Halloween Clutch 2021

Dragon Information

  Wisp Dragons

Description: duowinged wyverns with a feathery tail and crest.  Size: small, about the size of dogs. Habitat: with their versatile features they are at home in the air and in water, they are slower on land but won't mind a nap in the grass Abilities: Flight, Telepathy, small elemental magic

  Swamp Light Dragons: 

Description: dragons with curved horns and razor-sharp wings.  Size: medium to large sized for Lantessama (the size of a large horse to double that size), one to two people can comfortably ride on them. Habitat: as their name suggest these dragons love secluded spaces with high humidity. They're not too fussy though and will flourish as long as they have a clean water source nearby (and yes tapwater counts) Regular Abilities: Flight, Telepathy, Telekinesis, Teleportation Magical Abilities: They can create crystal light balls and are able to see the future in them. The colour of these balls betrays their affinity to elemental magic. Usually a dragon displays affinity for one to three different types Possible colours:    *BLUE: water magic, these dragons might divine the future by the shape of raindrops or the ripples in a pond   *WHITE: air magic, these dragons look to the patterns of the clouds or the sense of the breeze to see the future   *BROWN: earth magic, use geomantic divination, throwing pebbles, shells or bones and look at the patterns they form   *RED: fire magic, stare in the fire to reach a trance and seek spiritual guidance, they might also look for prophetic dreams.    *GREEN: plant magic, dragons who enjoy interpreting tea leaves, or the bark of special trees   *PURPLE: celestial magic, these dragons check the alignment of stars, the moon, sun and seasons to try to explain the future   *YELLOW: corporal magic, use the lines on ones hand or the configuration of organs of tributes to look for clarity about the future   *PINK: relational magic, dragons who use numerology and look to the true name of things to divine meaning

Halloween Clutch 2021

Hatching Story
Not a night was the same on Syl'Neriss as planets, asteroids and stars moved constantly through the Elsewhere. Tonight was dark, only a small sliver of a moon remaining among the stars as fit the occasion. Tonight the veil between the worlds was thin and magic could be felt in the air. Probably the gem dragons were holding a party of their own, but that had messed with the fabric of things before. In the waters of the bay, a party seemed to be going on as well. The waters were murky and seemed to be bubbling. Sneaky sounds could be heard, a faint splash, a distant croak. And at times a little light zipped through the water as if to call attention. The people of the isle had strung lights through the trees and had set up little stalls selling drinks and snacks. As the festivities of the day had continued into the night, a lot of people seemed to have forgotten that they were actually there for a hatching and not just a fun festival gathering. 
But not everyone had forgotten. It was Eliro, the small Avandraya from the Refugium had stepped aside to escape the crowd and was enjoying the cool night air on his own when he noticed a lot of the lights that had been zipping through the water seemed to have come together above the water. His companions were somewhere on the island, looking for mushrooms or something but he'd opted out, preferring to stay closer to the lights. That didn't seem to have been such a good decision. Easily spooked, the little deer-like creature felt about two dozens of eyes upon him and screeched. This sound only attracted more attention to him and quivering he ducked down to await his end. 
"Look at them!" an excited human girl - Kala Han, one from the group of students from Twoarth called in wonder.
People and creatures alike crowded around and Eliro opened his eyes carefully. Lights in different colours were moving through the mass of people. Laughter sounded where the little wisps tickled people with their feathers and quiet whispers filled the air as they bonded and people called out names or talked to the wisp dragons. Excitement rose and then a splash in the water, followed by swirling lights, drew the expectant bonders toward the water's edge. 
Ghita was among the first to move. She'd come to the festival waiting to bond and had thus not lost sight of her main objective: which was to get to the bay when the hatching started. She wasted no time and followed the road without incident. She'd memorised the route during the days leading to the hatching. Ghita felt confident that she'd succeed but what came afterwards was anyone's guess. As she'd been explained it was the dragon that did the choosing. But being around would probably do a lot to up her chances. 
She was far from alone but she felt confident that she stood out because of her staff that glowed with it's own light. It was basic magic but one she was glad to possess. 
And indeed, within minutes, Ghita was swarmed by the little wisp dragons who seemed to glow all on their own as well. One of the little wisps, a male fire decided he would stay.
"Light warm. light pretty." he told her and then gave her staff it's name for good measure: "Light now Azcapot."
Also on the forefront was the silver, blue-winged rukel Sidhe. She'd zipped over heads and snuck between legs and managed to get to the front of the crowd. The other rukel present, Gadwin, was nowhere in sight and Sidhe felt pleased to have beaten him. Sidhe watched  the aerial light display and soon forgot she was here to bond. It all looked so pretty and fun that she launched herself in the air and joined in the wild dance of the wisps. It didn't take long for two of them to crash into her wings, sending all three of them spiralling down where they were caught by the observant watcher Ladeyn. The dark-skinned man smiled and said: "This wasn't what I was expecting to do when I signed up for watch duty tonight."
Sidhe ignored him and quickly took off, dragging the two wisps with her. 
"Why are you running?" the air wisp Cartha asked.
"I don't care, let's fly some more." the light wisp Tingi said.
"It's embarrassing to have to be caught like that." Sidhe added and continued to get herself and her two new bonds as far away as possible.
Feeling one of those infernal headaches coming, Theriot just wanted to get away from the lights and sounds. Which was a difficult task considering the lightshow that was taking place. Pulsing lights were virtually everywhere and closing his eyes was dangerous as he crashed into people and obstacles before he'd taken two steps. Opting to stand still instead, Theriot waited and suddenly felt a cool sensation wash from his head down to the rest of his body while the flashes that still pulsed behind his eyelids dimmed to tolerable levels. 
"He seems to be getting better, Cairo." a soothing female voice said.
"I don't think we can stop quite yet, Shedet." a calm male voice replied.
Theriot wondered how he knew what the two wisps looked like without even having seen them, but he knew them like he knew the back of his hand. 
Abby was getting her fill of fear as she startled more than one candidate or spectator on their way to the bay. She'd almost forgotten why she was even here. But two wisps flying around found her too intriguing to pass up. 
"Hey, I want to scare people too." a male air wisp said.
"No, Malindi, those poor people are scared! You shouldn't prank them."
"Oh Tanga, tonight is all about scaring people. I bet they're expecting this."
Abby nodded furiously and continued to hunt for food, followed by her blue and pink wisps. One of which trying his hardest to scare humans while the other went around saying sorry and consoling. 
The lion-shifter Iohan had spent a few months on Lantessama and had used his time there to gain more knowledge about dragons. It wasn't the first planet where he'd encountered the species but the first where he could freely examine them as closely as he wanted. If not for the festival, he'd already left but the locals had invited him with such enthusiasm that he simply hadn't been able to decline the offer. Supposedly magic would be in play and Iohan was interested in that so he'd waited. So far he'd yet to see any magic happening. Sure there were some lights but he'd seen bioluminescence before. It was hardly magic. 
"Magic isn't so special when you know how to do it." a burly female wisp dragon spoke in his mind.
"Is it?"
"To me it's normal." she answered and touched a few leaves that instantly disintegrated, "it's not like I can do much." she added.
"It's still more than what I can do, Acoma."
The group of five from Twoarth stayed close together. They'd been having loads of fun on the festival grounds with all the eating, drinking and trinkets that were available when some small deer-creature had sounded the start of the hatching. They tried to make their way to the bay but that wasn't easy when May got stuck in her tree form. At least they hadn't been anywhere dangerous when it happened, just people would probably have a difficult time getting around her when returning. 
"I'm sorry guys." May said, "Go ahead without me, I wouldn't feel good if you missed your chances to bond."
"We can't leave you here." Mica said, "I'll just have to summon you closer until we reach the water. It's only a 100 meters or so."
Before they could try to work out their plan, some of the lights decided to come to them. Four of the smaller wisps danced around them in the light and soon settled on their bonds. 
"I like you." an earth wisp called Ruyin told Mica Fiddlewood while he perched on her shoulder and refused to budge afterwards.
"Mine mine." a very excited astral male called Luzhou chimed as he snuggled close to Ken Acebedo.  
"Come play with the other lights." a bright light female by the name of Hefei said and started tugging Kala Han's clothes. 
And then a sudden shower washed over Fletcher Skinkerton as the water wisp Luyi decided to mark the occasion with her magic... which made Fletcher transform into his monster form.
"Whoa!" he called
"You so big." Luyi said happily, "Carry friend?"
"What do you think guys? Can we make this work?" Kala asked and the group of friends set to work to get the stuck May to the water. 
Radeskmav knew all that was happening, knew when the time drew near. And certainly there was the first of his bonds. A small astral wisp. She zipped through dimensions, being sometimes there and sometimes not. But he knew where she was always. She would try to surprise hiù but he doubted she would be able to. 
"I'm young still. Give me time." she said, lighting a small flicker of hope though he knew it was probably futile. 
"I will wait for the time to come, Amaravati." Radeskmav promised solemnly.
Foxfire kept to the back, her green bioluminescence was also a potent hallucinogen and it was far too easy in these conditions for people to get a taste of her special compounds. Still, it was this compound that drew a deep green wisp toward her. The larger female with brighter green wings seemed to have a power of her own to match as she dropped down on Foxfire's back without displaying a single effect. Curious, Foxfire tapped the green feathered snake with the transparent wings and got a small tingle when her own toxins hit her.
"Neat trick Ouida." she grinned and was answered by a yawn as the hatchling wyvern drowsed. 
Lara, a Lantessama local, was busy tending the small scrapes and bruises the initial commotion had caused. Like most of the residents, she'd been enjoying the festivities and bonding was the last thing on her mind. After she'd tended about half a dozen people, one of which had been a little girl screaming her lungs out, she sighed, stretched and hoped she could get a nice cup of tea. And suddenly it was there in front of her. Wondering if maybe she was hallucinating she was at least somewhat relieved to be able to smell the fragrant beverage. Hallucinations only affected one sense. So she wasn't hallucinating. Taking the cup she found a very tiny green wyvern attached to her cup, looking like it might go for a swim. 
"That won't do." she said and plucked the little wisp from the cup, "You'd get burned."
"I wouldn't." a soft voice sounded in her mind, "Hohokam only conjures safe tea."
"I'll take a sip then."
Somewhere out on the fields, a group of svarpians had slithered to watch the light show from a bit further away. They'd lived their entire lives on Syl'Neriss but had yet to see what the lights in the sky might be. They worried that maybe the Wicena were fighting, although the Wicena usually stuck close to Gineya Isle so they shouldn't be anywhere near where their new caretakers had brought them, half a world away. Though not all that intelligent, they did possess good instincts and survival prowess. Which was why the four noticed the lights coming before they could see them.
Odin (f), the most powerful of the four reared her body up and hissed while her mate, Dva did the same only seconds later. The other two svarpians, Cliff and Ivy were more gullible and waited to see what would happen. 
The four wisp dragons that approached them did not fear the striking snake dragons and instead swooped up and down, having fun evading the svarpian attacks until the svarpians had to admit that they could not be much of a threat or they'd be injured already. There were four wisps and they'd each picked their favourite svarpian while plaing.
"Odin! I like your sass." the plant wisp Sofala crooned and sank down on the eldest's head.
"Dva! You're mine now." a brown male called Moroni, said with conviction.
"Cliff, let's go play more!" a blue air wisp called, "Come play with Quelimane."
"Ivy, I want to come with you." the largest of the bunch, a teal water male called Zanzi proposed, "We'll see so much."
As usual, Trick was at the right place at the right time. The pumpkin-headed guide had been enjoying the dark of night when the lightshow had started. So it probably wasn't that unusual that while the others were still impressing wisp dragons, that it was the one to first encounter a swamp light dragon. This first specimen was dark as the night, with sparkly stars on his wings. 
"We can rest tonight." the hatchling agreed as his thoughts merged with Trick's, "but we shouldn't be away too long. People will need our guidance."
To which Trick perked it's ears and cocked it's head in agreement before guiding his new bond to where there was food and they now needed to be. 
Eliro had kept away from the water as people, otherworldly creatures, slithering snakes (with large teeth) and soft-looking winged rukels hurried to see what was happening. The timid Avandraya was not interested in bonding large dragons. In fact he was seriously contemplating returning to his assigned quarters on the other side of the island when a small brown light flitted close. The wisp, about the size of a chick, dropped down on Eliro's back and seemed to be happy to ruffle in his fur. She found a good spot and Eliro relaxed.
"Mine." the little wisp said and made herself comfortable.
Just a few seconds later, a larger red wisp hovered just above the sand. "Mendefera, no fair!" he called, "I wanted to be first."
"You snooze, you lose Ajuran." Mendefera yawned.
Eliro waited a bit and then carefully asked the red wisp: "Will there be more coming?"
"No." Ajuran answered, "I'll keep you safe." the little wisp puffed his chest out and huffed a little bit of fire.
"Let's leave then." Eliro hurriedly said. 
As the party of svarpians were returning to their waiting spaceship, they stumbled upon two hatchlings. One was a pink-purple female, the other a bright green male. The two seemed to be heading off together and looked as if they were completely comfortable on their own. The svarpians could relate. After all who needed humans? Even if some of them were nice and fed you and gave you cuddles and took you to see places you'd never been where you could find new friends. 
Odin (f) took a little time, but then decided their little tribe could become a little bit bigger. She tugged Dva with her and together they slithered to the purple female while Cliff and Ivy headed for the green male. 
"I think we could come with you." Zakath said but looked over to her friend.
"I don't know, can we even trust them?" Boloto asked, he was superstitious by nature and didn't want to feel indebted.
Dva projected the image of their band of misfits and the laidback way they lived on the ship. Though not ideal, no-one asked for anything in return except to help as best they could.
"Sailing through space?" Zakath asked, "I want to see the stars Boloto!"
"Fine then." the green dragon relented. 
Tylkam wandered around with Rian, trying to find a way to help the haunted man. So far the young feathered man had not freaked out once which probably meant that most of the ghosts were staying indoors tonight. Someone at this hatching should have some spiritual sense. At least that was Tylkam's assumption. Instead of heading to the water like most people did, the fake medium had stayed near the shadowy forest, hoping to find someone there. And luckily, the right person appeared before them. A medium by name of Tzennin stumbled upon them. Unfortunately Rian saw the ghost attached to the man and bolted, leaving Tylkam on his own. 
"I'll leave you be now." Tylkam called after the fleeing man, "Good luck!"
Before long, Tylkam found himself near the water where a bright orange dragon was taking up a lot of attention. Inching in closer, Tylkam suddenly found himself right in front of the hatchling, who smiled at him.
"There you are! I see you took care of your little problem. Don't worry, he'll get sorted. My name is the great Maharaja Geo and I know these things." The dragon bowed with a flourish of his tail and wings.
"That's good to know." Tylkam answered, relieved to know Lokesh would be helped.
"Help me next." a whisper suddenly sounded right next to his left ear.
Tylkam startled and glanced around, noticing a light blue air wisp where the whisper had been.
"Ah yes." Maharaja Geo said, "This is my assistant Sayram. She is quite the asset at séances."
"A pleasure." the wisp whispered.
Siabri had spent her time at Lantessama enjoying all the freedom she could find. Still she'd wanted to at least contribute something to the place and had given dance performances every other day or so to entertain the locals, none of whom had tried to kidnap her. So far that felt like a big plus. S'yl had asked her out on a couple of dates but she'd politely declined all of them, wondering if maybe he had an ulterior motive - other than bedding her. She could feel the tension rise as people hurried toward the bay. Without even meaning to, her legs followed, skipping and jumping, occasionally floating as she too headed into the direction of the water. 
Out of nowhere a bright green creature hit her square in the face. The little wisp chirped happily and within minutes Sibari was covered in sprouting seeds the hatchling seemed to have been carrying. She could smell a hint of mint along with other herbs and decided she'd better grab hold of the creature before she would knock into someone else. And then realised she knew it's name. How odd! 
"Are you mine then, Tlaltel?"
It only took Siabri a few leaps more to reach the water's edge and there she was greeted by a lilac-coloured hatchling that seemed to be a flower blooming on the water, like a lily. The little dragoness carefully floated above the water, her toes sometimes dipping in, creating ripples on the surface of the calm waters though they were hard to see in the dark. 
"Nice to meet you, do you have room for one more?" the purple female asked.
There was no pressure, no menace, only an open-ended invitation. Siabri nodded and said: "I'd love to, Serali."
Crossing the two on their way back, Foxfire lighted her own path toward the edge of the bay and couldn't resist dipping her toes into the cool waters. Maybe it was an after effect of the the dancer and her bond or maybe it was just the lingering high of her own hallucinogen. In any case, the waters suddenly rippled with a peachy light that pulsed to purple and then back to the light orange glow. Foxfire pulled her foot out of the water but stared in the deep and in a few heartbeats made out a dragon hatchling swimming up.
"The stars led me to you and your quest. You can call me Tuzik and I will help to my best effort." he promised.
"If not, we can always find more companions." Foxfire added. 
Radeskmav got up, jostling the sleeping purple wisp that was cradled in his arms. He smiled as she complained but there was no helping it as out of the shadows stepped a beige female dragon who stumbled, just as he'd predicted and he needed to be there to catch her. The young hatchling looked up to her bond and smiled, a sense of sparkling lights and tinkling bells lighting his mind. He had never known joy such as this and wondered if he would ever feel it when it was his own.
"You have me." Tarantella told him, "I'll try to keep things interesting. Let me see..." she threw a set of twigs and nodded, "Let's go left."
"I knew you'd say that." Radeskmav said.
"Maybe one day I'll surprise you." Tarantella told him.
Radeskmav doubted that. But at least he was no longer alone and there was worse company to be had. 
Feeling his way through the bushes, Rembert who'd gotten a little tipsy, had just answered a call of nature when he felt another call pulling at his mind. Foggy and a bit slower than normal, the young trader looked around, then down, then up and barely noticed the water wisp that dove inside his clothes. But he felt the little creature clutch and relax as he got warmer. The unusual encounter with Coyoacan had somewhat sobered up Rembert and he noticed that the pull was still there. Curious, he followed the draw, adjusting by trial and error until he stumbled upon a brown-grey hatchling that sat in the middle of a clearing.
"Finally you came to me." the dragon crooned, "You took your time."
"I didn't even know I was a candidate for this." Rembert defended himself, "How should I have known?"
"Well you did answer my call." Leisten graciously allowed, "I'd very much like to join you in your travels."
Odin (m) and Frigg kept close together. They'd spent their time on Lantessama getting to know each other. Both had wanted to return to their own planet as soon as possible, but that sentiment had started to wane a bit as they'd grown comfortable in their new lives on the isle. The two of them had been enjoying the festival and were now walking at the water's edge. Truth be told, the brunt of the hatching was a bit to the side but Frigg was in no hurry and she felt they were headed in the right direction. Odin didn't question her and hadn't once after that first time. Despite his astute appearance he seemed to have a lot of faith. 
"I think we need to stay here." Frigg said as she felt a change in the air.
Odin stopped walking and to be sure, within a couple of seconds, two dragons swam up to the shore. One was a deep fiery red male, the other a spring green female. Without much delay the two went to their chosen and gave them their names:
"Odin, I'm Slipneer." the red male said, "I will be strong, I'll strive to follow your lead."
"Frigg, I'm Igsyld." the green female spoke, "I'd like to study and learn about the nature of the world."
Before they could leave to find some food and retire with their hatchlings, two wisp dragons seemed to appear out of nowhere.
"Wait up!" the brown male Raqmu called to Frigg.
"We're coming too." the bright orange female Petra added with a little flourish of her tail.
Ghita was still waiting at the water's edge. She would not grow desperate. After all there were plenty of lights left in the water. She tried to look strong and dignified and waited. And her patience was rewarded as a bright violet hatchling tiptoed toward her and nuzzled her without any sense of danger. The hatchling gazed up and there was a love so deep in her eyes that Ghita had to take a moment to adjust. 
"You should be more careful, Godaste." Ghita chided her dragon.
"I knew it was you who was for me." the hatchling answered, "You'd never hurt me."
Rian was panting. He was out of breath from running and found himself in a wooded area. By the sound of splashing he couldn't be far from the bay though. It was his only hope to reach other humans. Why had he run away from Tylkam? The medium had been his only hope and he'd been so good to keep offering his help. Maybe it was the darkness of the night that had spooked him. Rian usually didn't go out in the dark. His heart quieted but immediately sped up again as a single green light floated toward him. 
Rian called out in fright, but luckily it was only a plant wisp that had found him. The big male was quite affectionate and proceeded to make flowers bloom all around them. 
"Is nice." Lahore said.
"Yes." Rian replied, wondering what next to do.
"Is also nice." Lahore continued and Rian watched as from the shadows a dark shadow approached. 
All he could see were the white horns and claws that reflected the little light. Getting up to bolt again, he was pulled down by Lahore who added, "No need to be afraid."
"It is so." the bright blue hatchling said quietly, "My name is Beata Liva and I shall care for you."
The group from Twoarth had managed to reach the water with Fletcher carrying May while the others supported him with their different magic. Fletcher carefully put May down - she wasn't that much smaller than him - and put her on a grass patch that was removed from the water but he didn't dare expose her to salt water. That just couldn't be good for a tree. No matter if she was also part sheep. 
"What now?" Kala asked.
"We play some music?" Ken suggested and took out his violin. 
But before he had the chance to pay on the enchanted instrument, a honey-coloured male hatchling came close, curious about the strange group of people that had arrived. Deciding he quite liked the boisterous group, the male declared:
"My name is Nearpedge. Can I stay with you?" and by you he clearly meant Ken since he was staring straight at the young magician. 
Just a little while later, a deep green dragoness moved closer. She looked closely and sniffed and finally stopped in front of May who was still quite stuck but could still use her arms.
"Who might you be?" May asked.
"Morisyl." the green swamp light dragon said and added, "You will return to normal in 3, 2, 1..."
"How did you know that?" May asked as she turned to normal right when the dragon told her.
"I read your bark. It's quite easy to interpret. you must be a nice person."
"Can you stop it from happening?" Mica asked, worried about her friend.
"I don't think so." Morisyl shrugged, "At least not as I am now."
Gadwin stalked through the forst. He had ignored the display of lights the wisps were producing. He was looking for a bigger bond, something more substantial. The black wingless rukel heard a nearby rustle in the bushes and froze. Had one of the other candidates gotten lost? Or was it a dragon making the noise? Gadwin carefully took a step forward and then another, not managing to keep from making noise in the quiet night. More rustling sounded and suddenly a dark green hatchling was perched ontop of him.
"Caught you!" the swamp light dragon called smugly.
Gadwin caught the dragon's name and replied: "I caught you too, Erwind."
Still the rukel had to admit that he hadn't expected the dragon to come from behind. Maybe later they'd be able to talk about how he'd done that. 
Lokesh, attached to Tzennin's body looked around and had to be content to let those dreaded wisps fly right through him. They seemed to notice him but weren't inclined to bond him or even evade him. After all they could fly right through him and seemed to be enjoying that. Lokesh complained profusely about that fact, causing Tzennin to roll their eyes. 
"Shall I take over the bond?" a purple hatchling with neon blue streaked wings asked them in passing.
"Would you?" Tzennin asked.
"Hey wait! What about my opinion..." Lokesh started but the deed was done and Tzennin felt considerably lighter.
"My name is Zenxibo and I vow to fix your problem." the dragon said.
"You will return me to life?"
"To visibility." 
Somewhere between the festival and the bay, Thoma was sitting, enjoying the darkness. As was his creed, he preferred to keep out of trouble. But sometimes trouble found him. It was a hissing sound that reached him first. His sensitive eyes soon found the source of the sound, a blue swamp light hatchling that was followed by a much smaller blue-green water wisp. As the pair moved closer, Thoma was suddenly able to follow their conversation:
"I said I was sorry." the blue dragon, Charmyst, said.
"Our bond wasn't over there at all." the little wisp said, "You're useless as a psychic."
"Maybe your drops are to blame." the dragon huffed back, "Besides it's dark, and I haven't gotten much practice."
"Excuses." the little wisp hissed, "Try again."
Suddenly a mist covered the area, chilling Thoma who was otherwise pretty impervious to cold.
"Our bond is....right here!" Charmyst called.
Iohan didn't know why he suddenly felt a chill in the air, he hugged himself to keep from shivering and steeled his mind to ignore the discomfort. Maybe one day he'd be above such earthy things but for now he was happy to head for the fiery glow he saw nearby. When he came close, he noticed that the fire was in fact a bright yellow-orange dragon hatchling. The dragon seemed to be meditating so Iohan kept his distance.
"You're free to join me, Iohan." the young male said however, "I am Hainsi and I can help you train."
Somewhere off to the side of the bay, Lan Mio was caring for a spectator who'd twisted his ankle by stepping in a hidden hole. These injuries could have been prevented by hanging more lights but then, why had the spectator even ventured so far off the path? Lan Mio stopped questioning the why and started applying the how of his treatment. Luckily he carried a small field light and fabric was easy enough to come by but with the ankle being smudged and sandy it was difficult to determine whether or not there were other injuries. 
"I could really use some water now." he mumbled and was surprised to see some water rain down on the ankle. The liquid, for he didn't know it was water for sure was colourless, odourless and seemed to lessen the pain a bit. Looking up, Lan Mio saw a water wisp flying right above. The female dragoness was larger than most of the others he'd seen and she seemed to be quite intelligent.
"Cirta, could you find us some help?" he asked and she quietly nodded and flew away, returning later with a local apothecary who escorted the wounded back to the festival. 
Fletcher was waiting. He was happy that two of his friends had bonded and he did already have a wisp attached to him, but he couldn't help but want a little more. Maybe he should get closer to the water. Which was easier said than done when he was still in his monster size. Looking down, he decided getting into the water was probably too dangerous since he could step on one of the hatchlings. Lights were appearing all over the place so it was hard to pinpoint where they were exactly. With a frustrated sigh he returned to waiting but was soon after rewarded when a dark blue male approached in silence. The hatchling looked up to the giant axolotl and sat down.
"I shall do my best to grow." he said plainly and then added, "My name is Cetorhin."
While Fletcher bonded, another dragon hatchling had left the water, this one a pale blush gold. The female approached Kala and quickly found the young woman's gaze. The hatchling proceeded to gaze deep into Kala's eyes. Reverently, Kala waited. And waited, but the hatchling seemed to be mute.
"Are you ok?" Kala asked.
The hatchling returned from wherever her mind had been and answered: "Of course. I was just thinking. I like your languages. You may call me Jemdet Jumun."
Drawn by the cheering, Agaric and Chrysothrix had returned from the greenhouse. Everywhere people were feeding small dragons or cradling sleeping wisps. The large tree-like deity and the small fuzzy Gorgi who loved his mushrooms had enjoyed a talk in the greenhouse and had seen plenty they'd enjoyed. They would surely return but had agreed that they wouldn't want to miss the hatching. They'd come for companions after all. Both enjoyed life all around them and they definitely got that at current. As the remaining unbonded wisps swooped through the air, a pink female the size of a chick dropped right on Agaric's head. Immediately his head was awash with thoughts and images.
"Whoops." she said, drowning out the mental noise with her own telepathic voice, "I'm Kismayo, nice to meet you."
At the same time, a bright green male that was much larger, latched itself onto Chrysothrix and said: "I think I can make you bloom. You'd look so pretty in pink. Or maybe purple. Or orange." he nodded and looked deep into the forest deity's eyes.
"Thank you, Mogadishu." Chrysothrix said as he sensed only innocence in the little wisp. He was far from beautiful after all but the little wisp didn't seem to see that. 
Omen fluttered and tried to stay away from most people. He was an omen of death and at least today on this world it seemed like he could relax a little. He'd prefer if people didn't feel anxious because of his presence. Luckily his dark brown hide and black wings meant he'd fade into the shadows. He was confident that although the humans might overlook him, another dragon would not and was strengthened in that knowledge by the fact that all those different-sized wisps avoided him. Apparently none of them found him interesting. 
Since nothing much was happening, Omen decided to fly out over the water to get a better look of what was going on below. None of the humans present dared to sail the waters and though he could see some nekrats swimming beneath the still water of the bay, he instinctively knew they were keeping their distance. 
"As they should." a bright voice replied, "No-one wants to come in between a fated bond."
Omen looked down and his gaze was met by two bright yellow eyes, set in a pale white skin. The hatchling had faintly coloured wings that dried as he left the water.
"Pieris." Omen said as the name popped in his mind.
"Now hurry and come with me!" the hungry hatchling said impatiently. 
The hatching was nearing the end when Agaric found himself stalked by a very attentive dragon. The pale male nearly faded into the sand. He'd used his magic to keep from getting discovered or trampled and only made his presence known when he was close to his intended bond.
"Do you know that mushrooms are akin to apples? I think I might want to taste those." he said seriously.
"I doubt apples could be as neat, Zwamyist." Agaric replied equally serious, "But I think I can find you one to taste."
Though she could have left, Lara had felt it her duty to stay behind. It was dark after all and it was unlikely that the night would continue without further incidents. Still, Lara had preferred to stay under the lights of the festival area, she wouldn't risk falling herself. But her new green companion seemed to want her to step into the shadows, he kept flitting in and out of the light, sometimes pulling her hair. 
"What's wrong?" she finally asked, deciding to humour the little wisp.
"Friend needs help." Hohokam told her. 
Lara returned to work-mode and waved for Hohokam to guide her while she took a lantern. It didn't take long though for Lara to learn that the supposed emergency wasn't a medical one. Because only a few steps into the dark, she stumbled upon a green hatchling.
"Is something wrong with you?" Lara asked.
"Oh heavens no." the hatchling, Binargy, replied, "I was just thinking how pretty the night is and lost track of time. In fact I was looking for you." 
Ermina had been working her stall at the festival when a hungry stomach caught her attention. She'd thought most people had headed out to the bay or were returning home but apparently she'd been wrong. Turning to serve her customer she came face to face with a strawberry red dragon hatchling. The hatchling seemed to not have wanted to wait to bond before getting her food and Ermina could relate. After all she was the best chef on the island and no-one could resist her food.
"I'm coral red though." the female hatchling pointed out.
"I'd say you're definitely strawberry. You look so pretty too, Framba."
"As long as you think I'm pretty."
Ermina smiled and then wondered why she knew the hatchlings name without having been told. And then, even more peculiar, she felt like she knew another name. 
"Nojpeten?" she asked tentatively and was rewarded by purr and a comfortable heat as a blue air wisp hovered closer.
"You're mine as well?" she asked, "And you can control the air temperature? My how handy you'll be in my kitchen!"
Chrysothrix kept to the edge of the crowd, he didn't want to trample some of the smaller candidates and his ability had the side-effect that plants around him grew fast and latched on, which would cause a hindrance. Not to mention his new companion Mogadishu spawning flowers everywhere he could. The dragoness that found him there was a deep dark brown, the colour of treebark, with dark green wings. She was hard to see in the dark but Chrysothrix knew she was there and accepted her:
"Nice to meet you, Schorshagen."
"You took your time." she answered, but there was no insult in her thoughts.
"It's all I have." he stated. 
Lan Mio had returned to be closer to the bay. He'd done a quick sweep of the surrounding forests though which meant most of the hatchlings had bonded by the time he reached the water's edge. Truth be told, the medic was already pretty pleased with Cirta but he'd learned to see things through and wanted to stay until the end of the hatching. This probed to be a good decision as a pale yellow dragon with a silver lining crawled out of the water, his hide glistening even in the barely there moonlight.
"I waited for you." the dragon told him, "I knew you were busy."
"How did you know?"
"I saw it in the clouds." the dragon, Ah Kum, replied and nudged his bond toward the festival grounds to eat before the tall man could ask for clarification. 
The former god turned dryad Salix stood patiently waiting. If her dragon was out there it wouldn't matter if she hurried to the waters or scrambled while pushing or potentially trampling others. As she watched people run by, her eyes read their fates. So many people would bond today. 
"Aren't you even a little bit impatient?" a thin teal blue voice suddenly sounded in her mind.
"I knew you would come, Malarosa." Salix simply stated. 
"I think I can live with that though." the apple blue dragoness stated frankly, "though I don't know if he can."
from behind the hatchling, a little yellow wisp dragon appeared. The bright yellow wisp zipped all around the pair until he finally settled on Salix' shoulder. Salix wouldn't know for sure until later but the little one, Benghazi she corrected, almost seemed to sparkle with actual sunlight. 
As usual, Isidora was having some trouble. At first she'd remained close to the festival area. She had made up her mind not to bond after all. She'd been waiting for years, clearly she didn't have what it took to become a dragonrider. None of the searchriders on Pern had taken notice of her so why should things be different here on Lantessama? Maira might be an experienced finder, but everyone made mistakes. Still, as more and more people returned with dragons in tow and talked about how pretty the lights over the water had been, Isidora started to wander if maybe she should go just to see the spectacle. It felt like a waste not to. But the roads were dark and suddenly she felt like she'd gotten lost. Shouldn't she have been to the bay by now?
As if to mock her, Isidora suddenly found her foot getting wet. She'd reached the water's edge alright. But she didn't see water and when she put her other foot down it remained dry. What was going on?
"Got you!" a cool breeze of a voice laughed in her mind.
"I did good!" a smaller, distinctly cloudy voice added.
"Yes you did, Oraibi. I can't wait to try this on other people."
"But it's not nice..." Isidora started.
"It's fun. Don't you like to have fun, Isidora?"
"Not at the expense of others." Isidora searched and found a name to call: "Ishaga."
"When you put it that way..." Ishaga moped, "I guess you'll just have to keep an eye on us."
The waters returned to darkness. Not a single light remained and people started making their way back to the festival grounds.
"What about Mica?" May asked, wondering why her friend hadn't bonded.
"Maybe one of them is still hiding in the forest?" Fletcher offered.
But it was Mica's own earth wisp who responded: "Your fate is elsewhere. You stay, you will get dragon."
A bit taken aback by the plain stating that she wouldn't bond a full-sized dragon today, Mica pulled herself together and said: "If Ruyin says so it must be true."
"Let's head back then and stay for a little while longer." Kala agreed. 

Wisp Dragons:
Eliro and Fire Ajuran (m)
Ghita and Fire Azcapot (m)
Odin (m) and Fire Petra (f)
Iohan and Earth Acoma (f)
Eliro and Earth Mendefera (f)
Dva and Earth Moroni (m)
Frigg and Earth Raqmu (m)
Mica Fiddlewood and Earth Ruyin (m)
Sidhe and Light Tingi (m)
Salix and Light Benghazi (m)
Kala Han and Light Hefei (f)
Lara and Plant Hohokam (m)
Rian and Plant Lahore (m)
Chrysothrix and Plant  Mogadishu (m)
Foxfire and Plant Ouida (f)
Odin (f) and Plant  Sofala (f)
Siabri and Plant Tlaltel (f)
Theriot and Water Cairo  (m)
Thoma and Water Cholula (f)
Lan Mio and Water Cirta (f)
Rembert and Water Coyoacan (m)
Fletcher Skinkerton and Water Luyi (f)
Ivy and Water Zanzi (m)
Sidhe and Air Cartha (f)
Abby and Air Malindi (m)
Ermina and Air Nojpeten (m)
Isadora and Air Oraibi (m)
Cliff and Air Quelimane (f)
Tylkam and Air Sayram (f)
Radeskmav and Astral Amaravati (f)
Ken Acebedo and Astral Luzhou (m)
Theriot and Astral Shedet (f)
Agaric and Ties Kismayo (f)
Abby and Ties Tanga (f)

Swamp Light Dragons:
Radeskmav  and Ivory Beige Tarantella (f)
Chrysothrix and Bark Brown Schorshagen (f)
Odin (m) and Blood Red Slipneer (m)
Ermina and Coral Red Framba (f)
Iohan and Rusty Pumpkin Hainsi (m)
Tylkam and Burning Orange Maharaja Geo (m)
Ken Acebedo and Honey Yellow Nearpedge (m)
Kala Han and Pink Gold Jemdet Jumun (f)
Lan Mio and Light Dawn Ah Kum (m)
Cliff and Ivy and Swamp Green Boloto (m)
Gadwin and Moss Green Erwind (m)
Lara and Vine Green Binargy (f)
May Nadim and Forest Green Morisyl (f)
Frigg and Leaf Green Igsyld (f)
Salix and Lagoon Apple Malarosa (f)
Rian and Pure Aqua Beata Liva (f)
Thoma and Cerulean Blue Charmyst (m)
Fletcher Skinkerton and Deep Water Blue Cetorhin (m)
Isadora and Icy Skies Blue Ishaga (f)
Siabri and Lilac Blossom Serali (f)
Lokesh and Cosmic Purple Zenxibo (m)
Ghita and Gilded Violet Godaste (f)
Odin (f) & Dva and Sunset Pink Zakath (f)
Foxfire and Peach Pink Tuzik (m)
Omen and Foggy White Pieris (m)
Agaric and Pale Fungus Zwamyist (m)
Rembert and Slate Grey Leisten (m)
Trick and Sparkly Night Tresor (m)

Pick UP