Author's Note - Well folks, I've got one more chapter planned after this. Now's the time that I ask something like...would anyone want me to eventually write a sequel? Thank you for your reviews!
Chapter Six - So It Begins
Being a drudge, Jaikel had grown to be a very light sleeper. Due to that, the sudden vibration that went through his bones caused him to sit straight up on his cot. Kira and Zailos were looking rather confused, but after tilting their heads to one side, they also took up the strange humming that reverberated through the dark Candidate Barracks. Across the room, Jaikel could hear Nadezna's three greens doing the same.
"You've got to be joking!" Faraj said in astonishment as he too sat up. As the soft humming increased in pitch, several more candidates also awoke. Most actually looked confused, but a few had already gotten up and reached for a stack of white robes at the end of the room.
"Isn't…that the sound dragons make when there's a Hatching?" Jaikel muttered, watching Kira and Zailos with wide eyes. He hadn't been at the Weyr for a full day yet!
"Yes!" Ariala suddenly hollered just as the door flung open to reveal the Candidate Master, Torlose.
"All right! Why on Pern are half of you still in bed! You all know what this means! Get robes! Help each other! You've got three minutes to be out here with me!" The man shouted as the barracks suddenly came alive with shouts and movement. Out of the corner of his eyes, Jaikel saw Ariala toss Marlya a robe.
"Here!" Kaiser shouted, tossing two at Jaikel as he pulled another over his head. Jaikel handed one to Faraj, and then slipped the rather uncomfortable garment over his own head.
Caught up in the whirl of excitement, Jaikel just had enough time to put Kira and Zailos on his shoulders before he was hustled out of the room with Faraj and Kaiser. Marlya and Ariala followed. Gathered around Torlose, Jaikel finally realized just how many candidates there were. There was no way they'd all Impress.
"All right, that wasn't a bad job." Torlose said in his usual gruff tone, though Jaikel detected a hint of apprehension. "Females, you'll make a circle around the queen egg, males a semicircle around the rest. Females, if a green starts looking at you, I suggest you give her the same attention you would the gold."
There was a murmur of excitement from the group of females. Impressing greens wasn't all too uncommon anymore for them.
"Follow me, and remember your lessons." The Candidate Master finished before starting down the opposite hall. The candidates followed.
"Jaikel, Marlya!" Nadezna yelled as groups once more started to form amongst friends. "When we get in the Hatching Cavern, have your firelizards follow my three. Riena and Jasleneth won't allow them to stay with you." Both Jaikel and Marlya nodded, and the group of six walked in silence the rest of the way.
Upon entering the lit chamber of the Hatching Sands, Jaikel was once more astounded at the size of an area in the Weyr. It was huge! Craning his neck, the ex-drudge could see dragons of all colors and sizes lining the ledges above the stands. More dragons, mainly brown and bronze, were bringing in viewers. All of them were humming. On a small rise a little to the left on the Sands, Skyfire Weyr's Senior Queen, Jasleneth, stood watch over her clutch of eggs. Her long golden tail was curled around none other that the queen egg, its shell shimmering slightly. Riena stood a few paces away from her dragon, smiling to the candidates. On the ledge closest to her, a gigantic bronze, almost as big as the gold, stood watching the candidates as they walked in. Weyrleader L'ki was standing next to Riena.
Shards, the Sands were hot! All of the candidates seemed to be taken by surprise. That is, everyone Jaikel could see except Ariala and Daslan. Trying to keep his mind off of his burning feet, Jaikel made a quick count of the eggs. A total of twenty-two, counting the queen. However, it was apparent that the golden egg was in fact not the largest.
Out of the corner of his eyes, Jaikel caught the sight of Nadezna's three green flits flying to join a group of firelizards gathered on one of the larger ledges. After a moment of struggle to calm his gold and blue down, Jaikel was able to get them to follow the others. After a minute, Kaj joined them.
Torlose led them so that they passed very close to Jasleneth, who was mainly watching the female candidates.
"Females follow me." Torlose instructed. With a last glance at Kaiser and Jaikel, Marlya followed the other girls, taking her place in the rough circle that was formed. For the first time that Jaikel could remember, he saw fear in the young woman's normally emotionless brown eyes.
Torlose circled back around and ordered the males around the rest of the clutch. Jaikel ended up rather close to the middle of the group, with Kaiser next to him on the right and Faraj next to the younger lad. Now that he was closer, Jaikel was able to get a descent look at the closest eggs. The one nearest to him was rather large, with an un-faltering tan shell. A smaller one was almost right next to it, it's covering a light speckled brown.
For the first time since he had arrived at the Weyr, time seemed to pass slowly. More and more dragons arrived with visitors, and slowly but surely the humming increased in pitch and tempo. How long would it take? Jaikel really had no idea. He found himself frequently glancing up at where Kira and Zailos had gone. Kira was easy to spot, as there was only one other gold among the flits, and she was smaller. He thought he saw Zailos next to a large bronze, but there were quite a few blues gathered.
"Nervous?" Kaiser asked from beside him.
"A little." Jaikel admitted. "Good luck."
"Same to you. Hopefully we'll both Impress."
"Any preference?"
"I haven't ever thought about it. My parents were always saying that I'd probably never get Searched…so I never thought long on it."
"Same here." Jaikel almost laughed. It had just occurred to him that he had Impressed two fire lizards, been Searched, and was now standing at a Hatching, all in two days.
Shifting his feet, Jaikel fell silent as the last few dragons took positions on the ledges above them. He wondered just what it would be like to ride a dragon, what it was like to be among the chosen few to Impress. Just looking at Jasleneth and L'ki's bronze made him want to know.
Minutes passed, and Jaikel was forced to wonder just how long the dragons could hum like this. The entire Cavern was almost silent, everyone waiting for the first sign of a Hatching egg. It was, at least, obvious that a few of them were rocking.
Finally, a single egg in the middle of the clutch gave a furious shake, and a single crack split the center of the cream-colored shell. There was a moment of silence in which the adult dragon's humming seemed to vibrate all of Pern, and then the crowd let out a cheer as the first dragonet entered the world.
Jaikel's breath caught in his throat. A bronze.
Creeling as he stepped from the remains of his egg, the average-sized metallic didn't even hesitate to move straight for the males closest to him. Staggering, the dragon tripped over his own tail in his haste, and was sent sprawling nose-first into the Sands as a result. None of the candidate close-by moved, so the bronze was forced to get up on his unsteady legs by himself. However, as soon as he did, his eyes suddenly flashed a bright rainbow of colors.
Out of nowhere, a burly lad broke from the ring of male candidates. He had been standing directly in front of the bronze, and he skidded to a stop a pace away. The bronze let out an excited, measly bugle, and the Impressed candidate flung his arms around the dragonet.
"His name's Eireth!"
The crowd let out another cheer as the first pair was led off the Sands by Torlose. The first to Hatch was a bronze, and he had Impressed without a problem. A good sign for the Weyr, even Jaikel knew that.
As everyone had been watching the first bronze, several candidates jumped as an egg a ways to the left of Jaikel fell over. The sounds of the young dragon inside could be heard clearly, and in another moment it had succeeded in pushing the top of the egg away. Crawling out of its containment, the medium sized blue swung his head around to peer at the candidates nearby.
However, Jaikel's attention was shaken by the sound of the small egg near him shattering. He almost flinched as several pieces of eggshell landed around his feet. Standing rather confidently where the egg had been was a huge brown, pretty much the same size that the bronze had been. His damp hide was a handsome tan shade, blending quite oddly with the sand around him.
Glancing at Faraj, who was almost right in front of the new dragonet, Jaikel wondered if his fellow candidate was as nervous as he was.
Another murmur went through the crowd, and he looked up in time to see a small green stumble from her egg as well. Soon there'd be too many eggs Hatching at once to keep track of where each dragonet went.
The brown that was so close to him, Kaiser, and Faraj strode purposefully passed them all. Jaikel heard Faraj let out a sigh. He glanced at his friends and gave them a smile. Kaiser's face was so red, it was quite obvious that the younger candidate was a wreck with nervousness and apprehension.
Turning back, Jaikel spotted the brown several candidates off, staring at…Daslan?
Rather surprisingly to Jaikel, Daslan stepped out of the line to meet his dragon. Remembering the lad's words from earlier about getting a bronze, Jaikel was startled by the look of total satisfaction.
Was Impression really that wonderful? Were the stories about feeling that your life was complete more than just stories? He could only wish to know at the moment.
Another egg, this one right behind the group of female candidates, rocked into the larger one next to it, catching Jaikel's attention. The two eggs both had cracks in them now.
What would Hatch next?