So much could happen in just a few hours. Martirae had started off a day that felt like any other Hatching being chosen. Not just chosen; wanted, loved, and so many more things that stirred her iron heart in ways it had long not been. It was now putty in the hands of a beautiful gold dragon. Marty looked at the slumbering dragonet curled up on her bed for a moment, and her heart clenched up all over again. Her chest hurt to even look away to the others settling into the barracks with them. The familiar figures of Iathe, Roana, and even Zyamel settling in with their own futures settled that pain only barely.

A lot of good things to take solace in. Especially after the deaths on the sands, the gall of that man daring speak on behalf of her home - former home? - and upsetting the progress of a day of celebration. That feeling of pain and the cries of sadness from Anakumath….. Steeling up her heart to support the softness of such a beloved creature, Marty would allow others to think her cold for not crying after all that had happened.

“I’m surprised you lasted this long, dear,” Marty said, seated on the bed next to the slumbering Anakumath. Even in sleep, Marty could taste her exhaustion. “So much and so soon,” she sighed. “Do you dream?” she wondered out loud, though quietly enough that she could wave off any answers offered as eavesdropping. What do you dream of, so young, so new? What can I offer you that is more than what you’ve had? she wondered idly. As Anakumath curled onto one side contently, offering a singular sleepy trill, Marty couldn’t help but smile.

But looking down at that slumbering baby dragon - her baby dragon - all the exhaustion she should have been feeling was pushed to the side. She would still have time to sleep. She would still have time to get ready for the Feast. She would still…...have nobody to say goodbye to if there was no chance to after all talks were said and done.

What would L’nik think of your beautiful Anakumath?

It was an intrusive thought that Martirae hadn’t expected from herself. She recalled an afternoon of him letting her look his impressive brown over, offering him her half-jealousies over such a strongly built dragon as Hessianth was. He would not get that moment with her in turn. She hadn’t expected that to bother her - a lack of goodbye, a lack of a shared joy with a boy she’d known nearly her whole life.

Oh, but Amiari had come….. was she still there? Marty was torn, uncertain if she should wake Anakumath to check, or linger and never know. Would A’ral still have a job after this? Akaris was surely giving her farewells now. Had her own sufficed? Or had she left it open, thinking perhaps they would talk again later…..What about Jackie?

All at once what she’d thought would be a clean break began to ache. She’d not be able to go to and from Western as easily as the others - if even possible now. The familiarity it had offered, taken advantage of for what it was without a thought, would be a world away for who knew how long. Those hallways and rooms so neatly outlined on paper would now be better known on the paper than in mind.

Martirae closed her eyes and took a deep breath, forcing herself from grieving prematurely. Perhaps she would have a chance to arrange something. I’ll write… she decided.

Something to think about later, though. Another sleepy chirp from Anakumath, and suddenly she was all the young woman could think about. So much goodness in such a small body. If I ask you every day for the rest of our lives, will you be able to tell me why I was yours? And why you are mine? There was still pride and a certain assurance that came with being bonded to a dragon. But while Martirae was fierce and proud, Anakumath was soft and anxious. If the choice of a dragon was not absolute, many would say they were unsuited for each other.

But the soft sleepy sounds of her new beloved pushed the weight of any such thought out of her mind. Anakumath kneaded her little feet out in front of her, pushing the fur on the bed about. After a moment of watching, Marty moved to open the chest of her belongings - so empty compared to the lives that others brought there - and with a little digging found an old and worn fur. Burying her face in it, she took a deep breath, soaking in all the warmth it didn’t physically possess. All the nights of having it tucked around her, all the nights bundled up underneath it while Leboya told her stories.

It was full of goodness.

Closing the chest up, Marty gently tucked the fur around Anakumath as she sat down next to her. She reached out and stroked along the side of her head, already instinctively finding those small trails that the gold enjoyed most. Martirae could have really done with some rest, but first, she wanted the comfort that only knowing she wasn’t dreaming could offer her.

This beginning of a beautiful future.