BLUE ROCK SERISE - SWIM

Leaving the familiar surroundings of Dawn Cove to mate seemed to be the prevalent agreement among the nekrats of Dawn Cove. Why they wouldn't mate in the waters where they'd made their home and insisted on returning to their native ocean on a whole different planet was beyond Uwasa. After all, people from Dawn Cove would be ferried to Lantessama to stand for this clutch. It had been so since she had helped build the first houses on the secluded spot. Their community had grown and so had the population of nekrats in the waters of Gremyne. Maybe they were like frogs and had an instinctive need to return to their pond - or in this case ocean - of birth. 
"It's a bit more complicated than that." Uwasa's nekrat Serise replied to her thoughts.
"Care to explain? I am interested."
"We can have nests on other planets but then our offspring would lose their connection to this place. It is our home and it's existence is etched in our core, we are drawn to return here."
So it's like with the frogs." Uwasa concluded.
Uwasa fell silent, nothing she could say could actually explain her bond to Syl'Neriss. But maybe that didn't matter. There would always be nekrats here. Maybe at some point nekrats would mate at other venues. Those kits would not be part of the Lantessama group, but maybe they would start their own community and at some point they might meet. Everything was connected after all, all the worlds, every moment in time and all different creatures occupying both. 
But enough with the deep thoughts. Serise returned her mind to the task at hand. She was ready to create the next generation of kits and she would make certain that their father would be the best nekrat she could find. She had the course all laid out in her mind. She would give the four chasing males the ride of their lives. That is if they could keep up. 
With a cry of challenge, Serise dove down in the bay and sped away, dodging the males as they allowed her to escape into the ocean. They didn't dawdle however and followed her. Serise knew her suitors as they'd all hatched at Lantessama. Two of them she knew better since they also lived at Dawn Cove. They might think they had the advantage but that was far from the truth. She knew how they thought and had calculated that in her plans. She was more wary of the two nekrats that had returned from the Refugium. They had aquatic bonds which probably meant they spent far more time in the depths than she had living near humans. The two were bigger than her and the other Dawn Cove residents as well. 
Serise dove and plunged into the coral reeds around the island. Rock Koper and Storm Jeroan could try and follow but they were just too big to gave chase. Coral Leizuban on the other hand, triumphantly lunged for her. He was a master at hide and seek but his desire to catch her had gotten the better of him. Serise shot up, leaving Leizuban to have to deal with the rocky wall right in front of him. He managed to evade hurting himself but the sudden stop and turn had left him long behind. He was out unless he was patient enough to wait for her return. Having left the coral reefs, Serise was now a prime target for the larger nekrats. Time to find out how agile they were. 
She zipped, dove, twirled and played with her chasers, leaving them to wonder where she would head next. Jeroan kept up with her surprisingly well for a nekrat of his size. Koper however was having trouble. Time to give him a little test to see if he was worthy of continuing. Serise did a back flip and swooshed right by him. His tail lashed up to catch her but she slid by him without effort. He was about to give chase when a dark form filled his vision. Koper could just get out of the way of Jeroan who was giving chase without looking at his surroundings. That he and Koper had come from the same place was not of importance. There could only be one winner and it would be him, he chased with his entire being. 
Serise felt the disturbances in the water as Jeroan got closer. She would not keep ahead of him in open water. He was too strong for that. She liked that. He would make a good father for her kittens. But there were two still in the race and though Jawahdi was a laid band and gentle nekrat, he had kept up with her antics quite effortlessly as well. She was surprised by that and wondered if it had to do with his bond, a woman who had made a living out of keeping secrets. Maybe there was more he'd been hiding from her. 
Serise dove back down and rushed along the bottom of the ocean, darting past rocks and sandbanks. Jahwadi noticed the upcoming forest of seaweed and decided that if he was going to win, this would be the place. His form blended into the surroundings and he let all thoughts of chasing fall from his mind. There was no point in giving Serise an indication of where he was. Serise rushed through, losing her focus as she wondered where Jahwadi had gone. Her eyes darted left and right and she tasted the water as it rushed along her gills. Suddenly she spotted movement to her right. There he was. With a sideways tumble Serise flipped out of Jahwadi's reach and found herself right on top of the large dark nekrat that she had assumed would stay above the seaweed.
Jeroan caught Serise and pulled them deeper into the dark of the ocean, away from prying eyes. Victory was his and he would not let it slip away. Serise consented and let herself be led down, the chase was over.

BLUE ROCK SERISE & STORM JEROAN

Evening was approaching after a long and hot summer day when Serise notified her bond that her eggs were close to hatching. They weren't exactly moving yet but there was something in the currents around them that was different. As cryptic as a message that was, when a dragon told you her eggs were hatching, you got the candidates. There were a lot of candidates present for this hatching, but not all of them would bond today. Several larger groups had appeared from offworld. There were about four people from Kynn and two groups from Dawn Cove. All of these would return to their homeworld and establish nekrat colonies there. This made the hatching feel more like an informal gathering to eat, drink and socialise. Locals asked about how candidates had fared after previous hatchings, wondering what had happened after they'd returned home. Others were curious about the planets the candidates lived on and wanted to discuss flora and fauna. Close to the beach about a dozen people were standing with their feet (or fins) in the water, waiting for the kittens to come to them. 
Ponkau was the first to feel movement and though he was a big man, the tanned caravan-member from Gremyne was nearly knocked off his feet by the energetic wave nekrat male that wriggled himself between the man's legs. 
"Play! Play!" the young nekrat called to him, "Basit will play with Ponkau. Fun!"
Both his brother and sister were grinning and cracking jokes while he swam to the side, following his new bond. But it didn't take long for Ponkau to start laughing as twin jets launched from the water and drenched his siblings. Meroka was still looking around, not knowing what had happened when she was pulled under by a bright Foam female who hugged her tight and whispered in her mind: "My name is Aesha."
Baraesu had figured out after the initial splash that he should brace himself. But unlike his siblings, the nekrat that had chosen him for a bond was a quiet sort and didn't like to be too flashy. The pool nekrat was almost invisible in the bay waters, but he poked his head out of the water for a moment, just long enough to show himself before he swam away, Baraesu following.
"What's your name?" the middle sibling asked.
"Alnahr." the pool replied coolly and then hurried for the food.
A wind picked up and those that scanned the skies noticed the dark clouds gathering at the horizon. The light changed as did the smell of the air and water, all signs that a thunder storm was brewing. Without knowing how many eggs were still hidden in the water no-one knew whether or not the hatching would end before the storm let loose. But the candidates would get wet either way so they hardly thought of leaving the water. Some of the spectators left to take shelter though, not wanting to risk getting wet. 
In the water but near the shore, Tavula suddenly felt the sand under her feet shift and a tail caress her ankle. Quickly looking down she could just spy a shadow of movement on the sand. Yellow on beige, the Sand female was playing hide and seek but she was too slow and Tavula managed to catch her tail.
"Got you!" the young woman from Dawn Cove shouted.
"You did. But I wanted you to so it's still my win." the Sand female winked, "My name is Wamid."
The light started to dim as the clouds in the sky drew closer. It was in those last rays of sunshine that still sparkled on the waters that the next nekrat kitten appeared. He was fast and slender, with a pearly white hide and stunning red fins that seemed to be made of flames. Pleased with his dramatic entrance, the Fountain male swamp up to Parvas and said:
"I'm Sarih, pleased to meet you."
"You're amazing." Parvas exclaimed and hugged the beaming nekrat.
 By now the atmosphere had grown heavy and heavy drops of rain were starting to fall. A lightning bolt illuminated the horizon and just at that time, a dark nekrat jumped up from the waves. The female was elegant and agile with a sleek dark hide and she wasted no time and headed for Aafiya. The black-skinned Dahkala with her green luminescent fins and long braided, black hair looked like an enchanting witch against the coming storm and looked as if no mere storm could ever best her.
"I am the last." the Storm female told her bond, "Come enjoy the storm with me."
"I will, Layl." Aafiya answered and followed her new nekrat, leaving the rest of the candidates and spectators to find shelter. 

Aafiya (f) and Storm Layl (f)
Ponkau (m) and Wave Basit (m)
Baraesu (m) and Pool Alnahr (m)
Meroka (f) and Foam Aesha (f)
Tavula (f) and Sand Wamid (f)
Parvas (m) and Fountain Sarih (m)

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