Mateo Jimenez is a recent addition to the EMT team. At only 24 years old but with 4 years of medical schooling already behind him, his intern year turned into a full time position at 108. His three years on the team have been exciting. Mateo is often called in when Spanish speaking victims are involved, his multi-lingual childhood is yet another impressive feat. He specializes in wounds such as knife and gunshot, but he's treated such odd ailments as beartraps, steering-wheel-under-the-collar, and trouser-ferrets.

Mateo is an attractive Mexican-descended young man, with the typical tan skin, vibrant short-cropped black hair, and red-brown eyes. However he is known to be a bit moody and intense, has not had a relationship for several months, and won't talk about why he split up with his last boyfriend. He's the only openly gay member of the team. He is also the only true orphan. He was raised in a series of foster homes, but schooled consistantly at a private institute paid for by the family of the young woman who killed his family in a drunk driving accident.

He has a small apartment in town, but he prefers to remain on the Station's site to keep himself occupied. Also to take advantage of their internet connection because he's busy studying for his PhD in organic chemistry. Yes, the boy is bright.

Mateo found himself at a place called Draco's Inferno. He could certainly see why it was - the dragons were amazing, and everywhere he turned there was another one. Here and there young hatchlings would be walking with their riders. Or, he noted with interest, they walked around with other older dragons, or even dragons their own age. That meant that clearly, certain dragon breeds did not need human companions to make them 'whole'. The dragons attending them while the group of 108 bonders were splitting up seemed somewhat insistant that humans or near-human companions were ideal for dragons.

But he watched a pair of age-mates play a prank on another who was bonded to a human, and run scurrying away tittering in a manner that said volumes. He was happy here - almost as happy as he would be if he could get a better look at the Healing Den's computer stations and medical labs...

Mateo made himself quite useful in the infirmary here. He'd treated wounds that required surgery, at home, and the ones here were more burn-and-blister oriented. That was good, he wasn't sure if he could operate on some of the not-quite-humans here.

He had to wait a bit for the eggs hardening on the sands. He'd gotten there in late winter, when there was snow drifting around. To a native Californian like him, this was quite weird, and a lot more fun than he wanted to admit. He'd never built a snowman before, he'd never played in a grand snowball fight. He had great aim. Children ran in fear of his abilities with snowballs.

Until one of the hatchling dragon pairs dumped an armload of snow on him of course - then everyone laughed like crazy. The weather slowly changed warmer, but the snow wouldn't leave. Rain would eventually wash it away but until the sun came out regularly - which wasn't likely given the slow progress of clouds over the horizon - mud would be the new terrain for any further fun outside.

And at last, the hatching was trumpeted by its parents. The pair of golds - male and female, which was apparently kind of odd in and of itself - guarded the eggs. But the mother would hardly let anyone near them, even though they were breaking.

Finally, the eggs were snapping open across the nest, and the queen had to relinquish her space between them and the candidates. Mateo stood nervously next to one of the shapeshifters who'd come. She... it... whatever - was just as nervous as he.

The first egg to break showed off twin bronzes, male and female. Another couple of gender-switched hatchlings broke open, and the crowd who had been gathered cheered them on. Many of them weren't bonding to anyone. Most seemed willing to just walk right past the bonders and find someone to take them to another location.

Then, Mateo glanced around at the newest to hatch. (from hatching)

All of the fuss had knocked a few more eggs from their tight nest and sent them rolling into each other. They shattered upon impact, the largest yeilding twin female reds, who leapt up and away from one another in a burst of sibling rivalry. With a snarl they parted ways, one for the males side, one for the females. Whipping her tail from side to side in stubborn irritation, the red that had approached the females side glared darkly back at her sister. Look at her, thinking she's special by choosing to bond a boy...humph. I'll bet she's really a boy in disguise, that's what I'll tell everyone, anyway... All while she was contemplating her sister, the litte red had kept walking and hadn't noticed the set of legs in front of her...until she ran into them at least.

Mantala had been busy thinking of new ways to spread more rumors about that hateful Ombrae when she was knocked off of her feet by the inattentive hatchling red. "Lognsmoreth!" she cried before she knew what was happening. Jumping in surprise, the red crealed up at her chosen. I'm sorry, rider mine. "It's okay..." Mantala said after a moment, rising and dusting off her rear. "Let's go get something to eat for you, I'm sure food will help our...thought processes..." Shooting a wicked glare at Ombrae, Mantala assisted her bonded off the sands.

She thinks she's so special, with that wicked tongue. No matter, you and I can make a real difference, saving peoples lives! Isn't that right, Mateo? Startled by the appearance of the red dragonet gazing lovingly up at him, Mateo took a step back before grinning and kneeling before her. "That's right, Fiksproth. We'll be able to do much more with your help!" he said, escorting the red off the sands. (end hatching clip)

They found that the food bowls had been arranged carefully enough, but the dragonets who had not bonded were just eating from as many different ones as they could find. Mateo quickly snatched up a large bowl for Fiksproth, and they hustled to the far side of the room to watch as everyone else filed in and out.

"This is just amazing," Jimenez said while gently stroking the warm hide of his dragonet. She was bold, strong willed. Her voice was alive with confidence. "You know we're probably only going to be seeing your sisters and brothers for a little while, before we head to the fire station. You might try to ignore your sister if she bothers you that much."

You do not ignore problems, you know they do not just go away like that! Fiksproth said, gulping down another finely-cut slice of meat.

"No, but we will be going away - that's what we're supposed to do anyway. Classes until you can teleport, they told me, and then come back to the Healing Den's space."

Sated now, full to the point of bursting, Fiksproth sat on her haunches and almost fell asleep right there.

Mateo laughed, and picked her up. It was hard, especially since he wasn't sure if holding her by the mid section would disgorge all that hard-earned meat and toss it up all over him!

Weyrling training went as swiftly as their hatchling period did. It seemed overnight that Mateo went from oiling and feeding and learning dragon anatomy, to fitting a flying harness and learning how to ride in a saddle dragonback.

Fiksproth was still too small to ride, but she had to get used to the harness and some weight.

"It will strengthen your flight muscles," the flight instructor said. "The harnesses are padded and should not be terribly uncomfortable for very long. You'll get used to it." He cast a warning glance at one or more of the students whose dragons seemed willing to just shrug the harness right off their long neck. One of them even stomped on it in disgust. "You'll fly in a harness until you're no longer my students," he warned.

Fiksproth was not the type to disobey an order like that. Though Mateo could feel through their bond that she was uncomfortable with the harness weight and the straps around her shoulders and neck, she soon got quite used to it and was rapidly progressing to having weights added to it.

Though eager, she was not the first into the air. A blue did a wonderful job of his first flight, while he was followed by bronze and others. Fiksproth was sure she could fly better than all of them combined. But what she wanted to do was have Mateo's permission and blessing, and approval, when she did.

He urged her to flex her wings, they'd been practicing for days and days before. With the harness constricting her only a little, and certainly forgotten as far as she knew, she pulled herself into the air and flapped hard enough to go higher than the other new fliers. The trick was getting her to move forward at the same time!

Mateo! I ... forgot what to do!

"It's all right, don't panic, just aim your nose at the far end of the field and run!"

I am in the air! She trumpeted, rapidly losing altitude.

"Do it!" Yelled Mateo, he had a worried look but a smile as well on his face. He was sure - she would fly.

She did as he told her to, and soon found herself grazing the turf with her wing tips, but flying quickly toward her goal. She pulled up short of it, and landed fairly well. The flight trainers on the far end of the field there waiting cheered her on, and gave her excellent marks in landing.

"Now we're going to learn to turn..." Mateo said, and he could hear her groan in his head!

With the troubles of teenhood behind them, Mateo knew it was time to return to the Healing Den's dragon quarters and head back home to Talon. He was excited, but that was nothing on the way Fiksproth felt.

I cannot wait to meet everyone! You and I will be such a hit!

"I know," Jimenez smiled, "but I'll miss this place."

We can come back. When I rise to mate, you will see... I will find you someone much better than that nasty Raul boy.

"Don't talk about him that way," Mateo said, a scowl on his face.

Well if I see him I will smack him with my tail for what he did to you. No one hurts you. I will not let them.

The fierce pride and protective feeling coming from Fiksproth went two ways. At once it bolstered his own self-confidence, but it also made him keenly aware that he'd always been the one to deny anything was wrong in his relationships. Now he had a dragon to do that for him...

Do not feel ashamed, everyone makes mistakes. You did not know he was like that before you became mates.

Mateo decided now was a good time to switch subjects. He pulled out the printed out 'memory guide' paper that everyone had been given before leaving, and forced it into his mind. Fiksproth looked up sharply, and her tail flopped around in delight.

We are going now?

"Yes," Mateo grumbled. They gathered up his things, and Fiksproth carried his satchel with ease. She was not quite the size of a brown, but bigger than a blue certainly, and that gave some good 'leg room' and storage capacity, in addition to the speed and agility that she had.

She'd fit right in, when they reached their new home...