TanmakyKrissah was sweltering in the temperate climate under his angora fur, his Sira bondmate, Ssajann, also practically dying in the spring heat. Ice-blue fur was constantly being found all over the Valley wherever the water-prone dragon and his arctic bondmate wandered. In stark contrast to that, the huge grey, Chaucer, was seeking out sunbeams and lounging in them, his human bondmate, Samir, spreading warming spells around the two of them as often as he could manage.

And then, on top of all of that, there were the eggs. They were larger than Saa eggs by twice the size at least, and they were ... infested... for want of a better word by these tiny men and women who refused to wear clothing. Hardly bigger than a handspan tall, these ... creatures... ran amok amongst the eggs, defiling them with brilliant and obnoxious colors and strips of foil, until the Saa thought their eyes as a whole might bleed for want of this to stop. And it wasn't bad enough that these barbaric little monsters looked and acted monstrous, but every time they needed something somewhere beyond where they were, they teleported with a puff of sulphur-stenched air.

There ought to be rules about things like this. At least Eikida thought they were funny, which meant most of the rest of the Saa weren't too distraught by their presences. After all, if it made the Shield happy, they were willing to put up with almost anything.

Mara, mother to half the clutch, was happily scurrying about, chasing the little creatures as they toted clipboards and attempted to create chaotic order, checking off names of those gathering in attendance. Tiny satyrs and seraphs swarmed the dragons and the valley and the potential bondmates, tiny and inquisitive voices popping out of nowhere with the scent of a fresh-struck match.

"Alright, alright, step lively!" a tiny voice bellowed from the ground where a red-furred, brown-haired satyr brandished a clipboard twice the size of his own body. "I'm going to call your name, you're going to say whether or not you're present!"

There was the sound of a protracted snicker, and the satyr glanced over his shoulder to glare daggers at the source of the sound. "Oh, laugh all you want, human, this is serious business!" he snapped at Samir and Chaucer, who were doubling over, cracking up.

"It's really not that serious, is it?" Seiksha managed. "I mean, you've already managed to take all the dignity out of the hatching by painting the eggs."

*But they're such lovely colors!* TanmakyKrissah chirped, shaking fur all over the gathered crowd yet again.

The little satyr opened his mouth to protest on behalf of racial dignity, but he was interrupted by a sudden presence in the minds of the gathered community, which drew attention from him to the eggs nestled together on the sands.

The gathered Gehenians and Samir and Chaucer leaned forward to watch with great interest. Communal hatchings were unheard of to their neck of the woods, and it would be interesting to see just how this went.

The eggs rocked slightly, some cracking, some radiating a kind of light, some just shuddering as they remained there, and some laying completely innert. The first to open did so with an easy crack splitting the egg completely in two. The hatchling was dripping, and she shook out a mass of fur that could mean she only belonged to TanmakyKrissah's line. She was a subtle coloring of teal and grey and purple, colors thrown on her completely at random, and a long tail ending in a tuft of grey-white. She stared around at the gathered company, first fear touching her eyes, then an easy understanding as she raced forwards into Alenka's outstretched arms. *Hi,* she said easily, licking her bondmate on the face with a leathery tongue.

What was exchanged between the two was lost as the next egg shattered into a hundred thousand little pieces like confetti and a little kiwi-green furball rolled forward and then scampered, fluttering crystal blue wings, to the edge of the nesting area where Inari was waiting. *I'll take care of him,* she told Iliana. *Don't worry.* Then, in an aside to her bondmate alone, she whispered, *And don't you worry, either. I've got their number just fine.*

The Valley was quiet for a long time, and some of the Saa started to look disheartened. The two Bunny Dragons gathered and the satyrs and seraphs waited patiently, Samir leaning back against Chaucer, pulling the hood down over his sunburned face to trap some more heat. They weren't going anywhere. And seeing this display of patience, neither were the gathered candidates.

Then, one of the eggs that had been glowing, split in half and a ray of light shot out before resolving into a little fluffy white mongrel with blood-red wings and blue spots along her belly. She floated over to X'loher Houten, then tapped noses with the avatar and giggled before nestling on her shoulders, wrapping her squirrel-like tail around the dragon's shoulders.

Right on that one's heels, another egg shattered like confetti and out pounced a little red bundle with lopped ears. He opened his eyes, and the gathered Saa recoilled almost unanimously. "What is the meaning of this?" an uppity purple saa demanded from the trees as the little red turned its copper, cat-slit eyes on the gathered company.

"Ah, a Red/Colwallander!" the satyr with the clipboard shouted back up. "With earthbourne predetermination mutations!"

The hatchling giggled to itself for a moment before bouncing cheerfully over to Aleksandra and attaching himself bodily to her leg. *Don't even think of getting rid of me. We're stuck together,* he told her.

Patience continued to spread as the eggs continued to rock and sway and swell. Finally, an orange-and-teal egg split down the middle and out kicked a grey-purple hatchling that blinked around in confusion at all the trees before grinning broadly and bouncing forwards. *Hi, Rose,* she said cautiously, eyeing everyone else carefully. Half-way to her bondmate, she staggered a little, side-stepped, and stared around at the gathered company. *Wow that's a lot of people,* she declared in awe, whistling low under her breath. She lollopped the rest of the way to her bondmate and butted her head into her knee. *But you knew that already.*

Then, the remaining five eggs ceased their rocking. They lay still and silent for a long time, the gathered company still staring at them expectantly. At length, some of the Saa gathered gave curious looks, and a worried look crossed the faces of the mothers. TanmakyKrissah gave an egg an encouraging nudge, confusion evident in his expression.

Finally, Samir pushed off Chaucer, pushed his hood back, and approached the tiny eggs. He lay a hand on each in turn, silently feeling their pulses, listening to their souls. "Their bonds lay elsewhere," he told the mothers, and off to the side, Chaucer nodded. "We'll take it from here, with your leave?" he asked, turning to the elder SaaShiyovisa, who nodded with confusion.

Samir, in turn, nodded to the satyr with the clipboard, who let out a shrill whistle. A series of pops heralded a stench of sulphur, and the five eggs were gone in an instant.

The gathered Saa stared, muttered, shuffled, in confusion and affrontation. Shouldn't the bondmates have to come here to claim their charges? Why should the young go into the world unwatched? Wasn't there a rule somewhere about this?

Samir wasn't listening as he started etching lines into the sand of the hatching grounds with his staff, emotions flickering across his face as he conversed silently with his bondmate, who was splitting his attention between the young man and his young children.

Then, Samir was finished with his lines, and Chaucer smiled at the young dragons before them. *Good luck,* he told them all. *You'll need it.* And with no further ceremony, the two of them were gone, back to their desert home, the lines that transported them gone immediately in a soft breeze that followed.