Even in the darkness there can be some specks of Hope [Delan

Reivyn didn't exactly know how to react to Rowan's departure from the sands. It seemed as if she was caught up by her green, which was normal, but now the only person Reivyn had to stand with her was Keith and she'd only just met him. At least her friend was happy, and for Reivyn, that was the most important thing. As she continued watching Rowan with her new lifemate, another egg hatched revealing a bronze that from the start Reivyn felt was much to full of himself. But none the less, the bronze did find his just fine meaning that only two eggs were left on the sands. Each and every one of these hatchlings had been unique and interesting and even downright scary in some cases. This left Reivyn wondering just what kinds of dragons these last two would be. Would they be as odd as their siblings? Or would those gathered; residents, refugees, and candidates alike, get to finally see a somewhat normal dragon hatch from these eggs of Delenth's? They had no way of knowing until they hatched.

Round and seemingly unbalanced the Dolphin Egg rolled down towards the others; away from it's little mound where it quickly shed the shell to reveal a rather striking cobalt blue hatchling. He sat in his shells for a few moment before he leapt to his feet and pranced; yes quite precisely he pranced towards his mother. His croon of utter delight could be heard as he garnered affection from her; oh his mama did love him. That was a very good thing indeed. Giving his mother one last lick and nuzzle he began to prance towards the candidates again; though this time his eye was caught by one in the corner. One who seemed to be hiding from all the rest.

'R'miel; R'miel. Why're you hiding in the corner like that? We need to get some food and then we have to meet everyone.'

Reivyn blinked as the hatching continued, this time another blue coming from the egg. It looked like her wish had come true. This blue seemed to be a bit more normal than his brother was and he was a lovely shade of blue; one very close to Reivyn's favorite color actually. Then he found who he was looking for and Reivyn started at a sudden realization. This blue made seven of the eight eggs hatched and Impressed. Meaning there was only one egg left. That egg held within it Reivyn's last chance at Impressing. So she shifted to watch the last remaining egg and began trying to think pleasent thoughts so she wouldn't make herself nervous.

The moment was about to come; for this hatching this last egg was it. It was now or never. Or at least until the next hatching. What would come of this final egg Reivyn didn't know, but hopefully good would be the result of this day.

"The last one." Ayana sighed, thinking that she was not going to impress this one either. she got off the stands but did not leave the sands. She waited by the entrance, waiting for the last egg to hatch and see if it was for her. If not then she was going to go and see if she could help with the fires.

Delanth watched in disturbed fascination as three of her eggs hatched in the most peculiar way. Not that there had been that many clutches before hers, but even dragon instinct told her that these three were not normal. Delanth was a gold and these mere greens would make even herself shy away from them. Her own children for goodness sake. At least they all impressed, though a part of Delanth wondered if it would not have been better if they hadn't have hatched.

Anger welled up in her again as she thought of her first flight, what should have been a glorious flight. That sharding gold had ruined it and Delanth would never forgive her. As Delanth was slowly getting angrier, her eyes starting to whirl red, another egg hatched and the most precious cobalt blue came from it. Straight from the shell the blue started prancing right up to her. 'You are a son after my own heart, tiny one. At least there is some hope after what that she-devil gold did to me.' Delanth said as she nuzzled her baby blue, licking him and nuzzling him. She finally pushed him towards the candidates so he could find his life mate.

'I know what you're going to say Sashike and don't. I know he is not a bronze or gold, but there is something special about him. A mother knows these things.' Delanth smarted off to her rider before Sashike had a chance to something. Sashike was a bit stunned with her dragon's comment since she wasn't even there at the moment, instead helping with injuries. She would figure out what it was soon enough. There was just one egg left now.
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Ch'tan turned to his friend who had finally managed to get his brown to come towards him. "Thanks. Congrats to you too. That's quite the handsome young brown you have there." He said with a forced smile on his face. He still wasn't too sure how to take his new green even though he loved her more than any being on the face of the planet.

'Watch your tongue brown one or I will remove it from you.' Eskaneth said to Vorineth, hissing at him almost. Ch'tan got some very strong feelings of hate from his green has she spoke to him.

'Eskaneth, enough of that. Do not be rude.' Ch'tan scolded her. It would prove ill if his dragon and his best friends dragon didn't get along at all. That would cause some hardships with them he was sure.

'He called me strange, my love. I was merely sticking up for myself. Surely that is not a rude thing to do, is it?' Eskaneth 'explained' to Ch'tan. Her eyes still whirled a bit red when the fell on the small brown though.

Ch'tan again could not find fault in his dragon. 'I suppose not, just try to be nice okay? Vorineth is my friends dragon after all.'

Eskaneth crooned at Ch'tan and nuzzled against his leg. 'I am nothing but nice, Ch'tan. It was he that was being mean to me. Poor innocent me who didn't do a thing to him.' The green purred to her rider then turned back to Vorineth. 'I will not forget your insult.' She said in a menacingly way before ducking behind Ch'tan so she wouldn't have to see him.

D'nal was offering a smile to his friend and about to respond in kind. "Congrats tae ye, tay-" and he was cut off mid sentence by the little scene their dragons were making. Vorineth sat solidly at the young man's feet, eying his green sister with half-lidded eyes as she used her viper tongue against him. Though D'nal couldn't tell what was going on in the green's side of the conversation, Vorineth was not a happy dragon.

Vorineth did hiss at his green sister, baring teeth as he did so. He did not take kindly to getting his head bitten off, metaphorically, and any offense to him meant an offense to his rider and that was not conscionable. If you try I will sit on you and I am bigger than you. He continued to glare at her even when she wasn't looking at him, his tail laying across D'nal's foot.

D'nal's brown furrowed as he contemplated the consequences of his brown's threat. Whether or not Vorineth would actually go through with sitting on the smaller green, but he could feel that his dragon was not pleased with the first of his siblings he had met. Hopefully it would go better with the other dragonets. "Heh, heh," he said, a tad uncomfortable and hoping Vorineth had not inadvertently offended Ch'tan.

When Eskaneth told him that she wouldn't forget his 'insult', Vorineth did not (yet) have the discretion to keep his mouth shut around her. You try and do that. You're just a green. While the brown still glared around D'nal's leg at his sister, D'nal winced a similar saying to 'och, jobby' flashed through his mind. To add injury to insult or vice versa, when Eksaneth had slipped behind Ch'tan's legs to hide Vorineth from her sight, the brown stuck his tongue out at her like a little child.

Last but not least the Swordfish Egg began to move and wobble; as if attempting to make a grand entrance into the world. Slipping from the light blue and white shell was what appeared to be a long tail. Whipping around in a seemingly regal manner as the rest of the egg was dispensed with. In the low light of the glows situated in the hatching cavern; her hide seemed to glow. Olive gold hues swept across her hide; it was unmistakeable her colouring for the golden yellow mixed with olive green made her what she was. A gold; there was a gasp from those who were there. Was she a good omen; did this mean good things, because there had yet to be a gold clutched from those golds who had risen and lived to see hatching day.

Oh how she moved; her bulky form; her wide hips, the fact that she was the largest of the females. She had to be gold; and that colouring it seemed to come alive under the glows. there were some jealous looks cast as the golden hatchling weaved her way through the candidates intently looking at each one of them. Then turning with disgust she moved towards the stands and the girls there; well they were pretty. She came real close and finding the stairs climbed them to get closer to them. No they didn't seem like they would do. Moving along the stands she made her way to a girl in the corner; who was suddenly getting up and moving away from her. Her golden hide seeming to shimmer in the lowlight as she hoped onto the seats and stalked across them to the stairs that lead her down and towards the exit. Finally the blasted woman had stopped moving; and this golden hatchling could finally get a good look at the last person on the sands she had not had the chance to.. Sitting down the golden hatchling stared up at Ayana; inspecting her very closely.

[time for reaction posts people..]

"I can't believe we were both so fortunate to impress, D'nal." Ch'tan said, trying to break the awkwardness that had fallen around the two of them. He couldn't believe the hate and malice that came from his green towards the brown.

Ch'tan couldn't hear what the brown was saying but whatever it was it was making Eskaneth growl fiercely. He could feel the anger welling within her. What ever was wrong with the brown? Of course since he couldn't hear him he had to assume that the brown was doing something Eskaneth didn't like. At least she was behind his legs now.

Eskaneth wanted to tear the heart out of the pathetic brown. Wanted to feel the warmth of his blood running down her throat in victory over the lazy leech. However she didn't, for that would upset her Ch'tan and she didn't want to do that quite so soon. Instead she used her rather long tail to smack him a good one. 'Consider that your only warning.' She said her voice full of malice.

Before Ch'tan could realize what his green had done, the last egg hatched. From it was....a gold. "Shards, a gold came from this clutch? Can you believe that, D'nal? A gold." Ch'tan said staring in awe as the pretty dragon started inspecting everyone who hadn't impressed yet. Eskaneth looked at her sister and hissed.

"Mhmm," D'nal replied to Ch'tan, glancing once at the final egg. In that split second of inattention, the green delivered her revenge on Vorineth. Her abnormally long tail whipped out and struck the brown across the nose. At the suddenness of her retribution and his own pain, Vorineth yelped and pushed himself against D'nal's leg. He knelt down, ignoring the hot sand on his knees, and caressed Vorineth, adding his own glares to the brown's. If the two dragons didn't like each other that was one thing, but the fact that she had willingly caused His dragon harm made D'nal very disposed to dislike her.

Distracted by his brown, D'nal didn't notice the gold dragon hatch. When Vorineth had been sufficiently comforted and the young man had - just this once! - agreed to carry the brown, D'nal saw the gold dragonet moving around as she examined every single unImpressed person. Even those in the Stands, which interested him especially when the olive-gold neared his sisters and brother. Rhona, one arm around Trina, cheered up the young girl - who had once again been distressed by her brother's brown's predicament - by pointing out the curious, beautiful gold.

Reivyn stood on the hot sands staring in irrated amazement at the behaviors of some of the hatchlings. As if things outside the hatching grounds weren't chaotic enough, it seemed as it some of that tension had here into the hatching itself. Two of the hatchlings, a brown and a green respectively, seemed to be having many a disagreement with one another. Reivyn could only shake her head and role her eyes at the pair. Then suddenly her attention shifted as the last of the eggs shook and the hatched to reveal....

'Is that a...it IS! A Gold has hatched! The first one born without needing the geneticists! She beautiful, but what is she doing?'

Reivyn watched as the regal hatchling went around and surveyed each and every one of the candidates yet to Impress before making her way into the stands to look at the spectators there. After a long moment she went after a young woman Reivyn beleived was named Ayana and sat down in front of her; inspecting her closely. Reivyn held her breath in shock. Had the gold Impressed? Was Ayana their newest goldrider? It was hard to tell. The gold was definitely looking directly at Ayana, but she didn't seem to have Impressed her. What was going on? Had the golden beauty chosen or not? 'Come on, little beauty, have you chosen or not?' Everything in Reivyn stilled as she watched the gold's every movement. She wasn't sure just what had happened.

One egg left, and he hadn't Impressed. Of course he hadn't; Keith was beginning to despair of ever getting his dragon, Searched or not Searched. None wanted him, not bronze nor green. Keith was used to being unwanted, but that didn't make the sting any easier each time he didn't Impress. How long could he keep doing this, keep standing? Would he be able to stand being rejected again and again? But would he be able to live with himself if he gave up? What if his dragon was just at the next hatching, or the next? He'd never know...

Though Keith had to wonder if he'd have wanted to be picked by those greens anyway. True, he was sure they'd love him and he them, but...they seemed so off somehow, so creepy and just...not right. He could see Rowan a ways away, looking thoroughly nonplussed, and there had been the one that had mauled that child...

But now was perhaps not the time to think about it. With an effort, he focused on the last egg, and soon his concentrated was rewarded....A tail poked out, and then the egg seemed to fall from around it - her. Keith gasped; she was so beautiful, her olive-gold tone capturing him immediately. He couldn'ty help holding his breath as she approached and fixed him with a penetrating stare, as she did with everyone in the cavern, even though he knew it was silly. Queens Impressed to girls, not boys - and yet, he couldn't stop a small, foolish spark of hope that faded when she turned away fro mhim.

Not this hatching, then. But he couldn't leave yet; Keith wanted to see who the gold went to. She was making her way up the Stands - and started following someone around, a woman who appeared to be headed for the entrance to the sands. Finally she stopped, the gold caught up with her, and apparently gave her the same examination she'd given everyone else. Was she going to Impress now? Or would the woman in the Stands be rejected too?


Loriliqueth soon announced that she was finished eating. Rowan eyed the green doubtfully; in the redhead's opinion, Loril needed to consume more; she was so skinny already, and if that was all she'd ever want to eat then that skeletal look wasn't apt to disappear any time soon. Still, the green insisted she was finished, so Rowan agreed, setting the extra meat aside.

Loriliqueth had barely taken the first step in the direction of her green sisters when another egg hatched, and the green pair turned to watch. For a confused moment Rowan thought it was another green hatching, but...no. That olive tone didn't belong to any green; it was...a Queen! A Gold has hatched! For a fleeting moment the artist wished she could have been the one to Impress to such a beauty, but it vanished in an instant. That was silly, of course; Loriliqueth was her one and only lone now. Even with her strange ways...

The moment the queen had hatched, the green had started muttering furiously. Stupid one taking so long. Thinks nobody's good enough for her. and she'd better not come near Loriliqueth or her sisters... Again Rowan was perplexed; what was this prejudice that her dragonet had against bronzes and, apparently, golds? Though she'd never actually mentioned the newest dragon being a gold, just scoffed at her, so maybe...Well, she definitely showed a prejudice for bronzes, anyway. She watched her green anxiously as Loriliqueth's red-tinted eyes followed the gold's path through the candidates and finally up to the stands. Is she going to Impress so someone in the Stands? Rowan wondered - not many people were up there, and the gold chose to follow one woman who looked to be leaving. Ayana, Rowan recognized her as. Was she destined to be the next queenrider?

Ayana's jaw dropped as she saw the gold hatch. She was so marvelous to look at! So the clutch may have been small but there was a gold in it? And the first gold laid by one of the dragons and not work of the geneticists. That was a good sign. that meant the already hatched golds could easily keep the dragon race alive. She saw the gold check out all the others while she went towards the entrance. She checked the people on the sands. No. She checked out all the people on the stands and still a no. She had checked over everyone besides Ayana.

Does that mean she wants me? What if she does? Does that mean I was good enough after all? Or does she not want me and go between to her death? The questions ran through Ayana's head. The gold was now sitting in front of Ayana, looking at her closely like she could see into her soul.

Am I the one she wants? That was the most important question. Ayana's was sorta excited. Maybe the gold did want her but she forced the excitment down. She would not get her hopes up just to have them shattered if it was all a lie.

But what if the hatchling did not find anyone she wanted and before she went between hurt her? No. Ayana mentally shook her head at the thought. This gold is not like that green, she won't try to hurt me. I hope. Ayana however was not sure what was going on. Obviously the gold had not impressed yet. Okay Ayana stop going around in circles, before your head spins off your shoulders. Would Malcolm be proud of her if she impressed this gold?

(*Jaw drops and pinches self to see if it is a dream then waits till Iski gets on for next post*)

Oh dear there was just no one around; no one who she liked or wanted as hers. However she certainly didn't want to disappear and if living meant tying herself to one of these... these.. well she couldn't think of the word. They just weren't hers. Still sitting where she was staring at Ayana; she looked back out across to the other candidates and girls in the stands again as if reassesing her options again. Finally one last look back at the candidates and she thrust her mind upon Ayana's. She wanted it to be quick and painless as possible; for her that was. Impression was done and made; sighing mentally the young golden hatchling focused her eyes on Ayana as they now whirled a dull blue.

'Hello Ayana. If you must know why I; Seliqueth chose you, then I will be blunt. I simply didn't want to not exist; and it seems as though you are the least idiotic of everyone here. However just because I chose you; doesn't mean I have to like you.'

[There is a part three; so stay tuned.. Otania and everyone else; just a reaction post please.. Please include talking about her pretty colour.]

Ayana saw the little gold look around, as if comtemplating that ayana was good enough. Ayana thought she wasn't but then she heard a sigh. It was in her mind though, not around her.

'Hello Ayana. If you must know why I; Seliqueth chose you, then I will be blunt. I simply didn't want to not exist; and it seems as though you are the least idiotic of everyone here. However just because I chose you; doesn't mean I have to like you.'

"Blunt, I like blunt. You just get right to the point. Not exsiting would suck now wouldn't it? Plus between does not seem like a fun place to go. And you don't have to like me but remember it was your choice. Not mine." Ayana said, being a bit blunt herself. Would this little gold change Ayana? She hoped not. But this little gold's color was very pretty. It was almost hard to tell if she was a gold with the perfect combination od gold with a hint of green.

After that little spat between the two of them, Eskaneth decided to leave well enough alone and ignored Vorineth and his rider. Instead she turned her attention the new dragon that was making her existence known to everyone in the hatching grounds. 'As if she's so special. Silly thing taking so long to pick her mate. Probably thinks no one is deserving enough of her. I could show her the only thing she deserves, the cold nothingness of between.' Eskaneth said, more to herself than to Ch'tan.

"Um...sorry for her D'nal. I don't know what's bothering her." Ch'tan said, trying to ignore the hateful thing his dragon just said. His eyes turned to the gold, it looked as if she had finally impressed after having had such a hard time of picking a person. He was still stunned that a gold had hatched at all.

(fail post, may edit later)

Vorineth peered down at Eskaneth from his rider's arms, quite pleased with the fact that she was no longer bothering him. He did not like her and she gave him too much work in fighting back at her. D'nal patted his little brown's folded wings comfortingly. When Ch'tan offered an apology the younger boy only shrugged. "Nae yer faut she's a viper. Th' dragon chooses th' rider, nae th' other way aroond, lad." D'nal's tone was aloof, more because of his brown's upset than any anger he felt at his friend. A glance back at the gold and the girl's face in front of her told him that she'd Impressed, finally.

'I only picked you so I wouldn't die you idiotic woman. Get it through your thick skull.. I DO NOT LIKE or EVEN LOVE YOU. I will NEVER; LIKE or LOVE you. I will never be friendly to you or want to be with you. You're only here to feed me till I can hunt for myself and wash me when I command.'

Looking around again as she let out another vicious sigh she was struck by the looks on her; what where they looking at. Looking down on herself she pressed into Ayana's mind to find the answer she was looking for. Oh; so that's what it was...

'Stop looking at me like that; I'm a green you imbecilic creature. A GREEN; you know G-R-E-E-N; Green. Not one of those overbearing shiney twats.

Seliqueth's voice was sharp and without restraint; how could the silly thing think SHE was a gold. It was perposterous; she was a green, couldn't anyone see that her hide was GREEN. Oh this just infuriated her; the stupidity of people. It was just the egg goop on her skin and the low lights of the hatching sands that had given her a golden look. She was green though; 100% Green. It seemed now she was wishing she had disappeared if only to avoid this headache.. She was stuck here now though; oh well she sighed. Guess she better make use of what she had; it was going to be a long life ahead of her after all.

'Come now Ayana; Food won't come to us. I need food now; so we shall go now.'

'I only picked you so I wouldn't die you idiotic woman. Get it through your thick skull.. I DO NOT LIKE or EVEN LOVE YOU. I will NEVER; LIKE or LOVE you. I will never be friendly to you or want to be with you. You're only here to feed me till I can hunt for myself and wash me when I command.'

"Got it, feed and bath that is all I get to do. Other than that I am just a meat carcass for you to command." Ayana's eyebrow went up slightly. This would be fun.

'Stop looking at me like that; I'm a green you imbecilic creature. A GREEN; you know G-R-E-E-N; Green. Not one of those overbearing shiney twats.

"Green not gold, got it." Ayana said, getting close to snapping. Be patient.

'Come now Ayana; Food won't come to us. I need food now; so we shall go now.'

"Food is this way then." Ayana said leading the green to food before she got yelled at again.

Ch'tan watched in amazement as finally after what seemed like forever the gold impressed. He got the feeling however that it wasn't a happy impression. "Oh, it doesn't seem like the gold or her rider is very happy." Ch'tan said aloud so D'nal could hear as well as his green.

'Gold? Why do you keep saying gold? Surely I did not pick a rider as stupid as she is. No, no my love. That is a green. A green. Not a gold. You seriously cannot tell the difference?' Eskaneth reprimanded him.

'What? She's a green? But she looks so gold. Are you sure?' Ch'tan asked back. He was surprised at his dragon's harsh tone towards him however.

'Of course I'm sure. We dragons know each other. She is a green. Nothing else. Now, my dearest one, won't you please get your Eskaneth some food? My little tummy is growling so fierce.' Eskaneth replied to him. The last of what she said in her soothing voice so Ch'tan would feel better again.

'Of course dearest.' "D'nal I'm going to go feed Eskaneth now. You coming as well?" Ch'tan said.

For a few moments nothing seemed to happen. Dragon and woman just stared at each other, and the rest waited, wondering. Nothing visible seemed to happen, but gradually Rowan realized that - yes - she had Impressed! The gold had Impressed to Ayana, the lucky girl.

Lucky? She is not lucky. You are lucky to have Loriliqueth, Rowan, and lucky not to have her. And stop calling her gold. She is not a gold. She is a green, and that is all, no matter how she acts.

Rowan blinked, then turned to stare at her green. "Not a gold? You're...sure? But she looks-"

Not a gold. Never a gold. Just a silly little... Grumbling ensued from the hatchling while Rowan took it in. She looked so golden, but she couldn't doubt Loriliqueth. Besides, she had noticed the strange olive hue that made her almost look like a green....She supposed that in reality it made her almost look like a gold instead. And if she needed any more reassuring, the redhead got it in the form of the green hatchling announcing to the whole cavern her true color.

Not a queen after all. That was disappointing - they'd all gotten excited about the first clutched queen, but the hatchling was really a green. Oh well. Maybe next clutch.

________


'Stop looking at me like that; I'm a green you imbecilic creature. A GREEN; you know G-R-E-E-N; Green. Not one of those overbearing shiney twats.

Wait.

What?

Not a gold after all? Keith stared at her, shocked. But she looked just like one...Sure she had that strange olive tint, but./...Just a green. He'd been admiring her and thinking how lucky Ayana was to have Impressed a gold, and she was a green. Not that she was any less pretty for that - or that Ayana was less lucky for that, but - wow. That was too bad. Not to mention it meant that he wouldn't have been ruled out if it was a green. She could have picked him, but she didn't. Of course she didn't. Maybe,,,maybe next time...

[*pet's Keith* sorry for the fai lthere buddy]