Who We Are [Eceph's First Hatching]

[Kilnarak]

Niraan followed with the rest of the candidates as they were lead to the sands. He kept his grip upon his brother's arm the entire walk, half-dragging the boy - now holding the basket of sweets - along after him. He was briefly concerned after their arrival, as two young simourv already stood upon the sands amidst their scattered egg-shells. The blonde watched the two hatchlings with more than a little interest, as well as more than a little wariness - they were larger than he had expected, and he wondered absently how tightly they must have curled themselves, to have fit within the close confines of their eggs.

As the red began lumbering over toward the group of candidates, glaring belligerently at their number, Niraan grew tense. His hold upon Kenii's arm tightened, and he moved to place himself between the boy and the angry looking hatchling. It looked like it was on the warpath, more interested ripping them all apart than becoming friends. It was little surprise to him, then, when the volatile creature set upon first one, then another of the girls nearest it. He hissed softly under his breath, reaching for the dagger at his hip... that he had forgotten, for once, to bring with him. The short blade had been left within his room, likely still hung with it's sheathe from the post of his bunk.

Niraan remained tensed as the red turned his attention elsewhere and two other simourv hatchlings - the rainbow first, and then a newly hatched green - made their way toward the candidate-group. He didn't trust them, not after what the red had done, and his eyes flitted between the two. Thusfar, however, the lot of them had ignored him and his brother - the rainbow moved to nudge at one of the injured girls (had that been the one with the tea?) and the green moved immediately to the oldest girl of the group.

After a moment, Niraan slowly began to back toward one of the walls of the cavern, more than willing to drag Kenii bodily after him if the younger boy didn't follow suit on his own. Half of his mind was focused on the threat - the hatchlings - and the other on possible escape routes. He wondered, absently, if these riders would even let them run - perhaps they had intended them all a meal for their birds from the start? His gaze flicked to a few of the riders, particularly the candidatemaster and K'huna as they were closest - glaring and suspicious.

---

For her part, Teagan had also followed the crowd, trailing a bit behind. She kept toward the back of the group, and was similarly shocked when the red hatchling attacked. She, however, did not fall victim to paranoia - at least not yet. All she could think at the moment was that that was a lot of blood. It was some moments before the girl started out of her shock, moving toward the injured Farah and making reassuring noises, like one might use with an injured dog or horse.

"Shh, you're allright, yeah? You'll be allright. Maybe ya should sit?" she looked about briefly, looking to other candidates. A few, she knew, had been trained in healing - the only one she knew by sight was the large young man who currently held the red's attention. She doubted he'd be able to help. "Does anyone have bandages? Or cloth ya don't care about?" she called, loud, trying to be heard over the crying and clamor of the newly hatched simourv.

[Siphran]

Nar heard activity and movement in the hall, but he didn’t get up. Rather he buried his head deeper into his pillow, trying to escape the noise. He wanted more sleep, and he wouldn’t be bothered to get up this early for a lesson. However, when he heard what the simourv was saying he lept out of bed and hurried to get dressed. The eggs were hatching, and he would get to the sands as fast as possible.

Or atleast he would have if he hadn’t had to wait for Ts’kal to lead them. Nar looked around at all the candidates already in the hall. He was one of the last people to join the group. All sleep gone from his eyes, he scanned the faces, looking for Hokan and Kaylee. After a bit of searching and a bit of pushing and shoving he made his way over to the pair, Kaylee obviously displeased at being in such close proximity to Hokan. “G’mornin, did I miss anythin?” He asked as he joined the duo. Then, noticing Kaylee’s state of consciousness. “Sleep well?” More than just a honest question, he chuckled.

As they made their way to the nesting sands more excitement filled him, as it was the same with nearly everyone else. Finally they filled into the sands, and he saw that two had already hatched and were moving around. A rainbow, which was limping slightly, and a red with blood on its claws. After a quick intake of the scene he figured out that it had just attacked two of the candidates. Serenity, had wounds on her shoulders, and Farah, blood still glistening on her stomach from where the red had attacked. Unfortunate, but there had to be a reason that the red had attacked. Then another egg hatched, releasing a green hatchling. He nudged Kaylee and pointed at the red. “Scary yeah?” The red was certainly full of spunk, he wondered what poor scratching post it would chose. Nar didn’t fear not being chosen, let it happen if it happened, he wouldn’t let worries of the future taint the present. He watched the hatchlings, especially the red. If it chose to strike again he might be able to warn the chosen target.

[Fox]

It wasn't long before the mass of candidates began to move, herding Lea along with them like a sack of so much grain. Here, her small stature was a problem; she couldn't see very well where they were going (though it was a pretty safe bet that they were headed to the Sands), and the press was getting uncomfortably close. After the second time that she stumbled and nearly fell after tripping over someone's foot that she couldn't even see in the crush, Lea drew her bottom lip between her teeth in concentration. There had to be a better way of travelling with the crowd that wasn't so potentially dangerous... And then her eyes fell on the tallest person in the crowd- Ripley- and the proverbial lightbulb clicked on over her head. She began to move of her own accord rather than being pushed along by all the other candidates, using her elbows and her voice if necessary, to fall in behind Ripley. Almost immediately, Lea found it easier to walk by far, as he was a good deal broader than her, and served as quite an efficient crowd-breaker. Granted, she couldn't see a thing beyond his back now either, but at least she could walk.

She followed in Ripley's wake right up until they reached the sands, when he stopped. Confused, she peered around him to realise that two of the eggs had already hatched, bringing forth a bright, orange-speckled red simourv and a gorgeous rainbow. Immediately, the panic came flooding back, and Lea had to press a shaking hand over lips that had turned white. The chicks were huge; the red was probably the size of a pony, and looked like it was going to attack someone already. The rainbow was smaller; about the size of a large dog, and meandering around rather curiously. Moments later, Lea stifled a scream as the red lunged at Serenity, and then Farah in short order. She stood stock still and watched as Farah screamed, scrambling away from the red. Numbly, Lea's eyes fell to the red seeping through the hands that Farah held over her belly.

Shock seared through her, stunning her back into action. She was a midwife, yes, but her father had been a surgeon. She had assisted in enough operations to know what was what, and that looked like a bad wound. Hurriedly, she brushed past Ripley and the other candidates in the way, falling to her knees beside Farah, opposite a concerned Teagan. "Here." She said shortly, gripping the sleeve of her night shirt and then yanking it with all her strength. She was rewarded by the welcome sound of ripping fabric, and the sleeve came off her arm in one cylinder-shaped piece. It wasn't the first time that Lea had had to mutilate her clothes, and through experience she had found that it was easier to rip at the seams and go from there. Thank goodness she had chosen to wear one of the larger shirts to sleep; There was a lot of material even in one sleeve. "Apply pressure, as evenly as you can." She instructed Teagan, needlessly as the girl probably knew what to do anyway, and then she turned away, brown eyes searching. Absently, she noted that another chick, a green one, had hatched and seemed to already have chosen her rider. But she wasn't interested in the chick. Eventually, her eyes fell on the tall form of Ripley, facing off with the red chick who had so injured Farah. Briefly, Lea hesitated, not wanting to distract him in case the Red chose that moment to attack. But another glance at Farah decided her. Gritting her teeth and hoping for the best, the woman turned and shouted, "Ripley! We need you!" Because there was no doubt, if she knew him at all, that he had brought materials just in case someone was injured. Lea wished she had had that foresight, but even if she had, needles and suturing thread were not the tools of a midwife. She really, really hoped that she wouldn't get him hurt.

[zeis]

K'huna had just rousted the last of the candidates from their room into the hall with the rest when Eceph's cry split the air. The red-rider glanced up for only a second with a heartfelt curse, before turning to glare at the gathered candidates and the candidatemaster. "It's taking too long. Go! Go!" He growled in a voice that was somewhere near a yell. The man had forgotten after so long being with Canph how quickly their hatching had taken place after the first rocking egg. Of course, they had been camped out near the mother to wait for such an occurrence, rather than trying to herd stragglers in a group. He realized with regret and mixed anger that this was their first time organizing such a thing. Human error was bound to occur, he just hoped that simourv error would not.

Canph strode behind the group of candidates with his head low and his eyes watchful, letting Ts'kal and Aburoqaph take the lead while he and his took up the rear. He would not let a single one of them shirk their duty. They had agreed, and they would stand. When they reached the caverns, he broke off from them with not a word, though he sent them all an encouraging wave of emotion. A feeling of well wishing that was quite sincere, and sincerity was hard for the red. The red and his rider moved to stand near Wegmeph and the other arriving simourv and theirs, behind the candidates and far from the newly hatched.

~~~~~~~

Kenii despite having been looking for his brother, didn't see him make his way through the crowd toward him, and gave a startled yelp when he was grabbed thinking it was the Wingletmaster. He relaxed when he realized it was Niraan, and willing let himself be dragged into a more concealed position within the throng of candidates. The boy was also marginally baffled as to why his sibling had a basket of cinnamon rolls, but he was too grateful for the food to ask questions when it was shoved his way. He accepted it with a dumb nod, and absently took little bites of one as they waited, more interested in what was going on than the true task of eating. Suddenly they were moving, and he moved with them, not quite as bothered by the shoving as the streets of Sayaie were quite crowded. You got used to being crowded when you were a thief, preferred it even.

When they arrived in the nesting cavern, he felt himself relax a little at the wave of encouragement, though he had no way of telling its source. At least one of the giant birds wanted them to succeed. This relaxation was shattered by the screams of two girls he knew only in passing through their lessons. Serenity and Farah were both born down to the ground by the same red simourv. He'd been told they might be attacked, but seeing it and hearing about it were two different things... He grabbed onto his brother just as Niraan pushed himself in front of him, and moved willingly with him as they backed away. He had been thinking the exact same thing. To hell with being in front. He'd let them all get mauled first, and take what he could get after.

~~~~~~

Meanwhile, the Wind Dwarf had continued its steady rising violence, and gradually began to wear away at the barrier of hot sand that held it sitting upright. In one ponderously worrying motion it lost its balance and rolled in a wobbly fashion into the Peasant Core, which promptly fell in its already tilted position on its side and into the Scholarly Core, which remained upright but now severely leaning. Now stopped, something bashed against the side of the egg from the inside, gradually breaking away a small chink in the whimsically swirled eggs armor. Dark claws scrabbled at the hole, widening it at a maddeningly slow pace. A wild wavering growl issued inside the egg for any with ears keen enough to hear it over the chaos caused by the red. The chick inside wanted out, and nothing was going to stop it. After all, it had horns and sharp claws, and what did this shell have? Nothing!

So much focus was on the one simourv who had already made her choice, the two who were still deciding, and the one still struggling. There were still so many eggs left on the sands yet to hatch, and a few that weren't easily seen. One in particular preferred it that way. Unseen by any but the clutch mother and other simorv who got a towering view, the Hunter Core had fallen on its side, and the top of the egg had been pushed away away, whole and silent. Almost as if it had been pre-broken in preparation to make as little noise as possible. A shadow darted from inside the egg between the Earth Giant and the Noble giant, into the massive circle of eggs positioned around the Kingly giant. Very hard for the eye to follow, even on its newly used legs. It moved fast too quick to distinguish its color well other than a blur, and cleverly using eggs much larger than itself to keep it that way. No one would see it. it was sure, not until it wanted to be seen.

The chick inside the Wind Dwarf had persistently chipped away at eggshell around it to try and vault itself out. It stumbled a bit as the egg case caught on its hind feet, but quickly shook it free to boldly face the world. It was a green, a dark almost black iridescent green. The color of Chydyn forest leaves in summer. The underside of her neck, chest, belly and tail was a light warm yellow, dabbed with a similarly pastel orange. Yellow ringed the edges of her dark feathers, traveling in interlocking patterns up her flanks, sides, and face. Only two distinguishing marks interrupted the pattern, wing-shaped splotches of the same dark green underneath her eyes. She was here, but so were way too many people than she needed. Only the one would do.

The green surveyed them without fear, and feeling unthreatened took a moment to sit and scratch idly at the ruff of feathers around her neck. She didn't care what she looked like doing it, it felt good. The chick closed her eyes in relief gave a small drawn out squawk of pleasure as she hit just the spot. It felt so good. The fact that this was a special occasion didn't matter to her, or that she was being watched. Why should she act any different? No one could make her, and she'd like to see them try. Finished with her scratch, she pushed herself to her feet, and started to make her way determinedly over to the candidates. Hers was in there somewhere, and she would find them.

On the other side of the sands, the great pink and blue spotted hulk of the Knightly Giant shook violently for a few moments before breaking apart in a shower of brightly colored shell. Its occupant caught itself on its feet with a somewhat awkward pose, and a slow blink of its eyes. The black took a moment to orient itself, and turned to look worriedly toward the silvery form of the Water Queen. That was good, he was not late for her. First impressions were important, and he would not get another chance to make one. He would be here when she arrived, In the meantime... He turned back to gaze a tad morosely toward the candidates. He had other things he must do.

The black bore consistent markings of gray over most of his form, ringing around the edges of individual feathers to soften a form that otherwise would be black as night. His face held bold stripes of the same gray, radiating out from his beak in an almost star shape. Large ears which bore tips of gray flicked casually as he approached the candidates, and he stopped before Kito first. The black took a long hard look at him with eyes that were so silver they were nearly white, before closing his eyes and looking away. No, that boy was not his, and he did not like to give him false hope, but it was the truth, and he could not lie. He cast the boy one last lingering glance before moving on, looking apologetically to the girls as he passed. No, he could not have them either. He was relieved to be out of the egg, but he found no joy in this. He was making each of these human children hate him, he was sure of it. How could he repair the disappointment of being passed over? He did not know... His tail sagged a little with each person he passed who was not his. He wondered if perhaps his own was not here, and what if he was left alone with no one? Alone, and unable to do what he needed to do? Alas, what would he do then?

The green paused to stare down Amira, and then lingered over Ichidou before moving on. She was unstoppable in her search, and did not wait for Candidates to get out of her way. If they did not move, she'd shove them out of the way. Just because they all wanted to stand around didn't mean she did. They were in her way, so she would move them. She wanted to find hers, and be away from them. They were boxing her in, and she didn't even need them to be here. She would find hers and take her away from here, someplace quiet and alone. Her dark golden eyes fell on Teagan and Serenity, and she tensed before dashing over as fast as her wobbly legs could carry her.

She shoved through the remaining candidates without a thought, and sniffed at the blood oozing steadily out of the girls shoulders with a small growl. Her head whipped around to glare accusingly at the red, and called out an accusatory and very insulting sounding note. What a cheap shot! Clawing hers before she could find her! She would love to see him try that again, so she could return the favor. She snapped back toward the fallen girl, and darted her head forward to nudge over-zealously at the girls head and cheek Don't worry, S'reni. That red wont dare come near you now that your Elahuph is here. She stopped the affectionate headbutting to tug insistently at the girls clothes. She was small for a green, only 2'7'' at the shoulder, and though she had the spunk to make up for it she couldn't budge the prone girl much. You have to get up. You're hurt, and it's too crowded... They made it hard to find you.

173618 - brave, stubborn, unmannerly, prefers privacy

[Bre]

Mom and dad . . .

The red ignored Elahuph. He didn't care about his green sisters or even his black brother. He had wandered for a moment, hissing and growling at all that he passed. However, his attention had returned to Farah by the time the dark green had bonded. There were others crowded around her, yelling and shouting words he did not bother to understand. What did they think they were doing? This was his vengeance. Their simple penance for their crimes. Nothing could be taken lightly. Nothing could simply be shrugged off. Quiet but menacing, he stalked towards the injured girl and her saviors. Three steps from them and he really started to move, just as quick on his feet as the silent hatchling lurking back amongst the eggs. He knocked Teagan away first, sending her sprawling across the sands with a whack from his stubby horns.

Then the red set himself upon Leannan. He gripped one of her arms in his beak and his claws tore at her calves as he fumbled with her body. After a moment, he spat her out and turned on Teagan again. His claws scraped at her legs and across her hips as he shoved her savagely across the sands. In a matter of seconds, both of the girls were torn down and he was done. He stalked off, blood on his beak and claws, bright red on the black in his feathers. As he passed Ripley, he gave the boy another hiss. He did not like him. He did not like any of them. The cool fury in his chest continued to surge through him. They had all been late. Did they think they could just do that to him and expect no reaction? He was not complacent. He was not happy. Somber despite all that he had done, he continued forward with serious resolve in his firm steps.

Serenity had been chosen by her sister, so the rainbow had moved to another, waddling over to Farah in the wake of her brother's destruction on her and her saviors. She nudged the girl kindly, checking to see if she was alright. What could you do with three injured humans? More than you could do with two. She chortled to herself, despite the blood she had picked up on her multicolored feathers. Compassionate beyond her morbid cheer, she went onto nudging Teagan and Leannan. Were they going to be alright? She did not want any of them to be her riders, but she didn't want any of them to die. Still, in the end, she would get over it all. No point in lingering. Leaving them with one more tender, soft nudge each for encouragement, she turned her attention to the other candidates around her. It would all work out. There was someone for them all.

It started with a tremor. Just a little tremor in the wake of the red's renewed rampage. The Water Queen gave a little shake. Then it gave another. Slowly, rocking back and forth, the egg began to split and break. It was too small to contain the beast within its sooth walls. At last, the slim, coiled creature came tumbling out, falling head over heels with a curious chirrup. With the grace and ease she would one day possess, the gray picked herself up and turned to face the candidates. She towered over her brothers and sisters, though she was smaller than her mother had been when she'd been born. Ten feet long and half as tall, she wasn't well proportioned yet, but she was still a magnificent sight. Her feathers were a medium gray tipped with a lighter silver and orange covered her chest and around her deep brown eyes in gray studded spots.

The gray regarded them all with placid, peaceful resolve. Oh, how many beautiful people! Oh, so many brothers and sisters! What a pretty rainbow, what a handsome red! She barely noticed the blood, thinking that it was nothing. The people gathered her attention, though not because she saw her rider. She hadn't started to considered it. She could see them all. Every last one of them in the future. They would be riders with her brothers and sisters and children beside them. She knew that she would one day be a mother, but that was a long way off. How did babies even get born into the world? How did eggs get laid? She didn't know, naive and content to dream. Though cool and sensible, she was a hopeful creature. The future held so much potential and she could see it, spread out before her, a patchwork of pictures and dreams.

The red had finally calmed and that was when he saw him. The one who didn't make him angry. The one who broke through his solitary state and made him feel lonely. Not quite complete. He shoved two boys out of the way and then nudged Kenii aside as well, but he didn't have the heart or the time to attack anymore. Fearless and ready, he twined himself possessively and protectively around the one that he wanted. The boy that he wanted. He had no interest in the girls. He barely had any interest in his sisters and the other simourvs. The one he had was the only one was mattered and that was why he behaved as he did. Normally, he was just vengeful, but his rider made him a little more possessive because they were right for each other. His rider would never draw out his anger, because that was not his way. Serious and somber, he claimed his chosen.

Hello, N'raan; the red greeted his rider. His expression and voice remained quite neutral, despite the obvious passion and conviction that he felt for his choice. No point in getting emotional. This was serious business. For real. I love you. He sounded just as grave as ever, but he was utterly honest. He wasn't a liar and he believed in his justice. He loved his N'raan. He just didn't love anyone else. Your Teimoph will take care of you, but I must be fed and we have duties, though I don't know what they are. Tell the others to leave the ones I had to hurt alone. It wasn't fair to me for them to be late; the hatchling explained to his rider, still curved firmly around the boy. He didn't want to have to hurt anyone else. He was hungry and that was making him just plain grumpy, not just vengeful. His eyes flashed like big, molten gold coals in his head.


F54124 - fearless, serious, solitary, vengeful if wronged

. . . don't worry about your son.

[zeis]

K'huna offered a silent nod of greeting toward the other riders assembled, and even though the occasion was a happy one he still scowled. Inwardly, he felt an extreme rush of emotion that had been altogether uncommon in him since his first few months with Canph. All at once he felt relieved, proud, worried, and overjoyed. This was it. The fruit of their labor for the last few years. All their work had led to this point, the first established simourv hatching. Not some wild coincidence, but fate itself. These youths and children would one day save the world, and one day pass on everything they learned. He didn't bother hiding his smile from the world, or his feelings from Canph. His face darkened a little with sympathy as the red mauled four people in succession before bonding to Niraan. It was a shock, getting mauled, but it would make them all the tougher for it. As for Niraan... the thief would have his hands full, and the pair would be a handful in his lessons he was sure.

On his part, the great red watched with a hawks eye, and had to restrain himself from speaking to the hatchlings. They did not need his distractions, and he would not dare interfere in anything as important as this. He didn't cast judgment over the maulings. After all, he remembered the confusion and fury when he had been a chick. It was all just part of the risk, and the candidates knew that coming here.

~~~~~~~

Kenii had remained behind Niraan, staring with wide eyes over his shoulder as the hatching progressed. None of the other creatures seemed quite as determined to do harm as the red, though a green did go around pushing people. The others seemed calm, and some even concerned in comparison. The boy wasn't sure what to think about all of this. He certainly hadn't given as much thought to mauling as he should have, and neither it seemed had Niraan. Then again, their choice to come here hadn't been much of one. Whether or not now he'd have rather been turned into the guards than torn apart by a hungry beast he wasn't sure.

But from the looks of it he'd have to decide soon. The malevolent red came stalking toward them with intent, throwing and pushing boys out of the way to get to them. His blanched backward, and frantically tried to pull Niraan with him toward the cavern door. Maybe they could outrun the thing, maybe if they started now! Before he could pull his sibling from his spot the red chick shoved him roughly aside, and wrapped possessively around his brother. "No! Niraan!" He screamed in alarm and caught himself as he almost fell, and whirled to face the two of them, taking a tentative step back. He reached out a tentative hand and then withdrew it.. What was the thing doing to him?! Suffocating him? What should he do? The boy looked frantically at the faces around him, searching for help, searching for advice.

[crow]

Being the light sleeper that she was, Reiths had jolted awake the moment the call was sounded. It didn’t take her long to get ready, she was already dressed and everything, and soon she found herself being swept away in a crowd with the other candidates. Everywhere around her people were rushing to get to the nesting sands first, it soon became so congested that it was suffocating. The situation was starting to get a bit overwhelming so being the type of girl she was, Reiths waited out the crowd and followed them a little ways back at her own pace. True, she might be reprimanded later for not being there on time, but at least now she could breathe.

As expected, Reiths was one of the last few candidates to arrive at the Sands. Glancing about, she couldn’t help but let out a low whistle of amazement upon witnessing the sight before her. There were splatters of blood everywhere. According to the bits of conversation that she managed to ‘overhear’, the hatching had just only begun and already there have been several casualties. Suddenly she was glad to have arrived at the time she did, being attacked by a Simourv was not something she would like to experience.

Her attention then shifted towards the hatchlings, the red Simourv chick immediately captured her attention. His talons dripping in blood, the new born Simourv already looked every bit the fierce creature he would soon grow to be. She definitely wouldn’t want to get on his bad side, only a few minutes old and already he could deal out some heavy damage. She never knew that the Simourvs were so strong, and her respect for them only deepened upon finding out.

Reiths couldn’t help but wince when she saw the red attack another two candidates – it was then that she realized that most of the candidates who had been attacked were girls – rage began to build within her. The girls had done nothing to deserve the thrashing they had just received and it vexed Reiths that she couldn’t do a thing about it. It was then that a sudden movement caught her attention; another egg had just hatched and out of it came a large gray.

Now what?

[Kilnarak]

Teagan set about assisting Leannan as the girl gave orders, helping wrap the make-shift bandage about the wound and keeping pressure on it. She had seen to a few cuts and scrapes before, insignificant wounds compared to this. She continued to smile - if shakily - at Farah, murmuring encouraging words. She wasn't even sure the girl heard her, she didn't look like she was entirely aware of the situation about her - going into shock? Teagan looked up sharply at Leannan, hoping the other girl had a better idea of what to do.

The fisher-girl was thus distracted when the red barreled into her and threw her aside. She skidded across the sand and landed in a heap some feet from where she had been previous, her face contorted with shock and pain as she gasped for the breath that had been knocked out of her. What just happened? What hit me? She barely had time to think that much, caught in the process of rolling onto her stomach and pushing back to her feet when the red was upon her again. She fell back beneath the savage beast, raising her arms instinctively to shield herself and trying desperately to scramble away as it's claws raked her flesh.

The assault barely lasted a few seconds, but to her it felt like an eternity before the simourv turned away to stalk off in search of different prey. After it had left her, bleeding, Teagan simply lay where she had fallen, gasping for breath - she hadn't screamed or cried out, but tears tracked down her face as she stared at the blood on her hands. Her blood. She hurt all over, the lacerations in her legs stinging, burning, bruises sore. She shuddered slightly as the next simourv came, the rainbow, curling slightly away from the creature as it nudged at her. She got the sense that it didn't mean her harm, but the part of her mind in control just now didn't believe it. It told her she should make herself as small a target as possible - and that's exactly what she tried to do. Another part of her mind, more distant, feared for what may have happened to Farah and Leannan, but the other louder part told her to look to her own wounds first.

---

Niraan froze as he saw the red moving back toward him, his grip on Kenii's arm spasming tight briefly before he moved to shove the boy behind him, interposing himself between Kenii and the red. The motion was half aborted, however, as the red shoved Kenii aside as if he was a ragdoll and wrapped itself tightly about him. He tensed within the creature's possessive hold, his fisted hands raising instinctively and a startled hiss of breath escaping his clenched teeth before the simourv's mind touched his own in it's somber, neutral tones. Hello, N'raan; I love you.

He froze at that voice, a wave of confusion breaking over him. This is... mine? It wants me...? It felt strange having that second voice in his head, but it also felt vaguely familiar. It felt right, but that very 'right-ness' frightened him - he didn't understand. Your Teimoph will take care of you, but I must be fed and we have duties, though I don't know what they are. Tell the others to leave the ones I had to hurt alone. It wasn't fair to me for them to be late. The paranoid part of him wondered if the creature meant that, but he could feel that it - he, Teimoph - wasn't lying, wouldn't ever think of lying. It confused him, but slowly - slowly - N'raan unclenched his hands and instead laid them lightly upon the simourv's neck. He stared at the creature with eyes nearly as gold as it's own, wide and holding a mix of fright and curiosity - slowly the curiosity was winning over.

He hardly even seemed to notice his brother, forgetting about the boy a moment as he stared at his new bond - awed that it had chosen him. But then the urgency and sharp edge of hunger that radiated from Teimoph hit him, near in time as he realized Kenii was yelling at him - at the simourv - frightened. He looked up abruptly at his brother, his eyes still wide and his expression for once wholely unmasked. "'s arright, 'nii. I'm arright. He... He ain' gonna hurt m'," he stroked the simourv's neck, tentatively, but felt only a dull buzz of annoyance and hunger in response. Teimoph wanted them to leave, now, and had no time for the idle chatter of his N'raan and Kenii - he had no time for idle chatter with his own siblings, newly hatched, and His should be the same.

N'raan flashed Kenii a brief, crooked grin as the simourv's impatience wound about his mind. "I-- W' need t' go, 'nii. Y'... meet us at th' feed-pens, after all this mess 's done with? 'll be waitin' fer y' there." He couldn't explain further, not with this lit fuse wrapped about him. As he agreed to feed Teimoph, the red carefully disentangled himself from about his rider, lifting his blood-spattered snout to briefly glare at Kenii, before nudging at his N'raan's back to get him moving. N'raan was His, and His alone, this pathetic human shouldn't hold so much of his attention!

As he felt this thought drifting through Teimoph's mind, however, Niraan stopped dead in his tracks, turning down on the hatchling and baring his teeth in a snarling growl near as fierce as anything the red could produce. "Y' don', Teimoph. 's mine jus' like y' are now. Let's get out 've here." That said, he began walking again, briefly grasping Kenii's shoulder as he passed and giving it a squeeze, before he and the red hatchling pressed firmly to his side made their way toward the exit to the caverns. He wasn't sure if the older riders wanted anything from them, now - but hell if they did, Teimoph was hungry, and so was he - his earlier quick breakfast already forgotten. They'd see to that, before they got the rest of their bearings.

[zeis]

Kenii stared nonplussed at his brother. He sounded so calm. And he was... petting the thing. The idea that maybe his brother had lapsed into shock, or perhaps gone insane occurred to him first. Then the ridiculous possibility that maybe the red had some hypnotizing ability that made him tharn, like a beast caught in bright lights. Then finally, he wondered if Niraan had bonded. "But-" Before he could speak, his sibling continued. They needed to go? His face twisted with some lingering confusion, but mostly with worry and upset. Would he be safe alone with that thing? Maybe it was just some trick to get him away from everyone else so no one could hear him scream?

Swallowing, the red haired boy nodded his understanding, lapsing back into silence. He wouldn't argue. Niraan clearly understood something that he didn't. He took a cautionary step away from Teimoph as he glared at him, and was stopped similarly by his brother's angry rebuke. Though he couldn't necessary agree that he belonged to his brother, he was a little too out of his mind right now to object much either outwardly or inwardly. He offered a half hearted smile at the comforting pat on the shoulder, and offered a slightly shaking thumbs up. The red was gone at least. Things should go better now. He'd be okay alone. Really. ... Really?

~~~~~~~~~

Amidst the candidates, the drooping black chick paused in his steps to look over his shoulder at the gray. He had waited for her. Not long, but too long it seemed to him. Ages, it had been a much longer span of time than he was capable of understanding. He was disheartened, but the sight of the gray lady cheered him. She was his hope, his charge, his future queen. He pawed over to her sedately, and moved to stand before her and offer a cordial bob of his head in greeting. A bow, a welcome, it was only right. One day, he would stand at her side, carry out her desires, and if necessary suffer for her. He did not imagine he would like the suffering, not at all, but the grandiose ideas that spun in his head seemed like they belonged. The meaning of some words, some feelings, he did not know, but they would come in time. One does not shirk their duty after all.

The shadow amidst the giant eggs, the unseen simourv, darted suddenly from its cover and flew like an arrow into the crowd of candidates. The green was a mere flash, and then she was gone, ducking, diving, and weaving amidst the forest of legs that made up the chosen few. For those who caught sight of her, she was green, and she was monstrous. Easily the largest green that had been hatched yet, she stood 3'4 at the shoulder. She was a vibrant lime green that faded into darker green along her ears and back. Each of the feathers on her short stubby wings had a darker green center with an even darker green tip, accentuating the brightness of her body nicely. A sly looking dark band across here eyes made her look masked, and her green cheeks were speckled with dark orange. Her belly was covered in light yellow feathers that faded into dark dull orange at the tips. For such a stealthy creature, her most noticeable feature was the tail end of her. From halfway down, her tail was entirely mixes of yellow, orange, and darker red orange. A blazing flag that trailed behind her, like a wick to a candle that was slowly burning. Or maybe more like a bomb.

Just a glimpse, and then she was gone. Darting behind the massive form of Canph and once again out of sight. She crouched there, pleased. She had been correct. Their eyes were too dull, or she was too fast to be seen. She had let them see her, danced and paraded in front of them. And like a ghost vanished. It had taken her a while to spot her chosen, and she had only poked her head out to search when her red brother had stopped to claw someone up. She did not know what to think about that, but it was a good distraction. She had trouble spotting him. Not because there were too many candidates, but because he had been late. She had grown frustrated waiting. Tired of it. She did not need to claw her frustration into someones flesh like her brother, but it radiated dimly off of her, wild and new emotions just coming under control.

The black had lingered by the gray long enough to chatter passingly with her, not minding if she chose not to respond. He would respect her silence, but there was simply so much to say. She was bright like the light from outside this room. She was dear to him nearly as dear as the yearning to find his rider. Without her, he would have surely collapsed on the sand in despair. His may not be here, but at least she was. If he left this cavern with nothing but the sight of her, he would call himself fortunate. Sadly, now it was time for farewell. It was unlikely that she would see him again. For without a gray or a rider to sustain him, he would surely lose himself. The black tentatively nosed a farewell at her ear with his beak, and trudged grimly back into the candidates.

His thoughts grew dark as he marched to his fate, his entire body dropped as he walked, as though he were slowly falling asleep. He could not imagine being unable to fulfill his duty. To sit idly by and helpless while his siblings and genitors fought and suffered. He yearned to help, to be there for them when he was needed. He was lost to them, lost to himself. Lost in such dark thoughts that he did not see Ripley and bumped into him. The black lifted his head sadly to gaze with sad curiosity up at the candidate who he had run into in complete coincidence. He was a large creature, 4'4" at the shoulder, and other than his lady gray the largest chick on the sands. Is this chance, Ri'ley? Or is it fate? Are we, now, something greater? Your Dionyph thinks we can do what needs to be done.[/color] His voice was gloomy but thoughtful, full of hope and courtesy. He gently butted his head into the man's torso, and seemed to cheer, if only just. I thought I might waste away without you by my side, but I was too blind to see that what I needed was you.

000000 - dutiful, honest, somber, a bit melodramatic

[Cy]

[/i][/color] Now, again, her eyes widened with the voice speaking directly into her mind. It was feminine and polite, and then it was stern. 'Oh, do stand up straighter and don't set your legs like that! Like a lady! You and your Shovaph must go far. We can be queens one day too.'

Shovaph. Her Shovaph. With the reprimand in mind, which brought an amused smile to her mouth, she straightened her back further, holding herself up. Her full lips parted slightly, as if to speak, before snapping shut again, eyes narrowing suspiciously. 'Shovaph?' The thought was curious, practicing, and yet it came so easily. The green tilted her head, her dull brown eyes looking back to her expectantly, soon clipping out a terse reply, 'Let us not waste any more time, T'ia, we must be going.' After a pause, a wasted second by Shovaph's view, she nodded her agreement and turned, glancing back to the simourv that moved to step beside her as they headed towards the exit to leave the sands as a bonded pair.


Amira felt in a panick. Her blue eyes were impossibly wide, shocked, and her brow was furrowed in definite concern. Majority of her face was covered with her hands, her jaw dropped and mouth open. The sands were stained with blood, people were torn open, and the excitement she'd felt before drained out of her system as quickly as the colour from her face. Fishing wasn't the safest occupation in the world, but her experience with physical damages of any sort were limited to tiny superficial wounds that could be bandaged and tucked away to be dealt with on other days. This was a shock of a new magnitude and she wasn't sure how to swallow it. She wasn't entirely certain that she could.

When the first green hatched and swiftly bonded, it took more strength than she had to remove her hands from her face to politely clap for the older woman that held the honour of being the first new rider among the ranks of the original. What good feelings may have started to rise within her at the sight were squashed back down in no time as the brutal red continued his onslaught, tearing in to yet more vulnerable bodies, and she flinched. Her eyes stung with tears that she refused to let fall, the only sign of utter strength that she could feel in her frame, her slender hands once more rising up to cover her mouth and nose.

When a second green made her way onto the sands, there was a moment when their gazes locked and she felt herself feel the apprehensive hope for the first time since it had been shoved out of her with the maulings. If she could bond, she could get out of here. She could be safe and she'd be a rider. But it didn't happen and the hatchling moved on, and she watched with a vague sense of disappointment as it leaped to bond with another girl instead. Once the red soon found a partner in one of the boy's, she felt a piece of herself relax, assuming immediately and foolishly that his bonding signalled the end of the destruction.

And with that calm, her attentions returned to the rest of the hatchlings now gracing the sands in search of their own. A majestic gray stood proudly, beautiful and as utterly important as her great queen mother. The former fisherwoman jumped at the sudden vibrant presence of a green, one she couldn't recall seeing hatch, and then it was gone again. A black bonded to an older boy, a man attempting to help the wounded. So much was happening, so quickly, and she slowly lowered her hands to hold them clasped underneath her chin as she sought to keep up with it all, desperate not to miss a thing.[/ul][/size]

[Kat]

And then—the hatching became less about excitement and joy, and transformed into something out of a nightmare. The red simourv stalked around the sands, flashing his claws, before Ripley watched him attack Serenity and Farah. The blood soon poured from the girl’s bodies, staining the sands on the floor. Blood did not bother Ripley in the slightest bit. He was so desensitized by it, his body did not hesitate to snap into action. He began to move towards Serenity who was closer to him, before the same horrible little Red simourv issued a warning growl at him. Ripley stopped, his body becoming rigid with fright, his knees stiffening to the point that he almost toppled over from the momentum of his previously moving state. He was petrified—more frightened than he ever thought he would be in a situation like this, as he had never been in a combat situation before—well not that this was a situation of combat, but he had never been in a situation where he was in such imminent danger before. He was a healer, and remained behind the scenes, cleaning up the injuries other people received from being in danger. He did not know how to act. Ripley stared down the creature; Ripley was bigger than it was, he could protect himself if he needed to, but the creature only seemed to yell at him, and did not move to attack him. Ripley released the breath he had been holding.

Ripley would have stood his ground, anyway, but he heard Leannan’s voice cut through the chaos on the sands, and Ripley realized that he had to help. His body snapped into action, and he moved swiftly towards Farah, Leannan, and Teagan, dropping his body besides the girl as he studied her wound. It was not as bad as he initially thought, which was relieving. She was certainly going to live. He pulled the needle out of the collar of his shirt, before he paused, his eyes scanning over the wound again, before floating to the floor to examine the material on which they all stood. The sand was a problem. He did not want to sew anyone up without cleaning the wounds of sand. He needed water, then he could at least attempt to wash the new injuries. He wondered if anyone could bring him some if he asked.
”Leannan,”
Ripley started, before he turned to the other girl who he realized he did not know, and skipped saying her name.
”Keep applying pressure; I don’t want to try to suture her here. I’m worried about the sand. I don’t want to invite an infection.”
Ripley dictated, as he eyed the wound. She would live long enough for him to have the luxury of washing the wound in the infirmary. Why had he not brought bandages? They would have been much more useful than the suturing equipment, although harder to carry with him. He looked at Teagan with the swatch of cloth, and he nodded.
”Once she bonds, we can bring her to the infirmary and I can look at it there.”
Ripley announced. He had made a final decision, and he was pleased with it. Once they were able to control some of the bleeding she would be fine, at least for a little bit. Hopefully she would bond soon.

And then the red came back, that horrible snarling creature which scared Ripley. Now, though, he had already entered the place in his mind where he went when he needed to work. He was focused, so focused that the fear did not grip him this time, and instead Ripley watched the creature attack Leannan and Teagan distantly, as if it was happening in a vacuum without any emotional input from Ripley. He needed a way to keep pressure on Farah’s injury while he tended to the other two girls. His fingers immediately drifted to the buttons on his shirt, which he undid as he focused on Leannan and Teagan. Ripley really needed some water. If he could suture even one of the girls here, it would be easier to tend to the others.
”Dammit, can someone bring me some water. We need to wash some of these wounds!”
Ripley yellowed, his voice loud, but controlled and level. He was in his element in many ways, interacting in the situation in which he acted best. Soon Ripley’s shirt had been stripped from his body, revealing his pale chest. Ripley slipped his shirt under Farah’s body, tucking it so that it would continue to apply pressure before he turned to Leannan.

Ripley’s personal connection to the girl made him apt to tend to her first, which he justified with the fact that she could help other people later, and thus was useful in the scheme of medical aid. The man ripped at the pouch on his neck until he had retrieved the silk thread. Leannan’s wounds were new enough that he felt more comfortable trying to stitch.
”Lea, I’m going to try to put some sutures into your calves, just to keep it closed. I’ll redo the stitching properly later.”
Ripley explained, but he was only explaining out of courtesy. His voice was firm, clear, and tight, and it was not at all bothered or panicked despite the fact that his heart raced sporadically and desperately. He was alone for the first time in his life, having to make his own medical decisions without the aid of anyone else.

Ripley already knew exactly what he was going to do, so he looked at the wound, before he began to stitch it up, carefully but with impressive speed. Instead of using a binding stitch, he made long, staple-like stitches which would keep the wound closed, but which were not permanent. Their width would allow Ripley to differentiate them from the other sutures he would be putting into her leg at a later date. He knew it would hurt, but he also understood that Leannan was already in pain. He did not apologize or mention any pain at all—he was too focused on stopping the bleeding.
”That should hold long enough for you to bond, I hope. I’ll stay right here, but I have to look at the other—“
Ripley had been so focused that he had not even noticed the black hatching come near them until the creature nudged against him, the feathers of the hatchling’s head feeling soft and cool against Ripley’s exposed flesh. Ripley turned around to peer downwardly at the hatchling, his heart race increasing in fear—or something else, so much so that his face and ear flushed pink. But he was not afraid, not like he head been when he faced the red, the emotion was something else, and it was gripping. The hatchling was beautiful, black and smeared with downy gray, and Ripley could not pull his eyes away from the creature.
Is this chance, Ri'ley? Or is it fate? Are we, now, something greater? Your Dionyph thinks we can do what needs to be done

[/color]
Ripley—or he was Ri’ley now was overwhelmed with a powerful and gripping love for the creature. After Dionyph had nudged him again, Ri’ley’s hand floated down to stroke the beast’s head. Ri’ley needed to touch Dionyph. He needed to be near the creature, who was his. Ri’ley had not known that he needed to be with a creature before, that he had been broken and fragile and missing, but now he felt oddly complete, as if a part of himself that he had not know he had lost had been found. He wanted to wrap his arms around Dionyph, to embrace the hatchling and never let go, but Ri’ley realized that would be logistically difficult.
”I need you too. Please don’t leave.”
Ri’ley said, unaware that he had spoken the words out loud. There was a loving desperation to Ri’ley’s words.

In the midth of the wash of overwhelming emotion, Ri’ley had forgotten what he ahd been doing, but then he processed the rest of Dionyph’s words. Do what needs to be done.. Ri’ley had to continue helping the injured people. It was his duty. He could not leave them. Ri’ley knew he was supposed to feed Dionyph, to leave the sands and make sure the hatchling had food, but he could not leave the three girls around him or the other girl who still bled on the sands.
”Dionyph, I need to stay here and help these people. Will you forgive me for not being able to feed you? I just can’t leave, no one else will be able to help them like I can.”
Ri’ley managed to keep his words directed only in Dionyph’s mind this time, which allowed Ri’ley’s tone to sound as sorry and worried as he felt. There was only one of him, and there needed to be more, so that he could tend to his hatchling, his Dionyph but also the injured girls. They needed him more desperately, though; they were bleeding.
”In order to support my rider doing his duty, I would starve to death.”
The little hatchling replied to Ri'ley's question. The reply made the man's heart pound harder against his chest, increasing the redness in his face. He did not want Dionyph to starve! Ri'ley would get him food as soon as possible, but he had to help these people first. Ri'ley accepted that Dionyph gave him permission to stay on the sands, and he just kept reminding himself that the few extra minutes he spent tending the injured would not make Dionyph starve to death. There was no possible way that the simourv metabolized that quickly. There was no way.

Ri’ley turned towards Teagan, inspecting her injuries. She had turned onto the sand, so he could not attempt to close the wounds in the same way that he had done Leannan’s injuries.
”Are there bandages somewhere?”
Ri’ley yelled again. His voice was as loud as before, but it shook with emotion, both the passion he felt for Dionyph, the love, but also the worry caused by his split duties. He knew that he should attempt to calm Teagan to tell her that it was alright, but Ri'ley was not that kind of person. His bedside manner was stern and abrupt, because he did not believe in spewing messages of false hope or comfort. They only slowed everyone down. Ri’ley could only watch Teagan until he had something to apply pressure with, so he kept one of his hands on Dionyph’s head, just to feel the hatchling’s feathers against his palm, after he tucked his needle, still threaded with silk, into the pouch around his neck.
[/blockquote][/size]

[sakurayasha]

Serenity had some small hope that the rainbow would bond her. It was paying attention to her, seemed concerned about her, but that feeling she had expected wasn't there. The rainbow didn't feel like it was hers, that they belonged together. Then Serenity hoped that she wasn't bond to the rainbow, because she wanted so much more, and if this was all there was...

Suddenly she was brought out of her internal thoughts, Something was nudging over-zealously at her head and cheek. She didn't want to come out of the cloud of gray that she had wrapped herself so tightly in, the non-feeling that kept her safe from the horror of what had just occurred Don't worry, S'reni. That red wont dare come near you now that your Elahuph is here. Serenity didn't move, was afraid to go near the bright warmth that touched her mindYou have to get up. You're hurt, and it's too crowded... They made it hard to find you.

Tears slid down her cheeks, they felt hot like the blood that still flowed from her wounds.'Elahuph? Is S'reni me?' she thought at the hungry ball of light inside her mind.Am I chosen? and she felt a surge of love and protectiveness and anger at whoever would try to hurt her You are my S'reni. Brother had no right to hurt you! I will protect you from him! I will protect you forever!

Serenity, no, S'reni opened her eyes and saw the great creature that had taken her out of herself and made her something new. Serenity was dead now, S'reni and Elahuph were one whole. 'You are so beautiful' she thought at Elahuph in wonder. An overwhelming feeling of love welled up within her 'I love you, but I'm not going to get up until someone looks at my wounds.'

Elahumph didn't care about her beauty, but the feeling of love that her S'reni gave her was the most wonderful thing she had ever imagined feeling. She wanted to go somewhere else with her bonded, these feelings she wanted to share alone, but then her S'reni said she wouldn't go. That wasn't right! She tried to put pressure, the need to leave, force it on her bonded for her own good. Her bonded didn't bend under the pressure, didn't break, she was decided and her will was like steel. Elahumph cried out aloud in dismay, then telepathically cried Mine is hurt! You all are not helping her! You will fix mine NOW! putting all the stubborn pressure behind it that her bonded had so easily blocked. Though of course her bonded should be able to block her, she didn't want a weak bonded who had no will of her own. Her bonded was perfect, her bonded still sent love to her even though she had tried to make her bonded do something she didn't want to do. Her bonded was perfect, but would have been even more perfect if the red hadn't decided he had the right to manhandle her before Elahumph could get out of that blasted egg!

She would have vengeance against him, yes she would.

[Bre]

On sleepless roads, the sleepless go . . .

The rainbow continued to wander about. She didn't seem to have much interest in picking anyone, just mocking the ill fortunes of the situation around them. None of them were right. Not good enough, though she felt compassion for all of them. Kindness. Weren't humans wonderful like that? They could make her feel and she felt good. Full of hope. Full of the future. Live humans were most certainly better than dead humans in every imaginable way. It would have been bad if there were no humans. Simourvs and them were meant for each other. She was meant for one of them. Still, every situation can work. She wasn't adaptable, but she could manage. Survive. Change. Chuckling to herself sadly under her breath, the sound a sort of hiccuping noise, she could feel the sky distantly call to her. Where was hers amongst all these emotions?

The gray heard Elahuph's cry. They all did, but what were they supposed to do? With peace in her every step, having already half forgotten the black who had come to her and to whom she had silently listened, she glided towards the other hatchling and her rider. The black's rider was helping the others and what was she to do? Help. Aid. Bring about the dreams that lurked in every corner of her naive mind. She crooned calmly to her sister, telling her to keep her peace. Once that was done, once she believed that the green would listen to her, naive as she was, she turned away and began to wander amongst all of the candidates. She was a dreamer and all she saw was colors. She knew she was queen and she was going to do something with that. Exactly what, she didn't know. She had so many ideas. Peace. Prosperity. The future. Her future.

"Winglets, go with K'huna. He'll get you food for your hatchlings. Off the sands. Right outside;" Ro'za called, unflinching and unwavering. Blood on the sands and she barely felt a twinge of sympathy towards them. Eceph was crooning over her children, still as a statue. None of them were hurt, aside for the little cut on the rainbow. Teimoph had only done harm to the candidates and they were, sadly perhaps, expandable resources in the cool logic of the mother gray. Besides, her daughter had hatched! The gray would one day rule beside her. Another Phoenix, reborn into the world in front of them from the place where souls and emotions went. All she had to do was pick a rider. That was what Ro'za was waiting for; that was why she was anxious. The gray had to pick someone who was strong enough or they were all going to be screwed later.

The Motley Giant was rocking awkwardly back at forth. It was right up front and already tilted. Finally, it tipped right over and shattered against the sands. Blinking in confusion, a blue popped up out of the wreckage. His head was a darker blue, most of his body just lighter. However, he had points of black and a light, silvery blue on his body and wings. He stared out at the world with a look of surprise on his face. Oh, holy shards, what was he supposed to do? After a moment, he gave a little, cheerful chirrup of greeting. He was big, gawky creature, all angles. Maybe, one day, he would grow into it. For time being, he was just awkward. Not that he seemed to mind. More loudly, he called out to them, trying to say hello. He hadn't a clue how he was supposed to act, but he didn't care! He wanted them all to see how happy he was!

Gently, the Earth Giant began to rock as the blue cried out oddly to the crowd. They were shy little wiggles, but they seemed to work for the hatchling within the confines of the eggs. A spiderweb of cracks slowly formed on the black and brown shell. Pieces began to chip off and the egg continued to wiggle. Then, all of a sudden, the giant went quiet. Not a sound. Not a movement. Still, something was breathing within it. In fact, the hatchling still trapped within the egg could see them. That was why it had stopped, staring out through a little hole in the egg's side with one burgundy brown eye as she waited. Maybe it didn't want to come out after all. The crowd made it feel shy, just a little bit unworthy, though it also found the sight of them all wonderful and heartening. Finally, the Earth Giant began to move again and, at long last, it broke open.

The hatchling who stepped out was small for her color, though more than large enough. She was a tawny. Somewhere, deep in her downy feathers, she was bright tan color, the same shade as golden wheat. That color, however, was hidden by the million other shades of brown, all basically darker or paler, that mottled her feathers. With her big, round, brown eyes, she stared out of the candidates and other people. That was when she noticed the blood on the sand. She could smell it and the scent made her stomach turn with disgust and nausea. Who would do such a thing? She didn't see the point of violence. Not to anyone. Not to anything. Her purpose in life, her only purpose, as she didn't have the strength of will for anything more, was to help and to aid. She was one of the guardians, one of the protectors. She understood that concept.

Thus there was no time to waste. The tawny was a slim beast, not truly muscular, and she was awkward on her feet, but she hurried forward anyway. She knew who she wanted. She knew who needed her. She would do her best to help them all, her brothers and her sisters and all of their riders, but she had to get to her own first. Though not as calm as her gray sister, she was far more peaceful in truth. She didn't have the strength for violence. She was the mother, the quiet mother who would do her best by everyone that she met. Her life would be long and hard, but she didn't want to consider that. She had to find her rider because she was not meant for the wilds. None of them were. They were of the blood of the rider born. She understood her place in the world perfectly. She couldn't allow herself to question her own knowledge.

L'nan, your Eoreph can help the others. We can help the others, together, as one; the tawny whispered over her rider. Then she fell into silence, rocking gently back and forth, nestled like a mother guarding her children over the girl that she had chosen and taken as her own. She was calm, utterly quiet. There was nothing more to say and she didn't bother to look at the others. Only her L'nan mattered. Only making sure that she would be fine was important to her right then. Anyway, all of the others just made her shy. She wasn't a talker. She had no wise words. She had no pieces of advice to offer. All she knew was that she cared. She cared so much for all of them. Her rider could help her and she could help her rider. They were perfect for each other, weren't they? The tawny was comfortable with just sitting in silence. No words were needed.


E1A95F - calm, quiet, motherly, shy, prone to utter silence

. . . may angels lead you in.

[pannypanpops]

Farah woke to a Ripley who was just barely getting bonded. She watched in awe as her body slowly began to wake up. Her stomache burned and ached and she felt weak and tired. And the sands were so warm, so inviting, though somewhere in the back of her mind she was vaguely aware that they were not just warm, but very very hot. Her arms were no longer locked around her stomache since people have been moving her to look and try to mend her wound. HEr memory started to flow back into her mind. Ah yes, the red Simourv. Her mind was calm now. Almost contemplative. What had happened replayed in her mind in third person, almost like a movie. She understood. The Red Hatchling was furious because they were late, and not only were they late, but she had gotten in the way when she was female. Such deadly mistakes. Farah slowly sat up taking inventory. HEr body ached but as she became more aware her stomache seared. She looked down at herself her lowerhalf covered with blood. At least it was drying. She touched the wrapps that Teagan and Ripley had performed. At least they had stopped the bloodflow if not atleast slowed it. Farah didn't dare stand. She felt lightheaded just sitting. She stayed in the blood soaked sands. judging that to be her best decision. Her skin was still pale, though it was a strange tanned pale her pale blue eyes slightly glassy, her hair a mess in its pony tail. She looked around her, Ripley with his black, Niraan with his deadly red, Serenity with her green, Thia and her green. She looked to the eggs, there must be others if not other begining to hatch. Her voice caught in her throat as she saw the grey, majestic with her graceful selfassured pride. She couldn't help herself from hopeing, though she mentally berrated herself. She took her eyes off the majestic grey and looked to the rainbow that was obviously searching and looking around. Her heart throbbed once again. How could each of them be so beautiful? Perhaps she was inwardly a romantic so all she could see was the beauty of these 'miniature' Simourvs. The Rainbow seemed bright and almost ironic in her own thoughts. Then came the Tawny. So many places to look! So many things to absorb. The Tawny in herself was a homey beauty, exuded a sense of warmth. Of course she didn't seem to feel a particular closeness with any of them, but then none of them were close to her, but even so she could appreciate what each Hatchling brought with their presence. 'Any would be perfect so long as we were eachothers,' She shouldn't keep such hope, afterall, look where her overconfidence and convictions had gotten her-gutted and on the sands in her own blood stained in a night gown. It didn't get much more pathetic then that

[Aikaph]

Sa’nia had been relaxing in the Gardens when it had happened. Yes, she knew that the eggs were going to hatch son, but she wasn’t going to hover over them like her Tawny had. Even after many attempts, Altaph had refused to leave Eceph alone. Her motherly instincts were bleeding into her, though, and periodically stopped by to see if any of them needed anything. The majority of the time, she was shoved away by Altaph, saying that it would be time soon enough. The only time the hulking Simourv left was when her stomach growled mercilessly and she fled to the pens to only eat a couple of goats before heading back. Throughout the hardening, she had remained silent until now.

Mine, get over here NOW. Her mindvoice was prominent and demanding, decorated with excitement. No reply came from Sa’nia; she had fallen fast asleep under an apple tree. Do you want me to drop a melon on you, or let you live and see eggs hatch? Again, no response. You would think that at the mention of eggs she would have made a mad dash for the cavern, but no. Her mind was fuzzy and warm, and she was so comfortable….

MINE! GET UP NOW! CHICKS ARE ALREADY ON THE SANDS! the Tawny’s screech was so loud, it startled her rider into awareness and rang in her eardrums. How many? she blearily asked. How about you get off your lazy rear and come? the reply was sharp, and made the girl wince. Taffy normally didn’t act like this. Hopefully she isn’t like this when she clutches…. With a sigh and some grumbling, she hoisted herself up and ran to the Sands. She looked about wildly for her bonded, and easily spotted her. She looked a tad more than miffed at Hers’ absence, and there seemed to be just the slightest shine to her ruffled feathers.

I’m so sorry! Sa’nia wailed meekly to Altaph, but received no reply. She scrambled to their ledge and huddled next to Altaph just in time to see a small brown fluff on the sands. Is that…?

Yes, it’s a Tawny. Now stop cowering and stand up! I don’t want you to be a clumsy coward, the large creature beside her chided, and she quickly obliged. All the hatchlings were beautiful, and brought memories of their hatching. A warm smile crept across her face.
~*~
Xo’li was less willing to go. He had just received a gift from his father, and she was being a handful. A black blur landed on the man’s stomach, yipping loudly. He gasped (naturally) before shoving the fuzzball off of him. ”Ivory! Don’t do that!” he griped, rubbing his bruised skin. The dog just barked at him again. The TallBirdMan didn’t enjoy her affection? That was strange. The TallCleanMan (Xo’li’s father) loved her affections before she was sent to the TallBirdMan. Maybe BigBlueBird would like her? No, BigBlueBird could eat her, or squash her! Ivory barked again.

Oh Shadoph, what should I do with her? I don’t see how anybody can cope with her and her barking! Surely you have something in mind? Xo’li begged of his blue. Maybe you could drop her off a cliff? Or feed her to me? the male replied with so much seriousness in his voice that he could have been actually suggesting them. Of course, knowing Shadoph, he would never actually want the dog to die, no matter how annoying she was.

With a sigh, both led their heads drop, letting Eceph’s and Aburoqaph’s call go through one ear and out the other. They were just too tired to come. Stupid dog.