Meanwhile, on the main sands, a small lull had been broken by a strange, dark green hatchling stumbling out of its shell and standing unsteadily on his hind legs. Xenyde and Atameh paced forward towards their child, Atameh handing the little hatchling a curved blade, while Xenyde assisted the youngling in settling a deep red coat over his body, then handed him a deadly looking scythe.
The child bowed once to his parents, then started across the sands, trying to move gracefully in the heavy coat and balance the scythe at the same time... and ended up sprawling face down in the sand at Zhihos' feet.
"Sorry... I'll grow into it, I, Sados, swear to you!" Sados muttered as Zhihos helped him up, "And when I grow up, I'll be able to help you in anything you need."
Onithris, not distracted in the least by what was going on - and for good reason, as several hatchlings had tried to wander over to get to her sister and bond - set a paw firmly in front of one of Sunaka's children who was trying to get out onto the main sands.
~Look, child,~ she hissed as the hatchling glowered up at her, ~It's more dangerous out there than you could imagine. Those beasts will rip you to shreds in no time, and consider it fun.~
~My bond is out there. Will you deny me the right to bond? Will you deny my bond the right to a companion and friend?~ The hatchling snapped back, rearing his head and trying to glare up at the much larger dragoness, knowing that his small size limited the effectiveness - and also that Onithris rarely ever let herself be intimidated, especially by a pint-sized hatchling who still had pieces of shell stuck to his horns and hide.
Nonetheless, the dragoness snorted in amusement, slowly removing her paw from the other's way, ~If that's the way you feel. But at least clean yourself off, kid.~
With a glare, the pale ice hatchling shook himself violently, shedding the rest of his shell, then sauntered across the dark sands towards his bond, ignoring the looks and advancing of other hatchlings in order to sit right in front of Skussi-peyi, ~I am yours and you are mine. Together, we can do anything you wish, this I, Janadyr, do promise you. His head then whipped around and he hissed at Xealipar, mantling his wings to make himself more threatening, ~Touch my bond and I'll bite your nose off, you miserable excuse for a dragon.
Aashuryn had found that his instincts were correct and that having his back against a wall was indeed the best way to stand, as he grappled with a hatchling with far too many heads for his taste. Four, to be precise, and all intent on taking a chunk out of his hide, and the paws that glowed an eerie icy pale, like blue fire, burned and yet froze anything they touched. It was surprising, and rather disturbing, that if the beast had gotten him from behind he might not have managed to fend it off, between its surprising weight and size for a hatchling, its many heads, and the chill fire that shrouded its paws.
The hatchling was suddenly ripped away from him, though, and tossed aside by another, its body fading from red all the way through to a deep midnight blue, that then chased the four headed dragoness a ways away before returning.
~Aashuyrn, will you permit me, Lershan, to guard you and be a second pair of eyes for you? Between the two of us, no one shall slip past unseen.~
The four headed dragoness, having been cheated of her prey, slunk over to Cale. ~You and I will practice together, won't we? I don't want to ever lose again. Oh, I'm Nezatah by the way.~
Zyrshaa, to one side of the entire mess and mostly ignored by the hatchlings, suddenly found two glowing eyes focused upon her.
~I, Esarath, will neither abandon nor shun you for your ways. Let the world say what it will, it means nothing to us.~ The dragoness whispered softly in Zyrshaa's mind as she coiled like mist about her bond's legs.
Nyanchek had found himself the center of attention - and definitely not all of it good. Two hatchlings were circling him warily while a third watched with three pairs of deep blue eyes. The two, both two headed and from Onessa's clutch, were alternately eyeing Nyanchek and each other, as if trying to decide who went with him.
Finally, one, colored like a fading sunset, snorted in annoyance, stalking away from the other dragons and towards Bhaktar, calling over her shoulder, ~Fine, you have him. I'm going with Bhaktar, at least he isn't a useless weakling when it comes to teleporting or magic!~ She snapped as she demandingly swept past Bhaktar, ~I, Iligiala, grant you the privilege of my company. Now come on, I'm hungry, and I refuse to sink low enough to scavenge off the remains of others' kills.~
The second of Onessa's children, one with a pale green coloration like frosted pine needles, settled next to Nyanchek, ~Don't mind her, she just has a temper and arrogance that even mother can't beat. I feel sorry for Bhaktar.~ He settled his multiple pairs of wings down carefully, one of his heads turned to make sure everything was laying down properly, his other still looking around and watching the rest of the sands with curiosity. ~I'm Mardanias, by the way, and I think I'll remain unbonded as well. Mom would throw a fit if I bonded... don't tell her, but at least one of my siblings is planning on throwing mom's wishes in her face and bond. That will be an argument fit to bring a mountain down!~ Mardanias chuckled as he whispered conspiratorially into Nyanchek's mind.
A pale, icy colored hatchling sauntered across the black sands and circled the three remaining candidates, ~Memet, shall we go catch up with Zhihos and Sados? Then we shall resume searching for the answers you seek for your Lord.~ With that, Ynisoeru fell into step with Memet, as both turned to leave the sands together.
~My apologies, Brenhield, in that I took so long.~ Spoke Nabreteseth, a dragoness colored like blackened ice, as she glided up, red eyes intent on her bond, ~I was delayed by a bit of trouble, but that's taken care of now. Shall we go? She spoke as she delicately wiped blood from her icy paws onto the sands.
Sharak, alone, was left on the sands, his arms crossed over his chest and icy green eyes scanning the slowly settling hatching sands, searching for any sign of the dragon who was to be his bond. There had been a few interesting anomalies in the hatching, he figured, based upon the slowly narrowing eyes of Krethae, but what had caused them...
~What caused them,~ spoke Zadesil's calm voice in his mind as the three headed black that had been watching Nyanchek moved forward out of the shadows, ~was Lord Kokuei and his magics. All of us are different than our parents, subtly. Or not so subtly, in some cases. Come, I will discuss with you what I've learned.~
Krethae frowned as the last two walked off the sands, then glanced over at Selverat, who had emerged from Sunaka's little nook after Leny had bonded and stood at her side.
"Did you hear that last hatchling? They've been altered..."
"Great," Selverat muttered, "just what I needed to hear, more bad news to bring to Revent and Yikaeri. Along with the fact that this mess still isn't over..."
She threw an arm around his shoulders, leading him out of the hatching sands with a last glance back at the slowly settling mothers, "Well look on the bright side, at least not many are going to be staying around here!"
Selverat sighed, rubbing at his aching arm. What he had told Lenore was true - Clan Akelara did have healers aplenty - but no amount of healing magic could swiftly repair damage done by the venom of at least one particular hatchling. It seemed that the one that had attacked him had been one of the more dramatically Changed hatchlings, with venom resistant to magical healing.
He shuddered at the implication of that thought, glad that the hatchling had died, glad that none of the other hatchlings had shown that particular trait, glad, moreover, that physical Changes were rarer than the magical Changes that everyone had noticed.
But for how long?
Krethae spared him an almost pitying look, "Still hurt?" At his nod, she continued, "You shouldn't be out here. You're not the warrior I am, and--"
"I'm out here, because it's my duty. Revent and Yikaeri are depending on me to report back to them." He swept his eyes over the dark sands, noting the quivering eggs, the lack of candidates, the sheer... gleeful weight of the shadows that gathered around everything. Not even the elemental light of the Myrsilkains above them could dispel the aura.
"There's not enough candidates for the amount of eggs that are shaking," Krethae muttered, "What do those searchers think they're doing?"
Selverat shook his head, "This caught us unaware, and you know it. I gave orders to time it, as many times, as far backwards or forwards, as they can make it without going insane from the stress and the void. As long as they make sure not to meet themselves coming. I managed to recruit some Alevaharin, as well -- they can go further through time than even a Void."
"It's as if something doesn't want the hatchlings to leave..."
"Don't talk like that, Kreth. We were just busy with other things, we just let ourselves hope that none of the rest of these monsters would hatch."
Krethae sighed, "I hope you're right, Rat... I really hope you're right..."
An egg half hidden by Ashypth's clutch was the first to quiver, shiver, then shake itself into a thousand tiny shards. The dragonet who stood from the shards gazed about with pale blue eyes that stood out in his dark, oily looking hide.
In fact, he didn't walk so much as ooze across the sands, ignoring everyone except the one candidate he had his gaze locked with - Filth.
You. I will go with you. the dragonet whispered darkly, I am Hesemith.
Selverat was still eyeing the retreating Filth and his new bond, when the hairs on the back of his neck began prickling. Reluctantly, he turned back to sands, to see five pairs of glowing red eyes focused solely on him.
"Oh no. No, no, no. I already have a bond, you little monster. I don't need another, much less one that will send my leaders for a loop."
A chuckle rose from all five throats, as the dragoness spoke boldly, I'm not here to bond. My sponsor stands to the far left. No. I am merely studying that which killed one of my siblings. Did you find his venom... pleasant? She chuckled again at Selverat's expression, then rose gracefully, her twin barbed tails swishing from side to side, a greenish drop glistening at the tip of each. A little warning, Fire's Child; not all of us carry our venom and hatred so blatantly.
Selverat shivered, rubbing at his arm again as the dragoness strolled calmly across the sands to the many headed hydra Inga.
I will return with you, Inga. My name is Xausphamu.
"Found one, boss!" Came a cheerful shout from the entrance of the dark sands, as Kelsray bounded in dragging a rather disgruntled looking Zanveldar behind her. "'e was far t'the west, inna cave system near th'plateau out there."
Selverat smiled faintly, unable to resist Kelsray's bubbling charm. "Well done, Kels."
Kelsray grinned, finally releasing Zanveldar and giving him a small shove towards the sands, "Go on, now. Ye be a dark enough sort t'make nice wit' th'critters from 'ere." She turned to Selverat and saluted, "I'm off, boss! Don't go gettin' bit on us again, eh?"
Zanveldar shook himself off, letting the last of the crusted snow and ice from the flight in scatter about him on the dark sands. There didn't seem to be much in the way of activity on the sands - a few hatchlings were scrambling around, clawing at one another. Most were horribly deformed - conjoined twins bickered and tore at one another, hatchlings stumbled about with more limbs than natural, one even sported two skulls fused together, as if it was to have been twins, but never split past the two skulls. None of them would live long - their mother's would mostly make sure of that, if other dragonets didn't.
And through it all strode a blood drenched hatchling. Tail lashing from side to side, he pulled himself free of his bloodied shell, the remains of what should have been his twin falling to the sands with fragments of shell.
He lashed out with a paw as he passed some of the mutated hatchlings, killing one with a single blow to it's already vulnerable throat. After that, the twisted dragonets slunk out of his way, leaving him to his own devices.
Which, as Zanveldar discovered, was to settle right in front of him, red eyes frigid as the silence stretched between them.
I will choose you, Zanveldar. My name is Kiato. I will promise nothing and expect nothing - we will make our way as we will.