Pets or Pests? [Mystery Egg Hatching!]

[Rhush]

10th Pass, 5th Turn, Early 11th Month

Srunae :: Gold Danovelith

Srunae practically threw open the door to A'zael's weyr, her one arm stuffed with a multitude of blankets, baskets of foodstuffs, and other odds and ends while the other waved around at the occupant inside. "Hi A'zael! I'm borrowing your office!" She smiled brightly despite the sudden wave of surprise and confusion that washed over her, for once having completely forgone her typical shy, careful check before entering. She was in a hurry, after all; these little things weren't going to be waiting much longer, and it wouldn't do to have them hatch in her weyr! Her roommate and her queen would likely eat the poor things.

She glanced back into A'zael's weyr proper for a moment, curious if he would actually come and have a look at what she was doing. Somewhere in the back of her mind Srunae was imagining the worst - what if she had burst in on him while he was nude and with another woman or something similarly embarrassing for the both of them? No, no that wouldn't happen. Shoving that depressing thought out of her mind, she shut the door to his weyr behind her and tried to imagine the best case situation instead - which also resulted in a naked A'zael scenario, but it was much, much more pleasant... and very off topic. Either way...

"If you're naked you might want to put some clothes on~" She practically sang out. A dark smile crossed her lips before she turned her gaze back to the doorway into the Weyrleader's office. Though she hadn't seen the man naked before, she was no longer concerned about it - Danovelith was certainly old enough now to be unbothered (albeit the Queen did find her bonded's mental gymnastics rather amusing) and if Srunae got to see more of him than she had expected, well... it wasn't unwelcome. She cut the corner into his office without waiting for a verbal response, instead taking her cue from the startled amusement and slight touch of disappointment that leeched into her. With that out of the way, the beastcrafter turned goldrider started depositing her various things upon the massive table, very, very carefully laying out the tangled mass of blankets she had been cradling after putting all the baskets of food down.

She hadn't really a clue as to what kind of creatures would be coming out of these near perfectly round things, but given that gemgliders ate fruit and meat and Firelizards ate meat, it made sense to bring a spread of possible foodstuffs. Perhaps when they hatched Srunae would recognize them and be able to focus on a specific basket of food for their potential bondeds. Within moments she had untangled the blankets and was staring at six round, gently wiggling little eggs. Shards! She skidded back out to the main chamber and threw back open A'zael's door, figuring he had had time enough to throw on clothes if he so needed.

Danovelith?

Those of you interested in a mysterious pet should visit the Weyrleader's office; there are eggs hatching there!

Thank you darling. Srunae dashed back into the office and went about finished things off. Danovelith hummed quietly in the back of Srunae’s mind as the beastcrafter at last finished her makeshift hatching area. The center of the table held what now looked like a loose blanket nest, the edges of the circular pile low enough that if the hatchlings weren’t capable of flying they could easily clamber over the sides to their prospective bondeds. Around the blanket nest sat six green, woven baskets chock full of a variety of foodstuffs – fruit, vegetables, herdbeast, fish, and more – to cover all her bases. For once she was glad she had managed to avoid Floret's mothering tendencies here - she never would have managed to make it look even vaguely presentable if the green gemglider had been there. Now she just had to wait and see what came out of the eggs... and people who weren't afraid of a mystery.

OOC: And now we have people come and go down the number list! Have fun~

[Taxx]

The voice caught Aleni off guard and she jumped, but it was familiar in a moment- Danovellth was calling. Mysterious pet? Hatching eggs? The sheer intrigue was enough to pull Aleni from the chore; if she was quick, she might even manage to go there, see what was up, and return without anyone being the wiser.

As slim as the chance was. And hey, what was the worst the Headwoman could do to her? Aleni was quite willing to take a slap on the wrist, or even more chores, when the prospect of a pet was looming. Leaning the broom in a corner, she headed off to the Weyrleader's office; pausing at the open door and peering in. Srunae was there, A'zael currently absent, and baskets were lined up on the desk. Easing her way inside, Aleni offered the goldrider a smile. "Junior Weyrwoman," she greeted, her gaze flicking back to the basket holding the twitching eggs once she had finished. "Danovellth called... nobody knows what the eggs are?"

[Zen]

Weyrleader A'zael :: Bronze Fath

Oiling a full grown bronze dragon was no quick task. Nor was it something one could do without getting a bit oiled themselves. So A'zael went about the task in an old pair of pants he kept just for the occasion and nothing else. It might start out a bit chilly but the effort tended to warm him up rather quickly. Fath practically hummed in contentment as his rider worked the oils into his hide, “Hey, what say you oil me next huh? I don't know the last time I was as relaxed as you look right now.”

Fath opened a half-lidded eye at him, confusion clear in their bond, and also apology, I don't know how, A'zaelmine.

A'zael laughed, “It's all right, I'm sure I can find someone else to do it for me.”

And then his door flew open. He nearly slipped from his perch on Fath's back. People didn't just barge into his weyr like that. What on Pern? The bronze raised his head slightly as Srunae called out and looked toward his ledge, wondering if Danovelith would be coming to see him. When the gold didn't appear, he laid his head back down and shifted slightly, nearly knocking his rider off his back once more. Whydidyoustop?

“Fath, stop moving!” A'zael was all sorts of confused. Srunae wanted to use his office? For what? Not that he minded her doing so, but what was the rush for? She seemed in an awfully big hurry. It certainly wasn't like her to just come bursting in like she did.

"If you're naked you might want to put some clothes on~"

Wait, what? Why did she think he was naked? Did she just picture him running about his weyr naked all the time? He grinned at that thought, but then realized she wasn't out trying to get a peek and was instead telling him to clothe himself and was vaguely disappointed. Well.

“Turning into a real goldrider there, Srunae. Barging into a man's own weyr unannounced and ordering him around,” he called back to her, teasing. It hadn't really been an order. He slid from Fath's back and patted the bronze's side, “I'll be right back to finish you up, I gotta see what she's up to in there.”

Why clothing was necessary he wasn't certain but... oh well. Best take her word for it, he supposed. He grabbed a rag and wiped himself off a bit, then went to his bed for the shirt he'd tossed there. Frisk had made himself a nest of it, crooning at him when he appeared. He frowned at his little brown for a moment, wondering if it was worth the effort of fighting him for it. Once Frisk was settled on something, it was difficult to change his mind. He waved his hand at the gemglider and went to grab a new shirt instead, “Fine, it's yours.” In the middle of this, Danovelith's call reached him. Wait... mysterious pet? Shards and shells.

Pulling his shirt on, he hesitated. Maybe he should just keep his distance. He didn't want anyone shoving this mystery creature into his hands and forcing him to bond another pet. Thanks S'fin. Not that Frisk wasn't good company on occasion, even helpful sometimes. But other times the little brown liked to steal his things and make him chase him all over for it. Usually when he hadn't been paying him enough attention, which happened more than A'zael liked. It wasn't exactly his fault that he had a lot going on.

Still, his curiosity got the better of him. Besides, if THESE mystery things turned out to be dangerous, he wasn't going to let Srunae sit in there with them on her own. When he made his way to the office door, he found that another girl had already entered. One he recognized after a moment. He and Aleni had been candidates together, only Aleni had yet to walk from the Sands with her lifemate. In the next moment, he surveyed the table in the center of the room, sprawled out with blankets, eggs, and foodstuffs. He shook his head, glancing to Srunae where she was watching the eggs intently, “What is with you and mystery eggs?” And how many times was his office going to be turned into a miniature hatching cavern?

Looking back at the strangely round eggs, he frowned slightly as he recalled where they had come from. Treyjen. That uncomfortable feeling started twisting up his stomach again, whatever it was, and he made his way over to Srunae, trying to get his annoyance at Treyjen's vague insinuations under control. Passing Aleni, he offered her a friendly smile, though it didn't quite reach his eyes in his current mood, “You too, huh? You know these things might just hatch out and try to kill us all for all we know.” He was surprised at the tinge of bitterness in his tone. What was wrong with him? He shook his head and laughed, trying to play it off as a joke, not that it wasn't a possibility.

He stopped at Srunae's side, peering cautiously at the things as they shook and rocked on the table, trying to determine which might hatch first, tense and ready in case they were a threat. A smaller egg closest to Aleni was the first to break open, revealing a tiny green creature. At first it looked... about like a firelizard, in A'zael's opinion. But as it flailed a bit to free itself from its shell, its features became a bit more noticeable. It had a spiky back ridge, its wings seemed... short, if one were to compare it to a flit. It flopped from its egg and looked about wildly, and its head was... not at all like a flit's. It was long and narrow. And it didn't have proper legs and feet... were those fins? Giving a piteous creel, it seemed completely lost.

OWNER: Aleni
COLOR: Green

APPEARANCE:
This Green is the tiniest of her clutch, being only 14 inches at full growth. She is slender and delicate, with white claws. Her hide is mainly a pale sage color, with slightly darker 'point' markings on her fins and snout. The undersides of her wings and her tailfork fin are both a darker in color as well, while her back ridge is a very light yellow-green.

PERSONALITY: Nurturing, Timid, Helpful
Although this Green enjoys affection, she is incredibly timid and it will take her quite a while to warm up to new people. She is spooked easily, and will pop off Between in response to raised voices, sudden loud noises, or surprise appearances. However, with Hers, she is incredibly helpful and always trying to anticipate her bonded's needs, bringing Hers food when she senses hunger or trying to tug her bonded to bed when she senses fatigue. She has a wonderful mothering instinct which will be put to very good use taking care of her bonded.

A larger egg spilled its contents onto the table next, much closer to Srunae and A'zael. A glimmering hide snaking its way from its round prison with hungry red eyes. A'zael was torn between pulling Srunae away from the thing and wanting to back away himself before some sort of bond was forged. In the end he stayed put, looking over at Srunae with a concerned sort of curiosity, “Well, do you recognize these ones? Should we be worried?”

OWNER: Srunae
COLOR: Bronze

APPEARANCE:
This boy is massive for his color and will be 35 inches at full growth with white claws. His hide is mainly a pale, burnished brass color, but his striking markings rather set him apart from the rest of his clutch. A broad band of greyish-green covers this bronze from the tip of his snout nearly down to his tailfork and covers his wingarms, back ridge, and the topside of his wings, tapering into thick stripes at the sides of his face, neck, and tail.

PERSONALITY: Protective, Bossy, Intelligent
This boy takes his role as a Bronze seriously. He takes it upon himself to see that everyone in his 'pod' is doing what he thinks they are supposed to be doing, and that they are all safe. His protective nature will show itself most when it comes to his bonded and he will be very clingy, rarely leaving them unless they forcefully wills it upon him. However, even clinging to them, he won't generally be in the way or cause much trouble, not unless there is a perceived threat he feels he needs to deal with. He will simply perch on their shoulder, watching and observing, and making sure no threat ever gets past him. If his bonded has other pets, he will see them all as members of his 'pod' and will often take to trying to boss them around, but he will be just as protective of all of them as he is of His, even his bonded's dragon, should they have one.

[Alyx]

Haella - Green Tsulocanth

Haella had been cleaning when the Gold’s voice through her thoughts. She winced, frowning a little at the sheer intrusion until Danovelith's actual words registered. Mysterywhats? Pets! Tsulocanth’s voice instantly flooded into her rider’s mind, the Green dancing a bit in the alcove that held her stone bed. Can we go, can we go? Haella folded her arms and laughed, shaking her head at the Green. “Absolutely not. We don’t need more pets. We have three already and I’m the one that has to feed them, not you.”

The Green stopped in mid-prance, turning her head to focus on her rider. But… “No buts, Tully. We’ve got three… three! And I think that’s quite enough, don’t you?” Lord and Rouze were curled up on Haella’s pillow, a twist of Blue and Brown, both totaling ignoring the face the Green was making a scene. Again. Siran, on the other hand, was quite interested in what was going on. The Green gemglider landed on Haella, little hands catching the fabric on her sleeve as she scrambled up onto the girl’s shoulder. The little creature chirped and nosed Haella’s ear, a little hand reaching up to grip her hair.

Tsulocanth wasn’t giving up that easy. She laid on the ground, resting her head on her forefeet, and made another soft, puppy like whine. “Tul… no.” Please? I want to see them. “They are in there Weyrleader’s Office, you heard Danovelith. You can’t go in there.” You can. The Green’s voice was soft but hopeful, her head tilting a little to peer at Haella. It could be something pretty. Or furry! It would be nice, wouldn’t it? To know?

Haella frowned a little more, her arms still crossed. It would be interesting, wouldn’t it? If it was Gemgliders, she would have been there before the Gold’s voice had faded from her thoughts –but they wouldn’t count as a ‘mystery pet’. Srunae would have known if they were gems; she was practically the expert on them. AND Haella hadn’t heard of any of the current Gliders clutching, so…

Plllleeeeeease?? Tully’s voice brought her back to focus, and Haella gave a sigh. “Fine. But I’m only going to LOOK.” She rolled her eyes, irritated with herself for giving in, but the fact she was at least going was enough to trigger a series of full body wiggles from the Green. “Stay here. I’ll go find out what’s going on.” Yes, yes. I’ll be right here, I won’t move. Not even to sneeze. Haella laughed, shaking her head, and left the Green in her adorable canine euphoria as she slipped out the door.

Halfway there, she realized Siran was still on her shoulder. She sighed, cupping a hand up over the green gemglider, and sprinted the rest of the way up the halls and stairs to the door of the Weyrleader’s chambers. A quick knock and she slipped in, then ducked sideways into the Office. She looked around quickly and then frowned. Not a lot of people, were there? “What did you find Srunae?”

Even after telling Tully they didn’t need another pet, Haella found herself joining the goldrider and a girl she didn’t know, peering at the eggs as they cracked. What tumbled out was… weird. Haella took a step back, unsure of what to do, then looked at Srunae. “What are they? I mean, are they supposed to look like that?” Look like what? Haella? ‘Shush, Tully. I’m still figuring it out.’ She Green huffed softly in her thoughts, the excitement practically radiating off the dragon back in her weyr. Siran, for her part, leaned around Haella's jaw, ducking under her chin a little to peer at the shaking eggs on the table.

[Esko]

F'mol of bronze Zenoth

Fargo absolutely adored being oiled, even as a fully-grown firelizard. As the oiling rag glided over his hide, the brown creeled affectionately and adjusted his position to expose more dry spots. "I just never have a moment to spare with you, don't I?" F'mol chuckled. Zenoth enjoyed it just as much, though he wasn't as picky about it as some bronzes tended to be. Why should he bother looking good when skill was what mattered? F'mol never quite liked to remind him that he barely saved his energy for the end, as his bronze never listened. Stubborn and rash. No other words described him more perfectly. Fargo screeched, lifting one of his legs. No, he was the focus now, not Zenoth! He was so much better than that silly bronze cousin! Just when F'mol was finishing up the maintenance of his flit, Zenoth's voice cut through his mind.

'Danovelith sends a message.' Of course, the news had to deal with a gold. As the twin golds neared sexual maturity, the bronze grew more and more interest in them. He had voiced his preference multiple times, that he liked Sularenth's bold fire, but also Danovelith's calm beauty. Really, he liked all the golds, and especially liked the idea of winning a gold Flight and having something to show off.

'Oh really? What is it?'

'A mystery species hatches. In the Weyrleader's residence.' The word 'Weyrleader' was pronounced with obvious ire. 'You do like those kinds of collections, don't you?'

Oh! A mystery species, did he say? 'I'm headed over, pronto!' He remembered the discovery of the 'Gemgliders', as they were to be named. He hadn't been able to get his hands on one, but maybe he could get one of these? Hastily oiling Fargo's last dry spot, he threw the rag against the wall and sprung up to his feet. His bare, uncovered feet. He had no time for boots, this was history here! He ran past Doriath and T'lyrion's weyr and into the lower caverns, his feet slapping against bare stone. With an alarmed screech, Fargo shot into the air and caught up with his pet, flapping alongside him. Danovelith. Mine comes to yours at this hatching. Zenoth forwarded to the gold, accompanied with a subtle coo in his voice.

Where was it, where was it...there! F'mol made a sharp turn into the Weyrleader's weyr, thanking Faranth that Weyrling training was so harsh. Nearly sliding in, he stood panting as he laid his eyes on the eggs. Two of them had already popped open, and he saw the two creatures that resulted from those eggs. One of them was clearly green, the other bronze. Was there no queen? None of the eggs had the signature golden sheen of a queen's shell. Scanning the bronze one over, he noted that the thing had no real legs. Fargo found something about the creatures highly offensive, and creeled his displeasure.

Oh, how could he be so undignified? F'mol stood there, in a white shirt and loose trousers, in the sharding Weyrleader's office! He gave a quick saulute and stared at the eggs. "M-may I have one?"

[Rhush]

Srunae :: Gold Danovelith

Srunae bit back a laugh at the snarky comments coming from the Weyrleader's side of the weyr as she settled in, deciding she would get him back later as someone answered Danovelith’s call - a candidate she was already familiar with. Srunae nodded a greeting to the new arrival as she addressed her, already relatively familiar with the woman from her own candidacy at Mavros. "Well met, Aleni! I was beginning to think I'd be the only one interested in a mystery," She smiled amiably and cast her gaze back to the eggs - half to ensure she could move away quickly, and half because she was positively enthralled with the possibilities of their contents. Though her eyes were mostly elsewhere, the goldweyrling pushed a basket of foodstuffs towards Aleni, nodding at her question. "That’s right – I’ve done all the reading I could, and couldn’t find anything remotely matching the eggs." She chuckled, leaning her head to one side as she squinted at one egg in particular. "But I didn’t recognize the gemgliders until after they hatched either." She glanced over and winked at Aleni, then stood up straight as the Weyrleader entered the room behind the candidate girl, commenting on her adoration of mystery eggs.

"Oh come now A’zael, I can’t well give up my title of ‘Discoverer of Lost Species’ can I?" She laughed and held his gaze for a moment, her giddy expression slipping before the man addressed Aleni. The candidate gave her vibes of curiosity and excitement, but A’zael… a strange, uncomfortable feeling rolled off him, punctuated by an odd bitterness in his tone of voice as he addressed Aleni. Though he laughed in an attempt to play it off, the goldweyrling raised an eyebrow and made a mental note to make sure he was okay after the eggs were hatched and away. The bronzer settled in at her side, peering over her shoulder at the nearly perfectly round shells rocking around in their blanket nest. Haella slipped into the room shortly after the man settled in, asking what Srunae had found just before the first egg cracked.

"We’re about to find out, Haella." Srunae said, grinning brightly as the contents of the first egg spilled out onto the blanket nest. The first thing the beastcrafter registered was the creature’s green hide, and she breathed a sigh of relief. They're not strange tunnelsnakes, thank Faranth... But what were they? The beastcrafter focused on the little green creature fumbling her way over to Aleni, checking off the physical points in her head. Flit-like in appearance, the little creature had a long and narrow snout, spiky, tall back ridges, short wings and… and flippers? As a second egg broke much closer to Srunae, the beastcrafter’s excitement grew and recognition flashed in her hazel gaze. She stared at the large metallic baby in awe and took a half step back as he let out an angry screech, pressing her back against A’zael a little bit as he spoke again.

"Ohhh yes, I recognize them, A’zael. Good thing you have clothes on," Srunae teased, the excitement in her voice punctuated by a small note of concern. She quickly pulled part of a fish out of the basket closest to her and started to rip it into small pieces, her gaze glued to the whirling red eyes of the big bronze baby. She grinned and glanced back at the man with a bold glint in her hazel-green eyes. "You don’t need to be worried… But if you’re not going to try to bond to one, you might want to take a step or two back." Not that it would help too terribly much if one of them did get particularly aggressive - the distance and accuracy the species was presumed to possess meant the bronze could get anyone in the room - but it was better to be behind someone else, just in case. Haella’s question reached her next, and Srunae chuckled warmly despite herself. "They are indeed supposed to look like that, don’t worry, Haella." Srunae glanced over at Aleni and the confused little green, then gestured to the basket closest to the candidate.

"Feed her some fish, Aleni – it’s their favorite." The goldweyrling said amiably, eying the green before continuing. "She’ll bond to you just like a firelizard does; but be careful not to scare her…" Srunae turned her attention back to the bronze close to her, a twinge of exhilaration lacing her warm tone. "When threatened or scared, these guys spit acid--" The brassy bronze screeched again, cutting her off pushing himself closer to Srunae, his red eyes wildly whirling, enticed by the smell of the fish in her hands. His flippers were not suited to the strange blanket-floor beneath him, but he was certainly not incapable of moving his bulk… and he could easily spit well past her, if she managed to piss him off too much. It was one of the cooler defense mechanisms of creatures, in her mind… but less so when it was aimed at you.

"Don't freak out though; it’s not a strong acid - it won’t melt your body parts off of you - but you’ll get a nice rash and definitely don’t want it in your eyes," Srunae explained after he quieted back down, offering a chunk of fish to the hungry metallic. It was better to allow the big, hissing thing to come to her; let him think he was in charge for now. The flit-like creature beat his short wings a few times and propelled himself directly into range of her fingers, snatching the fish from her and gobbling it up within seconds. A familiar twinge connected in Srunae’s mind, and she smiled brightly, feeling the willful bronze’s hunger poking around in her mind as she handed him another small piece of fish and set a few more down in front of him. "There you go, big guy," She said gently, relief rolling over her excitement for a moment as she glanced back at A’zael and then over at Aleni and Haella.

"After you’ve bonded with them though, you’re in the safe zone. These guys are appropriately called Seaspitters – like Gemgliders, they have been considered extinct for quite some time." She smiled brightly, standing up straight again as the gnawing hunger of the bronze slipped away – he was just about full now, and considerably more relaxed. Good. She reached under the blanket to her left and pulled out a massive old hidebound tome, its binding worn and tattered and the title long worn off. "They’re an aquatic species similar to firelizards. Waterflits, if you will." She set the book down on the table before her and opened it directly to the center, then thumbed through a couple more pages to the one on Seaspitters. Just as she turned to the correct page, her little flippered fellow wiggled himself over to the open book, flaring his wings and bugling a demand to his new bonded as he started to push himself up onto the exposed pages. "All right, all right, relax you little monster," She laughed and offered her left hand to him, which the bronze Seaspitter scrambled onto with a chirp of excitement. She lifted the bronze off of her book and glanced down at the pages. "Here we are – Seaspitters, a reference guide--"

It was then that another person practically slipped into the room, a young man Srunae wasn't familiar with personally, but judging by the mental eyeroll Danovelith did in the back of Srunae's thoughts, she figured he must be a bronzerider. F'mol, Danovelith supplied, Rider of Bronze Zenoth. Srunae hummed a little, caught somewhere between amused with the man and impressed. He looked sort of like he had just woken up from a nap, lacking shoes and dressed in comfortable clothes - nothing like the typical Mavros ranker, whom was all sharp edges and hard expressions. "Ah, well you can certainly try for one." Srunae said warmly, an amused smile on her lips as she eyed him for a moment, "Come on over and get yourself a bit of meat. They like fish in particular." She gestured the young man towards one of the baskets, sweeping her own baby up onto her shoulder, where he unsteadily stood for a moment before trailing his tail behind her neck for balance. That was something else she needed to think about - what would she name her new pet?

Thank you for the information, Zenoth. Danovelith said politely to the older male, shifting upon her warm ledge and sending Zenoth a wave of appreciation. After a beat, she mentally reached for a different bronze, imagining he might be bored while Hers was busy distracting His. Fath dear, Danovelith gently touched the big puppy bronze's mind, her voice vaguely sleepy - she had been dozing on and off in the sun until Srunae had asked for her assistance. Has Srunae My Own roped Yours into a new pet yet? Humor laced her inquiry and she chuffed verbally, drawing her sister's attention for a brief moment before the much larger queen settled back in again.

[Taxx]

A return smile for the Weyrleader, a touch guarded, crossed Aleni's face; it twisted into a brief smirk at his next statement. Kill them all? Those eggs were tiny- if it were a wher, maybe. But those things? She didn't say it aloud, but inwardly she was quite sure whatever was in those eggs couldn't possibly harm an entire Weyr. And two of the eggs were now hatched, the shells crumbling around a green and a bronze; the smaller green blinked in apparent confusion, but the male was already worming his way toward the weyrwoman.

A couple others appeared, but Aleni only glanced back at Srunae as she answered, edging forward and reaching one hand toward the green, intent on trying to calm her- to do something before she up and vanished. The suggestion to offer fish was a sound one, for sure, and the Candidate grabbed one as the goldrider continued, quickly applying her belt knife to slice the fish into bite-sized pieces for the little... seaspitter. An interesting name. The mention of acid was mildly alarming, but no worry; she'd be careful.

Picking up a bite of the fish, Aleni stepped toward the little green, speaking to her in a gentle voice, offering the tidbit carefully, keeping her fingers out of the way. Propelling herself with all four fins, the green reached for it, just as carefully nipping it from Aleni's grasp, and swallowed; opening her mouth and squeaking plaintively, she asked for more. Aleni complied.

And afterward, when the little creature had eaten her fill, Aleni gingerly picked her up, cradled her, and continued to murmur, gently stroking the slim head and long neck. She was definitely a water creature, with the fins instead of legs and feet, the streamlined body and strong webbed tail both ways of getting around. A swimmer and a flier.

"She's beautiful," Aleni spoke, addressing Srunae again, and smiled at the drowsy chirp that came as a response. "I think... I'll call you Sleek."

[deebear]

Mari had been humming to herself as she tied bunches of herbs, to hang and dry for later use when a sweet, melodic voice rang through her mind. Mari lifted her brow slightly at the words then frowned a little. Sonath, who lay nearby, gave a soft croon at her rider, who felt the curiosity within her and smiled. 'I don't know, darling. You think I should go see what is happening?' Mari laughed a little as Sonath's curiosity grew, as well as her excitement over the thought. 'Alright. You stay here, I will be back soon enough.' Soon!, came her soft whisper of a voice, though Marilsa could hear and sense her excitement regardless. 

A short while later she was walking up to the Weyrleader's door where a few other people had entered. She didn't particularly want to be entering the Weyrleader's personal quarters, it felt wrong. That was where they had been called to, however, and she was curious to see what was hatching. She was assuming firelizards, but they weren't really a mystery anymore.

Moving into the Weyrleader's rooms she kept off to the side until she saw Haella. She made her way over to the other greenrider and gave her a kind smile. She didn't know her extremely well, but she knew her through G'rett and that was good enough for her. "Hello, Haella. What's so mysterious - Oh! What in the name of Faranth is that?" Her eyes went wide as she saw...whatever it was, tumble out of it's egg. It kind of looked like a firelizard crossed with a tunnel snake.

[Zen]

Weyrleader A'zael :: Bronze Fath

Discoverer of Lost Species? A'zael shook his head lightly. So long as one of those lost species didn't end up killing her one day. He sighed, resigned to her obsession with strange pets, and glanced over as Haella entered the room. Srunae moved back against him as the little bronze creature screeched, which worried him slightly since she also said she recognized them. Why was she moving away? He bit back a retort when she said it was good he had clothes on. It was perhaps not entirely appropriate with an audience.

Fath shifted on his stone couch, disappointed his rider had yet to return to his oiling yet. The bronze peered over at the office door as another girl showed up, vaguely curious about what was happening. Danovelith had said something about a hatching. He brightened a bit at the thought. More tinycutes? A'zaelmine areyougettinganothertinycute? He asked his rider excitedly.

A'zael snorted lightly at his dragon's inquiry, Absolutely not. I have enough to do without another creature to take care of.

Fath lowered his head back to the stone, disappointed all over again. Butthetinycutes, Mine.

No.

Srunae started tearing pieces of meat off a fish and told him he might want to stay back if he wasn't planning on bonding one, which wasn't entirely reassuring. They... they spit acid? And she was was offering it food because!? For Faranth's sake. He watched the bronze warily as it scrambled closer to her outstretched hand. She fed it successfully and it seemed to calm down, which had him breathing a sigh of relief. But while he was distracted by Srunae's interaction with the little bronze and worrying about the possibility of it spitting acid at them, another egg broke open.

As Aleni picked up her little green, another, darker green hatched. This one gazed about at the strange creatures gathered around her and creeled her hunger at them, wriggling closer to the nearest one in search of food.

OWNER: Haella
COLOR: Green

APPEARANCE:
On the larger end of the Green size spectrum, this girl will be 19 inches at full growth. She is of average build, with black claws. Her hide is mainly a medium, kelly green, with the undersides of her wings and her tailfork fin being lighter in shade, and her back ridge being darker. She bears no markings.

PERSONALITY: Calm, Friendly, Obedient
This Green is all around a pleasant little girl. She is incredibly tolerant, willing to let just about anyone handle her, and enjoys the attention, though she will never so bold as to demand it. She is incredibly obedient and will always be quick to follow orders, and quick to learn commands. She thrives on pleasing her bonded. She has a calm demeanor and isn't likely to ever get riled by anything short of her bonded being threatened. Toward her bonded's other pets, she is the same way, calm and friendly. She will play with them if they wish, or leave them alone if they make it clear she's not welcome.

A'zael eyed the remaining three eggs as Srunae explained a bit about the species. Seaspitters. Pf. It was then that F'mol slid into the room, looking as though he'd been in quite the hurry. Srunae welcomed him to try to bond one and A'zael gave a short laugh, “Better you than me.” He eyed Srunae briefly, his tone taking on a teasing note again, “And this one would likely bond them all if no one showed up.” She was going to have a whole Wing of pets at her command soon enough.

Fath raised his head again as Danovelith addressed him. Sounding very much like a pouting child, he replied, Hesaidno. Fath rather enjoyed all the little tinycutes, but his rider did not.

Another egg cracked open as another girl joined them, entering the room to stand near Haella. A'zael glanced over at her briefly before returning his attention to the egg, which soon revealed a brown hide. The creature wriggled itself free of the remains of its egg and crooned up at F'mol. It must have been hungry, but it didn't appear as insistent as the rest of its siblings had been.

OWNER: F'mol
COLOR: Brown

APPEARANCE:
Quite large, but slender, this brown will be 29 inches at full growth. His hide is reminiscent of the color of creamed klah, a pale brown, while the undersides of his wings, tailfork fin, and back ridge are all a dark chocolate brown. He is unmarked and has black claws.

PERSONALITY: Quiet, Independent, Lazy
This Brown isn't one to cause a fuss over much of anything; he will be mostly quiet and standoffish, and while he will enjoy affection when it is offered, he can't be bothered to actively seek it out. He will never make a very good messenger, he is far too independent and lazy to want to be running around for his bonded. He much prefers to find a nice shallow pool to wallow in and sun himself. He will be very easy to care for, demanding little of his bonded but a bit of food and a few scratches now and then.

[Alyx]

Haella - Green Tsulocanth

That there were supposed to look like that was a little more alarming to Haella then it should have been. The way they moved, they reminded her a bit of the fish on the docks, dropped out of nets and flopping around on the wooden planks. The young greenrider frowned. Maybe the eggs should have been in water to hatch? Haella scooted a few steps closer, watching as the goldrider favored the weird little bronze with some treats, and then instructed the other girl to do the same. Haella listened to Srunae read from her big book of ‘pet things’ (as Haella had come to call it) and brought a hand up to run her fingers over the green Gemglider on her shoulder.

“Acid? Are they going to be dangerous to other pets? Like the flits and gemies?” Haella focused on the young weyrwoman, taking a solid step back from the table. If these were going to possibly hurt her current horde of companions, she wanted nothing to do with them. She gave the Bronze fawning for Srunae’s attention a guarded look, cupping her hand over Siran. The gemglider seemed to sense Haella’s uncomfortable thoughts and chirped softly, pressing against her hair and neatly trying to hide herself in the strands.

Srunae seemed to miss the fact she just tossed the ‘they spit acid’ thing out there and scared people, continuing to read a bit more out loud about the weird little fishy-flit-things. Seaspitters? Not exactly a charming name, but I did get the point across. “So, will you need to like have a bowl of water for them to be in? I mean, they sort of walk, but it doesn’t look very comfortable.” She eased back up to the table, bringing her hand down from Siran and watching Aleni feed her green a bit more. Another rider came stumbling in; well, not stumbling, but he did look a bit surprised to see the whole thing.

Siran peered at him as he joined them, chirping a little before Haella shushed her. What is it? What is it? Tully picked that moment to flood Haella’s mind, making the greenie wince. ‘They are little water flit things that spit acid.’ Oh –what? Haella could have laughed at the Green’s near dead halt in thought. Marilsa all but snuck up on her, Haella jumping just a bit as the other greenrider appeared at her side. The healer’s reaction got a smile and a laugh. “That, Marilsa, is the million mark question. Srunae was just looking up in her book about them, but don’t step too close. I guess they spit acid or something.”

Aleni collected her green… fishy-flit from the table as the other eggs started to crack. The third, another green, tumbled out and made a horrible noise. Haella frowned, and Siran made a chipping in her ear. It started to wiggle toward her, or them, and she started to step back a little. “You say they won’t spit unless upset, right?” She wasn’t sure she was really up to adding one of these things to her growing flock. She didn’t want it to harm her currents, even if she felt Lord could use a good smack sometimes.

Still, the way the thing moved made Haella’s knees ache. Damn, they were swimmers, they shouldn’t be on a table. Without another thought, she huffed gently and stepped into the space in front of the table, plucking the wiggling green up off the table. “Stop that. Just watching you try to walk makes me hurt.” She set it in her palm, hoping not to get bit or spit on, and shifted to grab a bit of food from the baskets – Srunae said fish, right? If nothing else, these pets were diversifying her own diet.

Using one hand to hold the creature and the other to tear at the fish, she offered a bit to the hatching – knowing doing so was going to bond it into her collection, but… what else was she doing to do? Let it wiggle around and hurt itself. “Here you go.” She kept her voice gentle, watching the green peer at her with red eyes before the little jaws claimed the meal from her fingers. And, thankfully, didn’t bite her. Haella smiled a little, then looked at Srunae. “Okay, what else does that book say about them?”

She ripped a bit more of the fish, offering little bits to the Green until it finally yawned and curled up in her palm. The warm feeling, slipping into her thoughts was something she was not used to. Okay then… “I guess… hm. Kelpe is as good of a name as any. Like green sea grass.” Siran took the chance to escape Haella’s shoulder, climbing down her bonded’s sleeve to sniff at the little strange creature in Haella’s hand.

[avon]

V'rat had been in the middle of oiling Killith, and the Brown was luxuriating in the attention. Still, a message from a Gold was more than enough to distract him. There are new pets in the Weyrleader's office. You should go, he told his rider. V'rat looked down at himself--his hands were covered in oil, and he was wearing old, patched clothes that could get dirty. Shrugging, he wiped his hands on his trousers and headed for the office. If things were hatching, there was no time to lose.

My rider will be along shortly. Thank you for the notice, my Queen. I hope you are faring well today. Do you need company while your rider is occupied with the mystery creatures? Sure, Danovelith hadn't been addressing him individually, but he planned to take advantage of having a Gold's attention for even a moment.

V'rat rolled his eyes at his dragon's flirting. The Brown never seemed to stop. He picked up the pace, wanting to get there before all the eggs had hatched, and was soon walking into the Weyrleader's office.

"Hey Az, man, Weyrleader..." It took him a second to get the proper address. "Hi Srunae. What have we got here?" He sidled up beside Haella, trying to get a look. "Ooh, they're like fish lizards." His eyes widened. That would be useful for a fisher crafter. Plus, they were adorable.

[Zen]

Weyrleader A'zael

The final two eggs broke open nearly simultaneously, revealing two blues to round out the little clutch of six. The smaller and brighter of the two lay splayed where it was, looking incredibly pitiful and letting out the loudest, most demanding creeling. Meanwhile the larger one took to clambering toward the strange creatures gathered around the table, wings flapping rather uselessly as it tried to propel itself forward. A'zael watched the two blues from behind Srunae, mostly just trying to stay out of the way so not one tried to force one on him. V'rat entered the room, offering him and Srunae a greeting before trying to get a closer look at the things. A'zael took the opportunity to encourage him to try for one, before Srunae claimed another for herself, “Those two blues just hatched if you want one, apparently they like fish.”

OWNER: V'rat
COLOR: Blue

APPEARANCE:
On the smaller side, this blue will be 18 inches at full growth with white claws. A bright turquoise in color, this blue is rather striking. His coloration fades into lighter and darker shades, brighter on his underbelly, darker on the undersides of his wings, brighter on his back ridge, but with darker tips. Slender and quick, he appears as if a living embodiment of the sea.

PERSONALITY: Dramatic, Loud, Needy
This Blue is the drama queen of all drama queens. He is incredibly needy, clinging to His and demanding near constant attention, and when he doesn't get it? The most pitiful creeling will ensue until he does, as well as an attempt to make a nest on his bonded's head, to further garner attention. If his bonded somehow manages to ignore all this, he may very well disappear for days on end to sulk, giving his bonded the silent treatment until he is placated with treats and attention to make up for the horrible offense. However, when he DOES get the attention he desires, he trills nearly constantly and is incredibly affectionate in return. As long as he gets plenty of attention, he'll be happy to serve His however he can.

OWNER: Marilsa
COLOR: Blue

APPEARANCE:
Large for a blue, this boy will be 25 inches at full growth. He is cerulean in color, with a darker back ridge. The undersides of his wings and tailfork fin are lighter in color. He is completely unmarked and has black claws.

PERSONALITY: Reckless, Adventurous, Unruly
This Blue is going to be quite the handful. He will be entirely unreliable as a messenger, not that anyone could ever train him to be one in the first place. He is incredibly unruly, and though someone with a strong will CAN get him to settle down, that doesn't mean he's going to be any more obedient. He will pop off randomly, seeking out new and exciting things to do, and will likely find himself in trouble quite often. Being that this Blue is a bit of a daredevil, his bonded will need to take care that he doesn't disappear and never return after getting himself into a dangerous situation.

[deebear]

She flushed a little when Haella jumped because of her sudden appearance. "Sorry.", she offered with an apologetic smile. She blinked and looked over at Srunae then just as quickly looked back at Haella, slightly alarmed. "Well, that's concerning, I hope they are safe to have.", she said quietly. "Though I suppose it wouldn't be much different than having firelizards, they can breathe fire.", she mused softly as she watched someone gather up a tiny little green...whatever it was as another made its way across the table. 


The creatures had been accurately described as mysterious. They moved about awkwardly on feet that looked more like claw-tipped flippers, their wings were far too small and their faces too long. They were the type of creature that was so awkward looking it was actually cute. She watched Haella pluck a wriggling little green off the table with a grin. "Congratulations. You have a...wriggling, flappy, spitty pet...thing." If the creatures had been given a name she probably missed it but would inquire about it later, she wasn't worried about it.



She felt Sonath in the back of her mind, poking about with curiosity. She watched Haella as she fed her new charge and send as clear a picture as she could to her dragon. Sonath's curiosity grew, but Mari couldn't tell if she was thrilled with the idea. 'Apparently they are swimmers and spit acid, which is something that burns like fire, only it is liquid.' It took a few moments for Sonath to acknowledge that she had understood what her rider meant. She decided she wasn't as curious anymore but still lingered in the back of Mari's mind.



Marilsa had been amusing herself watching Haella's new little pet when she heard the unmistakable sound of shells breaking. Dark eyes slid from Haella's now sleeping little critter to the table where there were now two more of said creatures, both beautiful variations of blue. She lifted a brow in slight concern over the lighter and smaller of the pair. The sound it made was fairly alarming, though not quite as alarming as the rate the larger one was moving about. Should he have been moving that fast right out of the egg? And what was he doing with those useless little wings? Were they useless? Her thoughts were quickly interrupted when the silly thing nearly took a nosedive off the table. "Oh!", was all she managed to say before she had dashed forward to catch the little thing right as it toppled off the table, right into her waiting hand.



She quickly laid her other hand gently on his wings and back so he wouldn't wiggle off her hand. Someone offered her a bowl containing chunks of fish, which of course caused the creature in her hands to wiggle even more violently. Of course, it was hungry, why wouldn't it be? "Shells...", she said as the thing gave a piteous cry and started trying to chew on her hand. "Ow! Alright you little beast, here!", she told it, managing to only sound slightly scolding as she shoved a piece of fish in its face. Whirling red eyes looked up at her with its head tilted just slightly before the chunk of fish was snatched from her fingers. Another couple of bits of fish and she looked over at Haella with a hopeless grin. "Guess I now have a wriggling, flappy, spitty pet too. Won't G'rett be jealous?"



She fed the thing a couple more pieces of fish until his belly was bulging. Her new pet was rubbing his face all over her palm while curling his tail through her fingers. She couldn't help but smile just a bit as it looked up at her with its strange little face, eyes whirling as she felt a little rush of contentment, then a rise in Sonath's curiously. Mar?, Sonath's question made her smile a bit. 'Seems we have a new friend.', she told her as she sent her an image of the little blue critter in her hand. Said critter licked her hand then belched and curled up. New Friend! Mari could feel Sonath's excitement and knew she would have to bring the little thing to her soon.



"I suppose you'll need a name now." She paused a moment then said, "I think I'll call you Rascal." The little blue looked up at her as if acknowledging his new name then tucked himself into a ball and closed his eyes.

[Esko]

F'mol of bronze Zenoth

Now that he was actually here, F'mol took a second to realize how silly he must've looked. His ultimate goal in life was to not stand out, yet here he was. Standing in a high-ranking weyr with an oil-splattered shirt and an angry firelizard flapping around his head. The Junior Weyrwoman seemed to be nice enough, though, and F'mol attempted to ignore his brown while he picked up a handful of fish. He also tried to ignore the fact that these things spat acid, even though it was revealed to not melt any limbs off. It still wasn't good! But the creatures...they were just so cute, he wanted to snuggle one. Zenoth received the wave of appreciation from the queen and simply sent back a wave of confirmation to her as he resumed his favorite activity; hunting. F'mol left his bronze be as he approached the cluster of eggs...

And the one nearest to him cracked right open! Its contents spilled out, and the creature laid on the ground after spending all that effort trying to break out. He looked up at F'mol and crooned calmly, as if he were...relaxed. Relaxed? Generally firelizards were frantic to find food, but maybe these guys were different? He couldn't be sure. Tearing one of the fish in half, the bronzerider deposited its flesh into the creature's open jaws. He chewed calmly, then opened his craw for more. F'mol could feel the familiar feeling of the creature's mind tying to his, the brown's eyes whirling rainbow. Fargo puffed his chest out and tried to determine who was boss, but the baby brown was too busy eating to give a shard. Why should he? The adult brown didn't scare him. Besides, fish was way more important, didn't he know that?

Picking up the brown once he was full, F'mol watched as two more of the things hatched, both pretty blue colors. The clutch was small, piteously small, but one of the eggs hatched into a bronze. So it had to be a gold's clutch then? He took mental note of the clutch's numbers; two greens, two blues, his brown and a bronze. Were some of the eggs taken? "Where was the clutch found? Who found it? He asked curiously. Was it this woman who discovered it, or some bloke looking for marks? Though, he had to admit; the eggs of these guys could go for a lot.