The sands were searing hot as Truatt was ushered onto them. The gold dam of he clutch had finally proclaimed that the eggs were to hatch. They had been rocking steadily for an entire day, and everyone was getting a little edgy with anticipation. He tried to position himself as in front of every egg as possible, to make sure that no hatchling would go without seeing him. The first to hatch was a large brown and Truatt leaned closer to it, hoping to catch it's eye, but he already seemed to know his bond and never even glanced at him. Next came two identical blues, each hatching simultaneously. The stopped and growled at each other for a brief moment until one darted to begin his search. The other stayed amid his shell, whining softly until his mother gently nudged him towards the candidtates, then he obliged by scrambling after his brother. The first blue looked over each candidate carefully, evaluating and re-evaluating their personalities. But he kept coming back to one, and it didn't take more than a knowing smile from Truatt to get the blue to make his final choice.

I'm sorry I took so long. The sturdy dragonet said as he nuzzled his rider for the first time.

But I didn't want to make a mistake.

And did you Goliath?" Truatt, now T'att', asked his blue indulgantly, and was answered by an anxiously apologetic croon and a demand for food. T'att knelt and hugged his blue, saying "I was only kidding Goliath, I would have waited for you no matter if you were the last egg left." With that, Goliath wriggled happily and T'att led him off the hot sands to the waiting tables of food.

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Later that day...

Watching Goliath sleep, T'att idly wondered where Klaera would be in this huge weyr.

Wouldn't she be at the weyrling barracks? Goliath asked sleepily. "You're brilliant!" T'att said, "Now come on, I have to find her." He pulled the half-asleep blue off the bed and he landed with a whump letting out a short bugle-type sound.

If you'd've given me a sharding second I'd have been up!

"Oh come on, Goliath." T'att said, smiling down at the blue, and helped him right himself. Still the blue huffed, but followed T'att as he practically ran down the halls, Aroro and Zela fluttering along after him. After having nearly collided four times, T'att found the weyrling classrooms. He peeked through the window and saw a class was in session so he waited outside. "Her dragon would be pretty big by now, right?" he asked Goliath.

How would I know? He looked sleepily up at the door and watched as the students left with their dragons. T'att looked closely at every greenrider, even the ones that were clearly male just to make sure he didn't miss her. "She's not here..." he murmured and turned to leave, nearly bumping into someone again.

"Sorry."

"Truatt?" He looked up to see Klaera looking quizzically at him. "What are you doing here?" "Klaera! I've been searching for you! I want to introduce someone. Klaera, this is my dragon, Goliath." He proudly stepped aside to reveal....Goliath curled up in a ball, fast asleep. "He's adorable! Tiyranelth is over there." Klaera gestured to a weyrling green standing near the weyr lake as she knelt to stroke Goliath. "You Impressed?" she asked? Sighing, T'att slid down and sat next to her. "Yep, and this lazy wherry is my dragon." he said jokingly.

"I thought I saw you out on the Sands but you hadn't sent any word that you were to stand." she smiled. "I missed you so much while you were gone.." T'att started to say but only got to "I" before Klaera kissed him. Startled, he pushed her away. "What are you doing? People will see..." "It doesn't matter anymore, we're not home and we are equally ranked, as dragonriders." She explained. "Oh, well in that case." T'att gently kissed her back, glad that they no longer had to hide in the shadows.