The cave was silent. Or, at least, it was. There was a small tapping sound coming from my egg. Glid sensed my joy. I cast out to Nimi, to let her share the good news. <My egg is hatching!>

*I look up from the ox eye I had sneaked away from the others* This thing is nowhere close to a dragons eye. *I toss it in the fire* So, Human Glid, tell me how it felt to fly with one of us. *I realize that all attention is on the egg, now making tiny sounds*

"It was incredible. I especially like Twera. She's the most clever," he replied. I was too busy staring at the hatching egg to respond.

I sensed Twera's exitment and banked sharply to head back as quick as possible, before I missed it. I had missed my little brother's hatching, because each time I was asleep and my mother didnt want to wake me and my sister, but I wasnt going to miss this one.

I stared, having no idea what to do. This was my first egg. It rocked back and forth, cracks appearing on the violet shell. I paced. My worried thoughts stressed out Glid. I was clueless.

Sister, relax. you are unnerving the human. All will be well, just listen to you own heart- *I stop, realizing something, but I keep what it is hidden deep in my mind*

"I'm worried, Brother. What if the hatchling is like me?" The thought had plagued me since my first Flight. I continued to pace.

You worry to much. After the hatching is over you will laugh at your fears, and that will be the fist thing your child hears outside the egg. ((WTF, I am being so philosophical it's scaring me))

((I guess you're in ccharacter, then)) "I know it will be like me. I have to rely on others for everything. Even though I have Glid, there is much I can't do." Tears well up in my useless eyes. "I'm an embarassment to our kind. I shhouldn't have bred." ((Good night))

What would your Great Ones say? They know, and I know, that you are greater than your affliction, you are Twera, and you are my sister.
Hehe, and I bet you ain't ever sensed a sexier dragon than this fine specimen. ((horrible attempt at comforting humor.))

I landed right outside the cave. "Did I miss it?"

"No, Nimi, you're just in time. Thunder, being your sister doesn't make me special in any way. The Great Ones did not make me this way. I should not have bred." The cracks began to extend into a fine network. I could hear the hatchling inside. Glid went back to work on the saddle while we waited.

((wow. i am gone 24 hours and miss a hole page!))
i had been trying to recall the story i was to tell them and once i remembered t i said, "twera, blindness is not a gene.i do not believe this little hatchling will be blind. and if it is we can preform magic to make it not so. also, i will tell my story as soon as it comes forth. that should be a good entrance to the world." i bow my head and shove gild to the side. "you are going to make the straps to short. twera is only a fledgling herself. mature enough to mate but still to young to be fully grown. make the straps long so you can adjust it to her size." i said in English. he did as i told him to. i continued to watch him to make sure the measurements were right, butting in if they were wrong.

I paced, slowly wearing a trench into the stone floor. "Then how am I blind? How?"

i look up and say, "you are blind because of a derormality. or an accident after birth."

I look over at the egg. A few of the cracks have joined together. A small piece wobbled, then lifted. Something about the violet head made me think this was a female. I rushed over and pulled bits of eggshell from the young dragon. Nemesis' words trouble me. If I had been made blind by some sort of accident, then Thunderhawk might have been the cause of my misery.

"let the hatchling come out itself!" i pulled her back and said, "if the dragon can not help itself out it will be weak and die young. or worse we will deal with a maimed fledgling."

I shrank back. Her claws had dug into my hide and it hurt. "I don't know what to name it."

i growled. "no dragon needs a name until t has fully come out of the egg."

"It's almost out, now," I retorted. It was true. The young dragon had managed to tip the egg on its side and was now crawling out.

"wait for it..." the dragon crawled out all the way. it way purple and female. i turned to twera. "now, you name her. then i will tell my story."

I looked at the small dragon. She found her feet quickly enough. "I'll call you…Clrat." I nuzzled my daughter, cleaning off the last bits of membrane and shell.

"now for my story." i settle down and chant in a hollow voice:

a dragon who had once a knight
did no more
a human can only live so long
and a dragon will live on
so he decided
on better judgement
to create a new bond
one of such never dreamed before
so gather the the youngster and human needed
to ease his old mind
if any were to fight the best
it would be his own creation
for not only did they unite mind
they united the heart
and soul
and countered each others weaknesses
for better or worse
they lived on until they were killed
and then the old dragon who made them prosper
decided many more were needed
but knights, oh they thought
that the old dragon was mad as can be
and so forbid any dragon to join the new cult
and only the bravest and stupidest joined
and lasted for many years
only to be slaughtered by another's might
and only now
can secrets pass
of old dragons lass
for she whispered the secret
of a bond like no other
a bond of power
and of might
to her followers she gave the instructions
of how to make
a bond of 'yokel-lae'
'tis so till this day
only few members remain
and pass the secret down
for that is there job
and hope to see the day
when the yokel-lae is risen
for will and for way


i looked around to see there reactions.

I looked blankely at Nemisis. I knew that it was talking about the bond between the ridder and a dragon, but I didnt get the whole thing, because thats just me, and I was too preocupied at how tiny Clrat was to notice the begining. "So...... That was like the Anthem. It wasnt like it, at all, but the way you said it reminded me of the Anthem."

i dropped my head in a dramatic way and slow shook it left to right. i got over myself and reached out my nose to clrat. she sniffed me as i sniffed her. she had potential i'll give her that. "did anyone realy, truly listen?"

I was speechless. I knew the others were old, but not that old. I kept Clrat close, a little afraid now of the old ones. "The Anthem…I had read about it in one of the most ancient manuscripts. I had no idea you knew it." Clat called for food.

I smiled. Then I caught onto her meaning. "Oh! No, I'm not that old, only three hundred and twenty.... seven. My grandmother taught it to my mother who taught it to me."

"Still, three hundred and twenty seven…That's old. My mother didn''t really hold with the Anthem. She called it a load of humandung. Father only focused on his experiments."

"Humandung?" I shook my head. "She must have never heard it them. My mother used to say the Anthem runs in our veins and gives us wind for our wings, so great war leaders used to sing it before battle. The battles wear both leaders sang it were the most blody and long in history."

"that was not the anthem!" yelled angry now. "dont you see? listen to the lyrics and not the rythem!"

"Father never let me dwell on the past. You might have known Mother. Her name…was…Siik." As I talked, I carved a bit of meat for Clat. Glid was still working on the saddle. I could see that he was adding a harnessso I wouldn't have to carry Clat in my mouth.

"never mind. i will tell you. we will create a yokel-lae bond. it will grant the human immortality, just as dragons have it. and dragons will understand things only humans do. there are other advantages but i will not tell you them yet. now, twera, tomorrow i will help you advance your bond. but for now, i go to sleep." and i curled up. i was upset that they did not understand the importance of the yokel-lae bond. it was the bond of unlimited power! and only a few could find the right bonding partner. in the knight's bond you could very well bond with the wrong human. but not in the yokel-lae bond.

I stared at the sleeping dragon. It was late, judging by Glid's yawns. He and Clat curled up beside me. Clat was a fine name for a dragon like her, as it meant sight beyond eyes in my language.

I sighed as Nemisis went to sleep. I did understand, but I didnt want to come off like I didnt. I turned to Twera. "As for your mother, I did know her, but vaugly. I was young when I met her, and only a couple years ago I met her again. She had just learned she was pregnant with you. We wernt the best of friends, but we knew each other, and that was something." I hung my head staring at the floor. "I never mentioned the anthem to her. I supos I assumed she knew it. I fI had, I would have sung it for her, and she would have passed it on to you. The lyrics arent something you forget." I curled up, but didnt go to sleep.

Nimi's words really hit me. "What was she like? She died years ago. Ican barely remember her." Tears came to my eyes. Mother had known all of this, yet she never told me. I wrapped my tail around Clat andGlid.

I shrugged. "She was nice, but she stuck to her beilefs no mater what." I chukkeled. "And she HATED the cold. She said that dragons were ment to live in warm, dry places. Whitch could be more or less true, you never know."

"I only wish I hadn't lost them."

I nodded. "Losing family is a hard this, no matter what your age is." Flashes of my own family flashed in my mind. I squeezed my eyes shut to stop the tears.

I sensed the memories of Nimi's family. Just as I started falling asleep, I showed her images of all of us. "We are a family now."

I smiled and fell asleep.

My dreams mingled with Glid's in strange ways. I saw his memories as if I'd always been there. What I told Nimi was true. We all had been brought together to be a family. The Great Ones must have intended for us all to find the cave, else we would not be alive. I wondered in my sleep if I could sense the dead. I knew I'd have to wait until morning tok try it.

i had a weird dream. i met a desert dragon that kept saying no dragon should live in the cold. so blew frost on him and he yelled that i was cursed. then i met a plain old no great power dragon. she said the same thing. and so did a sea serpent. then i saw another winter dragon. he was as old as time itself. he told me that he was the first cold weather dragon. and all winter dragons were his descendants. he also said he was a cold dragon because he was cursed and that no dragon not bearing his cursed blood could survive long in the cold if not in a den or out of the wind. i asked him why he was cursed and he said bluntly, "finally of yokel-lae" then i awoke with a start. i new what he meant. it troubled me so much that i took off to see the village again. i landed outside a worn building and looked into the window. two young humans were eating a breakfast. they looked up at me and rushed out of view. a second later they came out fully dressed and ((a.n. i wanted this to be in the present day fyi.)) weapons in hand. i thought they were going to attack but instead bowed low. "we are descendants of sir caleb of fornstin. he was a knight on a dragon. we know the stories." they said in perfect dragon. i lowered my head to see them better. "and i come looking for two great heroes to ride a dragon." they looked excited but the girl said, "i am not a man. no woman has ever been chosen to be a knight."
i raised my head and said, "but you still carry a weapon. and i am not looking for nights, but yokenisses" then offered my back to them and they eagerly climbed on. i flew off to the cave with them. i was pretty sure that they did not even know the difference between "food" and "yokenisses".
<twera! wake up! i have more bond prospects!> then i roared as i landed to tell everyone to get up.

Nemesis' call shook me awake. I roused Glid and Clat, unsure of what to make of the newcomers.

Wow, my timing couldn't be any worse *I look up from the egg shards* Guests, right as I isolate the cells. *I get up carefully and walk to the entrance*

I reach for their minds. I was sure one of them could Bond with Thunder. Ironically, the female was the best warrior. Glid could sense what I was sensing. His facecracked into a huge grin.

I looked the humans over. This was the first female I had ever seen. She was slitely shorter than Glid and the other male, and had longer hair. I had just awoken, so I lay my head on my paws and watched.

"Nimi, would you like to Bond? I think this male would be a good match for you," I tell her.

i land and the humans jump off. "you know, i am starting to think i am a pack dragon. by the way, these two can speak dragon"

Curious, I turned to them. "My name is Twera. This is my daughter, Clat. That is my Bonded partner, Glid," I say. I speak slowly to ensure that they understand.

I look him up and down. I I enter his mind a little- I'm not as good at mind-reading as Twera, but I am skiled in magic- then I sigh. "Not really," I say quietly. "He's strong and would be a good rider, but he get's frusterated easily and is just as stubborn as I am, witch would go donw in flames."