Xanadu Weyr - Hatching Sands
The large circular "stage" is surrounded on one half by a towering wall, thin slit windows high overhead letting in some light without truly endangering the objects on the sands, though plenty of lights are spaced at human-level all the way around. The other half is ringed by the dark blue seats of the observation level, rising upwards towards the back wall. The circle itself is filled with a mix of red and white sands, deep enough to cover the largest of dragon eggs with ease. To one side, a small door is visible, hidden away behind a platform meant to provide a place for the clutch parent's lifemates to stand during the on goings.
Late afternoon, and the sun is edging its way across the sky when it seems that the Sands are to be needed, and needed now. Kilaueth is wandering her way onto the sands, having coerced Hesketh into joining her immediately, and she begins to circle around on a particular portion of the sands, pushing it this way and that as she goes.
Ellamariseth is the first of the junior pair to arrive, but she makes sure that Ysa isn't too far behind. Even as the ripples start around her large belly, she waits for her running lifemate. "Coming, coming," she says, irritated, as she pushes hair out of her face and peeks around the golden bulk towards the senior. "Looks like Kilaeuth decided it was a good day, too." She sounds just a bit nervous, but Ellamariseth just pushes forward, rumbling happily to the much large gold as she goes to find a spot on the sands, her dark talons raking every so often.
Niva is hardly as prompt as Ysa was, though she is rather handicapped, and so she's hobbling on her crutches as fast as she goes, pausing every few steps to rearrange them under her arms and catch her breath. Kilaueth, however, has no intention of waiting for her lifemate, for as soon as Hesketh has formed what she deems is a satisfactory trench, Kilaueth is snorting at him, chasing him out of the way, sides rippling for a long minute before it appears that the first egg of Kilaueth's clutch has been laid.
| A Building Storm Egg |
| Dark towers of grey build upon themselves, expanding quickly to overtake almost every inch of this larger egg, shadows casting shadows of their own. Here and there, the heavy cast is lighter - hints of cream still unchanged by the weight of rain. Each rounded burst of grey is slightly different, the ocassional bit framed by a hint of sky blue hidden away by the storm. |
Meluth doesn't take long to find M'iken and demand that they go to Xanadu to be with Ella for this. The brown comes onto the sands not too much later after Ysa, all a flutter and fretting like he's never fretted before over the sands taht were just fine to him not a few days earlier.
In the Galleries, R'miel is up on the observation level of the hatching sands. He received word that Kilaueth was ready to go, and then got a message from his weyrmate that Ella had also decided she was ready to do her thing as well. Arinith is no where to be found, not that he'd be welcome on the sands right now anyways.
In the Galleries, R'miel sits on the deck right now with a clipboard, making notes about the clutches. Eggs and dragons. Weyrsecond's work and all. In between he's munching on puff pastries he's brought in a box. They were supposed to be a gift for the goldriders on the sands, but he's already eaten a few out of the box.
Ysa doesn't quite move into the hatching grounds as before, either waiting for the Weyrwoman or too intimidated by her larger lifemate out there. Ellamariseth was well on her own and did not seem to be paying much attention to the other queen. She turns her large head towards the galleries to croon a welcome to the spectators. Always a pleasure. The brown barely gets a glance when her side begins the same rippling as before, and she quickly digs a small spot open for her first arrival, too impatient to wait for its daddy to actually land on the sands.
| Searing Rainfall Egg |
| Yellowed splotches mark the bottom of this large egg, ringed in different sizes and appearing as if they have deteriorated over time. The texture is just as rough as it looks, from the variety of cavities that cover its wide base. Yet moving upwards the shell becomes smoother, streaked by sickly green-yellow droplets. One can envision a sulfuric scent wafting off of this egg if one should approach close enough. |
In the Galleries, It seems like the day for the goldriders of Xanadu Weyr to congregate around the hatching arena. Ethne walks into the galleries just as the first egg starts to move, normally early for such an event her Queen has been a bit moody and so has she… the pair showing signs of impending proddiness. Mellonath is out in the clearing, safer to keep her a distance away from the other Queens anyways.
Kilaueth is turning to look at the first egg, tilting her head to one side curiously as she sniffs at it, before moving onwards, leaving the bronze to cover it up with the red and white sands of Xanadu's Hatching Cavern while she's busy rearranging another portion of the Sand. She pauses for a moment to snort at Niva as the Weyrwoman cuts across the uneven Sands rather awkwardly, moving to the platform and motioning for the other women to join her. And then, once her lifemate is free, it seems that Kilaueth is ready for her first encore. A bit more rearranging, a bit more digging, and then she's settled over the trench, a second egg joining the first.
| Skies of Gray Egg |
| Gray settles low upon every surface of this egg, wrapping around it and blocking out any hopeful ray of yellow sunlight that could have possibly wished to escape. Sections of darker gray and lighter intermingle without rhyme or reason, creating a veritable patchwork of neutral hues upon the shell. The palest areas are near white, while the darkest do not even begin to approach charcoal, leaving a depressing, but hardly frightening, color scheme. |
That first egg has Meluth's eyes swirling with their happiest rasberry cordial color. As soon as Ella clear of it he's noseing sand around it like a blanket, wanting it to stay plenty warm during it's time in the grounds. Mai comes walking up beside Ysa, a bit of a smile on her face at Meluth's happiness.
From the Galleries, R'miel gives a wave to Ethne when he sees her heads over. "Hey there, weyrwoman. Great day for a clutching that isn't yours, isn't it?" He chuckles a bit, clearly in a good mood about all this, then holds up the pastries in an offer. Then his attention is turned back to the sands, so he can write some more. "Yes, hello, Ella. We see you." Only Ellamariseth would be interested in playing to the crowd while giving birth.
Ysa grins widely when M'iken joins her, bobbing her head towards the eggs. "Gonna be a good clutch, I can tell." She watches the Senior carefully, not really offering her any help. Instead, it's the galleries she turns to, offering a wave towards the familiar form of her weyrmate. When it looks like they were allowed over to the platform, she takes the chance. The rider keeps well away from the bigger gold, even as she tugs on M'iken's sleeve to follow. Ellamariseth barely even glanced at her first egg, leaving it to the protective brown as she moves across to another spot altogether. She had to get a good look of the crowd, too. She watches Kilaeuth's second arrive, sitting on a spot not too far away. And with that inspiration, she turns back to her previous spot, pushing out a second egg before she can even form a proper trench for it.
| First Snow Egg |
| A welcoming pale blue spreads evenly along the surface of this delicate-looking egg. Yet spaced unevenly across the solid-colored surface are specks of white, gracefully falling down towards the red and white sands below, gathered in clumps or found alone in a variety of different sizes and shapes. They drift lazily downwards, not too overcrowding, towards a base of smooth white. |
Kilaueth seems to have no desire to interfere with Ellamariseth's clutching, nor any intention of letting the smaller gold interfere with hers. To prove that point, she's kicking some sand in the general direction of Ellamariseth and her eggs before quickly hiding the second, rather boring gray egg from view beneath the more colorful sands. Its only a short while later that she's deciding that another spot looks particularly inviting, and she's turning her back on the galleries, snorting at Hesketh, and letting another egg grace the shallow trench. Niva nods with a smile to Ysa and the brownrider, even as she abandons the crutches to lean against the rail of the platform instead.
| Painting the Sky Egg |
| Wispy waves of white are brushed haphazardly over the blue-toned surface of this round egg. In some areas, the brushstrokes are paler, barely causing an impact on the sky-colored backdrop beneath. However, in places where the strokes overlap, the white builds upon itself, varying from a off-white to a pure white as it hides the sky from view. |
M'iken follows Ysa's wave and spots Ram, waving as well. "I'm sure it /will/ be." She follows off after the goldrider towards the platform. Once Meluth has the first egg the way he thinks he likes it Ella's already popping out another. And he's off to inspect and make sure that one stays warm as well. The croud he thought he'd be worried over, dowsn't even cross his mind as these eggs are more important to him right now. He tries his best to be unassuming though, he knows Ella likes the show of things and the attention. This /is/ her time after all.
Ellamariseth wasn't in any hurry to finish up the rest, grunting a bit at the uncomfortable labor spasms. It's only when the other gold kicks sand at her that she actually snorts, her mood falling just a bit at the less sociable dragon. What was wrong with a little bit of chitchat? Even as Ella turns back to the galleries, her heading swinging close to whuffle at some residents, her body was ready to lay the third. She waits on Meluth this time for him to finish the second before she squats low, tail lifting and wings outstretched. A moment later, she moves away with the next wet egg visible and ready to be warmed up next to its siblings.
| Savage Deluge Egg |
| Blues and blacks are in a turmoil around this smaller egg, with wisps of shadows floating in random places among the shell. The dark background is overcome by droplets in teal, azure, navy, and other shades of blue. The mottled pattern streaks down, towards the sands, in torrents and marred only by a sharp nearly white electric stripe that extends from one dark spot to a disappearing point below. |
Kilaueth once more leaves this egg to Hesketh to take care of, after giving it a bit of a nudge into its new home, making sure its settled before the bronze hides it away. Then there is a rather significant pause, as if giving Ellamariseth a chance to catch up, turning to watch the Telgari gold over her back curiously. Then its the gallery's turn to be watched, and Kilaueth is going so far as to stick her head up over the railing at some rather unsuspecting young boys. Finally, it seems, the break has been enough, for she's finding a spot just beneath the lowest railing, nudging a dimple with her nose before turning around to release the newest member of her clutch, sides rippling as she does so.
| Heaven's Lens Egg |
| The rich, smooth blue of the autumn sky has been swept onto the surface of this egg - the unerupted hue that stretches from horizon to horizon being snagged to fit tightly from rounded end to rounded end. Yet, even the clear, crystal blue cannot be all powerful, for a single oval spot sits near one end, shades of white and gray forming a lens on the heavenly dome. |
From the Ledge, R'miel comes down to the railing to wave to Ella specifically, since he could tell the smaller younger gold was getting a bit agitated. "Hey everyone! You're doing great!" There's a lot of frantic waving from the bronzer and some whooping. Then he runs away before Kilaueth makes him a mid-labor snack.
Ysa moves on to rest next to Niva, turning a worried look back out on the sands. "How goes?" she asks casually, eyes just glancing down for a moment to the broken leg. "Kilaueth's alright with everything, right? I hope Ella's not too intruding on her space." She frowns a bit at the pair.
Meluth croons softly yet joyfully at Ella when the third egg is laid, touching her mind with warm reds and browns before moving to make sure this egg is just as well taken care of as the others. This one he builds the sand up and around more, making it appear more like a hill than the others.
Ellamariseth was going to ignore Kilaeuth, if that's what she wanted. Though there was plenty of grumbling and snorting her way, though she doesn't try to get closer again. She liked the area she picked, pacing a bit away from the first three eggs to make a wider gap before she leans down to deposit another. It might be difficult for the brown clutchsire to run back and forth from the main clutch to that one, but it gave Ella more territory over the galleries. The familiar bronzerider perks her spirits up a bit, offering him a croon mid-spasms.
| Clear Permafrost Egg |
| This egg is almost unnaturally smooth with a reflective sheen that makes it look permanently wet on the surface. The thick shell is a sleek blue, nearly completely white, with a mixture of natural grays that look to be from reflected shadows spreading along the egg. Near the bottom of the egg one may perceive hints of red mirrored off the sands, though it may be an illusion caused by the colors of the egg. |
"She'll be okay. Better now then after she was already brooding. I don't know how she would have taken it if Ellamariseth came onto the Sands when she was already here." Thankfully for now, Kilaueth is distracted. Shifting a bit, she inclines her head to M'iken as she joins them, before smiling at Ysa. "Least by the time they hatch, I'll be able to walk." And then it seems her attention is back on the two pairs of dragons upon the Sands, even as the missing fourth rider appears on the Sands.
Kilaueth rises up to her hind legs, extending her neck to snap at R'miel and his noise before he's out of her reach and she's left to settle down, huffing and puffing. It seems that another egg has been agitated out of her, for she's hurriedly moving toward an open area of sand, hurriedly crouching to lay another egg without even making a dimple first.
| Puffs and Pillows Egg |
| Creams and whites billow and build upon each other, each gentle rounded puff molding itself into another, the pillowed shapes looking fluffly to the touch. Here and there are a few shadows of grey, as the clouds rise over each other, forming a elaborate skyscape. Behind the clouds, the dark night sky stretches on, speckled by yellow-ish stars, twinkling behind the puffiness. |
M'iken inclines her head to the weyrwoman, offering a salute to her. She doesn't really want to disturb the gold riders much during this, she's just here for Meluth really so she let's them talk, keeping an eye on the brown who really /never/ needed supervision.
Ysa shakes her head a bit at the Weyrwoman's answer. "I would imagine laying them is more stressful, as there are no clear boundaries established yet." And then there's her weyrmate, just a bit too close for her liking and she shifts nervously as she watches the bigger gold react to him. "Ram! Ya idiot, stay back and just watch!" She glares up towards the galleries for a moment longer before she settles back, rolling her eyes at M'iken. How can she to control that bronzer?
Meluth huffs lightly when the fourth is deposited so far away, but he follows after Ellamariseth none-the-less, intent on keeping all their eggs in a nice safe and warm blanket of sand.
Ellamariseth actually offers the Senior a low growl when she snaps to her lifemate's significant other. Her tail twitches anxiously, looking at her small clutch. Nearly even with the bigger gold's, but she didn't look like she was going to be laying anymore. She crouches low, the galleries forgotten, as she watches Kilaeuth's latest addition. Only when it looks like she was completely finished, and Meluth finally arrives to cover her lastest one, does the small gold get back up. One gentle ripple later, and a new egg is left next to the one she had laid so far away, splitting her clutch in two.
| Hail Storm Egg |
| Large, white, and nearly completely round make up the basics of this egg. Hints of blue are edged around to form jagged ridges and crevices, some sharp and some blunt. Yet along most of its wide expanse are spidery cracks, spreading out from a center of impact as if hit from the outside, spread out unevenly throughout the entire egg. While the shell appears to have fissures several times over, remarkably up close the egg is smooth and undamaged. |
Hesketh is left to cover up the newest arrival, pushing the sand around its flat base to keep it in place as it threatens to roll as soon as Kilaueth has moved on, and it becomes a large pillow of sand upon the Sands. Kilaueth swivels to pad towards the platform, waffling at those gathered there gently, puffing air at them. After a long bit of consideration, she's digging a spot near the platform, well away from the other eggs that she's laid, turning around and around before laying the last egg, covering it almost immediately.
| Obscured Smoke Egg |
| Hazy gray hangs heavily over the shell of this egg, sections darker and lighter, creating a wispy layer over the other patterns on the egg. Somewhere beneath the muted tones are the darker outlines of houses and trees, the greens and browns washed out to merely shadows. The depressing tones envelope the whole scape, leaving nothing to clear skies. |
Meluth warbbles lightly at this half of the eggs. He's pulling sand around them both, keeping them close together, but not so close that if they begin to hatch at the same time that they'll knock into eachother. Once they're sufficently burried, he moves off to inspect all the eggs again in order, making sure that they really are surrounded well enough and covered securely.
Ellamariseth gets up to pace back and forth between her two halves, her eyes on Kilaeuth for a moment befor she finally relaxes as a whole. Her labor spasms have stopped, and there were no more eggs to lay. With a final head rub at Meluth, who was still diligently working on the five eggs, she hunkers down low in the space she left and proceeds to rest after the short clutching with half-lidded eyes.
Kilaueth seems to be finished as this sixth and final egg has arrived on the Sands, and the gold seems quite triumphant, preening in Ellamariseth's direction, even as she's nudging at Hesketh, and then settling down, stretched out amongst her string of eggs, claiming her portion of the Sands. As it becomes obvious that Kilaueth is done, Niva's gaze shifts to the younger gold, tilting her head, before moving to let the others proceed her out given her significantly slower pace. To the beach!
From the Galleries, Ethne remains fairly quiet except she does greet the bronzerider. "Hello. Yeah I suppose it is." She doesn't seem too happy though at the moment, her hand has been bandaged after being bitten by a ferret and Mellonath has her distracted a bit.
Ysa hesitates in leaving her lifemate there on her own with the older and larger gold for company. But at least she had Meluth… She gives M'iken a worried glance, nodding towards the exit before moving after Niva, catching up quickly to the Weyrwoman and commenting to both women, "At least it doesn't look like they'll be sitting on each other's eggs." There's an unsaid 'Yet' in there. Her green eyes look for her weyrmate again, but instead of heading straight for the exit she breaks off to walk along the side to Ellamariseth for a brief visit.
M'iken smiles and shrugs at the worried look. "They'll be fine. Meluth will keep those eggs safe, and I think he'll try to keep Ella in a good modd so the two of them don't fight." She blows a kiss over to Mel when Ysa goes to visit with Ella. The brown warbbles over at his rider, full of pride he is.
From the Galleries, R'miel waves the box of pastries around at Ethne. "Here, have one. I've got to save a few for Ysa, though." He spots her bandaged hand and blinks a bit. "So what's happened to you?" He pats the bench next to him. "Come tell Ram all about it." The weyrsecond finishes up his bit of paperwork and turns all his attention to the goldrider.
