Cracked Shells

Writers: Eimi, Paula
Date Posted: 16th November 2010

Characters: Hygalia, G'nir
Description: Genith's first Clutch as Senior Queen hatches!
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 12, day 8 of Turn 5

G'nir

}:You can't leave! You must stay and watch!:{ the gold demanded as her
rider was quickly piling hides and gathering up empty klah mugs and
plates.

**You know very well I have to go and change. I can't greet your new
Hatchlings in my sleeping clothes!** Hygalia tended to wear whatever
felt comfortable while stuck on Egg duty in the Stands. Of course they
would Hatch the day she decided to wear her most loose fitting pants and
tunic. She would look an absolute fright to any visiting dignitaries.

}:Nirreth's can bring you clothes. You stay.:{ Genith added a hiss
just to prove her displeasure, as if her rider couldn't feel it
throbbing through their mental link.

Hygalia turned around, planting her hands on her hips and stared at the
queen just to prove how little she was impressed. "G'nir will need to
get dressed too, and I have a job to do! You want Candidates for your
Hatchlings to Impress to, don't you?"

}:They will have the best!:{

"Of course they will, but no one will want to send their children to
Stand for your Hatchlings if they think the Weyrwoman is a crazy slob!
Now I will go and get dressed, and there will be drudges coming in to
clean all this out. And there will be people coming in here and there
will be Candidates filling onto the Sands close to your Eggs, and you
_will_ let them all in, or you will find yourself in an empty cavern
surrounded by empty shells and crying babies!"

The gold snorted loudly, kicking up a small dust storm as she turned
back to the first of the rocking eggs. She was resigned, having seen
the sense of her rider, but she would make sure Hygalia understood that
she was still displeased.

~~**~~

G'nir looked his reflection from the mirror and brushed the comb thru
his blond hair once more. He wasn't exactly vain, but he knew how
important looks were those with authority. No one would take sloppy
looking Weyleader seriously. He straightened his jacked and squared his
shoulders. It was time to go and greet all those people who came to
celebrate the Hatching. The hatching...his Hatching, the word made
excited flutter to
his stomach and G'nir grinned. His pale grey eyes were unusully warm and
friendly.

Hygalia also stood at the mirror inspecting herself. She wasn't
beautiful in the traditional sense. Her nose was a little too round,
her skin a little dark. Pretty plain, really. But her aunt had taught
her how to accentuate the features she _did_ have. She reached for the
delicate brass combs with tiny pearls dangling off the spine and
carefully placed them into her reddish brown hair. They had belonged to
her aunt, and she considered them good luck. She wore them for ever
Hatching in memory of her. **If Colara could see me now...** she
thought with a fond smile as she playfully ran her finger along a row of
pearls and watched them swing.
Now for matching earrings.

G'nir finished his dress up and went to knock on Hygalia's door. Nirreth
informed him that first dragons bringing in quests were landing.
"Hygalia? Are you ready?" he asked, calling through the door. His father
was going
to bring his daugher with them.

She turned her head and called for him to come in. "Are the guests
arriving already?" Hygalia asked when she heard the door open. Flashing
a smile, she checked herself in the mirror. **A smile is your greatest
accessory,** her aunt used to say. Turning slightly, she smoothed her
hands down the sides of her pearl-grey dress.

"Yes, they are. My father is bringing Rinnea, if you want to meet her,"
G'nir said. "You look lovely."

She frowned slightly, though her lips never could manage to turn
downwards. Instead they just went straight and her brow furrowed
slightly. **Are you behaving yourself? No growling at the guests?**

}:Where are you?!:{ her gold demanded. }:There are people here, but
_you_ are not!:{

**I'm coming! Just let me fix my knots!**

With a sigh, she turned around to face the Weyrleader. "I would love to
meet both of them. They can join us for the Hatching if you'd like.
Will you hand me those knots? The longer ones, if you would," she said,
pointing to the chords on her bed. The dress was sleeveless, and she
didn't want them to chafe the inside of her arm.

G'nir nodded and gave her the knots. "Genith being demanding again?" he
asked with symphatic smile.

She rolled her eyes, wishing that were all she had to deal with. "I'm
half afraid if we don't get down there soon she's going to start hissing
again and frighten all the guests." Fixing the knots to her shoulder,
she turned once more to make sure they fell right. "Genith is usually
so easy going and easy to please. She just cracks her shell whenever
eggs are on the Sands. Tomorrow she'll be right back to her usual happy
self. And thank the Egg for that!"

G'nir listened and nodded. "We better hurry then," he remarked and
offered her his arm.

~~**~~

The Weyrwoman was on his arm as they stepped out onto the ledge
overlooking the Sands to take their seats. She breathed a sigh of
relief at the number of people still in the Stands. Hopefully that
meant Genith had behaved herself. With a wave to the crowd she looked
at her Weyrleader with a nod to tell him she would follow his lead.

G'nir lead her to their spot, answering greetings and congratulations on
their way. The Stands were filling up. He could see the white-clad
figures of candidates just outside the large entrance to the Sands.
Weyrling
wing's Staff was on their positions. Everything was ready for the new
dragonets.

Even the queen. Hygalia recognized the tensing of her back muscles
which signaled she was getting ready to trumpet her refusal to allow
anyone onto the Sands. **Don't you dare!** the Weyrwoman chided her,
heading off a disaster before it could happen. **Those are your
Hatchlings future lifemates. Don't even think of scaring them off!**

}:Fine!:{ The queen swung her head back and hissed at her rider just to
show her defiant displeasure, though she gave up the idea of scaring off
the pack.

Hygalia laughed lightly as if it were all a sweet little private joke
between the two of them, hoping to calm anyone who might be a little
worried about the giant gold's state of mind. Through her grinning
teeth she gritted out only loud enough for G'nir's ears to hear, "Oh, I
can't wait for today to be over."

Nirreth was trying to calm his mate, but his words seemed to fall into
deaf earknobs.

"I hope the eggs crack fast," G'nir murmured back. He had to admit, she
was pretty frightening sight. He could imagine some more timid
candidates were almost wetting themselves right now.

"Let's sit down and point to the eggs and take some of the attention off
her and us, shall we?" she asked, smiling up at him sweetly.

G'nir nodded and helped her to take the seat. The women's dresses could
be tricky sometimes. He took his own seat and looked the rocking eggs.
"That one looks like it's already cracking," he spoke loudly, so if
people heard him and would avert their attention back to eggs.

"And that one too," she said point towards one a little further into the
cavern. "Look at how it's rocking. Someone's desperate to get out."

"Yes it is," G'nir voice betrayed his excitement. He also had an idea.
**Nirreth, tell Hasaarth to say to his rider that no one should dawdle
on the Sands, not the newly paired or the unimpressed ones.**

Nirreth promised to relay the message.

"There it goes," Hygalia cried, grabbing his arm in her excitement.
Finally the moment so many had been waiting for!

"And here's the candidates," G'nir didn't know where to look. The
candidates quickly formed the half cirlce around the eggs.

"It's your egg first," she grinned, watching as a brown Hatchling
spilled out onto the sands. The determined little fellow made his way
through a maze of eggs, crying piteously, but no waivering in his
resolve. A tall boy took a step forward, apparently hearing the cries
with more than just his ears. "I think that's Kenza's boy," Hygalia
said, sure that his parents would be pleased.

}:Imalkyth knows who he wants,:{ Genith agreed proudly. The
over-protective queen made no move now to stop the pairing the brown
hobbled out from between the rocking eggs and into the boy's arms. It
was meant to be.

"Imal-what?" G'nir rumbled, not quite catching the name when crowd
cheered.

A green broke out, quickly followed by two blues. The three all headed
for separete directions. The green was dragging a piece of egg shell
stuck on her tail. For what felt like forever, she seemed to hesitate
between
boy- and girl candidate before crying for G'wen.

"Poor Neath," Hygalia chuckled at the weighted down little green. "Oh,
look," she said, pulling his attention back to the other side of the
Sands. "There's our first bronze!"

"So he is," G'nir felt like cheering himself. He watched the bronze to
choose his mate. The eggs were cracking open in numbers now.

"Oh good," Hygalia sighed happily as one of the older candidates found a
pairing on the sands. "That's Kendaria over there. She was almost
getting too old to Stand. I'm glad she found hers finally."

}:Pimbranth is happy too,:{ her lifemate confirmed.

"Good for her," G'nir had a big smile on his face. "Look, another bronze
just broke out!" As well as several greens and a brown, but he saw the
bronze only. "Can't recognize the candidate who Impressed him," he
remarked after following the bronze find his pair.

"That little blue seems to be having some trouble getting around that
pairing. Hopefully he doesn't hurt anyone..." Hygalia's hands clenched
in sudden nervousness. Dragonets in a panic could be dangerous. "Oh
thank Faranth," she breathed as someone stepped up to help the little
blue. "Shards that boy is tall."

}:J'nor knew he was meant for Zoranaith,:{ Genith said simply.

Hygalia was relieved that they had averted a possible disaster. "There
are only a few left now." Whereas they had been bursting two or
three at a time for a while there, now it was trickling down to one by
one. "The Candidates are starting to look nervous."

"I would if I were facing the chance of being left Standing alone.
There's still few to go. Aren't that green a pretty one?" G'nir said.
"Isn't that Cardella? The kitchen girl makes all those good deserts? I
suppose
it means were are left without her bakings."

"Yes, she is a pretty little thing." Hygalia remembered the girl with a
fondness for baking. She was truly happy for her.

**What's the little one's name?** she asked of her lifemate.

}:She is Awenth,:{ her mother replied, glowing with maternal pride. As
a little blue stumbled towards a tall, lanky youth, the gold sighed with
satisfaction and relief. }:And now it is done. I am tired now.:{

Already Hygalia could feel a coil of tension that had been in the back
of her mind for sevendays melt away. "Thank the Egg," she breathed
softly, knowing that she could now have her freedom, and her lifemate,
back.

"All safely Hatched and paired up," G'nir beamed with pride. "Now we
console those who didn't Impress and celebrate those who did."

"Let's lead the way, then." She waited for him to stand so she could
take his arm.

G'nir gave him a bow when he stood up. They started to leave the Stands
and the rest of them followed them.

Last updated on the December 16th 2010

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Cracked Shells