Post by Vox on Dec 29, 2015 23:04:28 GMT
((FYI: This was the prize I got from winning the trivia contests - thanks for the opportunity, Tig!! Only one flit per player, please! Once a character of yours has claimed an egg, I'll reply with its hatching so you know what color they got - the flit is yours from then on! 
Come one, come all!))
It was a beautiful, sunny day for Xian Weyr - just the way Craiss liked them. She had finished doing the morning's chores and decided to wrap her lunch up in cloth so she could stuff it into a knapsack and take it exploring. For the past several hours, she'd been walking her way through the jungle, cheerfully ranging her way further and further upstream. There were so many insects and birds; sometimes she'd caught glimpses of bigger creatures, too, but many of them turned tail and bolted the minute they spotted her. Once she decided she'd explored far enough for the day, she sat on a stone by the riverbank and devoured her hunk of bread and the vaguely bruised pieces of fruit. She would've happily eaten the meat as well, but Beggar (true to her name) managed to secure most of it for herself with wide, swirling 'hatchling' eyes. With that done, she looped the empty knapsack over Beggar's rear and then slipped into the cool, refreshing water.
Now fully in her element, Craiss smiled and floated on her back, gazing up at the blazing sky above the thick canopy of leaves. It was so different from the ocean; much more claustrophobic and densely packed. Even though the river was reasonably deep, she could still see the bottom in most places and it had no waves - just sections of rapids every now and again. There were fish, at least! She promised herself that she would get her hands on some fishing implements soon, if only for old times' sake.
She swished her arms back and forth in the water while she floated downriver on her back. Every now and again, she lifted her head to check that she hadn't passed her little landmarks. When she reached her starting point once again, she swam to the riverbank and stepped back onto dry land, squeezing sheets of water from her hair. Although Craiss was ready to head back inside for a quick snooze, something caught her eye on a set of sunlit rocks further downstream. A cluster of colors - but not like a flower.
Curious, she walked closer... and halted abruptly when she realized that she had spotted eggs. Eagerly, she whistled for Beggar and retrieved her bag, picking her way over riverstones to get to the small outcropping where they lay - seemingly alone. As she crouched beside them, one of them visibly jostled against its eggsiblings. "Oh shards, oh shards-" How far was the Weyr? She considered backing off so they could hatch undisturbed, but the absence of a maternal guardian worried her. Newly hatched flits were ravenous; usually someone (draconic or human) had to be on hand to feed them, in her experience.
She filled her bag with sun-warmed dirt and carefully transferred the eggs over, nestling each of them into position before she made haste for Xian. With this new burden in hand, Craiss hurried back into the Weyr and made a beeline for the kitchens, where a cooking fire was sure to be blazing - the perfect place to get food AND keep the eggs warm!
"Hey, Jorah!" She called out to the familiar candidate gathering dishtowels and tablecloths. "Be a hero and pass me something meaty, won't you? Make that a lot of somethings. And if one of you nice people could please put out the word that there's free flits, that'd be just awesome." Quickly, a drudge hurried to put out the call.
Jorah blinked at Craiss, pausing with a dishtowel poised over the basket he was using to gather laundry. Before he fully comprehended the request, he set his things down and grabbed one of the huge bowls of meatrolls a drudge had prepared for the Weyr's afternoon snack. "Where'd you get a clutch like that?" He peered curiously at the collection of eggs, noting that there was even a Golden egg in there.
"Exploring!" She exclaimed, beaming down at the collection of eggs. "I wouldn't normally pinch a whole clutch, but I couldn't see their mum anywhere and they're so close to hatching - see!" Craiss jabbed a finger at a mottled green egg, which was wiggling erratically, then nudged her knapsack closer to the fire, hoping they were nice and toasty for their debut.
"That's so lucky," Jorah marveled, kneeling down on the other side of the bag to stare at them with a slight smile on his face.
Craiss noted how gently and reverently his callused hands brushed against the edges of the bag, not quite daring to touch the eggs, but still enamored. "Would you like one?"
He hesitated, then slowly pulled his hands back. "I've never had a proper pet before," He admitted. "Not really sure I'd be very good at it." While Jorah was very well-versed in the basics of herding and farming, he had always been a builder first and foremost; not to mention, most people in his old hold didn't keep pets. They were a luxury and another hungry mouth to feed.
"Feh! Sure you will." Craiss laughed, reaching over to pick up a meatroll so she could press it into his hands. "I like to think I've got an eye for people. Take a chance - adopt a free flit, my compliments! Usually these things cost loads of marks, you know."
Jorah was all too aware of how much they cost; he checked the prices every Gather, more out of habit than anything else. Maybe if his family heard he lucked into one for free... "I'd really like that." He said very quietly. "If you're sure."
Craiss snagged an empty bowl and scooped an egg into it with a healthy handful of earth, kept warm by the fireside. "You'll want to feed her the second she hatches, otherwise she might go /Between/, alright? Feed her as much as she wants and she should Impress with you just fine."
Jorah nodded, staring unblinkingly down at the bowl she passed him. While he waited for it to hatch, he methodically began tearing the meatroll into tiny bits, figuring that the firelizard would probably have a very tiny mouth.
Craiss watched him with a broad grin, wondering how long it would take him to realize she had given him the Gold. It was pretty clear from what she knew of him that he had been pretty isolated from Rider & Weyr culture for most of his life. Craiss, on the other hand, had plenty of experience with trade and hearing the gossip from Riders who came to get fish from their Hold. She was also fortunate enough to already have Beggar and Belly... adopting another pet when a dragon might be in her future seemed foolhardy. Content to let Jorah hold his breath for his new companion, Craiss sat with her arms wrapped around the bag, humming a lively tune over the remaining nine eggs; she'd heard that Dragons hummed when there was going to be a hatching and figured these new babies might feel more welcome if she hummed for them as well - at least until their new owners arrived to claim them!
Come one, come all!))It was a beautiful, sunny day for Xian Weyr - just the way Craiss liked them. She had finished doing the morning's chores and decided to wrap her lunch up in cloth so she could stuff it into a knapsack and take it exploring. For the past several hours, she'd been walking her way through the jungle, cheerfully ranging her way further and further upstream. There were so many insects and birds; sometimes she'd caught glimpses of bigger creatures, too, but many of them turned tail and bolted the minute they spotted her. Once she decided she'd explored far enough for the day, she sat on a stone by the riverbank and devoured her hunk of bread and the vaguely bruised pieces of fruit. She would've happily eaten the meat as well, but Beggar (true to her name) managed to secure most of it for herself with wide, swirling 'hatchling' eyes. With that done, she looped the empty knapsack over Beggar's rear and then slipped into the cool, refreshing water.
Now fully in her element, Craiss smiled and floated on her back, gazing up at the blazing sky above the thick canopy of leaves. It was so different from the ocean; much more claustrophobic and densely packed. Even though the river was reasonably deep, she could still see the bottom in most places and it had no waves - just sections of rapids every now and again. There were fish, at least! She promised herself that she would get her hands on some fishing implements soon, if only for old times' sake.
She swished her arms back and forth in the water while she floated downriver on her back. Every now and again, she lifted her head to check that she hadn't passed her little landmarks. When she reached her starting point once again, she swam to the riverbank and stepped back onto dry land, squeezing sheets of water from her hair. Although Craiss was ready to head back inside for a quick snooze, something caught her eye on a set of sunlit rocks further downstream. A cluster of colors - but not like a flower.
Curious, she walked closer... and halted abruptly when she realized that she had spotted eggs. Eagerly, she whistled for Beggar and retrieved her bag, picking her way over riverstones to get to the small outcropping where they lay - seemingly alone. As she crouched beside them, one of them visibly jostled against its eggsiblings. "Oh shards, oh shards-" How far was the Weyr? She considered backing off so they could hatch undisturbed, but the absence of a maternal guardian worried her. Newly hatched flits were ravenous; usually someone (draconic or human) had to be on hand to feed them, in her experience.
She filled her bag with sun-warmed dirt and carefully transferred the eggs over, nestling each of them into position before she made haste for Xian. With this new burden in hand, Craiss hurried back into the Weyr and made a beeline for the kitchens, where a cooking fire was sure to be blazing - the perfect place to get food AND keep the eggs warm!
"Hey, Jorah!" She called out to the familiar candidate gathering dishtowels and tablecloths. "Be a hero and pass me something meaty, won't you? Make that a lot of somethings. And if one of you nice people could please put out the word that there's free flits, that'd be just awesome." Quickly, a drudge hurried to put out the call.
Jorah blinked at Craiss, pausing with a dishtowel poised over the basket he was using to gather laundry. Before he fully comprehended the request, he set his things down and grabbed one of the huge bowls of meatrolls a drudge had prepared for the Weyr's afternoon snack. "Where'd you get a clutch like that?" He peered curiously at the collection of eggs, noting that there was even a Golden egg in there.
"Exploring!" She exclaimed, beaming down at the collection of eggs. "I wouldn't normally pinch a whole clutch, but I couldn't see their mum anywhere and they're so close to hatching - see!" Craiss jabbed a finger at a mottled green egg, which was wiggling erratically, then nudged her knapsack closer to the fire, hoping they were nice and toasty for their debut.
"That's so lucky," Jorah marveled, kneeling down on the other side of the bag to stare at them with a slight smile on his face.
Craiss noted how gently and reverently his callused hands brushed against the edges of the bag, not quite daring to touch the eggs, but still enamored. "Would you like one?"
He hesitated, then slowly pulled his hands back. "I've never had a proper pet before," He admitted. "Not really sure I'd be very good at it." While Jorah was very well-versed in the basics of herding and farming, he had always been a builder first and foremost; not to mention, most people in his old hold didn't keep pets. They were a luxury and another hungry mouth to feed.
"Feh! Sure you will." Craiss laughed, reaching over to pick up a meatroll so she could press it into his hands. "I like to think I've got an eye for people. Take a chance - adopt a free flit, my compliments! Usually these things cost loads of marks, you know."
Jorah was all too aware of how much they cost; he checked the prices every Gather, more out of habit than anything else. Maybe if his family heard he lucked into one for free... "I'd really like that." He said very quietly. "If you're sure."
Craiss snagged an empty bowl and scooped an egg into it with a healthy handful of earth, kept warm by the fireside. "You'll want to feed her the second she hatches, otherwise she might go /Between/, alright? Feed her as much as she wants and she should Impress with you just fine."
Jorah nodded, staring unblinkingly down at the bowl she passed him. While he waited for it to hatch, he methodically began tearing the meatroll into tiny bits, figuring that the firelizard would probably have a very tiny mouth.
Craiss watched him with a broad grin, wondering how long it would take him to realize she had given him the Gold. It was pretty clear from what she knew of him that he had been pretty isolated from Rider & Weyr culture for most of his life. Craiss, on the other hand, had plenty of experience with trade and hearing the gossip from Riders who came to get fish from their Hold. She was also fortunate enough to already have Beggar and Belly... adopting another pet when a dragon might be in her future seemed foolhardy. Content to let Jorah hold his breath for his new companion, Craiss sat with her arms wrapped around the bag, humming a lively tune over the remaining nine eggs; she'd heard that Dragons hummed when there was going to be a hatching and figured these new babies might feel more welcome if she hummed for them as well - at least until their new owners arrived to claim them!
