Hatchings

A low, ringing bugle echoed through the halls of Darkling Dawn as Meereth abruptly announced the hatching of her clutch halfway through lunch one day. The stands were filled quickly and the candidates rushed to the eggs. Meereth watched them all irately, curling her tail around her clutch protectively. However, the eggs still hatched, despite their mother's efforts, just after all the candidates had strode onto the sands.
The first egg wobbled and fell right over its mother's tail, and cracked open upon hitting the ground beyond. A bright-and tiny!-gold hatchling climbed out of the shell, shaking her head daintily. When she spread one wing slightly, it was clear that the dragonet was a two-tone: as the thin membranes were a dark green color.
The audience watched the unexpected gold-green closely, but she seemed oblivious to them. She went from candidate to candidate, paying slightly more attention to the girls, and finally stopped at the end of the row and turned plaintively to her mother.
My rider's not here, Mother. She said softly.
Meereth crooned. Then do you want to go somewhere else, little Nethath?
Shyly, the green-sized Nethath nodded her head. Um, how about Moire? Does that sound good? And she was lead to the kitchens as two of her siblings hatched from their shells.
A blue and a green fell to the sand and sat, blinking at each other. The male was covered liberally with pale white stripes, while his green sister sported deep black stripes like their father's. In addition to her stripes, the green's muzzle and claws faded to black at the extremities.
The black-striped green was the first to choose her rider, and she walked unhesitantly to Hakkailla and stared imperiously up at her chosen. Well, Hakkailla, we can't sit here all day. Are you going to get your Esofuth some food or not?
Hakkailla's lips twitched at the sight of the small green. "Of course, Esofuth." She agreed, and her dragon crooned as they left the sands.
Meanwhile, her white-striped brother had found Zack, and was trying to convince the boy that he had, indeed, chosen him. Sillyhead, of course I've chosen you. Nobody else will do for Soiuth, after all! Trust me. Now, get me some food, please?
A particularly small egg had been wriggling persistantly. Finally, it managed to crack open the tough eggshell, and a small black and white body rolled out of the egg into the sand. The black hatchling sat up and began cleaning the sand from its white-striped hide.
Finally, it sighed to itself and stood up. It glanced over to the closest candidate, Allene. Now my hide's all dirty and messy with sand and goo! The hatchling wailed. Allene, will you wash me after we eat?
Allene smiled reassuringly at the white-striped black. "Certainly, Evugith, if you insist."
The final two eggs crashed into each other as they rocked, and both cracked open at the same moment. A bright green head poked out of one of the eggs, and from the other, a dark green tail riddled with brown stripes emerged.
The normal green female broke free of her shell first, shaking the clinging sand from her hide before looking around her. Her eyes sparkled as they alighted on Hinado, and the little green quickly made her way over to her chosen candidate. Hinado! Mine, I am Aroth. Won't you feed me now? I'm starving.
The other green, meanwhile, had freed himself from his own eggshell, revealing his forest green body, striped with dark brown. He gave little more than a cursory glance at the assembled candidates and snorted his disinterest as he turned to his mother. I don't want to bond. My name's Bhomaeth. Can't I just go home to Shivran Aerd with you?
Meereth paused, and nodded her head in assent, after a quick glance at her rider. Her young son followed her out as she left the hatching sands at last, and another Hatching was over.