He struggled in his shell, trying to get out. He slammed his head against the top of the shell, the hard surface forming a solid, dark cage around him. The small egg-tooth on the tip of his snout broke through, creating a tiny hole in the egg.
He paused, and slammed his tail against the side of the egg. He had to get out! His siblings were already out there, finding their bonds. His rider was out there, his chosen, waiting for him.
He struggled frantically to break through the shell. His head slammed into the top again, and a long series of cracks riddled the shell. It shuddered and split open, spilling the hatchling dragon onto the warm sands of the Hatching Grounds.
His rainbow eyes blinked in the sudden bright light. He shook his head, fluttering his brilliant light blue wings in the air. His dark sapphire hide glistened in the sunlight as he gazed around him.
His mother crooned to him, her rainbow eyes swirling in her large, golden head. She gently nudged the tiny blue toward the few candidates left, encouraging him to find his bond.
He turned, looking over the white-robed candidates. A tall, dark-haired boy hesitantly stepped toward him, but the blue dragon ignored him. He wasn't his chosen. The boy turned to another furiously rocking egg, which shattered, spilling a dark brown hatchling into the waiting boy's arms.
The blue turned, but the only candidate left was a slender, blonde-haired girl, who was already walking toward a struggling green dragon.
The blue's eyes whirled, flashing yellow nervously. He was suddenly aware of the crowds. The myriad faces stared down at him. He nervously glanced through the faces, but none of them stood out to him.
He creeled. His chosen wasn't here! Where could he be?
The distant sound of vast wings flapping reached the Hatching Sands. The blue looked up, as a large brown dragon landed outside, and his rider raced in, followed by a tall, sandy-haired boy who was staring around nervously.
The hatchling crooned happily as he ran clumsily towards the boy. He fell down at his feet, eyes now whirling green-blue. The boy knelt down, unshed tears in his grey eyes, as he wrapped his arms tightly around the small blue dragon.
Arajax! Why didn't you come earlier? Didn't you want me? The small blue hatchling looked up at his chosen, crooning worriedly.
The boy, Arajax, smiled down at the tiny dragon. "Of course I did, Ciqantath. I just had to get away from-"
"Arajax!" He was interrupted as a furious, sandy-haired man stalked onto the sands. "No! You can't keep it. You're coming home with me, now."
Arajax glared up at the man. "There's nothing you can do about it. You can't stop me now!"
"I'm your father, I can do whatever I want! No son of mine is going to ride a sharding dragon!"
Ciqantath snarled at the man. He was trying to take Arajax away! He'd just found him, and now he was trying to take his chosen away from him.
Arajax placed a hand on his dragon's head, stopping the blue from lunging at his father. "Then maybe," He said calmly, "I don't want to be your son anymore."
The man glared, first at Arajax, the turning his gaze to Ciqantath, who returned the glare, eyes glowing red. He sneered, then said, "Fine then! You are no longer my son!" He stalked angrily off the sands, as Arajax and Ciqantath stared after him.
Ciqantath crooned guiltily. I'm sorry, A'jax. He said, using his rider's elided name. I didn't mean to cause so much trouble for you.
A'jax glanced down at his dragon, and smiled. "No, Ciqantath. It's not your fault."
Ciqantath crooned worriedly, eyes swirling rainbow.
"Come on, why don't we go get you fed." A'jax said, heading off the sands.
Ciqantath crooned happily, his eyes swirling green-blue as he followed his chosen off the sands.
The two brown dragons snarled as they stalked toward him, but Ciqantath wasn't looking at them. His eyes were fixed on the other bully, the large bronze weyrling. The bronze dragon snarled, his eyes glowing red, as he crept toward the frightened blue dragon.
A large rock flew by the bronze, landing beside his head. He turned, eyes suddenly whirling green-blue innocently. They watched as their riders walked toward them.
The two browns were huched behind their riders, as the bronze greeted his rider with an innocent bugle. The riders of the brown and bronze dragons glared at A'jax, who ignored him.
He ran to his tiny blue weyrling dragon, stepping over the rock he'd thrown earlier. Ciqantath creeled as his bond knelt beside him.
I'm sorry, A'jax. But they won't leave me alone! Ciqantath cried pitiously.
A'jax sighed. "You have to do something, Ciqantath. You can't just keep running away, or they'll never stop."
Ciqantath crooned unhappily. All of his clutchmates teased him, but those three were the worst. They picked on him because he was small, even for a blue. There were greens and whites bigger than him. But he was too shy and scared to do anything about it.
"C'mon." A'jax said. "The Werylingmaster will be angry if we're late."
Ciqantath hung his head, following behind his rider.
"Ciqantath, hold still for a moment, will ya?" He muttered to his fidgeting dragon through gritted teeth.
Sorry. Ciqantath said, eyes whirling guiltily. He flexed his wings again, flicking his dark sapphire tail. His dark blue hide shone in the sunlight, highlighting his muscular frame.
"You're beautiful, now stop showing off." A'jax muttered as he finished tightening the straps, grinning.
Ciqantath blinked. Despite his small size, he was a handsome beast. His dark sapphire hide glistened in the sun as he flexed his massive, pale crystal-blue wings.
A'jax rolled his eyes, kneeling to pick up a bag of firestone at his feet.
Ciqantath crooned, eyes swirling yellow nervously. I'm worried. What if something happens to one of us? This is only our first Fall, I don't want it to be our last.
A'jax stopped, staring at his dragon. "Don't be a dimglow, Ciqantath. Nothing's gonna happen to us." But he looked like he was trying to convince himself as much as his dragon.
He sighed. "Look, if something does happen to me, only if, mind you, I'd hate to be responsible for your death as well. I don't think I could forgive myself if that happened."
Ciqantath stared at his rider, yellow eyes whirling. A'jax?
"Don't go between, Ciqantath. Please." Ciqantath stared at A'jax, his grey eyes pleading with him. How could he ask that of him? A'jax was his bond, his chosen. The young man had been his only friend. He didn't think he could survive without him, and hoped to Faranth he'd never have to. What could he do without a rider; for he'd never consider taking another. He didn't think he could live with himself if he let something happen to his rider. But his bond was asking him to.
He hung his head. Okay.
"Thank you." A'jax whispered.
A large bronze dragon roared nearby, signalling for everyone to get ready to go between.
Ciqantath lowered a forearm oblogingly, as A'jax scrambled to his back. Then he straightened, flexed his wings again nervously, and as the other dragons jumped between, he jumped into the air, and disappeared between.
Yes. His blue answered as he flamed suddenly, burning a clump of Thread from the air.
Another clump of Thread fell in front of them, between the blue and another dragon. A'jax signalled that he would go after it, but the brown-rider didn't notice him as he dived after it.
Ciqantath screeched as he pulled up, just missing the brown's flames. Both A'jax and Ciqantath were so busy avoiding the other dragon's flames that they never noticed the large clump of Thread until it was too late.
A'jax felt a sudden, burning pain in his shoulder, eating it's way to his chest. Ciqantath screeched as the Thread ate into his wings. Go between, Ciqantath! Now!
A'jax gasped at the sudden freezing cold of between. He barely had enought time to brush off the now dead and brittle Thread before he fell unconscious.
A'jax was taken to the healers immediately. They tried everything they could, but it didn't help.
Ciqantath knew the instant his rider died. He roared, trying to fly between, to A'jax, but his mangled and Threadbared wings could no longer support him.
His rider's words rang in his head. Don't go between, Ciqantath. Please...
Ciqantath creeled. He couldn't go between, anyway. He would respect his rider's wish. He had no choice.
The healers came, putting numbweed on his Threadbared wings. But numbweed only stopped physical pain. It could never heal the pain in his heart.
Over the next few sevendays, his wings healed slowly, allowing him to fly again. But Ciqantath still remembered A'jax's words, and spent his days moping about, thinking of his loss. Eventually, he decided A'jax would want him to be happy, so started looking for a new rider. But even the thought of re-Impressing made his heart sink. He knew no one could ever replace A'jax.
A few days after his wings healed completely, there was a visit from a searchrider of Abri, looking for any candiates they could spare. During one of his conversations with the searchrider's dragon, Silver-Blue Zalaeith, she mentioned the dragon-dragon pairs at Abri.
Ciqantath was amazed at this revelation. Dragons can Impress dragons? He asked.
She blinked. Of course. Doesn't it ever happen here?
Ciqantath stared at her. Very rarely is there an unbonded dragon here at all. There's never been a dragon that Impressed another dragon, though occasionally we will re-Impress another human...
She rumbled amusedly. Then why don't you come back to Abri Weyr with us? That's what we're here for, candidates for Dwyth's clutch. Nobody ever said they had to be human.
Ciqantath paused, considering her offer. It wouldn't be the same as A'jax, but maybe that was a good thing. He wouldn't feel as if he had betrayed his rider. And he wouldn't have to worry about death. Dragons aged with their bonds, so there would hardly be a need.
If he didn't Impress...
Well, he had tried then. That was all he could do. He couldn't live alone much longer, he'd die of heartbreak. If he didn't Impress, he would go between. At least then he'd be with A'jax.
His eyes swirled as he made his decision. All right then, I'll go with you, to Abri.
Good luck. Was all she said, as she flew off to tell her rider.
