Unlike the last natural clutch to inhabit one of the Destiny's Bays, that of the hybrid catdragon Dread Corollary, there was no surprise regarding the egg-count of Anii-shiba's clutch. At ten eggs, the count was at the high end of Schattarneki averages, but it was only ten. She had not hidden any nor had there been any secret additions to catch Schroeder by surprise. Anii-shiba had tended her eggs with gentle, careful affection, and had permitted Dr. Schroeder to give them in-Bay checkups to make sure the incubating pups were healthy of mind and body. All was well, he had declared, and the only surprises ahead of them were whatever choices in candidates the hatchlings would make on the day of their birth.
The candidate turnout was surprisingly small, at least in comparison to what the Destiny was used to seeing. As it was, there were nine candidates to the ten eggs. Apparently people were reluctant to sign up when the possibility of bonding might be low. Schroeder just hoped none of the hatchlings would go unbonded because their would-have-been bondmate was too intimidated to sign up! Ah well. At least they wouldn't die for the lack of a bond.
The first of the rocking eggs to actually shatter and divulge its occupant revealed a very fuzzy (if egg-wet) little creature. She looked almost exactly like a miniature of her Schattarneki mother in form, with a somewhat canine face, a scaled belly, and a tail with a bifurcated tip. She also had a ridged spike on each shoulder, rather than wings, but would probably grow into wings as was the Schattarneki style. Her Enkeyn father's genetics showed in the crest of feathers between her ears and her coloration: red with black rings around her legs.
After finding her feet, she scampered excitedly towards the largest of the candidates.
"Wanod! WanodWanodWanod!" she squealed, prancing at the Goprin's feet. "I'm so happy! So excited! You're my bond! You're my bestbestbestbest--"
The hatchling suddenly cut off, realizing the Goprin was looking down at her with dismay. He couldn't hear a word she was saying--he was totally deaf.
"Oh, right!" she giggled, changing tactics. ::Hi Wanod! I'm Ashii-kala Plaeras! You're my bond and my bestbestbestbest--::
And so on did she ramble as the pair made their way towards the feeding tables, which were loaded with bowls of meat and bowls of assorted imported rocks.
The rest of Anii-shiba's children didn't take long in breaking free of their small eggs and finding their feet. One of the damp, fuzzy hatchlings was distracted from the candidates when another of his siblings pounced upon the him with a cry of "Sneak attack!" so while the two of them rolled around on the moss, the rest of their siblings moved for the candidates.
The next to bond was a male who also had beringed legs, but was a rich orange in color.
"I knew you'd be here," he told Ahivo Nounce with a grin. "I had a vision! I'm Fuvii-treca and I'll be the best friend you could ever have!"
Two very small candidates had prepared for this clutch by bringing along some rocks from their homeworld to offer to the rock-eating hatchlings. A squirreldragon and a fairy rukel had arrayed the stones between them in what they hoped was an appealing fashion, hoping to coax some hatchlings their way.
They were not to be disappointed. Following his nose, another orange male found the two and their gift of treats. Even fresh from his egg, the newborn crossbreed towered over both of them!
"Do you like rocks?" asked Brevian, the squirreldragon.
"We brought lots!" added the rukel, Ildotia. "Have one!"
"Thank you, they smell yummy!" agreed the hatchling, slurping one up with his tongue. The little stone crunched easily between his teeth as if he were doing nothing more than chewing a lump of rock candy.
"Mmmm," said the hatchling, his expression as pleased as if he had just eaten a good piece of candy. He then eyed the two candidates a little more carefully. "You know what? I like both of you, too!"
And with that said, Torii-nita Plaeras bonded them both!
One ponylike candidate had also come with several pouches full of stones. While waiting for the eggs to stop rocking and start hatching, Stone of Summer had also poured his offering onto the moss in little piles according to type. The Magewynd's collection was more varied than Brevian and Ildotia's, who had grabbed samples from the ground, whereas Summer made a hobby of collecting stones.
He was cautiously approached by a stripeless red female, who eyed his obsidians and quartzes uncertainly and then peered off towards Torii-nita, who was quickly demolishing the rest of his bonds' gift.
"I wonder what he's eating," Tedii-lyca mused. "I wouldn't want to eat anything unpopular."
A striped red female homed in on one candidates like a moth drawn to flame. The canine Kimadrid wore a skirt with glowing baubles stitched under the fabric, and these caught Fadii-mota's eye like nothing else!
"That's so coooooooooool!" she squealed with glee, nose pressed to one of the little glowing lights. "It glooooooows!"
One striped male had a coat of orange so deep it had a reddish cast to it. He stepped towards the burly Shirasan with nervousness in his step, but not for any fear of the Eidolon's wolf-and-bearlike features.
"I'll do my veryvery best to never ever let you down," Sokii-nasa promised anxiously. "I don't ever want to disappoint you."
An unmarked orange female at last made her way to the feet of a slender elf girl. It was hard to tell if the autistic Lavender was even paying attention to the hatching going on around her.
"Um...hello?" Dakii-lasa gave the girl's clothes a little tug, hoping to bring her new bond out of her seeming daze.
The man called Neil had last stood as a candidate for Asandae clutch and been one of the several who had not bonded. Now, however, his willingness to try again was rewarded. He was the last of the candidates, and there were still hatchlings to spare. The one to head his way was a deep red male.
"So what do you write about, huh?" asked Trekii-loqa. "Can I read your stories? Erm, as soon as I learn to read, that is."
The last two hatchlings had continued to romp around while the rest of their siblings had made their choices, and now the bright orange female finally rolled and pinned her bright red brother.
"Hahah, I win!" cheered Kephii-jina, grinning from ear to ear.
"You cheat, that's what!" huffed Savii-lana, squirming under her paws. "Now lemme up!"
"You're just a sore loser," Kephii-jina taunted, though she stepped away.
Muttering to himself, Savii-lana rolled back to his feet and tried to shake off the bits of moss that were stuck to his damp fur. Looking around the bay, however, he made a discovery.
"There's no more candidates!" he squawked, staring at the feeding tables, where all the pairs (and one trio) had gathered.
"Oh well," his sister answered, swaggering cockily towards the tables, herself. "Guess you'll have to stay here on the ship with me then, huh?"
"But! Oooooooh!" Savii-lana fumed at his sister's back. "You did that on purpose!"
Kephii-jina tossed a level look back over her shoulder, hiding a smirk on the side of her mouth her brother couldn't see. "Why would I do that?" Then she laughed and started running. "Last one to the table gets the bottom bunk!"
With a yelp, Savii-lana gave chase. "You don't even know what a bunk is!!"
And thus did Anii-shiba's clutch come to a close...at least mostly without a hitch.