The air was freezing, and from a dull grey sky snow fell soundlessly onto the weyr. "First snow of the season." Kayla murmured, standing on her weyrledge well bundled against the cold. Kadith enjoyed romping in the snow, and now that she was only slightly less proddy, she was fully enjoying the attentions of the bronzes, though she mostly directed her flaunting toward her new weyrmate. Smiling faintly, Kayla let her eyes drift to the ridges of the weyr, where a lone bronze sat huddled against himself. With a snort of contempt, she turned to leave the weyr for the warmer hatching sands.

You think they would have left by now. Kadith snarled in obvious hatred. "J'son is trying to show that he still has some authority here, emphasis on the trying." Ever since J'son's bronze Astaroth had lost Kadith's mating flight and they both had been injured in the process, the man had been hanging irritatingly around, attempting to find enough supporters to oust the new weyrleader on the grounds that "it was his weyr to start with."

So far, he had found less than none.

Every dragon has turned their back to the bronze and so had the people to his rider. Even when he was injured, Astaroth had had no help in catching wherries. Only because Kayla felt ever so slightly guilty about punching him and Astaroth's shredded wingsails had the pair been allowed to stay.

Once at the sands, Kayla approached the sire of the small clutch of eggs. "They'll be hatching soon, won't they?" she asked as the dam carefully turned her rock-hard eggs. "Imani says any moment now, I suggest calling the candidates." With a shrug, Kayla said, "Not just yet, I'll wait til-" She was cut off by the deep bass of dragon humming and Kadith's hurried arrival. "I'm proven wrong, and it seems not by just you." She nodded toward the line of candidates winding their way onto the sands wearing the white robes and looking relieved. The clutch was well past it's due date.

Moments after she'd taken her seat, two of the larger eggs exploded with a sudden and ferocious crunch, leaving two small dragonets blinking amid their remnants. Both were a beautiful shade of deep blue with leafy-green wingsails, and both quickly leapt up and charged the line of candidates. The first made a direct beeline toward the girls side, right for Piwia and plopped at her feet with slightly damp wings spread. "You are mine and I am yours, my Piwia! I can help you reclaim the skies." "My Manupalaputh..." the red-haired rapthalon breathed in a mix of overwhelming emotions. Carefully, the small blue-green nudged her new rider off of the sands while there was some flurry of excitement in the stands. "Was it not expected for the offspring to talk?" Kayla murmured to herself. "Both the parents do..."

Silence again filled the sands as the other blue-green sat before the line of candidates and uttered a softly distressed creal. After a moment, it seemed to smirk haughtily and sauntered up to the boy of his choosing, Jaef. "You were worried for a minute there weren't you?" he asked confidently. With a smirk identical to his dragon's, J'ef replied, "No I wasn't, Sarmikasth. I knew you'd pick the right person." With a snort, the blue-green countered, "Yes you were, I saw it on your face!" The two continued to bicker as they left and another egg shattered in the opposite of it's two siblings, very quiet and almost unnoticed. Out came a small and shy white, who sat and looked fearfully up at the crowded stands and the candidates as they eagerly approched.

Up until now, Imani had been silent in her anxiety at letting her precious children bond, but she could stand it no more. "Away! Leave my daughter alone!" she growled and stepped between them and the white. With a soft bugle of fright, the little white allowed herself to be cuddled by her mother, peering out at the remaining girls. Often, her gaze stopped on one, a silent and shy girl just as herself. With a parting nuzzle, the tiny white seperated herself from her dam and crept toward Cadaelle, curling herself around the young girls feet and crooning. "I'm Ne-zhonith, Cadelle, and I already love you, no matter the differences." the dragonet practically whispered in her already soft voice, so Kayla had difficulty hearing her name for the records. On the verge of tears, Cadelle picked up the small white and left the sands quickly, tired of the spotlight.

Another egg had hatched soundlessly, and only when Cadelle and her dragon had left the sands did the rather large blue dragonet it yielded come barreling into the middle of the sands, tripping on it's ungainly legs and rolling into another egg, which split in half. A dazed looking green poked its head out and blinked at the equally dazed blue. With a sharp yip, the blue stood and ran toward the boys side, running yet again into something, which turned out to be Erik. "Oops, sorry E'rik." he said as the blue firelizard perched on the boys shoulder took flight with a screech. Grinning down at the blue, E'rik shook his head and helped him up. "It's okay, Jericonialituianith." As they exited, even Mikanil shook his head and remarked, "Such a mouthful for such a young dragon." The green still sat in his half-egg, and with a huge yawn, rose up and trotted over to the candidates.

"I was asleep until that blue ran into me!" the little male green shouted to Daren "I'm sure he didn't mean to, Ceteareth." D'ren replied, grinning from ear to ear as he waved to Kita on their way off the sands.

Two eggs now remained, along with two candidates. They both rocked furiously, the smaller first to crack. It shuddered and trembled before a deep blue foot punched through, and the rest of the egg collapsed down on it's inhabitant. A blue dragonet emerged, spread gleaming white wingsails as it stalked the sands toward the pair left, eyeing them both with intense scrutiny before making a sudden leap at Sym. With an "Oof!" they both fell into a heap as the lycan found himself with an armful of blue dragonet. He uttered a soft almost howl-like croon as Sym sat up. "Hitanookamith's here to help you home, Sym! You don't have to be sad any longer." Standing with some difficulty, oblivious to the rest of the world and had to be guided mentally off the sands by his new bond.

Now there stood just one, with one large egg left. It tettered back and forth before the very tip of the egg popped off and it tipped onto it's side, dumping out not one but two little dragonets, both the same midnight blue of their dam. Imani crooned softly to the pair, but while one stayed, the other bounded over to Kita. "I'm glad to be out of there, it was getting very cramped!" the dark blue said happily as Kita knelt to hug her. "I'm glad you're here too, Epohoxith. Very glad." The dragonet mentioned she was hungry and was immediately led to the food table while every one else's attention was focused on the remaining dragonet, who approched her mother and nestled into her loving arms. "Aerramath is to come home with us." Imani said forcefully, and glaring around at those left as if to dare them to take the dragonet away. Above on the ledges, Kadith flared her wings warningly too, she would not allow the small dark blue to be taken either.

Later on, Mikanil and Imani said goodbye to those they had befriended and left to return to their homes, the young Aerramath safe in tow with her parents. It seemed to many that Imani had had the intention at the beginning to take one of her children home with her, and the fates had seen this desire through.