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Post by ShadowReine on Nov 25, 2008 0:39:17 GMT -5
OOC: This is actually slightly late. Sorry, guys!
Something was not quite right. Something was missing. After a moment, Yselka placed it.
Lyeth was not on her ledge. It was not like the gold to go to the feeding grounds on her own, especially right now, with the burden of her...
Lyeth!
I knew what to do. I would have felt bad to wake you.
The Weyrwoman pulled on the first clothes that came to hand, and never mind that they were rumpled and ran down the stairs and across the corner of the bowl to the Hatching grounds.
It was barely light, Lyeth having chosen the early morning to present the Weyr its future. The morning sun lit the off-white shapes of eggs and the gold bulk of the queen.
Not...and Yselka tried not to slump as she counted. One, two, three...seventeen, eighteen, nineteen.
Only nineteen? The plague, or the pheremones from the other golds, or both, but...it was still, potentially, nineteen more dragons than they had. She tried not to think of the duds from the other clutch. Two of the eggs, too, were nicely large, one seemed as large as...
...and then she saw the glint between Lyeth's forelegs.
Twenty eggs. And one of them...
...a daughter queen, and she felt hope and fear mingle in her heart. She knew what she had to do.
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Post by phlysolo on Nov 26, 2008 1:37:31 GMT -5
Perhaps Lyeth hadn't noticed the large shadow over the Hatching Sands, looming above her like a great bronze statue. Erusth had risen when she had and, once he knew she was settled in the Hatching Cavern to do her business, he swooped down after her, standing guard over her as she laid down her Clutch. He watched with expectancy, anticipation, pride, and exhillaration as one Egg plopped down on to the Sands, then another, and another, and...! To his astonishment, a golden Egg! As soon as Lyeth's laying had ceased, she nestled it between her legs.
The bronze dragon, his hide shining magnificently in the sunlight, could barely contain his joy, his ego. He, bronze Erusth of H'zu, had impregnated gold Lyeth and had done it well, as no other bronze could have. No other bronze could have possibly given Lyeth a queen egg on her maiden flight.
Ista Weyr, hear me and hear me very well! Lyeth has given us Eggs! Twenty Eggs for the Candidates of Pern. In the bronze's tone, it was easy to pick up how excited and honored he was to have sired the Eggs that were laying just below him. He had been loud and his exclimation had been followed with a roaring trumpet, loud enough for the entire Weyr to hear.
H'zu, who had been sent several images of the Clutching from the rapidly growing Bonooru, had been biding his time before he went to see for himself. Interrupting a gold while she Clutched was never a good idea. When Erusth made his announcement, he thought it safe to go down and investigate for himself.
Yselka was, of course, already on the Sands, observing her queen in the last stages of her Clutching.
"Yselka? Is Lyeth done? How many a-" H'zu paused, entering the Cavern cautiously, just in case Lyeth chose to chase him off. He had almost immediately spotted the glinting Egg at the great gold's forepaws. A queen! And on her first Flight! Incredible! Shards, Erusth really did know what he was doing...
Of course I did. He said with so much arrogance in his voice that, H'zu laughed.
"Lyeth, my congratulations to you for an excellent Clutch. You've truly given Pern the hope that it desperately needs," He said, addressing the gold and bowing deeply to her as though her were but a mere Candidate instead of the Weyrleader she had chosen.
"They're beautiful, Yselka."
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Post by ShadowReine on Nov 26, 2008 12:47:10 GMT -5
Yselka smiled. "I wish there were more, but for a maiden flight...and a queen, too."
Her tone then became somber. "We are going to have to discuss something, but not right now. In fact, right now, what I think we need to do is... Rebel, headwoman." The bronze flit chirped something and then vanished.
"I made a pre-arranged signal. I think this event calls for a small celebration." Nothing like a turnover Gather or Hatching Feast, of course, but a few extra treats would certainly be appreciated. She'd have to have that vintner woman find the best they had...and then, of course, find better for the Hatching.
"I'll examine the eggs soon, when Lyeth isn't quite so...possessive. I don't think she's going to let the gold out of her sight."
Another gold for Pern. And, Faranth, a fertile one. They might yet pull this off. There was going to have to be a lot of cooperation, but they *could* do it. "I just hope if we get any deformities, they're not function-affecting. Did you hear about the Hold's new watchwher?"
Red, apparently. Well, red-brown. It appeared to be a mutation similar to the one creating the sapphire blue firelizard, but based off of brown, rather than blue. She wondered if they'd see metallic-shaded greens in the future too. That would be pretty...as long as they could fight and fly.
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Post by bookworm on Nov 29, 2008 17:59:24 GMT -5
Tarana was kneading dough for bread when the Weyrwoman's bronze appeared and chirped his special signal. A big grin spread across the Headwoman's face, and she immediately stopped what she was doing. "Let Yselka know I'll be there right away, Rebel," she told the bronze as she quickly washed her hands. Victory, her own brown, perched on her shoulder, trilling excitedly. "I guess you can come with me, but don't be surprised if Lyeth kicks you out."
With Victory hanging on to her shoulder for dear life, she ran to the Hatching Grounds. Slowing down to a more civilized speed when she reached the cavern, she strode briskly onto the sands. Her eyes widened at the sight of the clutch.
"Congratulations, Yselka! Lyeth has done a fine job!" she exclaimed as she joined the Weyrwoman and Weyrleader. Her eyes scanned the clutch, and she let out a delighted gasp at the sight of the gold egg. "And a queen daughter, too!"
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Post by ShadowReine on Nov 30, 2008 1:07:38 GMT -5
Yselka smiled. "I assume the kitchen workers are up to providing something special for tonight...perhaps dessert? And a good wine, of course. People are going to want to celebrate once the word spreads."
Carefully, the young weyrwoman stepped across the Sands, even she wary about approaching the queen. The great golden head lowered, and she reached her hand up to touch the edge of Lyeth's muzzle.
Thank you, dearling.
It is only what I do
Yselka smiled at her dragon. She would not try to examine any of the eggs yet, she would have to check for infertiles. Her eyes drifted to the gold, which, at least, did not have that horrible transparency of some of the duds from the last clutch.
Our daughter may have to be sent away
I know. If she is needed
She must choose the best.
That young woman would be Weyrwoman, if she left, as soon as her dragon rose. There would be no choice for the older golds, but to step down. The senior queen had to be fertile.
And Lyeth was, which meant the future was, at least...possible. Not secure, not yet, but possible.
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Post by bookworm on Nov 30, 2008 21:14:08 GMT -5
Tarana grinned at the mention of a special meal. "Oh yes. We'll be hard at work baking some bubbly pies for tonight. And I think that Benden white would be good for this occasion, don't you?" As she looked over the eggs, she was glad to see that none jumped out as unhealthy, although she wasn't so optimistic she thought none would be duds.
"I expect we'll get a flood of young woman hopeful about that Gold egg," she remarked thoughtfully. "I'll have my hands full in the lower caverns, that's for sure."
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