Priceless {Sparkle's Clutch Hatches!}

[Chinchilla]

"Wake up, sleepy-head!" Diedro chimed in a sing-song voice, tapping Diesk on the top of his broad head. "Get up! The stars say hello!" She tugged on his headknobs, pulling the sleepy wher off of his couch. The green wobbled in place, blinking up at her. "Come on. The sun just set and we have a few hours before patrols. Let's say good evening to the eggs before we go." She scratched behind his headknobs. "We just have to get your harness on you and find Sparkle. I already got ready. It's called not sleeping until the second the sun sets, Diesk."

"Grrrrawph." The green grumbled, shaking himself and casting an orange eyed glare to his handler. "Hrrrmph." He stood up stiffly, lifting his wings and head so that Diedro would have an easier time fastening the harness onto him. Before his handler could even pull the harness from the rack, however, Sparkle Betweened into the room and began to chatter wildly with excitement.

"What?" Diedro asked, holding out an arm for the bronze to land. "Eggs?" She asked. It was about that time, anyway. she really should have handed them out sooner, but patrols had been keeping her busy and there had been strange reports of people in the desert... The bronze chattered again, sending her quick images of cracking eggs. "Okay! Okay, I'm going!"

Luckily for Diedro, she was long-legged and fit. She was much swifter then the hatching firelizards, who were still struggling to free themselves from their eggs. When she arrived at the kitchens, she ran towards the basket which she had been keeping near the fire, just close enough to warm the eggs but far enough to avoid it being burned. The eggs were rocking quickly, but she didn't catch a glimpse of any hides.

"Scraps? Can I get any meat scraps here? Or a rider? Ah, Caltori!" The woman, halfway through sneaking a sweet roll out, guiltily looked up as she was spoken to. "Can you ask your dragon to tell the Weyr that there's a clutch hatching, please?" Caltori hesitated, before nodding, her mouth still full of sweet roll.

<< I suppose I can do that. There is a firelizard clutch hatching in the kitchens. If you are interested, I suggest you go. There are ten eggs. >> Her favor to Diedro done, Caltori shot the woman a mock salute and finished slipping out of the kitchens before Teresth could question why she had been there in the first place.

Diesk squeezed past Caltori, slinking to where the basket was located. Luckily, the kitchen of a Weyr was made to hold many people at once and could hold the small gathering that the hatching would no doubt draw as well as a wher! The green flopped to the ground at Diedro's feet, resting his head on his feet and watching the door. He didn't really like the kitchen. It was a bit hot for his tastes.

Meanwhile, a little muzzle poked out of the In the Rough egg and took its very first breath of air...

{For simplicity's sake, please post ONLY if you have signed up for a firelizard! Firelizard profiles will be PMed to their owner, because of their length.}

Clutching thread
In The Rough egg- Brilliantly Shining Green - Sonora to Carlton
Grain of Sand egg- Ocean Treasure Green - Penelope to Alistair
Good Fortune egg- Burning Brightly Brown - ??? to Nathan
Trapped Within egg- Tree Blooded Bronze - Crabapple to Applejack
Legendary Island egg - Honest Seeker Brown - Sheldon to Leonard
King Killer egg - None Greater Green - Robin to Dean
Guardian Amulet egg - Sober Healer Blue - Seraphim to Castiel
Soul Mirror egg - Child Guardian Green - Tsar to Ciel
Evil Eye egg - Vanished Luck Blue - Rime to Haelyn
Tranquil Grace egg - Serene Angel Blue - ??? to Lucy

[Zaxal]

There were so many things he emphatically didn't like about... whatever this was. It was strange and new and confusing -- none of those were among his favorite things. But the worst, he thought, was the way voices just happened in his head, so present unlike his own wandering thoughts.

Carlton was half-tempted to ignore it, but he found himself wandering out of the twisting tunnels of the weyrfolk apartments where he'd been given temporary residence and heading towards the kitchens. One of the few places he willingly went. He tried to spend as much time in his apartment, trying to wake himself up and failing day after day.

His normal composure was wrecked, his clothes disheveled, dark circles under his eyes, and his hair mussed and sticking up at terribly annoying angles. He didn't care.

There were already people gathering around the basket near one of the cooking fires, and Carlton slid into the crowd. If he was going to have to live with this for however long, it was best if he understood what it was. He would observe and stay out of the way.

He was quickly distracted by the ugly green thing lounging by the basket. Okay. Maybe not ugly. Just... odd? Unsettling was the word that finally came to mind, but it seemed too... put together to merely be a deformed dragon.

Dragons. He shook his head, pinched the bridge of his nose, and rubbed at his eyes. This wasn't healthy. He had surely gone mad, and accepting that was the first step to never coming out of it. But regardless, he found himself looking at the eggs, curious about what he was about to see.

Carlton might have held his breath when he saw the one with something poking out of it. Silently he prayed -- did God exist wherever this was? -- that the little thing would get out safely.

He was frustrated, angry, and confused, but he wasn't a monster.

[kthehuman]

Castiel still hadn't been answered. He had prayed to his Father and brothers every day, but had not been answered. He was beginning to think he should just give up on getting back home and live on Pern until his directions came. For now, though, he would pray.

And this is what he was doing when the voice came into his mind, telling him about hatching eggs. He wasn't sure why he had been included, but he found fire lizards to be almost as intriguing as dragons. Thus, he made his way from his temporary quarters to the kitchens. He had been at the Weyr and done enough exploring to remember his way there. Though, he still hadn't been able to get someone to make him a hamburger. Apparently, that was one creation of man that had not been continued on this planet.

When he got to the kitchens, it was hotter even than normal. Castiel sighed, but decided it would be worth the discomfort to know more about the tiny dragons. He approached the crowd, pressing in until he could see the basket by the fire clearly, unaware that he was making everyone in the vicinity uncomfortable with his close-quarter intrusion. That was when he saw one of the creatures peek it's little nose out, taking a few breaths of the hot, stale air. Castiel let out a small gasp, his eyebrows jumped up slightly, and his head cocked to the side.

[Chinchilla]

A woman quickly passed a large bowl of meat to Diedro who wrapped her arms around the wooden bowl. "Alright. Thank you, miss." She nodded, shooting her a brilliant smile. Sparkle eyed the meat, but Diedro merely pushed the bronze back. "None for you, mama. You'll get yours after your babies are fed." She glanced away from the bowl as the first of the firelizard candidates entered, giving Carlton a quick grin. "Here for the clutch, huh? Take a strip of meat and wait. I'll hand you one, or it'll come to you. When you get a baby, give it meat. If you don't, it'll either Between or it'll try to eat the others. Don't let that happen."

Diesk punctuated her words with a growl, lifting his head and looking around. He returned Carlton's stare with one of his own, tilting his head to one side. He sniffed the air, his eyes whirling a slow mix of yellow and green. He obviously didn't think much of Carlton's status as either a threat or a potential friend, because he lowered his head with merely another low growl to the man. Castiel's appearance earned another growl from the wher, which was more of a warning to behave themselves then an actual threat.

"Ah, another for the firelizards? Well, same to you as to him. Take a strip to meat. I'll either give you a hatchling, or one will come to you. Either way, feed it until it's full... and do it quickly! If you don't, they'll turn cannibal or Between. Either way, the hatchling will die." She frowned, holding out the bowl so Castiel could claim his own strip of meat. "Don't mind the wher! He's just warning you to behave. He won't bite, he's just as civilized as you and I. Probably more then me, now that I think of it!"

As she spoke, the In The Rough egg began to crack further. The egg shuddered, before it's rock-like shell caved in fully. A brilliant, green foot shoved out of it, before the rest of the firelizard exploded forward. The little green creeled miserably, fluttering her wings and digging her claws into the side of the basket. "Skreeee!" She called to her mother, who Diedro grabbed and tucked under her armpit.

"Not for you, Sparkle. The babies go to the humans." Diedro said. "You can't take care of them, you silly firelizard. Not without your own fair." The woman reached out to the Brilliantly Shining Green. The gesture got her bitten, hard. Diedro pulled her hand back, hissing as blood dripped down from her hand. Diesk lifted his head, snarling at the green who was now wobbling from the basket and screeching her dismay at Castiel and Carlton.

The little green spread her wings, launching herself from the counter. Her wings were still wet and she was wobbly and inexperienced, but the instinct of flight was strong. She glided from her perch to Carlton and caught her claws onto his shirt, hauling herself up. "Freep!" She cried up to him, eyes yellow. Oh, this was awful! This was awful and terrifying and there were scary people and everything was horrible and poor, poor Brilliantly Shining had no idea what was going on.

Carlton would help her understand, right? He would! He helped people, right? Well, he would definitely help her. She would see to it. Her eyes gleaming rainbow, she pulled herself onto his shoulder and curled up next to his neck, smearing disgusting egg goop all over his jaw.

Meanwhile, the Trapped Within egg cracked.

Sparkle, content now that she had figured out what was going on, squirmed free of Diedro's grip and retook her position on Diedro's shoulder. The bronze observed the bitemark on Diedro's hand, but the wherhandler just waved her away. "Just a nip. Their teeth sure are sharp when they're this little!"

[Shiri Lark]

There were very few things about this odd place that felt like home. The two-legged beasts that called themselves humans were among the oddest critters she had ever known in her days, and they called her one of them. It did not matter how many times she insisted that she was Applejack of Ponyville, earth pony and athlete and rodeo queen; they never listened. They gave her odd looks and whispered that she was crazy, that she was lying.

Her? Lie?! The nerve of some folks.

She had found the stables by way of her nose on her first day, following the familiar sound of hooves and scent of straw to an entire building full of ponies. "Runners" were what the humans called them, but they were ponies, to her. Earth ponies without one lick of understandable speech, mind you, but they were the closest thing she had to home. They also didn't mention that she looked funny and couldn't walk right. What polite ponies in comparison to their human caretakers! At least the humans had given her a place to stay, she allowed.

After a fruitless day of trying to learn the speech of the royal runner-ponies, she was walking to the kitchens when it happened again, when one of those strange dragon-magic voices got into her head and talked right over her thoughts. Her odd gait--still somewhat awkward thanks to having only two legs--was thrown off with her concentration, and she nearly fell flat on her face.

"Ah told y'all to knock that off!" she called to the open sky. Never mind that the dragon couldn't hear her, but three people could. They moved quickly out of her way with odd looks in her direction, but she shrugged it off. "Ah was goin' to the kitchens anyway. Why're there eggs hatchin' there?"

Whatever 'firelizards' were, they were apparently quite popular. She threaded her way politely through the crowd, snagging herself an apple along the way to nibble on. The odd screeching noises were something new, and she chuckled at the protective way that the large green beast glared at the two men. "Don't worry. They do anythin' funny, and I'll buck 'em for you," she reassured it. It was not a dragon, but it looked like one. The wings were a bit small. Was it a baby?

The screeching noises nearly made her drop her apple in surprise. She juggled the fruit for a moment before her new hoof--no, hand--grasped it safely again. "Whoops. Ah'm a mite clumsy still. Drat this awful magic." At least the apples here were decent enough to last her until she was home, she reasoned, nodding and tipping her hat politely at the person who seemed to be in charge. "Ma'am. Pardon my interruption. What're these critters anyway? Little dragons?"

The screechy little bright green baby seemed to have made herself a friend, and AJ grinned as the serious man was suddenly clung to. "Lookit! Ye got yerself a baby friend there. Ah think she likes ye!" It was a she, right? Her mood was lifted by the sight of the little creatures. Who didn't love seeing babies, after all? And these were cute ones too, if a little...strange-lookin'. That thought elicited another chuckle. "And here Ah thought Ah'd seen everythin'..."

[Zaxal]

Hand him one? Come to him? He didn't want expect that. He wasn't even from around here -- which was putting it only mildly. However, when the person he could only assume was in charge of this explained what happened when the little beasts went unfed, Carlton took meat from the bowl and hoped desperately that none of them would wander his way or be handed to him. "Thank you," he said mostly because he felt like he should.

The unsettling not-dragon growled at him, he was pretty sure. Carlton eyed it back, eyebrow raised to dangerous heights. But before he could give it -- him, the person said -- any more attention, another green thing caught his eye.

The egg was cracking, a foot breaking free before the rest of a brilliantly green winged lizard founds its way out. It looked... well, gross, to be honest. Egg goop. Carlton had seen chickens hatch before, but this was different.

It seemed miserable to be alive, and that thought made him scowl firmly. It was just getting here, and it was at least in the world it belonged in. Wasn't that enough? (He knew better -- he had grown up in the world he belonged in too and never been content.)

The little thing bit at the offered hand, and Carlton might have felt concern -- and he did, to be honest, he was just a bit distracted -- but then the little creature seemed to be screaming at him, and the other man near him.

Then those whirling eyes set on him. Carlton gulped. The little green jumped into the air with all the finesse of a colt's first steps, wobbling. Wobbling directly at him.

Carlton felt her claws dig into his shirt, scraping his skin. Carlton instinctively reached to support her with the hand not holding meat, helping her push up until she gained enough control to scramble up the rest of the way and curl up on his shoulder.

He might have minded the nuzzle that smeared that egg goop on him (not to mention his shirt which was probably totally ruined but also wasn't the highest on his priority list right now) but he was, in fact, totally freaking out because something was most definitely not right.

Because he somehow knew -- and don't ask him how -- that this little green girl -- don't ask him how he knew that either -- needed him. Wanted his help, his attention, and this hadn't been at all how she'd planned to hatch, but she'd found him, and that thought -- the shared idea -- made something warm curl up tightly in his chest.

Carlton had no idea what to do. So he reached up with the hand holding the meat and offered it to her. She snatched it from his fingers quickly, gobbling it down quickly before nudging her head along his jaw again.

So smart, Hers was.

Carlton looked up, looking completely lost because what the hell had just happened? The alleged pony had arrived somewhere in that entire mess, and he smiled slightly at her observation. "I suppose so?"

He looked towards the native woman again and decided to go for a more direct approach, though his voice was much more confused as opposed to demanding, "What the hell just happened?"

[Pocket]

A firelizard hatching today? Haelyn reeled for a moment, trying to think back to if she recalled being told about it. She couldn't remember clearly, but it was likely she had been told at one point of another. This puzzle with the Igen desert was starting to really eat at her... But the news of a hatching had her intrigued, and at least she could peek in and check things out.  

She'd been halfway down the hall when she felt the brush of fur against her ankle and stopped. Chevron looked up at her, meowing, tail twitching excitedly. Oh, shard it all.
Taking a detour back around, she shut the feline back up in her weyr, wincing as she heard the faint scratches of nails against door. Oh, well. She couldn't very well bring a feline who liked to wrestle flitts to a firelizard hatching.

Traveling down to the kitchens by foot was by no means easy for the disabled rider. However, she hadn't the heart to wake Riklith for an express delivery when she felt the gold contentedly napping in the sun in the back of her mind. So, she traveled the trek on foot, finding herself drifting closer to the wall the closer Haelyn got to the kitchens. By the time she got to the kitchens themselves, she was bracing every other step. The healer had claimed that the more she walked on it, the less it would hurt. The verdict was still out on that one. 

Skepticism aside for the moment, Haelyn observed the room. Her eyes flicked over the hatching clutch, to an empty shell and another on it's way out. Gaze sweeping up to the adult firelizard, a bronze most likely the dam of the clutch, and subsequently her owner. She offered a slight smile and nod in greeting, shuffling to lean back against a counter before looking at the other occupants of the room. The wher caught her eye, and she only found herself mildly surprised by his presence. But she nodded once, in greeting as well before her gaze drifted. It was almost ironic that she recognized them both--having been three of the group she and Nocta had swept up from the middle of the desert. 

Scrubbing the fringe back out of her eyes--she needed a haircut badly--she smiled to the other occupants of the room, eyeing the baby firelizard happily before settling back to watch. She glanced up at Carlton, to the wet green on his shoulder, and surmised quietly, "You bonded to it."

[Chinchilla]

Diesk looked towards the newest one who had entered, fully prepared to growl at her as he had the men. But oh, she was speaking to him! What a nice woman she was, too, promising to buck those horrible men that were surely a threat to his precious Diedro and Sparkle. He nodded sharply to the woman, filing her away as one of the few of this group who was trustworthy. If the men did anything odd, he'd help her buck them. Whatever that was. Surely something awesome and painful.

My, her firelizards certainly were popular! Diedro beamed at Applejack, holding out the bowl. But Applejack was speaking, and Diedro faltered. "You don't know what a firelizard is?" She asked, frowning. "Why, they're like little dragons! Not as clever, of course, but useful. They can Between like a dragon, carry messages, be trained, and they're one of the truest friends you can ask for. Do you want one? Take a strip of meat and if one comes to you, just feed it. If you don't, they'll eat each other or Between. Then they'll die."

Did these people not know anything? Haelyn's entrance earned a relieved smile, because Diedro was just that happy to finally have someone else who knew what she was doing around. "You don't need the whole 'feed it quick' speech, do you? Take the meat, feed the baby. Scraps in the bowl." Now, to deal with the newest firelizard owner of Igen...

Carlton got a careful look, and Diedro was starting to really wish she had handed out eggs beforehand. This was getting really complicated. "You Impressed to her." She added after Haelyn spoke, glancing towards the goldrider. "You know, like with a dragon or a wher? She's with you for life. It's your responsibility to care for her."

"Please tell me you know what Impression is." This was turning bad and Diedro didn't like it.

As she spoke, the Trapped Within egg finally freed itself. The Tree Blooded bronze shook himself free of egg shells and regarded the humans (and pony) gathered with a great deal more reservation then his sister had. "Crooo?" He questioned, flapping his wings to dry them.

[Zaxal]

"Her," Carlton corrected quietly under his breath, earning him a warbly little delighted noise from his shoulder. The green didn't seem too bothered by the fact that he had no idea what was going on, and he found that somehow comforting. The newborn is fine with it, Lassiter. You can figure this out.

Impressed? For life? His responsibility? For a moment that sent him floundering, but all of a sudden, it flipped right-side up. His duty. It was his duty to take care of this little lady, and that? That made blessed, glorious sense in a world gone mad.

"I don't," he confessed, embarrassed by his ignorance but he lifted his head and straightened his shoulders. "I'm. Not from around here." He had no idea how much the people who had picked them up had told the rest of the populace at large, and he would do his best not to cause a stir.

Carlton had a lot of respect for authority figures.

The green watched this all with moderate contentment. But she wanted more food. Soon. There was a bowl not far away -- she could probably fly to it, but she'd much rather Carlton feed her. That sounded like a marvelous idea. She nudged her head against his neck, not distressed but reminding.

She must be tended to sometime soon. When he was ready.

[Shiri Lark]

Whatever that green sort-of-dragon thing was, Applejack decided then and there that she liked him. That nod, so definite and sure of himself--this was a critter that knew his business. She returned the nod in kind and tipped her hat in his direction in silent salute. Maybe he was less mind-talky than those nosy dragons, but she liked a straight shooter like him. Yep, they would get along just fine.

The person in charge spoke to her, startling her out of her display of mutual respect for another sensible being. "Ah'm from Ponyville. We don't have much of mind-speaking dragons or little...dragon...lizard things there," she said without any annoyance, more amused by the woman's response than anything. Folks here sure were a strange lot, but they took their responsibilities seriously, at least. Caring for life? That was a family and friends kind of bond, the steadfast loyalty that she could appreciate.

It made her miss home all that much more, and she took another few bites of apple to hide the glimmer of tears in her eyes. Thankfully, the woman's words distracted her from her thoughts of homesickness, though she nearly dropped her apple again. "Eat each other or die?! Why in Equestria would they do that?!" Land sakes! Maybe she had been too hasty to start to think this place made any sense.

Her gaze slid to the man and his new green friend. Well, it didn't look so bad, but it was an awful lot of responsibility. Could she take it home with her? "Well, Ah s'pose it couldn't hurt to keep 'em from from turning on each other. Ah don't know if they'll take t' a pony, though." The sight and smell of the meat made her feel a bit ill, but she gave in and gingerly picked up a bit between two fingers, holding it up to eye it. "Ah don't think any critter should eat this. Y'all sure this is what they need?"

Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention away from the hatching egg, and she grinned happily at the sight of a familiar face. "Howdy there! Ye were the one that picked us up outta that sand. Thank y'all kindly for that, but-" Was she limping? She was limping. What had happened? "Think we should find ye a chair? Ye're lookin' wobblier than a foal on his first legs, if ye'll pardon the comparison."

[Raine Lily]

He sat on a rock at the edge of the... Weyrbowl? Yes, that was what they had called it. He was looking out at the sky and picturing how life was going back in England. On Earth. Which was where he wasn't, as much as he wished to be. Knowing his demon butler, Sebastian was probably searching for him all over the world... after all he couldn't let his future meal escape him. A wry smile twisted the boy's lips, though it looked like more of a grimace. That was the only reason Sebastian had stayed, and he knew it. He was contracted to the demon, and in turn the demon would take his life one day. And he had accepted that fact... until he was thrust into a new world with dragons and people that rode them to fight a menace they had called thread.

The 13 year old boy was still having some troubles wrapping his mind around that one.

He sighed slightly and shook his head, moving the stand when a voice entered his head, much like the day he had been brought to the Weyr. Only this voice was different, so it obviously wasn't the same dragon. He raised a hand to his forehead, it was going to take him a while to get used to that... but what was it the dragon had mentioned? Something about a hatching in the kitchens? Of... firelizards...? What were those?

Curiosity was getting the better of him, he had to know. So he stood and turned from the sky - he would have plenty of time to reminisce later - and started down the pathway to get to the kitchens. He knew with the only path he was aware of it would take some time, so he could only hope he wouldn't miss too much of the event.

It still took him quite some time though, and when he finally made it into the kitchens - he'd had to push past a few people and could only thank his short stature - he saw that he had missed the hatching of two of the eggs if the shells were anything to go by. He looked around, taking in those who were there. It was mildly shocking to him, but it was actually people he knew... except for one girl. He didn't know her. But there was Applejack, Carlton, and Haelyn... and then the other man who's name escaped him. But he did remember him.

Another percursory glance around caused his eyes to stop on the green dragon-like thing in the kitchen, and he tipped his head slightly. The being was certainly interesting, so like a dragon and yet not. He wanted to ask questions about the being in the corner, but his eyes were drawn to the detective instead as he saw the flash of green on his shoulder. Had the man made a friend with a firelizard? He could only assume that's what the green mini-dragon on his shoulder was, as it looked like a hatchling.

How... interesting. Perhaps things on Pern wouldn't be so bad after all, not if things like this just kept getting thrown at him.

[Inouken]

The thing about guided meditation, Raj had told him, was that in order to ground oneself in a state of mental, physical, and spiritual equilibrium, one must first let go of the uncontrollable. Or in Leonard's case: "Dude, just picture one of your high-power lasers obliterating the whole kit and caboodle, because, bro."

Did Leonard ever need it.

"Just blast it all down," Raj had said, "but do it gently, you know? Like, picture setting the laser to pan fry instead of flambé."

Raj had explained that metaphorically the laser would lead Leonard to a mentally clean slate, one that would allow him to anchor his energy to the Earth, so he could communicate with it and chase away the parasitic plagues of his subconscious.

"Gee, thanks," Leonard had managed drily.

He never tried it. Between therapy sessions and being slightly insulted, he figured he could do without. But seeing as how psychiatry offices didn't exist in Pern, he'd try escaping the insanity in whatever way he could, and if that meant he'd have to calm his chi while listening to the Earth, he'd do it. He'd listen to the Earth so hard he'd hear the crust erode.

So when Leonard sat in the lotus flower position on the floor of his weyrfolk apartment, closed his eyes and fired up his proverbial laser, what he ended up hearing turned out to be one of the biggest disappointments of his life.

Firelizards, the Earth said. Hatching in the kitchens.

Leonard's eyes flew open.

Balls. It's not like he expected it to work anyway.

He groaned, flopping back against the floor. He was stuck in Pern, a fantasy-based hallucination with some kind of science-fiction equivalent of a PSA. Fantastic. How absolutely great. He had half a mind to ignore the voice that taunted him with this reality, but after a couple of minutes, even Leonard had to concede that watching hallucinated, hatching lizards would be far more entertaining than staring at his hallucinated, non-moving ceiling. Leonard sighed. Sat up. Heaved himself to his feet.

By the time he arrived at the kitchens, Leonard found that a moderately sized crowd had already gathered. This gave Leonard pause, made him stop just outside the entrance as he cast a furtive glance from person to person and wished with illogical hope that at least one of them would be familiar. None of them were. He balled his hands, about to lower his gaze in disappointment when a sharp flash of movement caught his eyes. Perched on the shoulder of a lanky fellow was something small, green, and obviously reptilian. A firelizard, his mind supplied. A hatchling, at that.

Leonard sucked in a breath, feeling an inexplicable sense of awe wash over him. Like everything in Pern, the creature seemed so real, and despite his initial reservations he found himself approaching the group to get a better look. He wondered, vaguely, if he would be allowed to hold it, or perhaps one of its siblings after they'd hatched. It's not like he wanted to be a sap or anything, but that baby firelizard was just about the cutest hallucination he had ever seen.

[Pocket]

The goldrider offered Diedro a genuine smile, a small chuckle escaping her. "No, I had the similar routine with Riklith. I'm pretty versed in this routine." She eyed the bowl of meatstrips, plucking out a decent-sized piece and keeping it cradled within the palm of her hand, the other hand keeping her steady on the counter. She watched the exchange between Carlton and Diedro carefully, drawing herself up slightly. They'd made no attempts to make a public announcement to the residents of the Weyr thus far, almost keeping it on a need-to-know basis. It wouldn't last like that forever, however. She needed to stop sitting on the sideline and help rake in damage control before things turned even worse. "Igen's been taking in people who are.. unfamiliar with a Weyr lifestyle -- Impression included. The hatchlings are in good hands, though."

She glanced around at the people unfamiliar to the process they brought themseles into. "Impression is a bond between you and a dragon, wher," Haelyn gestured down to Diesk politely, "or a firelizard." A small hand gesture towards the green upon Carlton's shoulder. "Firelizards, unlike dragons and whers, are more.. co-dependant." Her gaze flicked, once, to Diedro, hoping she would correct any misgivings she may speak of -- after all, her knowledge on firelizards was all hear-say. "All babies are. But, while dragons and whers know their name shortly after Impression is made, firelizards do not." 

Haelyn paused, shifting her weight before continuing on. "Impression is a bond between you and them. It's a mental link that connects you. Firelizards, I believe, share simple thoughts -- colors, emotions, and blurry images?" This question was actually directed to Diedro, leaving the stage up to the wher handler to provide additional information. An inevitable conversation about the Lost stayed in the back of her mind, but hopefully it could wait until after the hatching had come to a close.

Glancing back to another of the newcomers, Haelyn smiled as she recognized the woman -- pony? Yes, that was it. "It was my duty. I couldn't very well leave you all out there." At the comparison, the 'rider laughed softly, smiling. "Not the worst I've been compared to. I'll be fine, but thank you for your concern." The other occupants caught her attention, one she knew -- Ciel -- and the other she didn't. She gave a cursory smile and nod as a greeting, shifting over to make more room for them.    

[kthehuman]

After the small, goo-covered green dragon had become attached to the detective - Carlton was his name, yes? - Castiel realized he had not grabbed any meat to give to the hatchlings. He took one out of the bowl after Haelyn, nodding to her in greeting. That was when he took notice of some of the others in the room. There was the Applejack woman, some sort of pony where she was originally from, the child from the past, Ciel, and a man that Castiel didn't know. He looked more uncomfortable in the room than Castiel thought he should. Unless, perhaps, he was also not of Pern. He had heard there were others that had come before...

Castiel stopped that train of thought as soon as he heard the questioning coo of another creature. He turned to see a small, bronze-colored fire lizard flapping its goop-covered wings. Castiel smiled, head tilting, and knelt to the ground for a better view of the creature.

[Chinchilla]

"Have we, now? I guess that makes sense. Igen collects all sorts of misfits." The woman grinned, reaching down to scratch the top of Diesk's lumpy head. "I would know." The wher licked the back of her hand, before returning to his protective vigil over the hatching eggs. He had a duty to do to Sparkle, shard it all! No human would be doing any funny business while he was around.

Oh, things were practically falling apart! But Haelyn to the rescue, Diedro's knight in golden armor. The wherhandler shot a relieved smile to the goldrider. "Thanks. I'm awful at explaining things." Diedro made a displeased face, just to prove her awfulness. "For the most part. An infant wher requires a bit more care then a baby firelizard, because they're born without teeth. They don't need oiling, though." She could still remember the long hours spent preparing Diesk's food. Butchering the meat, blooding it, and mixing together the porridge that served as his food until his teeth grew in.

"Aye. The image bit can vary. I've had Sparkle here since I was a little girl, so she's more attuned to my mind then most. Some firelizards never send their masters images at all." Diedro scratched the side of her head, obviously thinking. "You can also feel hunger over the link, which I'm sure you guys will be noticing soon." She laughed, before turning to look at the newest arrivals to the gathering.

"You get all that? No repeats. Take a strip of meat from the bowl. If a hatchling comes to you, or I hand it to you, feed it quick. If you don't, it'll starve and either die or attack the others." The speech was getting old. Diesk lifted his head to give Leonard his customary growl, lifting his lips from his teeth just to add to the intimidation of the whole thing. Ciel was just ignored.

Oh, right. Applejack had asked a question about the firelizards, right? Diedro could answer that. "Well, they're starving right out of their shells. They'd rather eat each other then die." She could sort of understand the horror. It was strange to think of such cute babies descending into such chaos. Unfortunately, it happened sometimes.

As she spoke, the Legendary Island egg had already begun to hatch. The hatchling was half out of his shell by the time Diedro noticed. She was quicker this time, and managed to catch the little rascal before he could escape. The Honest Seeker brown cheeped in complaint, his tiny tail wiggling about and lashing in his hand.

Diedro looked around for a potential owner, before settling on Leonard. "Here you go! You know the drill." She grinned. "At least one of them knows how to behave."

The little brown grumbled, leaping out of Leonard's hand the second he was able. He clambered up the humans arm, perching instead on his shoulder. He complained about all this nonsense in a series of high pitched cheeps.

Well, Leonard was a pretty good choice for him, he had to admit. He liked intelligence. The little brown sneaked a quick lick to the side of Leonard's face, and neatly tucked his wings to the side of his body. If he had to take one of these humans, he would take Leonard.