M'kan's firelizard egg was big and bronze and shiny and warm. It sat buried in sand above M'kan's hearth, a large pile coals glowing warmly beneath it. M'kan sighed in contentment as he watched it, reaching a hand gingerly towards it to shift a thin layer of sand over the top. He'd gotten the bestest one in the entire stand, just liked he'd asked! Even better than the gold one, he'd bet. And it was going to hatch into the bestest little bronze on all of Pern and he was going to name it and train it and love it...
((M'kan,)) Attith chimed in suddenly, ((There's a volcano I have the sudden urge to visit. For observation's sake. There were some rather fascinating indigenous rocks I wish to compare to some formations in the weyrbowl. Do you want to come?))
[[Come see a volcano? Yeah! Cool! Just let me go grab some meat for my little bronzie. He's going to hatch soon you know. His egg's nearly as hard as Firelizard's was!]]
((The egg's not due to hatch for over a sevenday, if I recall correct, and none of the other eggs purchased at the Gather have yet cracked. The odds of yours being the first and hatching with no warning are quite small.))
[[I'll be quick, promise!]] M'kan grabbed the egg basket carefully, making sure the sand was tucked around it just right. It couldn't get cold but he couldn't just LEAVE it either.
Despite his promise, M'kan walked very, very carefully towards the Lower Caverns, balancing the egg to prevent even a single grain of sand from spilling out. So he was still at Eastern when Xyxith's opening challenge revibrated through the weyr, sending a pulse of unfamiliar feeling through him.
((Hurry, M'kan mine. I don't want it to get dark, before we arrive. Would make it most difficult to take diligent observations.))
[[Okay, okay, just give me a sec. I don't want to KILL it.]]
((The egg will be fine. Come, weyrbowl. Now. Nevermind, where are you? I'll come get you. And I'll kill something for the egg. It'll be fine.))
[[I thought we were going to a volcano.]]