Joy and excitement infected anyone and everyone in High Reaches Weyr. It was the first Hatching of the Turn and all forty-six eggs were large and healthy, including the even larger golden egg of the new queen. It was a bright, sunny day; the first day of spring was already promising.
All fifty candidates rushed to the mouth of the Hatching Grounds, their white robes glistening in the sunlight. They waited none too patiently for the bronze dragons to take them onto the hot sands of the ground. All eyes gleamed happily as they hurriedly climbed onto the dragon's necks, all trying to get a feel of how it would feel once they had their own dragon.
A deep, yet low sound began to echo through the enclosure. It was a great humming noise that reverberated through the warm air. All heads first turned to the dragons as they marveled at the great sound they were creating, then back to the eggs as the humming ceased and the first egg began to rock.
Great bronze dragons swooped over the eggs and deposited the candidates just out of reach of the large queen dragon, who sat watching as her third clutch began to hatch. While some boys were staring at the queen, most had their gaze set on the rocking eggs, fear engraved on most of the boys' faces.
Another bronze dragon swooped over the eggs and deposited the five female candidates on an upraised platform. Three of the girls gripped at eachother, their eyes round as the golden egg before them. The other two stood just a bit apart from the crying girls, their heads held high.
A large crack burst through the silent air, followed by another. A tiny dragon burst through the first egg and its tiny body flopped out of the destroyed shell. Three boys ran to the dragonette's aid, only to be fended off by the tiny creature. It flopped clumsily around, its head searching for its lifelong companion. It raced through the line of boys, knocking over two and brutally racking its long claws down another's back. The dragon turned to the injured boy and nuzzled up to him. The boy looked startled, then his face took on a look of unmatched joy and happiness.
It took only a little over an hour before all the dragonettes had been bonded with the young boys and were marching with their new companions out of the Hatching Grounds. The young girl who had impressed the tiny queen looked lovingly upon her new friend. The three females who had been crying looked enviously upon the pair, while the forth gave her an encouraging smile and patted the newest Weyrwoman on the back. The eight unpaired candidates were crowded onto the backs of five dragons and flown back into the Weyr, the need of fresh clothes and food growing more and more on the disappointed group.
The large crowd of Weyrfolk, Craftsmen, and Holders left towards the large Weyr, talk of the Hatching and the upcoming feast their present conversations.
The newest members of the Weyr were all down at the lake, learning the washing and oiling techniques of their newest friends from the eldest member of the Weyr.
Once the dragons had been fed, the newest dragonmen marched purposefully up to the Weyr to join the feast.