[Hatching] Wounds Healing

[tiamat]

Corvis startled when he heard the humming. He promptly forgot that he hadn’t touched any of his food because of anxiety-induced lack of appetite and ran for the barracks and his candidate robe, with an equally startled Pest shrieking angrily behind him. He got to the barracks and threw the robe on with only a brief check to make sure he hadn’t managed to completely bungle putting it on (which, given the simplicity of the things was easier than one would expect with him).

He went to the hatching sands at a somewhat more sedate pace, because he knew from prior experience that running like a madman tended to, well… get you treated like a madman. Which meant being barred from the sands. So he moved quickly but didn’t flat-out bolt for the sands like he had done before, let himself be searched without more than a few grumbles along the lines of why the hell is this even a thing and Pest what are you doing, get out of here, and stood at the sands edge.

Shortly after he did so, the first egg hatched a… purple? It was tiny! And Corvis was only not squeeing from sheer force of will. Ral, he thinks you are the luckiest person on the sands right now.

[giftwrapped]

............A purple dragon had just headbutted her and dragged Ral away.

La blinked, then grinned.

Today was potentially the best day ever.

[Inkwell]

Oh, wow. Orren hadn't expected the very first egg to be an entirely new color. And so small! And... and bright purple! He blinked, before a grin spread across his face. Even if none of these dragons were for him, he was intensely glad he was here, witnessing this.

Unlike some other people. A few feet away from him stood Senar, eyes tight shut. Well. Orren could see just fine, and he decided that that meant he ought to be the helpful person he usually tried to be. That meant moving sideways until he was next to Senar, and whispering a quiet,

"Hello. So, I don't know if you heard, but that dragon that just hatched is purple, and it's the size of a large flit, and it's dragging that boy who was standing next to you away for unknown reasons. Also it looks absolutely adorable and I hope there are more of them. My name's Orren, by the way. Any particular reason you can't open your eyes? Because if you're scared of dragons, I'd suggest rethinking the decision to stand, and if you're scared of eggs... I'm very sorry for you and your breakfast habits."

Orren, you are the best at making friends. Never stop.

[Evadne]

"I've made their acquaintance," Lostris said quietly to Kaskirk. That's her. Always with the wild exaggerations and crazy emoting. She did allow herself a small smile afterwards though, aimed at the other guard. She added, "And so have you."

Not many folks got her sometimes odd sense of humor but before she could see whether Kas did or not, there was a commotion behind her on the sands. It wasn't the cheers she'd been expecting to hear to mark the first egg broken. Were those...were those awwwwwws?

Though it went against every instinct she had, Lostris pivoted awkwardly on her canes to squint out over the sands. What she saw caused her eyebrows to shoot up towards her hairline.

Was someone's painted firelizard rampaging? Was that a freak? A fluke? A sign? She had no idea. But as the romping puppy-sized creature began to drag one of the candidates on a course towards the full-grown dragons, she felt herself stiffen. This was not at all expected and if there was anything that the past Turn had taught Lostris, it was to be uneasy about the unexpected.

[firebird]

Senar was trying to think of the hatching, the heat of the sand, anything other than the horrible pain in his eyes. Why was the hatching ground outside in the sun? Why? What possible reason could they have for this? And why couldn't it be overcast, or raining, or anything other than brilliantly shining with sunlight?

He heard the commotion from the crowd and guessed that one of the eggs had hatched. His attempt at looking for the hatchling failed, as the eye he pried open almost immediately started tearing up. Gah. Senar went to rub his eyes, but stopped himself. No, that would just make it worse. That always made it worse.

Senar was startled when someone just started talking to him. "Um... purple?" Wow, what an articulate response. "I mean, I'm not scared. This happens sometimes. The hurting, I mean. Of my eyes. It should go away by tomorrow." Really, he was just waiting for the migraines to start. He hoped that at least they wouldn't be bad enough to make him throw up.

[Zen]

Ever had no idea what to think when she saw the purple hatch from the egg. But, having been at the first hatching, Ever had somewhat known that this was going to happen. There might have been new colors, she knew. But she hadn't known how new they'd be. It was strange, then, when a new color hatched first. New colors hadn't hatched first last time. In fact, a green had been the one to tear her fingers from her hand, not a new color. Then it dawned on her that the dragonet had willingly tore her fingers up--the green Reeva had Impressed had done it willingly... and no dragon was able to willingly harm a person.

Perhaps it had happened before she'd Impressed. Perhaps that was why Individiath (failspelling?) had chomped off her fingers. Whatever the cause, though, she'd not thought a new color would hatch first.

Much less a purple. It was tiny, too tiny, almost not even there. But it had enough strength to take a hold of a Candidate's robes and pull him. Blinking, Ever pushed her blond hair behind her ears with curiosity. Was that an Impression?

[Lesa]

Gwynell had little to do to get ready for the Hatching - yeah, right. Chasing after a still-bloody Willoth as he barreled his way back to the Hatching Sands and praying he didn't trample anyone was not what she would call "little". Babiesbabiesbabiesbabiesbabies! he babbled in her mind, crooning and warbling a tune to accompany the hum already bursting forth from his maw - how he managed it, she didn't know.

Once at the sands it took him a flying leap - a literal flying leap, wings snapping open and shut in bare instants as he got elevation and descended next to Semith, on the side opposite Kith. At least they were still fairly bare, the call having just gone out for Candidates. Gwynell sighed and stared down a fellow guard. Fool didn't want to let her on the sands with her bow. Newbie, she thought, rolling her eyes and shoving past him. La could probably do more damage with her cane than Gwyn with her bow.

At least Willoth merely vibrated in her hands as she wiped his muzzle clean. Our babies are hatching, Mother, Kith. We're going to get to see our little ones today! He briefly touched on his mate's mind, assuring her again that he would watch their babies most carefully. Gwynell fussed with the bloody rag, shoving it under her bow and quiver, which were set firmly amid Willoth's forelegs. If anyone tried to go for them.... well, there would be consequences, of the teeth-in-uncomfortable-areas type.

Gwynell smiled to Leshta and La, the older women's presence soothing after the months of togetherness. Between the three of them and their dragons, they (hopefully) would be able to manage everything to come. Still, it was a shock as the first egg - one of Willoth's - hatched out a... purple?! What on Pern... the Harper shook her head, laughing to herself as the little creature marched up to Ral and yanked him towards them. Knocking into La was probably not a good idea, little one, she thought, trying to give a sympathetic glance to the Healer.

Hello, daughtermine, Willoth said, staring down with whirling eyes, Why do you bring Healer-boy to your Grandmother and I?

[Spiffy]

It could hardly be said that Shea wasn't one due being late. The same was bpt ap for Kitath. Not that Sh'lon would have ever dreamed of being late to a hatching, even without Kitath chivvying him along.

The pair were indeed on time to the hatching, arriving with everyone else, Shea looking around for someone that he knew... Shea being Shea, this was most people.

Ah well, it would be whomever was nearest then! He pranced up to T'di, the former weyrleader looking rather... If not bored, this was afterall a hatching and hatchings were never boring, but a little lonely standing and not talking to anyone.

"Hey T'di! How's it going? Isn't this exciting? I think it is. How's Mordanth?" He rattled off the stream of questions easily. He hadn't forgotten the circumstances that Kitaths flight had put them in, but it didn't bother him all that much. Beyond him being blithely ignorant of other peoples discomfort, it wotld be a lie to say that he was unaccustomed to such situations.

Kitath meanwhile settled herself on the edge of the gathering group, not wanting to spoil the view for anyone she could easily peer over the top of. After spending a minute or so scanning the area for potential threats (ie. Outlaws) and another minute, thus satisfied, watching the shaking of the eggs, she turned her attention to the small group of guards nearby. It didn't take her long to recognise them.

She snaked her neck forward to puff lightly on the back of Lostris's neck.

You should not be here, sister of Mine, she said quietly to Lostris. Of course Kitath knew Lostris should not have been on duty: Kitath knew everything about everyone, particularly those she was connected to somehow. It was almost like she saw it as her job to know these things so that she could make use of them. But Kitath speaking to another human? She must be warming to the guard. Maybe it was just her concern for the injured woman, compelled to speak by her rider's close link to her.

[tuathade]

At the furthest back of the crowd, where the dragons sat, a huge dark shape padded in silently and took his place behind the rest of the gathering spectators.

C’ross and Merceth did not normally attend Hatchings; they had not been at the last one where the atypical colors made their debut. It seemed somehow irrelevant for them to come, when C’ross didn’t know any of the Candidates and would have been there only to clap politely for the newly Impressed. That wasn’t the kind of thing the bronzerider did just because tradition mandated it. It seemed like a waste of time. But this time, after the stolen eggs, and given Semith’s mood… Merceth wanted to be near her and the eggs. Just in case.

The bronze was fully healed from his ordeal – or at least, as healed as he ever would be. The right side of his face was still an eyeless ruin of scars, and more traced along his chest and shoulders, pale and stark in contrast with his dark hide. But he was beginning to put back on the muscle he’d lost during his enforced grounding. Between his sheer size, his lean tigerish look, and the scars, the bronze was a fearsome gargoyle looming over the hatching. But his eye whirled blue when he saw Semith, and he crooned a low gentle note to her and Kith as he gave his rider a lift into the stands.

C’ross swiftly spotted a familiar face, and moved over to sit next to Siata. The green wherhandler was one of the few at Warden’s he counted as friends, and she’d apparently been helping I’saac as well… That alone would have put her firmly in his good books. “Anything exciting yet?” he asked as he scanned the sands quickly. “Shards, a purple dragon – that’s new. Merceth’s been threatening to eat anyone who so much as twitches wrong at the eggs, so I thought I should come.”

No. I will not harm a single one of them. I’ll just carry them between to the coldest part of High Reaches and leave them there. Merceth’s claws dragged furrows in the sand.

[puppetmaster]

Oh hey, look, a gray. For a moment, Wildflower stared at Willoth, still a bit of a ways off, and with Ralvyn's robes in her mouth no less. Some of her siblings may think less of her for being so uncouth and, in fact, downright silly, but Wildflower had no issue with this. Her father was blathering on like a silly creature, calling some other adult dragon mother, and and and--

Oh, right, yeah, Healer in her jaws. Sweet. Wildflower gave Ralvyn another mighty tug, tail flicking joyfully with each step. She warbled towards her father, her granddam, and even to Kith! But she did not head any further in their general direction. Ralvyn, the poor fool, was being led straight into the eggs themselves.

The purple stopped suddenly. She looked up to Ralvyn, crooned, and then quick as lightening darted behind him and headbutted the young man in the back of the knees, for all intents and purposes trying to get him down there, shardit. Once she'd done the deed? The purple ran off, right back into the crowd! Not towards the Candidates, though, oh no - to the guards. The dog-sized dragonet dove into the arms of a woman, face pressed fierce and clinging.

"Violeth!" the woman cried out, joyous, a loud sound. With that, a guard became a weyrling. A stands Impression!

And the egg Ms. Violeth shoved Ralvyn in front of? Howling Moon Egg, the small thing's rocking become all but nonexistent. The tapping from Violeth's egg made a few cracks break out, but other then that, the little egg was losing energy, and fast. The only indication of actual life inside would come when touched, and with a small, distinct feeling of distress.

(Purple Violeth to NPC)

[tuathade]

The little purple led him across the sands, past the bloody and rather intimidating grey clutchfather. Ral flailed along behind, doing his level best to keep his balance despite the insistent tugging on his robe and the – oh, headbutt to the back of the knees. Down he went, right onto the sand. And now he was in the middle of the eggs, and the purple was running off and abandoning him here come back and explain yourself, please.

Well, from the shout of joy from the Stands, it sounded like she’d Impressed after all. And the egg in front of him… Howling Moon, one of the ones that he’d touched when he was on the sands before. It had been so vibrant then, so full of life – so loud in his head that it had actually thrown him off a little, even. But now the weak rocking was all but gone. Was that why the little egg’s sister had pulled him out here? He laid a curious hand on the shell, all caution and worry, and got a flare of distress in response.

Ralvyn was not Jaxom. Nor was he utterly sharding stupid. Trying to smash open a dragon eggshell blindly would, nine times out of ten, leave you with a broken eggshell and a dead dragonet unless you knew what you were doing. But the need coming from inside the egg was obvious.

“Lanakirene?” he called aloud. “I could use your help over here!” Because when you have sick dragonet in egg, the logical responsible thing to do is call the master dragonhealer who is standing right over there. Meanwhile, his hands were roaming lightly, delicately over the shell. There were cracks, here and there, evidence of the dragonet’s struggle. If he could just widen one of those, just a little… No hard blows, just a bit of pressure, seeking out weak spots where he could carefully chip away some eggshell. All the little hatchling needed was some help getting started… All the while, remembering that eggs could read thoughts, he did his best to project calm and confidence. Of course you’re going to be fine, Howling Moon. The Healer’s right here.

[Inkwell]

Orren gave Senar a sympathetic look, before realizing that, with his eyes closed, Senar wouldn't really get its full benefits. Still, that sounded pretty bad. Just randomly waking up and having your eyes hurt so badly that you couldn't open them, not even for an important occasion like this? What a horrible life Senar must lead.

"Right, okay, so. I'll just keep describing it then, shall I? Since you don't want to miss it. Okay. So. The purple baby just dragged him over to one of the other eggs, the one that's not rocking as fast as the others. I guess she wants him to fix it? Oh, and now she's--"

"Violeth!" cried the woman in the stands.

"Well. I guess that was kind of obviously an impression. Not one of us, though. A guard in the stands. Kind of makes sense, that a whole new color would choose someone special." He turned back to regard Ralvyn and the Howling Moon egg. "Um. That egg's not moving at all now. I hope it's okay. It would be horrible if they lost any more babies."

He couldn't very well imagine how Semith and Kith and Willoth and Iateth had felt upon finding half their clutches stolen, but he was fairly certain it had been heartbreaking. Losing more now would just be too cruel.

[giftwrapped]

La watched the exchange intensely, keeping a close eye on the little purple (PURPLE! FARANTH IN THE SKIES - PURPLE - HOW DID THIS EVEN) as she dragged Ral over to - an egg? Oh faranth, what was going on? She had returned to Kith's side, but this? This was bad. And La didn't know what was going on, but Ral had called her, and if he was calling her over an egg that meant.... "Faranth's shiny gold ass," she swore quietly, glancing over at Leshta. "Lesh, whatever's going on out there -" and then she shrugged. "Kith, bag."

The blue was on top of that already, though, handing La the satchel she kept with her at all times (and if it was a bit depleted because she hadn't really had a chance to refill it since Passith's arrival, well) and looking with yellow-whirling eyes at the eggshell. Whatever it was, he was concerned. But he had faith in his rider and her apprentice.

Just her apprentice, Kith. This time around, I'm out. Violeth didn't want me involved.

"Hey," she said softly, dropping the bag beside Ralvyn and touching his shoulder lightly. "The little dragon wanted me out of this. This is your moment, Ralvyn. Take the bag, though." And giving the young man a rough squeeze, La straightened up, looked around at the Candidates, and backed slowly away out of the clutch. The bag - there were all the typical things - numbweed, redwort, bandages, thread - but also the small stonemason's chisel and mallet she kept on hand on the off-chance it would become necessary to use on an egg. It was quite small enough to be precise, and sharp enough that if Ral needed it, he'd be able to chip open the shell.

Hopefully he wouldn't, though. La dreaded what he'd find in a shell he needed to break himself - if the dragonet was even alive. And as she walked back to Kith, she couldn't help projecting a singleminded dread that something terrible was about to happen.

[Evadne]

You should not be here, sister of Mine.

It was disconcerting, to say the least, to hear a voice in her head here at this proceedings. Lostris' surprise was betrayed by a twitch of her brows. She tore her gaze from the sands, where that purple was behaving in most peculiar fashion, and directed a look back and up at...

Kitath. Of course.

That's my line for Shea, she thought mildly. Would the green hear it? Lostris wasn't sure; this mindspeech business was still so new to her. And look at the green, distracting her from the business out there! From her (not really assigned) duties!

The cry from the stands brought her around again. She'd missed it, that moment when the purple had flung herself at the woman she'd chosen. And where was the unfortunate the strange little hatchling had been hauling about? There, kneeling before one of the eggs. Lostris was too far away to make out just what the young man was doing, hunched over the egg as he was. She flicked a glance at the observing dragons; they didn't seem upset.

And yet there was the dragonhealer, walking onto the sands.

Not good. Not good at all. See? Lostris was justified in her guarded reaction to the hatching's beginning.

If only people listened to her more often. Steeling herself, she shifted on her canes and turned her back to the sands. To Kitath, she thought (or thought she thought), They might come back. This is a distraction. A huge distraction. We need every one here.

[tuathade]

Here she came with the bag. Ral didn’t get up, didn’t move from his place at the egg’s side; you didn’t abandon a patient. He gave La a brief, wan smile, and if there was a flicker of fear in his eyes then at least he hid it well. He knew just as well as Lanakirene what was likely to be in the shell – at best, a dying infant. At worst… But he kept projecting that same steady calm in the direction of the egg. Shards, if he could patch up a serial killer without running screaming from the room, then he could ignore all the eyes on him, right?

“Thanks,” he said softly. “I didn’t think I could break it open very well with my bare hands.” Now, at least, he had the proper tools. He fished out the mallet and chisel, located what he deemed to be the largest crack, and with infinite patience and care he set to work.

It wouldn’t do to get hasty now. There was urgency in the situation, yes – but that just meant he needed to work quickly, not recklessly. Hands steady, mind focused. Tap tap tap. A chip free. Then another. Just remember the training at the Hall (not that “how to break open a dragon egg” had been a common topic) and breathe. Don’t think about the angry clutchparents looming overhead. Just think about the baby waiting in the shell. Under his breath, he murmured, “Come on, dear. Come on. They’re waiting for you. Give me a little help, here.”