Days passed ever more slowly as Helleri and her new friend, (if one could call him that) the silver evil flit Ryniv. He escaped from her at every opportunity, only to return to seek shelter for something he'd done elsewhere in the weyr. "I'll soon stop protecting you if you keep up with this mischief!" she declared one day as the little silver hid behind her while the cook came fuming down the hall. Ryn' had eaten all of the most tender parts from the roast that was for the Hatching feast.

He just bared his saber-teeth at her and growled in a menacing way. Helleri couldn't fight the laughter that welled up inside her, she toppled onto her bed, incapacitated. Ryn' looked highly affronted. While the bear-girl was having a fit, the little silver started to hum very suddenly and darted from the room without so much as a passing glance at his bond. "Humming? The eggs!" she shouted, once her breath returned. Hastily she ran towards the sands and took her place in the semi-circle around the clutch.

Wanting to be a more imposing creature to the humans that currently occupied the sands, she took on her bear form and laid down. While not as imposing as her mother or father, she still stood a lofty six feet on her hind legs. Enjoying the slightly nervous side-long glances some of the candidates and occupants of the stands were casting toward her, Helleri nearly missed the hatching of the golden egg.

Ever since arriving, Helleri had been baffled at the wonder and awe the residents of the weyr bestowed upon this large, gold-tinged egg. She saw nothing to fear from it, nothing to respect. But the classes she'd taken before the Hatching and what she'd learned from stories told around the supper table told her that gold dragons were the most revered of the dragons, for they were the bearers of most of the weyr's dragonets. They were impressive beasts, huge and magnificent. Their riders most often held a place of high rank and honor.

Her mind snapped back into focus as the huge golden egg rocked back and forth a few times, tipped over and exploded. Out came not one but two golden dragonets, one spattered with a silvery sheen down her back and rear legs, the other marked with a more bronzey spotting. The gold/bronze teetered her way over and stopped in front of the circle, regarding all of the females with a haughty eye. Finally, that blue-green-red jewel rested on none other than Helleri and the little queen continued her shaky trek across the sands.

I will fight when I am old enough, Helleri, with you! she said, gazing fiercely up at her without the slightest hesitation, not asking why she alone amongst the candidates was furred and muzzled and clawed. "And we will always win, Kaieth! We always will." Helleri responded and switched to her human form to escort the queen off of the sands, to the food she demanded, her unbonded gold/silver sister joining them.