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Post by Zen on Sept 7, 2008 9:56:12 GMT -5
It was black outside. It was so black, that even the dragons had a hard time seeing what they were doing. It was so black that the shadows had shadows. Neither of Pern's two moons were shining tonight, a rare occurance, seeing as the two moons were orbiting the world on slightly different curves. Nevertheless, the Midnight dragon knew where she was going. It wasn't hard to find her way around the caves that the Moonstruck Island Fair had called home for Turns.
The ledge the egg-heavy dragoness plopped down on was her favorite. Normally, it looked over all of the 'Weyr,' so normally she could see what every dragon was doing. Unfortunately, the black was so deep that she could not see past a few feet. Fortunately, she didn't need to, it was midnight, and so most dragons were asleep. Only the watchdragon was awake, and he was having more difficulty than her. How could he spot intruders on a night of no light?
Relicath liked having no light. That way she could sneak around without anyone seeing her, but she could have done that anyway. So, as she resettled her rather large and pokey shape, she watched with veiled eyes her Weyr. She would have to rearrange herself in a few moments, one of the 'joys' of having eggs. She couldn't wait for their hatching... the hatchings were always the best.
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Post by kiara on Sept 7, 2008 16:22:40 GMT -5
It was late, too late for those annoying upstarts to be making mischief. Neither moon shone, which meant that the skies were completely blanketed by thick clouds. Clouds were good.
Hroth enjoyed cloudy and stormy weather, because then he was in his element. Though few dared challenge him in fair weather, none dared challenge him when their visibility was limited. He was fast, merciless, and above all- accurate.
The brutish teal folded his wings to land in 'his' field, a section of foliage-free island that would accomodate his bulk. Though the sky was completely lightless, he could tell where each member of his Fair was.
Emerald Tracith and her friend pink Graeth were curled up together, not far from where he was now. He ignored the two, instead searching for one particular dragoness, a female with a hide that blended with the night perfectly, and could move nearly silently.
He searched, of course, for his current mate, midnight Relicath. She usually occupied one ledge in particular that gave her a view of the whole fair.
His brassy bugle shook the grass, and bent the ging fronds over as he checked in with the watch.
Report!
Copper Elimareth replied glumly that it was too dark to see, and shouldn't he go to bed now? Hroth ignored him, instead crossing his large, meaty front-paws, right over left, and settled down with a thump. The action made him bump into Relicath.
When do my eggs come? he demanded, not putting his head down yet. His wings were kept half-furled to that the tip of his left wing touched her egg-laden body.
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Post by Zen on Sept 11, 2008 10:15:08 GMT -5
Relicath could tell by the way the dragons below her ledge fell silent. She knew. He was here. Of course she couldn't see him, but she could sense him. All of the dragons could sense him. How could they not? His presence was commanding, and tonight he seemed angry. She could hear him asking the watch-dragon if he could see anything. Poor dragon.
Relicath had been the center of Hroth's rage a lot of times. She had gotten a lot of scars because Hroth just didn't understand her. She didn't care, she understood him, and took all his anger because he needed some place to let it out. She admired Hroth for his ability for his ability to lead the Weyr as well as he did. And she also knew that, as soon as the eggs hatched, Hroth would probably choose another mate. As soon as her eggs hatched, Hroth would throw her away like a used wherry bone.
She had just re-situated again, and was feeling the itch to re-situate again when she felt Hroth's presence beside her. She fought off the urge to move, and felt Hroth's wingtip (she thought) dragon gently across her stomach. Hroth could probably feel he individual eggs sticking through. Then he asked when the eggs would come. A moment of fear tensed her, and she wondered if Hroth was tired of her. But, she knew, or at least her rational mind knew, that Hroth was excited about the prospect of eggs.
They will come soon. Relicath soothed her mate. Can you feel them poking through? She shifted to a position where she would face him. This new position also felt better on her body. Her mind voice felt weary with the weight of the eggs, but her eyes, if Hroth could see them, were sparkling with enthusiasm.
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Post by kiara on Sept 17, 2008 18:42:30 GMT -5
It is always too long between mating and clutching.
The teal did not move his wing from Relicath's stomach, though he could feel her moving. It was one of his little ways that proved that he was better than any of his mates.
He closed all three lids, effectively ending any chance of seeing his mate's excitement. He could, however, feel it. It was in the way her body quivered those rare moments she wasn't adjusting to accomodate her clutch. With any luck- and 'luck' seemed to always be on his side- she would lay a large clutch. Hroth was particularly virile, if brutish in his virility.
Soon, we must go to the Grounds. Eggs need heat.
The Grounds, of course, was an area of sand hidden well within the foliage that always stayed beneath the blazing sun. The held heat would help the eggs to harden to Hatching readiness.
I'll send the flamers tomorrow.
The flamers, a pair of the neuter pinks, chewed stone to ensure the sands held their maximum heat.
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Post by Zen on Sept 18, 2008 11:08:37 GMT -5
When Hroth next spoke, Relicath heard a speck of hatred, or anger, in his voice. She could tell he was looking forward to mating another dragon. Of course, she thought she was the best match for this unruly ruler. All of the other dragons cowered under his might. She had shown him that she was not afraid of him, and that he could not overcome her. He had caught her, but any male could catch a female. Any male could catch her, but he chose to. He chose for her to be the co-leader of this wonderful fair. Him, out of all of the males. That had to mean something, right?
She knew he hadn't seen her, whether or not it was because of natural causes (the night had not given up its black hold on them), she did not know. She knew he was hoping for a large clutch. She hoped the clutch was large so that he may choose to stay her mate. The larger the clutch, the more he may want to keep her. The larger the clutch, the more she hoped he would love her. But maybe he was never going to be capable of love. Maybe he lived just to torment the female dragons when he chose another to mate.
But Relicath had to try. She was about to say something when she heard that she needed to move to the Grounds. He said gruffly that eggs need heat. Like her body didn't give them enough heat? But staying in the warm Grounds would be paradise in these months, when one had to stay on a rock for hours before its heat even penetrated the hide. She would relish the time spent in the Grounds, even if she knew that Hroth would probably choose another dragoness after her eggs hatched.
I'll send the flamers tomorrow, Hroth said, and she knew that the Grounds would not be ready until the next day, since she liked the extra heat that the flamers added, and not just the heat from the sun. Two days would not make much of a difference, unless the eggs came early. But eggs were not like human babies. They knew when they needed to be birthed, and usually, she could tell days beforehand.
Do you dislike all females you mate? Relicath asked, keeping her gently swirling eyes plastered onto where her she knew Hroth's face was.
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