Dark Moon turned out to be more different from Luko's home Weyr than he would have thought. For one thing, it was small--it was a Weyrhold, not a full-blown, generations-old Weyr, after all. It was also much, much warmer than he was used to, being so far south from Telgar, and the heat was something he was not enjoying, even if the other candidates didn't seem to mind much. So he was quite happy when the dragons began to hum, even if it meant being on the scorching hot Hatching Sands.
He walked slower and more calmly than most of the candidates, who made it a race to see who could get to the Sands first. It was nothing he hadn't seen before, and from past experiences, they still had some time before the eggs actually began to hatch. Despite his calm appearance, he was dismayed to find he was getting jittery and even nervous. He shook his head. The eggs hadn't even started to hatch yet, and there were more than enough candidates for the eggs.
Almost anticlimactically, the first two eggs hatched, revealing a brown hatchling and a blue, both unassuming in appearance. The blue slipped and fell in his eagerness to get to his candidate, but he was helped up and Impressed his rider. Luko smiled a bit at the other dragon, who yawned lazily and seemed to ignoring the candidates, until a green hatched almost right under his feet. Disgruntled from being on the bottom of the resulting heap of hatchlings, the brown climbed to his feet and gave a shrill, hissing roar.
Luko held his breath for a moment and almost stepped forward. Was it possible the hatchling was waiting for him? What if he went to the dragon instead of waiting for the dragon to come to him? He began to move, but he was too late. Another boy had already walked to the brown, seeming none too sure himself, and even Luko could see it when the brown chose him. Luko watched the newest pair leave wistfully, then jerked his attention back to the Hatching.
He even grinned crookedly. Was he actually hoping to be chosen? He hadn't felt this excited since--well, since he'd bonded Lusk. That made his grin fade, and he watched the eggs.
A pair of dragons had hatched, and the blue playfully threw some sand at his sister with a kick before locking eyes with a young woman. Well, that was unexpected...though not unheard of.
He was watching the green's Impression when the other eggs hatched, and barely noted a green and another male had hatched. Excited muttering among the male candidates let him know that the hatchling was a bronze, though, and he craned his around to get a better look. This bronze certainly didn't seem to show any of his brown brother's hesitance to Impress, and went straight to the crowd of hopeful candidates, which included Luko. The bronze closely inspected each of the candidates, and Luko was thinking that, even after what happened with Lusk, he would like nothing better than to Impress a dragon just like that one, or any one, really...The bronze looked at him, and Luko couldn't think of anything at all for a moment.
Epeth shoved his rather sizeable head into Luko's arms. Am I good enough for you, after what happened with your Lusk? The dragon's 'voice' was laced with such uncertainty and hope that Luko could hardly bear it, and he hastened to reassure him.
"Epeth, you're...perfect." He gently scratched his dragon's still damp eyeridge, and realized he couldn't stop grinning. Now he knew how his father must feel. How could he have ever thought he didn't want to Impress? Even Lusk, he admitted with slight reluctance, couldn't compare to this bond...
Epeth let it be known he was hungry, distracting L'ko from his thoughts. Alright then, we'll go and get you something to eat, he told the hatchling.
Epeth snorted contentedly in response, now sure that everything was going to be alright.

Name: Epeth
Species: Pernese Dragon
Gender: Male
Color: Bronze
Size:
Genetic Code: XgwDF Y Rr Bb Hh LL UU C1C2 T1T1 OO (ss N1N1) M1M1
Parents: Gold Eweth x Bronze Eketh
Abilities: Telepathy, Teleportation, Assissted Firebreath
Personality: Outgoing and confident like his rider, Epeth is smart and extremely clever. He may run into some problems during training or Threadfall, but he easily manages to think his way out of it. He may not be more intelligent than most dragons when it comes to conventional book-smarts, but he's more than capable using what he has, and he is by no means stupid. When it comes to mating, he is quite a gentleman who enjoys the process of courting a mate for days or weeks before the flight, almost as much as the flight itself. He chases golds and greens indiscriminately, and catches his fair share of both. He is a responsible dragon and cautious in Threadfall, though not afraid to fight, and while he and L'ko may not be ambitious enough if left to their own devices, they might be persuaded to try for a Wingleader position...or even more?
Bond: L'ko