A New Path [Eceph's Second Hatching]

[Bre]

Take your own path . . .

It began with the Green Light Giant giving a twitch. It knocked lightly against the No U-Turn Giant and the small noise it made rang out through the silent cavern. Lanterns lit the large space, for Eceph was as critical a guardian as could be expected. When her children moved, she stopped breathing. The clinking noise was the only thing that echoed off the stones and she stared down at the Green Light Giant, gaze intense. She had been waiting a long time and sleep had been about to claim her. However, the need to rest fled her. The large egg gave another shake. Then it began to rock, steadily wagging back and forth. It managed to avoid the U-Turn Giant after that, but it didn't appear as if it was about to stop any time soon. Tilting her head back, Eceph let out a shriek. She had been silent for a while, the weeks passing away, her voice reserved for quiet crooning, but her cry rocked through the canyon with as much force as it ever had.

Ro'za was on her feet in a instant. She looked more than a bit bedraggled and she kicked the blanket she'd been using to sleep by the cavern's entrance off her feet. If she had been a man, she would have had stubble all over her chin. As it were, she simply had dark circles and messy hair. Giving her head a scratch, she pulled a jacket off of a nearby stack of weapons, her swords and glaive all in attendance. It was a neatly folded piece of clothing, black with polished buttons. She pulled it over her shoulders and did it up, adding her swords to her belt to complete the look. Even with her wrinkly breeches, she almost near presentable. Not stunning, or at least strikingly feral, as she might have looked in a dress, but it suited her just fine. With her hands on her hips, she turned to the entrance and added her own shriek as her simourv's call faded, voice harsh as it often was.

"Hatching! Let's go!" Her military bark carried well and she turned promptly on her heels when it was delivered. Crossing the sands, feeling their heat through her boots, she came to stand beside her simourv. They hovered together at the back of the cavern. It was growing dark outside. It was the best time for the hatching, Ro'za supposed. Everyone would be in and no one would have to wake up from a deep slumber. The scene in the dining hall would be atrocious, but the grayrider hardly cared. There would be a feast later. It would run late, but sleep was far from her mind. If she could stand to be awake for much longer, so could everyone else. Her stomach grumbled, but she pushed it. The hatching came before everything. Her conviction remained true as she kept the company of her simourv, both of them preparing to play queen for the masses that would soon come to see their saviors. "You told the watchriders? Everyone we can spare in?"

They already know; Eceph confirmed, voice soft and assured as she gazed down at the single rocking egg of her colorful clutch of twenty. Everyone had known the hatching was coming, especially Ro'za, who had gathered up everything she needed, so the answer didn't surprise her. She knew that the other simourvs would answer their queen's call, from the older winglets, who would graduate in a few spare months, to the younger ones and all of the riders who had stumbled upon the first clutch. Her worries and rage gone for a moment, Ro'za scanned the beautiful children of her simourv. Then her eyes jumped up the entrance. Her few final moments of solitude were running out; they would be arriving soon. In fact, she expected them too. They would be timely every last one. Ts'kal would be rounding of the candidates if he was doing his job. Excitement spread like wildfire.

. . . make your own way.

[{r e k y}]

She hadn't been anywhere important. She'd just been in a hallway, walking at a comfortable pace, trying to decide if she was really hungry enough to head to the dining hall or if she should wait until she felt like eating. There was little point to going if she wasn't actually going to eat. She knew what would happen. She would sit there, staring at her plate of food, contemplating it, and being a big waste of space. Someone who was hungry and wanted to eat could have the spot she'd be occupying right now. Instead, she was on the fence about whether it was hunger she felt, or just that she was tired. Sometimes the two felt similar; they always had, even since she was little. Her parents would always roll their eyes when she asked for a snack when they told her to go to sleep. Vrinta quirked a smile at the memory.

Eceph's scream decided for her. She started worrying immediately. She swallowed hard and turned right around where she was, walking briskly towards the nesting sands. She knew where she needed to be and she knew she needed to be there fast, and she knew why, but beyond that, her mind was a mess. The eggs were hatching. How would she do? What if she didn't bond to a simourv? She wasn't as worried about actually bonding as she was about the opinions of her that would come after. She wanted to impress the people at the Eyrie. She hadn't been here terribly long. If she didn't bond, then she was second-rate, right? Not the best. Not the priority. But that was silly. She was a smart girl. She could see that the number of eggs almost fit the number of candidates. The chances of not bonding were slim.

How did she look, though? As she found her nervous way onto the sands, her heart was pounding, and she went about fixing her mess of hair. Was it tidy enough? Maybe too tidy? Did she look like she was obsessing over it? Probably. She dropped her hands back down to her sides, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. She felt the hot sand beneath her feet; it was uncomfortable. She felt the energy swelling in the room, and that was uncomfortable too. Exciting, but uncomfortable. Trying not to worry anymore, she focused on the eggs. She kept her eyes respectfully away from Eceph; no doubt she'd end up staring if she looked, analyzing ever little bit about the queenly gray, and that was rude. Instead, she stared at the eggs. Even if it was potentially rude to do even that, at least everyone else was doing it, too.


A tall girl came in some time after Vrinta. Koeti had been a busy bee, as usual. She was working overtime on her chores out of lack of useful things to do, enjoying the calming work. It got her mind off her students, who would be learning under her mother instead of her, and her siblings and her parents. She wondered endlessly about how each and every one of the people she left behind in Chydyn were doing. She had been carried with the tide of all the other workers to the nesting sands, where she was supposed to be. On her way, she was first worried that the scream signified some sort of emergency; that they were in danger and that was why everyone was hurrying away. However, when the excited chatter carried the word 'eggs' to her ears, she understood. That she didn't get it right away embarrassed her, but no one needed to know.

The excitement was contagious. Koeti caught it right away, and all the way to the sands, she was grinning ear to ear. This was it! The hatching! The moment she'd been waiting for! It was awfully suspenseful. Would she meet her lifemate? She sure hoped so. Even if she didn't, though, it would still be a glorious evening. It held so much mystery to be revealed. She'd never seen a hatching of any sort - not even chickens - so this would be amazing to behold. In fact, it had only happened thrice before under human watch. She'd be among the fourth group to see a hatching. Each new realization only brought more excitement.

She fell in line next to Vrinta, practically vibrating with anticipation. Koeti gave something akin to a tiny, clumsy curtsy to Eceph (after all, she was the queen simourv), and then turned to the dark-haired girl beside her.

"Cheer up!" Koeti said, her sunshiney smile shining away. Vrinta blinked. Oh, no, someone thought she should be acting happier! She figured they were right and, even though she was still nervous as hell and shaking in her boots, she smiled back.

[/blockquote]

[Kat]

((Reversal of post order, because I wrote Jackson first, and I did not think the posts were as coherent if I posted them in my usual order. Sorry about that.))

Midas woke up first, and his movement woke Jackson from his sleep. The human did not get up until he felt Midas's body move up and down his chest as the cat attempted to find a comfortable position. He was antsy, though, and he pace the length of Jackson's chest before the man lifted a slow, creaky hand to lay on the back of the cat's neck. Midas's anxiety continued, and Jackson felt his pet's tension through the palm of his hand. And so, a few seconds before Eceph’s bellow, Midas’s eyes opened. They remained slits as he glared at his animal. He did not want to be woken. And then, the simourv screech rang through the corridor, the Eyrie, Jackson’s mind, and he snapped out of bed, snapped to attention, his body becoming ridgid and stiff. Were they being attacked? Were their koxi outside? Jackson was not sure he could deal with seeing koxi, not with the memory of Isabel’s dead body, battered, and bloody, ruined beyond recognition, clutched in the mouth of one of the lizards radiating through his mind. The fact that he would have to see koxi, to fight koxi, to confront koxi if he bonded to a simourv was lost to Jackson. He was just not thinking about it. He did not think he would bond to a simourv. True, he had seen the eggs to the sands, and he knew they were real, and that people in his class of candidates would bond, but he did not imagine that he would join their ranks. He wrapped the covers around him tighter, as if he reverted back to a state of childhood loneliness and fear. The action pulled the covers out from under Midas, who toppled to the floor. He only barely managed to land on his feet.

But then Jackson realized what was happening from the commotion outside his door. He heard the other candidates gathering. He wondered if it was even worth joining them, since he would not bond by any stretch of the imagination. He could just cocoon himself in his covers, and fall back asleep with Midas warming his toes. He did not need to get out of bed for this. It would not matter in the long run. Midas, though, was not coming back to bed. He hissed at Jackson’s lump of a body, before he moved to the door to paw at it. He did not want to go outside, but he seemed to know that the outside held an exciting event. Jackson moaned, and then he realized that if he did not go to the hatching, he would be scolded by Aburoqaph and the thought of hearing the rainbow’s voice was enough to make Jackson drop out of his bed. He wore an old shirt, one that Isabel had picked out for him, but one which was not nice enough to wear anywhere but his bed. It was pink, or had been when it was purchased, but it was now more of a gray color with intermixed pink blobs of color at odd places. The shirt had a large hole in the left armpit. With it, he wore a pair of boxers, white, and to cover up his undergarments, Jackson threw on the pair of pants he had worn the previous day. They were wadded on his floor and covered in cream cat hairs. They contrasted against the dark fabric, so Jackson spotted them. Midas must have slept on the pants. But they would do.

So the man left his room quietly, pushing his cat back with a bare, dark foot so that he could exit without the animal, and emerged into the hall. He nodded at Ts’kal, but instead of waiting for the rest of the candidates, he followed the ones that were already heading to the sands. Once he arrived, Jackson realized how nervous he felt, as the tension skidded through his body, manifesting as small tremors. He felt rather nauseous—what had he eaten? The girl in front of him, Koeti, he thought her name was, bowed to the great Eceph, who looked like she could kill him with one bat of her front leg. Because Koeti had done it, Jackson gave a small, hesitant, bow which sent him tripping to a position well behind the girls. Once he gained his footing again, he stood behind Koeti and Vrinta, a looming presence, with his face set into a thin line, grim and stern, and his arms tight across his chest in some sort of self-hug. The sand against his feet was hot, even though he wore moccasins, and where the sand traveled onto his bare flesh at the top of his feet, there were faint red marks which were almost not visible against his skin. It hurt, and Jackson wished he had worn his boots, but he made the mistake, and he deserved the punishment.

---

Morgana knew the sound that she heard. Altaph had made a similar bellow, or had it been that fat blue—Wernmeph or whatever, that made the sound? She couldn’t remember, but she knew what kind of sound it was and what it meant. She had given up leaving by this point—it was not worth it. She was too attached to Am’ra, now, and the other girl kept pressuring Morgana to stay. And Philomeph was a doll, and Morgana was not ready to leave either of them. So she was still here. And she had moved her stuff into the room more efficantly, rehanging all of her scarves and swatches of fabric. She did not like her new roommate as much as she liked Amira. It was not fair that the winglet was forced to move out. Of course, Philomeph needed more room, but Morgana should have been allowed to move in with her best friend. She slept over there some nights, anyway. She just could not have any of her stuff there. It was inconvenient.

There was no reason for Morgana to stay in bed. The Eyrie was about to exploud with activity, so she would not be able to sleep anyway. She stood out of bed, and then she walked to her chest. After slipping on a bright red dress, velvet, she wrapped herself in her purple cloak and whipped out of the door. Her hair was a mess, as she had not bothered to brush it, and she wore no makeup. The hatchlings would not care, and if the stories of Eceph’s first hatching were true, she might end up too dirty to care either way. No point wasting expensive makeup when it was just going to get smeared with sand and blood.

Morgana did not acknowledge Ts’kal’s rounding efforts. She had done this before, after all, and that made her an expert. She stampeded to the sands, her body moving swiftly. She did not acknowledge Eceph, either, even though two of the people in front of her did, and instead she moved next to Vrinta. Morgana barely knew the girl, but she had relationships with some of the older candidates and the winglets, which meant she had not cared about getting to know the newcomers. Morgana draped an arm over Vrinta’s shoulder and pulled her face next to the girl’s ear.
”So, you excited? Not much is happening yet. I hope this isn’t boring like the last one.”
Morgana announced as her green eyes surveyed the sands. The eggs were much more impressive than Altaph’s, much more colorful and pleasant.

Morgana detatched herself from Vrinta and wandered near some of the eggs. She liked most of them, except for the ugly gray and red one near the back and the boring little blackish one near where she stood. The two large yellow ones were the best, she thought, that and the black one with the green, yellow, and red spots. Or the pink, yellow, and blue one—or the many purple ones. She really liked them all. Morgana nudged the small black egg, The Speed Limit Dwarf, with the tip of her foot. What kind of ugly simourv would come from it? Probably one like the big boring black ones who pranced around the Eyrie like they owned the place—but she knew that was wrong. By now, Morgana knew quite a bit about Eyrie politics and simourv hierarchy, even if she pretended that she did not. The egg was not moving yet. In fact, only a cumbersome green and white egg moved. Morgana was not interested in it. She wanted to see what came out of one of the eggs she liked. She tapped the Speed Limit Dwarf again, with her foot, even though she did not know why.

[zeis]

Serapais loved games. Whether Machiavellian mental ones, board games, or what have you. She glared at the checkered board in front of her, decorated in black and white stone-carved idols, each a representation of a Pohonian native beast. Highly stylized simourv flared their wings along hulking xymokoxi. She thought that those plated lizards inclusion in this particular set was in bad taste, but another part of her wondered if it hadn't been included to give one player an advantage. Certainly enough other people had issues with Koxi, like that angry looking candidate, Jackson. Maybe seeing that particular game piece would addle the mind and distract you? She'd have to test it.

"I win." She declared imperiously, her hand darting forward to seize her black simourv and knock over the white simourv without remorse. The candidate across from her stared for a moment, apparently oblivious to the danger until it was too late. The girl watched his face coolly, a small smile slowly growing on her face. The man was much older than her, an adult practically, that made utterly destroying him even more satisfying.

"Well.." The man said, eyeing Serapais with a speculative look and a fake looking smile. "Aren't you just a tiny terror?" He chuckled, and her smile vanished, replaced with a frown. A spiteful retort quickly formed in her mind, but before she could give voice to her bile a shriek cut the evening air. Her attention snapped to the door leading out of the Candidates Barracks, and she hesitated, caught off guard and unsure what exactly that shriek meant. Word spread quickly however, and soon Ts'kal was ushering for them to leave, while others rushed on ahead. Eggs were hatching.She stayed only long enough to yell down the hallway to her sister, "Shae! I'll meet you there!"

The walk to the sands was exciting, she had to admit, but awkward for some of the people around her. Some people looked equal parts happy and horrified, while she herself felt only a sort of relief. Finally this night was here. Such a big deal had been made about it, she honestly hoped it would live up to expectations. The girl entered the sands with a wince, heat baking her instantly in the thick leathers she had worn against the cold. She scanned the crowd as she waited her turn to bow and saw Jackson. At least she was wearing boots. Her dark blue eyes regarded Eceph with unconcealed interest. Other than Aburoqaph, she'd had little interaction with the great beasts. The gray seemed entirely the opposite of the Rainbow. She bowed curtly, and moved off to stand off to the side of the group that had assembled so far.

One egg was rocking, and she watched it expectantly.

~~~~~

She'd read this book twice already, but in her defense it was a good story. A very charming and archaic love story she'd purchased with the hard won Diasks from the Harvest Festival games. The slight girl was just reaching her favorite part now. There was a ball to celebrate the coming of Spring, and Lord Dashing had just asked the Blue Lady to dance. She hummed serenely from where she lay flat on her stomach on her bed, propped on her elbows with the book in front of her. The prose was so elegant, so perfect. She closed her eyes and she could see the dancers easily in her mind, swaying and twirling in time with the violins and piano. Then Dashing would lean forward and whisper into her ear, and he'd say-

He shrieked.

Shaegir gave a tiny startled scream, and jumped half a foot, snapping the book shut on one of her fingers. The girl stared first at her room-mate, then at the door-way with her heart racing. That was supposed to mean something wasn't it? She had forgotten entirely what, but... "Oh!" She gasped, and rolled quickly off the bed to her feet, flattening out her skirts. "The eggs!"

She had, sadly, taken off all her copper jewelry and bangles in preparation for bed, and was dressed in her night clothes. Not sure if they'd take kindly to her stopping to dress, she at least hurried and got sandals on her feet before rushing out the doorway. Eggs wouldn't wait for anyone, and she would hate to miss her chance. But, she supposed, even if she didn't, ah... bond? She would at least be there like she said she would to M'ari.

Instead of going on ahead she stayed with Ts'kal's group, lingering near the back, and marveling once more at both Eceph and her eggs as she came in side. They were all so colorful! Like a rainbow of life. She smiled brightly and curtsied low to Eceph, and drifted over to take her place, smiling and offering words of encouragement to those she passed. "Good luck, everyone!"

~~~~~

Sweeps were usually routine for the green-pair. Go out in the morning, come back just before sunset. Sometimes however, things just happened. Valenph would spot suspicious movement in the trees or brush below, or a waylaid and panicked traveler between the two towns would hail them for help. His simourv was always willing to take extra time out of their day for any helpful and just reason, a notion he admired if he did not all together share. Unless there was a lass involved. Today there hadn't been, just unforeseen delays that had them still winging, sore, and tired back toward the Eyrie when the psychic scream went out.

Valenph went stiff mid-flight, wings locking in surprise, buffeting them backward as a stubborn draft chose just that moment to manifest. M'ari grit his teeth as he was driven forward against his simourv's back, then yanked backward against his riding straps. Wh- Eceph's brood! The green interrupted, and given a second wing by the excitement sped forward and dived down into the Eyrie proper. She wasn't headed to the sands just yet but to her her sister Muraaph's eyling, not knowing if the other smaller green was roosting there or not. She swerved and hovered a bit awkwardly near the edge of the other greens ledge, trilling and warbling with excitement as she danced in the air to stay in place

Muraaph! Bring yours and let's go watch together! She crowed, her voice a mental peal of excitement and laughter. She sent a similar call to Altaph, and twirled away from the other eyling to glide down toward the sands to watch from a respectful distance. M'ari relaxed on her back with a tired smile. First a long day of work, now they come home to a hatching and later, a party. Not bad. Not bad at all.

~~~~~

The Wingletmaster had just been about to retire for the night himself. It was a long day spent training with the Alpha's, and his spare moments were spent fine tuning notes, and seeing to equipment. He was weary, both from work and of Canph's playful sniping, and honestly quite ready to be unconscious for several hours. But it would not be so. Both he and Canph knew what the cry meant immediately upon hearing it, and K'huna had no sooner sat down on his bed than he leapt straight up again. Thankfully he was still in a state of dress, and hadn't yet taken his boots off. He ran with his hair flying wild behind him, and leapt onto Canphs side, hauling up onto his back without harness.

The red leapt from the ledge as soon as his passenger was ready, and glided down swiftly to the sands. He landed a more than respectable distance away, knowing space was limited, and his close presence might antagonize either Eceph or Alianph. Besides, the red could always watch through K'huna's eyes. Get a good seat! He hissed, and ducked his head to nudge his rider none-to-gently toward the sands. K'huna gave him a stern look over his shoulder, before taking his careful separated place away from the Candidates as a spectator. They were all arriving on time, good, good.

[Kilnarak]

Romallyeh sat in the room she shared with Koeti, as she had been sitting since her chores for the day had been completed. The only concession she had made to the growing darkness was a single candle, set upon the low table she sat beside. She had been reading from a battered old tome that she picked up at the Eyrie's markets - a text on botany - for nearly half the day at least, caught up in the allure of fine black print on paper. She had noted, vaguely, her sometimes distressingly cheerful roommate coming and going - the other girl was sometimes away for fairly long periods doing who knows what; really, Romallyeh didn't care what she did, she was thankful for the quiet solitude it awarded her.

The dark-haired girl was in the midst of turning a page when the shriek rent the cooling air. Roma couldn't help but start at the piercing noise, her hand jerking and making a large tear near the seam of the page. Once the sound had had a chance to dissipate, to cease ringing in her head, Romallyeh could only scowl down at the damage she had caused and carefully smooth the torn page with her fingers, as if the touch would heal it. She only had a few spare moments to glare at the damaged book, however, before the Candidatemasters' calls drew her out of the room and into the cool evening air.

It took her a moment, standing still amidst the hustle and bustle of excitedly moving bodies, before she realized what all the commotion was about. The eggs were hatching, those monstrous jewel-colored monoliths would crack apart and spill forth their precious, magical cargo. She wondered if the young would squall as other infants oft did, if they would be blind and helpless, unproportionate, or miniature versions of the adults. She was curious, and that curiosity drove her more than anything else when she moved to follow the crowd into the massive nesting chamber.

The first thing Romallyeh noticed as she entered the quickly filling confines of the cavern was the heat - it was nearly stifling after the cool evening air outside. It was uncomfortable, but she had suffered worse discomfort and would likely suffer worse still - so it wasn't something that bore much thought. And besides, there was still the hatching to watch and take note of. After Roma became acclimated to the heat, the girl tentatively moved toward the eggs themselves - following Morgana's example and moving to examine one of the closer specimens. They were all so different, their colors and patterns so very varied. If she had not known better, she would hardly believe that they had all been laid by the same creature.

She picked her way carefully across the sands, away from the small island of eggs nearest the candidates, toward a larger pair of eggs. The Yield Ahead Giant was lovely, it speckled pattern seeming to shimmer and shift even as she looked at it. She cast a glance up, briefly, to the clutch-mother, watching over the precedings with a hawk's sharp gaze, and then she touched the egg carefully. It was warmer than she would have thought, from it's appearance. She wondered what sort of creature lay curled within it, and how long it would be before it chose to show itself.

[Stranger]

Rainer

Adapting to the Eyrie's routines had been...stressful, to say the least. It was an understatement of course; it was not as if any word could come close to expressing the uncertainty and the trepidation; the worry and the silent, nagging fear she felt. Rainer toyed with the wooden spoon over her half-filled stew bowl, turning and turning it over as she mulled the fine lines on its surface, prying them with her nails with each flip-over. The buzz of the crowd formed a comforting counterpoint to her gnawing silence, a blanketing frame for the quiet misery she would not quite admit to. She wanted to be back in Chydyn, helping her brother. She wanted nothing to do with endless stone caves, so unlike the open farmlands of Sayaie or the soaring heights of Chydyn. If K'huna had not been so cordial, if Kendrick had just been less accommodating and encouraging...but that was all speculation now. Mere history.

At least Horatio was here too. Their initial meeting in the dining hall scarce a week before had been...a little messy. Neither had expected to see the other, and the moment of realisation had come in a flurry of soup and stew. The memory brought a wain smile to her drawn lips: she had lost a shirt, but had gained a measure of reassurance that had kept her in the Eyrie through the long week that followed.

The bustle of the hall suddenly rose, took on new tones of urgency. The growing commotion drew Rainer from her thoughts. She raised her head as a small rush of bodies brushed past behind, nearly sweeping her clean off the bench. Only a quick hand on the table and a sharp jerk away saved her (and the stew bowl) from that fate. Glancing around stunned, she threw a question at the nearest panicked-looking serving girl.

"What's happening?"

The hubbub nearly drowned her out, but the girl heard her voice and turned in mid-crowd. She managed to gesture towards the entrance before two men blocked her from view, leaving Rainer still confused until another voice rang out nearby - "The sands, sands, they're hatching!"

Another rush of people forced her to all but climb onto the table. So - the eggs were hatching. That would certainly this melee confusion. And she was supposed to be there, wasn't she? That was what the rider had said, that fateful day she met him beneath the towering trees of Chydyn with her overactive colts in tow.

More resigned than excited (for now, at least), the young woman eyed the rippling crowds, picking her moment. It came, and with a quick skip and push she had slipped through a gap in the crowds and was flowing with them through the busy halls towards the nesting sands.

They were there sooner than she would expect given the distance, and here she found it necessary to push her way through the milling throngs towards the sands. She was used to physical exertion, but the effort it took to do so left her panting when she finally found herself on the heated sands. The hot air helped little - it encouraged damp spots on her plain brown tunic and black leggings, and left her gasping more than usual. She was grateful she had worn her leather boots instead of sandals however; the heat of the shifting ground beneath her was all the more tolerable for it.

Her manners came back to her with a start, and with only a hint of hesitation she shuffled out to where Eceph could see her, then bowed with feet spread to keep from bowling over in the sands.

*******************

Horatio

When he first came he had thought he would be alone. Not entirely alone of course: there would likely be familiar faces from Chydyn or Sayaie, perhaps even an acquintance or a fellow medical student (and in fact, his very room mate within the candidate barracks had proven familiar, if less than satisfactory). But he had not expected to meet her here, and the startled greeting they had had in the dining hall just days ago still grated on him. If only because it had ended with her having to change clothes post-haste. The thought of it still brought on a groan - what a way to meet an old friend in a strange place.

Picking his way alongside the stream that ran the length of the canyon bed, he felt the air stir as a flight of five or six greens passed above, their wingbeats stirring small breezes through the narrow confines of the place. Much of his spare time was spent here, in the open spaces where one could see the sky and feel the rain, and remember that such things existed beyond stone. If there was one thing to be said of the Eyre, it was mostly made of rock - not even in Sayaie had he felt so stifled, so closed in. It would take some getting used to, if he ever got used to it at all. Now that he had been labelled a candidate for the simourv however (a choice he had never considered and accepted solely because he was going to be around for a while anyway), he would probably have a long while to become accustomed to it.

The wry smile that came at the thought creased into a frown as a shriek rang out and reverberated through the canyon. A moment later the watchrider's simourv cry followed, wings mantled and excitement clear in her flaring movements as she called twice across the canyon. The sounds echoed off the walls and became part of the growing cacophony as other simourv answered with their own cries, falling from their high ledges and gliding down en masse. Horatio tracked the graceful flowing shapes now forming a sea of vibrant colour over his head, and arrowed in on the spot they were making for.

The nesting sands.

His breath caught in his throat. He began to run, tripping over the odd pebble and stumbling once or twice as he navigated the rocky ground at a bolt. The hatching had began; there could be no other reason for the generous excitement and urgent movements toward that place. The last light of the sun caught on his dark green long-sleeved shirt and dark brown leggings, glanced off the unshining hide of his short boots as he skittled into the ever-larger groups of people mingling towards the sands. Shinnying through them as best he could, he made his way slowly under arches of stone into the nesting sands, then gradually worked his way forward until he felt his boots go crunching on sand.

At least half of the candidates had arrived already, it seemed, and were standing around watching the eggs. No sign of his room mate yet though, and no Rainer either. Gingerly he stepped onto the sands proper, found they were not as hot as he might have thought, and shuffled out cautiously towards the small gaggle of candidates nearby. A few were recognisable - Vrinta, Jackson, Romallyeh....just a few names that came from the sea of names he had been trying to memorise the past weeks. He found his footing on the sands as he walked, moved out a little beyond the other candidates, and dipped into a bow before the watchful Eceph. Never let it be said Horatio forgot decorum where decorum was necessary.

That done, he glanced around, saw that Rainer had just entered as well, and nodded grimly if absently to her before turning back to watch the eggs.

[Bre]

At the seaside . . .

The candidates should have been schooled in etiquette on the sands. In fact, they had. At least Morgana, who Ro'za vaguely recognized, must have. The candidates had all been allowed to peek in at the eggs, same as everyone else. In fact, they'd been allowed to get closer than most. The incubation had been a little shorter than usual and Eceph had been a tinge touchy, but everyone knew about the eggs. Touching the eggs with a hand? Maybe alright, when Eceph was prepared. With a foot? Only Ro'za had been watching the candidates, not Eceph, as she didn't much care about their bowing and scraping as anything more than a show of how politics were currently playing out, but she knew when the girl dared to touch one of her eggs. Her eyes immediately snapped to Morgana. She paused only to think. Then the girl did it again.

Without a sound, the gray leaped over her rider, easily avoiding her eggs, the precious bundles she had watched for days without once kicking, and yanked Morgana off her feet, grabbing the girl's clothes in her beak. As if the candidate was an errant child, she made her way through the crowd, toting Morgana and causing people to scramble back. Then she set down the girl down in a corner of the room, turned back, and made her way back to her eggs, eying the candidates. Another had been daring enough to also try to touch her eggs though Ro'za was already glowering at Romallyeh, who must have seen what was happening. Eceph let out a warbling growl low in her throat and her feathers puffed out in aggression, head sinking low. The sensible gray was replaced by a creature that had decided to do anything to protect her eggs.

Deciding to interfere before Eceph justified killing a candidate to herself, Ro'za crossed the sands, grabbed Romallyeh's arm, and shoved the errant girl towards where Morgana had been deposited. She was being kind, as it were, but she was definitely not in a good mood. It was simply a rather impersonal rage towards Romallyeh. Ro'za's voice cut through the gathering group, ordering silence with tone alone. "Go stand with that one in the corner. Ts'kal will speak with you both. You . . ." Ro'za spoke to Romallyeh, though all could hear. ". . . may be allowed to return to the other candidates. The other one will not. You should both be thankful enough that Eceph and I didn't leave you both to learn what red hatchlings truly love to do with pesky girls and boys they do not need." Giving Romallyeh another push, she turned to go back to Eceph.

Aburoqaph! The gray kept her voice neutral, but the heavy weight of her tone hardly made her seem pleased. She wasn't. He was doing a poor job with his candidates. She understood it might be difficult to round them up in an orderly fashion, but if he would just teach them properly, she would be content. Head low, feathers still on end, Eceph sat behind her eggs, closer than before, and dared the candidates to try something foolish around her eggs with her golden amber eyes. Ro'za was fiddling with her swords and stood more off to the side, looking more than prepared to do anything but leave the next candidate who did something stupid around the eggs to the reds. The bowing was appreciated, but it was hardly necessary. True respect was what they demanded. The hatching was off to an exciting start; it just wasn't the good type of exciting.

Tekoa came in during the middle of all of this. It was rather awkward for him. He felt thoroughly bad for everyone and ended just shuffling up to join the other candidates. He bowed low to Eceph, not that she was watching. A boy raised with proper morals, he would have bowed whether Eceph was a tawny, a gray, or even a green. Simourvs deserved plenty of respect. He scanned the other candidates. Faric wasn't there yet, but Koeti was. She'd been searched with them, a surprising event. He'd had to leave his family, but he wasn't about to say no to an offer like that. If the simourv picked him, he was going to stand. Even if he had no idea what was going on, having only been around for a few lessons from Ts'kal, he was happy and a bit excited. Whether he bonded or not, his life was changed forever, just not enough to upset him.

After watching Koeti a moment, Tekoa met her eyes and then offered her a smile. Once the gesture was done and Faric still hadn't arrived, he focused forward. The eggs came in every color. His mind tried to guess what they might hatch, but it failed to picture anything. He soon gave it up. Whatever the eggs hatched, they would be good. Composed and wide-eyed, Tekoa stood there amongst the other boys, wondering where Faric was but trusting the boy to come soon. They had been searched together, a blessing, but he found his best friend put him in a worrying state. Faric's fate made Tekoa more worried than his own fate. Keeping a smile on his lips despite it all, the trader's son fidgeted with his clothes. He looked alright, his clothes as clean as they could be after chores, but he felt eyes on him. He hated being in the center of everything.

. . . on the mountain.

[Quill]

When she woke up this morning, she knew. She had a feeling today was going to be good, but Amaryllis made a habit of choosing the days that were going to go well. It wasn't a guarantee, but a lot of people underestimated the power of what a positive attitude. There was a fear that etched into her mind though. The fear of being left standing. She experienced it after the last hatching and even though Ri'ley fervently explained the entire thing, she still felt hurt.

Nevertheless, today was another day so she stood tall and looked at her clothes. Only her finest clothes would do for the mood she was in. Choosing a top whose stranded bells fell over her torso and a multilayered skirt that flipped away from her ankles, she stood, pleased with her choice. When she first decided to stay, Ama had been told she would have to abandon her dancer attire, and she had to, when she was participating in a physical lesson or some strenuous chore.

Of course, as the day went on, there was nothing that made the day seem extraordinary. She had an exciting conversation with a candidate about what the hatching would be like, seen some of the winglets fly, including her brother. Ama still could not describe how that made her feel, but as the day worn and nothing happened, Amaryllis felt betrayed by her own feelings. This was an ordinary day, not extraordinary as she felt.

As her room mate changed clothes, Amaryllis felt restless, but it was a common occurence. Sometimes she would zip to another room to waste some energy or just walk outside, watching the fledging and riders and anyone else who wandered by. Entering her room, she heard a cry and then she glanced at her room mate. That seemed familiar and she stood by the door, bangles jingling as Amaryllis's body twitched with what to do next.

But then those two words launched Amaryllis out of the door. Not in a run, but still with quick steps, she rushed toward the hatching grounds. She could already see so many gathering and she hoped not to be late. Amaryllis did not want to miss a second of this, but turning the corner to the ground, she did miss many seconds of the events before the hatching such as Morgana's reprimand. Amaryllis would have not been overly concern, just noted the other candidate's mistake. Instead, she spotted the gray Eceph immediately and bowed like others. Instead of a proper bow that the simourv deserved, she did a dancing curtsy. Inside, Ama was yelling at herself for her action, but there was no reaction to the odd motion. To everyone who did notice her nervous tapping, she seemed calm. Standing next to Jackson, she looked around to look for her room mate and there she was. She felt kind of bad, zooming out when she heard the word egg, but Ama expected no ill feelings harbored toward her. All there was the eggs.

[Lan]

They are hatching... The strong, anxious voice of Alianph filled the head of the preoccupied G'len, urging him to move quickly so that they wouldn't miss the hatching. It didn't quite sink in right away, the Commander too focused on his notebooks and papers that would have to be finished by dawn. Then, much like a handful of bricks, it hit him. The cry from Eceph, the anxious twitch of his black simourv's tail. They were hatching!

G'len threw a coat on, fumbling through his now rather cluttered eyling looking for shoes to jam his feet into. It wasn't long before he was clinging to the black feathers of a very proud and excited Alianph, gliding with great gentleness yet haste toward the hatching sands. He landed not too far, yet also not too close to his lovely Eceph. His eyes scanned the beautiful eggs that were their children, his mate and his. As evening settled in, he could not think of a better way to end the day. Tilting his head back after G'len dismounted, he gave a sonorous croon to add his own exultations to the Queen Gray's own call.

G'len stood somewhat near Ro'za, like his large black beast not wishing to disturb too much of the Phoenix's personal space. He was smiling, watching the eggs rock with a silent sort of anticipation. While this was only the Eyrie's third hatching, the scientist had decided he rather liked the sentimental value it brought to him. Odd, yes, but nonetheless true. Soon these simourv hatchlings would be bonding to their own humans, and the memories of his own bonding with Alianph was fondly mirrored on these occasions. As candidates filed in, he watched them with a distant interest. There were some he recognized, some Alianph had actually searched, and there were still others that G'len could not recognize. However, he did notice when a couple of the candidates had dared to touch Eceph's eggs.

Before Alianph could give a hearty growl himself, his gray mate was upon them, depositing the first in a corner like an errant child, the Phoenix taking the other one over into the corner to match. The large black growled, glaring at the other candidates in hopes that they would behave their puny little selves. Didn't they know where they were? Currently, it was at the bottom of the food chain. G'len took a breath, more like a sigh, and rubbed his temples with one of his large, calloused hands. This was certainly not going as well as he or Ro'za could have hoped. With two candidates now sitting in time out in the corner and Eceph, usually so congenial, on edge, it was certain to be an interesting time.

---

But, if Eceph was furious, Liliph was not one to notice. She flitted in, her rider not in tow at the moment, after the scene as if nothing had happened and all was right with the world. It was right before she and Fe'ra were supposed to leave for watch, but the poor little green couldn't help it if she didn't want to first go see the beautiful Eceph-eggs! She perched in the corner, cooing and cawing in a very ostentatious fashion as if to say the fun had just arrived. After a quick survey of the scene she fluffed up her wings daintily and then took notice to too poor lasses that seemed to be confused as to which direction the eggs were. Silly candies! Didn't they know that you were supposed to go toward the eggs? She warbled over to them encouragingly, then hopped over to where Valenph was roosted to get a better look at the proceedings.

Look at all the babiiiiiees! Aren't they lovely? No queen, though? Or are they hiding it! I bet Eceph is hiding it for the grand finale! Ooooor... maybe there isn't one? That would be very sad. But look at those pretty eggses! There must be many greens, don't you think? How could there not be greens in such pretty little eggses! Her tail twitched excitedly behind her as she chatted away to Valenph as if they were the best of friends. Snuggling up next to the larger green, she gave an affection coo before moving a bit of a ways away and getting ready to take off again.

Your eggs are lovely like you, Eceph! And you are very lovely! After that bit of toadying she made as if she was going to leave again, but then got distracted by all the candidates coming in. Intrigued, she watched them most closely, forgetting completely about the silly candidates that were ostracized for one reason or another. Ever so inconspicuously she slipped closer to Valenph again. In a hushed mental tone, somewhat like a whisper, she giggled to her sister, Mine is waiting for me to go on watch, but I think I'll hang back here for a moment more. But SHHH! Don't tell anyone... It's a secret, 'kay?

[zeis]

Serapais had been patiently watching The Green Light Giant, when sudden powerful movement caught her attention. Gray Eceph the brood mother of this clutch was moving, and she was moving fast. The girl ducked and dodged out of the way as the huge simourv made her move to seize a candidate in her beak. It was... Morgana? She stared as her roommate was forcibly removed from the sands, and deposited away from the rest of them in a corner. Her expression was a mixture of slight unease, pity, and amusement before she shrugged off her interest and turned her gaze back to the eggs. At least the beast didn't kill her.

~~~~~

Shaegir had a more awed, and less fearful reaction to Eceph than did her twin sister. When she noticed the Gray moving, her dark blue gaze turned to the clutch mother just in time to see her glorious and graceful leap over the eggs before seizing Morgana. She lifted her hand to her mouth to stifle a gasp, and her heart beat quickened. The girl had heard about maulings from Ts'kal, but... she didn't think Eceph would be the one doing it! Her worries proved unfounded as the large simourv placed the girl off to the side, followed shortly by Ro'za tugging along Romallyeh. The girl frowned after them, catching a snatch of what the Phoenix said. Oh no! Were they in trouble?

~~~~~

Valenph chattered happily at Liliph as she arrived, returning the snuggle with an affectionate head-butt. She and her green sisters of the Eyrie shared a special, if slightly obvious bond. They were all such frivolous playful creatures, and when many of them got together at one time, it was glorious fun, if a bit loud. They're lovely. She agreed, when she could get a word in edgewise, otherwise comfortable to let the smaller greet chat on an on. Some must be greens. She agreed again, turning her brown eyes speculatively on the eggs, all holding minds which were yet incomplete. I won't tell. She whispered back confidentially, bobbing her head a little. We just got back late from sweep, ourselves.

"Evenin' Liliph." M'ari politely greeted the other green from his place on Valenph's back. He unlatched himself from the harness, and clambered expertly forward higher up on his green's neck, procuring a better place from which to watch to proceedings. He was about to comment on Fe'ra not being present, but he figured that was probably due to the watch schedules.

~~~~~

Meanwhile, on the sands, after the uproar caused by Eceph, The Uphill Traffic Dwarf suddenly sprang into motion, and tilted entirely out from behind the Prohibited Core. The small egg rocked animatedly back and forth, the chick inside struggling to break the shell and stretching its young legs in vain in the cramped space. The bright and dark greens of its shell gleamed dully in the evening dark as it built up enough inertia to roll over a small ridge of sand, and away from the two eggs who had until recently been its only company. It slowed and came to a halt nearer to the Flashing Core and its collected companions, its burst of energy temporarily halted.

Still the egg rocked and shook, and any who listened hard could hear the scrabbling of beak and claws within.

[{r e k y}]

The sudden arm around her and voice in her ear took Vrinta by surprise. She blushed intensely, finding herself looking into the eyes of a fellow girl... Morgana. That was her name. It came almost immediately, and correctly, but she still doubted if she had it right or not. Morgana spoke, and all Vrinta could muster for a few seconds was a deer in the headlights look. Then, finally, she managed out, "More like nervous..." Which she was. She was very nervous. She had tons of ideas of what to expect from the hatching, but no clue as to which one was right. Would it be boring, like Morgana said? She doubted it. Morgana seemed like a downer.

Just as Vrinta stumbled out her reply, Morgana had taken her arm back to herself and was moving off towards the eggs. Vrinta wanted to yell at her. What are you doing? Are you crazy? The words didn't come, but the answers did. Morgana had touched an egg. Another girl went out to do the same. It sat very, very wrongly with Vrinta. Her gut clenched at the idea of following suit, so she held still where she was instead of jumping on the bandwagon. It was a good thing she did. In a flash, the great gray simourv Eceph was upon Morgana, carrying her away, and Phoenix Ro'za dragged the other girl off. Vrinta had stumbled back a few steps.

Cautiously, she composed herself and shuffled back into line beside Koeti. She looked up at the tall girl, simply to see what her reaction was.

Koeti looked horrified. She was appalled at how impertinent the two girls in the corner had been, but also amazed at how protective Eceph was. What a loving mother, she mused, and looked around at the other candidates to see if they were as shocked as she was. There were still shaken murmurs going through the crowds, and there were definitely looks or terror and worry on many faces. She could put names to some of them - especially the other candidates, like Serapais and Shaegir. If she could memorize a whole class of names at the start of the school year, she could remember a few of her fellows here and there. She definitely remembered Tekoa's name as soon as she caught his eye. Her smile came back, bright and happy, returning his. She also felt a little warmth in her cheeks. He had a touch of cute to him, after all.

Heart a-flutter from all the commotion, she turned back to the eggs. The Uphill Traffic Dwarf had moved since she'd seen it last! Bubbling with excitement, she looked over all the others. How were they doing? Rocking yet? Hatching yet? She could hardly wait!

[/blockquote]

[Kilnarak]

Romallyeh was backing warily away from the egg she had dared to touch when Ro'za caught her - the girl's dark eyes fixed on the monstrous form of Eceph, which had crashed silently down atop Morgana like a tsunami and carried the other girl away. The rough grip on her arm tore her attention away from the force of nature that was Eceph, however, and she stumbled backward as she was shoved away. Roma avoided falling, however, catching herself against the wall a short distance from Morgana. While she may have yelped in start at the sudden shove, when the girl looked back to the Phoenix her expression showed none of that fright - her eyes were hard, narrowed on the woman, and her expression was neutral, blank. At the woman's orders she merely inclined her head in silent assent, and watched as the Phoenix strode away.

After Ro'za had left her to her corner-of-punishment, Romallyeh turned her gaze questioningly to the other girl - she was a bit surprised Morgana was still in one piece. She offered the other girl a wry smile and a nod, as if they had shared some secret joke, then turned her attention back toward the eggs. She would stay in the corner for now, as she had been told to - she could still see the eggs well enough from here, and now that she looked she spied the other, older simourv gathering about at the sidelines to watch. It was an intriguing behavior - not a common animal behavior, more akin to that of humans, and yet more social still. There were so many gathering to watch, as if this were some ritual, or perhaps a form of entertainment. Perhaps it was both.

--

Muraaph fluttered her wings, calling back to Valenph in a sing-song croon - no words projected to her larger sister, only excitement. Of course she and Hers would be in attendance! The bright green had no intention of missing the grand event; her rider, on the other hand...

Mine! Can't you hear? The clutch is hatching! It's hatching now! She warbled and fretted, shifting antsy from foot to foot and trying to peer down at hers. A're had been embroiled in a game of chance when Eceph's scream tore through the Eyrie, and was comfortably ensconced in his tavern of choice in the caravansery. The drink had been flowing freely, and he had shown his usual luck with the cards - holding a large lead over his opponents. Just one more round, I promise! Of course it wouldn't do for him to leave now, further, he doubted his seedy peers would let him leave without a chance to win back some of what they had lost. Much of the tavern had cleared since the call went out, the excitement of the hatching drawing crowds toward the nesting sands. A're only spied three people still in the building - his two cardshark brethren and the barkeep (who rather looked like she wanted to leave, as well, but could not while they yet remained).

Outside, Muraaph made an exasperated noise, her attention flicking back and forth between Hers and the sands. Why couldn't he hurry? Of course those men would understand, why wouldn't they? The eggs were hatching! That was more important than a few coins, surely! She was just about to complain to A're again about hurrying when a sudden sharp flash of pain blossomed in her mind. Muraaph loosed a sudden startled screech, turning to look through A're's eyes.

The inside of the tavern had erupted into a mess of violence. The cards Hers had been playing were scattered across the table and the floor and his chair had been overturned. A're had one arm twisted behind him and his face shoved into the grain of the table; his ears were ringing from the blow to the side of his face he had received shortly before being shoved into the table, and thus he could not hear what the other player - the one not pinning him - was yelling. Likely something about being a cheating bastard, as that what they had caught him at and why he had been struck down. He was still a bit too dazed to register much beyond 'ow,' certainly too dazed to think of fighting back or of what Muraaph would do when she found this out. Or really, what the barkeep was shouting, as the stout woman came bustling over attempting to either stop the brawl or shoo them out.

Muraaph, however, would have none of this. Once she saw the source of Hers' hurt, the green was scrabbling at the door and thrusting one of her great taloned paws in to grasp at the 'attackers.' The sudden presence of the simourv (even in so small a part as a paw) brought an abrupt halt to all the shouting, at least. One of her claws caught in fabric, and Muraaph pulled abruptly, nearly throwing the man who had been holding Hers out across the clearing. She reached in again, grasping for the other - but all her talons found were the wood of tables and chairs, so instead she withdrew and turned about to scream angrily at the man she had drawn out. She clacked her beak sharply in the little human's face, her tail lashing behind her - the man, while stunned, was hardly more injured than a few bruises and scrapes, although he sat frozen in terror as the green screeched at him. Perhaps he had forgotten that A're was a rider; now Muraaph certainly intended to remind him.

A're staggered out of the bar some moments later - the other card-player had fled in the confusion, but the diasks had been left behind. Of course, A're had been inclined to leave them to the barkeep - compensation for the damages he had caused, so that the woman might allow him back later. He hoped she would, at least - it might require further sweet-talking and gifts of coin. He stumbled to the angry green's side, putting a hand carefully on her leg as she bellowed at the other man. He hurt you! Her voice resounded in his head, indignant and furious, although she did at least stop screeching. The green drew back her head, glaring at the man one moment longer before turning her attention to hers and nuzzling at his shoulder - she nearly knocked him over with her protective affections. A're only patted her snout, watching dazedly as the other man, seeing his chance, suddenly scrambled away, fleeing at a breakneck run down one of the narrower avenues of the canyon.

"'m allright, Mura," A're mumbled, giving her nose a final pat before shoving her head away. He considered a moment, then cast a lopsided grin up at the green - one eye near squinted closed as bruising began to swell about it. "C'mon, lets get out of here before somethin' else goes wrong. Th' nestin' sands should be safe enough for us, right?" He laughed, trying to show good humor in the face of her distress - it didn't seem to help much, but still, he tried - and then he clambered somewhat gingerly up onto the green's back so that she might fly.

The pair arrived at the sands somewhat late - well after Valenph had called them, and longer still since Eceph had screamed her message. Muraaph deposited A're carefully upon one of the viewing ledges, then settled protectively over him, crooning softly, distracted. She did offer a small chirp of greeting to Valenph and Liliph, and a faintly louder warble to Canph who was farther away. Under other circumstances she would have greeted them more warmly, but for now she had to see that Hers was well.

[Cy]

[/i] mending.

So Embry was determined. Forcing himself to muster up the will to dress in his finest and brightest, he set out to get back to his former self. He needed some beauty treatments and he definitely needed a sleep uninterrupted by a squawking rainbow. As if on some ironic cue, his venture out to the ground caverns was interrupted; however, it wasn't a rainbow filling up his skull, but instead the shriek of a mother announcing the birth of her children. He'd heard a similar sound for the last hatching and they'd all been trained for weeks to prepare for this one. He recognized it immediately, and he groaned with dismay as he looked over all the shops that he'd not had the fortune to visit first. Just great.

“Why do I even bother?” He fussed, muttering beneath his breath as he twisted about on his heel to march off and straight for the nesting sands. As before, he squeezed himself right into the line composed of males, promptly glancing to either side of himself to critique the specimens sharing his space. Once that was taken in, one awarded with a good look over and the other earning a small undecided sneer, Embry was turning his head to finally focus on the rocking eggs, his arms coming up to cross over his arms to wait.

---

Samara flinched with surprise at the shriek that broke the silence, dishes rattling dangerously in her hands as she wavered to regain her hold on them. Nothing fell, nothing shattered, and she released a slow breath of relief even while she hurried to set them down. She ached to put them away to their proper places, to be organized and to clean the table after, but she couldn't trust that she had the time. Eceph was calling for them, her eggs were hatching, and it was her responsibility as a proper candidate to be there on time. It was only respectful to be punctual. So she eyed the plates longingly, hoping that someone would have the sense to put them away in her stead, and she wiped her slender hands on the skirt of her apron before untying it. Her fingers fumbled as she rushed, her frustration building as the knot proved stubborn, but the laces were soon easing from their embrace around her waist so that she could toss the stained fabric to the pile of plates that she was abandoning, turning and hurrying out of the kitchens.

Her stride was brisk as she walked down the corridors towards the nesting sands, on the verge of a jog and yet not daring to be so bold. Idly, she considered that it might be wise to change into more appropriate shoes, but still she could not trust that she'd have the time for even that. The shoes wrapped about her feet at that moment would have to suffice and she could only hope that she'd not have to be on the sands for very long. If the world was a perfect place, everything would go smoothly and people would bond in no time at all. However, the world was not perfect and Samara braced herself for burnt feet.

She was one of the first to arrive, tip-toeing carefully across the sands. She offered a deep curtsy, weighed down with all of the respect she had for the gray queen and mother, and she set herself up in the line where the women would be, just as they'd been taught. She folded her hands neatly in front of her, shifting her weight idly from one foot to the other as she waited, looking over the rocking eggs with a studious eye and a budding desire that she didn't dare trust. As other candidates arrived, she turned her head to look to them, offering polite smiles if they happened to glance her way before swiftly looking forward once again.

Slow to notice one of the antics of the other girls, movement soon itched at her peripheral and she was glancing over in time to see a pair crossing arrogantly over close to the eggs. Her dark eyes grew wide with shock, her full lips parting and yet uttering no sound. What could she say? She was uncertain and baffled, glancing to those still in line for some kind of answer and then looking to the Phoenix to see if she had noticed. She had, and before too long her bonded was moving, the massive gray lifting herself up and pouncing on one of the girls. Samara, ever skittish, jumped, one hand flying to settle on her chest as she watched the simourv deposit the girl elsewhere. And she was looking back in time to see the Phoenix dealing with the other, pushing her off to the side. Still confused and unsure, the woman stood awkwardly by, shifting her weight and looking around with wide eyes, hand still placed delicately to her chest.

---

He'd found himself a very clingy girl. This was never really ideal on even a day where he had nothing planned, nothing to do – but when a rather important hatching is about to occur, a woman wrapping her limbs around your own in the playful effort to make you stay in her bed for a while longer isn't all that funny. Bit by bit, Faric managed to untangle himself from her, smiling even though he didn't find her behaviour all that amusing in the moment, laughing, joking, nodding along, and still pushing her away to the best of his abilities. Getting dressed at the same time made the whole event even more of a hassle. She giggled as she pulled at laces that he'd just finished tying. Tekoa, ever prompt and responsible, was probably already at the nesting sands, standing in line and looking for him. One of the eggs might have already hatched. People might have already bonded. He couldn't tell how late he was, girlish giggles and teases had melted his brain, he couldn't recall how much time had passed since Eceph had rocked the Eyrie with her call. How could this be his luck? He'd worshipped the Riders, this day had been in his dreams every single night since he and his best friend were searched, and now he was going to late? The great gray queen was going to think him insolent and disrespectful. She wouldn't know how many stories and songs he'd shared in her honour, they wouldn't matter. He'd disappoint her. Driven by this, he managed to push the clinger away in time to dash out the door.

Alternating between a jog and power-walk, he tugged his tunic back on, smoothing it beneath his heavy palms before reaching up to brush them over his hair, making the effort to straighten that out as well. In awkward hops, he managed to shove laces into his boots, unwilling to stop to tie them. Once he was as orderly as he could ever hope to be, he shoved off into a run, soaring towards the nesting sands with everything in his power.

With a clomp-clomp-clomp of thick boot sole against rock, he slowed to a quick walk as he came to the entrance where Eceph and her clutch of twenty waited, an audience already well in attendance, composed of plain Eyrie folk and riders and simourv. A half-circle of candidates already faced her, eager and patient. Idly, he turned his head to glance curiously to a pair of girls standing off to the side, seemingly outcast from the standing, but he didn't have the time to linger on it. For once, his inquisitive nature was quashed beneath bigger things – a hatching. A majestic simourv standing guard over a gorgeous clutch, a plethora of colour and possibility. A grin painted itself easily over his features and he ducked into a low bow, holding it for a moment before straightening and slipping off to the line, shoving into it in order to assure that he stood beside Tekoa, reaching out to touch the man's elbow briefly as if the contact was necessary to make his presence known to his friend. “S'rry I'm late. I miss anythin'?” He whispered low, thinking of the two girls standing aside and yet his eyes were unable to tear themselves from the rocking clutch.

---

In the stands, a single tawnyrider watched with great concern as her dearest friend was carried off. Long fingers covered her mouth and light brows knit together as she watched, though a sense of relief fluttered in her heart when it appeared that Morgana was unharmed. At her side, Philomeph tilted her head back and forth in curiosity, oblivious to the details of what had just happened and yet feeling deeply affected by it all the same. She knew that girl. She knew her, she'd been at her own hatching! And she visited her Am'ra often, even stayed all the night! They had so many shiny and pretty things in their room because of that girl. Phil loved that girl. Why was she taken aside? What had happened?

“She didn't follow the rules, love.” Am'ra whispered, leaving one hand on her cheek even while she dropped her other hand to reach other to weave her touch into the soft feathers of her bonded, comforting as best she could and yet she was too distracted by this event. Would Morgana not be able to stand now? What about that other girl? Could that happen? What happened if Morgana's life-partner hatched, what if they were stirring in one of those rocking eggs at that very moment? Questions and worries filled her head, but she could only lean against the railing, watch and wait.[/ul][/size]

[Kat]

Until Eceph warbled, Morgana was not aware anyone saw her action. She figured that the crowd would focus on the big eggs, the important eggs, especially since the only egg that moved was one of the big ones. The giant eggs were the only ones that mattered, anyway, Morgana had learned that lesson already. The little eggs, though, held the prettier chicks, and Morgana liked the flash of the greens and blues. The blacks were terribly boring. Morgana hated them, and they hefted themselves around like they mattered—and everyone else believed it. And most of the Tawnies were dull, too, except for Philomeph, who was the prettiest of all the simouvs. That was not because of her color, but because of her carriage. The reds were alright, of course, but Morgana did not care for the giants. But everyone else did, and that was what mattered. So the fact that someone noticed her shocked Morgana, and the shock registered as fear at first before fading to coy amusement. The gray was so angry! Morgana smirked with the pleasure that she had aroused this creature who was so great and so powerful. And then, before she contemplated what was happening, Morgana felt her dress hoist her into the air, and she flopped for a few seconds in Eceph’s mouth. Immediately, Morgana’s whole body went limp. She melted with fright, and her body submitted to the stress of the situation. She just gave in to Eceph as she was dragged across the sands.

When she was dropped in the corner, Morgana pouted. She was too humiliated and confused by the relocation to smirk again, and her eyes followed Eceph return with a certain shallow liquidiness which expressed a certain kind of moross disapproval. How dare that gray simourv humiliate Morgana, and yet Morgana just shrugged her shoulders and turned her back to the clutch. Her arms crossed her chest, and she sighed into a formidable slouch. If she was not allowed to participate in the hatching, if she was not allowed to stand with the other candidates, she was NOT going to watch the hatchling. Lips large and swollen, eyes bitter and sharp, Morgana turned her back to the eggs and scowled.

Romallyeh’s smile welcomed a grin from Morgana as well. Her lips tightened into a small twitch of an upturning. she nodded her head as well.
”Everyone takes this a bit too seriously, really.”
Morgana offhandedly expressed as she shelled her body away from the sight of the beautiful eggs. But then, Morgana heard one begin to move. The slight tapping of the Uphill Traffic Dwarf, and she resisted at first, stubbornly turned so much so that she did not see Am’ra and Philomeph and their distress. But the egg kept making noises. It kept bumping against the ground, and then there was scraping, and Morgana did not want to look, but her left shoulder dropped, and her head tilted towards the egg just ever-so slightly so that Morgana could see its green shell. As soon as she saw it, Morgana’s gaze snapped back to the wall, and she straightened herself as if she had never moved.

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[‡§åkørü‡]

Ts'kal wasn't doing anything in particular, except for sweeping out the eyling he and Aburoqaph shared. It was absolutely littered with rainbow feathers and, quite honestly, the candidatemaster felt a little bit guilty making drudges clean it all. And thanks to his sheer activity, even after a hard day of giving the candidates lessons he had the energy left to battle the mess. It was going reasonably well, too - every time a pile of feathers flew out over the edge of the cliff and drifted down, the rider felt a little burst of satisfaction.

And then he heard something - a voice, Ro'za's voice.

Mine...-

"I'm on it. Move it, Aburo!" Ts'kal commanded, grabbing a handful of neck feathers and leaping onto his simourv's back. In less than thirty seconds they dropped onto the ground in front of the candidate barracks, where Aburoqaph left his rider to go watch the eggs hatch, promising he'd save a spot.

Well remembering the last hatching, Ts'kal watched alertly, waiting for candidates to appear. As soon as one did, he pointed towards the sands and narrowed his eyes. "Hatching! Get to the sands!" he barked, and every time the candidates veered off and headed where they were supposed to be going. Deciding that by now everyone would be getting the message, the candidatemaster flung open the doors of the building, and stood in the entrance, using his strong voice to wake up any candidates who might have decided to sleep through the hatching. "UP! Hatching!" bellowed the candidatemaster. That would wake up any dozing candidates; it proved to work that way (at least for those who hadn't already departed upon hearing Eceph and Ro'za's calls), and there wasn't a lot of shepherding left to be done. As soon as everyone was on their way, the rainbowrider took up the rear and followed the candidates to the sands. The hatching was just barely getting started; only the Green Light Giant was even rocking yet. Good. Much better than Eceph's first clutch, then.

Pleased by the progress, Ts'kal smiled and walked along the wall until he met up with his simourv. Aburoqaph extended one leg for his rider, and the human climbed up to perch on the brightly coloured back, leaning out so he could see the proceedings. He and Aburoqaph were still situated near enough to the candidates that they would be available immediately to help if necessary.

This, unfortunately, proved to be a good choice when Eceph leapt over her eggs and seized Morgana, hauling her to the back of the room. Instantly the rainbowpair was moving, and they moved even faster when Aburoqaph heard the grey's voice inside his head. Narrowing his eyes, Ts'kal swung himself down off his simourv, dropping down immediately in front of Morgana and Romallyeh. His normally pleasant face was thunderous; the dark eyes flashed with anger as he advanced on the two candidates, just in time to hear Morgana's flippant comment. "Too seriously? Are you idiots?" he snapped, colour rising in his face. There was no doubt that his class had never seen him angry before; frustrated maybe, but never this furious. "You do not touch the eggs when they are hatching! Both of you know this - especially you, Morgana! You've attended two lessons on it." Eyes blazing, the candidatemaster loomed over his students, shadowed by the brilliant form of his simourv. "Obviously neither of you understand that Eceph easily could - and might have - killed you for what you did. You're lucky she and Ro'za chose not to, because I assure you, there'd be nothing left."

Even Aburoqaph was angry. Feathers bristling, the rainbow crouched and half-opened his beak, hissing at the troublesome candidates. Wings lifted and half-spread, and, less than three feet from the pair of them, he shrieked. Do not touch Eceph's eggs! his mental voice screamed into their heads, and then he withdrew, hissing, to glare at the other candidates too. An identical warning burst into their minds; tail lashing, Aburoqaph positioned himself to keep order. The candidates had never needed it before, but evidently they did now - and he was not going to risk getting eaten by Eceph because his students were being bad! Neither was Ts'kal, who stood now with his hand on his sword, eying his errant students. Hopefully they had gotten the message from his rainbow; if not, he was fully prepared to back it up and drive them out of here on his own.

---

Keldraza was extremely happy that she'd decided to work Azreiax earlier rather than later. The Shire colt had behaved well, and after cooling him out and generally tending to her colt's needs, the candidate was on her way back to the barracks. A snack wasn't necessary; even with her masculine build and resulting nutritional needs she was accustomed to working and then eating much later. Even lessons had failed to completely wear her out, although she found that she didn't particularly like them. Though the teacher was fine (even with his demented rainbow), the subject matter didn't appeal to her at all. Some of it had been combat - not something Keldraza wanted to be in contact with - and some hadn't.

It soon came to her attention, however, that these lessons might soon be permanently over for her. Of course, she doubted it - did she even deserve a simourv? - but all the same, the phoenixpair's collective cries could not be denied. Automatically Keldraza turned and put her long legs to use; in seconds she was flying at top speed down the canyon. Top speed might not have been particularly fast for a runner, but Kel wasn't a runner. She was a horse trainer and she still managed to arrive at the sands within minutes, slowing with surprising grace and bowing deeply to Eceph as she approached. Glancing around the group of other candidates, she spied a familiar face - somewhat familiar, anyway - and quietly loped to join Jackson. Stopping next to him, she glanced over and offered a small smile. "Hey," she murmured, and glanced back to the rocking egg. Since it wasn't doing anything particularly interesting yet, the dark-skinned girl flicked her gaze back to the other candidate and then noticed the grim expression on his face. Thoughtfully she glanced at his feet - covered only in moccasins. Deciding that the hot sand might be part of the reason for his hardened face and crossed arms, Keldraza chose not to mention it lest she point out the embarrassingly obvious. Still, she herself was getting jittery; drawing in a deep breath the horse trainer closed her eyes for a moment and released it with a sigh.

This changed to a startled inhalation as a great grey blur lunged over the eggs and seized one of the other candidates - the one that had been poking an egg with her foot. Kel watched in awe as the huge simourv carried the insolent girl to the back of the cavern, and then Ro'za dragged someone off as well. Puzzled and a little alarmed, the tall girl flicked her gaze anxiously back to the eggs, a little more wary than she had been before. "Didn't think that would happen."

---

At the very front of the clutch, the egg Morgana had been poking began to rock. It shuddered a little bit, then sat still for a few seconds. The next rock found it falling onto the sand in front of the Winding Road Core, where it sat still. Its gradated grey surface vibrated slightly, rocked by the baby within, and then it stopped moving again. Perhaps the hatchling inside was just conserving its energy, for the occasional small shudder still ran through the grey shell, creating tiny ripples of sand around it.

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