Welcome to Five Stone Weyr!

[PhazonDragon]

Since the laying of her small clutch, Farsysk had let no one near her eggs. She brooded over them, nosed them, turned them over in the warm sands. When someone approached, the gold wher hissed and growled threateningly. Due to her actions, not one weyr resident was able to count how many eggs she had laid. When the faint tapping of claw on shell aroused Farsysk in the dead of night, she clambered to her feet, and let out a loud call. She roared, her strong voice carrying through the many tunnels.

The intense humming of both dragons and wher alike drew the attention of many a weyrfolk. It was the candidates that stumbled about in the dark to make their way to the small cavern holding the wher clutch.

Candidates! My eggs, they hatch! Come! Come! Farsysk beckoned. She stood over her brood, crooning motherly as she awaited the candidates.

[OOC| Short, but I just wanted to get this started. Candidates, let's get to the sands! If you haven't read the new information added about wher hatchings (here) then I suggest you do. ;D]

[KyoCaz]

Terri took a sip of her wine. It was late at night and she wasn’t tired, like usual. Terri usually stayed up late then slept in late that next day. The wine was good but it wasn’t great. It wasn’t Benden wine, that’s for sure. She had been at Five Stone Weyr for two turns now, doing odd jobs and drinking almost every night. The kitchens were quiet as Terri drank her wine, but a loud hum could be heard after a moment of silence.

Candidates! My eggs, they hatch! Come! Come!

The golden wher’s call rang though her head and Terri stood up finishing the last of her wine. Running to the Hatching Sands and then to the side cavern where the Wher laid with her eggs. She was first to arrive, a plus of being nocturnal. Greeting the Wher mother, Terri bowed and said, “Greeting, Golden Mother, your eggs look wonderful…” stressing the last word, like it was forced.

[Ferret]

Xeran turned the meatroll over and over in his hands, feeling a bit uncomfortable in this place. Never before had he been around so many people! Sure, he had been in some big Holds before, but the Weyr was even bigger. He had no idea it took this many people to support the dragons. Well… maybe a bit of an idea. It was late at night and people were still milling around the place. He had been considering attempting to strike up conversation with someone, hopefully someone who could tell him more about whers.

Then it happened. A vast humming sounded throughout the Weyr, loud enough to seemingly shake the foundations of the stone. The meatroll dropped from his limp fingers and he simply looked confused. For several moments, there was only silence beyond the humming of the dragons, whers, and firelizards. And then the whispers started: the Hatching was starting. With a yelp, the man moved quickly, eager to be on time.

Suddenly, eating dinner didn’t seem so important anymore. Tearing after the girl----he was fairly certain her name was Teri or Tara or something with T---Xeran made it to the Hatching Sands without embarrassing himself too much. “Umm… hello,” he stumbled over his words, unsure of what one was supposed to say to an angry Gold wher. At least his bow was graceful enough; being a tall miner meant having to bend over occasionally. “Your eggs are beautiful.”

[Bookworm]

Maxen was taking an evening walk around the weyrbowl before bedtime. He had just arrived at the Weyr a few days ago and everything in it was still a wonder. Now he was watching the dragons curling up to sleep, glowing eyes closing one by one.

Candidates! My eggs, they hatch! Come! Come! He jumped, startled by the sudden shouting in his head. It took him a moment to absorb what was happening and then he started walking quickly for the Hatching Grounds. He followed two other candidates into the side cavern.

Maxen bowed elegantly to the Gold wher, such decorum coming easily to him. "it is an honor to stand for your clutch," he said quietly and politely.

[Alrekair]

Aralyn had only arrived at Five Stone Weyr within the last sevenday, and was still getting used to the schedule of day and night. She had developed an unusual habit of waking up in the middle of the day, only to fall asleep shortly after the middle of the night. Though she knew that if she wanted to try to receive a wher egg from the lovely Farsysk, she'd have to remain awake at night, she simply couldn't help herself for not being used to the time change yet. I'm going to miss this Hatching, I just know it, she muttered to herself as she aimlessly wandered the myriad of hallways within the Weyr. She was struggling to keep herself awake, and luckily for her, it was working fairly well on this night.

The starting of a deep humming began to rumble through the stone floor, surprising the girl and making her jump slightly. What was that curious noise? The wher at her old miner camp was a blue wher, and she had never been told anything about humming when a wher's Hatching was described to her by old Lanayek (not that the man was really old, but he was older than Aralyn, and that made him old in her eyes). She slowly wandered out of the corridors and glanced towards the Hatching Grounds, where she was told that Farsysk's clutch laid hardening, when a voice suddenly appeared in her mind.

Candidates! My eggs, they hatch! Come! Come!

At first, Aralyn didn't know what to think, but it quickly dawned on her when she realized she could actually hear the mother wher's voice in her head! The realization of that fact alone sent a wave of excitement through her that sent a renewed spark to her green eyes. The Hatching was starting? And she was awake for it? A small squeak of anticipation escaped her lips as she darted towards the section of the Hatching Grounds dedicated to whers and their eggs. Her heart leaped into her throat as she bravely walked into the cavern and smiled at the sight of the golden mother wrapped protectively around her eggs.

Well, no better time to make a good first impression than now, she told herself as she stepped closer to Farsysk, making sure to keep a safe distance between herself and the eggs. The young woman gave a deep bow of respect and gave the gold wher a warm smile. "Lady Farsysk, your beauty is reflected in your gorgeous eggs. I would be more than honored for the chance to care for one of your children, and I promise them everything they deserve," she stated, her warm smile never leaving her face as she dared to look right into the glowing eyes of the golden wher. "I thank you from the bottom of my heart," she added as she took a few steps back, showing both mother and clutch proper respect.

[PhazonDragon]

[OOC|Is that all of the candidates? ...]

Farsysk accepted each of the polite bows from the candidates, and dipped her own golden-clad head in return. She still kept herself circled tightly around her clutch, not allowing any one to see them. The gold wher's eyes glared at the candidates, then shifted to look at Farsyris through the dark of the cavern. Looking over the candidates one last time, Farsysk gave an audible sigh. She stepped back, revealing seven mottled eggs half-buried in the sand.

Worthy. Choose, the old wher muttered. She nosed an egg, turning her precious child's cradle over. One for each.

At this, Farsyris moved forward, slightly coming between the eager candidates and the wher eggs. Coughing once, to clear her throat, the handler began: "Farsysk has allowed you each to take one egg. Choose carefully, for this is the wher you will be handling." At the last moment, she added a sly wink and a warning, "But size isn't everything."

Farsysk continued her research of the candidates as they stood around still. Two men, and two women, but seven eggs. Were there not more candidates for her eggs? Farsysk's multi-faceted eyes swirled a tinge of red, but that quickly faded. Her children would be hatching soon, and she would see them off, to be cared for by their handlers. And she too, Farsysk, would have a claw in their up-bringing, since she and her handler would be in charge of lessons.. Farsysk growled slightly when no one made a move. [Choose!

[Ferret]

Aw, Faranth… the other Candidates had something more poetic prepared. Xeran couldn’t help but wish that he too had something better to say than just ‘your eggs are beautiful’. The simple sentence seemed especially sparse next to Aralyn’s flowery words. He shifted slightly on his feet, ready to run, just in case things turned sour. Whers were loyal, yes, but a clutching mother could be unpredictable… he was especially anxious since it seemed that Farsysk was still curled tightly around the eggs, unwilling to give the Candidates even a glimpse of their shells. When she finally unwound herself from her nest, Xeran found himself trying to divide his attention between the lumpy, lop-sided eggs and their golden mother. The eggs were the main focus, but they couldn’t viciously attack a person.

Yet.

And then his eyes went to Farysis, listening to her every word. One egg. Got it. Insert overused sexual innuendo here. Actually, he corrected himself, trying not to giggle, It was really more of a phallusy. And then, struggling to keep nervous laughter down, he turned his attention back to the golden wher, waiting for some indication of what he was supposed to do now. The red swirling in those faceted eyes gave Xeran pause; every good miner knew the signals and that one was particularly well known to be wherspeak for ‘get out of my way’. The growl didn’t help his confidence either.

And no one moved. Xeran hung back, waiting for others to move first but, at that low growl, he took a step forward automatically. He was one of the older Candidates, after all, so he felt like he ought to be some sort of an example. Even when he didn’t want to be one.

“I’m very, very grateful for the chance to meet one of your children,” he managed to say eventually, although the words came out oddly soft for someone his size. He wasn’t sure if he should bow again or not, but bowed again anyway, on the basis that such a gesture was rarely out of place. Seven eggs. He had no idea of where to start, honestly. But the queen wher was getting more and more impatient. In the end, he simply closed his eyes and let fate take its course, picking up one of the eggs, one that that Farsysk had previously turned over.

ooc| I really have no idea how wher hatchings are normally run. :< Please tell me if I'm doing anything wrong.

[Bookworm]

Maxen watched the gold wher, smiling when she bobbed her head in greeting at each candidate. The gesture was so human, and it took him by surprise. Then she gave an audible sigh, and moved away from the eggs. Maxen quickly counted. Seven eggs, but there were only four candidates here. Maybe they were still waiting for more, or maybe some of the eggs would be duds. Either way, he was one of the lucky ones. He watched Farsysk closely as she nudged one of the eggs. He felt a momentary pang of guilt for taking her babies, but such was the nature of things. Whers needed handlers just as dragons needed riders. Sure, there were wild whers, but they were vicious and untrustworthy.

He turned his attention to Farysis as she began to speak. He listened closely, not wanting to make any mistake and risk his chance at an egg, or worse, his life. Maxen swallowed nervously, the gravity of the situation suddenly dawning on him. He was about to make a big decision, and just moments from now, he would bond to his wher.

His eyes flickered back to the Gold as red flashed in her multi-faceted orbs. Didn't that mean she was angry? Maxen hung back, reluctant to go first. Finally an older candidate stepped forward and took an egg. Maxen followed. He looked over the eggs and chose one that caught his eye. It was on the small side, with rough bumps across the shell. "Thank you," he whispered to Farsysk. He picked it up gently and carried it back, allowing the other candidates to approach the clutch.

[Alrekair]

For Five Stone/Wher Hatching

Aralyn stared in wonder at the very human nodding from Farsysk, amazed that the golden wher presented them each with so familiar a gesture. Of course, Farsysk had lived a sufficient amount of time to learn such a motion, but that hadn't come to the girl's mind until much later. When Farsyris began to speak, the girl turned her head so that she could pay better attention to the gold's handler. Only one egg could be taken by each, but she could see how that would be appropriate. After all, as Lanayek had told her once before, a human could only possess one wher at a time; similar to dragons. It was only natural that the candidates present take only one egg for themselves.

But wait! There were seven eggs, and there was nowhere near that many people standing for eggs. What would become of the other young whers? Would they go feral, and revert to the wild? Or perhaps they would simply not hatch at all? Aralyn swiftly forced these thoughts into the back of her mind as she approached the eggs. Two were gone already, taken by the two male candidates present; only five remained. One of those five would be her wher, and she knew that she had to choose which egg she took carefully. Which of the mottled shells would be the one to contain her partner?

No, not that one...not that one, either. The decision was more difficult than she had previously thought, and the frustration was starting to show in a slight darkening of her green eyes. Finally, her eyes settled on an egg that rested near the back of the clutch, close to where Farsysk's body once warmed the shell. She could still feel the warmth of the golden mother on the shell, and Aralyn held the egg fast to her chest to protect and warm the wher inside further. "I thank you, Farsyris and Farsysk, for letting me care for this young wher. I promise I will do the best I can to ensure this fabulous youngling a proper life." With a low bow to the wher and her handler, the young woman backed away with the wher egg still clutched to her chest.

Finally, the chance that she had been waiting for. She sidled back until she stood relatively close to the young man who had taken the previous egg. What was his name again? She was sure she had heard it in passing...Max--something or other. After several long moments of deliberation, something hit her mind like a sack of firestone. Maxen! That was his name! "Maxen, are you as excited about this as I am? I feel like I'm about to burst from the excitement of it all!" she asked the other candidate as she clutched her carefully chosen egg tightly to her chest. All she had to do now was stand there, talk with Maxen, and wait for her egg to crack its shell.

[KyoCaz]

Terri watched Farsysk as the wher revealed seven wher eggs. Seven eggs and four of them. Terri shrugged and decided she didn’t care that much; but now she needed to make her choice. The three other candidates went before her and choose the egg they wanted and then moved off to the side. Four eggs from her to choose from; which one should it be. All the eggs looked the same, so she couldn’t choose on shape or color. Hmmm….

Terri stood there staring at the four eggs and then finally decided on one that was farthest away from Farsysk. This egg that she then picked up with both hands was heavy, but nothing Terri couldn’t handle. A little Wher was inside this egg and now all Terri had to do was wait. Something she was terrible at. Terri backed up from the golden wher and stroked her egg in her arms. “Thank you, Farsysk,” Terri said more sincere when she arrived. She would soon have a wher; the idea excited her. Someone to stay up all night with and be with forever.

[akusma]

With life, death always follows. Whether to make room for the new life, or to simply take back what is given, no one knows. But with light comes darkness, and with new comes old. Nothing can ever change that. Slyph couldn't help but wonder what had died to make room in the world for the seven eggs on the stands. She stood at the entrance, watching the Gold Wher and the candidates. Only four of them, and seven eggs. They all looked so...innocent. Slyph snorted. There was no such thing as innocent. In the shadows of the entrance, she could dissapear, not be there and at the same time she could watch everything that was going on. She'd been there from the beginning, not the clutching, but the beginning of this hatching. What had died to make room for these Whers?

Now with only three eggs left she moved forwards, eyes hard as she stared down those that thought to sneer or look at her with any sort of pity or compassion. She didn't feel for them, she wanted no feelding from them. Her face, although shadowed by her dark hair, was still clearly visible, the scarring that marred her cheek obivous to all that looked at her, her almost perfect body swaying as she walked across the warm sands, bare feet barely registering the pain. She'd felt worse. Her missing arm was almsot unnoticable under her black shawl, covering a black shirt and hanging over black trousers. Something had died to make room for these creatures, it was best to mourn them as well as welcome the new arrivals. But there was that slight...wrongness as she walked, an unbalanced sway and a lack of movement under the material where her right arm should have been.

As she approahed the eggs she stopped, briefly, to bow, nodding to the Gold as she rose, using her only arm to cross over her stomach. She couldn't bow too far, she couldn't stretch the skin too much; it wouldn't move even if she tried. With a practised flick the shawl was moved up and her only arm reached towards an egg, anyone of the three, it hardly mattered. Size wasn't everything, and colour was almost no indication. She couldn't pick it up, not with one arm. So she rolled it back, crouching to hug it to her chest and finally the stump of her right arm was used to keep hold of it. Ignoring the people around her she moved back, sitting down some distance away and setting it down, the black fabric falling over her disability. She galred at thoes that still looked.

[PhazonDragon]

With four, now five, candidates out of the expected nine, the wher eggs seemingly had no patience. They has waited long enough for the day to come when they would break their shells and find a handler that would take care of them, lest they become a part of a local wild group. Five of the seven eggs were now claimed by soon-to-be handlers, each cradling their unborn wher carefully either in their arms, or safely in the warm sands. One egg, of those chosen by the candidates, began to shake violently, startling it's claimer, a tall young man of age, who was one of the first two at the sands.

The strangely mottled egg of the wher cracked quickly, a strong claw jabbing in and out of each possible break on the shell of the egg. For all the movement, this wherling didn't make much noise. With his sturdy snout, the young wher nudged at the shell, snapping off bits and pieces with surprising force. The color of the wher wasn't apparent at first, but to most it looked like a bronze, or a light brown. Either of the two colors would be a welcome change from the blues that hatched first at the hatching of Nalith so many sevendays ago.

Maxen, Maxen! the wher called in a sharp mind voice. Not even out of the egg, and he knew his handler's name. He snorted softly, and forced his bronze-colored muzzle out of the top of the shell. Blowing off a bit of eggshell on his nose, the bronze tumbled out of the egg, landing in the warm sand.

There he sat, looking around as his light-sensitive eyes took in the area. He was a large bronze for his age, and no doubt he would grow to rival the size of a small gold wher. His gold mother was behind him, and though looking stern, she had that motherly instinct, and crooned for him to introduce himself to his new handler. Maxsk, he announced to Maxen, I am Maxsk.

Bronze Wher Maxsk
Bonded to Maxen (Bookworm)
Truthful, Silent, Strong

[OOC| Hatchlings were made by yours truly. :3 ]

[Ferret]

Oh! The eggs were hatching! … Well… of course, Xeran was aware of that. It was why they were there, after all. But it was one thing to know about the impending Hatching and another to actually see it. He stared unabashedly at the little Bronze wherling and then at the egg in his arms. He looked back and forth several times, mentally judging the size of those claws and how sharp they were. At this age, he surmised, they were probably soft.

But maybe putting the egg down would be a better guess, just to avoid getting mauled by a baby wher. But, putting it on the ground seemed like betrayal. If one wanted something amazing, one had to be willing to give everything up, right? Or at least a few fingers.

And, hopefully, some other Candidates would come forward for the last few eggs. Poor things… at least they weren’t like dragons; they weren’t so dependent. Xeran shifted on his feet, becoming more anxious as his own egg didn’t hatch. What if it was a dud? What if… well, there would always be other wher Hatchings. He could be patient. He would be patient, if need be.

On the bright side, a Bronze hatching first was a sign of luck, right?

[Bookworm]

Maxen smiled shyly at Aralyn. "I am excited. Just think, we're holding our own whers in our hands," he said. Before he could continue the conversation, his egg began to convulse, startling him. He moved his hands, watching as the egg shook. A claw shot out, and he took a step back, nervous despite the fact that he knew his own wher wouldn't hurt him.

Then he heard a voice, crying his name, and he was reassured again. The wher already knew him! He stepped forward once more, eyes widening as the hatchling tumbled onto the sands. It was a handsome, strong looking bronze.

I am Maxsk, the bronze announced himself clearly. Maxen's face broke into a grin of pure joy as he greeted his bondmate. "Hello, Maxsk," he whispered. Then he looked up at at the Goldhandler. "What now?"

[PhazonDragon]

Farsyris watched the hatching of the first bronze wher of the clutch, and almost grinned when the young bronze addressed his new handler. But she didn't. When Maxen, the candidate-turned-handler, referred to the gold handler for what to do next, she said nothing for the time being, making a some of the small group wonder if she was loosing her hearing. Then she said:

"Feed him. He's going to be hungry." Farsyris turned and called out into the larger hatching sands, shouting for a drudge to bring the fresh meat that they had prepared a few hours earlier. While Farsyris waited for the drudge to come back, a hiss-pop of shell breaking and snapping off directed her attention to the other six eggs on the sands. Keeping an eye on the entrance the mini-hatching sands and on the egg that was now hatching (or attempting to) Farsyris stood by, proud of her golden wher.

Though all of the eggs were now shaking gently, with small fissures spreading across the surfaces of the shell, the one that showed the most promise was that of another male candidate at the hatching. This candidate was holding the egg tightly in his arms, but the cracking of the egg would persuade him to set it down? Imitating the bronze before, this wherlet poked multiple holes in his shell. Then stopped. Through the dark inside of the shell, a faint blue color could be seen. Or maybe it was a sea green; the shadows made it hard to tell.

A pale blue snout gingerly prodded at one of the multiple holes, widening the gap. The wherling shoved a muscular forearm through as well, and pushed off the top of his protective egg. As soon as the blue did that though, he promptly climbed out, and headed straight for the legs of the nearest candidate.

No move! I won't move. Xerask no move, the blue resolved. Xeran won't move either, he concluded. The blue's forked tail wrapped around Xeran's legs, threatening to trip the poor boy.

Blue Wher Xerask
Bonded to Xeran (Ferret)
Clingy, Forgiving, Simple-minded

At the hatching of the blue, a drudge ran in, out of breath and certainly late enough. Farsyris glared at the drudge, and took the bowl of raw meat from her hand with a tinge of hostility at the lateness. "Now get more bowls," the experienced wher handler commanded, jerking her head to one direction, indicating that the drudge was to go as quickly as possible.

Farsyris offered the bowl of meat to Maxen, saying: "Here, feed your bronze. More meat is on the way, but be careful not to feed him too much or he'll stuff himself. Blooding will be a part of our first lesson, but don't worry if he does take a nip off of your finger." Turning to Xeran, Farsyris continued, "Your meat is on the way."

[OOC| I owe you all hatchling sprites. >3 I'll finish them over the weekend, promise. ]