We still need candidates - "Found", which can be unbonded, bonded, and are not required to be animal-shifters of a sort, animals themselves, or such things though I prefer these sorts. Stats pages will be accepted, and will not attain high rankers, yah. =)
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Section two of the hatching story installed! 1 Sponsor called for, on account of the Lvarian genes!
Each dragon will have a quipu - which both ranks and identifies the dragonet. Numbers closer to 1 indicate high rankings - closer to 10,000 equal lower. The colors each indicate a different affinity. Later (meaning I haven't set a date) you will be able to take a dragon you have recieved and have them customized according to their quipu. Since you can have anywhere from one to ten strings, and you can only redeem one string. It's similar to Cyborware in the idea that it is added after adulthood (you recieve adult images only). What, exactly, these additions will be like I will clarify as time passes.
And now...
The Hatching!
~~~(*~~~
Two years had passed and the eggs on Dou Pas's crimson sands had gained a certain antique sheen, both healthy and horrible as a reminder. The only mothers unaffected by the seeming stasis were from Dou Pas itself, and even they were starting to feel slight tinges of concern. We were meant to wait, Reenaol said, grooming her sister Mrreen, Are they?
"We will see," was all the blue would part with. "We will see."
Arena was getting used to the constant occupation, even if Kynfalkirlan's continued state of anthropomorphic feline pregnancy still struck her as odd. She watched the two sisters, her Finder and Kynfalkirlan's, carefully grooming each other. The massive bodies of the dragons were incredible - Arena briefly wondered if the size would go down with the years. Imagining hosting a world boasting dragons in excess of a hundred feet long, if mostly tail or not, held little to no appeal for her, or anyone else. Arena shiverred.
The clutch-mothers were in varying stages of awareness, some barely waking while others hadn't slept in weeks. The ironic bend to the entire fiasco of this Frenzy was the friendships formed between the females coexisting on the sands. In a way, it was a beautiful thing, to see so many conflicting species holding civil relationships.
"Oi, Arena!" Rachael waved from the mouth of the caverns, allowing her eyes to adjust to the difference in lighting. A masculine form stood by her side, shifting.
Arena fought the urge to groan. Rachael had been having a string of incredibly odd occurrences lately, and most seemed to center around her "office" and it's tendency to change climates sporadically. Another one of Kynfalkirlan's special "gifts" during his extraordinarily long pregnancy.
"Down by Mrreen," Arena called out, not bothering to walk toward her friend but brushing the sand off the back of her canvas pants. Her hair was tied back, allowing the cool breezes she liked to imagine came through the grounds to brush the back of her neck.
The two figures weaved inbetween the nests, Rachael ignoring the looks of attendent parents while the man ducked his head and avoided meeting anyones gaze.
Rachael cast a look over her shoulder upon reaching Arena. "No sign of movement?"
The older woman sighed, giving a little shrug and rolling her shoulders. "Heard any of the mother's singing? I'm fairly sure they're all about to break out into tears of joy if one of these eggs were to so much as twitch on their own." She smiled at the man. "And who is this?"
With a half-smile, Rachael introduced him. "Caga. One of the Found in for the long haul here."
The shifter smiled pleasantly and politely. "I was going to ask if I could be allowed to request a rider take me South for a brief visit. I've heard about the Great Forest, and by the sound..." he trailed off.
"Well," Arena said, "I don't see a problem with that, as long as it's brief. I have a few riders local to the area, though are you sure you want to chance leaving?"
Caga nodded his head slightly.
Rachael rubbed her eyes. "He should be fine. The eggs haven't done anything since being laid and if it weren't for all the positive energy they give off I'd have to assume some were," she looked around at the gathered mothers, "Less than spunky."
Arena raised her eyebrow at Rachael's choice of words, but didn't say anything. "Daughter forbid. Two years to have," she also cast a look around the crimson-sand chambers, "non-"spunky" offspring would be harsh. In either case, Caga, if -"
A sharp crack cut through the air of the caverns, a cold sound which sent shivers down everyone's spine. Every dragon snapped awake, lifting their heads and looking around hastily for the source of the sound. Across the sands, Green Meereth was looking befuddled, staring at one of the two pristine yet ancient looking eggs she was behind. She hesitated, the broke into a garbled humming, several of the other mothers joining in while others watched in wide-eyed silence.
"What the hell-" Arena started, but Rachael simply pointed.
"It's Meereth and Hursth's clutch. One of the eggs... Is moving."
"Ah," Arena said. "AH. Mrreen, call the Fou-"
Done already, love. There was a mixture of hope, excitement, and regret in Mrreen's mental voice. Arena took the time to allow her feelings of gratitude, love and pride to swell up and envelope her Joined's mind.
Thank you, Mrreen. You'll be next, don't worry.
I wouldn't be so sure.
"The Joined are on the way?" asked Rachael. Arena nodded. "Then we don't have time to waste. Caga, we're going to have to wait on this trip idea."
The shifter had already known as much, but he wasn't expecting Rachael to shove him in the small of his back.
"What?" she said. "Get yourself over there! The rest of the Joined in residence are on their way, bud, but there is no excuse for you to not be standing there waiting."
Propelled forward, Caga flinched as one draconic face peered down to examine him as he walked by their nest, shaking their gigantic head and watching him pass. While the idea of leaving behind the epedemics of home has seemed brilliant at the time he'd been approached for this whole "Bonding/Joining" thing, Caga was having third thoughts by now.
Of course, he would have more than third thoughts before this "hatching" thing would be over. Considering it had taken two years for the humming mothers of the Old World blood to sing, who knew how long it would take for them to stop? Bets were at odds of 10 to 1 on three or four years.
Meereth was starting to cast a critical eye on her moving egg. In her opinon, it wasn't going fast enough, there wasn't enough strength, and something was less than satisfactory. Even as a brown leg shot through the shell, sending a good portion of it flying to knock against it's sibling egg, Meereth couldn't see a really good point. Of course, it could also be noted that the dragonet didn't seem to be paying attention, creeling sounds heard muffled from inside the shell. There was a pause in motion, then a violent forward jerk as the small brown freed himself from the shell that had held him for two years. He landed sturdily on his feet, taking a moment to shake his head and look back over his shoulder at his mother.
Then he stuck out his tongue.
Meereth's humming turned into a strangled yelp, but she ended up coughing as a few of the other mothers strengthed their birthing call.
Caga heard one of the other Found join him while the brown, unconcerned with the breathlessness of every creature watching him, proceeded to sit down and knead the sand with his forepaws. He was one of the most unconcerned... Individuals Caga had ever seen. Given the circumstances, it was almost insulting that the little brown hadn't strutted around, wreaked havoc, and made the world acknowledge that he was the first of this Frenzy and that he was the beginning.
Nope. The dragonet just tossed his head and regally eyed the collection of humanoids and seemed to wink. Meereth snorted, more solemenly joining in the humming as her firstborn finally tottered to his feet and let out a long, low creel. Caga's insides cringed in sympathy - he could almost feel the hatchling's hunger as his own.
Not almost. Are. The rich baritone echoed within Caga's mind and he clapped his hands over his sensitive ears. The brown snorted, picking himself up and creeling again. Stop being silly and feed me already. You can do that much! I know it, Mine. Your Yakuth needs you.
A light hand fell on Caga's shoulder. Tesear another of the Found, nodded slightly and smiled, nudging him forward slightly. Caga let his hands fall from his ears, a smile crossing his features as he stumbled toward Yakuth. He collapsed to his knees, wrapping his arms around the brown's neck.
Yakuth nuzzled Caga's neck, exhaling warmly. I love you too, he said, his skin a mix of softness and egg-splattered wet. And do you think we could... Eat? Caga half-laughed, half-sobbed as he nodded, running his hands over Yakuth's neck. Who cared if this hatching took ten years. Caga had been Found. Truely, well Found. Nothing else mattered.
And Caga paused. "Where-"
Arena looked to Rachael, whose head was cocked to the side as if listening intesely for something. She nodded, and smiled at Caga.
Follow me. We've got something for you and your Yakuth."
Arena was glad, but something caught her eyes as the first Joined pair moved off between the longing mothers to the awaiting feast. A knotted mess of strings wrapped around the brown's neck, almost a collar. "What," she began, squinting her eyes.
"Quipu." Kynfalkirlan's oddly melodic voice came from behind Arena's shoulder. The pregnant felinoid watched the Joined pair intensely. "So that's why."
"Quipu?"
"Quipu?"
Kynfalkirlan was already gone. Arena shook her head slowly, mulling over his words.
Things were starting to get interesting.
And apparently, the eggs were agreeing. Or else Reenaol was, and she was just forcibly "informing" her children of the fact. Since the spring green mother dragon was interestedly nosing one of her eggs, blinking slowly, then aiming her ears forward as if hearing something promising and enticing.
They won't hatch simply because you want them to. The red dragoness, bond to one of Reena's flurry-fellows, looked perturbed. Vetaiyanoth had been torn between keeping her company and keeping with Reenaol the last week, if only because the Lvarian's eggs were twittering (in a manner of speaking) and her own were silent as snow.
"I want my babies!" Reena glared at the egg she had been tending, then sneezed. "Don't you go saying things about me behind my back, now!"
"Reena, you're being silly." The green squinted her eyes, turning her head to see a familiar shape standing by her tail. Kynfalkirlan. Her Joined.
"Don't you want to see yours?" She pointedly stared at his stomach, which going on three years of pregancy, was remarkably perky. Same with his breasts, and tail.
It was a competition, dagnabbit, and Reenaol was not going to lose to someone who was naturally a man!
Name: Hunth (One)
Colour: Blue
Gender: Male
Size: Small Brown
Dam: Green Reenaol
Sire: Blue Vetaiyanoth
Abilities: Air-manipulation, to a degree such that he can counteract the forces of a eank 2 tropical storm immediately (within three feet) around his body. Will not be entirely controllable. Will likely respond to emotional stimuli. May effect personality/development.
Personality: Hunth believes everyone is utterly moronic. And it amuses him. Greatly. When anyone shows exceptionality, he labels them. "Lovingly". Which means he is the nick-name-maker from Hello Operator, please give me number nine... Hunth is loving. Really. He is above reproach, utterly self-confident, and incapable of lying down and letting other people walk all over him. This said, he also doesn't care what happens to people he is not involved with. He would be a great activist if he were convinced to care. He is always ahead, mentally, or so he thinks and convinces others. He is the One... The one who you don't want to be easily frustrated with. Of course, this is how he starts out. Where he ends up... Someone else knows.
Birth Quipus: Consists of 2 strings, of colors White, and Green. Repsectively, each represents the numbers 195, 7845. Numbers closer to 1 indicate a high ranking, numbers closer to 10,000 equal a low ranking.
"...For the record, I'm not bonding. A bit too much like servitude. Leaves you vulnerable." The Raugie-Lvarian hybrid had daintly stepped free of his shell, staring at his mother with the trademarked unopened eyes. Interesting, what stayed. He had no mane, but rather the chestplates of his father.
And Reenaol was proud.
Qui was mildly horrified.
~~~(*~~~
The Quipu later will be redeemable similarly to Cyborware, though their meer presense will dictate certain powers developed at adulthood. They will be sporadic - almost like hitting a magikal puberty. I'll explain more later, but for now, the numbers and colors are the important things. None of the dragonets will be born without them. None know what they are. The strings will expand with growth, and yes, the are not in the images for a reason.
IF YOU WANT TO SPONSOR A DRAGONET
Respond with:
Your Name:
Dragon's Name:
Sponsor Character's Name:
Why you want 'em:
And I will be wanting them paged, hypocrite that I must surely be. ^__^;
