A bugle sounded through the Weyr. Amalasa jumped. Was it time? but Calyrie wasn't back yet, and her Lorienth's eggs were under the care of Kazamath's, the eggs she would hopefully find a lifemate from. Still, she hurredly threw on the white robe of candidacy and rushed from her barracks in the lower caverns to the sands her bronze flit fluttering overhead, recalling as she ran when Gwinna and G'idin, two dragonriders she had taken care of for a long time, had done the same.
    She found all the other candidates assembled there, as well as Weyrwoman Azala and Kazamath's rider, and Calyrie and Lorienth. A crowd was beginning to gather around the sands, everyone loved a hatching.
    Suddenly Amalasa felt a stab of fear, looking at the eggs. What if she did not impress? What if angry dragonriders dragged her off the sands, saying there must be some mistake and she should just go back to her old home? One of the candidates for this clutch had had that happen to her, several times. Her firelizard pecked her in the ear from his perch on her shoulder. She was being silly.
    Her train of thought was cut off as the first egg hatched, a green that stumbled towards a candidate named Sumatra. One by one the eggs hatched, revealing brown, blue, green, bronze, and even one brown-bronze hides.  Amalasa knew she could not impress a brown or a bronze, but she watched each blue and green hopefully, but all found lifemate's elsewhere.
    There were only three eggs left and a blue and brown dragonet waiting unsure, and six candidates. There are enough eggs for every candidate, she reassured herself, watching as the brown ran in front of the blue to knock into Meoryn. Amalasa's eyes fell to the blue, wondering if he was the one. He stood there, unsure.
    Sniffing dramatically, the blue worked his way forward once again, only to be stifled by another green that raced in his path, causing him to promptly sit in suprise. She chittered at him, and stopped before Amalasa, rearing up to place her front talons on the girl's thighs, to get a better look into her eyes.  Deadglow fluttered from her shoulder and flew in circles around teh dragonet happily. Her bronze firelizard approved heartily. Amalasa felt joy and warmth spread over her as she looked into the eyes of that little green, her lifemate, her protecter, her friend.
    "Woah, Etsukoth! Careful, now." she said, patting her Estukoth and walking slowly off the sands after the other newly impressed riders and dragons.  So this is what it feels like to be a dragonrider. She thought, smiling to herself hapilly and humming solftly.  Etsukoth crooned next to her. Finally, she had her chance to live! She would have to find pen and paper and write to Gwinna and G'idin as soon as she could, they would be happy to know she had impressed!

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