Brittlebough was uncomfortable the whole time she was at Darkling Dawn. She didn't know anyone, she was alone. But somehow, the dragons kept her company. Since elves of her type are quite highly telepathic the dragons sensed her worries. The kept her busy, asking her to do things for them.

Surprised the first time they did speak to her, Brittlebough complied out of a stunned sense of obediance. However, she realized that through them, she could understand their human riders better.

No one was going to hurt her. The only thing on everyone's minds here, was 'when are the eggs hatching!'

And soon enough, apparently not soon enough for some people, the eggs did hatch. The queen summoned everyone into the sands cavern, and Brittlebough snuck down where she felt comfortable. There were still far too many people. But now, she had something else to concentrate on.

The moment that the first egg hatched was wonderful. Everyone went silent, and then erupted into cheering when a deeply colored blue hatched. She'd never seen anything like this, and the elf cheered with everyone.

A pale blue, almost his brother's opposite, came and went next. A pair of green dragons broke their shells, and Brittlebough could sense that they would only want the right girls to pair with. Would it be her? No, but a brown hatched near one of the two greens, bonded, and then the green finally chose her bond.

A lovely bronze colored male, large and strong, hatched. He paired off with a boy. Then a large egg seemed ready to hatch, yet was outpaced by another blue hatching. The rocking egg broke open to show off twin greens, and it rolled into the queen egg - a golden hatchling took her time but still paired before her green sisters did. Though she seemed angry about having been broken out of her shell by such upstart greens!

The first of the greens, with pale wing sails, walked directly to Brittlebough. The elf noticed that she was almost the last bonder left upon the sands, and became quite nervous.

Do not be frightened, my friend Akla, I will protect you! My sister is just angry that she didn't come out all by herself.

Brittlebough laughed - it had been a while since she had heard her soul name spoken by someone other than Warmhand, and this dragonet knew her from birth. That sealed it.

All right, Ashtoreth, you win. I'll let you protect me, if you can.

Of course I can! Do you doubt me? Right about then, the hatchling tumbled head over wings, into the sand...

Fortunately, Ashtoreth got her balance down a little better as she grew up. As a smallish green, she would never be quite able to compete with the bigger blues or certainly not a queen, but she was a lovely shining example of femininity.

Would you please wash me? Just this one time. Then I promise I will wash myself.

"You're totally dirty, Ash - what is it exactly that you've been doing?" Brittlebough asked, but she knew full well what the yearling dragoness had been up to - she would find a stream, get all wet, then fly up against the cliffsides nearest the weyr. The crumbly dirt there would adhere to her glistening wings and tail.

"I'd... almost say that you wanted to paint yourself gold, Ash. Is that why you've been doing this?" Brittlebough's words brought her dragon's head low.

... I did not want to be left out. Most of the green dragons here are not allowed to bear young. But I am not staying here! I want to be-

"You'll be fine, you will have your choice of some very fine males, I'm sure. When we get back to Bald Mountain, you'll see. I won't make you chew that nasty stuff. You do not need to breathe fire to make me happy."

Ashtoreth perked back up, and was happy again until the next time she forgot...

Brittlebough and her green Ashtoreth bid a fond farewell to the folks at Darkling Dawn. The elf had certainly changed her views about how Humans could act. But she knew that the ones back home on Abode would not be like this for... many many turns. The years would have to be more than any elf could bother counting, before the humans could be as civilized as these.

You like them! Ashtoreth thought happily. You don't really want to go!

"I do want to go home, but... I don't really want to leave either. I wish that maybe they could teach the Humans near Bald Mountain how to act."

In the two or so years that Brittlebough had spent at Darkling Dawn, she'd picked up a little human language, more signs than anything else, and she hoped that perhaps she would be able to use them properly again some day.

But for now, Ash and she were ready to leave and find a nice nook on Bald Mountain or in one of the foothills nearby. And, of course, perhaps find a mate for the green!