Author's Note

And this is the conclusion for this fic!

I do not own the Dragonriders of Pern.


Elias, Klaus and Loki sat in front of the fireplace, watching the seven eggs in the makeshift nest. They had discussed it with Uncle Monty, talking over keeping them in the croft until they hatched and then allowing them to be wild or even selling them at the Hold, for there would certainly be buyers, even for eggs laid by a green.

"But I would feel bad if they were duds," Elias reasoned. Uncle Monty seemed fairly convinced that at least two of them were, and possibly a third. Some of them had a good chance though, so now the three boys were sat waiting with a dish of meat at their sides. Klaus had a book on his lap while Dog was playing lazily with Loki's three blues. Elias's brown and one of his blues were wrapped around his neck. Their siblings had all told them that they had more than enough firelizards already – Violet had six, plus the adult bronze, which was still refusing to let go of her unless Damien physically removed him - and since they had been the ones to rescue the clutch they should be the ones to Impress the little hatchlings.

At last, at about midday, the biggest of the eggs gave a sudden rock. Elias started and straightened up. "Look!"

It rocked again, thin cracks spreading across the shell. The three boys waited as the cracks widened, until at last the shell split open and a tiny brown firelizard was spilt into the ash. He looked smaller than his brown Pitch had done when he hatched, Elias thought as he scooped him up and began to feed him.

It was a long five minutes before another two of the eggs began to rock. One gave a particularly violent lurch, crashing into the other and breaking it open, revealing a rather dazed looking green. Loki scooped her up and began feeding her as a blue head emerged from the other egg. Klaus waited until he had chipped away at the shell enough to free himself, and then picked him up to feed him.

The smallest of the remaining eggs rocked gently. The cracks widened across it until it split almost in half and another tiny little green rolled across the ash. Elias snatched her up and offered her one of the smallest chunks of meat he had. She snapped it up.

The remaining three eggs failed to hatch. The boys waited a long two hours, watching them, as their new hatchlings slept in their laps, but they never moved.

"I guess they're duds," Elias said, a little disappointed.

"You saved four," Klaus said.

Elias smiled. "Yeah. I guess we did."


Uncle Monty was able to leave his bed and limp around the croft on crutches, spending most of his day in his small study. He examined the young hatchlings and proclaimed them healthy, congratulating them on the newest additions to their fair.

"Take the unhatched eggs back down to the beach, leave them in nature and for the tide."

Elias and Klaus did so, standing at the edge of the cliff. They leant down to tuck them onto a high ledge, a little wary of going any further. None of them had set foot on the beach since that day. None of them were sure whether they ever wanted to again.


The newest hatchlings settled right in with the slightly older ones, with Violet's gold Bossy quickly organising them into what the siblings were pretty sure she saw as her fair and scolding them when they took bronze Trill and brown Peep's favourite sleeping cushion. Uncle Monty laughed as they fled to the arms of their boys, chirping in surprise at the reprimand.

"Bossy!" Violet scolded, scooping her up. Bossy trilled, looking pleased with herself as Trill settled on the cushion.

Indigo laughed. "She takes after you Vi."

Violet blushed.

Down the hall they could hear Finn playing the fiddle, his firelizards humming happily.

Uncle Monty smiled. "Firelizards can be somewhat affected by their owners. You don't need to worry all the time Violet. You children will be safe here."


They would not, and a half turn later Uncle Monty would be dead, but that's a different story.