Darkness shrouded the world, as a fierce blizzard whipped around both Clan Akelara and the newly named Koshi Keidai, making it hard to know if it was day or night.

"It had to be a night like this, didn't it," Selverat muttered darkly as he mounted Kerkael's back after making sure Leny and her two humanoid-formed dragons were securely strapped in place, trying to pull his furs tighter around him to block out the chilling wind and snow. "It just had to be one of the worst storms we've had on this blasted planet when those beasts decide to hatch."

Kerkael rumbled in amusement as he powered into the air, using his small grasp of wind magic to aid his passage, comfortable in his 'shell' of fire-born warmth that he finally extended to his bond and passengers, just to shut the man's griping up.

Together, the three hurried towards Koshi Keidai, a small flight of guard in formation behind them, all intent on lending claw and paw to keeping this as ordered as possible.

***

Krethae herded the small gathering of candidates from their dorms and onto the obsidian sands, glad that Selverat had agreed to let her stay within Koshi Keidai instead of constantly traveling between the two - on a night like this, she'd have never made it here in one piece.

And she had a feeling she was still the most capable of dealing with these... "candidates" that had been gathered. Sure, some weren't so bad - Caathyn for example. A little driven for her tastes, but over-all a decent sort. But others...

Skrumari turned and snarled at her, angered at being herded by a creature that looked like a human with wings. He chaffed at Galtroppa's order to leave Krethae - and anyone Krethae claimed to protect - alone, and this was the last straw.

Krethae jumped nimbly backwards as one of Skrumari's heavy paws scythed towards her, surprising him. Who knew an armored human could move that fast?

The other candidates looked on, staying out of it. Krethae had proven herself more than capable of handling whatever came, including hydras... even together - and who wanted to work together? - the disparate groups would have a hard time taking her down... and that wasn't figuring in the massive dragon following.

"Get in there," she growled, gazing coolly up at Skrumari, "or by the Eight Shakrae, there won't be enough of you left to use as a kitchen rag."

A vicious cuff from Galtroppa finally decided the other Ice Troll, as he skulked through the doors and onto the sands, followed by the rest of the candidates.

Above them, fighters of Clan Akelara perched, eyes narrowed and spells prepared, females sitting perched with sprites and elementals about them, males with tails held poised in the center of multiple rings of nearly finished spells that glowed in the shadows of the reaches, shedding elemental light down upon the sands below; a strange, ominous lightshow.

The dragonesses on the sands snarled whenever candidates ventured too close, refusing to back aside, as that put them in close proximity with the others, and besides, who among the assembled were even faintly worthy of their children?

Tension began to build, as a few eggs shook silently, the entire sands sinking into a waiting, thin-stretched silence.

An egg shattered with an explosive crack!, startling the gathered candidates and spilling an ice pale hatchling on the sands. The hatchling was quick to gain her feet, arching her neck proudly and glancing up at her mother, Veridiain. Her mother's proud Azonese heritage shone through distinctly, but where he mother was fiery, this proud dragoness shone like ice, her pale hide marked by blue flames, and her paws enshrouded in a cold, ethereal fire.

The hatchling finally turned her gaze downwards, sweeping purple eyes over the gathered candidates, many of which were eyeing her with fascination, wondering if the dragoness would bond. Finally, she broke the tension, stepping gracefully forward, leaving the sand covered in glittering ice with each step she took towards the gathering, homing in on one candidate in particular...

~I believe I will live up to you expectations, Caathyn. I am Xatorreya.~

Everything seemed to take it's cue from Xatorreya to begin, as several eggs began to violently shake, hatchlings spilling out onto the sand and struggling to rise as swiftly as they could to avoid looking weak.

One, deathly pale but with a dark 'cloak' and a strange, ghostly pattern of feathers on her membrane slunk past the squabbling hatchlings, pausing for a moment to observe a fight, then reaching in almost delicately and nipping one of the fighters. Just as delicately she withdrew, and watched as the two others in the fight used that distraction to rip the third apart.

When the remaining two turned to see who had interfered, the deathly pale hatchling was nowhere to be found. Instead, she was sitting calmly at Ihuna's side.

~I am Pahai, Ihuna, and I am yours. Shall we remain and observe the fighting?~

Meanwhile, the two fighters, cheated of one target, began roving together towards the candidates, their eyes intent, just waiting for any sign of weakness or inattention. They found it in Zeramar, who was alternately glancing at Arneot and at the shaking eggs and the hatchlings that were tussling and fighting around them. Even though Arneot's hatching had been worse in terms of violence - these hatchlings didn't seem so intent on eating each other, just on fighting - he couldn't seem to spot his hatchling in the mess.

The two hatchlings, one black and one dark blue, glanced at each other, sharing a small, vicious grin, then lunged with tiny roars at the winged boy.

Arneot acted swiftly, lashing out and sending one of the two hatchlings, the dark blue, tumbling through the air away from his bond, then turned his heads to find the other...

Only to see a vibrant ice blue with a violet mane and blue wings collide with the second hatchling right as the black reached Zeramar. The black's claws tore at Zeramar's robes and lightly scratched his skin as it was sent off course by the sudden impact, landing heavily on the sands to the side. The ice blue's claws sunk into the black, and he latched onto the black's throat with his teeth.

~You will not touch my bond, you scum! You have not the right!~ The ice blue shook his head lightly, growling around his mouthful of the black's throat, ~Now go slink off to join your friend over there, and don't dare come back!~

The black, when released, slunk off, dark blood dripping from the small punctures that the ice blue had given him. The ice blue watched him go, wiping the blood off his claws and onto the black sand, then turned to Zeramar, ~My name's Zevishar. My apologies for that, I had thought those two wouldn't have the nerve to go after you, but I suppose stupidity replaces nerve in some.~

Meanwhile, to one side, Tavaris found himself the intense focus of a deep, midnight blue hatchling. ~You will do. I am Malitand. Let's remove ourselves from this place before some decide we look like prime targets.~

Galtroppa's eyes were drawn to a blood red hatchling who was herding two others - the black and the dark blue from before - ahead of her with nips and snarls, towards the four ice trolls. Finally, the two males slunk away from her towards their bonds.

The dark blue settled beside Isolfur, casting an angry look at the blood red, then at where Zeramar and his two dragons had left, ~Name's Nagudyl. How much longer do we have to stay here?~

The black, on the other hand, slunk to Skrumari, snapping at Skussi-peyi as he passed. ~Get out of my way, runt. I'm Xealipar, bond of Skrumari, and if you even look at me wrong...~

~Galtroppa, those two will be a handful, but I, Rerolina, shall assist in every way possible.~ The blood red spoke as she settled before Galtroppa, ~Your obligations are mine, and together we'll keep them.~

A stirring at the entrance to the sands announced the hurried arrival of Selverat and Leny, followed by several more Myrsilkains settling around the upper ledge and casting their own spells or summoning more sprites and elementals to assist them in case anything happened.

"Come on," Selverat murmured to Leny, "Sunaka's clutch is right through here..."

As they skirted the edge of the main sands, a dark blue hatchling lunged out, muzzle gaping as it reached out, trying to rend anything it could get its claws on. Saliva dripped down its fangs, eyeless face sinister in the ambient glow of the chamber.

Selverat hissed, reacting instinctively and jerking Lenore back behind him and raising and arm in an attempt to block. He grit his teeth as fangs sank into his arm, the hatchling's claws scrabbling for a purchase on him, leaving shallow scratches across his chest and arm as they turned his jacket and shirt into ribbons.

"If you think your the nastiest thing I've come across..." Selverat hissed as he gripped the back of the dragonet's neck, a red glow gathering around his fingers.

Two pairs of hands, one pair reddish and more paw-like than the other, reached over, breaking his concentration as the dragonet was pried off of him and removed from his grip.

"Here," Leny moved back towards him as Kiyeno and Syana removed the rather scorched and disoriented hatchling from the area. "Hold still. I can't do much right now, but I can at least keep that arm from bleeding too much."

Selverat bit his lip as she bound his arm with scraps from his own shirt... not that it would have been much good for anything else anyway, after what the dragonet's claws had done to it. "Thanks." He spoke, "To you and your two bonds. And don't worry about doing much else, Clan Akelara has healers that will take care of it."

With that, the four continued the rest of the way across the sands to the nook where Sunaka was. A bit more carefully, this time... and with several protection spells surrounding them, cast by the Myrsilkains above.

Selverat wished those dragons had thought of that first, even if they were focused more on the adults than the hatchlings.

When they reached the entrance to the nook, he glanced up at Onithris, who was still blocking the way, nodding to her in greeting as Onithris stepped aside after looking them over, letting them pass through.

The white dragoness turned to look at the two who entered, her bond Talitha resting against the white's side, not precisely at ease, but not as bad off as she had been. He spared the woman a warm smile as he lead Leny to stand near the clutch, hoping that she'd miss the mess that the dragonet had made of him, if only to keep her more at ease. He then backed off towards the entrance of the little nook, cradling his arm against his chest. It still nagged at him that this right here, Sunaka and her poor bond being in such a dark place, was partly his fault, that if he had taken more thorough precautions this wouldn't have happened...

His thoughts were interrupted as two of the eggs shattered, spilling two dragonets out onto the sands, both with more limbs and wings than he could believe - obviously sired by Satieno, to judge by their multiple wings.

One, a stormy dark gray with blue-white mane and tail fluff struggled to its feet and tried to straighten out its two pairs of regular wings plus its wingarms. The other, white with icy blue mane and tail fluff, straightened itself out swiftly, and sauntered over to Navidad, settling next to the dragoness and looking up at her with wide, pale rainbow eyes.

~I'm Tnalexan. You don't mind if I go home with you, do you?~

The second, finally managing to control all her limbs, walked carefully across the sands towards Leny, her paws covered in tiny bolts of lightning that danced from toe to toe. ~Leny, I'm Arunatara. Together we will learn of control and the weather, won't we?~