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The thrumming started, quietly at first, but growing louder and louder. Ibanu had been to enough hatchings to know what it meant, even if he hadn't been old enough to be presented. The eggs were hatching! The boy had a strong urge to dash pell-mell through the halls and caverns of the Aurie to the Hatching Ground, but he'd left the clothes he'd been told to wear for the event in his clothing chest. Hurridly, he retraced his steps back to the room, finding it crowded with other boys, most of them his age or a bit older. Someone tossed him what looked like the shirt he'd been given earlier and he tugged it on, not bothering with the fit. It was finally his chance to bond! He hoped, hoped he'd get a bronze...
Only a few minutes later, though it seemed like a lifetime, the head searchrider--what was his name? R'ton? Ibanu had only met him briefly, since he hadn't really been searched--came to collect the lads. Already trailing him were a couple of girls, and Ibanu wondered whether this meant that there was a queen egg. Surely there would be more than two in that case... Tripping over the hem of the far too long tunic, he followed the others excitedly. It was not long before they reached the large, dragon-size entrance to the Hatching Ground (or whatever they called it here). A big bronze was waiting for them--the sire of the clutch? R'ton's dragon? But bronzes weren't normally Searchers--and, at some sort of signal from R'ton nodded slightly and preceded the candidates and rider onto the sands.
The sight of the eggs nearly took his breath away, though a quiet part of his mind registered that it was a rather small clutch, only seven eggs and none of them likely to be a queen. But maybe eggs here were different. Everything else was. One of those eggs will hatch my dragon. He was probably being a bit presumptuous, assuming he'd Bond first time 'round, but who said he wouldn't? And there really weren't that many candidates here. Only eight or so, with him and Ponevi and the latest pair. Ponevi... Where was he? He and Istana hadn't been able to find him before it was time for class, and had planned to look for him during a short free period before the practical dragonhealing instruction, but that had been cut short by the signal that the eggs were about to hatch. The younger boy must have heard the thrumming. Ibanu looked around at the other boys, but Ponevi didn't seem to be here... Ibanu was distracted from his thoughts, though, by a cracking noise from the circle of eggs. The Hatching had begun!
First out was a stocky red hatchling, perhaps male... Ibanu had never seen reds before, and wasn't quite sure. He was proved right when the hatchling trotted happily over to one of the boys, Tukon, he thought it was. "Falimath!" the boy announced, looking a little dazed in the way of all newly Bonded.
Please, please let there be a bronze! But when the next shell cracked, the dragon that emerged was a red as well. It hissed irritably at a girl standing close, who jumped back looking a bit alarmed, and headed straight for Ibanu. No! It couldn't want him. He blanked his mind and squeezed his eyes shut, thinking of the cold nothingness of between. Please, please go away!
Something bumped into his chest, hard, and he opened his eyes to look into dragon's eyes, whirling a soft purple.
Why?
You're...
A red, and the best one ever shelled! You can't seriously be saying you don't want me.
I'm not! I do want you, it's just--
Then what's the problem? Tell the boring people my name, and let's go get something to eat. I don't know about you, but I could eat a green.
Cannibalism, Tinseth? B'nu asked his dragon, grinning, and then announced, "Tinseth. Bad attitude."
HEY!