September 2007 Clutching
You walk through a tunnel and step out onto the sands.
Even though it's been drizzling outside for the past few hours and the rain shows no signs of letting up anytime soon, Rhadamanth's progress into the hatching grounds is neither frantic nor sedate but purposeful, carrying the gravid gold out to the center of the sands just as the morning reaches its zenith. Grains fly upward as she begins digging her first hollow - and none too soon, either. Just as Ro sails down the stairs and closes the distance between herself and her lifemate at a full-out run, the first egg emerges and falls almost defiantly into its warm nest.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Unhappily Ever After Egg ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Flecks of golden fairy dust float over a flurry of daydream colors - the pastel blues and purples of an enchanted castle, a rich green of the rolling fields, and the rusty red hue of dragon's fire. Yet, despite the seemingly perfect, fairytale setting, a gray pallor lingers over the shell of this large egg, dimming the golden gleam, casting the landscape into shadow, and leaving a sense of disappointment in its wake.
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[DTU/Project] Hesketh senses that Rhadamanth reluctantly seeks him as nature takes over and the first of their progeny emerges. << You should help me make hollows for them. >> It's half-sullen, half-resigned.
Hesketh follows quietly behind Rhadamanth -- more like a loyal puppy dog than a clutch sire. As the first egg makes an appearance he trumpets happily, then sets to smoothing and patting the sands so that his lady can choose the best place for their next arrival. R'sul is not quite as attentive, he stays near the entrance to the sands for a time then begins to edge his way carefully towards Ro.
[DTU/Project] Rhadamanth senses that Hesketh is all eager energy and pride as he replies, << Of course my Lady. Direct me as is your will. >>
Sides heaving, a frustrated rumble escapes the young queen as she works to clear a second hollow before nature takes over. Of course, now that Hesketh is here to help, that shouldn't be a problem, right? Crouching slightly over the newly-formed hole, the dragon can't help leaning over to peer almost critically at the first of her brood, red-tinted eyes gleaming as she extends her muzzle toward it to touch it gently. Apparently, it's acceptable - or perhaps her attention has been abruptly taken elsewhere, for as her head lifts, another egg drops silently onto the sands.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Heart of Darkness Egg ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ebony tendrils have enveloped almost every inch of the smooth surface of this egg, making themselves one with the shell that sits upon the sands. With a creeping reach, even the rounded poles have become corrupted by the spreading darkness. Gone is free, gone is individual thought, gone is it all as the last bits of red and blue, the last bits of vibrant life, disappear beneath the blanket of black. And then, there is no escape, for it is the heart of darkness.
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Hesketh digs a series of three holes in quick succession, a little row of dents appearing across the sands. When this latest egg arrives he moves over towards it quickly and begins to heap sand up around its base to keep it secure.
Ro gives R'sul a quick smile as he edges toward her, but soon she's following Rhadamanth as she paces the sands, murmuring reassurances and casting wondering glances at the two ovoids present thus far. There's little rest for a clutching dragon, however, and soon enough the gold is depositing not one, but two more eggs into some of Hesketh's well-dug hollows, one coming after the other in quick succession.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Night Under the Stars Egg ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Smooth, uninterrupted blends of color render the impression of a breathtaking landscape over the shell of this rather large egg, depicting a night sky in all of its unabashed glory. Midnight-blue spills over the top of the ovoid, dappled with a thousand, miniscule dots of silvery-white. It's difficult to tell if a few of the dots are brighter than the rest, but they lessen in number as they approach the middle of the shell. Here, the dark of night purples into dusk, eventually igniting into the warm, orange-gold of dawn. Ragged outlines of mountains in the far distance, small shapes that could easily be called small buildings, not unlike holds - all of these are warmed by the ever-bright incandescence that descends to cradle the egg's base.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Whirlpool of Wrath Egg ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ghastly hues of smoky green cloud what might otherwise have been a fairly pretty blending of patterns, lending this egg an air of foreboding. Beneath the patina, turbulent waters of jade swirl into the shape of a colossal whirlpool, expanding to cover the entire shell from apex to base. Pitch-black shadows coalesce into strangely formed ships that teeter dangerously on the edge of the maelstrom's abyss. A jagged line of white-gold runs down amongst it all to crash into the churning sea - perhaps a deity's way of lashing out against mere mortals?
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R'sul coughs slightly, and gives a quick wave to Ro before keeping on with his sidling around the edges of the sands. While he is nervous, Hesketh is nothing but proud as another two eggs appear. The first is straightened slightly before he heaps sand around it, the second merely breathed on and then left.
Rhadamanth focuses on digging a fairly deep hollow as her sides resume their rippling, eyes reddening with the effort of producing the next of her progeny. A rumble of discomfort later, another egg sits comfortably within the sandy nest, earning it a gruff rumble from its critical mother before she pushes more sand securely about it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Resurrection Egg ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Slate grays and metallic grays merge together to form the overall base hue of this large egg, giving off a cold-like atmosphere even though the egg is far from it. Hints of brass and copper shimmer and glint off any light that may fall along the few lines that they grace - and if one is quick to notice, they'll see that they hint at an edge, as though trying to form the side and base of a square or cubed shaped object frozen in an upwards tilt. It is along this mysteriously defined edge that there is more to the drab coloring on this egg's shell then one would first think. Almost black in some areas, darker grey hues twist and etch their way across in thin, patterned, lines forming what appears to be engraved into the slate and metallic grays. But from the tip of this egg, these etched lines take on a vivid, lively and almost electric shade of blue rather then the lifeless dark ones below and almost seem to pulse against their more dreary colored confinements.
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Hesketh watches Rhadamanth for a moment, but moves off as soon as the latest egg is taken care of and begins to dig again. Two more holes appear close to the rest of the clutch, then three more a little away from them in a line towards the exit.
A half-hour passes, and still no sign of another egg despite the gold's heaving sides. In the interim, the new mother busies herself with working the slowly-drying eggs more deeply into the sand, doing her best to hide them from the view of the spectators. With renewed vigor, she deepens a nearby depression caused by a previous footstep, squatting over it with an impatient growl. When she moves aside a few moments later, a rather ominous -looking egg is revealed, tilting slightly toward one of Hesketh's newly made holes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Key to Despair Egg ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ominous dark reds lie in scattered disarray over the smooth shell of this egg, at times fading into a diluted rusty shade that allows light to play the illusion of some sort of eerie, cracked, fabric-like texture. Blackness looms where the red does not, sometimes seeping down in creeping wisps like cracks and shadowed edges. Resting against this rather macabre backdrop is an elongated swathe of tarnished brass that, besides its equally shadowed nature, visibly stands out. From the square tip with its one side cut into a specific pattern, to the sleek handle and down to the rounded, oval base, deeper brass hues twist and turn in just the right places to form the near resemblance of an old fashioned key. It would seem this egg holds its secrets as well, for the base of the key bares the barely visible deeper markings of numbers that are too blurred to be correctly labeled.
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Hesketh gently nudges the egg with his snout, rolling it into a safer position in the indentation and heaping up the sand around it. Stepping back he eyes it critically, nudges it once more, then adds a little more sand to one side of it.
Ro withdraws after a while, moving to stand off to the side as Rhadamanth continues digging and eyes Hesketh appraisingly. He's doing his duty. Perhaps he has some redeeming qualities. But any further reflection is pushed aside as two more eggs arrive, one arriving a bit later than the other.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ City of Light Egg ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pastel hues filter around the peak of this egg, creating a magnificent backdrop of sky blue with mingling cloud-like streaks of orange sherbert. A brilliant array of color bursts into life along the central portion of the shell in the form of a choppy line of squares and rectangles that almost appears like a distant city. Several bright neon reds, yellows and blues touch the swaths of deep umber in zigzags and dots, like lights shining from afar. A sweeping streak of pale blue cuts through the jumble of colors, winding easily down the side of the shell and pooling at the bottom. Here and there a few round balls of green spring out against the expanse of color, a few reflections of the massive amount of lights clinging to them. Rising from the bottom of the egg is a striking tower of pure golden light, the very tip of it climbing nearly to the apex of the ovoid. A tiny ball of fuzzy blue-grey, accompanied by a curled streak of pink, sits almost unnoticed at the very base of the spire, seemingly staring up at it in awe.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Unspoken Prediction Egg ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ghostly swirls of deep blue and bottle green dance together over the gentle curves of this small egg, enclosing it in a wash of mystery. Smoky shapes rise and fall throughout the darkness, intermingling together in an insane turmoil of colors. Hazy images and faint patterns poke forth here and there, almost appearing like several familiar images at once. A dense gathering of electric blue forms across the exact center of the ovoid, looking eerily like a hollow-eyed face peering out from the surrounding shadows. Colors fade into encroaching blackness along the very tip, blocking out even the most residual hint of hue. Unique colors and patterns crisscross almost along the entire span of the shell, making it appear as though it were a transparent container of smoke rather than an egg.
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Hesketh smoothes some more sand around the clutch, keeping an eye on Rhadamanth as yet more eggs arrive. The placing of the blue-green egg seems to not suit him, so he nudges it out of the indentation in which it lies and around to another hole only a few feet away.
Rhadamanth regards the eight eggs laid thus far with a measuring eye, gradually moving one here and another there to begin creating two separate groups of eggs - her logic here is anyone's guess, apparently, for even Ro casts her lifemate a puzzled glance during this break in clutching. Eventually, her rippling sides force her to seek another hollow, adding a ninth egg to the sands.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Not a Good Idea Egg ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Discoloured from the very second it appears, this mostly white egg is stained a rather sweaty yellow in places and appears to shimmer with an ever-present dampness. A swathe of muddy brown adds an extra grubbiness to the shell, splitting it neatly into two halves before paling slightly to an almost fleshy tone at the very tip. On closer inspection a sharp flash of gunmetal grey can be seen near the base, though it is swallowed almost entirely by a slash of fiery red that encircles the shell before burning itself out and leaving a whispy grey trail rising towards the sky.
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Hesketh croons a confused note as some of the eggs are moved, but rather than anger Rhadamanth he moves to reseat the eggs properly. Sand is heaped around them in their new places, then the area around them flattened carefully. He misses the emergence of this latest addition to the family, his attention fully on those who arrived before.
Another half-hour passes; some of the observers who were present when the clutching began have started to retire to the caverns in favor of grabbing an early dinner. It's nearly the dinner hour when the gold stretches agitatedly upwards and growls with the effort of another egg on the way, depositing it safely amongst its fellows after giving it an odd look.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Devourer of Worlds Egg ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This rather odd egg is mirror-like silver from pointed tip to rounded base, not another colour appearing there save the reflections of those around it. Yet for all its individuality it is far from perfect. The egg looks lopsided, squashed even, as if someone had sat on it and distorted the shape, a trait it passes on to all that are reflected in it.
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Hesketh's reaction to the latest egg is to blink several times and let out a croon the tone of which can only be interpreted as 'what the heck is that'. He moves towards it slowly, carefully, peering at it with more than a little mistrust. A quick snout nudge to it determines its lack of danger, but he goes overboard with the sand on this one and nearly buries it in his haste to move away.
[DTU/Project] Hesketh senses that Rhadamanth eyes this odd little egg suspiciously. Her first instinct may be to hunt down whoever squashed it, but she does her best to let cool rationale win the day, instead. << I do not think it is dangerous. Just - peculiar. >>
[DTU/Project] Rhadamanth senses that Hesketh is not so sure. << Perhaps we should move it from the rest. It would not do for it to cause them danger, methinks. >>
Ro, despite the afternoon turning into the evening, has refused to leave the sands for hardly a moment. Eventually, a couple of people mince out onto the sands, careful to walk along the wall nearest to the galleries, and bring both riders food and drink. It's not until they leave the sands that Rhadamanth brings forth yet another of her offspring, nosing at it the minute that it's laid to nudge it into the middle of one of the two groups. Balance, after all, must be maintained.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Spider Egg ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spider Egg, Spider Egg, does whatever a Spider Egg does--which is mostly just sitting on the sands looking utterly ordinary. Not just medium-sized, it is so averagely proportioned as to occupy the exact median circumference of the entire clutch, and it rests vaguely towards the center of the group, although its exact location seems to shift from time to time with the whims of its dam. The shell is a mottled sort of pale peachy-pink, the kind of cheery color that someone might paint their living quarters, if they were domestically inclined. And yet, over the upper curve of the shell, there's a muddy blotching, a scattered pattern of cloven hoof-prints that look decidedly porcine in origin, although the culprit is nowhere in sight.
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[DTU/Project] Hesketh senses that Rhadamanth considers this, eyeing the silver egg carefully. << I don't think it will harm them. I shall leave it where it is for the time being. The two sets of eggs are so well-balanced. It wouldn't do to disturb that. >>
Hesketh gives the shiny egg another glance, then glances at Rhadamanth, then back to the egg. His tail flicks a little more sand over it and he moves off to roll the latest egg into the center of the clutch.
[DTU/Project] Rhadamanth senses that Hesketh is reluctant but agrees, moving off to tend to another egg with a quiet, << With a good will, my lady. >>
Rhadamanth appears exhausted; still, her sides continue to contract, even as the evening begins to wear on and the rain tapers off into a cool breeze. By this time, her rate of clutching has slowed greatly - surely she must be nearing the end? A final effort and several minutes later, the last egg appears on the sands as the skies darken, bringing the total of the clutch to twelve. Quite impressive for her first.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Viridian Suds Egg ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Like the head on a good brew, a pale froth has risen to crown the ample shell of this egg, but the surface below is neither amber ale nor dark lager--nothing of hops and barley born has ever been so very turquoise. Bubbles of light rise up from the bottom, clinging to the sides before joining the crest of foam above. Those flecks of white seem to almost sparkle against the depths of swirling blue and green beneath, verdigris shifting and unstable as it mixes with coils of cerulean. The colors are corrosive, unnatural, and yet somehow appetizing--an aquamarine bock with a clean finish.
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Hesketh's attention drifts from the eggs to their mother, and he pauses in his sand piling duties to gently rub his head against her neck. As the last egg arrives he gets between it and her, determined to deal with this one on his own so that she can rest.
Rhadamanth permits the caress, politely stepping away thereafter with a small rumble. A glance is lifted toward the galleries - the people present are given a look that is neither gentle nor kind, but measuring. Suspicious of all of these observers, she curls herself tiredly about both groups of eggs, dropping her head to her forelimbs for a well-deserved rest.
Hesketh rolls the new egg into its alloted place, heaping sand around it quickly and then turning to cast a critical eye over his children. Another tail-load of sand is swept towards the reflective egg, clearly he doesn't trust it, and he moves over to sit in front of Rhadamanth. He glances up to the galleries then very deliberately turns his back on them, flaring his wings and blocking sight of part of the clutch for the moment.