"They're starting to hatch!"

	The words were out of Christalla's mouth almost before she knew 
what she was saying.  Kaeryth was singing in her head!

	M'ressan stood up, abruptly taking control.  She could hear his 
strong voice directing the visitors, the dragonriders, the Searchlings, 
the unjoined dragonfolk....  Everyone had something to contribute to 
this great event.  After a minute or two, when Christalla had gotten her 
dragon's emotions under control, she joined M'ressan in the frenzied 
attempt to get everything somewhat organized.

	Dragons were trumpting everywhere.  The sound was almost 
deafening.  Unjoined dragonfolk ran helter-skelter, preparing raw 
meat for the newly hatched dragonets.  This was something the Warrenfolk 
had done many times, and the chaos was organized.

	Christalla herded the bewilderedlandbound visitors to the 
Hatching Cavern, where they sat in special tiered seats overlooking the 
hatching sands.  M'ressan took it upon himself to organize the 
candidates.  He was wonderful with the young... they'd have to have 
children someday, she thought idly.

	The eggs were convulsing wildly by the time every observer was 
safe in his seat in the Hatching Cavern.  Kaeryth had surrendered her 
protective position around her eggs and had pulled back into a corner, 
watching her hatching young with glittering green eyes.  She radiated 
worry, and Christalla felt every bit of it.  Dragons were still flying 
into the cavern from everywhere, perching on the huge rock ledges that 
lined the vaulted ceilling of the vast cavern.  No dragon in its right 
mind would miss a hatching.

	Christalla hoisted herself into her red velvet-lined DragonLady's 
chair and looked across the hatching cavern to meet M'ressan's eyes.  He 
nodded, grinning.  She raised her hand and gave the signal.

	Candidates came pouring onto the Hatching Sands in two orderly 
lines of men and women, walking smartly as the barely-tolerable hot 
hatching sands touched their bare feet.  They quickly formed a ring 
around the clump of mottled eggs, now rocking so hard that they were 
cracking and breaking apart. 

	Suddenly, the shell around one of the eggs fell apart, and a 
purple head peeked.  The crowd fell into breathless silence.  The 
dragonet opened its large golden eyes, looked around, and forced its way 
out of the shell.  Several eggs were in its path, and it pushed though 
them, keening miserably.  Dragonets were completely helpless at birth-- 
this one could barely control its moist, membraned wings, and they 
dragged against the sand as the dragonet stumbled about, keening, 
searching the faces of the Humans nearby.  

	This was the time that Kaeryth most wanted to go to her young, 
and Christalla had to put all her energy into holding her back.  In the 
wild, these helpless hatchlings would be dependent on their mother for 
the brief weeks till they could fly independently.  Here at the Warren, 
it was different, and it was the one part of Warren life that Kaeryth 
found the most distressing.

	The violet hatchling stumbled over itself, and an adolescent boy 
rushed forward, as if compelled, to help it up.  Dragon and Human eyes 
met, and the boy was lost.  Over the strange silence, his voice could be 
heard, "His name is Berlan!"

	A cheer rose up from the watchers.

	Then it seemed that all the eggs fell apart at once.  
Multicolored dragonets struggled over each other, keeining, falling 
down.  The ranks of the candidates fell into disarray.  The hatching 
ground was an image of beautiful chaos as Humans and Dragons found each 
other, one by one.

	It was everyone for themselves.

Respectfully Submitted,

Susan Rati
Administrator, DragonLands

NRPG: There ya go.  The scene is set.  Have a blast!

	

     __
    /__\
   (`__')  I am known by many names: Aiel, Arandolen, Echo, Grace, 
    \  /      Iona, Leia, Mala, Suzamni, Suzanne, Unole, Zack,
    /_/_   srati@ucs.indiana.edu, CS Student, SF Fan, Babylon(5)ian
   (____)   Visit me: http://ezinfo.ucs.indiana.edu/~srati/
  (______)   __  __  __  __  __  __  __  __  __  __  __  __  __  __  ^
 (________)_/  \/  \/  \/  \/  \/  \/  \/  \/  \/  \/  \/  \/  \/  \/ )
 (___________/\__/\__/\__/\__/\__/\__/\__/\__/\__/\__/\__/\__/\__/\__/
   "Is there enough forgiveness in the world for what I've done?"
                              - Edward, "Passing through Gethsemane"





--
     __
    /__\
   (`__')  I am known by many names: Aiel, Arandolen, Echo, Grace, 
    \  /      Iona, Leia, Mala, Suzamni, Suzanne, Unole, Zack,
    /_/_   srati@ucs.indiana.edu, CS Student, SF Fan, Babylon(5)ian
   (____)   Visit me: http://ezinfo.ucs.indiana.edu/~srati/
  (______)   __  __  __  __  __  __  __  __  __  __  __  __  __  __  ^
 (________)_/  \/  \/  \/  \/  \/  \/  \/  \/  \/  \/  \/  \/  \/  \/ )
 (___________/\__/\__/\__/\__/\__/\__/\__/\__/\__/\__/\__/\__/\__/\__/
   "Is there enough forgiveness in the world for what I've done?"
                              - Edward, "Passing through Gethsemane"