1: Happy Accident

1: Happy accident
Another hatching.
Autyr'sadr hissed as the hatching was announced, retracting father back to the main area of the abandoned sands. His tail twitched as he watched the few dragons that periodically attended every hatching filter through the door, to join the spectators in welcoming the new arrivals to life. He'd thought about joining them, when he first joined their ranks, freshly abandoned and still hopeful that someone else would want him, but now the thought filled him with anger and sorrow, an interesting mix so strong already that he didn't want to strengthen it by actually watching the dragonets hatch and bond. He might just express it, then, and break his carefully maintained apathy.
The last dragon traveled through the door, leaving those worst off to linger, each lost in his or her own thoughts. For awhile Autyr'sadr watched the door, twitching his tail. He could hear it. He could hear the chitter of those watching the hatching, the thoughts of the dragons.. he fancied that he could even hear the damn eggs cracking. He closed his eyes against it and hissed, but still, the voices of the dragons, and now the new dragonets, impressing their charges, filled his mind, and he burrowed his head into the sands that covered the abandoned cavern. It reminded him of his own time there, he'd been so.. optimistic. Looking forward so much to bonding and going home with that bond, of doing things and being part of something. And instead they'd left him standing, abandoned him and doomed him to a lifetime amongst these broken wraiths of dragons. He placed his paws over his ears just as the second silver announced it's decision to go to some other dragon to the world, followed by the oddly comforting sound of a black, who'd elected to stay here and wait for a bonded. Autyr'sadr snorted at that one-- wait here? On the sands? He hadn't been there long-- despite everything he was only freshly an adult, a product of the clutch before the one hatching now-- but no dragons had left yet, from what he'd seen, and from the talk around the place few ever did. To think that anyone would want them, the trash of the world, reject hatchlings-- it was absurd, and that little black's optimism made him want to laugh bitterly and bite something.
He'd learn. They'd all bloody learn. Bonding was no better than slavery, anyway.
Closing his eyes and his mind, Autyr'sadr turned to the wall and curled up, as he usually did when he slept, and fell into an empty silence, once more resuming his apathetic appearance. There was nothing for him-- there was nothing for any of them, and they'd all learn that soon enough. Even that black.
Presently, when the clouded brown had almost drifted to sleep, the hatching ended and the spectators slowly filtered out of the sands. Those dragonets who hadn't bonded were finishing their first meal in the weyr kitchens with their clutchmates, and would soon be going to whatever world they'd chosen to reside in. The ones who'd elected to stay behind had already finished, and were being given a tour by one of the residents. The voice of the guide, as it neared the end of the tour, which happened to be the entrance of the abandoned cavern, became all the more audible to those in the cavern. It effectively cut through Autyr'sadr's sleep, annoying the brown further. He ignored it, however, keeping a poker face and curling into the cavern more, annoyed.
"And here is where you'll be spending a lot of your time, while you wait for your bonds-- The abandoned caverns."
Those dragons who still retained an ounce of hope, or were just interested, got up to gather around the entrance, and meet the new younglings, some casting them sympathetic glances. Autyr'sadr, however, could spare no pity for the creatures-- soon they'd be as wretched as the rest of them. He proceeded to very resolutely ignore them.
One of the unbonded dragons, the little black-- one who'd chosen to be such, and not one who'd found their way there through circumstance or abandonment-- felt odd about being where he was. It felt.. off. Like he should've bonded already. Rakertth was mildly disappointed that his bond had elected not to show, but more than that he was mystified. This wasn't right. He knew he had a bond-- he could almost feel him, in fact. So where was he, why had the young dragon been unable to find him. Not that he minded, of course-- though already young, the dragonet had a good concept of himself and the universe, and trusted whatever controlled the fate of the universe to deliver him a bond in due time. It was just unusual, that was all-- something told him he should've bonded already.
The other dragonets had expressed similar, in their own ways-- that other green hadn't been to concerned, and the cream had been almost venomous in her annoyance at the absence of her bond. Their feelings didn't echo his, however, in that strange, surrealish kind of way of feeling his bond's presence. It seemed to grow stronger as their tour-guide led them to their final destination, the Abandoned Caverns, which only served to mystify him further. Perhaps someone had put some hallucinogens in his first meal, or something. Or maybe all unbonded dragons felt this way? It wasn't common, from the way all had been looking at him when he'd announced his decision...
The reason for the odd feelings, however, became clear the moment they cleared the threshold. He caught a glimpse of a form, apparently asleep, before some of the adult residents of the abandoned sands crossed his vision, blocking the view, and in that instant, something clicked in his head. That was his bond. The gray-clouded brown in the corner. It filled him with inexpressible glee, and though there was something oddly cold about his bond, he couldn't be bothered to mind. He wandered past the adults as soon as he could, still greeting the new arrivals, and made his way over to the dragon, who ignored him.
Hello, Autyr'sadr. The little black said, cheerful, when he'd reached the brown dragon. Now I know why I couldn't find my bonded on the sands! You were here all along.
Autyr'sadr hadn't missed the feeling of their minds connecting when the black had wandered through the door, nor could he ignore the little black's voice. It filled him with the hope he'd convinced himself to abandon. He tried to, and for several moments the easygoing black stood off to the side, admiring his new bond. Autyr'sadr was thin, a product of not eating much, and not yet at his full height, being barely more than a fledgling. He'd been abandoned early on, and had not elected to stay behind as little Rakertth had, and was, as a result, hurt and bitter. All of this Rakertth had absorbed the moment their minds connected, and for that reason he stood beside the brown patiently, waiting to be acknowledged. In time, he would be-- in time.
It took a grand total of four minutes, during which Autyr'sadr waged a vicious battle with himself. Part of him was afraid, afraid that this little black would abandon him as his former bonded had. But another part of him knew better, knew that already he felt comfortable with this bond, more secure and calmer. This little black wouldn't leave him, and already he could feel the tattered edges of his last bond fading away, cauterized like an old wound and disappearing into oblivion. He turned to look at the little creature, keeping his poker-face strongly in place.
Why? He asked, simply.
The black had no answer to that. He didn't need one. Instead he remained silent, opening his mouth in a cheerful dragon grin and nestling up beside his new bondmate, giving himself to the post-hatching tired that had begun to seep into every bone in his body. There was no reason, it simply was, and in a good way.
Presently Rakertth fell asleep, perfectly happy as his bond internally became more comfortable with the situation. Autyr'sadr watched the hatchling for a long time, before covering him with a wing and curling protectively around the smaller dragon. The next day he'd look into other dragonries and worlds he could go to-- Darkling Dawn, as beautiful as it was, held too many bad memories for him to cope with-- but for now he'd let himself and this odd little youngling sleep. He sighed, inwardly comfortable (and even happy, though he wouldn't yet admit it) with the situation, and let himself fall for the first deep sleep he'd experienced in a long time.