silas himself did not know that many of them. He had been here once before, but the Sands looked different when one was actually going to stand for the hatching. Outwardly striving for calm, the man’s heart was nonetheless thundering away like nobody’s business. Partly to distract himself and partly because he wanted to talk to someone marginally familiar, boot-clad feet carried Silas to the pale form of his fellow candidate and former business partner of a sort; Mashiro. ”G’mornin’.” He wished cordially, distractedly, dark eyes straying from the other man’s features to the brightly coloured eggs rocking on the sands. ”Which d’you think’ll hatch first?” His drawling voice carried an undertone of anxiety, but that was only expected. Silas still wasn’t too sure about this whole bonding to a simourv business, though he couldn’t deny that the idea was an alluring one.

&

For a long moment after Wegmeph’s call echoed through her sleep-befuddled mind, L’nan thought he was Canph. She had good reason too; Canph and Aburoqaph had been the only simourvs to ever wake her up of a morning, and that was for lessons. How was she to know that the voice that boomed into her mind, whose words she didn’t even absorb, wasn’t just the large Red having an off day? It was lucky for Lea, then, that even though she did not heed the summons, opting instead to turn over for five more minutes before she promised she’d get up and get ready, Eoreph knew. Eoreph listened and understood and abruptly tugged the blankets away from Hers, ignoring the muffled shriek of protest at cold air hitting bare feet. This was too important an event for either she or L’nan to miss! Altaph’s clutch was hatching!

Mine! Get up, Mine, the hatching has started![/color] The tawny’s voice when it reached Lea was uncharacteristically excited, though it was still more muted than the much more vocal exclamations of her siblings. With her beak, Eoreph gave the foetal ball that was her lifepartner a good shove, eliciting a groan and a bleary ”I’m up, ugh, I’m up…” It was only after Lea rolled to a sitting position that the full import of Eoreph’s words sank in. Then her mouth widened into an ‘O’ of surprise and she was up and dressing as quickly as she could, with Eoreph’s wordless encouragement and excitement fuelling her own. It wasn’t just that Sa’nia and Altaph had searched her in Itnala (though that was a part of it and Lea was really, really happy for the two of them!) but as the only other tawnypair in existence at present, it was pretty guaranteed that L’nan would have to emulate Sa'nia in accompanying Eoreph through Clutching and Hatching at some point. Of course, at the moment the little tawny had only the vaguest ideas of where the babies came from, and her bonded wasn’t about to enlighten her so soon. Their time would come, and frankly at the moment the prospect of eggs and babies far outstripped the idea of Flights. Lea didn’t really want to think about those just yet.

Soon enough, the young woman and the tawny arrived at the sands, having clattered out of the Barracks and practically sprinted in the direction of the sands. Lea had been too preoccupied at Eoreph’s hatching to pay much attention to the details, but she had the chance now and she wasn’t going to waste it by being late. Slowing to a trot as the tawnypair neared the Nesting Sands, Eoreph sent Hers a mental nudge in the direction of the other winglets and candidates, her own brown gaze having been caught by her siblings already present. Lea glanced back only long enough to rest a hand against the tawny’s neck (the easiest part of her to reach now that the simourv had breached the seven foot marker) before they split up; Eoreph to approach Laraph, Dionyph and Othokenph, and L’nan to do the same with the respective riders. Laraph, Dionyph, Othokenph, good morning.[/color] She wished softly, still shy but no longer as cripplingly so as when she had first been born. I trust you are well.[/color] That she was excited for the hatching went unsaid; it was obvious.

Meanwhie, each step brought L’nan closer to the crowd of spectators, though she aimed specifically for the group incuding I’dou, Ri’ley and T’gan. With a cheerful grin that belied her usual less-than-pleasant attitude towards mornings, Lea bounded up beside I’dou, flashing her former roommate a grin which she then turned to encompass the other two winglets present. ”Morning!” She chirped, ”We haven’t missed anything have we?” Of course, Lea could now see for herself that all three eggs were still intact, though at least two were wobbling industriously. A thrill of excitement shot through her, so much that she hardly noticed the familiar greenrider from that evening so many days ago with Morgana and N’raan. Speaking of, in fact. Lea wondered if Morgana was here already and who would bond to which egg. This was so exciting!

&

Wegmeph’s call, when it came, was followed quickly by an answering bugle from Seronaph, who lunged to his feet on his ledge in excitement. Mine![/color] He called sharply, though in truth K’ean hardly needed that reminder as he had already shot to his feet anyway. It was lucky that he was already dressed and prepared for the day; he had been occupied in buttoning his shirt when the blue had sent his mental announcement. Now, he said not a word, instead snatching up his thick padded riding jacket and gloves, thankful that the padding designed for frigid temperatures in flight also served to stave off a winter morning’s chill. By the time he stepped out onto his simourv’s ledge, Seronaph was perched right at the edge of the rock, neck stretched out as if he could see the Sands from the eyling’s elevated position. Absently, simourv and rider noted the passing of Valenph and Muraaph, the latter with a wriggling bundle in her beak, before Seronaph was shuffling back to allow K’ean to clamber up.

It was faster to get down to the sands this way, and Seronaph wasted no more time in launching himself off the ledge. This clutch was not his; he had lost Altaph’s flight when Wegmeph-- here, Seronaph could not suppress the hiss of anger-- had outsmarted them and caught the tawny. But it didn’t matter because hatchlings were hatchlings and they would mean more winglets and more winglets was always good. So the red and his rider glided down to the sands wordlessly, none needed to communicate the excitement that seemed to permeate the atmosphere. Rather than depositing his rider somewhere first, Seronaph elected to land near his green sisters, his red wings flaring to slow his descent. Immediately upon having all four feet on the ground, the red’s head swivelled so that amber eyes rested on the three eggs, such a small number compared to Eceph’s clutch of last season, but significant all the same. He did not greet his two green sisters; there were more important things to focus on than pleasantries, and Seronaph had never liked such things anyway.

As his simourv scrutinised the eggs, K’ean slid to the ground, already feeling the heat seeping up from the sands through the soles of his boots. If he stayed here for too long he might actually start to sweat in his riding jacket, but being warm was better than being cold at least. The young man wasn’t expecting to see A’re, though, especially clad in such an unusual manner. Before he even had a chance to glance at the eggs, K’ean paused to frown at A’re in a manner that bespoke of perplexity. ”Just woke up?” He asked drily, raising one eyebrow at the blankets that the greenrider clutched about his shoulders. He normally wasn’t one to nag at a person for such a little thing as attire-- not when there were so many things to nag about instead-- but… Blankets. K’ean didn’t think he’d ever seen that one.[/size]

[Kilnarak]

Muraaph warbled brightly at her sister as Valenph moved to sit near her. The smaller green rose to her feet again and - carefully sidestepping her bundled-up rider - moved to butt her head affectionately against Valenph's shoulder. Valenph! But it is so small! I think the bright one there, she turned her head toward the eggs again, pointing with her beak toward the bright magenta egg that... did not seem to be moving all that much. It is so pretty! I think it will surely hatch first! Muraaph bobbed her head, her voice full of certainty. It definitely was a very lovely shade - not as lovely as her own chartreuse feathers, but still lovely enough. She wondered absently if the child inside would be of a similar color - it would certainly look lovely on a handsome red.

Just as she was thinking this, of course, a handsome red decided to descend beside them. Valenph was between Muraaph and Seronaph, but the smaller green saw no issue in sidestepping her sister now to pad over toward the red. She didn't take any offense in his failure to greet them - of course the eggs were much more important and (she would admit with only a bit of begrudging) interesting - but she saw his proximity a fine enough excuse to greet him. Similarly to how she had greeted her sister, Muraaph bumped her head against Seronaph's shoulder, then only continued sidling up against him and leaning against his side. Seronaph! Which do you think shall hatch first? I think the bright one, and Valenph thinks the small one.

For his part, A're didn't follow Muraaph as she moved away, instead he slowly lowered himself into a sit where she had left him. He drew his blankets up closer about his shoulders, and was in a middle of a yawn when K'ean addressed him. He started slightly at the voice suddenly sounding behind him, freezing a moment before turning oh-so-slowly to squint up at the redrider. "No one told me I'd have ta get up before it was even light out," he grinned sheepishly up at K'ean, offering up a chuckle. "I'd've dressed more appropriate-like, but Mura wouldn't wait." The slight young man glanced away from K'ean toward the eggs, watching them a moment to make sure none of them had broken open while he had been looking away, before he returned his attention to the other man. "Ya don't got ta worry, I'm not gonna flash anyone, see?" he offered with another laugh as he opened the blanket-cloak a bit to show the rather rumpled attire he had worn the previous day; he assumed that was what all the frowns were about. Sure, A're could be inappropriate sometimes, but he wasn't that inappropriate!

---

Mashiro blinked - not exactly startled, but perhaps a touch surprised - when another candidate came to stand near him. However, as soon as he saw who it was, he recognized the young man. He had worked with Silas and his brother before he had even come to the Eyrie, and the other had never seemed particularly perturbed by his appearance. At the greeting, he inclined his head slightly and offered a genuine, if rather spare, smile. "Morning," he offered, turning slightly so that he faced Silas. "It's strange, standing here, isn't it? We watched from the stands before," he continued in a thoughtful tone, nodding toward said stands. He did remember seeing Silas there, the last time eggs had hatched. It had been an interesting affair, if one that he had felt detached from; now he would not merely be observing, but participating as well. He wasn't entirely sure how he liked that idea.

At the question, however, he glanced back to the eggs again, his eyes narrowing slightly in scrutiny. "I think the small one, perhaps? Tan? It seems to be moving the most, at least. What do you think?" He glanced back to the other man, offering a noncommittal shrug of his shoulders. He wasn't sure, the large one was also moving and how it tilted made him wonder if it would fall? He should have liked to see how thick the shell was - would it crack in such a fall? Or would it merely jostle the creature inside? The violet egg did not seem to be moving much, however he could hardly see the thing from where he stood. "I wonder why that one is so bright? Its siblings are much better camouflaged," his lips quirked slightly as he thought aloud - another hint of a smile - "Perhaps I should wonder why the others are not as bright, 'though. The others were all very vibrant, weren't they?" If he was nervous about the event, it didn't seem to slip past his calm demeanor.

---

T'gan was just about to greet L'nan as she saw the other girl approaching, when another familiar face strode confidently toward her. A familiar face, but with his hair lank and damp about his shoulders it gave her pause. She only flushed a bit and frowned as he bowed to her and called her his wife - that lie which they had told her parents, that she might leave. The arms crossed over her chest drew tighter, and she put her shoulders back, standing straight. "I'm... hardly either of those things," she retorted, a hint of awkwardness in her tone. After a moment, however, she shook her head and resumed a more slouching, relaxed posture - even offered a small smile; more awkward than that she had shared with the other winglets. "Yeah, excited 'bout sums it up. I hope things go well for Amira, I'd like ta think she deserves that much."

The girl let her arms drop as Othokenph, finished greeting his siblings (having offered Eoreph a friendly nuzzle) and bounded abruptly back to her side. The not-so-little blue circled her once, not quite prancing, before sitting with a slight lean against her side. His olive-colored eyes turned up to M'ari curiously, but friendly enough. Hello! he chirped brightly, and he tilted his head slightly as T'gan ruffled his ears, his eyes closing in a pleasant expression and a rumbling sort of purr emanating from his throat. The girl smiled more broadly, but then looked abruptly flustered again as the blue opened his eyes and asked in that same bright tone, Mine is your wife? What is a wife?

[Kat]

The Eager Dwarf rocked quickly, and it banged against the ground as it moved. The hatchling inside wanted out so badly. She wanted to find the world outside of the walls of the egg, but she could not break the free of the hard shell. She wiggled harder and harder, but her body was tightly compacted into the egg, and she could not move enough to break the eggshell. Not yet.

The Pied Giant shook as well, the large egg wobbled so much that it tumbled on its side. Then, the egg rocked back and forth from its horizontal position before it burst apart in a shower of brown, black, and cream fragments. The chick that was inside fumbled to stand on her feet, which had buckled under her when she broke the cover of her egg home. She stood with effort, but her legs still shook under her, especially since half of her body was still pinned by the cream and auburn eggshell that formed a small crescent of existing cover. The large chick did not try to shake herself free from the eggshell. She was very confused, and she lifted her large, gray eyes, which were almost blue when the morning light which was only beginning to creep into the cave hit them, to glance around the room. Her eyes, because they were situated on rosy pink accents, looked almost swollen, which did not make the hatchling look ill or tired, but rather only increased the prominence of her eyes on the hatchling’s gentle face. The chick’s heart pounded, as she realized that so many people watched her, but she did not allow any of the confusion and anxiety grace the serene expression which crossed her face. All these people were here to watch her. All these people were here to honor her, and she knew that she could live up to their standards.

The Tawny shook her body out, which freed the front part of her body from the sticky afterbirth which splattered across the shell of the Eager Dwarf. The Tawny felt terrible that she had marred her sibling so horribly, but that was not to be helped. The second half of her body remained caught by the remaining piece of egg, but now the Tawny could stand awkwardly, with the butt of the egg resting on the ground. The part of the Tawny’s body which could be seen was a soft, brown color, light, like the color of newly tanned hide, but dewy and soft, despite the sticky goo which coated the Tawny’s body. She was almost exactly the color of the sands, rich, and brown, and warm. The ochre color covered the Tawny’s chest and half of her head, stopping at the line of her kind, innocent eyes, which she blinked, the overwhelming confusion of the situation finally flashing across the Tawny’s face. The top of the Tawny’s head was a dark, gray-brown color that possessed an almost violet tone to it. The hatchling’s mahogany colored beak opened, and she produced a small, baffled chirp. She just did not know what to do. She knew that she was supposed to do something, but she could not decide what her actions should be. She knew that she was supposed to do something, but she did not know what that something was supposed to be. And she just could not get her rump out of her egg! It was the most distressing problem. She knew that she would overcome it and that she would remember what her correct path should be, but she needed to stand in the middle of the sands for a minute to collect herself and to think. She would remember. She knew that she would, or maybe she would figure it out without remembering. At least the people around her were pretty! All of them were so lovely. The Tawny was sure that she would like every one attending and watching her, and yet, she felt that someone who watched her was special. She could not fathom why any of these people would be better than the others, but she knew that one was. It was all very disorienting. She wished that she could sit down. But her backside was still trapped.

As soon as the Pied Giant emerged from her egg, the Eager Dwarf began to rock so hard that it appeared to vibrate. It moved furiously, until finally, it exploded, the brown shell scattering all around the room. The shell quite literally flew apart, so that pieces scattered across the sands in an impressive display of carnage. The simourv inside did not like that her sister had hatched first! The chick inside was supposed to be the first to hatch! It was not fair that her Tawny sister should overshadow her! The chick inside shook her green feathers out incredulously as she turned her head and her bright yellow eyes to glare at the Tawny angrily. The Green stormed away from the place she hatched, her green claws tearing at the ground, as if she was determined to take out her displeasure on the sands. She snorted towards the Tawny hatchling, her dark green beak lifting in defiance. The Tawny might have been the first to break the shell, but she was still technically in her egg. That meant that the Green had hatched first! She was winning, and she would continue to win.

The green fumbled around the sands, dashing to and from the people around her. There were lots of people, although some were more centrally located than others. She was not sure what to make of the outer ring of people. They all seemed either unimportant or already taken. She quite liked one girl, who was standing next to a tall man and another girl, but the preferable girl was already claimed, the green could tell that, even though she was not sure how she knew. The green hatchling then moved towards the cluster of candidates who stood in the middle of the sands. She looked at Mashiro first, because he was the closest to her, despite being the furthest away. And while she looked at him, she spotted Morgana, who was tucked away behind a cluster of girls. The green darted towards the blond girl, and she screeched in a distressed and angry manner. How dare that girl try to hide from her! What kind of candidate did this girl think she was. The green hatchling stared down Morgana with cold, yellow eyes, before she turned her head away in disgust. This girl would not do! This girl was not worthy of her! She was too focused on hiding to be effective at anything. So, the green turned her dark forest colored head and stomped towards the middle of the sands.

The hatchling was quite attractive even though her colors were rather muted for a creature of her color. Her body was a soft, gray-green color which was perhaps a bit brown as well, and her head was a deep green, the color of newly fallen leaves or of dense pine needles. The hatchling would be quite boring in coloration, in fact, had her chest not been smeared with a bright burnt-orange color and if her legs had not been a rich golden color which matched her eyes. Her beak also had a smear of yellow on its underside even if it was mostly a dark green color which matched her horns. Covering a small patch of orange, was a light white bib of feathers under the creature’s beak. The little hatchling roared, before she stormed over the Mashiro and Silas, and shook her head. She did not like boys. They were gross and ungroomed, and she did not like these two boys especially. Why, that one was the must putrid shade of white. It was not natural. The boy was just awful, and so was the other. He was just unpleasant. Humans were the worst creatures. The hatchling did not know why she was expected to like them.

The bright pink egg at the edge of the sands tilted. It only moved a fraction of an inch, similar to its early movement that only Wegmeph saw. The hatchling inside the egg had decided not to hatch. He could tell there were all kinds of people outside that were waiting for him. He did not like that one bit, because once he revealed himself, everyone would be watching him. He did not want to be watched. But then, maybe he should hatch right now, because then the crowd would be distracted by his sisters, and he could escape into safety without anyone viewing him. The egg wobbled, before it reverted to its original position. Maybe it would be best to come out now, because if he waited, he would be the last on the sands, and everyone’s attention would be solely on him. Why, that would be most terrible. The egg shook briefly. He was just not ready to come out yet. The world seemed like such a scary, daunting place. His egg was nice and warm and dark, and he liked it there. No, there was no need to emerge yet. He would wait here all day, and maybe these people would leave, and he would be alone to slink off and die. That would be better than emerging now with all these people who would look at him and spot his many inaccuracies. His egg was warm and dark, and the hatchling inside of it needed the darkness and the warmth. He needed to be comfortable even though the people around him were staring at his egg waiting for it to hatch, and the hatchling did not know what to do. All those people expected so much of him. He just could not provide it. He just could not.

[Cy]

[/b] He shouted after the guy’s back, as if it had been his own decision for Yukimori to be gone and Mashiro was simply complying. With a sigh and another lengthy moment of pause, he unleashed a frustrated sigh before throwing the blankets back and going about getting dressed as well. One check to make sure his hair was in place and nothing was broken out, he exited the room and made his first trip to the nesting sands.

It was an impressive area, that was for sure. He looked it over with wide eyes, as if he’d never seen it before, but his attentions were swiftly caught by an even grander event. The hatching itself. Before too long at all, eggs were cracking and even exploding apart, and newborn simourv were wandering about the sands with searching eyes. He glanced to his roommate, who stood nearby, with a smirk as the green screeched at him and moved away, but that smug expression slipped away just as quickly when it became apparent that he’d been dismissed as well. He ignored it, scoffed, and turned his attentions to the tawny instead. She was such a bland color though. He glanced to the bright pink egg then; now that was some color! But it just wobbled and stayed still, nothing came out. It was a dud. A moving dud of some sort, but a dud as far as Embry was concerned in that moment. With another huff of air, he looked to the side to skim over his fellow class then, sizing them all up and judging each and every one of them. Absolutely, his chances were terrific. After all, what bird in their right mind wish to be stuck to any of those other fools? … except for maybe him, that was one fiiine specimen there.

In the stands, the audience was buzzing with life and excitement as they witnessed the second hatching in Eyrie history. T’ia, enthusiastic and eager to finally be on the other side of the looking glass as far as the event was concerned, had rushed past everyone in a flurry of jingling bangles and flaring skirts until she was able to throw herself to the railing. She gripped it with her slender fingers and leaned up on to her toes, leaning over for a whimsical vantage point, bright grin on her features as she watching the happenings. She squealed with delight at the explosion caused by the green that soon blessed the sands, a chick a shade darker than her own Shovaph. She nibbled at her full bottom lip as she thought of her life mate, but the little lady had been absolutely adamant that she would not attend. She did not want to visit the place that held such disgusting memories for her and she certainly did not want to see more imperfect creatures. They would all be disappointments, she was certain. She had tried to convince her bonded to avoid attending as well, convinced that T’ia’s vibrant presence would only emphasize her own absence, but the former dancer was just as stubborn as the green. So there she was, enjoying herself and the show, while Sho sulked in the privacy of their room.

For a certain redpair elsewhere, the situation was quite reversed. Ze’el did not wish to attend the hatching. He’d participated in his own and that had been quite enough. Standing around among the spectators would simply be irritating and far too crowded for his tastes. Dareph wished to go though; these were his kin. His blood as much as those of his own clutch were. He wanted to witness their hatching, an important event in their lives for sure. As a warrior, he’d protect them and so he should know them. He should be there for him. Ze’el was made no less comfortable on the notion of attending than he’d been before, though he grew quieter and refused eye contact with those seeking brown eyes. Finally, the large red sought permission to go on his own, just for a small while. It was reluctantly given and he was on his way, his stride moving quickly so as not to waste what little time he could spare being away from his sensitive bonded. He slowed as he spotted a small gathering of his siblings and he approached without hesitance, eyes glittering with happiness at the sight of them all. He loved them dearly. ‘Laraph, Dionyph, Eoreph – my siblings, hello.’ He greeted, nodding to each one as he stated their name. Then he straightened up to his full height, looking around expectantly. ‘I can not stay long, I’m afraid. What has happened with the eggs yet, does any of you know?” He questioned with no guise over either his curiosity or his eagerness. He’d not seen any of the clutch yet and he was, sadly, late due to the conflict with his life mate, but he trusted them to fill him in on everything they knew so far.[/ul][/size]

[Kat]

Golden eyes scanned Amira, before the little green hatchling let out a shocked roar. She did not like this girl. She did not like this girl one bit, and the Green had not idea why she found Amira so terribly offensive. The green hatchling then rammed herself into Amira’s legs, her head making contact with Amira’s groin quite easily. For a Green, the hatchling was about averaged sized, but her weight was enough to push the redheaded girl onto the ground. She did not claw at Amira, because the concept never entered the Green’s mind. She only wanted to prove that she could dominate this girl, that she could be a threat to this girl. Amira had to know that she was hated. The Green wanted the whole room to know her sentiment. What a wretched, wretched human. Once her assault was finished, the green simply walked away, tossing her head back, and throwing it up, so that she looked quite proud. She would find hers, and she had no limit beyond the need to beat her siblings. Since the one egg had not even rocked, and the Tawny was still standing in the middle of the sands, the Green knew that she would be quite fine.

After the Green bowled Amira over, she moved swiftly to Embry, and she glared at him with just as much malice as the others. All these humans were just so ugly. All of thse humans were just so vilely unattractive. Where would she find one that suited her needs? Where would she find one with the beauty and the drive to take her far? She needed something that none of these humans could provide her.

The Green hatchling had begun to pace around the periphery of the sands, before she finally paused her rampage and turned her head slowly to one of the candidates at the edge of the group. She approached the girl with stiff, hesitant movements which lacked the drive of her earlier speed. When she reached the brunette, the hatchling moved her head closer and sniffed at her, before backing up a few paces to express her scorn.
Ev’yn, I suppose you will have to do. Perhaps with the help of your Clymeph, you will overcome some of your homeliness. I will improve you, and you most certainly need it, and then we will dominate my siblings. We were born to win.
The hatchling announced. She did not move any closer to her chosen partner, and she kept her distance from the girl and continued to look rather reproachful. She had made her choice, but she was not thrilled with it; not yet. She was not sure anyt of these people were worthy of her, let alone this plain creature. But the girl would do.



19332B;; Flippant, Haughty, Impulsive, Competitive, Acrimonious

Inspired by her sister’s actions, the Tawny gasped, her beak opening a small fraction. So that was what she was supposed to do! She was supposed to find a human. She had known that! She just needed to be reminded by her gentle green sister. How wonderful! With new energy, found by her new sense of purpose, the Tawny lifted her back end and slammed it on the ground. The rest of the egg shattered, and the little hatchling’s legs gave way so that she was lying on her stomach. She was small for her size, although not tiny, a full eight inches taller than her sister, and significantly longer as well.

Now that her back end was exposed to the free air, the more interesting aspect of the Tawny’s coloring was exposed. Instead of being the sandy brown color throughout her whole body, the Tawny’s flank was a hazy shade of pink. Her legs and lower half were most absolutely mauve, like the color of dried roses or rose-flavored cakes. The Tawny’s long tail was the same color as her head, a light, purple-brown. Gray-blue eyes scanned the candidates from her position on the ground, before the Tawny stood, lifting her body off of the sands, and then she shook herself off so that she was free of the slime of birth. She stepped, finally, her first step, with an otherworldly grace, dancing lightly on her claws as if she weighed nothing at all. She was a lady, and she moved like one, graceful, elegant, and light.

The Tawny began to move around the sands, padding carefully to each candidate. She was not sure how she was supposed to choose, but that did not matter, because she would be allotted as much time as she needed. She knew that everyone watching her supported her in every way. She could do no wrong, because she was herself, and because she was embodied in her own choices. But despite the chick’s confidence, she still could not fathom how she was supposed to pick one of them. They were all so wonderful. They were all good choices. She would not pick; not yet. She would let them watch her dance around the circle with her breathless, fluttering movements. They would enjoy her, because she was beautiful and feminine. She was herself, and that would be enough.

[winged]

Caught in the act of inspecting the trio of eggs, I'dou gave a start as Ri'ley's familiar voice broke the hush of the early morning. Spectators had only just begun to trickle into the cavern, and she'd been comfortable in the relative seclusion of her viewing spot. Had she been paying much mind to that ever-present tendril of that was unmistakably Laraph she would have felt the black's presence a good moment ahead of Ri'ley's approach. Stung as she was by her simourv's reproving behavior, however, the gray rider had unwittingly distanced herself from anything involving the massive vigil just outside the Sands. "...ah, yeah." Shuffling self-consciously, I'dou jammed her bare hands further into the warmer depths of her armpits before re-directing her lingering gaze on the smiling black rider back to the quivering eggs, not without the barest of smiles crossing her face as well.

There were good memories alongside the bad, ghostly reciprocates of that life-changing day playing out on the altered vista before them. Teimoph's bloody massacre was one of many figments that gave the winglet pause, guilt riding heavily on her conscience even now. "...not as bloody." A mumble, barely audible in the face of growing noise as the cavern became more and more populous. In fact, several familiar faces detached themselves from the general flow and made a point of engorging their own little convention, to which I'dou responded with disgruntlement, and a bit of resignation. She was in no mood to argue, her thoughts were burdensome enough without the flint and tinder of anger to ignite frustrations into fury.

And in fact, as if to mirror the direction of her thoughts, the first few to arrive were victims of Teimoph's hatchling rage. I'dou squirmed uncomfortably at the breathing, chattering reminders and greeted them with sparse good will, willing herself to focus only on the eggs and not her human companions. Laraph wanted her to watch the clutch - well, she'd watch the clutch. Make no mistake about it, she had a bruised ego to accomodate.

Laraph proved the much brighter half, returning Dionyph's grandiose bids with an eloquent quip of her own, her gentleness undermined with her growing anticipation. She watched the eggs as intently as Hers, eager to see the hatchlings and perhaps relive some of her more faded memories of time spent wandering the sands. I confess I am eager as well, Dionyph. It reminds me of where I've been, and where I will be. Everything was circuitous, and Laraph wanted to understand every nuance of this particular cycle. Two have hatched, Dareph. They are yet un-bonded.

Her attention was broken off again, and again as more simourv bustled into place alongside she and Dionyph, each one met with a warm welcome and some form of physical contact. She loved every one of her siblings, and she made great efforts to be certain every one of them felt her love, but always she was drawn back to the eggs, and I'dou. Two of the three had already shattered, providing a flustered Tawny and an egregarious green. Laraph crooned to both, eyes fastened on the tiny (for they were so very small!) chicks. She dared not touch either of the new minds, however. Something restrained her, as great her yearning was. They were not yet whole...

Once the two chicks had made their remarkably diverse entrances, I'dou seemed just as engaged with their actions as her gray, following each with simmering interest. As detached as she was from this newest batch of candidates, her thoughts instead projected herself onto the Sands once more, reliving that terribly uncomfortable period of waiting; waiting and desperate for something, anything to change. Before long she was disrupted from those thoughts, however, as the green made her decision -

A good pair. I'dou jerked at the sudden intrusion of Laraph's presence within her mind, remaining tense even as it faded once more, the simourv sensing the futility of amends just yet and retreating back to her own space. Heaving a gusty sigh, I'dou crept out a bit further from the Alpha posse, fidgeting as she tried to focus once more on Hatching, and neither her memories nor her present company. She was on edge now, her emotions jumbled and entangled.

Laraph heaved a little sigh of her own, but committed herself to not dwelling on I'dou at the moment. I wonder when the little egg will hatch, it is reluctant. Making a remark to her fellows still present, the chick gazed with encouragement at the fidgeting core.

[Kat]

Morgana had never liked the simourvs. She thought they were just giant, ornery birds, with little reason for existence. Some of them had pretty colors, she’d admit, especially the rainbows and the greens, but most of them were dull and boring. The ones she was supposed to like the best were the ugliest, too, with only the reds standing out as the interesting colors on the top of the hierarchy. The little green which shrieked at her did little to engage her in a way which would change her mind. Green and orange were never supposed to go together. The creature was just downright unattractive. Morgana sniffed at it, her head lifting in the ultimate expression of scorn, and she looked away, retreated further behind one of the women in front of her. What an odd creature.

And to make the whole situation more terrible, it hurt Amira! Morgana watched her friend tumble to the ground, and although she knew it would jeopardize her chances of escaping unnoticed, Morgana instinctively rushed towards the fallen girl. Morgana had never had many close friends, and she felt an odd tug of loyalty to Amira, who had been so nice to her and so accepting.
“Amira!”
Morgana exclaimed as she raced to the girl’s side to offer one of her hands. So what if the creatures saw her. None of them would pick her. She was just not right, and besides, why would a simourv want her over someone who actually wanted one, which included the entire rest of her candidate class. And it was because of her movement that Morgana laid eyes on the dainty Tawny, who captivated the girl’s attention for a brief second. The hatchling was brown, that was true, and as a general rule, Morgana did not like brown things, but she was just so—graceful. The hatchling moved as if she danced, as if she flew across the ground. It was the most amazing action, movement, Morgana had ever seen. What a great performance! What a perfect step! If Morgana could move with the lightness of the hatchling, she would not need to perform to get attention. It would just come to her. The woman was amazed. She would have been equally impressed by the grays, who moved in the same luxurious manner, with even more grace and delicacy, but Morgana had never seen Laraph or Eceph. She had not even seen Altaph move or Eoreph at all, and this Tawny was new. Dull colors aside, the hatchling was beautiful, not because she was actually beautiful, but because she moved as if she were. It was the confidence that made the character of the hatchling so stunningly appealing; so absolutely perfect. And Morgana wanted to be near that grace.
”Do you need a hand?”
Morgana questioned, and she lowered her palm towards the fallen girl. The Tawny was still not enough to squish Morgana’s dreams of running away, but seeing her was a start to an alteration to Morgana’s mindset. Morgana certainly did not want that Tawny, because, well, the creature was still a terribly awful shade of brown. When Morgana impressed, her simourv would actually be pink or purple, or maybe she would find a green one which had the same sense of composure. Morgana liked the colors of the greens or the reds; they were the brightest, after all. It was all a matter of being extraordinarily picky and choosy. Morgana knew that she would attract the perfect creature, she just had to wait. Well, that was, if she was planning on staying for another hatching, which she most certainly was not.

---

Ri’ley returned Mashiro’s nod with one of his own, which he hoped looked encouraging. He did not know the other man that well, but they had a relationship, and Ri’ley knew that all the candidates needed to be encouraged. After all, this was the most stressful day of their lives, and they all wanted to do well, to be supported, and they were all future riders, each one of them, and thus they were the future brothers of Ri’ley in arms. Everyone here was. Ri’ley was distracted from this path of thought by T’gan’s appearance. He lifted his hand in a friendly wave towards her. He had entered through the back of the sands, but he had only found the entrance by slipping behind some servant girls, who were likely seasoned onlookers. He smiled broadly, his animation still quite existent, and unusual for him, due to the prospect of new hatchlings.
”I’m sure the hatchlings will know that you are not a candidate, so I’m sure it’s fine.”
Ri’ley replied. Honestly, he doubted anyone would dare say anything to one of the Alpha class, Besides the riders, the Alpha’s were the next in line in the power order, a fact which was becoming increasingly clearer to Ri’ley, at least, from the way the other people in the Eyrie treated both him and Dionyph.

Ri’ley watched M’ari approach in a slightly baffled way. He did not know the green rider, and he was confused by the man’s statement to T’gan. His lips wiggled into a confused smile of greeting. Then, Ri’ley turned to T’gan, his confusion quite clear on his face. Luckily, L’nan appeared, which allowed Ri’ley to abandon the line of conversation which confused him for another interaction he understood.
”Not yet, L’nan. None of the eggs have hatched yet, but the cream one is moving as is the brown and black one.”
Ri’ley replied before he turned to T’gan, and he nodded with stern agreement. He was positive Amira would bond. He had faith in her character, and he had to believe that the karma of the world worked out, and that she would impress one of the hatchlings. Her sadness about the last hatching was devastating, and it was not fair.

Dionyph was thrilled that all his siblings were joining him. He loved them all so much, and it was such a wonderful occurrence that he got to spend the day not only with Laraph, but with the others as well. Why, he liked Othokenph and Eoreph so much, and Daraph was quickly becoming Dionyph’s favorite male companion besides his bonded! He nodded his head towards Eoreph in greeting; it was wonderful that the Tawny spoke. She could be so terribly quiet. Maybe she was becoming less shy. How wonderful! Everything was wonderful!
How could we not be well? We are about to be graced with all new children of the Eyrie who will instill in us an innocence and grace which will be refreshing, and then we will have new warriors to fight along side of us.
Dionyph responded. He seemed unaware that he was still quite innocent and naïve himself, and that he hardly needed to be graced with more innocence. But even though he had never met a simourv younger than himself before, Dionyph knew that he would love the hatchlings. Perhaps Ri’ley’s excitement was rubbing off on the black, or maybe he just knew instinctually that he would enjoy the babies.

When Laraph answered him, the Black cooed affectionately, even though he had not meant to do so. She understood him so well! Why, they were thinking along the same line of thought, because that was exactly what he thought. Laraph’s gentle words left Dionyph absolutely breathless. She was just so smart and kind and wonderful. He lifted himself a bit, happily and proudly, in his posture, and nodded his head enthusiastically.
I am so glad to watch this hatching with you, Laraph.
Dionyph announced, and then he nodded his head to the Gray and then to the Tawny, Blue, and Red in turn.
And you Othokenph, Eoreph, and Dareph. I love all of you.
Dionyph’s bright white eyes glowed with earnest sentiment. He thought that this life was complete as long as he was with his siblings. He could not imagine better and more incredible siblings to spend his life with. They were perfect, each of them in their own ways.

The little pink egg made Dionyph uncomfortable. Ri’ley, with his sharp vision and keen observation skills, had not yet seen it move, and therefore neither had Dionyph. He hung his head a bit at the mention of it.
I hope that it is alright. I don’t know if the Eyrie could withstand the death of one of the new hatchlings. They are our future, and they are so important to us. But I have not seen it move, yet. I am very worried.
Dionyph said, and his voice, booming and deep, gained the familiar melancholy tilt which often accompanied his more morbid sentiment. He could be positive, but sometimes, Dionyph found that he became overwhelmed by the negative possibilities. But today, Dionyph refused not to be a downer. He shook his head, and he lifted his gaze high, which meant that looked only in Laraph’s gaze, since he was larger than the other siblings around him. Dareph was the biggest of the reds, but Dionyph was still bigger. After he held his determined glance, though, he returned his eyes to the level of his other siblings.
No, I am sure that the egg will hatch when it is ready. The hatchling is probably just nervous. I was not nervous, but perhaps others were.
Dionyph announced. He was sure that he was correct. He had to be.

[zeis]

K'huna watched with silent expectation as two of the three eggs cracked, and the chicks inside entered the world. His formidable expression crumbled for a few moments, and he smiled just as he had back in his first days with Canph, whenever the little terror was sleeping. As things had with the only two simourv hatchings Spiderland had seen, things went very quickly. The dark ill-tempered little green bonded to a girl that had been a candidate for a while, if K'huna placed her face correctly. Another student. The tawny that was such a unique shade looked like she was getting down to business. The last egg seemed to be having some troubles, and he heard he crowds around him murmur their concern.

It has to hatch. From the intensity in Canph's voice, the Wingletmaster knew at once the red's disinterest in this clutch was deception. He had probably been watching more closely than he had, pacing back and forth on his ledge deciding whether or not to go. The sands are warm enough aren't they? K'huna lifted a hand and wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. Hot as hell. Then it will hatch. The red spoke with authority and some derision, as if it were his rider who had first voiced doubts. The red-rider did not disagree with him. Twenty-seven new simourv chicks were a blessing, but twenty-eight was what they needed.

~~~~~~~~~

M'ari grinned at T'gan. She was cute when she was embarrassed. He offered a friendly smile to the people around him, all Winglets from the look of it. He has seen them more than once, usually on the back of Valenph, being mercilessly put to work by K'huna. They had both his and Valenph's sympathy. The green-rider was going to ask the blue winglet if she was going to introduce him to her friends, when her simourv approached. He blinked a moment, before he grinned a new. "Look at you! Man!" The man laughed good naturedly, and nudged Ri'ley in the ribs, shooting a wink and asking in a joking tone. He looked like a stick in the mud that could use a joke. "They grow up so fast, don't they? Not that I have to tell you, am I right?"

The green-rider was a little thrown off by the next question, and a very non-offended Valenph did something of a mental face-palm. He didn't lose his composure for long, and put his hands on his hips with a snicker. "She is. A wife is... well." He lifted a hand and scratched at the back of his head, taking a moment to straighten out a tangle in his long curly black hair. "A wife is someone special that you love. It means you'll be together... forever." The man tried to sound enthusiastic about the concept, however much it failed to awe him. Maybe having someone like that would have been nice, but... it was a little too early for him. He'd settle for a pseudo-wife like T'gan instead!

Stop corrupting the chicks, and look! They're hatching! Valenph scolded him, and craned her head high to get a better view of the rocking eggs. It turned out that both she and Muraaph were wrong, though in the end she reasoned that she still won over her green sisters guess. The big spotted egg hatched first, revealing a very beautiful little Tawny. Not the spitting image of Altaph exactly, but the green was reminded very strongly of the clutch-mother. Next was her own guess, a new little green! And so angry! But she would not judge. She herself had been irritated at the gnawing in her stomach, and furious and heartbroken over what Canph did to M'ari. The thoughts of the red, who disrespectfully was not present, made her feathers ruffle. To distract herself, she turned to the rock of her life. What do you think?

They're beautiful. Truth from M'ari, who would have guessed.

[Kat]

The Tawny was impressed by all these people. She loved them. She loved that they were watching her. It was as if she was a dancer in a show, and she was, because she was meant to be important. The Tawny was not arrogant by any means. She was not haughty or vain; no, this hatchling just knew that she was important in many ways. When it came to it, the Tawny would know her place. She would know to whom she should submit, but she knew that her place made people care about her and her choice. All of this knowledge was instinctual. She did not comprehend this; she did not even comprehend why she was walking around on the sands. She looked at people with her curious, blue eyes, but they were all the same; wonderful, but the same. She wanted to be with them, any of them, but she could not just pick one. Why, talking to any of these people felt wrong. How had her sister picked? The green had just walked up to someone and bonded, and so the Tawny decided that she would attempt that tactic. Maybe that was all there was to it.

The brown and mauve hatchling padded towards Embry, who seemed like a perfectly suitable candidate. He was a pretty human, and he looked like the kind of person a hatchling was supposed to bond to. The Tawny walked up to the boy and nudged him affectionately with her beak, softly, a light kiss of pressure, and then the Tawny stepped back to wait for the bond. After a few seconds, the Tawny tilted her head and knitted her brows together. Why, nothing happened. Why had nothing happened? The Tawny was supposed to have bonded. That was what her sister did. The Tawny was doing something wrong. She moved away, stepping lively towards another one of the candidates. This time she chose Silas. The fact that she was supposed to bond to a woman did not occur to the Tawny. She might have know it, but she did not know the difference between a male and a female. They were all the same to her, these humans. She preformed the same action she did on Embry. She nudged the boy in his side, and then she backed up and waited. But still, nothing happened. What was her problem.

The hatchling inside the pink egg had decided that it was time to escape. He needed to be free of the shell. It was constricting him, but more importantly, he needed to hatch now while the people were focusing on his lovely sister. Yes, everyone would be so distracted. No one would know if he hatched now, and he could slink in the shadows until he was free of the nesting sands. He wanted to get off the sands. They were too central. Too many people were here. He would just slip away, and he would then go as far away from the people as possible. It was not that he disliked people, he liked them in theory, but they just expected so much from him that he could not give. He was not pretty like his Tawny sister. They would all think he was ugly. He would hatch, and they would all think that he was a horrible stain to his species. That he was so pathetic and so unattractive that he did not deserve to live. That was what people did. They judged, and the hatchling knew that he could not measure up. He did not want to hatch now. But it was too late. He had already pushed on the side of his egg, and he wall was fragile. A small crack ruptured through the egg, splitting it down the middle.

The light flooded the hatchling’s space. It was so bright. It was so horrible. He shirked back, and he pressed himself against the side of the wall. And that action, done in haste, sent the egg toppling over. The egg fell, toppling on his side, which split the egg down the middle. Both halves of the shell peeled open, falling to the ground which left the hathling laying on his stomach. No. No. No, all of this was wrong. He was supposed to be hidden. He was not ready to hatch yet. He was not ready to be out. He wanted to be back in his egg. The Blue simourv gave a small cry, a pitiful, sad warble of a sound, before he crawled back into one of the empty halves of his egg. That did no good. He was still bathed in light. The hatchling tried to tuck his dark blue head under his similarly colored wing, but the light still invaded his light brown eyes. The longer he spent out of the egg, the more desperate he felt. All of these people were watching him. All of these people must think he was so pathetic, trying to be reborn. He was being so terrible, and he knew that everyone knew it. The panic was overwhelming. He tipped the eggshell over, which spilled him out onto his back. His dark purple-blue legs splayed into the air, and he waved his appendages through the air for a second, before he managed to tip himself on his side. The simourv’s heart pounded. He felt so helpless. He felt so pathetic. The gray-blue color was similar enough to the color of the shaded sands that the hatchling though he could escape. He looked towards the darkest place possible that was on the very edge of the sands. He crawled there, inching his body towards the darkest area possible and keeping himself close to the ground. Maybe if he kept himself close to the ground, no one would ever see him. If they could see him, then they could tell that he was so inaccurate.

Maybe the blue should find a human. Maybe then he would be better. Maybe then he would find a way out of this horrible place in the middle of so many people’s field of vision. The blue hatchling waved his dark blue tipped tail in the direction of the candidates. But no, he did not want a candidate. He wanted to escape. The hatchling retreated, running all the way to the back wall, which he pressed himself against in desperation, before he laid down and tucked his tail around his body. He was a small blue, smaller than his green sister, but he was by no means hidden against the wall. He pulled his tail over his eyes. If he could not see the humans, maybe they would all go away.

[Cy]

[/b] she muttered beneath her breath, sliding up to her feet in slow motion, as if every muscle in her body was in some kind of aching pain. She ducked her head down and returned her gaze to the nesting sands, to the egg shells and the hatchlings that remained, a new bumbling blue scurrying about in terror now as he finally broke free of his bright shell. He seemed so scared, so timid. Her heart dared to tug again, but she looked away once more, arms folding protectively over her chest. At this point, she just wanted the whole thing to be over with. Her hope was dead again.


The chick left fluttering about on the sands, all smooth grace and mauve beauty, did not impress Embry. Though she might have if he were actually paying her any mind at all. As it was, the task of studying the breadth of Silas’s shoulders seemed exceptionally more intriguing than some fluttery tawny. The boy had a great back, so it was completely understandable as far as the Chydyn native was concerned. It was the sort of back that really should be scratched up in fits of heated passions. Frequently. Biting at the inside of his lip, he was yanked out of fantasy at the weight of a gentle nudge against his leg. Green eyes blinked and he whipped his head down to focus on the simourv staring back at him, a mixture of wonderfully purple shades and loving stares. Seconds passed and he felt nothing at all. Awe at the creature, uncertainty and expectation – but nothing further. No great swelling of love or need or completion. Was this bonding? If so, it was sort of anticlimactic. He’d had better climaxes in his sleep.

Fortunately, she moved on, making it clear that he’d not bonded to her, and he released a harsh exhale as he watched her nudge at Silas instead. Before he could get back to enjoyable imaginations, his attentions were once more snagged on the ruckus at hand, his gaze whipping back to the side in time to see the blue hatchling waving its frail legs in the air to find his balance again. An amused smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth as he watched the tiny thing, entertained and, for a moment, finally into the whole hatching thing – until the creature suddenly slinked away, low to the ground and utterly fearful. His eyes narrowed as the beast sought to find solace in shadows and similarly colored walls. And then he sighed, looking away to find something a little less pathetic to turn his eyes to, going ahead to observe the antics of the Tawny as she continued to search for her bonded. None of the birds present were impressing him much. His partner had to be in the next clutch or something.


Dionyph was such a character, formal and dramatic, and Dareph met the black’s sweet sentiments with a warm and happy gaze. ‘We love you too, brother. I am sure.’ For him, at least, it was certainly true. He adored Dionyph. The male was not only a sibling, but he was sure to be a great warrior and he was certainly a true friend.

As Laraph answered him, getting him up to date with the hatching as it was, he felt excited. Two had already hatched! Peeking in, he spotted a dull green marked with other brighter colours and a – oh! A Tawny! ‘There is a Tawny like you, Eoreph!’ He exclaimed with unbridled excitement, shifting his gaze momentarily to his sister as he chirped. His attentions were on the nesting sands enough to notice when the green bonded, remaining silent throughout the applause of the audience but overjoyed all the same. Hopefully, all of his cousins would find the one they belonged to. His brown eyes locked on to the blue that hatched shortly thereafter, awkward and terrified, and he crooned in quiet concern as the male rushed to hide away. Did he not understand what he had to do? Perhaps he was nervous, just as Dionyph had predicted. Dareph could not recall feeling nerves when he’d hatched and bonded to Ze’el. He’d hatched because he’d had to protect his sibling from that sneaky Seiliph and he’d hatched because he had to be a part of Zeke’s life. Dareph had been born knowing what he was meant to do.[/ul][/size]