In another place and time, five other dragons hunched around a single egg, humming with a low, continuous sound that filled the temporary weyr they were inhabiting. The sound was only punctuated by the sound of weeping girls, two of the ones that had been taken from their beds for this. The golden queen was rocking, chirping from inside while the men responsible stood around expectantly.

"Stop your whining." M'ler spoke to one of them, and she sniffled, twisting the edge of her dress. They didn't even have candidate robes for this. Kayliy looked over at her derisively: she was flushed in the face, terrified, but she was scared more of the old weyrleader than she was of some egg.

The queen egg cracked, and bits of the lovely shell fell off. The humming picked up in volume as the dragonet - a beautiful, shimmering pale gold - picked herself out, pausing now and then before heaving out of the shell. She looked up, her rainbow eyes whirling, then dashed straight at the girls.

One of the two crying, a pretty crafter girl, was thrown aside, bleeding heavily. She screamed, and the other girls screamed with her, as the dragon bumped into another, crying out, then turned to look at the one who had touched her egg. Kayliy's eyes widened, and she pushed another of the girls out of the way before going over to the dragon, who crooned at her.

M'ler smiled indulgently at the sight of impression, and put his hands on his hips. It had been worth the expedition. "What's her name, Lady Kay?"

"Calarnith." Kayliy looked up at him, joy in her eyes. She was exactly what he had wanted: pretty, not terribly smart, easily controlled.

"We need to give her her first meal." M'ler waved at S'det to go and get the food they had arranged for the hatchling. "She's the future of the weyr, after all."