Windswept and Love-struck, Ch 2 The Hatching
#3 of Windswept and Love-struck
Padora and Eisvayen have become caught up in their hormones- but when the hum of dragons announces that the Hatching is starting, they must hurry to the sand to Impress their dragons! It seems that their love life will have to wait...
This is the (slightly edited) transcript of a Pern RP between Myre and myself. It is ongoing and I'll likely continue publishing chapters as we go along. The story takes place at the end of the Eighth Pass, just before the Long Interval, and follows two youths, Eisvayen [ahys•va•yhen] and Padora. Eisvayen was a smith journeyman of Telgar smith hall, and Padora was a weyrbrat of Fort. The Hatching is starting, and the two Candidates are eager to Impress a dragon.
This is (obviously) an alternate storyline from the cannon. No, it won't be perfect to the Pernese world, we're human, we make mistakes. If you can't handle that, don't read it. However, we hope that you'll enjoy the story as much as we have.
He couldn't recall how long their eyes had remained locked to one another's, both crying out for the forbidden pleasures as dictated by the Weyr. Eisvayen had at some point lost his self control falling into a pit of wanton lust for the body he clung to though. He hadn't acted on it, only caressing the thighs and womanly waist of Padora's slender form, a gentle tug mashing his yearning lust between their bellies. He had even ignored the skin of oils when it fell into the water, a spectrum skim rising to the surface as an air of passionate desire seem to fall over them.
The like a hammer against an anvil they pitched their ears to the ceiling as a reverberant hum clashed with stone, echoing through halls, and into the washrooms. It seemed as if the entire mountain would move with the deepening drone. Even the water jumped up in ripples rolling across surface. The entire Weyr would be alive and awake against their nightly routine. Despite having never heard it, Eisvayen even knew what the sound meant, the Hatching was starting!
For the two sharing the solace and comfort of the others embrace it was naught but a nuisance to them now. Clambering from the water they dressed carelessly, Eisvayen glancing longingly at his new interest pausing to watch as her body disappeared beneath cloth. What was he thinking! If the dragons weren't projecting their thrum across the Weyr and had they been caught ... he would've faced banishment. A tarnish to his name that he would've been a fool to risk, but... he reconciled a risk almost worth it all the same. He waited for her, only bothering to slip into his leggings and tuck a proud phallus out of sight. In the hall, he caught her arm, pulling her close, "For luck!" he boasted, clasping his lips to hers, feeling... knowing it was right. "I'll see you soon, eh?" Without waiting for a reply or reaction Eisvayen dashed off to the barracks.
With his belongings stowed, he raced across the Caldera, feet pounding against the ground, his breath labored, he couldn't be late! It was certainly a chance that this might be his only hatching. He had to Impress now if he wanted to secure his place as a Dragonrider! Skidding into the room where the other male candidates prepared to Stand quickly searched the room. Despite having just bathed, an elder rider, S'kathon pointed to the trough of water, forcing him to bathe before he would surrender the young man his robes. He grudgingly complied and when all was said and done, snatched the garment quickly stripping from his clothes and donning the white robe. Eisvayen was ignorant to the fact that after his encounter with Padora in the baths, he still held an impressive arousal which drew the gaze of a number of candidates. When gathered with the others Eisvayen noticed their eyes upon him, making him squeamish. Ignoring their doting stares he faced the archway that would lead them to the hatching grounds, waiting for the assembly to advance with the proceedings.
Minutes later they were gathered in a broad circle around the eggs that jutted from their resting place upon the sands. Spotting Padora he smiled and mouthed the words 'Good luck!' before setting his eyes forward to the rocking eggs. Amidst the clutch a chunk of shell leaped into the air, shattering against another egg causing many of the candidates to jump in surprise. A spined wing sprouted up into the air, unfurling like a blue flag before the rest of the egg shattered. The first dragon to emerge, stumbled away from the rest of the eggs, its head sweeping around to gaze upon those around it crying out frantically. The Hatching had begun!
Padora slid quickly from his oil slicked lap, her breathing a heavy whisper in the humming pools, "Shards! Of all times..." she muttered to herself. As she scrambled up the sides of the pool and busied herself with redressing, she took a moment to berate herself- no, it was good timing on the dragons' part. With her hormones raging like this, she likely wouldn't have stopped him had he pushed for anything more. The ghost of what they were close to doing... the feel of him hardening between their bodies, of his muscular legs rippling beneath her thighs... No, thank Faranth that the Hatching was starting now! Even so, she couldn't stop herself from glancing at him as he dressed, a stirring of longing re-warming her skin. Well, she could see that he had been just as aroused. Somehow, that gave her a confidence boost and she untangled her clothing with a bright smile.
She shimmied into her robes, not bothering to re-belt them, and snatched up her sandals and leggings. The hum was at full volume now, and the reverberations where making her a little dizzy in the small space. They dashed out of the bath room and before they parted ways he caught her arm and swung her around to give a brief, good luck kiss. She barely returned the gesture, her mind freezing for a moment. When he pulled away her lips felt cold and tingled as if they'd been smeared in numbweed. Eisvayen left her standing there in a daze, one finger coming up to almost touch her lips. If that didn't declare his intentions, nothing did!
Gleeful and sure of herself (perhaps overly so), she scurried off to the room where the small handful of female candidates were washing and changing into the white robes. Careful not to waste the oils her new 'friend' had washed into her hair, she splashed some of the water onto her body, grateful for the coolness of it, before slipping on the white robe used only during a Hatching. Kimen sidled up to her with a raised eyebrow of question. Padora realized that she was still grinning like a silly wherry, and felt her cheeks blush a hot red. Waving away the question for later, Padora gave her friends hand a squeeze as they walked out onto the burning sands of the Hatching Grounds.
Arrayed above them were the dragons of Fort Weyr- those that weren't still recovering from the last few Threadfalls. Blue, Green, Brown, Bronze and three Golds, all sat perched with their riders in the crowd below, watching, humming, welcoming the newest additions to the weyr. This was not the first time Padora had been on the Sands, nor was it her first Hatching that she had witnessed. However, something about this one just felt different; she just knew that her dragon was here, in one of those rocking eggs. Eager, nervous, and ready, she waited to see who would come first. Her eyes spotted Eisvayen and she gave him a small smile and a nod, returning the wish with her eyes. Having him present made her straighten up, determined to Impress both dragon, and Smithy.
When a loud crack reverberated through the air and a shard bounced against another egg, the humming stopped abruptly and everyone- human, dragon and Candidates alike, held their breath. A blue wing, followed by a very damp dragonet, tumbled from the first egg. It was starting! The hatchling cried out, it's wedge-shaped head swiveling about as it searched through those standing on the sands. Locking its eyes on something the blue stumbled across the soft sand towards a knot of boys waiting for it. A few of them surged forward in hopes of being the right one. Padora cringed in anticipation, and sure enough there was a squeal of pain from one of the boys as the dragonet pushed him aside with sharp claws in its desperate attempt to reach its lifemate. She didn't see who Impressed, because the rest of the eggs were cracking and the plaintive cries of their occupants drew her attention again.
There was a little green, making a bee-line for a delicate boy at the edge of the group on the right. There- a bronze swatted aside on Candidate and stepped across his thighs to clamber up to one of the older boys. A small, petite green, the molted color of dark algae in a pond, started for her, and her heart leaped up to her throat. It cried and pleaded as it got closer, and she waited for the connection to be made- a voice asking to feed her or scratch just so. So she was terribly surprised when a figure moved from next to her and intercepted the little female, kneeling down and patting its neck as the dragonet crooned awkwardly. Kimen... it was Kimen who had just Impressed. Her friend turned back and grinned at her like a lovesick bride, "Her name is Tarrenth!"
Heart and stomach dropping to her feet, she feared that this was going to like the last Hatching... She would stand and wait and scramble out of the clumsy hatchlings' ways, but none would have eyes for her... Her brown eyes searched the crowd for one person, hoping to see him and give herself that one little boost she needed to make it through another failed Hatching. Eisvayen was standing there.... but he was no longer alone- a dragon was heading for him. Just as she gave a whimper of defeat, a wet nose bumped her thigh and a pleading whine pierced her mind, Wait! Don't go? Please? I'm here, mine. I'm here.
Disbelieving, Padora turned with an open gape and stared down at the dipped head of the most beautiful dragon she'd ever seen. The little dragon was the rich color of spring grass, with subtle swirls of lighter and darker blue greens across her body. The dragon's eyes swirled in a rainbow of colors as Impression was made.
The newest dragonrider fell to her knees and wrapped her arms around the humming green, "Isith... My Isith."
It was a sight to behold, a Hatching. With the breaking of the first egg Eisvayen started from the sudden silence, for a moment seemingly more boisterous than the clangor preceding it. All around them dragons and riders alike look onward. A shrill cry of pain reminded the Smith there were dragonets about, desperately searching for their riders, their lifemates. His eyes fearfully scanned the place where he had last remembered Padora standing, a sigh of relief and a fleeting smile when he spotted her. Another agonized groan rose up nearby, a bronze finished swatting away an overly desperate Candidate, his robes bloodied and body limp against the sands.
By the egg he had to pay attention! A sudden fear gripped him, be torn open by the careless claws of the disoriented dragonets. His palms were slick with sweat, heart pounding in his chest as if begging to be freed from its fleshy prison. He dodged a blue as it lumbered past, Impressing a younger lad that stood beside him. Dragonets paired with the candidates one by one, and as the last few dragons emerged, Padora and he, among a few others, were still left upon the sand, including those writhing in pain clenching one injury or another.
So this was it. Eisvayen silently knew this was the only time he'd ever Stand during a Hatching. Seeing the young woman he'd met and hour ago, alone without a dragon as well, disheartened him. Accepting that he was resigned to a life of the Craft, he mused himself with a thought. If he and Padora weren't meant to be riders, maybe they had been meant for other titles. He could ask her to come with him, abandon the life of the Weyr, but what would a Weyrbrat think of taking the hand of an outsider? A foolhardy idea, one he pushed from his mind almost immediately.
So distracted in his thoughts Eisvayen was unaware that Padora had Impressed, looking up he spotted her arms clasped around the neck of a green. Good for her! The warm radiant smile of the girl clearly showing that she had been yearning to Impress a dragon.
He didn't have a chance to look towards the clutch before he was falling backwards, thrust back against the sands. A heavy claw planted itself against his chest, talons breaking Eisvayen's skin setting free dribbles of blood that stained his robes in deep crimson. Looking up he was met with the firm gaze of a brown, weight shifting unsteadily as newborns were expected to do, though the moments of crushing weight wasn't something he remembered from his classes.
Why petty yourself with the rider of a green? A voice rang through his conscious, deep rolls and firm undertones defining the voice, though it carried an infantile warble in pitch and enunciations.
Eisvayen stopped struggling to pull himself free of the beast and blinked, it talked? Of course it talked! But to him? A flicker of amusement seem to mock the Smith's lapse of response. I am Voth, it did it again! At first his expression was misshapen with incredulous disbelief, softening to that of an awestruck child.
"Of course you are, but get your grubby paws off my chest!" As the dragon complied E'svayen laughed and embraced the dragon, welcoming it to the world, "That hurt by the way!" He grinned at the dragonet leaning back to survey the beast. Its skin was mottled with hues of brown, dark tans, and mahogany, a runnerbeast shaped head atop a long neck, and body slightly larger than a miniature herdbeast. Looking into its eyes, burning a deep red, Eisvayen was reminded of his responsibilities and began to lead the dragon to be fed and bathed.
Stepping unsteadily the dragonet ruffled his wings, I not going to stand by and let you gawk all day! I'm hungry!
All around them there was purposeful, industrious movement. Green riders dropped down with their dragons to take away those left standing, while the blues came over to the new couples and led them off the sands and out of the way. Dragonets crooned and whined and hummed, all begging for attention, food, scratches or just trying to reassure their shell-shocked riders. Isith was no exception, and she alternated between doting on Padora- how smart she was, how fast she must be, how wonderful that they were together now- and begging to be fed.
I am hungry... The green bumped her nose against Padora's thigh, as they were ushered into another, large room where bowls of meat were being passed out.
"I know, love. They'll bring me a bowl of meat shortly." Padora patted the gawky dragon on her still damp neck and searched around with her eyes to find those who had stood in the sands with her. There was Kimen and her delicate green. There- Eisvayen, no, E'svayen was coming in with a sturdy looking brown (good for him!), and sure enough, there was Kenor feeding... Padora groaned... K'nor was feeding a bronze. She didn't have long to study this, as a blue rider brought over a large bowl of food and Isith promptly began trying to clamber inside it to eat.
Laughing gaily, the new rider shushed her dragon and told her to sit still. With an ungainly thump back to the ground and an attempt to rearrange her wings so that she wasn't standing on them, Isith managed to settle down and wait, her eyes swirling an orange-red with hunger. Taking large chunks of the still warm, raw meat, Padora fed them to her hungry dragon one piece at a time, trying to ensure that the green didn't choke on them in her eagerness to get them down."Keep your dragon from excess." she intoned, quoting one of the many ballads they were required to learn before Standing on the Hatching Grounds. Isith was too busy swallowing the meat whole to reply with more than a feeling of satisfaction and continued hunger. "I think that might be hard for you."
"You are right there, Padora." A deep, masculine voice spoke from over her shoulder. The girl jumped a bit and turned to look up at G'ram, smiling down at her, "Your green is rather large- those feet! Looks like she'll be one of the bigger ones in the weyrs." With a heavy pat on her shoulder, the blue rider moved off to ensure that the others were doing well in their tasks. Padora glanced surreptitiously to where E'svayen was. Isith was a large green? Perhaps.... Perhaps a brown rider wasn't such a long shot... Her thoughts were interrupted by another rough nudge from the hungry dragon in front of her, and she lost herself to feeding the bottomless pit named Isith.
Voth was a magnificent specimen for only just hatching from the egg. The Smith now rider had little knowledge of the dragons, mostly the basics of their ranks, and little tidbits here and there but not enough to notice why many of the riders and Werylings gawked at them as entered the vaulted feeding chamber. Sure they had been last to enter, thanks to a rather slow and purposeful Voth, who hadn't begged or pleaded for attention (mostly) the entire walk off the sands. Eisvayen hadn't realized the smug smile he adorned while cradling the fledgling dragon, massaging the thick muscles beneath his hide, giving light pats of appreciation and thanks. But it wasn't the Smith being smug, it was his dragon! Pride and a little hint of overbearing confidence seemed to bridge the gap between their joined consciences, but... why?
Shrugging the thought into the empty recesses of his mind for later thought, Eisvayen accepted the weighty bowl of meat proffered by one of the blue riders and hefted it towards an open space by the bronze dragon and the Weyrling K'nor. More importantly he was situated near Padora and her green, who oddly enough rivaled many of the blues in stature. Giving her a wink he proceeded and soon thumped the bowl onto the ground. Looking up, he noticed his dragons eyes washed over with blue... but? Following a dragons hatching they were usually burning with hues of red amid orange, complaining in ravenous hunger. The dragon had seated himself with vanity, taking special care to sit upon his haunches rather than his wings like those that rushed to oblige their riders in their insatiable need to feed. He wasn't perfect, and emotions of a stricken pride welled within Eisvayen when the dragonet stumbled, before tapering off in relief.
When Eisvayen lifted a cube of the meat to Voth the dragon hesitated, looking from the flesh to the other dragons and to the meat again. However when the dragon cast his furtive glances around the room the Smith noticed he was taking particular care in eying the bronzes. "Don't be a sore lose..." Then it hit him as he spotted another weryling looking between Voth and the bronze beside him in dumbfounded awe. They were the same size! Voth even displayed a larger, more powerful frame than the bronze! But... but... how?
Finally hunger seemed to weigh against pride, eyes swirling from green to orange tinged with red in an instant as the brown snatched up the meat, chewing veraciously before tilting his head to swallow the meat down his gullet, waiting for Eisvayen to offer another chunk of meat.
As the young man fed the fledgling in stupefied shocked he happened to notice another rider approaching him. It was the Bronze Rider T'ron the Weyrleader and mate to the Weyrwoman Mardra. His eyes flashed with surprise and confusion, "By Ping's hand!" he crooned, inspecting Voth thoroughly, stepping to the dragonets side, before approaching Eisvayen, "It's remarkable, we knew there was an egg a bit larger than the rest, but to think it was a brown! We thought dragons had fulfilled their maximum expectations but... perhaps there are a few more generations of growth in the dragons after all!" Smiling he clapped a hand to E'svayen's shoulder and leaned close, "Seems E'svayen, that perhaps you'll have a chance at Weyrleader eh?"
Voth heard this and seemed to hum at the thought mating with a gold, while the Smith simply nodded politely with a short laugh, "Yes sir." Another had caught his eye however, and even if the throe of courtship with a gold rider was his destiny, his heart was set on the rider of a green. Gazing at Pandora, E'svayen looked on longingly for her, a quick bump from Voth's nose returned his attention to his dragon, "Sorry boy, last piece," he said.
A sharp jab with his head, and E'svayen noticed that K'nor's bronze had been unable to stomach his full helping and the pair had already taken their leave. After feeding Voth the last cube, the smith helped himself to abandoned bowl allowing his dragon the delight of an extra serving. Eyes blue and swimming with contentment E'svayen patted his neck, Happy? Come on stinky, let's wash this hide of yours and oil it. I'm already starting to see stretch marks, Voth swiveled his head desperately looking for the blemish in his skin, but his rider simply laughed at the fledgling, clamping his mouth shut when Voth growled vehemently at him.
Not funny.
The whir of emotions and thoughts coming off her dragon was a little overwhelming to Padora. As the green polished off the meat, eating the last chunks with only a mild interest as her belly bulged and a little rumble of contentment vibrated her throat. Some of the other dragonets were already filing out with their weyrmates, heading towards the pool to have their first bathing and oiling, and then head off to bed. It had been a long day for all of them, and would prove longer still in the morning when Weyrling lessons started. Padora sighed a little and led Isith out with the others.
G'ram was waiting for them at the edge of the large pool, with a bucket of sweetsand and another of oil. Padora, along with the rest of the weyrbred, had plenty of experience bathing dragons. However, she understood that the bond between rider and dragon was special, and the first few times for anything- feeding, bathing, flying- had to be with their riders- more for the riders benefit than the dragons. They trusted their human counterparts unconditionally. G'ram was talking to the group, paying particular attention to the holdbred. He was explaining about rapid dragon growth and how it causes the skin to stretch and dry and crack. Cracked skin was dangerous, deadly, when the dragon went between. So, if you wanted to have a happy healthy dragon, you had to bath and oil it regularly as it grew. The first month of growth was spent eating, bathing, oiling and sleeping, well, for the dragons at least.
As they were ushered to different parts of the pool, Padora led Isith to the outskirt of the group and into the water with a handful of sweetsand. The green stepped in tentatively, pleased to find that the water was warm, Ah, I would like to sleep here! It is warm, and soothing... Her eyes turned a sleepy blue as she turned to regard her rider.
Padora laughed and wet the sand, rubbing it until it frothed lightly, "Don't you dare fall asleep on me, love. We still have the bathing to finish before I can set you to bed." The dragon gave a wistful sigh, but as soon as Padora set to on her soft hide, she rumbled happily and rolled partway over so that her belly and underwing could be scrubbed.
Eisvayen chuckled at the strained attempt of a roar escaped his dragnet, who flared his wings and stomped his foreclaws into the water, sending a wide splash and tided waves across the shimmering pool. This drew a few eyes but the Smith was quick to calm his dragon before setting towards the task of bathing the boisterous fledgling. "What's all this prancing and strutting about? The bronzes will still outgrow you, you know."
_ _
Voth huffed indignantly, rolling a reddening orb towards him That is not certain. I'm am the largest of my clutch and I do intend to mate a gold, the brown stretched out his wings offering them to be washed. Besides, I can sense that you do not desire to be bred by another male so... let me secure your future with a suitable mate as I will mine.
Rubbing the sweet sand into the membrane of his dragons wings E'svayen simmered with frustration, Acting like a pompous fairy won't help your cause in the slightest you brute. Despite the exchange of hardened words both seemed to be amused and the tension was quickly lax. It was several candle marks when the rider finally reached the serpentines thick tail taking a moment to look on in awe of the dragon that had chosen him. A bit hard-headed and prided, but something E'svayen was certain his familiar would grow out of.
Following a lingering gaze that Voth had entranced him, and the welling sense of interest, he discovered the dragon watching a green. After a moment he realized that it was Pandora finishing the last parts of the necessary oiling that her adolescent dragon required. "See something you like there?"
A thick growl followed, I see nothing, Voth denied bitterly turning his head away.
Finished the Smith chuckled at his dragonet, as he led the creature from the water tiredly, "Maybe you'll have a nice dream of her, come on... let's get some rest," A pleased hum filled his dragon's chest as they headed for their den.
With bathing finished and only a few slower holdbreds left at the pool (and one ornery blue making a fuss about something), Padora oiled down her dragon, paying special attention to the delicate wing membranes and sensitive nose ridge. Isith was watching some of the other riders oil and sooth their sleepy dragons, with a soft blue whirl to her eyes. Kimen came over, still smiling widely, little Tarrenth following behind with eyes as sleepy as Isith.
"We are dragon riders now, Padora!" Her hand fluttered to indicate both their greens, who were currently leaning against each other amiably. Kimen beamed at her dragon, and even spared an appreciative smile for Isith.
Padora gave a slow nod, "We are... And to greens! We have the fastest dragons on Pern." Isith gave her a smug look, I am the fastest dragon. Her rider chuckled and scratched her eye ridge.
A little moue of disappointment crossed Kimen's face, "We do, but with no Thread to fight anymore..." She looked up at the skies almost wistfully.
Giving a shake of her head, almost horrified at the thought of Isith being injured by threadscore, Padora admonished her friend, "That is nothing to wish for! I will take the Games over Thread, thank you. We lost enough of our wings in the last month." They both had done their share of healing work on the dragons who had come back, some only scored lightly, a few of the younger or oldest scored deeply. Padora wasn't sure which was worse, the screaming of a dragon near-mortally injured, or the blank, grey face of shock the rider would have...
Kimen shrugged and touched Tarrenth, neither rider liking to be far from their charges, "I suppose so." Smiling slyly at Padora, the normally timid girl commented, "I guess you'll have to hope that Voth is a fast flier, won't you?" Before Padora could wipe the shock from her face, Kimen led Tarrenth off, the little green mumbling sleepily to herself. Isith watched after them a moment, before tipping her head to one side and peering up at her weyrmate, What did she mean by that?
A soft sigh and a shake of her head was all she could give her curious dragon. Until Isith was older, she would have to avoid getting too excited over E'svayen... She could practically hear G'ram's voice during one of his lectures, 'Young dragonets should not be exposed to such high emotions as sexual excitement...' With one last loving pat, Padora and Isith followed the rest of the weyrlings into their new barracks. "Let's get you to bed, love. There is much to do tomorrow."