All too soon, and yet not soon enough, Hatching Day arrived. Wyaren had been kept busy, as all candidates are, to pass the time.
Hustled into the Hatching grounds, Wyaren stood with the res of the candidates, awaiting the first crack. The dragons' humming reached a feverish peak, and then the first egg moved, tumbling about wildly as the dragonet within worked on getting out. It smashed apart, revealing a brown -- medium in color, but sturdy in build. He looked sure, and intent on his goal as he moved across the hot sands, lifting his feet high, and keeping his tail up.
He calmly helped a frantic green untangle herself as he passed by. The tension was so thick, one could almost cut it with a knife. When she was freed, he lifted his head and looked his human in the eye.
Wyaren was flooded with love and the brown bespoke him. Now, I am ready to Impress. Do you think that I did the right thing?
"You certainly did, Hirlath, you really did!" W'ren looked up from the big brown, with the biggest grin anyone had ever seen from him on his face. He saw Jayrin's look of shock, but kept right on smiling. Together Hirlath and W'ren left the sands.
After a while, Jayrin came out, walking with Maiahn. -- a blue hatchling between them. Maiahn was grinning. "I'd like to introduce you to Amitath, and his rider," she said, "J'rin." She trailed off as she looked first at W'ren and then at Hirlath. "It's odd not to know what to call someone I've known most my life." She said, finally.
W'ren nodded. "I'm called W'ren (wuh-ren) now, and this is Hirlath." The brown's eyes whirled slowly as he exchanged greetings with his clutchmate.
J'rin beamed. "Amitath is a Search dragon!"
Without a doubt. The blue added.
"Oh really?" W'ren asked, feeding gobs of meat to his hungry life-mate.
"He Searched Maiahn while his wings were still wet." J'rin insisted, feeding Amitath with Maiahn's willing assistance. She nodded.
"Well, congratulations, Maihan!" W'ren said, with that oddly-out-of-place grin still plastered across his face.
Later, Maihan rode off adragonback with a rider to collect J'rin's things and her own, since they'd both be hanging around Alabaster Weryhold for some time to come. While she was there, she told Holder Mejolin the good news. While he lost a very good tailor, he gained a few more names to add to the list of Two River-grown Dragonriders.
That night, lying awake in the weyrling barracks, W'ren spoke out loud. "My face hurts."
J'rin started laughing. "You've been grinning like a fool all day, W'ren! Those muscles of yours don't get much excercise... you never smile."
He does now! Amitath said.
Of course. Hirlath said, Now he's got a reason.
"Oh hush!" W'ren said, his tone light as when teasing, and they all fell silent. It had been a long day for all of them, and they were all very happy.
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