Pern 22 - The Hatching Grounds Traditional Cache
Pern 22 - The Hatching Grounds
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(not chosen)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
CONGRATULATIONS tomanoble on your 2nd FTF in the series! This cache is dedicated to Anne McCaffrey and her Dragonriders of Pern novels.
In a society dependent upon the dragons and their riders for their wellbeing, the health of the Weyr is paramount. Every dragon hatching is a momentous event - one to be celebrated by all Pern. Round the corner and experience the excitement for yourself...
EXCERPT
With a yank that rocked her head on her neck, the dragonman pulled her along the passage. The dragon padded beside them at such speed that Lessa fully expected they would all catapult off the ledge. Somehow, at the crucial stride, she was perched on the bronze neck, the dragonman holding her firmly about the waist. In the same fluid movement they were gliding across the great bowl of the Weyr to the higher wall opposite. The air was full of wings and dragon tails, rent with a chorus of sounds, echoing and reechoing across the stony valley.
Mnementh set what Lessa was certain would be a collision course with other dragons, straight for a huge round blackness in the cliff-face, high up. Magically, the beasts filed in, the greater wingspread of Mnementh just clearing the sides of the entrance.
The passageway reverberated with the thunder of wings. The air compressed around her thickly. Then they broke out into a gigantic cavern.
Why, the entire mountain must be hollow, thought Lessa, incredulous. Around the enormous cavern dragons perched in serried ranks, blues, greens, browns, and only two great bonze beasts like Mnementh, on ledges meant to accommodate hundreds. Lessa gripped the bronze neck scales before her, instinctively aware of the imminence of a great event.
Mnementh wheeled downward, disregarding the ledge of the bronze ones. Then all Lessa could see was what lay on the sandy floor of the great cavern: dragon eggs. A clutch of ten monstrous, mottled eggs, their shells moving spasmodically as the fledglings within tapped their way out.
The previous paragraphs are from Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey, copyright 1968 Anne MCCaffrey.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gur ybtobbx vf uvqqra vafvqr....