These Borders Between Us

[Yellowstar]

...Oh? What's this? It seems you've stumbled upon what looks like a clutch of eggs. Not just any eggs, either. Dragon eggs. What a bizarre thing to come across, because everyone knows dragon eggs are never just left on their own. There's no way they could possibly survive. Something very strange must be going on here... come to think of it, this clutch seems very strange in general. Not just for the unusual designs on each and every shell, but the overall feeling of this clutch and the way the eggs interact with each other. They feel almost... alive, even before birth. The personalities and distinct traits of these eggs are more pronounced than you've ever seen before, but you can't help but approach them, letting your curiosity get the best of you.

This clutch is truly other-worldly, like no clutch Pern has ever seen before.

But it's okay, you may come and touch. These eggs don't bite.

...Well, most of them.

Touching of the Allies and Axis clutch

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.: The White Flag Egg :.

One of the smaller eggs of the clutch, the White Flag egg is situated between the Soldier egg and the Solitude egg. These three eggs seem to be very close with each other and block out the other five, in their own world apart. Leaning against the much larger Soldier egg, this egg displays a pleasant, colorful shell, striped in green, white and red. It gives off such a cheerful and happy aura, so bubbling with innocence it makes you want to smile and hold it close. The White Flag egg doesn't seem to recognize the strict, serious attitude of the Soldier egg or the solemn quietness of the Solitude egg; it is simply happy to be close to its friends and with anyone else who will give it attention. Perhaps it can be a bit too oblivious, however, because there are times when the Soldier egg becomes very irritated with this bundle of happiness. In those cases the White Flag egg shrinks back sadly and becomes more meek. Surrendering is the one thing this egg- and the creature inside it- does best as it simply isn't meant for fighting and dislikes any sort of conflict whatsoever.

.: The Soldier Egg :.

Out of the three eggs sitting away from the rest of the clutch, the Soldier egg is the largest. Dark and imposing in its shell banded with black, red and yellow, it is the natural leader over the other two. It keeps a strict watch over its two siblings, as if trying to guard them from something. Or to keep them from straying. This solid, strict egg puts up with no nonsense, and as a result it frequently gets irritated with the White Flag egg's cheerful carelessness. It generally seems unfriendly, even to candidates who walk by this egg and try to touch it or its two friends, too wrapped up in its own matters to worry about anything else. Although, to a certain few this egg seems to be a bit more than a grumpy, strict lump. For all its stony, intimidating demeanor, the Soldier egg isn't all that bad. Despite often getting irritated with the White Flag egg, it is really quite fond of it. And though it isn't always friendly with outsiders wanting to touch it, it will open up for candidates it knows aren't complete idiots. And it almost seems... lonely, somehow.

.: The Solitude Egg :.

The last of the 'Axis' trio as well as the smallest, this egg isn't as flashy or intimidating as its companions. It doesn't have the carefree cheerfulness or the rigid sternness of the other two, and seems more plain than anything. It is a quiet egg, the most reserved out of the clutch, and although it thinks kindly of its clutchmates, it also enjoys blissful solitude. It has an air of solemn politeness about it, and it will never demand or beg for attention. However if an interested candidate wanders by, it will respond to their company, even with a bit of shyness and curiosity. This is an egg that truly wants to be around others and to feel included, but is often conflicted with its desire to be alone and its hesitance for trying new things. It seems very interested in its clutchmates and their unique personalities, and it even tries to imitate them at times, but it also doesn't truly want to stray from its own ways. Peaceful and observant, it keeps watch over the others without being as overbearing as the Soldier egg. In fact it almost seems to calm the larger egg due to the fact that they get along and help each other. In terms of its clutchmates, it is on rather good terms with most of them, except for the Winter egg, but then again most of the clutch seems to dislike that one. Strangely, it also seems to greatly dislike the Melancholy egg and doesn't mind the Hero egg. Its shell is pure white save for a bright red spot in the exact center.

.: The Hero Egg :.

The center of attention, the one who saves the day: the hero! Two words to describe this egg would be loud and bold; even the designs on it shell are bold. Most noticeable are the red and white stripes running across the surface, bright and attention grabbing. Splotched across the surface are also dark blue patches flaked with white specks. If one were to count each of the individual specks, they would add up to 50. Strange... Sitting exactly in the center of the clutch between the Gentleman egg and the Rose egg, it is very large and overall just obnoxious. It commands attention more than any of the other eggs; even over the cheerful and oblivious White Flag egg and the lovely seductive Rose egg, the Hero egg just screams for attention, and it will do anything to get it. It is constantly bouncing around and making a racket among its siblings, and frequently knocking into them- most often the Gentleman and Solitude eggs. Whenever it isn't being obnoxious or attention-seeking, a different aura seems to come from this striped and speckled egg. It is difficult to place a finger on this feeling, but it comes close to either hostility or wariness. The Hero egg is fully convinced that it is simply the best in this clutch, but that doesn't keep it from being suspicious of its siblings. Although most of this hostility seems to be directed at the Winter egg...

.: The Gentleman Egg :.

Rivaling the Hero egg in terms of the stunningness of its shell, the competition between the two is close. The shell of the Gentleman egg is a remarkable sight, dark blue with red and white crosses laid neatly upon its surface. The complexity yet simplicity of the design allows one to simply admire the shell without being lost in it. On the medium, if only slightly small, side, the Gentleman egg is buried deeply into the warm sand, closest to the Hero egg. The Hero egg separates it from the Rose egg, and that is probably a good thing because it is all too easy to tell that the Gentleman egg hates the Rose egg. The two are almost constantly bickering over the smallest of things, and their rivalry is well known to the rest of the clutch. When the Rose egg isn't trying its very best to irritate the Gentleman egg, the smaller picks on and teases the Rose egg. And when those two aren't fighting, the Gentleman egg is almost always being annoyed by the Hero egg. It seems this poor egg can't ever get any peace, and it always seems to be in an irritable mood because of it. Still, there are times when this egg is at peace. When it is in its own little world, it seems very odd to others, but is nonetheless happy than when it is dealing with its irritating siblings. Overall this an egg that is very annoyed and fed up, and is more happy by itself. But there is also a bit of sadness and grief associated with it, and one has to think that there is something that's happened in its past that makes it act so strangely around the Hero egg.

.: The Rose Egg :.

Like the beautiful flower it is named for, the Rose egg is wonderfully pleasant. Draped elegantly across its shell are blue, white and red stripes, and even though the colors themselves are plain, staring at this egg long enough will make you see that there is much more to it than that. As soon as you walk past it you are drawn in, as if it were actually calling to you despite being, well, an egg. As you sit down by the egg and run your hands over its colorful shell, it draws you further in until you are filled with pleasurable feelings similar to those felt with a lover. But wait, this is a dragon egg, there's no way it could actually be trying to seduce you... right? Aside from the bizarre, flirty personality of this egg, it is also quite silly. It seems to take great enjoyment out of irritating the Gentleman egg, to the point where the aura of hatred between the two is practically visible. A bump here, an accidental knock there, it takes very little for the two tri-colored eggs to go at each other. In the end it's all in good fun, for the Rose egg at least, because as soon as another candidate walks by it will go right back to flirting.

.: The Winter Egg :.

By far the largest of the clutch, this egg is also the scariest. Not that many of the other eggs could be considered 'scary' but, that just makes the Winter egg stand out more. In terms of size, this egg is massive. It's much larger than any of its siblings, even the second largest Soldier egg. But what is it about this egg that makes it so frightening? It's not just its size, and certainly not the white, blue and red stripes on its shell. There must be a reason why this egg is the only one by itself, not huddled together with the rest of its siblings. Perhaps the others sensed its teetering insanity and thus pushed it away, treating it as an outcast among clutchmates. Or maybe its craziness is caused by it being shut off from the others. Like the harsh season it is named for, the Winter egg is icy and cold. Even its surface is cold to the touch, and one would almost think it is dead, either refusing- or unable- to gather warmth from the generous sands it lays in. At first when approached it seems innocent enough, happily accepting any attention it is given with childlike enthusiasm. But as you smile at this sweet egg and settle yourself down, wondering why such a nice thing would be pushed away from its siblings, something unseen pulls at you. Like dark claws, it grasps your soul and keeps you there, demanding that you don't ever leave because it's so lonely and cold and you aren't ever going to leave it, right? The darkness wraps around you and refuses to let go, eventually constricting and making it difficult to breathe. And eventually, when you are able to escape the twisting, mad darkness, you quickly move away in the hopes that the other eggs aren't this insane.

.: The Melancholy Egg :.

One of the more peculiar eggs of the clutch, this egg sports an interesting mixture of emotions. It is not very large, perhaps the smallest egg of the clutch, but has a very unique shell that stands out among its siblings. Deep scarlet red, it looks as if this egg has been soaked in blood. Either that or draped with elegant, expensive fabric; take your pick. More unusual, though, is the pattern of stars in the corner of the egg, light yellow in color like a birthmark on the shell. If eggs could have birthmarks, that is. The Melancholy egg seems to be isolated from its siblings, despite its closeness to them. There is a sort of emotional distance separating it from the rest, defined by confusion and misunderstanding. The rest of the clutch all seem so strange to this little egg, who can't understand their bizarre quirks despite being unusual itself. Nonetheless it is still happy and energetic, in its own little world away from those other weird eggs. However it is also prone to cases of sadness, where the usual lively disposition gives way to the true feelings hiding underneath its shell. For candidates it is impossible to tell what the cause of these sad feelings are, and most will be driven away by the pure mournfulness this egg gives off. But it will never turn away a curious visitor and, in fact, seems to be longing for someone to confide its sorrows in. A certain few will truly be able to understand this egg, even through the nostalgic and upsetting memories it causes to surface, and those are the ones the Melancholy egg will become attached to.

It also seems to be terrified of the Winter egg, more so than any of the others.

[ivyy]

What was this? A whole clutch.. laying right out in the open where anyone was free to touch (or take) them. Ivy carefully approached the oval eggs, wringing her hands in anxiety and excitement. This was just too amazing, it must be a trap. What if the mother of these fantastic eggs returned to find her amongst her precious clutch? She could scarcely imagine the consequences. Still.. It seemed as if the eggs were calling out to her, they seemed alive. Oh, these were no ordinary eggs, Ivy could already tell that. She could sense their personalities filling the air, and a few of them were quite conflicting.

'Oh, the heck with it.' the short girl thought, untangling her fingers to brush them through her hair. The fine strands of brown fell to her shoulders, straight as a pin, it was something she did whenever she felt nervous. She took a step forward, attempting to keep her breathing at a normal rhythm. She failed, miserably. She inhaled quickly, each breath short and just a bit too shallow. She was filled with two parts anticipation, one part fear. Oh god, she was another step closer to these unattended eggs. The mother will be back any second, and it'll be game over.

"Get a frigging hold of yourself." Ivy murmured, blinking hard a couple of times. The nervous thoughts stopped, clearing her head of that chittery jabber that set her on edge. Yes, she has her nervous side, but somewhere in there is a bold performer and a confident girl. That part of her just needs a little more coaxing to get out of it's shell. 'Hah, shell.' she thought goofily. 'I'm surrounded by shells.' Oop, that reminded her. The eggs around her were seeming to get frantic, they wanted her to make contact..

She knelt on her knees, sweeping her hazel gaze over the clutch. Her attention was immediately drawn the The White Flag Egg, and she shifted around just to get a better look at it. Even before she outstretched her fingers she could feel the happy innocence radiating from the vibrant little egg. Exhaling slowly, she raised her hands. She could hardly manage to keep the exited little quivers that emanated from the center of her chest. Ivy's finger tips were slowly moving closer to the egg directly before her, they were almost there..

She sucked in a gulp of air as her fleshy fingertips met the slick surface of The White Flag Egg. She could feel a connection, the happy-go-lucky feel of this egg made it's way up her fingers, putting her at ease. Her lips spread slightly into a small smile, the way this egg seemed to beam at her with all it's friendliness.. it was like it was trying to get her to be happy with it. She liked this egg.

She hesitated for a few moments before finally pulling away from the first egg. She looked down at it happily before turning her attention to another. This one drew her in with it's gorgeous looks and seductive feel.. The Rose Egg. Ivy made her way to the beautiful egg, it was draped in vivid shades of blue, white, and red. She didn't know what drew her to this one, Ivy thought that she was the opposite of flirty. Well... maybe that wasn't as true as she'd like it to be. She had built up a little bit of confidence after the pleasant encounter with the White Flag Egg, and easily placed her fingers on the silky shell. The egg was alluring, pulling her in with an almost romantic vibe. Was it seducing her? Ivy snorted at the thought, an egg being seductive. How silly. Still, she gave The Rose Egg a curious look before removing her fingers. She didn't dislike the egg, but it seemed there was a bit more to it than just looks.

She turned, looking over all of the eggs before her. None of them really seemed to draw her in.. Each of them either too hostile or too obnoxious. She was just casting a glance at The White Flag Egg again when she caught the pure white, save for the large red dot, egg. The Solitude Egg fascinated her, and Ivy being her cautiously curious self, decided she needed to check this one out.

She tipped her head to the left as she knelt before The Solitude Egg. She slowly outstretched her fingers, more hesitant with this one than the others. Her warm fingertips met the cool surface of the egg, sending a chill through her body. This one gave off a silent protector vibe.. Cautious, careful, but still had some life in it. Ivy arched her brow, this egg was fascinating and multi-dimensional. It was rich in intelligence and wisdom. That was something Ivy could use, for sure. She reluctantly broke contact with the white and red egg. She just wanted to stay there and uncover it's secrets one by one..

She stood, flicking her gaze over the unattended clutch once more before turning to leave. But as she twisted, her eyes caught The Winter Egg. It was so alone, off away from it's siblings. What could it have to have been made an outcast like that? Ivy pursed her lips, running a free hand through her hair once more. It couldn't hurt to just touch it for a few seconds.. Yes. She'd just humor it, make it feel wanted. After all, everyone needed attention. Isn't that was she had been searching for in so many different friends? She thought briefly about all the people who had let her down, inviting her in with warm smiles and their generous compliments. All of them. They'd just shot her down... She could identify with this sad egg. She smiled warmly at it, even though it gave off an icy aura, she could feel that there was some warmth in there. Maybe that was where she kept going wrong.

Ivy quickly moved her hands from her sides, and unlike the other eggs she touched, she pressed her whole hand onto the frosty shell. It wasn't what she'd expected, it was dark and viscious and screamed at her to go away. Her hands jerked back instinctively, her eyes widening in surprise. She could almost feel that the egg was upset, tutting at itself for being so rude.. She warily pressed her hands onto it's shell again. This time was much different, instead of the brutal hatred that had leapt out at her at their first contact, she felt warmth and gratefulness flood through her senses, enveloping her in a thick veil of happiness. The veil was getting thicker.. and thicker. It was starting to smother her, Ivy shuddered as she invisioned dark tendrils pulling her closer and closer to egg.. pulling her in. They were becoming one.. With a gag she pulled herself away from the large egg. She inhaled quickly, shoving herself to her feet quickly. Something about that egg.. she could feel it watching her.

Ivy stood, brushing the earth from her loose fitting pants. What did these eggs want? What part would she play in one's future?

[/blockquote][/justify]

[[S]ydney]

[/i] to play on the hatching sands. She was nearly sixteen now, she should know when to stay away from the Sands and how to listen to orders. She wasn't a weyrbrat anymore (not that she ever really was), so she should obviously know better. And, yet, she still continued to play amongst the hot sands. What could she say? She liked the way the heat felt on her feet, even if it was like the sand was trying to burn her feet off. Anyway, there had been no flights or runs in the past few days (months even) so, it wasn't like she had to look out for a clutch. She could run about the stands and sands as she pleased and not have to worry about hurting a little dragon clutch.

That's what she assumed, anyway.

But, of course, like always, Sydney assumed wrong, because, today, when she started across the sands, barefoot and happy, she nearly tripped over several eggs all huddled together. Sliding to a halt as she nicked the largest egg with the edge of her foot, the tiny girl flung her arms around, trying to collect her balance. She failed, however, and ended up falling onto her bottom like the klutz she was. For a moment she sat there in confusion but, eventually, her mind figured out what she had tripped over.

An egg!

But... where had it come from? There had been no flights in the past months, no clutching flights, anyway. There was no way there could be an egg-

And, yet, here it was.

Sitting out in the open.

Exposed.

Blinking, the girl scooted forward on her bum, ignoring the hot sand, and peered around the large egg.

There were other eggs, too!

Knotting her brows together in confusion, Sydney tilted her head. There was no Queen, how strange. This was really unheard of. A clutch without a mother! Maybe she had to step out... Sydney's own mother had to go take breaks away from her youngest child back when he was very young, maybe Queens had to do the same?

Well, if she had to step out then Sydney would stay and watch over the clutch until she returned! Nodding to herself, the little candidate stumbled to her feet and surveyed the eggs. There were eight eggs, a rather small number, and they each were rather strange looking. Striped or spotted with different colors, as if they were representing something. Glancing around the sands (empty, except for herself and the eggs) the little teen smirked. Well, as long as she was watching them... Touching one couldn't hurt, right?

Right!

Smiling, the little brown haired girl set off, deciding to touch the White Flag egg. Green was her favorite color, after all! Bending her knees a bit, the girl plopped a hand on top of the green, red, and white egg, wondering what was held inside of it. Suddenly, there was a warm bubbly feeling that washed across Sydney's skin and mingled in with the girl's own happiness at finding the strange clutch.

What a happy egg!

Smiling, the girl withdrew her hand, and nodded, before turning away. She originally intended just to touch one but, well, now she felt like she had to touch all the eggs. All eight of them.

Well, best to start off with the ones around the happy egg. Turning to the Solider egg, the freckle faced girl brushed her fingers across the rim of the dark egg, her face crinkling up as a somewhat unfriendly aura surrounded her. It didn't seem very amused with the giddy feeling the green egg was desecrating, though, it did seem to like its sibling. At least there was that... With drawing her hand, the girl shook her head. Poor happy egg, having to be near such a... strict sibling. Sticking her tongue out at the egg (which was silly, she knew this) the tiny girl turned to the The Solitude egg on the other side of the The White Flag egg.

After settling the palm of her hand on the side of the egg, Sydney decided that this egg was a strange one. A little bit curious, perhaps, but it also seemed to want to be alone. Strange but, Sydney knew how that was. She liked being alone, sometimes but, then again, she didn't. Patting the egg gently, the girl leaned back and plopped down on her butt. Walking around and bending was starting to make her tired... She'd just sit down for the rest of the way.

Well, that and crawl.

Inching forward on her hands and knees, the little teen peered curiously over the top of the blue egg with what seemed to be a white and red cross on it. It was a pretty egg, strangely designed but, pretty. Running her hands across the top of the egg, the girl resisted the urge to laugh out at it's strange annoyance with everything around it. Sydney's sister was like that, annoyed with everything. Maybe they should meet, they might get a long. Snorting, the girl pushed back from the egg and rolled onto her back. Flopping onto her side, she inched forward so she could touch The Hero egg next to The Gentleman egg.

This egg had strange blue patches on it and, if Sydney wasn't so determined to touch it and the others, she may of counted all the patches on it. The egg suddenly bounced as she finally reached out and touched it with the tip of her finger. It rolled into the smallish cross egg next to it and, Sydney couldn't help but shriek a bit with fright. The sudden jump had scared her.

Anyway, this egg was... LOUD. It wanted attention and, somewhat reminded Sydney of an annoying little sibling. They way it rocked and seemed to scream for attention definitely reminded her of one, anyway. The egg was a little bit obnoxious but, it was alright. Syd liked happy things, like the White Flag egg she had touched first. Smiling, the girl pulled back and sat up, scooting her bottom across the ground so she could reach The Rose egg next to The Hero egg.

A nice, warm feeling washed over Sydney as she touched the egg, one that seemed to fill her up completely. It was a pleasant feeling, a happy one. Deciding she liked this egg, the girl stayed and sat for a few moments, just reveling in the strange feeling.

And then The Hero egg rolled into The Rose egg and, the feeling was gone. Blinking, the girl shook her head and crawled over to the next egg, The Melancholy egg.

Red and yellow, how pretty.

Blinking at the strange surge of emotions this egg gave away, the little teen scrunched her face up.

You're very peculiar, too, you know.

Oh well if the egg couldn't here her, it was true! Shaking her head, the girl scooted back and stood up, stretching. Still no mother, how odd-

Wait!

There was still one egg left, right?

Blinking, the girl turned round to inspect the largest egg of the clutch, pushed far to the side. Poor thing, why was it so far away? Walking over to the egg, the girl bent down so she was closer to the egg and smiled. It was pretty, like the Rose egg. Same colors, even, maybe it would feel the same. Smiling, the girl placed her hand on the top of the egg, before quickly pulling it away. It was cold! M-maybe it was dead and that was why it was pushed away?.. No, no, she had felt something there, beneath the cold. Putting her hand back on the egg, Sydney ignored the cold and tried to focus on whatever was underneath the cold.

Oh, there it was.

A nice, happy feeling. Enthusiasm, this egg was happy to see her. How nice! Smiling, the girl brushed her other hand across the egg, stopping though, as an odd feeling rushed back over her. It was like she was choking, and the happy egg was slowly turning from happy to menacing and-

Coughing, the girl pulled her hand back away from the egg, gasping for air.

What had just happened?!

Scooting far back away from the clutch, the girl stumbled to her feet.

Giving the Winter Egg a wary glance, the girl shot off for the stands.

She could watch them well enough from there, thank you![/size][/ul]

[Deleted]

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[kitty]

What a wonderful day.

Well, it would be wonderful if Kitty could talk. Darn sickness, breaking her voicebox and stealing her voice (hopefully temporarily, although, though she wasn't feeling ill anymore, she had yet to recover enough to find out.) Other than that one little fact, yeah, the day was pretty good. Walking through the sandy grounds of the hatching sands always seemed to relax her, with the warmth of the sand seeping up through her feet (thank goodness that blister on her heel was finally gone).

...wait. The sand wasn't just warm, it was hot. Kitty realized this with a start and threw her flip-flops back onto the ground and stepped into them. No more sand-walking barefoot for her. Not till it cooled down a little. She continued her stroll through the hatching sands, meandering to her heart's content. There hadn't been any flights recently so there was no danger of finding any eggs.

But wait a second. If there had been no flights recently, what were those things up there in the sand? Colorful things, rounded things. Egg things. She ran over, curious and wary at the same time. What were they doing here? What if the mother came back and caught her looking at them? She'd be in trouble then. Maybe she shouldn't be here. But she couldn't help but look at the eggs, all so unique in personality. She could feel their vibes in the air, a confusing mixture of happiness, loneliness, anger, hostility, sadness, and more all in one. It was like she was in a crowd where every person was feeling a different emotion, only it was..stronger, somehow. Maybe because these were eggs instead of people.

Kitty took a quick assessment of the eggs before she bent to get a closer look. Three sat in a group off from most of the other eggs. Another egg sat even father away from its siblings, even farther than the three eggs that were sat aside. It was like it was...abandoned, or something. Kitty for bad for it; she knew how that feeling felt.

She resisted the urge to go and comfort that one striped egg set aside from the others and instead crouched warily beside the three eggs sitting together, looking like a part of the clutch and not at the same time. There were two smaller eggs and one larger egg. Slowly and carefully, the young teen brushed her long fingers across the egg nearest her. The largest of the three, with three stripes going horizontally across its surface: a black one on top, followed by a red one with a yellow one finished off the bottom of the egg. The Soldier egg.From the mere two seconds of contact with the egg, Kitty felt the egg's seriousness. It was a bit intimidating, but she could sense something...deeper. He seemed like he wasn't really bad, even liking the White Flag egg despite seeming to get irritated with him.

She pulled her hand away and looked to the White Flag egg. Situated between the Soldier egg and the Solitude egg. This red, white, and green striped egg seemed to radiate happiness. Kitty reached out slowly, still wary of the idea that the mother dragon may possibly return to her clutch, and touched one finger to the egg's surface. Instantly a cheery, oblivious feeling flooded into her. While the happiness was a bit refreshing, Kitty got the feeling that she couldn't put up with something this bubbly for extended amounts of time.

Moving on, Kitty looked at the Solitude egg. It was completely white, save for a red spot in the middle. This seemed to be one of the more quiet, meek eggs. She placed her palm on the egg, a bit more confident with this one. Conflicting emotions seemed to flow through her; the want to be alone and the want to be around others at the same time. It was reserved and quiet, much like Kitty was herself. She could identify with this egg, and smiled a bit at that thought. She pulled her hand off again, after letting it linger on the shell's surface for a bit longer than the other two. Out of the three she'd touched so far, this one was her favorite.

She considered leaving it off at that, but the urge to touch every egg - there were only five more! - was too strong, and she turned to the main group of eggs, pushing her long straight brown hair out of her face. The Melancholy egg seemed to draw her attention, and she examined the deep red egg carefully, noting the star pattern in the corner with curiosity. It seemed isolated from its siblings, giving off a bit of an air of misunderstanding and confusion. Kitty also could relate to this feeling in some ways, and as she reached her hand out she brushed the back of it along the deep scarlet shell. When her hand came in contact with the egg, conflicting emotions of cheery happiness and extreme sadness flooding her. Where did the sadness come from? How could an egg that seemed so blissfully locked in its own world be so sad at the same time? Kitty felt sadness of her own for the confused little egg. No wonder it was called the Melancholy egg. The sadness surrounding the egg was enough to draw someone into a depression, but Kitty still felt drawn to the egg, drawing her hand away reluctantly.

She looked to the one beside the Melancholy egg. This one was not as interesting to her, its red, white, and blue stripes seeming oddly bland next to the scarlet egg it sat beside. But after staring at it for a bit, she began to sense something more. It was oddly pleasant, a bit refreshing after the sadness of the former egg. As she reached out and touched it with her index finger, the pleasant feeling increased. It was a bit hard for her to pull away. Was this egg...seducing her? She let out a snort and turned to the next egg. The Rose egg did not hold much interest to her.

The next egg was beautiful in looks. The red and white stripes captured her attention and the blue spots, flecked with white, made her admire it all the more. However, theHero egg seemed to radiate boldness and obnoxiousness. As Kitty watched, it rolled into its neighboring egg, the Gentleman egg, and bumped it. Warily she touched it with the tip of her finger. As suspected, it was indeed an obnoxious egg. It demanded attention, it was arrogant. Kitty got the impression that this egg would very much get on her nerves and pulled her hand back, crinkling her nose unhappily.

The egg next to end, the Gentleman egg was just as captivating. Dark blue, red, and white crisscross its shell in a simple yet beautiful pattern. It was a little on the small side, buried in the sand. Did it like its warmth? Just from looking at the end, Kitty could tell that it and the Rose egg did not get along. She touched the shell cautiously with her fingertip. Feelings of irritation entered her mind; the poor egg never seemed to get a break. The Gentleman egg seemed to prefer being on its own, was happier that way. It seemed a bit sad, and Kitty had to wonder what was wrong with it. She pulled her hand away and looked for the last egg.

Ah, there it was. The one she'd felt sorry for previously, the one that seemed discluded from the rest of the clutch. None of the other eggs seemed to like it much. The Winter egg seemed a bit scary, its hugeness compared to the rest of the clutch a bit intimidating, yet innocent. Although every fiber of her being warned her against it, Kitty reached out very slowly and touched the egg. The first thing she registered was the cold. Her breath whooshed in in a gasp, muted thanks to her voice-damaging illness. Was it dead? No, she could sense it...life. The egg seemed to welcome her with an delightful innocence. How could something hate this? she wondered. So sweet and... S

She broke off mid-thought, letting out a silent, barely-there gasp. The only thing she could register was coldness, cold and loneliness. She couldn't remove her hand, she couldn't move her body, she felt frozen, like the egg was refusing to let her leave, like she belonged to it now. There was something really twisted about the Winter egg and it seemed to be choking her. She was having trouble breathing but the egg continued to refuse to let her leave. Finally, finally, she fell back with a gag.

What..was...that...?

Retching, Kitty crawled away. She'd never felt anything like that. No wonder the other eggs distanced themselves from it. If she'd chosen to touch that egg first, she probably wouldn't have been able to touch the others.

She made it to what she suspected was a safe distance and collapsed there for a moment, paralyzed. Then she sat up, and then she stood. Well, that was interesting. Hopefully the fates would not be cruel enough to bestow that egg upon her, if she were to receive any of the eggs at all.

So, what now? Just...wait? Kitty backed up a few paces and resumed a sitting position, watching the eggs warily once more. If that lay beyond the Winter egg, something worse could lay inside the others...

Scary thought.

[Sporelett]

[/b].

One of the smaller eggs in the collection of eight, this one seemed quite unremarkable when I first approached it. It was pure white, with almost no discolourations or markings at all, save one spot of crimson on one side of the shell. I hadn't really expected much from it when I put one slender hand to the egg's smooth surface. It was an egg, what was it going to do? But somehow, the egg seemed to impart a feeling of shyness and hesitant interest, although it had no obvious characteristics to make obvious what it might be thinking. A quiet, solemn attitude simply... flowed from the egg, and I felt as if it was regarding me with a mixture of curiosity and wariness. That was alright, though, I could relate. Sometimes it's just hard to open up, and it is nice to be alone too. But sometimes it can be a good thing to try something new, and I tried to spend a little time with my first eggy acquaintance before moving on to the next.

The White Flag Egg was the next-closest, and it too was obviously one of the smaller eggs in the clutch. This one was snuggled right up against a larger, more forbidding egg, but the Soldier Egg did not seem to appreciate its company. Deciding to kill two birds with one stone, I moved next to both and laid one long-fingered hand on each. It was a somewhat interesting experience, with that sweet, innocent feeling emanating from the smaller egg, and her other hand all but flinching away from the second's gruff, standoffish nature. I liked the little tri-coloured egg, I decided; it was cute, even for an egg. But at the same time, I could respect the feelings of the other egg, the one that was the colour of fire and night. Nothing about it made me want to chat or cuddle with it, but somehow it felt reliable, and that was okay too.

Stroking the two shells once more, I stood up and wandered around them toward the small cluster of four who lay nearby. Three of the group seemed to be more tightly-knit than the other one, leaving the fourth a bit out in the cold, but I went to the Rose Egg first. I would get to all of them eventually, but this one was nearest, and besides, there was something familiar about the cluster of three that urged me to see to them sooner. Although of the three, this one seemed the least familiar, I knelt eagerly beside it and placed both hands carefully upon its gaily coloured shell. Feelings of affection and playfulness seemed to caress my mind – which felt exactly as strange as sounded. I wasn't used to being seduced by pretty, tri-coloured eggs... hell, I wasn't used to being seduced, period. It wasn't an unpleasant sensation, but I removed my hands quickly just the same. I knew a blush would have been burning my cheeks, had I been prone to such things, and felt glad that I was not.

The Hero Egg was right next to the Rose Egg, separating it from the elegant Gentleman Egg, which it seemed to hate (and vice versa). Running my fingers over the larger egg's striped and spangled surface was like coming home... almost. I didn't know why I had that thought, but it seemed the most familiar of all the eggs – and somehow still it was not right. I didn't know what "right" might be, but this egg didn't seem all that bad. It was rather obnoxious, and I felt certain that extended exposure to it would annoy me beyond measure. But it was a fun sort of egg too, although it was a bit too rough for my liking. There didn't seem to be a single egg in the clutch who did not bear some kind of animosity towards it (save for the White Flag Egg, which seemed to love everyone). Couldn't they all just get along? I felt sure that the Hero Egg could be great friends with whomever it chose if only the egg showed a little more sensitivity and kindness, but some things were just too much to expect from a mere egg. Smiling ruefully, I moved on to the third egg in the trio.

I liked the Gentleman Egg immediately. I wasn't sure why, exactly; it seemed largely a rude and stiff individual, not exactly the most welcoming of eggs. It bore obvious hatred for the Rose Egg, and something that was closer to resentment for the Hero Egg. But at the same time, something about this one's cultured, long-suffering demeanour seemed somehow appealing, like the rakish man at the bar who you know you shouldn't talk to, but you really, really want to. And besides, the beautiful egg was intriguing. It had just the right mix of wit and pride, elegance and cheek. It was mature, but somehow small enough to bicker almost constantly. And somewhere in that stuffy, distant shield that surrounded it was a hint of loneliness and grief that just drew me in. I sat by that egg so long that my legs had fallen asleep by the time I finally made to get up.

By this time, I was somewhat impatient to see the other two eggs and leave the sands. It wasn't that I was bored with them, but at that moment I was thinking very fondly of my room and my bed. Some distance away from the Gentleman Egg was a large egg, the largest in the clutch. The Winter Egg seemed rather distanced from the others, whether by its own choice or because it had been rejected by its clutch-mates. As I stroked the smooth shell, wondering how it could be so cold when the sands on which it sat were all-but burning to the touch, I felt stirrings of something eager and strange within.

Like a child, it reached out to me, taking my mind with all of a child's enthusiasm, but none of the innocence. It was so friendly... too friendly. It wanted me, and not a little part of me either; it wanted all of me, to stay with it forever and ever, to never look at another of the eggs, to warm the cold and lifeless shell that it was cursed to live within, giving up my own life to ease its own sorrow. Poor egg, I thought, kneeling by it and wrapping my arms around the large structure. Maybe I would just stay there for a while, to keep it company. But it was so eager, flooding my mind and my thoughts with its own, taking over (love me, love me, ME), and with a gasp I fell back, scuttling away on the hot sand, staring uneasily at the egg that seemed so innocuous from a distance. What had that been? How had it done that? I wasn't curious enough to linger in order to find out, and so I moved hastily back towards the last egg of the clutch.

In contrast to the last egg I had touched, the Melancholy Egg was very small, and very quiet. It seemed utterly calm and perfectly in control of its sanity thank you very much, and though I slid my fingers hesitantly over its shell at first, I soon let my hand rest more firmly on the crimson surface. Somehow the egg seemed old... Silly thing to think of an egg, wasn't it? But it did, it seemed old and world-weary. Energetic and friendly as it was, the little egg seemed to be full of more sorrow and weariness than it could abide. For a little while I stayed by it, stroking the shell and simply absorbing the oceans of grief that it had to pour out. But eventually I lifted my hand away, unable to bear its sadness any longer. Getting to my feet, I looked around the clutch one last time and turned my steps away from the little collection. I had planned to be back home long ago, and after meeting this little group, I felt like I needed a rest now more than ever.[/ul][/justify][/size]

[yoko]

((Yoko's post goes here ^_^. *sneakily touches all the awesome eggs*))

EDIT 1: SUCCESS!

Yoko was having an excellent day. The morning was bright and cheery. She scampered down the stairs of her dormitory to stuff her face happily with syrup-drowned pancakes. Yum ^_^. Washing the sweetness down with thick whole milk, she got to her feet and stretched.

"What a lovely day!" she exclaimed. "I think I'll head over to the beach!"

And so she did. She hoped the fastest bus on her street and rode 80 mph to the beach. Nearly flying out the window as it slid to a halt, she tipped the bus-driver (even though the fair was free, isn't she nice? ) and on her way to the waters she saw a very strange sight. Unprotected dragon eggies! Oh my!

She hurried along over to see if they were okay. No one was in sight, and there were no dragons nearby. She pitied the poor things. Without candidates...they would most likely Between. She shivered. She was almost to old to be a candidate herself, eighteen. But if she gave one of these little guys a shot to live, that would be all she needed.

There could be no harm in touching all eight of them so they would know she was there.

First up was a small little egg in a trio. It was small, but it looked happy. The White Flag Egg with its trio of bright broad stripes seemed to call cheerfully to her, and as she laid her hand upon it, that was all she found, cheer and joy boldly radiating from the shell. Yoko patted it lightly. What a good egg it was.

Well, the next egg simply could not possibly be ignored as it overshadowed the other two crowding it, The Soldier Egg. It looked a bit darker in nature and in fact when she laid her hand on it, she felt it grudgingly stir. It was so grouchy in comparison to the last one. But oddly, it seemed to insist on protecting the others. Well, she wasn't sure if it liked her or not, so she removed her hand so it could go on with its thinking.

The Solitude Egg seemed rather simple in comparison. Bright white with only one dot of color in its center. But it was standing a little away from the other two, though it was clearly closer to them than any other. Curious of it, Yoko laid her hand upon that one and was surprised to discover not sadness, but reserve and peace. She was a bit sad it didn't open up a bit more, but she went ahead and started towards the other eggs.

The Hero Egg, now here was her sort of egg! While the others sit in an almost sluggish way, this one was a get up and go egg. If she wasn't seeing things, then it must be literally bouncing from time to time. It was as if it were screaming for her attention since the moment of her arrival. Yoko knelt to inspect its eggs. It was bigger and brighter than the others. She wasn't too fond of the stripes, but there were so many stars in its patches of blue! Without a moment further of hesitation she reached out to touch it, but her fingers barely brushed it before she felt its loud and busy energy, and Yoko smiled proudly. This one was definitely going places! All the same, she had classes soon and had to leave it. The Hero Egg seemed to explode at this and obnoxiously demanded that she stay. Yoko, rather irritated by this, glared and walked away, but she felt a little guilty in doing so. She'd be back to watch it hatch. Though, how she would tell when the Hatching was was a mystery without a queen dragon.

She moved on more cautiously to the The Gentleman Egg. An elegant and more organized egg this one appeared to be. The first thing she felt was a shock of severe irritation towards the previous eggs behavior. This egg was thoroughly irritated it seemed, by all the others. Yoko frowned. Such animosity towards its siblings? That wasn't very nice. She promptly moved on. Maybe if she had stayed a little longer, she would have understood it, but she had not the time and hurried to touch the other eggs.

The Rose Egg was rather pleasant...almost drawing her towards it. She had to say, it wasn't especially pretty on the outside. But Gosh Darn-It it was just so attractive in feeling. She ran her hand along it smoothly and felt a shiver run down her spine, a nice one. Could this egg be seducing her? It seemed a splendid thought at first but, remembering it was a dragon egg, she pulled away feeling a bit disturbed. But as she started to move on, she looked back at it longingly. It somehow got into her head that The Gentleman Egg and The Rose Egg would make a nice couple if the former were a little sweeter to the later.

The Winter Egg was by far the largest on the sands, towering even over The Soldier Egg. Yoko laid her hand upon it with ease, her guard lowered by the smexiness of The Rose Egg. It was cold. Yoko frowned. She hated the cold, but the darkness whirling inside of it suited her just fine. However, as she made to pull her hand off the shell, she had to use her other hand to grip her throat. It was suffocating her! And her mind was spinning. The egg was insane! And it wasn't going to let her go. After a few moments of panicking, she grew furious. No one could beat her in a match of insanity. She cackled darkly and thought of all the fiery wildness in her imaginative soul. Yoko shoved herself off from its shell and smirked as if taunting it. I sure showed you!.

But she was late for class as it was and made her way towards the cutest of eggs thus far. She loved its warm colors and the spiky little stars. It was small, if not the smallest, but that only made her want to snuggle it more. She touched it and at first help its happy greeting. But slowly, its sadness began to creep in...then it poured in! What a terribly sad egg! She wished she could help it, but she didn't know what it was sad about and she sucked at these sorts of things. Sadly, she shuffled away from the Melancholy Egg/

She turned abruptly and headed off the Sands. She glanced back occasionally. Wondering what the Hero Egg would do now that she wasn't there to pay attention to it. She wondered what the Winter Egg would do when it found the perfect opportunity to strike the others. She wondered if the Soldier Egg would always be there to protect its strangely formed trio. She shrugged. Nothing she could do until they hatched.

[Icy-son]

Ah, what a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the seagulls were clamoring away, and the waves reached about a foot higher than usual. The icy cold water fell about six inches from her waist, a young yet tall teenage girl's waist. This was the only thing she actually liked about the oceanic waters, that they were cold on occasion. Her hazel eyes gazed across the horizon line, her long, dark blond hair falling to her elbows.

She gave a long, depressed sigh. Night was surely a few hours away, in her mind, at least. She had always loved the longest of nights in the winter, well, who didn't? People that loved the sun, no doubt. She /hated/ the sun terribly so. She adored the shade of a pine tree, for the needles shed only unless they are dead.

She rose to her feet, and began to walk away from the waves. She had her head held a bit lower, wishing it were going to snow. Ah, how she loved the snow. Especially when she went to visit her cousins in Michigan, where the frost was abundant. Where she lived herself, drop dead in the center of the Mojave Desert, where snow only came about once every four years. How dreadful.

As she continued on the warm, sandy beach, something bright caught her eye. She turned and headed toward the shine, and right, smack-dab in the middle were eight eggs, each with a peculiar pattern and coloration. There was no other being around, not a one in even a ten foot radius. She glanced at the different eggs. Too large to be bird eggs, so what were they? Dragon eggs? She had heard of them, and wondered if these were some examples.

As she came toward the small group of three, she stared at the White Flag Egg, which was layered in red, white, and green. She ran her thin fingers through her hair, which tangled almost instantaneously, she placed two on the egg's shell. Warm and happy feeling burst from the egg, and suddenly Icy felt scared. In all her years, she had never seen such happiness.

"My word, happiness is extremely crazy..." she muttered, taking her fingers off the egg's shell. Dang, it was almost as warm as Death Valley! She turned toward the one that the White Flag Egg was next to, the Soldier Egg.

The shell was marvelously striped in red, black, and yellow. These were her love's favorite colors, well, red and black were anyway. As she laid two fingers on the shell, she could sense the protective aura of the being inside of it, and a bit of annoyance, most likely directed at the White Flag Egg. She chuckled a bit, taking her fingers off the shell.

"We have a lot in common, dear egg. Much in common." she giggled, then turning to the most bleakly colored egg. It was purely white, except for a small, red circle in the center. The Solitude Egg seemed to be away, yet closer than the others, from the two. She ran her fingers across the solid colored shell, and froze to the spot.

Its aura was too plain, much too peace-filled. She gasped in shock, for the other two were not as calm as this one. How could this be? It seemed to be watching from a different angle, one with a more majestic atmosphere. "Much too calm," Icy finally spoke, taking her touch away.

She turned once more, though it was toward the other five eggs. She crawled toward the white and red striped, blue spotted egg. Her head tilted as she attempted to count every speckle. "Fifty speckles on this egg. How strange." she murmured, running her fingers across the egg. Almost instantaneously, she jerked her arm back, for the Hero Egg seemed to move quickly. She was scared pretty much half-to-death. The one egg to the side, a dark blue shell with red and white crosses on it, seemed to retaliate in a type of gesture that Icy could see.

"Ah, almost like it is sibling hate. Perhaps brotherly hate?" she chuckled, smirking. She ran her fingers down the Gentleman Egg, and the annoyance swelled within the egg came toward her. Yes, just like with her love, a bit of hate, but mostly annoyance. Her eyes seemed to shine a bit, her hand falling next to the egg. "You and I, we have much in common." she stated, sighing as though she had found her equal.

Her gaze fell toward a red, white, and blue striped egg, and she seemed to freeze. Is that egg, flirting with me? she thought, a gulp rising in her throat. She rose to her feet in shock, then walked away. Although, she did glance over her shoulder at the nest. Oh, right! I still need to see the other two! she exclaimed in her mind. She settled down beside a deep red colored egg, with several stars on one place.

She ran her hand on the shell lightly, seeming very confused. Why was this egg being like this? Just, why? She could feel the radiation of questions that seemed to flow from it. Why am I here? Why is this happening? The worried thoughts rushed into Icy's mind, and she placed the Melancholy Egg back in the nest. She sighed, turning toward the outcast, the Winter Egg.

She crawled over toward the beautiful looking egg. It seemed much more captivating than the Rose egg, and more lonely than she imagined. "Oh, you poor thing." she cooed, placing her fingers on the shell.

Cold. It was extremely cold.

And she loved it.

She gave in, wrapping her hand around the egg's center. It almost felt as if there was a flicker of warmth, but she didn't get it. She didn't feel the warmth, but she felt the cold more intensely. She couldn't seem to break free of it. That was when the insanity of both Icy and the Winter Egg kicked in.

The dark grip from the egg caught her, but it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. It was attaching itself to her emotions, and she fought back using sheer willpower. Well, and her very own insanity at the very most. Soon enough, she broke free of it. She released the grip on the egg, and it became just cold again.

"My my. This egg, very amusing." she cooed to herself, and began to rise to her feet.

She didn't mind the darkness at all.

As she left, she couldn't help but leave one more glance at the peculiar egg. That one egg that grasped her harshly, but not as imagined. It wasn't her ability to breathe, but her ability to love her own beloved that was lost.

Completely lost...

[/blockquote]

[Amber]

The week couldn't possibly be any worse than it was now. Horrible things just kept piling up in her life, one tragedy after another. Her best friend goes in the hospital, a family death, becoming sick for the second time in two weeks, and a family member hospitalized. Might as well just give up on life, it was becoming so tiresome and the week just continued to worsen.

Just when she thought it was looking up, another tragedy happened. It was coming to the end of the week, and she was hoping nothing else would send her mind wandering, her spirit wandering, her body wandering. Her heart just seemed to be broken inside, like nothing could repair it.

It was then the young girl walked into this new atmosphere. Looking around with barely a thread of hope left her her body, she sees something that was out of the ordinary. Now this was...weird and unexpected. Why in the world was she standing here and seeing this sight? Maybe she was dreaming, in a haze from recent events. Or maybe recent events were catching up on her and she had fainted, and this is what the afterlife was like, completely bizarre.

Here she was standing in a place with a clutch of eggs. This couldn't be real, this was a dream. Figuring it was just a dream and nothing could hurt her, the curiosity got the better of Amber, like it usually did and she snapped out of her daze to look around at the eggs. They were all strange looking, and it would have probably been smart to turn around. But no, what would the fun be in that? It was like telling her not to do something dangerous, but she ended up doing it anyway.

The scrawny girl made her way to the closest egg near her, might as well go with the closest and work her way around. It was simple math. It just so happened to be the one isolated from the others.

Seems like this one just wants to be left alone, I know the feeling Amber thought as she came closer.

It also appeared to be the largest of the group. Well that was one difference they had. She had never been the largest of her family, so maybe she should ignore it completely. No, that would just be mean. Maybe it needed a friend as much as she did right now.

And so Amber inched closer to The Winter Egg, peering down at it and finally sitting down beside it. Not like she cared if she was dirty. Reaching out to touch the egg, she shivered. This one was cold, and as she poked it, it felt hard. Well this one was like her heart at the moment, cold and hard, feeling like it could be shattered. Being around it made her feel all those emotions so dark and dreary. It felt like her world of pain would just continue until she reaches the point of oblivion and nothing else can penetrate the barrier.

The feeling of loneliness was so overwhelming as she touched this egg. It felt like she wouldn't be able to be happy anymore. Shuddering, Amber broke away from the grasp as she thought about ice cream. That sounded good right now. Gasping for breath she runs away, far away.

As she's running, Amber trips over another egg. This was odd. At least this one wasn't alone. But the second her foot touches the egg, she suddenly felt loved. After bracing herself for the impact of falling, she manages to get up and shake the dirt off, going back to this egg. Touching this one was the complete opposite of the other one. This one made her feel all tingly inside. The Rose Egg was too much love for her.

She wasn't the type of person to like to be hugged that much, and this one made her feel...a bit too loved. Like seeing a couple perched on the front porch completely ignoring you standing there and only staring at each other. Icky feeling. Is this egg flirting with her? Shuddering, Amber went on to the next egg. She would rather go back to The Winter Egg than see all those lovey-dovey emotions again.

The next egg looked very similar to the last, but it had a unique pattern. Surely this one was somewhat normal, right? Touching this egg made Amber think of her siblings. It was just a pain in her rear. The Hero Egg seemed too full of itself. It was like her cat, always wanting attention. She had a short attention span, so this one was definitely not one to spend much time with as far as she was concerned.

Moving quickly along, Amber touched the next one. It seemed very similar to the last two she picked up. Same coloring and everything. It seemed this one was quite similar to herself. Fed up with siblings and just wanting to get away. The Gentleman Egg still didn't seem right to her, though. It seemed to want to completely ignore her and have a dispute with The Rose Egg. It also didn't help that annoying egg was right by her still.

Backing away she notices the last in the grouping, The Melancholy Egg. This one seemed isolated, yet so close to the others, a bit like herself. It confused her more than the others she had encountered thus far. She felt sorry for this egg, truly she did, but still it made her feel uncomfortable and just want to get away.

And so she did, walking a bit and noticing another group, this time a trio. Instantly she went to the largest of the bunch, The Soldier Egg. It seemed preoccupied as she touched it, and she wondered what it could be thinking. Its mind must be far away. It's too grumpy for her tastes. It makes her just want to kick it and tell it to pay attention to her.

Now that she was completely irritated she was hesitant to even think about going to the next egg, but with a sigh she continued onward. Touching this egg, she could have sworn it had brought images of pasta to her mind. The White Flag Egg was pretty, and had her favorite color on its shell...green. This egg made her feel happy, something she hadn't been in quite some time. It was kinda strange but she liked it. Amber laughed as she poked it, and suddenly felt waves of fury coming from the Soldier Egg.

Amber was left with one final egg, and it seemed to be calling her. Sitting down beside the white with red spot egg she smiled. It was so quiet, and she enjoyed the serenity she felt from it. It was nice to just feel peaceful and not have to worry about anything. All of her emotions just faded away and seemed to not matter, all she felt was calm.

Waving goodbye to the group of eggs, Amber looked at each one of them again, and walking a bit away, keeping far away from the creepy one. Something was compelling her to stay there, but why did she? Shrugging she sat down on the dirt and made herself comfy as she looked up at the sky and stared at nothing in particular.