*checks with lawyers* Nope, still don't own anything.
Chapter 2: Impression
The most beautiful humming in the world, still doesn't make waking up, right after getting to sleep, any better. It didn't make waking up after a day of healing dragons, and dragonriders, of cleaning the barracks and caverns, of hauling laundry bags and scrubbing stubborn stains, weeding and pruning and mulching the outside, when I had finally fallen asleep any better.
It took all of us, the lucky Candidates for this Hatching, a moment to realize exactly what that humming meant. One of the candidates gave a yelp and fell off of his cot with a sudden thud, and the dormitory was a sudden flurry of activity. I grabbed my white robe from the peg near my bed, struggling to pull it over my head. With no time to brush out my hair, I was almost glad that the curls always looked wild and messy anyway, so no one would notice. I grabbed my boots, hobbling as I tried to pull them on my feet.
The nervous energy that I had finally ridden myself of earlier came back in full force. My stomach felt as if thousands of dragons were there, their wings beating miles per minute. I moved to my brothers, all of whom were gathering by Hunter. He grinned at me, throwing his robe on over his sleeping clothes and stuffing his feet into boots.
"Isn't this great? It's finally happening."
"Why are we awake," Jareth snarled, looking between the few of us in fury. Hunter grinned at him, his excitement untouched by Jareth. Radames bounced next to him in nervous anticipation.
"They're Hatching!" Kumel climbed over the cots to stand by Hunter, his grin from ear to ear. I smiled, trying to ignore my own nerves.
"Come on!" Hunter insisted, grabbing Kumel's arm and dragging him towards the Hatching Sands. I shrugged and followed with a smile, twisting and untwisting the fabric of my Candidate robes.
"Please," I murmured to the air. "Please let my brothers do well…" I couldn't contemplate my own fate that would be decided in the same Hatching, so I focused my hopes and dreams on them.
I stepped onto the Hatching grounds, immediately glad for the protection the boots offered, as the sand, which had been uncomfortably warm before, was now extremely hot. With a deep breath, I moved to join the semi-circle of girls that were now surrounding the gold egg.
"Mel!" I jerked my head up to spot Cat, already on the Hatching Sands and grinning. She waved goodbye to the bronze dragon lifting away from the Hatching, and up to the dragon ledge, where several other bronzes already sat.
"Good luck!" I heard a male call down. And I thought Cat's grin couldn't get wider. I stepped over to her side.
"Are you nervous? I'm not, I've watched so many of these, it doesn't even effect me anymore," she bounced on her toes however, unable to stand still.
"Who was that?" I asked curiously, trying not to betray my own case of nerves too easily.
"My father, of course. D'mion, rider of bronze Nemadeth."
"Oh," I squeaked. I had known somewhere in the back of my mind that Cat's father had to have been a dragonrider, but to think it, and to see it, were two completely different concepts.
I watched as the first egg cracked and soon after shattered, unable to look away when it impressed a boy with black hair. He smiled, his eyes full of tears as he hugged his new life-mate. I bit my lip, tasting blood. Would my brothers be that lucky? Would Kumel? Would I?
My brothers and their friend bounced up and down, talking amongst themselves as they watched. I let my eyes wander to the egg rocking back and forth, unable to speak encouragement, with my throat so closed, but offering the dragon within all the support my heart could muster.
The egg split apart and out stumbled another bronze. Several different boys tensed, moving forward as if that could force a dragon to choose them. But it locked its eyes on Kumel, and I couldn't stop the grin that surfaced. Kumel was a bronze, just like Hunter thought he would be.
"Hi Taranth. I'm Ku...K'mel." He rubbed his dragon's head, smiling himself silly. In the background, I could hear Radames cheering, and Hunter's shouts of congratulations. Another rider brought over a bowl of meat for the little bronze, and K'mel started feeding the hungry dragonet.
The top popped off another egg, and a little brown spilled onto the sands. I watched, barely breathing, trying to spot who it would choose. There were so many candidates, what if. . .
"He. . .he spoke to me!" I spun around to see Hunter staring at his dragon in shock. Then he smiled, leaning forward to scratch one of the eye rides of the damp little brown. "Yes, of course we'll get food for you Korath. Meat. Red meat, right this moment," even as he spoke someone was pressing a bowl of meat into his hands.
More dragons hatched, blues and greens by the dozen, a handful of browns and bronzes mixed in between them. It was amazing, and wonderful, seeing every dragon meet their life-mate, their other half, on the sands. I couldn't stop smiling, as I watched people's lives being altered forever, in the most permanent of ways. And then, something happened.
A little green dragonet hatched, hide wet and jeweled eyes whirling. It glanced around the cavern, searching for the boy it was meant to partner with. And then it turned, and shattered the egg, in its attempts to get to Cat. Cat bent down, her eyes full of wonder and threw her arms around the green dragon. "Mulath, oh my beautiful, perfect Mulath," she muttered, stroking the green hide.
The Hatching grounds erupted in shouting. Chaos seemed a more appropriate name for the dragon that had caused all the commotion. After all, girls didn't Impress any other kind of dragon, but Gold. And yet, here was proof they could.
"Enough! The dragon chooses!" F'lar, the Weyrleader of Benden, stood from his seat, his eyes traveling the entire grounds, which promptly fell dead silent save for the scratching of dragons trying to break free of their shells. "It is done. Someone bring the child and her dragon some meat."
As if they had been waiting for the Weyrleader's command, two more Blue dragons broke free of their shells and made beelines to their riders.
"Congratulations, Cat. You've really gotten yourself into trouble this time," I teased softly. My friend looked up with shinning eyes.
"She's perfect, Mel. I don't care how much trouble I'm in, she's mine now, as I am hers." She took the offered bowl of meat, stuffing her dragon's mouth full.
Hatching was almost over, when the greatest schism that could have happened in my family, occurred between Radames and Jareth. The final egg cracked, and a brown dragonet went head first for Jareth, butting him in the leg. Jareth, was busy becoming a dragonrider. But I saw the disappointment in Radames's eyes, and the heartbreak, before he threw a glare at Jareth, and stepped away.
"Radames," I called out, unable to let my oldest brother leave so dejected. "Your dragon is in the next clutch, I know it is; just don't give up hope, please?"
"Maybe. . . guess this means Jareth is better then me, huh?" I swatted at him, which he ducked.
"Don't talk like that. It's going to happen," I promised, my eyes straying back to the gold egg as it started to crack. My heart rose into my throat. The egg shook, cracks spreading all over as the remaining girls watched in anticipation.
"You can do it, break free." I took a half-step forward as a crack widened, afraid to move closer and yet unable to stop myself. A piece of the shell flew off and I jumped. My heart felt as if it were skipping from its normal rhythm, my breathing erratic when I remembered to breathe at all.
The shell broke as the golden queen, in all her beauty and glory, tumbled out onto the sand. I couldn't stop the gasp that escaped as I watched her try to right herself. She was stunning, she was phenomenal, and she was having trouble standing.
"Wait, wait please, you'll hurt yourself." I stepped forward, ignoring the fear that clawed at my stomach walls, intent on helping the creature before she really did hurt herself. I reached out to help her, and was lost, in rainbow eyes.
My name is Lovanoth. I heard the voice, the thought not my own, in my mind. But it was the most natural thing in the world to me suddenly, nothing to worry about, nothing I could not handle.
"Oh. . ." Word and thought followed seamlessly together, my eyes never leaving the rainbow of colors. I'm Mel.
May I have something to eat, Mel? I'm very hungry.
Of course my dear one, anything you want, as much meat as you can handle.
I glanced up at my friends. K'mel, J'reth, H'ter, and Cat, all dragonriders, all forever bound to the same fate as me. The only mar on such a perfect moment, was that Radames, was not here, and could not share in our joy.
"Well, we did it. Come on, riders, let's get to the barracks," K'mel said, grinning at me. I grinned in return. I had never felt lighter. And we turned, the newest additions, to the Dragonriders of Pern.