Clutch

A clutch was the term used to refer to a group of eggs laid by a female dragon or fire lizard.

Description

Dragons and fire lizards preferred to lay clutches in hot sands. Wild fire lizards often chose warm coastal locations, while dragons typically made use of a weyr's Hatching Ground. A clutch could take several days to complete. Eggs took on a mottled color, with the exception of queen eggs, which were larger and golden colored, and marked the presence of a gold hatchling. Freshly laid eggs were soft and leathery. The heated sands in which they were laid helped harden the eggs as they matured. Clutches that were ready to hatch were nearly rock hard. The number of eggs in a clutch varied greatly depending on circumstances. Higher, faster mating flights were believed to result in larger clutches. In addition, larger clutches were often seen immediately prior to or during a Pass.

Queen dragons and queen fire lizards retained a strong maternal instinct and were fiercely protective of their clutches. In dragons, this instinct was the only known exception to a dragon's tendency to suicide immediately at the death of their rider. The queen would stay just long enough to see the clutch hatch and impress. Green fire lizards, however, were not as attentive and tended to lay their clutches in unsafe areas. Thus, green clutches often did not survive to hatch, helping to keep the population in check, as green fire lizards vastly outnumbered golds.