A Joyous Day Marked By Tragedy(Hatching)

[Kyla]

((Ayla have your Fort Rider show up when ever you like, after the first Impression is made though preferably))

All was quiet in the Weyr as everyone went about their business as normal. Zarinth was on the Hatching Grounds, spreading her eggs out. She had pushed the three Queens to the back of the sands where they sat side by side each other in a row. The other eggs where spread out across the sands, and a few where pushed off towards the side. These were the eggs that had been damaged. It appeared as they wouldn’t hatch. Cracks and dents within the shells told the story of the attack on the Queens unguarded clutch and the damaged eggs stood there as a reminder as to what had happened. Then off to the other side the smallest egg of the bunch was placed as Asmyra’s urging for fear that it contained another unstable Black dragon that had caused so much damage during Zarinth’s own hatching.

Satisfied with her work the Amethyst Queen stood back behind the Queen eggs so she could see all of her eggs, and began to hum. Today was the day her eggs would hatch. Although some of her children had been murdered and she was outraged for that, Zarinth was calmed by the fact the rest of her eggs would hatch and find their partners in life today.

Soon other dragon’s joined in her humming and eventually it reverberated around the whole Weyr, causing the stone to almost feel like it was vibrating. Asmyra was finishing up over seeing tasks for the lower caverns for the day when she heard it. “Silver and Crimson riders make sure that the candidate’s families around brought along with anyone else we have invited if they are not already here. Iridescent riders you are security today make sure Fort Weyr does not interrupt this hatching.!” The Weyrwoman was still outraged but what had happened but for today she would try not to think about it for it was a joyous occasion.

She half jogged to the sands and took her place in the stands right above where Zarinth was sitting. The Amethyst reached her head up to her rider who gave her muzzle a gentle caress. They both needed this day to go right, there attack of their first clutch and the Weyr had come as a hard blow to both Weyrwoman and Queen. It begins.[/color] Zarinth told her as candidates began to trickle on to the Sands, and Dragonriders dropped off guests to attend the hatching. One of the eggs rocked violently but didn’t yet crack. Soon enough the sands would be sprawling with newly hatched dragonets and their life partners.

[Kyla]

((Posted on behalf of midnight because she doesn't know if she can make it.))

Tirana pulled on her white robe, sighing at the sight of the plain garment hanging on her. Looking around, she saw a blue ribbon that she usually wore around her hair. Picking it up, she quickly tied it around her waist. There. That was better. Satisfied, she walked out the door and strode to the sands.

Her confident manner wavered a bit when she took in the diminished clutch, and she scowled as she thought of the Fort dragonriders destroying the eggs. Clenching her fists, she held her head high and approached the clutch. She would Impress, and make her Weyr proud. Someday she would have a part in Skysong's revenge.

With that thought in mind, she bowed to the Queen and joined the other candidates, her eyes on the eggs.

[Rin]

Maria had been sitting on her cot in the candidate’s barracks when she heard the humming start. “It’s time Cinder.” She told the Scarlet firelizard, her voice full of excitement even though she was nervous. Cinder crooned encouragement, picking up on the young woman’s nervous feelings. Maria slipped on the white candidate’s robes and headed out towards the hatching grounds with Cinder perched on her shoulder. She bowed to the amethyst queen, glancing at the eggs. A pang of sadness and anger jolted through her for the eggs that had been lost. How could Fort Weyr do this? There wasn’t time to linger on such thoughts as she noticed the eggs rocking. By the end of this day she would have become a dragonrider, well she hoped.

________________________________________________________________________

Jillian heard the humming and glanced around the bathing area where she had just gotten done. Her white robe hung on the hook and with a sigh she put it on over her the red dress she was wearing. How could the Weyr expect her to wear something so ugly; especially when it covered the beautiful red dress she had brought from home? At least she only had to wear it for the hatching. Upon entering the grounds she saw several candidates bow to the large Amethyst, she bowed slightly not wanting anyone who might know her in the stands to see her submit to anyone. Her eyes quickly spotted the Queen eggs. In one of those eggs her dragonet was waiting to hatch she was sure of it. After all why wouldn’t a Queen dragon want to Impress to a Lord Holders daughter?

[spaceman]

O'sa and Taikoth had taken up a kind of sentinel position, perched on the back of one of the great carved stones. The black's eyes were a myriad of orange and gray as the duo looked over the damaged eggs. They'd been lax in their duties... and the clutch had paid.

The two were acting as one, now, even moreso than usual. Anyone looking at them would have gotten the impression of one mind in two bodies. They had an identical posture, hunched and tense -- O'sa crouched with one hand on the stone to steady herself, Taikoth coiled with her wings half-unfurled to leap should another Fort rider dare to defile this place. They were both scanning the crowd, the sands, and the horizon beyond, heads turning in perfect sync as keen dragon eyes supplemented human vision.

This Hatching would happen. O'sa would see to it.

----------

Aruzhan wasn't entirely thrilled about this... Candidate robe business. What was the purpose, really? To make them all awkward and uncomfortable? Right, let's put the Candidates on the sands with a bunch of maul-happy dragonets, and rather than letting them comfortable, sensible pants so they can run away quickly, or solid leather so that they wouldn't get quite so shredded by those claws... Let's put them in flimsy white fabric robes! That sounds like a fantastic idea, Pern, let's run with that one.

Anyway, he was just sullen because he didn't have much of a way of disguising his scar... what with the "robes only" rule. So the knotted, twisted Acidscore all up his leg was quite plainly on display. And that made him moderately cranky. Still, dragons were about to hatch... hopefully... If bloody Faranth-cursed Fort Weyr hadn't damaged them all, between take every last rider among them. He bowed to the Queen, then waited anxiously for the Hatching to begin.

[Astarte]

Zarinth is calling! Anmedlath's voice rang in J'no's head, though he did not move from his position on the ledges of the Hatching Sands, where he had sat and watched since the damaged eggs were discovered. The eggs, our eggs, are Hatching! His voice was so urgent, so gleeful, in J'no's mind that the Weyrleader actually put down the list of Fort oldtimers that he had been looking over again...and again...and again....and sighed. He wasn't going to find the traitor this way, but he was nearly certain he would find them soon. If they didn't show themselves, there would be trouble.

More trouble than just the arrival of all the new Fort riders. J'no didn't trust a single one of them as far as he could throw them without the help of an irate Crimson dragon, and he wanted them out of his Weyr, but they were begging amnesty and he had no choice but to allow them to stay. That didn't mean, however, that he was going to welcome them with open arms. They had enough problems without this mess, and he was getting extremely tired of all the nonsense that was going on.

But nonetheless, eventually his booted feet hit the Sands and he moved to stand on the side, near Asmyra. These eggs were as much his responsibility as hers, and for some reason, he found himself gravitating toward the tiny egg that might well have been a black. He reached down, smiled strangely at it, and brushed his fingers over its shell before walking toward the Weyrwoman and her dragon. A deep bow to the dragon, and then a wan smile to Asmyra. "Finally," he said softly, "the culmination of our hard work. A joyous day no matter what."

But to Anmedlath, he said simply, Keep alert to treachery. Anyone who acts strangely, stop them. By any means necessary. A tiny flash of green, alerted by his anxious thoughts, appeared over his head, and Clever perched cheerfully atop him, crooning as she surveyed the Sands. But J'no transfered her from head to forearm, where she perched like a falcon. "Good girl," he murmured.

Anmedlath responded with an image of blood pooling red on the Sands. Any who tried to harm his clutch again would meet death, programming or not.

* * * * *

"Come on, Fiki. We're going to a Hatching." Toska coaxed the firelizard down with sweet murmurs and gentle words, and eventually he dropped from the shelf on which he had been sitting, transferring his attention to Toska's shoulder and curling his tail around her neck happily. He was curious as to why his mistress was happy, and for a moment, Toska laughed and kissed him on the nose.

So it was the day! she was delighted, and dove into the barracks, hurrying out of her clothes and into the robes. She had been down since the incident with the chores, feeling rather stupid for having thrown what amounted to a fit no better than any of the rest of the Candidates' that night, and the destruction of eggs was...a horrible thing. But nonetheless, she was looking forward to this day with a fervor she couldn't keep down. Robe on, hair pulled back into a tight horsetail, glee in her eyes, she gave a whoop and sprinted out of the Candidate barracks, making a beeline for the Sands with her little blue clinging tight to both robe and skin.

She skidded out in record time and wasted no time bowing to Zarinth and assessing where best to stand. She would have liked to stand in front, but she was tall and really had no desire to block anyone else's view. So instead she moved slightly toward the back, though not hiding herself, standing on the edge so she could see and (hopefully) not keep anyone else from seeing. She was excited now, but there was a niggling feeling in the back of her mind that something bad was going to happen. It was her Acid-born senses acting up again. Something wasn't right, but she couldn't tell what. Not yet.

* * * * *

Kishel was one of those riders who could not bear to be parted from her dragon for anything, not even a Hatching, so it was no surprise that when everything started humming, the two appeared over the dragons' ledge and perched there, Kishel still in riding straps. She had been aflight, checking to ensure everything was safe around the Weyr, and searching for signs of Fort's true factions. None of these idiot rebels; Kishel had enough of that wherryshit to last her a lifetime. But soon Fort would return, she thought. That must be where Bell was, delivering the news of the Hatchings to Valoryn.

Oh, Valoryn. Kishel sighed. Why had she been trapped at this Weyr?

Because you are needed, Reyenth answered, glancing at the Sands and apparently ignoring the damaged eggs. He had caught some vague idea from Kishel about what had happened, but he didn't want to acknowledge it. Whatever it was, it was, and he wasn't going to pretend he understood. He would simply ignore it. Humans were humans and did strange things. But dragons occasionally also did strange things.

For instance, Reyenth wasn't humming like the rest of the dragons. Fancy that.

* * * * *

Oh shard! OhfaranthohfaranthohfaranthohfaranthHATCHING!

Hilliel wasn't exactly in the most coherent of moods, babbling with something akin to delight as he threw on his robes and tied his hair back into something rather like a messy bun. This was the moment he had been waiting for, and somewhere his aunts would be in the Stands and it would be wonderful, because all of this was for him! Sort of! Hopefully he'd Impress, at any rate! And so the leggy young man all but skipped down to the sands, walking quickly and delightedly and moving to stand with the rest of the young men. He bowed nervously to the Queen and then glanced around for the egg that had started rocking.

There it was! He watched intently.

[Kyla]

As candidates started coming in greater numbers onto the sands, the large egg began to shake violently until it rolled onto its side behind a sand hill and shattered. From the sands there was a flash of light reflecting off of a shiny surface. The hatchling squealed as it got up and climbed back to the top of the sand hill. It sight of everyone it was obvious the first dragonet to hatch was a large Silver with a metallic shine to his hide. He glanced at the candidates, seeming to be staking them out as he tried to find his among the group. He scampered down the hill as he spotted his chosen candidate.

The cracking of another egg caught the Silver’s attention as he stepped across the sands and the Silver turned only to have an egg burst open in front of him, pieces of shell sent flying across the sands. A Green dragonet stumbled out and across his path as she emerged from her egg and the Silver hissed a warning at her, causing her to whimper and move out of his way. He had spotted his across the sands and he was going to him and the Green wasn’t going to stop him. With the Green out of his way the Silver picked up the pace, more or less charging across the sands to one of the candidates, nearly running him over as he attempted to come to a complete halt in front of his chosen one.

A’zha your Lamenth is here now. I am hungry.[/color] The Silver crooned and nudged A’zha with his nose, impatiently wanting to be fed.

[Astarte]

And the strongest goes first. See.

J'no perked up as the little Silver hatched...once upon a time it had been that a Bronze hatching was a good omen. It could only be a better omen if a dragon even larger than a Bronze hatched first. He watched the small creature with amusement, eyes on him and then the boys as the little dragon charged....

And chose. There was no mistaking the rainbow glow in those eyes, and J'no's attention zoned in. He focused curiously on the boy, looking him over, and then glancing at the dragon, and then back to the boy...the gaze lingered thoughtfully, and J'no realized with idle amusement that that "boy" was really not much younger than him at all. None of the Candidates were that much younger. He smiled slightly. Aruzhan would need special tutelage, and J'no was perfectly willing to give it to him.

Your clutch moves well thus far, he remarked to Anmedlath, who trumpeted gladly in assent but focused on the small green who had been pushed aside. His daughter was timid? That would not do, she must be stronger or she would never fare well against Thread! He crooned to the little one, offering encouragement.

They will all be strong, J'no, Anmedlath remarked, and J'no smiled.

Of course.

[spaceman]

A Silver is safe. Good. Taikoth showed the first hint of pleasure at the sight of the big hatchling.

And a green, too. Wasn't a bronze hatching first supposed to be lucky for the Weyr? If that was the case, then a Silver must be even more so. O'sa relaxed just slightly, scratching her dragon's shoulder affectionately as she recalled her own Impression. It was rather nice to see all the Candidates on the sands now... While O'sa wasn't sure how she felt about all these new Fort 'rebels' coming to join them, she had to admit that the addition of more Candidates to their ranks was a good thing. It filled out the hatching grounds quite nicely, and that meant more chance of safe Impression, less chance of going between.

------------------

Aruzhan stifled a small snort as the first egg shook so hard it rolled off down a small sand hill. Classy entrance... But the dragonet himself made up for it. That was a handsome Silver! Big, too. Quite big...

And then he was headed for the male Candidates, looking like he was about to practically trample his little Green sister, before he hissed a warning and she wisely got the shards out of the way. The Silver was picking up speed and momentum, headed straight towards them now... He'd obviously spotted His, from the urgency and purpose to his motion. But he wasn't slowing down, and Aruzhan was apparently in the way or something but there was no way he was going to move aside in time and oh Faranth brace for impact

He ended up flinging an arm around the Silver for balance, and to keep himself from toppling onto his butt as the dragonet very nearly skidded into him. And then the dragonet nudged at him, and a friendly mindvoice informed him that this particular Silver was not just a Silver, this was Lamenth. His Lamenth.

The newly renamed A'zha shifted and turned the hastily-flung-out-arm into a real hug. His dragon! And the first one out of the egg, too! That was the way to do it, for sure. A dragon who knew exactly what he wanted, and didn't wait for anyone.

Lamenth crooned gently at the hug, but nudged his rider again, a little more urgently this time. I am glad you are happy, A'zha, but you can be happy while getting me food?

"Oh! Right!" He spoke aloud, not quite used to mindspeak yet. "Ah, this way." A'zha offered another quick bow to Zarinth and Anmedlath at the sound of the Crimson's triumphant bugle, then hurried off to grab meat from the waiting feeding area.

[Kyla]

Asmyra relaxed as the first egg hatched and found his rider without any problems. For a moment she had been frightened that the Silver would snap at the Green. It wasn’t uncommon for dragonets and candidates alike to get hurt on the hatching grounds, but she was thankful that this first Impression had gone so well. “Let us hope that a Silver is a sign of good luck.” She told J’no, without taking her eyes off the eggs. More of them are hatching.[/color] Zarinth pointed out with a fond croon.

A small egg covered in small spider web like patterns from where a Fort Rider had tried to smash it began to rock. The egg rocked violently back and forth as the dragonet within started to make its way out. A forced silence seemed to fall upon the grounds as the little dragonet within struggled, when finally a claw broke its way through the shell after several minutes of struggle. The egg rocked some more and finally the hole widened before a small dragonet climbed through the hole and landed with a plop in the sands below. The little dragonet heaved herself off the ground and looked around.

For a moment the dragonet looked like an underdeveloped Silver dragonet, then she stood up and several colors reflected off her hide. As she began to move forward the colors changed with each new angle of light that reflected off her. She walked forward towards the candidates, seeming to be exhausted.

Nearby a large egg similar to the Silver’s in size violently exploded, leaving a Crimson almost black as night standing in its place. His eyes whirled a bright red as he looked around. The little Iridescent was wandering towards the candidates, got to near the aggressive Crimson and he took a snap at her. Suddenly overcome by fear and unable to control her abilities the Iridescent appeared to vanish.

Toska! Where are you? Your Cavith can not find you. The other dragon wouldn’t let me get to you.[/color] The Iridescent cried to her lifemate as she charged across the Sands, still invisible she charged the group of candidates, many of whom let out gasps and shrieks of shock as they were pushed out of the way by some invisible force. She finally reappeared in the middle of the group of candidates. Toska I’m hungry and tired. Cavith informed her, glancing back at the Crimson who had tried to keep her from hers.

[Astarte]

Toska watched as the Silver Impressed, and then frowned slightly at the little Green he had almost bowled over...was she going to be all right? She put her hands on her hips thoughtfully, rocking on her toes as she waited for the Green to find Hers. And then instead, one of the eggs that had been damaged hatched...and Toska found herself cooing at the little creature who moved forward. ...The poor thing moved so slowly...was she all right? Was she going to...

And then the Crimson egg exploded, and the little Iridescent veiled herself and began a rampage that Toska couldn't stop and suddenly there was intense fear and confusion in her head and a little voice asking her where she was. She dove into the crowd, Fiki left behind with a squawk as he unbalanced with his mistress's sudden movement. For a moment, Toska had forgotten about him. "Cavith!" she called back, shoving aside a few girls of her own and making her way to the cleared center of the Candidates where the Iridescent finally appeared. "Cavith, I'm here."

Do not scare me like that again, Toska! Cavith demanded, fixing a rainbowed gaze so pale it was nearly white in spite of the colours of Impression on Toska and then pressing against her legs, crooning and nuzzling her new rider fiercely. He was trying to stop me!

"He'll never stop you again," Toska answered, reaching down and stroking the egg-damp head to assess the little dragon. "Easy, sweetheart," she murmured, and reached down, scooping up the little creature. Little...big creature. She was heavier than Toska expected, but she didn't mind for the time-being. After all, there was weariness weighing heavily in every one of Cavith's little limbs. "All right, sweetling, we're going," she said, and the dragonet laid her head on Toska's shoulder, still rumbling happily.

With an irate chatter, Fiki came down heavily on Toska's other shoulder, digging all four claws in and sticking his nose in her ear to remind her that he existed. Toska laughed and turned to kiss him, and Cavith looked at him with interest. What is that, Toskamine?

"He's Fiki. He's mine as well."

Oh. I like him, then. I would like to eat now.

[wylvaren]

Wy'ren and Silver Jyanrith
R'let, with jade Imp, and Blue Ionth
Candidate Anka

The sound coming from the Hatching Grounds caused Jyanrith to hiss in annoyance but he moved effortlessly through the sky, doing as His had asked of him. This isn't right!

[/color] Jyanrith complained, causing Wy'ren to sigh, which in turn caused the woman before him to turn her head. He shook his head, motioning that he didn't need her attention. We must do as the Weyrleader and Weyrwoman ask, Wy'ren sent, barely glancing at the man behind him. As a Silverrider, Wy'ren and his Silver were asked to bring in a candidate's family, or anyone invited, and in their case, it had been a candidate's mother and father. It hadn't been easy to get the father on Jyanrith, but the mother had gone willingly in order to see her child.

Without warning, Jyanrith banked right, dropping in a slow, lazy circle, which surprised Wy'ren, though he didn't show it. Once the Silver had landed, and the parents were on the ground, Jyanrith and Wy'ren were back in the sky, making way to the ledge near Anmedlath and His.

A wonderful day for a Hatching, Jyanrith sent to Zarinth and Anmedlath, though mostly to the Amethyst. Wy'ren slipped from his Silver's back, patting the dragon's lowered neck and stepped to the edge of the ledge. He saluted to the Weyrleader and Weyrwoman, bowing deeply to Zarinth, while his dragon dipped his head to the Amethsyt but ignored the Crimson. Though there was enough room for him and his Silver closer, Wy'ren stayed higher, wanting to be able to watch those who came in and protect from an aerial attack.

From their vantage point, Wy'ren and Jyanrith could see that a Silver was the first to hatch. There was pride the ran through the rumbling hum that Jyanrith emitted, causing Wy'ren to chuckle at the Silver's vanity. Let the Crimson soak on that for awhile,[/color] Jyanrith crooned. Let him know that the first of HIS children are a Silver.[/color] Stop gloating, Wy'ren ordered, listening to Jyanrith grumble above him. They would be keeping an eye on thehttp://skysongweyr.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=skysonghatchinggrounds&action=modifypost&thread=139&post=336 young Weyrling and his Silver as they grew.

A Green was next, though she seemed very timid and frightened. It was a bit disheartening as she didn't find her chosen candidate right away, but there were many on the Sands. Her's had to be among them. A pretty little Iridescent followed the Green's arrival, followed by a demanding Crimson. "Off to a good start."

~~

As the hurry and fuss of settling into Skysong Weyr wore away, Anka found herself more at home at the exiled Weyr, than back at Fort. The few times she had seen R'let and Ionth, neither seemed to have time to speak with her; even Imp was busy. When it was announced that there had been an attack on the hardening eggs, all Fort Weyr Riders that had made their way from Fort to Skysong had been under close watch, R'let included.

From one candidate barracks to another, Anka wasn't really interested in the accommodations, more so in how things were run. The stone walls told tales of the few candidates that had walked along the halls of the barracks. With that, she gathered what little information she could, what she would have missed from meeting these people face to face, having been siting with them at meals.

Sitting on the cot in her barracks, Anka started when she heard the Senior Queen announce that it was time. Before she even really thought, she was already dressed in her candidate whites and running out the barracks. As far as she knew, no one, besides R'let would show up as her family. Her father was long passed and she could barely remember the creche nurse who raised her.

When Zarinth announced that her eggs were hatching, Ionth flared his wings and informed R'let. Though they hadn't been welcomed with open arms, having arrived right after the eggs had been attacked, R'let had Ionth rush to the Sands. By the time he arrived, Anka was already on the sands and Ionth took a position above the sands to watch the hatching.[/size][/blockquote]

[Ayla]

Keia leaped off her bed as soon as she heard the humming. It was a familiar sound, having grown up in a Weyr, and it always preceded a very happy event, a Hatching. keia had the feeling this would be slightly less happy than others she had attended. How could Fort hurt eggs? She could understand the hatred, but hurting defenseless eggs was uncalled for. She pulled her white robes off a hook in her room, pulled it over her head, and changed shoes into a pair of leather boots.

She rushed out of her room to the Sands, pulling her hair up into a loose bun as she went. Keia arrived at the Sands just as the silver broke out of its shell. She was late, and she knew it. She bowed quickly to the Queen, trying to convey an apology through her face and thoughts, then scurried to the girls' section. While the silver barreled across the sands, a green hatched. Keia' attention was drawn to the little female, knowing she had a chance at Impressing this one. Although she would prefer a queen, a dragon of any variety would more than satisfy her.

Keia noticed the iridescent's hatching, worried for the little female's well-being. Her egg sported the signs of abuse with a hammer, and yet she had hatched. A little lethargic, but perhaps - hopefully - it was temporary. The dragonet Impressed to the girl who had given Keia trouble during chores. She frowned a little, just a tiny bit unhappy that Toska had Impressed. After all, her behavior had, in Keia's mind, ruled her out for Impression.

In any case, Keia turned back to the Sands and waited for the next dragonet.

-------------

C'ber strode into the Sands as soon as Higanth informed him of the coming hatching. He was quick to arrive, almost quick enough to sneak by the security. Almost. A young woman, an iridescentrider by the looks of her, stopped him at the entrance. "Are you a relative of a Candidate?" she asked. "Yes, I'm M'lo, Sayle's uncle," he answered. Thank Faranth he already had a fake name picked out. "I haven't seen you around, M'lo. What wing are you in?" the woman asked. Well, he was unprepared for this. "We're currently posted at Skysong Hold. Have to make sure Fort doesn't try there next." C'ber tried to keep the scowl off his face. Maybe Fort should attack the Hold, and get the Candidates right at the source.

The rider gave him a smile and a wish of good luck and waved him in, oblivious to the lie. He scaled the stands, taking a seat near the ground and with a clear shot to the eggs. The small hammer he had stored under a loose shirt dug at his skin as he sat next to an older man. So far so good, Higanth, he commented to the blue who was currently perched on a ledge, uncomfortably close to an iridescent.

C'ber nearly jumped out of his seat when the first dragonet hatched. A silver. How he had hoped it was a nice bronze, or maybe a brown! He had hoped beyond all hope that maybe the mutations were a one time thing, something that didn't reproduce. He took a deep breath, preparing to make his move at the next lull in the hatching.

As it happened, three more dragonets hatched, an iridescent, a green, and a crimson. C'ber's mood was lightened - just a little - when he saw the normal color. But he still had to act. And act he did. With careful, slow motions, he passed by the woman sitting next to him, mumbling about having to congratulate his son, and made his way down to the sands.

As soon as C'ber's booted feet touched the sand, he turned abruptly to the eggs and dashed for the closest, pulling his hammer out at the same time. He paid no mind to the queen. He smashed the metal head of the hammer into the shell of the closest egg. "The abominations must not live!" he shouted to the crowd, bashing his hammer into as many eggs as he could before someone got to him.

[Amejisuto]

It was the candidate girl from Fort that leapt to the forefront. As soon as the man began attacking the eggs the Harper woman leapt right at him. She acted quickly, and with good intentions to do so. Angelischiel raced towards the man smashing eggs, just as she herself had come itno the stands. "Dragons are dragons!" She screamed as she braced her arm and brought it down towards his hand hard. Hoping to break the hold of the hammer in the mans arms.

It was at this moment that from that egg spilled out a gorgeous blue dragon. The hammer crashing down on his leg, causing the hatchling to scream in terror and agony. Beretta mine! your Ruinth is in pain, help help! the blue screamed in anguish. Causing the Harper girl to scream in return. She could feel the pain, feel the agony of the hathcling. That fueled her anger and her attack.

It was at this moment that another large shell shattered open, spilling a Crimson unto the sands. Who would he chose?

It wasn't known but what was known, was that the Harper girl was ready to kill. But the egg smashing had managed to snag a few eggs, spilling out another dragon unto the sands, one from one of the previously damaged eggs, spilling out a green. She was so startled by the attack that she screamed and jumped between, before she even got the changce to look for a bonded.

"SEE what you have done!" The Harper bellowed at the man.

[spaceman]

NO!

Taikoth's eyes went deep orange-red and she let out an awful scream as the strange man went for the eggs with a hammer. With a great mental shove against the stone seats (that probably sent anyone unfortunate enough to be near her flying) she launched into the air, O'sa only just managing to grab the black by the flight harness. Taikoth's telekinetic abilities gave her an advantage in takeoffs when she used them like this, shoving off against objects to give her that extra bit of lift, that extra speed.

Taikoth, do not land! O'sa could tell by the singleminded fury in the dragon's mind that she intended to go straight for the stranger... and while O'sa had never seen Taikoth intentionally harm a human, she didn't want to test that theory now. Nor did she want Taikoth to accidentally land on one of the eggs. He's a traitor rider -- fly me over and then go for his dragon!

It was fortunate indeed that Taikoth was so maneuverable. She practically folded herself in midair, tumbling and twisting and backwinging just above the grounds and kicking up a mess of sand. O'sa let go and dropped from the harness. Even with the soft ground, she landed hard. Too hard. A sharp agonizing pain shot through one of her legs, but she hurled herself bodily onto the man with the hammer. Granted, he was considerably larger than O'sa, but perhaps the shock of the attack would throw him off guard. One of the Candidates had rushed in to help too -- "Get the hammer!" O'sa barked to Angel.

Taikoth screamed again, then shot off to where the dragons were assembled. She would find the dragon linked to this man's mind. She would hurt him.

[Kyla]

Asmyra was pleased with how the hatching was going so far. There hadn’t been any injuries yet and the Impressions had been quick. She was worried for the small Iridescent hatching who had hatched from a damaged egg, but that fact that the Iridescent had hatched and Impressed gave the Weyrwoman hope. They are strong and will overcome what Fort has done.[/color] Zarinth reassured her rider, crooning happily. Her eyes whirled a bright green with flecks of purple for the love of her fellow dragons and her rider.

The peace and calmness was short lived however. As soon as Asmyra saw the hammer and heard the loud crunching sound it made as it made contact with the egg she was on her feet in an instant. Zarinth screamed her outrage, her eyes suddenly a bright red as she reared up her wings unfurled. Her forefeet crashed back down merely inches away from the precious Queen eggs. ”Zarinth have all riders and dragons after him. I want him alive!” Asmyra told the Queen. The eggs are under attack catch that traitor. The Weyrwoman wants him alive![/color] The Amethyst bellowed in the mind of every dragon within the Weyr.

“J’no we must arrest him before he does any more damage.” She told the Weyrleader as she charged down into the sands, aware that Zarinth was still flailing about. Asmyra ran up to the Fort rider “Stop! I Weyrwoman Asmyra of Skysong Weyr order you to stop this moment, under pain of death.” She growled at the Fort Rider, ready to grab his arms should her swing the hammer again. The Weyrwoman lost focus for a moment as Zarinth let out a horrible ear splitting screech that quickly turned into a keen.

The rider has broken the blue’s leg. Green Yith has gone between before she had a rider!”[/color] Anguish and anger filled her voice as she announced the incident to the whole Weyr. A brown dragon had spilled out of an egg that the rider had smashed and was laying on the ground, and it appeared that he wasn’t moving or alive. Brown Wirleth also dies.[/color] Zarinth keened. Then suddenly filled with the determination to protect her clutch and the hatchlings that had yet to Impress she snaked her head out as far as she could, hissing and covering the grounds with her wings as much as she could.

Meanwhile off to one side the smallest egg of the bunch began to shake and rock violently.