cyclic dawn [Altaph's First Hatching!]

[Quill]

Jerking from her sleep, Amaryllis awoke at Wegmeph's announcement. Shaking her head, she was confused. It had only been a few days since she was searched, so all of this was so new. She could ask Ripley, no Ri'ley for assistance, but Ama could not manage such a feat. Not yet. It was hard for her to get rid of her old life, so she managed to squeeze a skirt over the shorts she brought.

She'd been told a hatching was a special occasion, one to be celebrated by all of the Eyrie. So she chose a dark shirt to wear, an actual dark shirt that covered her torso and back and even threatened the smother her neck. The girl let her brown hair fall today, messy as it clung to her clothes. She'd also been told that there was no way she would bond at a hatching. Caravan life had alerted her to shady characters and this female candidate was one of them, so she did not believe her words. Though Ama was not expecting to bond in the first place.

Born with a great sense of direction, Amaryllis soon found the hot sands that harbored the eggs that caused such a buzz. Even with a terrible sense, one could not miss the soaring simourvs and rushing candidates. Ama did not quicken her pace, but she did become more alert. With all the scurrying winglets and fledglings, she would surely see her brother. Yes, she would see the darling Dionyph, but he and her brother were a packaged deal. As she entered the Sands, she wondered how she should react. Ignore the both of them completely, focus on the hatching. Or just ignore Ri'ley. The possibilities were endless.

Ama expected her eyes to seek out the black simourv, but instead she noticed an even younger simourv crawling on the sands. She stepped back a pace, not expecting the eggs to have already hatched, but they did and Amaryllis was witnessing it.

[Kat]

Oh, a new girl! This girl had to be the one! That was why she had not impressed either of the pretty boys! The Tawny hatchling flitted towards Amaryllis, and she stood in front of the girl proudly. The Tawny waited another few seconds, but still nothing happened. She was about to lose hope. This girl had to be the one. The Tawny did not understand, but then, she never understood. The world was confusing and vast. Usually she liked the vastness, but she was ready for her time alone to end. She wanted a human badly. Her wondrous green sister had seemed so much happier. The Tawny deserved that happiness, and if she could not obtain it, then she would be forever lonely and sad. Her cheerful disposition would be soiled by the horror of it all. The Tawny reached out her head to nudge Amaryllis, and she gave out a pitiful mew. She was beginning to lose her composure. She had been so confident, so together, and so adept previously, but now, she was losing the battle to her own confused state. She had wanted this girl the be the one, not because she saw anything in Amaryllis, but because she wanted completeness.

Luckily, the hatching of the blue distracted the Tawny, and she bounced away to tend to him. She was halfway across the sands, already chirping words of encouragement from afar, when suddenly a feeling struck her which made her pause and drop to the ground. She sat, her position alert and upright, and her eyes filled with an emotion which was so intense it was almost panic. How had she not seen it before? It was so obvious, this feeling, that coursed through her and made her comprehend. The Tawny sat for a small time, just basking in the glory and the wonder that she felt now that she knew what was going on around her. Now that she knew what she had to do. She would tend to her brother later, with the help of her human partner, because now was not the time for that. He had to find the way on his own as she had.

The Tawny stood, and she regally advanced towards her partner, her head held high. She was so happy that this had finally occurred, so happy in fact, that she gave a small coo of contentment which felt almost disembodied, as if she had not produced it herself. She knew that she had to have made the sound, though. She doubted her brother would ever speak in front of so many people. She just knew that he was scared of such an action. The Tawny did not nudge the person she found. That was too much like what she had done with all the others, and it had been terribly ineffective. Instead, she pressed her body against the girl’s legs and brushed her soft feathers against bare skin.
Oh, I was becoming so worried, my Am’ra, that I would never find you. Your—your—“
The hatchling paused, and her eyes widened with renewed frustration. Her sister had had no problems with this part, but the Tawny could just not quite remember what she was supposed to call herself. She knew that she was supposed to instinctively know, but the word took a second before it formulated in her mind, beautiful, complete, and entirely hers.
Philomeph knows that you have what it takes to become the heart and soul of the Eyrie. Together, we will act as encouragement and hope for all the great simourvs who reside here.
The Tawny gave a sweet chirp, her voice soft and demure, and she nodded her head.
I am so happy that I found you.
And the words were infused with an earnestness that was striking in its sincerity. The Tawny hatchling could not have imagined a better partner, and she was so proud of herself for finally performing her duty.



955451;; Confident, Compassionate, Sweet, Graceful, Quite Dumb

The blue hatchling did not like that his sister had spotted him. He was not suited to be seen by her. She was far too beautiful and graceful and important to lay eyes on him. He would not have known that the Tawny saw him, had she not tried to encourage him, and with every words she provided, in their tongue of chirps and whistles, he flinched, sinking deeper and deeper into a state of sadness and helplessness. But the blue had to move. He had been seen, and he had to find somewhere else to go. The little blue slinked along the periphery of the wall, and after a few yards, he dropped to the ground and buried his face under his midnight purple claws. He tried to stick his head as far into the sands as possible, but they were hot and uncomfortable. He would not be able to stay here for long.

[Fox]

Truthfully, Mashiro’s unusual appearance had given Silas pause for all of five minutes when they’d first met. It wasn’t every day that one met an albino, sure, but the main thing that had attracted the dark-haired man’s attention was, in fact, the dog at Mashiro’s side. People were all well and good, after all, but animals were so much more trustworthy, strange though it might seem for Silas to say so. Quite frankly, between Mashiro, himself and his brother Sly, they had had a pretty profitable business relationship going on. Completely legit, of course. Silas wasn’t stupid enough to let a total stranger in on the business he did on the side, even though the albino boy had proved plenty calm and not at all nosy. But let Sly deal with the business of buying supplies and stuff; Silas was just more than happy to leave them to it while trying to tempt Yukimori with strips of jerky. What dog could resist jerky?

As the other man spoke, Silas listened with half an ear, nodding where appropriate. His eyes were drawn to the eggs irresistibly and it would have seemed that he wasn’t paying a jot of attention to Mashiro had he not chosen to answer the man’s second musing. ”Possibly.” He conceded with a nod. ”It’s movin’ quite a bit.” And indeed, the small (smaller) brown egg was rocking industriously, and Silas would not be surprised if at some point both halves of the egg just exploded from each other. He vaguely remembered that actually happening in the previous hatching, but there had been too many chicks then for him to keep track of them all. ”And I guess simourv eggs don’ have it ‘s bad as some. ‘S not much that can steal one o’ those away.” With a crooked grin and a seriousness that belied his distraction, Silas’s eyes flicked briefly back to Mashiro’s pale irises. Ordinarily, he might have perhaps cleaned up his speech a bit, and tapped into his penchant for drama, but at the moment and in present company, there was no need to.

And then suddenly things started happening on fast forward as two of the eggs hatched almost at the same time. Eventually, a dark green simourv paced the sands, while her sister, a mauve-dappled tawny, struggled from her shell. Silas’s heart gave a thud as the green stalked closer to stare at Mashiro before moving on with a hiss to another girl. He stood transfixed as the green chose another female candidate, and then suddenly the tawny was nudging him and the young man turned to look at the hatchling. For a moment, he stared down into brown eyes, both seeming to wait for something that wasn’t going to arrive. Then the tawny moved off, seeming almost disappointed, and Silas felt a bemused smile tug at his lips. Perhaps he wouldn’t bond at this hatching, (though there was still the Blue to consider; Silas had watched him hatch but he couldn’t spot the chick now) but it didn’t matter. He would get his chance eventually. Grinning, he raised an eyebrow at Mashiro standing beside him, his posture uncoiling from the unconsciously tense position to a more languid one, balancing his weight on one leg and with his hands stuffed into his pockets. Maybe they’d both be old hands at this by the time the hatching was over, if the albino boy hadn’t bonded by then too.

&

It seemed that Ri’ley had barely answered her question before L’nan’s eyes were widening as she watched a Tawny, a Green and a Blue hatch in quick succession. Her only response was a small, awe-struck ”Oh!” As her eyes remained glued to the scene before her and, especially, to the tawny; the third tawny in Eyrie. Wings of excitement bore the news to Eoreph, standing with the other simourvs. She did not need to gush her happiness at the sight in words; the plain feelings that she transmitted to her lifemate were more than adequate to describe how she was feeling. The tawnypair needed no words to understand each other.

Distracted by the Hatching and her bonded’s enjoyment of it, Eoreph once again lapsed into silence, not truly paying much attention to Dionyph as her black brother waxed eloquent on the momentous occasion and love and worries etcetera and so on and so forth. Eoreph loved her brother. There was no doubt about it. She loved all her siblings, even the ones that maybe frightened her a bit, and instead of answering verbally (almost in direct contrast to Dionyph’s endless stream of words) the tawny reached out to briefly nudge his shoulder, projecting her love to them all. Oh, yes, she loved them all, but sometimes she wondered how in the world Dionyph could talk so much. It was both slightly fascinating and slightly off-putting. The shy tawny found it easiest to simply let him talk enough for the both of them whenever she found herself in his company. All she had to do was nod.

The little green bonded and L’nan’s grin was threatening to split her face in half. It was an entirely different experience to watch the hatching when you had so much invested in seeing the chicks safely hatched and bonded. These new winglets, would be a new addition to their growing family and it was just amazing! And oh! The tawny had chosen! She’s chosen Amira, Eo! Lea exclaimed over their mindlink, moments later vocalising the thought aloud. ”The Tawny chose Amira!” And even though she had never been exceptionally close to the girl before this, L’nan was exceedingly happy for her, especially after being left standing at the previous hatching. Surely this would make up for it. Slightly further away, Eoreph’s gaze followed Dareph’s to alight on the other tawny, and she could was so very glad that Philomeph had found Hers. So very, very glad. But even as Eoreph thought this, her heart went out to her small blue cousin, so desperately shy and insecure he seemed. She wanted so badly to go to the Sands to comfort him, but she would not. She could not. Not yet. Both tawny and tawnyrider’s hearts went out to him.

&

It seemed that despite his being rude and not greeting Muraaph and Valenph, Muraaph had come to greet him anyway. Seronaph returned the greeting reluctantly, his tone plainly annoyed but not this time the annoyance was not so harsh as it might have been. Muraaph was tolerable enough for a green, after all, and Valenph as well. Muraaph. Valenph.[/color] If he greeted one then he could not in good conscience (i.e. K’ean’s nagging mother-hen voice in the back of his mind reminding him to be polite) ignore the other. He could still try and be as unpleasant as possible, though, but Muraaph quite luckily hit on the subject that he would not mind speaking about; the subject that everyone was interested in at the moment. The eggs. Then I’ll say the largest one.[/color] Seronaph offered blandly, the annoyance fading into a milder interest. More hatchlings would be good for Eyrie and better for the first riders. Plus, even the red could admit that they were cute.

Bemused, K’ean’s frown faded as A’re spoke and after a moment of consideration he lowered himself to sit a reasonable distance away from the greenrider. He did not see the point in standing throughout the Hatching when he had a perfectly good view from the ground. And besides, if he remained standing and continued a conversation poor A’re would likely end up with a severely cricked neck from having to look up. K’ean wasn’t exactly the smallest fellow either; 6’3” could not be considered short by any stretch of the imagination. Well, I suppose you’ll have time later anyway.” He offered with a smile, leaning back to put his wait on his hands. ”It’s so early still, the Hatching’ll probably be done soon. And I trust you won’t flash anyone. ” K’ean wouldn’t deny that he had been worried that it was a possibility, though, and thankfully that worry was assuaged.

Sure enough, before long eggs were hatching and simourv chicks had taken over the sands, even though there were only three of them this time. K’ean rather hoped that Amaryllis and Morgana might bond at this hatching, but it wasn’t for him to decide. Even so, if they didn’t bond this time around there was always next time. The only thing guaranteed was that there would be a simourv for them, if not in this batch then in the next. Even as his blue eyes remained glued on the events at the sands, watching as first the Green then the Tawny bonded, K’ean asked genially. ”Looking forward to the Feast tonight then?” He was, to an extent. Post-Hatching feasts were just about the only ones K’ean attended anyways. [/size]

[zeis]

K'huna made a resolution to congratulate Amira at the hatching feast, as the girl had been one of those left standing at Eceph's hatching. It was a feeling that the red-rider didn't know, but one that he could understand. He knew she would of course, be chosen eventually, as Canph and the other simourv still saw whatever it was that drew simourv to people in her. As his yellow eyes turned back to the blue, he wondered if the red simourv had seen it in him when they first met. It would be way too much of a coincidence, for 25 people with that gift to go on a hunting expedition together. But it had happened. He'd think on it later.

For now, the last egg had hatched, and the hatchling was scrambling off to hide. The pitiful crooning made him frown, and his own worries were immediately echoed by Canph. Was their something wrong with him? What K'huna had seen looked par for the course for a simourv chick, but he hadn't been able to get a good look. There was always the possibility that the chick could be born sick, or have injured itself on the shell as Weirph had. He craned his head with narrowed eyes, peering at the creeping shadowed lump that was the hiding blue. If the chick bonded, which he sincerely prayed it would, he'd ask the new Winglet along to the infirmary. It was better to be safe than sorry.

~~~~~~~~~

Hi, Seronaph. Valenph greeted him happily, bobbing her head, but making no move to reach out to him as Muraaph had. She offered little in the way of conversation, instead simply radiating a happy and companionable feeling to her red sibling. After the much larger simourv had made his guess, she watched the hatching eagerly. The pied giant indeed was the one to hatch first. Oh! You win! She laughed quietly, and thumped her long feathered tail on the sands. How did you know? You must be very good with eggs. The green teased a bit playfully, winking at Muraaph.

[Kilnarak]

If Muraaph noticed Seronaph's annoyance, she didn't react to it. The smaller green remained cuddled up against the red's side, crooning softly as he made his guess. After he had offered that much she didn't ask anything further, instead she leaned forward a bit to watch the eggs. Who had guessed correctly? When the largest egg split open, she chirped excitedly - and again when the smallest burst open like... like one of those melons Aburoqaph had dropped so long ago. It was some time before her choice began to crack, but that didn't seem to bother her much - it was still the loveliest of all the eggs, even if it was a bit slow.

How exciting! You were right, Seronaph! she trilled, looking away from the eggs a moment to nip and nuzzle at the red's neck. Perhaps we should have wagered on it! You would have won! Maybe we still can? Muraaph drew back from the red a moment, looking over to Valenph questioningly, then back to the eggs, then to Seronaph again. Which do you think the pretty one will bond to? she gestured with a flip of her tail at the tiny blue, slinking along the edges of the cavern. He was an adorable child, just as his siblings were, and she was sure that he would find His. Although, it seemed a strange way to go about it, slinking along the wall so far from all of the humans. Perhaps he was confused?

I think he will choose..." the green's gaze shifted to the remaining candidates, thoughtful. She canted her great head to one side, her bright orange gaze sweeping from one candidate to the next, weighingly. She knew two of them, she had searched them after all, and so her gaze lingered on Silvanus and Embry. After a moment she bobbed her head slightly and looked at her companions, first Valenph, then Seronaph. I think he will choose that one, the dark-haired boy, she motioned with her tail again to indicate Silas. What do you think? What shall we bet?

A're grinned broadly as K'ean lowered himself to sit nearby, offering a small thankful nod to the taller man. It had been a bit of a pain, craning his head back to look up at the redrider - particularly given that his head still felt like it was full of shattered glass. Shattered glass and rough grains of salt. The greenrider's grin only broadened at the man's statement of trust, and he offered a short laugh. "Aw, I'm not that bad anymore, am I K'ean? Sure, maybe before I met Muraaph, but that all changed don't ya think? We all changed," he continued, chuckling as he squinted toward the sands again.

He fell silent for a few moments, watching as eggs hatched and simourv bonded - he smiled all the while, perhaps a touch more softly than was usual for him. It was wonderful watching the hatchlings choose Theirs, knowing that the ranks of riders would be bolstered. His warm brown eyes focused on the blue who remained unbonded, and a faint frown flickered across his usually pleasant expression. A bit of worry for the small creature - it seemed so frightened! When he answered K'ean's question, he did so first with a distracted nod. After a moment he offered words as well, as if in afterthought. "Yeah. Feasts are always fun, ya know? An' I heard somethin' about some kind've games goin' on for this one. Maybe I should bring my lute, ya think?" he glanced back to K'ean, smiling a touch distractedly.

---

"Steal, no. But I have seen small creatures with... beaks? With teeth that look as though they might break open eggs. Might devour them from the inside, yes?" Mashiro frowned slightly as he thought of this, and shook his head. No, that would be a terrible thing - these great birds were rare enough, without ovivorous creatures threatening them. "Perhaps they instead use them to crack nuts? Ah, I digress. Look! They're beginning to crack!" The albino's gaze turned away from Silas, instead focusing on the explosion of activity on the sands. The small one wasn't first, but it came in a close second. Both creatures were lovely - and very different in both appearance and demeanor. It was intriguing, how different two such siblings could be.

Mashiro flinched ever so slightly as the green hatchling stormed suddenly toward he and Silas, screaming its anger at them. One of his hands flitted up to the other man's shoulder, pressing slightly as he took a step back from the creature - trying to make certain Silas did the same. It was best not to provoke, especially in a situation where one was not to fight back. It was better to make a smaller target of themselves, less of a target - but that would prove difficult enough for him, he stood out among his peers like a sore thumb. As the green moved away to threaten others, the albino's pale gaze followed it cautiously and he allowed himself to release his held breath in a gusty sigh - allowing his hand to drop away from Silas' shoulder, as well.

After a moment it seemed to have chosen someone, and his attention hesitantly shifted away from the creature to instead note the other, larger hatchling coming their way. The sandy rose and tan colored creature hardly looked at him - which was as it should be, really - and instead seemed interested in Silas. The pale boy carefully stepped away from his friend, backing off a pace in the off chance that the tawny simourv would not approve of his presence. Perhaps it hadn't, or perhaps it hadn't mattered at all - the tawny moved away to other candidates. When Silas looked back to him, Mashiro offered the man a nod and a slight smile, although he held his tongue for now. He hadn't seen the bright egg hatch, nor had he seen the blue that had emerged and darted into the shadows - but now that the tawny was no longer a distraction, he did realize that the vibrant colored egg lay in shards upon the sand. He looked about, wondering where its inhabitant had gone.

---

T'gan looked rather like she wanted to crawl into a hole and die when Othokenph asked his question. She frowned down at the young blue's taloned feet, folding her arms more tightly over her chest. She glanced briefly up at M'ari, then away - something of a scowl actually playing across her lips. The brief expression was broken as an abrupt bark of a laugh escaped her lips at Othokenph's next statement. Oh. So... Mine is my wife? the young blue cocked his gray-and-black head to one side, blinking with wide-curious eyes at M'ari. But I want to be with everyone forever and ever. I made an oath! he chirped brightly at this, leaning over to nibble affectionately at His' hair. He wasn't sure why she was so embarrassed!

And Laraph! And... And Akaturiaph! And Dionyph and Dareph and Eoreph and Shovaph and everyone! But does that mean Mine is Am-- Othokenph's outburst was cut short by a rush of activity amidst the candidates on the sands as a green and the tawny chose theirs. The tawny chose Amira! Oh! Oh! Mine! Look! She is Amira's wife! He hopped to his feet abruptly, rearing back onto his hindlegs and flaring his wings with a small crow of happiness before coming back down with a thump. He wanted to rush out there and congratulate them! And His did as well, T'gan's embarrassment had disappeared in a surge of excitement and joy. But they couldn't, they couldn't go out on the sands yet - not with one still unbonded.

[Quill]

There was so much going on. Amaryllis felt overwhelmed when she heard conversations about this and that. Saw just born Simourv scurry across the sand in the oddest of fashions. When she locked eyes with a Simourv, a tawny, she froze. To her, it was as if she nodded a hello to someone and instead of walking along, she and the stranger stared at one another, forcing a conversation that never came. As the moments continued on, Ama felt like this was an entire mistake. That she was not supposed to be a candidate.

When the tawny became distracted with her own kind, Amaryllis stepped back. It was hard to explain her emotions. There was disappointment, but pinpointing why she felt that way and what caused it was an impossible task. Stepping back, she clutched her elbows tightly as her eyes darted around the sands nervously. The candidate hated how she must have looked, scared and uncomfortable, but that was not a concern. The hatched blue, his choice, and when this entire situation would cease to exist.

[Bre]

I'm leaving my fingerprints on you . . .

The hatching was proceeding as hatchings proceeded. At least as far as Ro'za knew and she was arguably the leading expert, not that she particularly enjoyed the title. Perched on the edge of the ledge where they sat, well above the rest of the crowd, Eceph was letting out an odd purring noise. It was interesting to hear the gray so pleased, though it wasn't really surprising when she actually thought about it. These were her sister and brother's children, her nieces and nephews. In truth, Ro'za didn't really think it was that. She really didn't enjoy considering that. These were her simourv's future subjects; that was more likely it. Plus, they were adorable, not that she was much of a good judge for that. She wasn't good with cute things. She mainly focused on the lovely mental image of when this tawny, green, and blue would be giant xymokoxi killers.

Ro'za had finally decided on a new wingletmaster as well, allowing her to relax and enjoy the event. Not that she actually was. She didn't relax much, not truly. This time around, the selection process had her fingerprints all over it. K'ean and Seronaph were going to do a good job, even if they were going to have a bit of a limited time to prepare. She wasn't exactly known for playing fair, in case that hadn't been made clear. She didn't make other peoples' lives easy. It made her great for beating supplies out of people, but it didn't make her a lot of friends or ease the path for anyone who had to deal with her. Her eyes scanned the sands again, picking out details. Eceph was feeding her better information, her sight far superior, but it made her feel better. The tawny and green had bonded. The blue was busy cowering. Nothing too exciting for her.

Emi was ridiculously excited, bouncing up and down in her seat in the stands. This hatching was smaller than Eceph's, but the stands were still packed with people. There might have been less candidates and eggs, but everyone in the world still wanted to see the birth of their saviors. She had managed to wiggle into a space right at the front, meaning that she could actually see. Oh, it was all so great! She was in her work clothes and smelled of geese, an odor most wouldn't be immediately be able to identify, but she didn't care. It was only too bad Jok couldn't have come; she didn't think the simourvs would have liked that. There was another tawny! The blue was pretty and the green had gusto, but the tawny seemed special. It was how she had been raised, at least recently. Tawnies were mothers and there were only two others.

Amira had bonded to the tawny! Emi clapped wildly, slamming her hands together so hard that they hurt. She knew Amira! She was very nice! Which made sense! The tawny seemed nice too! She bet that it was! Eventually, she did stop clapping, but not until everyone else in the cavern had. She was a bit too oblivious to notice if anyone stared at her; she wouldn't have cared either way. This was turning out to be a grand hatching, even if it was only the second to ever happen at the eyrie. It wasn't over yet though; it hadn't even been going on that long. The blue still needed to bond to someone. Wait, did hatchlings not have to bond to people if they didn't want to? There were wilds. There was talk about a blue wild too. This blue seemed a little more on the skittish side compared to the others. Emi hoped he would bond soon. She hoped very much.

. . . representing you and me.

[Kat]

The Tawny was an even more impressive sight. She was the perfect creature, a downy light in the middle of the Nesting Sands. Wegmeph stared at her, his golden eyes glowing with thrill and excitement. A Tawny was the best outcome for the hatchling; Altaph and him and created the perfect creature, a small lady for the Eyrie, who would one day produce more simourv chicks to increase the population of the Eyrie. And she was so graceful! He was so proud of her. The fact that the Tawny seemed to struggle to pick a candidate was overlooked. Wegmeph did not even notice that the creature seemed a bit confused about her correct process. She nudged some of the candidates so lovingly. She was such a careful and gentle creature, the perfect, shining example of what a Tawny should be. Ros’n was a little more skeptical about the Tawny’s perfection. She seemed to be acting so strangely, and the fact that she seemed so terribly confused worried the bluerider. True, the Tawny was a beautiful and elegant sight, but Ros’n worried about her behavior. But when the Tawny finally chose, and she chose a girl Ros’n recognized from Eceph’s hatching, one of the ones that had been left standing. It had been a tragedy from what Ros’n understood, and it was nice and comforting to see the girl chosen by such a beautiful chick. The girl who had been left on the sands was now the third Tawny rider of Pohono.

Wegmeph knew that the pink egg would hatch, even if his rider was becoming more and more unsure with every passing second. When the blue chick finally fell from his egg, Wegmeph nodded, pleased. The hatchling seemed awfully shy, and Wegmeph wondered if he should be worried about it, but the worry only lasted a second before he quashed it with the faith he had for his children. The Blue would bond. He just needed some time to work up his confidence enough to approach the humans. Wegmeph had been one of the last to bond, mostly because he had taken a long time to find a suitable candidate, although, from Wegmeph’s perspective, he still had yet to find a suitable human rider. The hatchling cowered against the wall, and Ros’n eyed the creature worriedly. If any of them would not bond—well, Ros’n did not want to think what would happen to the moral of the Eyrie. But then, the hatchling began to move, circling the periphery of the nesting sands and then dashing towards Ros’n and Wegmeph. The Blue’s tail moved to block the hatchling’s path as he moved towards him, but luckily, the hatchling stopped running and approached one of the candidates.

---

Ri’ley watched Amira tumble to the ground, and he hissed in sympathy. He liked the girl quite a bit as a friend, and he hoped that she had not been injured. He did not want to have to patch her up a second time. It did not look as if Amira was cut by
the hatchling’s claws, but the fall could have broken a bone or caused some sort of unfortunate bruising. He would have to check with her after the hatching to ensure that she was okay. But then, another blond girl helped Amira stand, and the redhead looked fine once she was standing. That was a relieving sight. The green did bond, but she did not choose Amaryllis or Amira, and Ri’ley felt bad that neither girl who he came to support bonded.

As the bonding occurred, Ri’ley tried to allow Dionyph to see through his eyes. Ri’ley wanted the black to experience the pairs as they happened, and he was becoming more and more adept at transmitting his sight to the simourv. Dionyph broadcasted his thanks to Ri’ley, as the black witnessed the green connect with the girl who he did not know. Ri’ley knew the dark-haired girl only by sight. She had failed to bond at Eceph’s hatching, so at some point, the two had been in classes together. But Ri’ley could not even remember the girl’s name, even if he knew who she was by reputation. Dionyph bowed his head, even though he was not in the sight of anyone who would know to what he nodded. In regards to Eoreph’s affection, which she broadcasted to all of her siblings, Dionyph cooed lovingly, even though he did not say anything else. He could have spoken about the wonderful bonding that occurred, but Dionyph thought that the speech would have been redundant. His siblings had probably already been informed of the bond by their partners, and Dionyph did not know the new greenrider enough to express an opinion. Instead, Dionyph just expressed an excitement for the pair.

Ri’ley kept his eyes glued on the Tawny. She was a precious creature, light and free, and she pranced around the sands. Ri’ley liked to see another Tawny. From what he understood of the ranks of Eyrie, from the needs of the Eyrie, the creature was very much a necessity. Tawnys were rare. Eoreph was the only one besides the proud mother Altaph. Ri’ley conveyed the creature to Dionyph who chirped with excitement. She was beautiful! How lucky the Eyrie was to have another Tawny!
Oh, brothers and sisters, she is such a beautiful tawny! We are so lucky to be graced with another lady of such poise. We would not be able to survive without her lustrous glow.
Dionyph announced, and Ri’ley grinned with amusement. His grin grew, too, when the Tawny approached Amaryllis. Ri’ley’s breath stopped, and he wondered if the tawny would bond to his sister. He would be so proud of her! But then, the tawny walked away from Amaryllis, leaving the tall girl on the sands. Ri’ley exhaled, and even though he knew that she would have another chance, and that the ways of the simourv were strange, Ri’ley was disappointed. The man’s disappointment was short lived, however, as the Tawny walked over to Amira, and the second bond of the morning occurred. Amira—even though he would have liked Amaryllis to bond to the tawny, Ri’ley could honestly think of no better candidate who deserved the hatchling more. She had been so upset about being left on the sands, and she deserved so much! Yes, Amira would make a really wonderful tawny rider. He would have to meet her new bonded partner and congratulate them both when he saw them after the hatching. He was very pleased with the occurrence.
”Oh, I can think of no better person. I’m very happy for Amira and the Eyrie.”
Ri’ley announced as he nodded approvingly. L’nan’s excitement was understandable. So far, she had few other people who would understand her life as a tawnyrider.

The purple egg had hatched, which was a relief, but the hatchling looked awfully skittish and frightened. How sad the little hatchling looked cowering against the wall. Ri’ley wished he could cheer the hatchling up in some way, and Dionyph expressed the same sentiment. The black simourv wiggled closer to his siblings, and he hung his head in worry and fear.
The poor little blue. I wish we could help him. He looks so sad and frightened, and I hate to see one of our kind so horribly small.
Dionyph announced, and his voice sounded upset and worried. In fact, Dionyph’s voice had gained its often-utilized downwards lilt which negated some of the grandness of his maturing cadence. It was also clear that he did not refer to the simourv's physical size, but rather some concept of smallness of character. To Dionyph, the hatchling looked so vulnerable shaking against the wall. He wanted to reach out and protect it from its woes.

---

Morgana was glad that Amira allowed her to help. Morgana appraised Amira’s person to find out if the girl was injured, but she seemed fine. Morgana, then, did not need to ask the question, as she found such questions of fineness completely pointless. If someone was not fine, then he or she was obviously not fine, and the question was superfluous. Amira looked, though, emotionally crushed. Morgana wanted to hug Amira, but she doubted the action would go over well. In fact, it would be rather awkward. Instead, Morgana just glanced at Amira another second, before her blue eyes fluttered to admire the Tawny hatchling again. The shrieking, frightened blue was warranted only a passing glance, as it was too timid to be interesting or useful. The hatchling was beautiful, a deep blue color, accented with a dark purple color, but it was too jerky in movements and too frightened and quivering to be impressive to Morgana. But the Tawny—she was a presence, even if she was not as bright and beautiful in coloration. Morgana firmly believed that half of beauty was the way one moved and the way one acted. The Tawny was graceful and elegant. Morgana just liked the way she floated across the sands.

But the Tawny did not approach Morgana, and Morgana did not want her to, after all, it would be a waste, and instead she advanced towards Amaryllis. Morgana watched the pair with scorn, and when Amaryllis did not meet the hatchling’s standards, Morgana could not help but to grin a tiny, fragile grin. She should not be happy that the girl was passed over, but that meant that there was still hope for Morgana, if she had wanted the hope at all. She did not need it, because she did not really want to bond. But then, the hatchling started walking back towards Morgana and Amira, and for a second, Morgana was flooded with horror and wonder simultaneously. She did not want this, and yet, the thought that the Tawny might pick Morgana made the blond’s heart pound. She did not want it—but she did. It was a horrible contrary tearing of Morgana’s soul. But the hatchling did not pick Morgana, and instead, she bonded to Amira. Morgana watched the practice with wide eyes. She could not believe it. It was a wonderful excitement; a wonderful event. Amira had wanted it so badly. She had been so devastated that she had not been picked the first time, and now she had been. In spite of herself, Morgana was happy for her roommate. And in Morgana’s excitement, she reached out to hug Amira. She gripped the girl into a large hug and kissed Amira’s cheek. Morgana was happy for her friend.

---

The sand was hot, and the Blue hatchling had buried his face in it. His face was hot. It was burning, and it was too hot. The hatchling could not withstand the hot sands across his face any longer. He lifted his head, and he coughed, but then he was worried that everyone was staring at him because he was coughing. But the hot sand felt uncomfortable, now, and it made his face feel thick and cloyed. So, he coughed, and then he sneezed, so that he could try to get rid of the tickling twitch that the heat had caused in his sinus passages. But now that he had coughed, he was sure that everyone was staring at him. He wanted to cry. He wanted to break down and end this entire horrible situation where everyone’s eyes tracked him with his very movement. But if he broke down, then everyone would know that he had failed, and then they would hate him even more. He decided that he needed to get out of the nesting sands. He needed to reach the exit, and it was on the other side of the room. The hatchling began to shake, but then he darted around the edge of the cave.

Halfway through his crawl around the edge, the Blue decided that he needed to get out faster. He was moving too slowly along the edge. The path was just too long. He needed to move faster. He wanted to get out faster. The little Blue hatchling moved, and he dashed across the middle of the sands, so that his claws threw up the dust as if he was trying to disappear in his own cloud of sand. He was almost to the edge of the nesting sands, almost to Ros’n and Wegmeph, and the exit, and right when he reached the area between the large simourv and the woman. The hatchling never made it to his father, though, as halfway in the middle of his dash, the hatchling turned. Then he ran to the back of the large group of candidates. He did not want to be seen by them. He hoped none of them would turn around. The hatchling ran from the front of the pack, starting with Mashiro, to the end of the line, near Morgana twice before he finally slowed down his run. Maybe if he ran fast enough they could not see him. He was a blur of dark blue.

And then, the hatchling stopped. He jerked towards one of the candidates, because he was sure that one of the candidates was for him. He hesitated before he approached, as if he was not sure he was picking the right person or as if he did not want to pick. And a part of him wanted no part in making this choice. A part of him wanted to give up on picking the human, but the hatchling approached. When he reached the boy of his choice, the hatchling crawled behind the boy, and pressed himself as hard as possible into the boy’s legs. It was enough to knock a person down, which was not the hatchling’s intention. He wanted to be as close to his choice as possible. He wanted to crawl into the boy’s skin, so that he would be safe. With a human besides him, perhaps the Blue could find himself and his confidence.
Ma’ro, please protect your Hummiph from all the judgmental people in the world. If I did not have you, I don’t know if I could survive so much scrutiny. But perhaps, together, we can overcome the expectations of others, and grow assured of ourselves.
The hatchling’s voice was quiet, meek, and sad, and the words started out soft before increasing in volume so that he would be able to be heard by his choice. He chewed on the 'm's in his name, purring them in his own name. His words were still almost inaudible, even though they were mentally transmitted.


45425E ;; Very Insecure, Indecisive, Skittish, Needy, Responsible

[winged]

The heat of the sands was indomitable, a sweltering backdrop to the emotional plateau ushering in a new class of winglets. Sweat stood out in sharp relief across the woman's forehead, contributing to the clammy discomfort I'dou endured. Her sweater had been a great boon outside, where the air bit like ice. In here it closed in on smothering - and she'd been foolish enough to inch further inside the cavernous grounds in her efforts to put distance between herself and other onlookers. In what felt like the timeless stretches of time between Bonding, that discomfort seemed to solidify and grow as a real thing before her attention was drawn away from her condition, and it shrank to a dismal little corner of her mind, niggling unpleasantly before it found the limelight once more.

The green had borne an opportunity for faint reminiscence for I'dou, the tawny provided something more along the lines of a shove down memory lane. There was something in the chick's demeanor that rang a startling similarity to Laraph - a self-confidence (though, admittedly biased as she was, she thought Laraph the superior model) that had her struggling to check the tears that were making tracks down her glumly set face. There were a few futile attempts at dashing them ashamedly from sight, not that anyone felt the inclination to make a point of staring at her, before I'dou threw in the towel and sobbed in a subdued manner to herself.

She put up a tough front, but the emotionally charged scene had unearthed sentiments and feelings that had faded with time (and poor communication). The brick and mortar of her frustration and anger amounted to rubble when faced with the transcendence of Bonding. Unconsciously I'dou reached out to Laraph, whose thoughts and emotions flooded the woman's mind with all the force of a strong current once dammed. It had pained the gray to withhold herself for so long from her partner's mind, but she'd done it. She'd felt no love for I'dou's ridiculous behavior, but the chick was devoted enough to give the young woman space. Laraph had watched and observed, cooed and admired the hatchlings alongside her brethren. The gray had done an excellent job of masking her own displeasure by emphasizing the happiness of others.

Now the chick was almost buzzing with the overflow of vitality she'd lacked before. Dark brown eyes fixed themselves on I'dou, darting askance only to respectfully observe the blue's Bonding to Mashiro (funny, that human looked similar to Hers!) before returning once more. If there weren't the obstacle of the Hatching itself, I'dou might have very well darted over and flung herself onto her simourv. As it was, the two settled for sharing the closest equivalent to a mental embrace before, now heartened, I'dou applauded in celebration of the Hatching's success and of each successive, personal fulfillment, and Laraph followed with a bright and cheery trill: welcoming both chicks and riders into the folds of the Eyrie properly.

Things had come full circle, to a brightness that rang of hopeful perseverance.

[Kilnarak]

Mashiro only saw the bright colored egg's inhabitant when the hatchling broke out of the shadows along the chamber's wall - another shadow, blue-violet, peeling away from the rest to dart across sands. His eyes tracked the simourv-shaped shadow as it blurred past in a mad-dash toward the exit to the chamber only to stop short, doubled back to race back and forth in a panic behind the candidate-group. He had turned to track the creature, his hand lifting to Silas shoulder again - not staying, merely offering a light touch to alert the other man. For all that the small creature (really, it wasn't *so* much taller than Yukimori) seemed terrified of the attention, it's frantic actions only called more attention. He supposed, distantly, that perhaps he should be wary - a frightened animal was more likely to lash out - but he couldn't bring himself to back down for some reason.

The simourv had paused a moment, it's frantic movements stilling for a brief instant in which the albino had a chance to examine the creature's dark form, before it was moving again in a sudden lunge toward his legs. The hatchling didn't so much strike him, as shove against him - nearly clinging in it's closeness. The sudden shove set him off balance, however while he staggered and stumbled back a step, he did not fall as the creature positioned him between itself and the others. Mashiro - no, Ma'ro now - felt a jolt as the creature touched him, and his naked expression showed little more than awe and perhaps the briefest hint of confusion. It wanted him? This Hummiph wanted him?

He was shocked into motion as the creature's soft timid voice whispered in his mind, and he carefully leaned down to place his hands upon Hummiph's head, carefully smoothing his fingers over the velvet-soft feathers of the hatchling's ears. His movements were slow, and he tried to reassure the small creature, humming softly and tunelessly. He was distracted briefly, watching his own hands, ghost-pale in contrast to Hummiph's darkly feathered head. After a moment, slowly, he lowered himself into a crouch beside the young simourv, glancing up briefly at those near him as if he suddenly remembered their presence - his expression was controlled again, however. His attention returned to his new charge, and he carefully stroked the small creature's head and ears.

"You're safe, Hummiph," he murmured, offering the blue a small smile - while the slight quirk of his lips didn't look particularly sincere, the sentiment behind it was. The hatchling's name didn't sound the same, coming from his own lips - he couldn't purr it, not like Hummiph could - but he repeated it a few times, softly, trying to soothe. Hummiph took the shift in position, as well as the soft words, as invitation to clamber up onto His. He inadvertently knocked the pale man back, out of his crouch and onto the sand, and pressed himself close to His' chest as if he could disappear there. He was shivering, but it began to abate as he felt His' arms carefully encircle him, the cloak that Ma'ro had worn draping about him with the movement, hiding his head and shoulders at least from the judging gazes around them, even if it left his dark-tipped tail and hindlegs still visible.

Promise? Hummiph whispered, burrowing as close as he was able. Are they looking, Mine? I don't want them to see me, he whimpered softly against the albino's chest, only to feel the pale man's arms tighten a bit about him. "It doesn't matter. I'm here," Ma'ro replied, soft. Why would anyone think ill of Hummiph? The hatchling was beautiful and perfect, and even if he did not say it aloud, he felt only love for his little blue shadow. Besides, if anyone looked, it would be at him and not this child - Hummiph wasn't the strange one of the pair. This thought did little to reassure the hatchling, however, and as he realized that, Ma'ro tried to put it out of his mind.

[Cy]

[/color][/I]

That did it. A sob came from her throat and she squeezed her eyes shut, hand still over her mouth. Philomeph’s kind gaze widened as she stared up at her bonded, confused and alarmed and still full of love. Oh, her Am’ra was so wonderful, why was she not happy about being found? Was she not happy about being found? Uncertain, she ducked her head to press her beak against the leg she leaned against, kissing pale skin with comfort and curiosity.

Easily, she turned into Morgana as the girl pulled her close, melting into the hug offered because she could think of nothing else to do. She could think of nothing at all beyond what had just happened; she’d bonded. She was Am’ra of Tawny Philomeph now. She exhaled sharply once more, the sob much more apparent as the laughter that it was, a smile growing along her thin lips at the kiss upon her cheek and she opened her eyes to focus briefly on her companion, grateful and certainly happier than she could recall ever being. Chin quivering, she turned her gaze back down to the mauve creature still staring up at her – and she promptly crumpled, dropping to her knees underneath the crush of emotion and threw her arms fully around the simourv newborn.

Philomeph gave a small squawk of surprise, but was quick to settle in the affection finally returned to her. Love swelled in her as she rubbed her head against Hers, cooing warmly. Red hair smelled nice. She couldn’t get distracted though! Her sister had gone somewhere with her bonded, and so she must surely do so as well. ‘My Am’ra, we must go… somewhere for now. Somewhere– ’ Her tummy gurgled. Oh! ‘I am hungry! We must go somewhere so I can eat!’ She announced brightly, proud of herself and momentarily distracted by her hunger for it. Being proud of something seemed a far better sensation than being hungry. She wanted to be proud of everything![/ul]

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