Good Hatching Pants

Writers: Shawna, Sia
Date Posted: 17th March 2026

Characters: N'kevyn, Aydhara
Description: Aydhara’s father congratulates her
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 13, day 20 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned: Aydhan, M'kadja, T'thalin, Cirina, Sareya, Felorin

N'kevyn

Aydhara

N’kevyn restrained himself for as long as he could while the new weyrlings tended to their new hatchlings. Once the dragons were all fed and cleaned up, however, the big bronzerider burst into the room and rushed over to his daughter, sweeping her up into a crushing hug. “I knew this was going to be the one,” he boomed, setting her back down, “Avicath knew it too.”

}:I did know it,:{ Avicath rumbled delightedly, directly to Aydhara. His bronze snout was visible through an open door.

"He says that every time!" Aydhara said, laughing. She squeezed her father tightly back. "But I did it! Like I said I would! And Rath is just _perfect_."

Rath, fat with food and still wet from the rain, was not yet so tired that he could ignore the affront of the big man bursting into the weyrling barracks. }: Stop it! :{ He cried with a tiny bellow and hopped/charged over, colliding awkwardly with N'kevyn's legs and narrowly avoiding Aydhara's kicking feet. He scrambled up onto his back legs and pawed at the bronzerider in protest.

“He does, but this time he was ri- oy, hey,” awkwardly, N’kevyn half set, half dropped Aydhara back on her feet, stumbling back from the little blue, “Hey now, these are my good hatching pants! Stop that,” he reached down to gently push the blue back down.

Too late. Rath already had N'kevyn's pants in his mouth, tugging on the fabric with toothless gums and shaking. His claws ripped a hole in them. He snapped his jaws when N'kevyn's hands got too close, catching a few fingers in his mouth with a warbly growl.

"Rath! Stop it right now. These are our fathers!" Aydhara chastised. Rath's head snapped over to her, eyes whirling brightly in dramatic distress. Aydhara immediately regretted saying anything and she bent to heave the big blue up in her arms. He was _heavy_ and she staggered under the weight. Rath didn't make it easy, squirming in her grip until she nearly dropped him.

“I'm not sure you should be carrying him,” N’kevyn said, moving to help only to back off at another gummy snap. “Why don't you sit down? Leave it to Avicath and Tym to make lap dragons. He's a nice big boy.”

"But he's so upset!" Aydhara protested, though she sank down to the floor and was immediately a mess of human and dragonet limbs as Rath clumsily scrambled to get in close contact with her as possible, which meant most of him was still awkwardly pushed into her space. She scritched his eyeridges. "I think he's the biggest blue in the clutch. You should have seen him. He was fighting the bronzes. He's such a good boy."

“And the blues,” N’kevyn chuckled, “we all saw that tackle. He is a good big boy. Very sturdy,” cautiously, the bronzerider reached out towards him to touch him. “And what a nice color. Is it everything you hoped for? Now the real work starts.”

"Pff. I've been helping with Tymborikath and Avicath. I know what I'm doing." Aydhara's overconfidence, at least, hadn't been shaken. "We'll be flying circles around you and N'kayden in no time."

“You’ll be fine,” N’kevyn agreed, “but don't get cocky. The next few months will be hard work before you're flying circles around Avi. Are you glad to have another friend? So strange a hatchling might go find Cirina,” N’kevyn said blandly.

"It was the egg she liked, too." Aydhara said excitedly, unashamed of her crimes. "She wanted a green, but Saejith is just wonderful. She's been awake for like twenty-four candlemarks though, so maybe it'll all sink in after she's slept."

“I have no idea why a Dolphin Cove Weyr candidate would have a favorite egg here, and neither do you,” N’kevyn said airly. “The blue thing is probably Avicath’s fault. Whispering ideas at the eggs. They couldn’t all Impress to you.”

"Certainly not. But he knew exactly where to go for the next best thing." Aydhara agreed. "And it'll be fun to have another blue in my class. Especially Cirina. Have you seen everyone else?" She made a face. "Sareya could've at least Impressed."

“I noticed the two Holdless boys Impressed. The one I wasn’t so surprised by. Avicath seemed to like him,” not that the bronze was terribly discerning. “Still, it’s a good, big class. You’ll make friends.”

"That's who I mean. Ugh." Aydhara said as if she wasn't also someone the Weyrlingmasters kept out of obligation. "There's another boy from Dolphin Cove, too. Cirina seems to know him. And Felorin. I don't know what her beef is with me."

“Oh, Cirina must be thrilled to have a friend from home,” N’kevyn said in blissful ignorance. “Do I need to talk to the weyrling staff? Are you being bullied?”

Aydhara sighed dramatically, which prompted Rath to rumble and accidentally clunk his head into her face. "Ow! Rath--"

Once he was settled again, she continued, "I'll endure. I can take her if she finally gets her nose out of the air."

N’kevyn winced at the clunk, “Watch your face, his head sounds hard.” Looking mildly worried, he advised, “Try to focus on your lessons and not on feuds with other weyrlings.You have enough on your plate.” He reached out to scratch the blue’s eyeridge, “Or I suppose in your lap. Slate really should be your only lap dragon.”

"He'll get too big eventually." Aydhara said a little too defensively and squeezed Rath tight around his shoulders. "Slate will need to get used to being a big brother for a while."

“I’m saying I think he’s too big now,” N’kevyn said dryly. “But you’re right, he’ll get bigger soon.”

"He is not!" Aydhara protested, even though she'd just been talking about how big he was. "He's just a little baby."

N’kevyn sighed in surrender. “Has your mother been by, yet? The little blue darling didn’t ruin her dress, did he?”

"He did ruin a dress that was hers, but that's because I had it laid out on the bed for me to wear at the hatching feast. Which was then turned into dinner. She can't get mad though, I have a dragon now." Aydhara said. She yawned widely.

“Oh, is that how it works? You're now immune?” At the yawn, he smiled and pushed himself to his feet, “I can take a hint. You should tuck him in to sleep. But you should introduce him to Avicath tomorrow. He’s beside himself with curiosity.”

"I'm not, but what are you two gonna do? If I get upset, Rath might get upset!"

Rath, to his credit, sleepily rumbled an agreement.

Last updated on the April 1st 2026

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Good Hatching Pants