Ruby and Ozma sat in the stands, patiently. The whole hatching was gigantic, and slow in their humble opinions. But their quartet of friends out on the black sands were nice and nervous, and they had good reason to be. They were surrounded by godlings, demons, vampires and shapeshifters. Not to mention the creatures guarding their large eggs on the sands! Multiple headed monsters! Clawed creatures with fangs and sharp edges...

It was early on in the hatching, when a striking green and red marked male. He was from Kogeki's nest, and had a gleam in his eye. It was a very big surprise to most people there, that this dramatic creature chose to stomp up to Tag.

Tag, I choose you, and if anyone gives you a hard time about it I'll spit on em! He said, and spit at the sand. It dissolved, as though there was quite a lot of acid in his spit. Which there was. Tag was as surprised as the rest, but then realized that this was the chance he'd been waiting for. He wasn't all girly-girly like some folks at the mall thought - he was a tough guy really.

Really he was. He thumbed-up to the other mall crawlers, and he was proud of himself - he'd bonded first among them, after all!

"Did anyone ever tell you it was rude to spit, Syerain?" He told the dragon, as they went off the sands together.

"Oooh, that's ... impressive," Lady Lace commented quietly.

It was a few moments later, when another half-dozen eggs had broken and their hatchlings had crept or lept out. Two eggs had started shaking, and the one from Yubinath's nest attracted some attention to herself. She was so... pink! Markings all over her hide and wing sails with heart-shapes... Weird.

She lay down in the sands, snuggling down on to the hot black surface. She was oblivious to it, because she seemed more attentive to the oohs and aahs of the crowd. Rather a ditz.

"Sazion!" Lady Lace cried out, feeling the heat of the sands on her body as though the dragons skin were her own. "You'll burn."

Pain is beauty, Lady Lace Darling. I won't burn. I'll tan. Like duh!

She went up and collected the pink girl from the sands, and went to join her loving partner Tag. She knew that the bond was pure, in her heart. But what an odd dragonet to hatch at such a dark frenzy!

Now there were just the brother and sister team of Threads and Treads. They looked over the hatchlings as they broke shell. Some amount of them were hovering near each other - choosing either not to bond, or to do it later. A group which grew as time went by.

But it wasn't much later after Lady Lace took off with her pink bond, that a pair of matching-opposite hatchlings broke from Rissientenith's clutch.

The male and female complimented each other's appearances nicely, but it was the female who nudged her brother's nose and strode to the candidates. It looked like the male wasn't going to try bonding just yet. Odd.

But the female, she came with some hesitation toward Treads. She seemed so sad to leave her brother's side. But he would choose, just when he was ready. And he'd grow into a fine male, too. Everyone could see that. Hathian almost through and through, too.

Will you accept me? The female asked of Treads. The voice in her head was distant, but clingy. Desperate, almost as though she didn't expect to be accepted.

"Of course, Lyeax," Treads said. She knew that the dragoness was going to need some assurance, but was already getting her own. This was one beautiful dragon! The hatchling stood more proudly when she got the feeling from her partner that she'd be so pleased to show her off! Any woman at the Mall would be jealous of her... Such beauty!

The Ozgons were impressed, that this hatching had produced something that pretty. Not that the others hadn't been, but ... wow.

It was more than an hour later, after the others had begun their own feast or had spoken quietly to their bonds, showing them off to one another, that Threads heard something in the shells. Terimeth bellowed out that her last egg was hatching, and for some reason Threads didn't think that egg was 'his'. He looked around and around... The sands were growing emptier. The big batch of unbonded kings and royalty were intimidating in the corner.

Then Threads felt something at his leg, a tugging. He looked down.

You're ignoring me, you booger! Strangely grey-green tinted, and a swimmer by the looks of her, her webbed feet strong already. Threads scooped up the hatchling, and looked her features over more closely. She was Rayllomian, but so tiny!

"Sorry, Camuix, I didn't see you." He mentally appologized and they went away to meet the others. "You're stealthy, girl. You don't have to sneak up on me!"

I won't, not if you're going to ignore me!

"I wasn't ignoring you! I didn't see you there!"

This went on for the rest of the night. At last, the group found their Ozgons again and collapsed in their big dorm.

Soon, they'd all be asleep...

NEXT!