Sweet Surprises {Riklith's Clutching}

[Pocket]

"Come on, Riklith, love, you need to share them with the rest of the Weyr." The pair of idly whirling eyes swirled, nonplussed. The golden dragon was curled around her clutch, nestled in the hot sand of the Hatching Cavern. She'd positioned herself just so, curling her wing over the pocket she made with her body to absolutely shield any view of her eggs whatsoever.

In short, it was aggravating to try to ply a nesting mother away from her eggs long enough for the candidates to bond with them.

I don't see why I have to share them. They're mine. She muttered to her rider, her head disappearing under her wing to nestle at her eggs. The ones in which no one had been allowed to see, not even her own rider or her mate. She had started moving sand around the night before, though had kept to herself as she had laid throughout the night. Now, near midday, Haelyn was still trying her hardest to coax Riklith to let them go.

"Yes, love. But they'll need to hatch in the coming weeks, and they'll need to Impress. We need to let the candidates visit with them." At the dubious feeling radiating from her dragon, Haelyn smiled and sent a reassuring thought back. "We'll be present the entire time. No one will wrong your clutch, Riklith."

With an uneasy snort, Riklith slowly unwound herself from her clutch; although it wasn't until she flicked her large wings shut, that the eggs were finally within sight. She gasped, utterly beaming at the eight beautiful eggs that dotted the sand. They were beautiful, most being exotic colors and patterns she hadn't seen Riklith clutch in a while. They were all flagging on the smaller side, but she paid no mind; they were gorgeous in their own right, and the next wave of future weyrlings of Igen.

"They're beautiful, Riklith." The dragon crooned, nosing at her rider on the upper ledge, while always keeping an eye on her little brood.

---

Sweet Surprises Clutch

Sugar Wind Egg
The egg placed closest to the entrance, Sugar Wind Egg is tilted slightly as if stretching towards the open air. It's a small egg, likely the second smallest next to Delicate Riches. There's a light, airy feeling to this egg, as if it were merely a large spin of cotton trapped in the sands and not a house for a growing dragon. It's a spun design, with varying depths of color bands in blue and pink over a soft, warm white.

Dragon's Eye Egg
The smallest of it's cluster of three, sharing Forbidden Want and Fresh Scent as it's close kin, this egg seems to pay no mind to its shelled siblings. In fact, it just seems to do whatever odd thing it wants to do. There are several concave marks in the sand around its nearly uncovered base, from where the egg seems content to lay on its side instead of standing at any sort of angle. Instead, it appears Riklith has given up on trying to make her errant child stand, and left it to its own devices. Which now accounts for why the egg is perfectly happy nestled on its side in the sand. The gleaming shell of the egg nearly mirrors a dragon's eye -- hence the name. Rainbows of color run throughout this small egg, making it shine excitedly with a never-ending pattern of color.

Forbidden Want Egg
Towards the side of the clutch, nestled close to both Dragon's Eye Egg and Fresh Scent Egg, Forbidden Want Egg is a sight to behold, as well as a wonder just to be in the presence of. Depending on the angle one views it from; the egg seems to be on a different axis -- which is preposterous, right? An egg can't actively change its angle. But on some looks it may seem to be leaning towards its siblings, towards Dragon's Eye in particular. If you should blink, it may be leaning away, as if it feels it shouldn't want this familial closeness with its kin, of whom it will be competing with to Impress. The egg is the medium of the cluster of three, a banded expanse of pale bitter green, crunchy bright red, and a mellow, enticing gold.

Fresh Scent Egg
The largest of the trio set aside, with Dragon's Eye and Forbidden Want, Fresh Scent egg is nearly in the dead center of the clutch. It seems up on a higher perch, watching the rest of it's siblings with a scrutinizing feel that doesn't effect any of those around it. There's a peaceful, clean feeling that accompanies this egg, tranquility and peace at order kept. Nothing disturbs this egg more than chaos around it. The egg is the largest of the triad, though barely a mid-size in comparison to its kin. The shell is a gentle yellow, with striped bands of a deeper, bolder yellow running throughout.

Heartvines Egg
The Heartvines egg has placed itself in front of where Bruising Velvet and Delicate Riches sit huddled together. In contrast to the rest of the clutch, it's the largest of its kin. A solid, near purple blue, it has veins of a reddened brown running strong throughout it. Some of these lines curl and twist, leading one to potentially see images in the dark shell. However, the Heartlines Egg tends to invoke a sense of good health and strength in both body and mind.

Delicate Riches Egg
The smallest egg of the clutch, no doubt, it seems to take refuge in Bruising Velvet's shadow. It's a rich, red color throughout, with a darker gathering at its poles and veins connecting. The shell is extremely shiny, almost polished soft. Everything about this egg seems to just purr with richness; from its color to texture to size. This small egg leaves one with a soothed, inflated ego.

Bruising Velvet Egg
Nestled up with the Delicate Riches egg in the back, this egg is near similar to it's kin. It's a medium-sized egg, and has a very delicate air about it. One might feel they have to be overly cautious with it, as it might be caused injure over the slightest of ill touches, even if it is as hardened as the others. The shell has a gentle shading, starting at an off-white near its peak, cascading down into a soft pink, before blending into a deep rich sienna that disappears into the sand line. The shell is one of the softest to the touches, almost plush in comparison to Delicate Riches' sleekness.

Detrimental Health Egg
This large egg is placed towards the back of the clutch, and is nearly three-quarters buried in sand. Perhaps for good reason, too, as there's a... strange feeling to any who near it. One might even feel the pretenses of illness if in it's presence too long. However, some few may stand its presence and not feel ill effects -- it's an acquired taste, it seems. The Detrimental Health egg is a rather shiny black color, though if one could stand close long enough to look, they would see smatterings of a very dark blue. Despite the name and feeling, the egg is perfectly healthy. If a bit odd.

((OoC: We'll just combine the touching in with this one, to save time/
posts. Feel free to bring down your candidates for some close bonding time with the
clutch.))

[Chinchilla]

Nepeta had heard about the pregnant gold, of course. It was hard not to hear about such things in the tightly packed quarters of the Weyr, even if some Weyr folk preferred to avoid the strange girl. Naturally, Nepeta's sense of curiosity had been roused. There was no keeping the girl from investigating the eggs at the first chance she got, because she simply had to see them.

She'd made her way to the Hatching Sands, ignoring the strange sense of familiarity that settled over her. The tunnels of the lower caverns had given way to the weyrbowl by now, but the set up of the Weyr still managed to remind her of her faint memories of the brood caverns and those trials beyond.

Nepeta stopped at the entrance of the hatching sands, squinting against the light. She recognized Riklith, but her eyes soon left the gold to fall on the eggs. The dragon was certainly a far better parent then the mothergrub had ever been. Nepeta took a step forward, and another, until she was standing on the hot sands and staring, transfixed, at the eggs.

The eggs. Nepeta had imagined that they would be a good deal larger. Or maybe that there would just be one, like Terezi's lusus. But no, Riklith had an entire clutch! They were colorful, too, and she found her eyes drawn to the Dragon's Eye egg. Terezi would probably like that one.

She knew, sort of, that candidates were supposed to touch the eggs. But Nepeta wasn't a proper candidate. She didn't even know if she could Impress, or what Impression even was. Oh, sure, the dragons could talk to her just fine. But she still wasn't human. The troll bit her lip, shifting anxiously at the edge of the sands.

"Riklith?" She asked, timidly at first. "Could I say hello to your eggs?" As she spoke, her voice gained a bit of strength. There was more behind this then just curiosity, and it was clear in Nepeta's demeanor. There was a fierce sense of loneliness about Pern's only troll, as she gazed at the dragon eggs that so reminded her of one of those friends that she may never see again.

Terezi would have liked Pern. At least, Nepeta thought so.

Nepeta wasn't exactly waiting for express permission. She was already edging forward, towards the eggs. Predictably, it's Dragon's Eye that draws her first. She sneaks a glance at Riklith, watching the gold carefully as she reaches out to rest one gray hand on the shell. Nepeta's learned first hand how dangerous a mother can be. Pounce demonstrated that lesson on quite a few foolish predators.

"The huntress appurroaches the beautiful dragon egg and admires it's stunning shell," Nepeta narrated quietly to the egg. Roleplaying with an egg? Sure, why not! "She says, hello! I hope I can meet you soon, when you hatch!"

[kthehuman]

Castiel paced the floor of his room slowly. He was anxious, and found that walking around relieved some of his built-up tension. Riklith had been impregnated. Even during the fairly short pregnancy, she was starting to show signs of overprotectiveness. Castiel didn’t not have any trouble imagining her defending the eggs against any humans. They were friends, of course, but he had no idea how far that went if he tried to examine the eggs. He had heard in passing that they had all been laid, and were “ready to be seen.” Since then, he’s been pacing, fighting with himself over whether to go or not.

Finally, he stopped, huffing out a forceful breath. Riklith trusts him; he would do nothing to harm the eggs, nor anything to worry Riklith. Castiel decided to visit the clutch to see these eggs; yet another new experience that only Pern could offer. So he donned his shirt, walked out the door, and ran through the weyr halls. Now that he had decided, he couldn’t wait to see the eggs; all of his anxiety had turned to excitement.

He arrived at the entrance to the Hatching Grounds, hair mussed and breathing heavily. Across the sands, he saw Riklith and Haelyn; just in front of Riklith lay a group of very large, oddly colored eggs. He noticed after a moment that the troll girl, Nepeta, was already looking at the eggs. He approached slowly, eyes wide and gazing over the eggs. He remembered the mother dragon just before reaching the eggs, and turned to her. She was eyeing him warily, wing partially outstretched. “Riklith. I will not harm them; you have nothing to fear from me.” The gold thought a moment, then huffed, dipping her head slightly in approval. Castiel smiled at her, then nodded to Haelyn before returning his gaze back to the eggs.

He walked among them for a few moments in awe, gazing at each one for an indeterminable amount of time. “They are...quite beautiful, Riklith,” Castiel breathed out. He walked around once more, passing by most of the eggs a little quicker than before. He stopped, however, when he came to Forbidden Want. He walked around it a few times, noticing what seemed to be a shift in its axis; a strange thing, but such oddities seemed to be prevalent on Pern. He bent down, glancing quickly at Riklith. He reached out, caressing the egg with his hand; memories came flooding to him. Memories of watching Earth, watching mother upon mother talk to their children still in the womb, cradling their swollen bellies. “Hello,” Castiel cooed, voice low and soft. He continued to rub the egg shell gently. He took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “My name is Castiel. I am an Angel, and I-” he stopped, at a loss for words. His emotions were roiling, and he was having trouble making sense of them. “I...am very excited to meet you, baby dragon.” He sat down, continuing to gaze at the egg in silence as if he could will it to grow and hatch before his very eyes.

[Pocket]

The sight of someone entering the hatching cavern had both dragon and rider freezing in unison, though perpetually breathed a sigh of relief. Nepeta was a friend, who wouldn't harm her clutch. Riklith was sure of it, though her instincts still said to tuck her eggs to her belly, and never let them see daylight again.

Though she was edging forward already, the golden dragon crooned slightly at her request, eyes whirling a lighter shade. Of course you may, Nepeta. They would like that.[/color] She seemed pleased at the question, and the gentle nature the troll showed towards Dragon's Eye. 

Her head raised up as another entered, though she was not as tense as she was earlier. Another friend, this time Castiel. However, his lack of acknowledgement of her did little to settle her coiling nerves. Her wings shifted as she shifted her weight, pausing as he finally turned to address her. She gave a momentary pause, considering before giving a small huff and sat backwards, giving a short nod-like dip of her head in his direction. Attentive gaze followed his movements, until she felt his behavior was deemed appropriate and sat back once more. 

Haelyn, from her perch on the stone platform, nodded back at Castiel, before sighing and sitting down on the stone bench. She was exhausted, the emotional turmoil from her bond with Riklith tiring her out easily. But she couldn't help but smile as her gaze swept over the two Lost, so enraptured by the future of Pern -- and she couldn't help but hope the future would be bright. 

The Dragon's Eye egg seemed to pause as it was touched by a presence that was not it's mother, even though it wasn't actually moving. It was a beat, before it reacted. A swirl of warmth beneath fingers, and the oddest sense it leaned into the person who touched it. There was the bare hint of energy within this egg, as limitless as the colors on it's shell -- but it contained that, for now. Until it became used to the feel of Nepeta's hand on it's shell. 

The Forbidden Want egg seemed to shift and pitch as this new presence was known to it. There was a minor drama, as it didn't know which way it wanted to lean -- either toward or away from the angel. It settled on towards for now, especially drawn to his voice. There was a mild trepidation in the vibe of the egg, unsure whether to stay or go. But for now it stayed, leaning slightly in Castiel's direction as he talked. 

[Avon]

There was a rustle of wings by the entrance as Tourrauth touched down, crooning lightly to Riklith. He didn't dare set foot on the sands, at least not until the Gold invited him, but he poked his head into the cavern to sneak a peek at the hardening eggs. They are perfect, Riklith. If any candidates dare to harm them I will bring my wrath down upon them, he promised, his tone light despite the threatening words.

Drama queen, R'sam muttered over their mind-link, rolling his eyes. He stepped up to the upper level of the spectator stands, where he could watch the proceedings without getting in the way. He was suspicious of these Lost newcomers, and he wasn't sure if they should be touching the eggs. They weren't even candidates! But he kept his thoughts to himself for now, just giving Haelyn a wave of greeting.

Speaking of suspicious newcomers. Nathan came sauntering onto the sands, walking less gingerly now that he was prepared for the heat. It wasn't every day you got to touch a giant dragon egg, although the idea was beyond weird.

"I heard we're molesting eggs today?" he said, wiggling his fingers obscenely before breaking into a grin and giving Riklith an exaggerated bow, showing that he really meant no harm. "I'd like to have a go myself..."

He stepped away, looking over the multicolored eggs. He went for the least girly seeming one in the bunch, Detrimental Health, giving it an awkward pat. "Hi?"

Nathan had seen plenty of strange things, but talking to an egg could definitely be added to the list of stuff he never thought he'd do.