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1. [DL-N] A Wild Goose Chase
From: Bianca Payne <biancaknox@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
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Message: 1
Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 11:52:08 -0700 (PDT)
From: Bianca Payne <biancaknox@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Subject: [DL-N] A Wild Goose Chase
Day 8
Just after Dawn
Malani curled her tail around the final egg on the sands. The broken
litter of discarded shells was forgotten amid the sands as the new
clutchmates bumped against their chosen partners and demanded food.
The egg rocked, it#8217;s dark surface shining in the lights of the
hatching cavern, a fissure clearly visible in the surface. The crowd
watched as it rocked a couple more times and the crack lengthened along
the front of the shell. People started looking around amongst the
gathered to see who would move onto the sands to help the baby queen
and a murmuring buzz filled the hatching cave.
The egg rocked again, and pitched forward, falling on its side and
rolling a few feet in the hot sands until it came to rest again. It
lay still for a few seconds and the rocked a bit more. Still no one
came to help.
Jeneve, still seated in the bleachers between Tallon and Dev, reached
for both men#8217;s hands and gripped them tightly. Malani was very
still, watching the last of her clutch as it rocked.
The egg shuddered once more and a loud cracking quieted the murmuring
buzz of the gathered. The shell split apart into two pieces and a very
damp, metallic silvery black snout pushed through the opening briefly
and then disappeared inside again. The egg heaved one more time and
the two pieces burst wide open. The damp hatchling shook herself from
nose to tail tip, and even spread her tiny black wings a bit. The
spiked head craned around on her slim neck, and the baby blinked
several times against the light, as though looking for something, or
someone.
Still no one came forward. The hatchling queen stepped off the remains
of her egg into the sands and moved forward on the shifting uneven
ground. She stumbled once, as she moved closer to the bleachers, still
craning her head at the crowd and blinking her big deep blue eyes. She
had a little sand stuck to her damp scales in places from her tumble,
but it was obvious her concern was only for searching the crowd.
With a soft sigh, the baby queen turned to look back at the great
golden queen still lying on the sands. Malani raised her head higher
to look back. The little black queen turned and headed towards the
entrance to the cave.
Breezy stood up in alarm just as Jeneve swung around to look at the
senior wingleader. The word #8216;wild#8217; was whispered in alarm.
Someone said the word #8216;curse#8217;. The little hatchling queen
just kept moving.
Still on the sands, the little purple and yellow hatchling nudged
Cherry. [Follow.] Kaanette started forward after the little black
queen, and Cherry, surprised at the request and how fast her new dragon
could move, hurried after her. The other hatchlings seemed to have
relayed similar requests to their newly chosen, and the whole group was
moving towards the entrance to the hatching cavern where the black
queen had disappeared through.
Outside was growing brighter and brighter and a smattering of rosy gold
clouds sprinkled the sky above the warren walls. Outside the cavern,
preparations for the hatching party were full underway, and the groups
of vendors who had been arriving for a few days now had set up
temporary shops and booths near the dining hall on the green, selling
specialty goods, riding leathers, clothes, little carved wooden
dragons, and even books. Inside the dining hall, wonderful smells were
pouring out of the kitchen from all the food being quickly prepared for
both the hatchlings and riders alike, and for the party later tonight.
The little black queen paused as the smells drifted across the Green,
but continued forward. Behind her, the other hatchlings and their new
riders followed. The rest of the dragonriders and visitors were
starting to file out of the cavern, waiting to see what would happen
and joining the small procession as it moved across the open expanse.
The black hatchling stopped again, and this time she swiveled her head
around as though looking for something. She turned left and headed
towards rough wood and canvas tents that were set up. Past them were
the stables and the entrance to the warren.
The murmuring of the crowd got louder at this turn of events. The
vendors, still setting up their goods and getting thing ready, stopped
and gaped at the odd procession. This wasn#8217;t the way it was
supposed to happen. The little black queen glimmered silvery in the
morning light as she weaved awkwardly through the rows of stalls.
The vendors in the aisle between the booths moved aside to let them all
pass. She got so used to the behavior by the time she reached the
third row of booths, that when the girl in the linen dress didn#8217;t
move in time she had to stop short and smacked her snout into the back
of the girl#8217;s legs. The girl was jostled, but recovered quickly
and turned to see what had hit her. She looked down over the top of
the book she was reading at the little shimmering black baby dragon.
She had dark fiery red hair that had escaped a braid and was blowing in
tendrils around her first, and in her other hand was a sausage roll
with one bite out. She was still chewing.
[I#8217;m Lily. You were supposed to be in the cave. Feed me.]
Mallory blinked in surprised at the voice in her head, but the
blue-eyed baby dragon was looking right at her and it was impossible to
look away. The little baby dragon was the most beautiful, most
adorable thing ever. Looking at her, it felt like something broken
had just been fused whole, and her heart sang with the joy of it.
Mallory suddenly remembered to finish chewing her bite and held out the
rest of her breakfast roll to the little hatchling queen.
<Tag everyone!>
Submitted by,
Bianca Payne, Aka Mallory and Lily
Summary:
Dawn, Day 8: The queen egg hatches and Lily, not finding a suitable
candidate in the cavern, leads the rest of her clutchmates and their
riders out of the hatching cavern and across the green on a hunt for
her chosen. Mallory offers her breakfast to the little black queen.
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