2024-08-02 - Hatching and Hunting

It was time, it was time, it was time, it was time-!

Jjezreth had been straining lightly against Mother's firm hold on it and the whole clutch since the night before, ever since Shayled spoke to the whole clutch about hope! As soon as the restraining tether snapped Jjezreth began to wriggle as best it could. When had Patchwork become so tight? This wouldn't do! So Jjezreth flexed, finally properly testing the limits of Patchwork's shell.

It wasn't the first to escape. First went Xlyoth, then went Myrcelleth and Jjezreth felt its connection to those siblings strain with the shift but Jjezreth could only feel joy for them. She was free! And so was he!

"You did it!" Jjezreth called out, "hold on, just give me a moment and I'll be out too!" It had just managed to get its legs untucked and it was sure it felt the shell start to splinter and give out.

Except – except even as much as Jjezreth thought it was doing well its siblings were hatching one by one. It was taking Jjezreth so long to hatch that it even felt a psychic wave of encouragement from the grown dragons of the Weyr. "It's alright, come out," came the comforting press of thought, "we welcome you."

And Jjezreth called back, both to those dragons and to its still unhatched siblings; “I think I almost have it figured out!" Jjezreth said with absolute confidence, despite not really feeling all that much closer to an escape. Then to its handful of panicking siblings it said, "once I'm out I'll tell you all how I did it!"

It strained to unfold its limbs, strained to flex its shoulders and straighten its neck from where they were all tucked against its chest. Until something crunched. And suddenly there was moving air against the back of Jjezreth's neck, tickling and uncomfortable in the unfamiliarity of the sensation. But that meant it was close! Jjezreth kicked out and beat its wings properly, widening the opening until the whole back of the egg split open.

Abruptly Jjezreth fell backwards with an alarmed squeak and landed heavily on its back. There it stayed for a moment, staring up at the clear blue sky and adjusting to the feeling of being splayed out instead of curled up.

“...And ow,” Jjezreth finally said. It stretched out it's legs – striped and beautifully dark – and flailed a little like a flipped over bug before it finally managed to right itself and stand up on wobbly legs. It was – oh, it was green. Jjezreth hadn't known if it would be green but that felt right. And what a pretty green it was! Jjezreth raised its head high and spread out its wings to catch as much sun as possible as it looked out to the gathered audience. So many people! Some already taken, but. “Hello! It's so good to meet you all!”

Jjezreth stumbled like a newborn herdbeast, struggling to get its legs to support its weight. It found that was difficult to move the correct limbs, too. Wings and legs didn't feel that different and Jjezreth almost fell down a few times before it got the hang of moving the right limb at the right time. It still took a few tries before Jjezreth stood clumsily on its hind legs and spread its wings, beating a few times so everyone could see its eye spots.

“Mother! See me? Aren't I pretty?” It called, recognizing its Mother despite never having seen Gwillanth before. It knew her mind! It had seen her in its dreams! Then it wobbled before it stumbled and crashed back to the ground chest-first with a wheeze.
… Huh. It hadn't expected that. That kind of hurt, actually.

"You are the most lovely thing I've seen all day," Mother hummed and Jjezreth raised its head out of the sand. "But you'd be prettier if you were clean from the sand, and that's your new lifemate's duty. Go, find them out there."

Jjezreth had to take a few seconds of just being surprised about the consequences of its own actions before it heeded what its Mother said. But once it had caught its breath Jjezreth got back up to all fours and shook its limbs out one at a time.
“Okay, Mother! I love you!” Jjezreth told Gwillanth before its attention firmly shifted away, back to the candidates where it was certain its human was waiting. What he looked like was a mystery though, for Jjezreth knew only the shape of his mind. So it had to get closer to find him! That looked like what its siblings had all been doing. It took a few shaky steps that built up speed before Jjezreth sprinted at the candidates.
“Ae'r! I'm coming to get you! Hold still!”

Humans parted around it, much to Jjezreth's frustration. “Ae'r? Ae'r! Where are you? I said hold still!” Where was he? Jjezreth knew him! Bright and sunny and intoxicating. Jjezreth reached out, probing with its mind liked barbed vines until – there! Starbright! Jjezreth whirled around with a little roar. “Ae'r!”

It sprang directly into his chest, bowling him over and slamming the young boy, still under the incorrect impression that his name was Attier, down onto his back. “Ae'r! I found you! I love you! It's me! I'm Jjezreth!”