Old Blood Frenzy

Last updated: December 20th 2011

Nexus Board: Old Blood Frenzy: Accepting Candidates All interactions will be carried out through the forum!

Wave 1 Mateeka could not help but feel a swell of pride as she looked over the intensely populated sands. What had initially been "less than fifteen females" turned out to be much more like twenty-one females and certain grumpy dispositions made it necessary to spread them out considerably. Still, they had managed to pull together a rather passable clutching ground. Engineers had squabbled endlessly over various requirements such as a permanent roof made of something called a polymer, a source of fresh water nearby for the mothers and more efficient candidate and weyrling areas. They got what they wanted. Of course, that was only half the battle. The winter cold had ramped up quickly and they were forced to play host to a group of surly fire mages plucked out of Kaigan Shi in order to save the large amount of eggs. Extremely surly fire mages. Luckily, they were both gifted and competent, not to mention eager to earn bonus points with their strange dragon overlords. The result was a huge lukewarm cavern full of sand, irritable sandy dragon mothers, sandy eggs, sandy fire mages, sandy candidates in sandy robes and slightly less sandy spectators. That last was a godsend. The surprisingly clean air vibrated with the traditional hum signalling an Old World hatching. "I'm so glad I listened to you about the ventilation." Mateeka whispered to Harran Nell seated behind her. "I think everyone is glad." He replied mildly and smiled. She had grown to like him over these past few months. To her right, the entire Council of Enzan Shi was seated in their respective choices of flight, casual or formal gear. Beyond them sat a very uncomfortable Nydohanyth serving as First Ranger of Kreide Sanctuary and beyond him sat Covelord Sijal of Kreide Cove, a newly formed home for a group of refugees from somewhere called Taka. To her left sat her husband, somehow still presentable and exuding leadership despite his relaxed sprawl. Beyond him, the rest of the gold riders and their mates. She marvelled at everyone's decision to attend the hatching on such short notice. Dignitaries were seldom so reliable. She was certain there were more foreign dignitaries in the stands but was grateful that those pleasantries lay firmly on the shoulders of the Rurachi and Rurahu. Their section mainly consisted of the crew responsible for keeping the eggs alive, engineers and mages alike. The former generally wore the utilitarian uniforms of SULA though some had decided to stay and now wore Shintaru's sigil on hide clothing. The latter were as diverse as their powers, ranging from the eye-searingly flamboyant to the extremely dull. The candidates had filed out onto the sands accompanied by their traditional winged wolf guides. Due to the amount of interest in the frenzy, Mateeka managed to convince them to play nice and let all ranks participate in the procession. Of course, this led to a ridiculous looking procession but Mateeka felt good about her decision. The wagging tails and happy smiles from the wolves' bonded enforced that notion. They had positioned the candidates in the middle of the sands for a better view and an easier trek for the babies. Now they sat with baited breath waiting for the eggs to finally hatch. "This waiting is almost worse than being in labour." Coreithel growled beside her. Mateeka rolled her eyes, "What you had barely counted as labour." Coreithel smirked at her and for a moment it felt like old times. Before the volcano and the politics, before the flood of refugees and the endless search for more, before the stress of choosing a leader and growing up. It was like they were two girls thrust into weyrlinghood together, unsure of their prospects but utterly delighted by their new friends. The sands suddenly went quiet. Everyone was holding their breath. An egg snapped open with a sound like a gunshot. Mateeka jumped, her heart in her throat, and she was thrown back in time. Her dragon crooning in her mind brought her back and found each of her hands clenching her neighbour's. They were holding on just as tight. Be still, mine, it's just an eager baby. Kameith told her. She assumed other dragons were doing the same as the pressure on her hands lessened. The Rurachi took her hand back but K'rin entwined his fingers with hers. The big bronze hatchling looked surprised and embarrassed by all the eyes on him. He glanced around the sands as if unsure until his mother Caneo'Mybl pushed him forward with a surprising gentleness. ("See, told you she had a heart." K'rin muttered.) As the bronze made his way toward the candidates, he paused and glanced to the side. He hurried over to an egg that had rolled from Kaieth's nest and helped pry it open. The little blue crooned in appreciation and joined him for the rest of the walk. The blue charged forward first, unable to contain his excitement. Ajarlit! Ajarlit! Did you see that? He totally helped me get out of my egg! How awesome is that? I think he's really awesome. Not as awesome of you, of course, but still, wow! The small boy eyed him uneasily, "So.. we're bonded then." I know! Isn't that awesome? You and I are going to be a wonderful team, I know it. You're going to be fantastic. Think of it, A'lit, rider of blue Elleth. It'll be wonderful! The blue said gleefully, trailing after his less enthusiastic human. The bronze waited patiently for the blue to finish his tirade before moving forward to claim Vesunte. The quiet boy smiled and leaned down to touch the dragon's head. My name is Venez'Cach. The dragonet told him. While everyone was focused on the candidates, a green made her stately way from her mother's nest to the centre. She then sat in front of the line of candidates and trilled in despair, unable to find her chosen. Zhube stepped forward urgently, "Privareth, I'm right here!" She said. The green crooned instantly and went to her. Another green approached the candidates, though she had hatched some time ago. She poked at every strange bit of sand and tried to climb into every nest on her way, sometimes having to run from a lashed tail or snapped jaws. Unfazed, she continued onward with a bounce in her step. Oh do stop standing back there Zophene and come meet your new best friend. The dragonet grinned, I am Zozen'Much. Kaieth let out a smug bugle to draw attention to her nest. Once she was certain she had everyone's eyes, she leaned back and pushed forward a much larger egg than the others. It throbbed. As one, the crowd began to whisper. "A gold." "It's a gold egg." "A queen!" The words bounced off of the dome and magnified, turning the whisper into a chant. Mateeka glanced behind her and saw Harran smile every so slightly. Crafty bastard. The egg cracked, splintered and then was simply shed from the golden hide. The dragonet straightened, stretching her wings and gave a large yawn which made the crowd chuckle. Her hide was dappled with bronze. She then stepped toward the candidates waiting in the centre, examining each of them with a great deal of interest. Unfortunately she took too long and her green sister happily pranced past toward one of the girls. The gold watched her go with a slight snort which made the green pull up short. They exchanged what must have been an interesting conversation, with the green cowering and the gold shaking her head in a remarkably human gesture. Eventually, the gold pushed the green forward with both paws and a snip at her flank. Jadelle! The green chirped, making one of the girls jump and recoil. Oh please don't be scared of me! I'm your Shoranath. I want to love you. Nervously, the girl let the dragonet sniff her hand but jumped when she licked it. She did, however, let herself be ushered off by a winged wolf attendant with the dragon at a close distance. With that done, the gold walked straight to her choice of Myuhezhme. The girl gave a nod, "Memelinath." The pair walked from the sands. During that time, a group of hatchlings had gathered at the edge of the candidate area. A blue with stars speckling his wings, a cloudy brown, a funny looking green and a normal green. The blue made his move first, stepping up to the runner racer Taederot. You are a fine candidate – the best one here, I'd say. They were right to Search you. Too bad I'm going to steal you from all the other dragons waiting here. He grinned a toothy grin. Kameith relayed the dragon's name as Wireanth. The strange green glanced at the others, who seemed hesitant, before stepping forward. She walked down the line of candidates, pausing now and then to stare at them. She looked at Bhanalyve and crooned softly, I am sorry for what you have endured and what you have lost. She said. The other green barrelled into her then, You can't have her! You can't have my Bhanalyve! She's mine! She needs me! The strange-looking green backed off immediately. Bhanalyve stepped forward to console her bond, glancing often at the other dragon, "You could have been more polite, Pith." She murmured. The green had moved down the line by then and suddenly stopped, retracing her steps to Loe. Is that really all you own? She asked. "E'llith! That's private!" The young woman responded defensively, making the hatchling whistle an apology. Finally came the brown. As he approached Nian, a winged wolf broke rank and charged between them, bristling defensively. "Ven, stop that!" The girl ordered, pushing past his protective wings, "Nellianth won't hurt me." A blue and a green raced for the candidates from different nests. The blue was whistling and chirping excessively, as if to keep the green motivated to continue the chase. They reached the centre at the same time and barrelled toward their candidates, coincidentally standing side by side. Mine, mine, mine! The blue chattered, skidding to a stop at the same time the green did. I don't even know you but I love you! The two candidates looked at each other and the boy grimaced. Neither one of them stepped forward to claim the little blue. Now, that's awkward. The green commented. Well, Veqqa? The girl nodded, "Alright, Quelianth." That left the boy and the blue, who wagged his tail eagerly. Well Tyenton? T'on? I'm going to call you T'on. I like you. "Trath," The boy responded, almost coldly, and walked away. The dragonet followed him obliviously, prancing with joy and likely talking constantly in his new bond's head. Mateeka wondered if her children would react similarly if they bonded beneath their expectations and winced, "We'll have to make sure K'aym keeps an eye on that pair, it's going to be quite the adjustment for that boy." A stream of bubbles drew the crowd's attention then, slowly floating from the nest of Nemeriath toward the candidates. A green dragon with white wings followed her bubbles, attempting to pop each one with greater and greater acrobatics. Eventually, she stumbled up to Fayosha. Oh! Hello! The girl knelt and hugged the dragonet, "Dare!" Mateeka leaned toward her husband, "What did she say?" "I think the dragon's name is Dare." K'rin replied, taking his eyes off the hatching to kiss her cheek. A clouded blue reared up on his hind legs to place his front paws on Dorozer's chest. Although you have a head start, I'm fairly certain I will someday match your count. The young man blinked away from a cute girl along the line and then grinned, "You think so, Codianth?" Well I certainly expect you to make good sport of it at least. The dragon replied, leaning back with a satisfied nod. A green and a brown bumped into each other on their examination of the candidates and two youths ran forward. The girl reached the dragons first and tried to untangle them only to be rudely shoved aside by the boy. "Hey!" She shouted, punching him in the shoulder, "You can't have Niketh, you jerk!" Don't get your panties in a knot, Faunsey, he doesn't want me. The green replied, finally wiggling off the other dragon. The brown had managed to wedge himself into a ditch unseen in the sand and the boy struggled to pull him out. "That stupid girl. What did she do to you, Ornez'Cach? She'll definitely pay." That was hardly her fault, Orespi. The brown chided gently, pulling himself out of the ditch. He made sure to keep his bond away from Faunsey and Niketh, though. A rather nondescript blue made his way forward to Sorrou and spoke softly, 'That skull had a tongue in it, and could sing once'. I hope your skull continues to sing for some time. "I won't sing anything happy, Trith." The young man replied. The dragon nodded, Good. Another blue, smaller this time, snuck up on Ayethat. I like your mind. He said. The man jumped and whirled to stare at him, "Olith?" What? Oh, no, I'm Cath. Sorry about that. The curious pair made their way out of the sands. A ridiculously bright dragon made his way down the line, making one candidate cringe away from his multicoloured wings. He paused and looked at the candidate. What's the matter, Beamal? "Rough night." The man answered. The dragon smirked, Yeah. Right. Let's get you somewhere out of the light. K'rin nudged her and nodded toward the far end of the candidate area. She recognized the surly albino candidate that had concerned Kabaym throughout the wait for the hatching. Luckily, he was face to face with a special looking blue with grey wings. They said nothing that the engineers' microphones could amplify. E'vih and Sigieth. Kameith relayed. Another boy and girl pair were struggling to reach a green and blue pair of dragons first without realizing it. "Wait! Not yet!" The girl insisted but the boy ignored her and pushed forward. He slipped up to his thigh in the sand. An oath escaped his lips as he faltered, unable to pull free right away. The blue grabbed his shirt in his teeth and gave him a tug, That was silly Maomoa. You should've seen the signs in the sand. Here, I will teach you. "Chamenth," The boy said softly, patting the dragon's nose awkwardly. Meanwhile, the girl had made it safely to a green with ruby wings. You will take me exploring won't you, Ketzia? The girl laughed, "Absolutely, Ananth." And I'll meet this... runner of yours? I won't eat him. I promise I'll be very good. The green continued eagerly, making some of the audience chuckle. A green was running around on the ground chasing the reflection of a shiny object from the stands. She bumped into Oneyx, who caught the dragon instead of falling over. "Easy there, Briaraneth." On the opposite end of the line, a white dragon was facing off with a puppy and every telepath in the hall was wincing. Kameith stopped their nonsense with a quick bugle and a scathing glare. Both animals fell in beside Risler. The white's name is Teranenth. Kameith offered. Meanwhile a brown with gold wings and a shining blue approached the candidates. The former glared down every slouching or distracted candidate he passed before he reached the still attentive Melaryah. You. He sat. The man nodded, "Hello, Feygerith. I suspect you're hungry?" The two made their way from the sands quietly, though the dragon continued to glare at all the underperforming candidates in the line. The blue nudged Varafe with his nose, 'It is not enough to stare up the steps – we must step up the stairs'. The hulking man smiled, "Mueneth." Another multicoloured dragon, this one shades of green, gold and cream, slowly approached a rather shellshocked looking girl named Danys. Will you have me? She asked, ducking her head bashfully. At Danys' smile, the green gave an excited squeak and headbutted her new human, I'm Feyth. A blue paused at the edge of the candidate area to preen in the attention he was getting. Once he had his fill, he looked right at his chosen. Zanmuw! Come bask with me. The young man looked up at the voice but managed to keep from jumping. He fixed his hair and walked to his dragon. "I suppose you'll do, Chaguth." He stated. The dragon smirked and the two fell into step as if it was choreographed. A brown that was a deep orange and a dragon splotched green, purple and red both approached the candidates. The pool of available humans had grown quite small now and very few eggs were still rocking. "Guess the dragons were right about this hatching in waves." Mateeka murmured, earning a disgruntled noise from Coreithel. The two dragons did not fight or squabble and instead walked quite amenably to their humans. The brown stopped in front of Maeyz and sat down, simply staring up at the man. The human knelt and took the dragon's face in his hands, "Hello, Chassieth." The other dragon nodded agreeably to each candidate she passed. She probably thought she was being cheerful but their disappointed faces after she moved away proved otherwise. Finally, Buvvey stepped out of the line, "Come on, Seniath!" She called. With a happy chirp, the dragon promptly ignored the other candidates and followed her bond. One of the second dragon's siblings had followed her to the candidate area but he carried something. He had an eggshell carefully cradled in his mouth and sat on his hind legs to present it to Dunipe. I thought you might want to make a toy out of this. The human took it, "Thanks, Allioth! Not sure what I'll make though..." I'm sure you'll think of something. The dragon responded, dropping back down to all fours. Two of the ruby-winged siblings now approached the candidates. The brown made a chirping sound and the green nodded to him before going to her chosen. You seem interesting. She said to Wennashi. "You sure you want to come? It's a bit boring at times." The woman replied. It's not always boring, though! Besides, I like science. I want to help you with science. She grinned. "Welcome to the team, Covenorth." The woman held out a hand, which the dragon reared to shake. The brown had continued down the line to a large burly man by the name of Quarrap. I think it's time for food, don't you? "Alright, Mikuth," The man fell into step beside the brown. A woman who was examining her nails screeched and jumped when a particularly annoyed dragon pointedly drooled on her shoes, "Ew, gross, Kimalonth! Why did you do that?" The green narrowed her eyes in one of the most condescending expressions Mateeka had ever seen on a dragon, Oh I am going to have my hands full with you, Arondra. She said sourly before nipping at her human's sleeve and leading the way to the food. A blue dragon approached Balpheron by walking through the line of the candidates as if they did not exist. He stepped around only his chosen then looked back, Well? Are you coming? "Only if you stop walking through people, Venarath." The boy responded, though he was already moving after the dragon. The bookish Rothinea was surprised to find a lime green hatchling at her feet, "Oh. Hi Millen." The dragon trilled in response. Another rainbow dragon and two greens and moved toward the centre. The shiny green was first to move, though some missed her quiet prowl past much of the line to Lhohas. She grinned up at the human with a certain shyness. "Oh yes, I think we'll get along quite well, Siyeth." The young woman said with a wry smile. The rainbow one approached a young woman with white hair. My Mysidhe. She said simply. The woman nodded, "My Kilafemaleth." (K'rin chuckled at the name.) After several moments of thought, the plain green stepped carefully up to Myua. I am Sharmieth. She said. This other woman with white hair nodded, "I know." Polorem jumped when his dragon headbutted him in the knees. Smirking as the young man wiggled away, the dragon sat back on his haunches, So. Did you give her the present yet? "Cellanth..." His bond said warningly, looking around. The blue made a sound that Mateeka assumed was a giggle and trotted off the sands. His rider followed, looking rather bewildered. A green and a night blue converged on the candidates from opposite sides of the area. One of them had to nip his rider repeatedly before the boy paid attention, Come on, Ninizoh, we have a whole universe to map out! Finally the boy started and stared, "Fugath." He breathed. Meanwhile, the green walked past everyone with her nose in the air until she reached the end of the line. Then she sat and grumbled wordlessly until her father answered. Don't be foolish, she's right there. Haeth rumbled. The hatchling turned and peered down the line again until she located her human, Are you playing dead, Unevy? She demanded. The woman smiled slightly, "No, Grevanth." Pity. You'll show me your tricks some day. With that comment, the green headed for the offered food. And then the sands were still. Mateeka sighed and squeezed her husband's hand, "Looks like we have another few months of this." Coreithel also sighed, "I'll make sure to extend the contracts for the mages and recruit replacements." "Did we even make a dent?" K'rin wondered, watching the females lower back over their broods. "Doubt it. Flloi'Gwmi didn't hatch a single one." Mateeka replied, voice low. "Wonderful," Coreithel breathed. Despite the irritation, Mateeka could not help but continue to feel proud at how well the first wave had gone. Her people had performed admirably. The people they had been loaned had performed excellently. All in all, it could not have gone much better. Well, unless all the eggs had hatched, but that was a minor hiccup as far as hatching hiccups were concerned. "C'mon, we have a traditional feast and everything." She urged the remaining guests. Dragons by Owner Shard Feyloth & B'mal Seniath & Buvvey Memelinath & Myu Sigieth & E'vih Niketh & Faunsey Venarath & Ph'ron Ananth & Ketzia StarFyre Feygerith & M'yah Trath & T'on Pith & Bhanalyve Stardancer Chassieth & M'eyz Trith & S'ou Zozen'Much & Zophene Saeri Elleth & A'lit Grevanth & Unevy Kitsuneko Mikuth & Q'ap Chameth & M'moa Sharmieth & Myua Codianth & D'zer Fugath & N'zoh Dare & Fayosha Allioth & D'pe Mueneth & V'fe Privareth & Zhube Yakima Teranenth & R'lis Cellanth & P'lor Feyth & Danys Nellianth & Nian Kilafemaleth & Mysidhe Venez'Cach & V'tes Erinnyes Briaraneth & Oneyx Cath & A'that Ornez'Cach & O'spi Dray Covenorth & Wennashi Millen & Rothinea Wireanth & T'dot Quelianth & Veqqa Shoranth & Jadelle Delyar Kimalonth & Arondra E'llith Dazony & Loe Chaguth & Z'muw Siyeth & Lhohas

IC Backstory . Applicants Participants . Flight Story . Clutching Story . Pairings Candidates . Hatching Story . Riders

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