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Four small, brightly colored hatchlings tussled in the grassy clearing, enjoying their first, and last, day together. Or that is, three hatchlings and one adult tussled. The fourth hatchling, a little green female, hid in a tall tuft of grass and giggled, watching with wide teal eyes.
Some distance away, several watchers were present, just in case, though they knew they needn't have worried; The Shield was off duty, attending this momentous occasion. In fact, as one observer pointed out with a fond smile, shy may have been enjoying it just as much as, if not more than, the hatchlings themselves. The white and rainbow Eikida bounded around and played with the little ones as though she was one, all the while keeping all five of them safe in a protective shield. "But how are the outlanders to bond with out hatchins if they can't even get close?" one mother asked, watching her little red and black son nervously. He was the strongest of only two of her own hatchlings, and she wanted to make sure he went to a good home. An attending male, one of the fathers, replied, attempting to calm her anxiety. "There's been talk of a new thing to keep the hatchins safe while they meet the outlanders." The mother still looked a little fidgety, so he continued "I think it's 'Kida who will be doing the trick." "Oh," she said, and seemed a bit more at ease. If it was The Shield that would be protecting them, she was sure they'd be just fine. Even though the event was not a hatching (with the state of affairs at present, purebred Saa eggs didn't always hatch, so they'd waited for the strongest of their hatchlings to actually be born and out of the shell for a few days before allowing the candidates to approach, just in case), the whole valley was abuzz with excitement. This would be the very first time any of them had ventured outside the shield since, well, since it's creation really. And they would be moving to whole new realms, too. The whole prospect of having other creatures coming into their protected vale and leaving with one of their precious surviving hatchlings was almost too much for some, but for others, it was a huge opportunity. They knew they were on the verge of extinction. The more optimistic ones, the ones who had volunteered their own hatchlings or selves to the project, thought that maybe it wasn't too late to do something about it. The candidates had been sheltered in one of the few remaining gem dragon dwellings. They'd been waited on hand and foot as though they were royalty (partly because no Saa had really ever known an outsider before, and even in Nicari's flight, they'd kept their distance from the newcomers, for the most part), the small dragons almost becoming annoying with their insistent helpfulness. However, the candidates were also watched closely, mostly by moon and star Shields who guarded the doors to their lodgings. This was not only to keep the candidates in, since really, the Saa didn't entirely trust them yet. It also ensured that no discontent Saa would try to sneak in and frighten them away or worse. The day had come, and the candidates were led out onto the field, past dozens of spectators who had come to watch this momentous occasion. There were the hatchlings, playing in the soft grass. There was The Shield, as good a sitter as ever there had been. There were the proud parents, standing just beyond the barrier. And here came the candidates. Eikida perked her ears and turned her head to watch, and the hatchlings followed her example. The little blue and green and purple squeaked and bounded forward, her pale lavender eyes bright and searching as the candidates stepped forward. The two males, both brightly colored, stood beside each other and watched. The last hatchling stayed hidden, and none of the three approaching candidates really caught sight of her, which was really what she'd wanted anyway. The little pastel lacewing perked her ears and darted forward again, as well as her still wobbly legs would allow anyway, right up to the edge of their shield, and through it. A few Saa gasped, but one glance at the beaming Eikida set them at ease again as the hatchling bounded forward and leapt at one of the candidates, glomming onto his leg at the knee. ~Hi!~ she said, grinning broadly up at Don Juan Forestsylph, who grinned back. ~You look like more fun than those other ones. Wanna play?~ He chuckled and picked her up, lifting her little, cat-sized body easily. "I'm glad you think so! I wouldn't want to seem stuffy, now would I?" The hatchling giggled and climbed out of his arms and up around his shoulders. She'd be a handful, that one. As he carried her off to the side, the little red male stepped forward curiously, followed shortly by the bright red and orange lacewing , who didn't really look as though he realized what was going on; his eyes were on the sky or a passing butterfly or springy blade of grass. The red turned his almost eerie-looking white eyes on the remaining candidates, one of whom shifted slightly. He grinned and bounded forward, right for the girl who had fidgeted. ~Sorry to keep you waiting,~ he said timidly, ~I could help you find your sister now.. two heads are better than one, after all!~ Anila laughed and picked him up. "Good thing too, that girl can get into more trouble on accident than anyone else can on purpose!" She hurried off after the first pair to make sure all was right before the two of them could leave. The last little male looked up from whatever he'd been studying and blinked. What was going on today again? Oh! His little golden eyes widened and he looked around, just as a fourth candidate was hurrying into the clearing. Dewprint had almost missed out on this thing, but at least there was a hatchling left! He didn't even see the other girl standing off to the side, and nor, apparently, had the little hatchling. ~Yay!~ he said, hopping forward through the shield... and accidentally tumbling right off his feet in his hurry to reach Dewprint. Fortunately, he was aware enough of his Skilled talents and instead of falling on his face, he managed a not-so-graceful "whumph" into the Elf's stomach as he hovered off the ground but forgot to check his momentum. ~Sorry,~ he said sheepishly, then looked up and grinned ~You like plants? I like 'em, they're pretty. What's a wolf? Yours won't eat me, will she?~ Dewprint picked them both up off the ground and laughed, brushing himself off "Well, we can always hope not." ~Well if she does,~ the little dragon said as they both left the clearing, ~I can always just stay out of her reach, right?~ The last candidate, Rerrukon Kioko, watched them go, a sad smile on her face. It was wonderful to watch two beings come together, though she was disappointed that she hadn't bonded herself. Oh well, there was always some other time, right? She turned to go, but a distressed chirp called her attention back to the clearing. The one hatchling that no one else had seen, the little green Skilled, scrambled forward out of her hiding place. "Wai'! Wai' for me!" she cried, desperation coloring her voice. As she got closer, she switched to mental communication and turned the cutest sad eyes up at the female elf. ~Were you gonna leave me? I was gonna be all alone!~ She whimpered pitifully, and Kioko knelt to scoop the distraught little Saa into her arms, cradling her and hushing her anxiety. With all the hatchlings safely seen to their new homes, the excitement of the day began to fade. Tired, though pleased, the attending Saa moved back to their treetop nests. Little did they know that another momentous event had happened today. But that, my dears, is another story. |