Chapter Text
Ralenth. That was the name of the constant, loving presence from which Sprilth’s thoughts first emerged. In a lonely and isolated existence, Ralenth was the first voice he heard and the first touch he felt, even if it was just the slight shifting of gravity as his egg was gently rolled to a new position. Ralenth, he learned, was more than a mere presence. She was queen, dragon, and mother. But she was just one of many. And Sprilth was just one of twenty-three.
For sevendays, Ralenth spoke to her unhatched children, explaining what she could about life outside of the shell. She taught them about humans, riders, Weyrs, and Thread. She tried to explain the warmth of the sun and the cold of between. She told Sprilth that he would be blue, small and fast, and that he asked far too many questions.
Slowly, the clutch began to hear the others - grown dragons like Ladranth, Fendalth, and Orth. Some came and went, but others stayed for an hour or an afternoon. They would send greetings and occasionally encouragement to the small dragons tucked safely in their shells. The large dragons promised to protect them until they were ready to come out.
Last of all, Sprilth became aware of the smallest voices. Ralenth seemed surprised that Sprilth could hear the humans just as well as their dragons. He wasn’t supposed to know the humans’ thoughts - like that Ralenth’s rider Vanira desperately wanted to leave High Reaches. Or that Orth’s rider stopped coming down to the sands because they made him sad. Sprilth slowly learned which things he could talk about and which he had to keep secret… at least until he found his rider.
It is nearly time, Ralenth announced one afternoon, much to the clutch’s delight. When she said this, the humans of the Weyr started moving around excitedly. A few left and came back several times, bringing more and more people back with them. Visitors from all over Pern - soon, there were more dragons present than any of them had ever felt before. Not long after their arrival, a hum built up from the dragons - a soft, low noise with vibrations that tickled those still in their shells.
The humans quieted, although their minds still chattered away, and Sprilth could sense a whole group of them walking in, coming right on the sand. These had to be the candidates Ralenth had told them about. Sprilth twitched in his shell, eager to stretch and to see and to move. Somewhere nearby, his rider was waiting for him. The hum got deeper and louder still, causing the eggs to rock back and forth excitedly as their occupants grew restless. Minutes later, a loud crack rang out over the hum, and all chaos broke loose.
Come out, little ones! Find your riders! Sprilth didn’t need telling twice, although it did take him a few good twists and a jab with his claws before he managed to crack a hole in his shell. Once the first crack opened, he climbed his way out onto the sand… and instantly regretted it.
This was horrible!! Without his egg to filter anything out, the energy emanating from the humans knocked him back on his tail. Mental images blasted through his mind, one after the other after the other. The hopes, fears, excitement of hundreds of people all flopped over on top of each other, making it hard to move. The bright light of the sun and the gritty sand sticking to his damp hide were no help. The small blue crouched down, letting his mind adjust to the assault from the world outside.
A tall boy with broad shoulders noticed him right away. For a moment, Sprilth thought that might be his rider, but he scoffed and turned around. Just a blue, his thoughts rang clearly through the hatchling’s mind. Sprilth snorted, warning his clutchmates to ignore that one. Not that any of them seemed to have trouble finding their riders. In fact, it was as if there was only one person each of them noticed. But there were so very many people here, each with their own individual thoughts and feelings.
Taking a deep breath, Sprilth opened his mind to the crowd and tried to pick out a single thread from the jumbled tangle of input. He didn’t know what he was looking for, but he knew there had to be something to tell him which human was meant to be his. Ralenth had assured her children that they would know their riders right away.
There it was! It was something like the hum from before, but this one was coming from a human. It was different, beautiful… dancing? The hum didn't hold still like the dragons’ had, but it twined up and down and inside out, creating a little shell of sound for him to focus on and escape into. That had to be his rider! Stalking around the sands, trying to find the source of the sound, he decided to stick to the back wall to avoid getting knocked over. Even if the sands had begun to calm down a little bit, a few of his clutchmates were wandering around, not to mention the herd of anxious, unchosen candidates.
At long last, he found the source of the humming. His rider! Not too far away, he could see them squeezing their fingers together - kind of short and round, as humans go, with dark hair and a friendly face. They were humming louder now, trying to keep the noise and overwhelm of the hatching out of their mind. For a moment, Sprilth had the feeling that he was forgetting something - something about the shape of the rider blue dragons were supposed to choose - but he didn't care. This was his human, he was sure of it.
Afraid they might stop humming if he distracted them, Sprilth snuck around behind, letting the calming sound dance around his mind. The relief was intense, if not complete. He happily sat there while more of his clutchmates walked off the sands, making sure no one else got any ideas about stealing them. It wasn't nearly long enough before someone off at the side started shouting toward them - Karathael. That must be their name. Karathael turned around, looking both surprised and happy to see the little blue. He was happy, too, his consciousness expanding as their minds merged irrevocably together. Ralenth hadn’t explained the concept of euphoria.
Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt your hum. When he met their eyes, he heard the tune all the clearer and instinctively met it with his own variation. For a few precious moments, it was the only sound either of them could hear.