A Shift in the Winds [Winds of Change CLUTCHING]

[Alyx]

Melana and Gold Sularenth
Month 2, Day 17, Turn 2762, roughly a candlemark or so after midnight

Melana, Wake Up Now. The words rang over Mel’s brain, jerking her awake in her sleeping furs. Instantly, a hand came to her forehead, trying to tune out the pulsing in her temples. ‘Did you have to sharding shout?’ There was a rumble in the dark; not a dangerous one – well, not as dangerous as normal. Would you rather I had let you sleep while I laid? It was a bitter, angry tone, with an edge of hurt. Melana shook her dark hair out of her eyes and looked across the vast space between her and the door that ledge to Sularenth’s ledge.

The curtain between them was askew, and the faint shimmer of the massive snout filled the door in its place. Sularenth made another noise, shifting her bulk beyond the door, and Melana felt the wave of tempered labors the dragon was blocking from her. The woman smiled. ‘No, no, you are right. Hold on, let me get something on and grab my bag.’ Quickly. Sularenth’s voice held its normal command, but the softer end was there. Now that her rider was awake, she pulled her head back, letting the curtain fall back into place.

Melana had clothing set out – she’d been doing so for the past seven-days or so, just to be sure she wouldn’t have to hunt for things when the time came. Sularenth might love her, but the dragon’s patience had a very short limit. A pair of soft brown suede breeches, mid-calf boots so as to not get sand in them, a loose shift, and a heavier, soft-knitted sweater over it to make sure she was warm for the flight down. A bag with Sularenth’s hatching ledger and ink to record the Clutching, a book to pass some time, and a few quick treats to nibble on… over the shoulder and out the curtain.

Sularenth was waiting; preached on the edge of the ledge, impatient to be off. ‘Thank you for waking me.’ You did ask. The massive Gold waited just long enough for her rider to be secured before she launched off the ledge; the motion, even if they weren’t that high up, took her breath away. The Queen quieted the Watchdragon with a rumble, then spiraled into the opening for the Hatching Cavern. ‘Have you let Gamath know?’ Sularenth’s wide bulk tilted, dropping with less grace than normal toward the Sand. The landing was a bit rough, but Melana didn’t hold it against the Gold. No, I have not. Should I?

Melana resisted rolling her eyes. The memories of why she disliked the Bronze might have faded, but the dislike itself seemed to remain. ‘Yes, you should. He is the clutchfather, and B’rax will want to know as Weyrleader.’ Sula snorted, crouching to let Melana climb down. Very well, if I must. Melana smiled. ‘Yes, you must.’ Sularenth hissed, then bumped the small woman with her nose softly in the direction of the edge of the Sand. Brat. ‘Beast.’ Melana quickly trotted off a bit from the Gold, giving Sularenth room to move.

Gamath. ‘Nicely.’ Sularenth shot her a short look, rumbling in the silence of the Cavern. Gamath, my Rider says I should inform you that we are in the Hatching Cavern. She assumed you and your rider would like to know. Well, at least it was sort of polite? At least the tone hadn’t been too loud. Melana sorted herself in short order, claiming a bench and a cooler spot on the Sands to set herself up while Sula set about digging her wallow in the hotter, center of the Cavern.

It was just a bit before Nooning when Sularenth informed her rider that she was finished. The watchdragon, though cowed by Sularenth into silence, had been kind enough to inform someone in the Kitchens; It had been shortly after the third egg had rested to the Sands when someone had shown up with tea, klah, and breakfast. B’rax had checked in on her a few times, Gamath keeping a wary distance from the Gold as she worked. Sularenth had only hissed at him once since he’d arrived, then promptly let the Bronze watch from the ledges above.

‘May I?’ Melana watched the Gold shift the eggs, finding endless amusement in the seemingly random yet deliberate way Sularenth arranged them. Sula paused, giving her rider a wary look before rumbling gently. Step carefully. ‘I will, I promise.’

Nineteen… nineteen eggs. More than the last by four, and if Sularenth’s senses were to be trusted, there were no duds in this one. Melana took her dragon’s blessing and walked among the small bunches of still soft eggs, marveling at the size and colors, and the differences between each. She did her best to pick out specific and special things about each, needing to be able to record them on her parchment in a way she’d be able to identify them from one another. ‘This one reminds me of yours.’ Sularenth looked up from her shifting, marking the faintly glittering egg in front of her rider.

It is not like me. It is its own beast. ‘Is it a Gold?’ Sularenth snorted at the question, and Melana couldn’t help but smile. It is not. ‘Would you tell me if it was?’ Sula tilted her head, making a noise in her golden throat that sounded very much light a laugh. I would not tell you it was not if it was. ‘That wasn’t what I asked.’ The dragon didn’t reply, unwilling to play Melana’s game any further. She knew she couldn’t write down what she guessed each egg would be – at least not in her official ledger. But it was very fun to guess; she’d been pretty spot on the last time, after all.

Making her way back to her things, she tapped the Sand off her boots and collected her ledger. Using the bench as a desk, Melana glanced once more at the clutch in detail, then began to scribble down the defining details. ‘Reminder; I have to go over clutching ledgers with Aleni.’ I doubt I will remember. ‘Sorry, that was more for me than you, Love.’ Sularenth grumbled back, sending a rare rush of warmth over the link to her rider as the Gold settled to lay in a half-moon curl around her clutch. She could almost wrap them, her tail flicking out and around to block as much access to the bunch and Melana focused on her records.

Gold Sularenth, Second Clutch
Sire, Bronze Gamath of B’rax
Month 2, Day 17, Turn 2762
Egg count; 19

Stout Egg, Broad Egg
Both eggs are round structures, more ball-like than ‘egg-like’ in shape. Average colored, but their rotund shape makes them less appealing to look at than one more have expected. Stout is slightly darker, almost a tanner tone than its partner, Broad.

Flashy Egg, Glossy Egg
A perfectly shaped pair, as eggs should be. Both are smooth, with a pearly sheen to them. Glossy seems smoother of the two, with Flashy almost seeming to have a glittery shimmer to it.

Dark Egg, Cold Egg
An odd pairing; Dark is deep brown, almost black colored egg with very little surface change. Cold is a faded, pale blue, with slim white lines over its shell that looks like cracking ice. Sularenth dubs it fine and adds the ‘crack-like lines’ are simply patterning.

Dazzling Egg, Blushing Egg
Dazzling is almost pure white, so much that it is hard to compare it to anything other than fresh snow or summer clouds. Blushing, in contrast, is a vibrant pink-red, lighter on the tip/peak and blending into almost a deep, redfruit shade on the belled bottom. This duo stands out very much on the Sands.

Earthy Egg, Wisp Egg, Blaze Egg
A trio of eggs, clustered toward the center of the group; Earthy is a reddish-brown, like wet clay. Wisp is a faded swirl of blue and white, looking like windswept clouds. And Blaze is one of the brightest eggs with a mixture of yellows and oranges mottled over its shell.

Tunnel Egg, Root Egg
Tunnel and Root, both shades of Brownish-yellow. Both are partly buried in the Sands, Tunnel seeming to rest partly on top of Root’s wider point. Root is darker and seems to be much larger than it appears, given how much is buried under the Sands. Sularenth declares they are both healthy at laying, but doesn’t explain why she opted to nearly bury the pair.

Spotted Egg, Petite Egg, Exotic Egg
Another trio settled closer to Sularenth’s resting spot. Spotted is average-sized pale cream and splattered with khal-colored splashes of deep brown. Petite is the smallest egg of the clutch, perfectly plain with its faint, soft bluey tones. Exotic is oddly placed with them; one of the largest eggs in the batch, its sheen seems to shift colors, like a spill of cooking oil. Untoned, it seems to be a copper brown, but the sheen makes it hard to be sure.

Rusted Egg, Rebel Egg, Tarnished Egg
A pair resting near Sularenth. Originally a trio, before Sularenth separated the Tarnished egg from them. Rusted is just that, an average-sized egg with a rough texted surface; it is deep copper-brown, but flat in color. Rebel seems normal enough, average in size and faintly colored tan, but the Egg seems to move from its spot often. Sularenth seems to be constantly returning it to its position at least once a candle mark.

Tarnished Egg*
While it was originally laid with the Rusted and Rebel Eggs, Sularenth has moved it to rest closest to her as its final position, almost against her side. Not large enough to be a Gold, this egg is clearly special to Sularenth. The surface appears to be glossy, deeper gilded color like a polished Mark, but at the same time dull and faded, like it’s been left to weather a rainy season. It is a larger than average egg, and with its seeming importance to Sularenth, should be treated with care. WARNING: Sularenth is very protective of this egg, candidates should approach with caution.

Melana frowned softly, looking up from her notes to survey the Gold and her clutch once more. Maybe she needed to learn to be more creative with her names and descriptions in the future? After all, one really could only find so many ways to rework the words 'round' and 'white' in one sharding document.


OOC Note for Future: At the Touching, the Dazzling Egg will be off-limits! As it was written for one of Zen’s characters but not by Zen, she can’t do the interactions because she knows nothing about the occupant. The others will be fair game though!