Can you dance? (Peppeth's Flight)

[Rowana]

It was a glorious day, bright and sunny. The wind was light and easy, perfect for flying. It was a bit colder than was normal, but nothing too chilling. Farryl wasn't paying much attention to the weather. Peppeth was sleeping later than normal and her hide was unusually sleek. Grateful for the warning, Farryl was busy making sure Isshun wouldn't make a mess of the big day. Isshun was busy reminding Farryl why she needed to.

"Stop squawking," Farryl whispered. She set the ball of fire lizard in his basket and called for Hobbs. "You too behave while I'm gone." Hobbs chirped happily and perched on top of the basket. Isshun hissed at him and turned away to sulk. Farryl shrugged. He would get over it.

Time to fly! Peppeth practically jump into wakefulness. Her hide glowed bright making the contrast between dark and light stripes even more vivid. She stretched her wings wide and breathed deep. Farryl smiled. "Have fun," she waved and took off for the flightroom. Peppeth's mind wasn't going to hold back much longer. As she reached it, Peppeth's thoughts rushed into hers. Time to call her males!

Peppeth sprang from her ledge with a cry of joy. Quick wingbeats took her in a tight spiraling pattern. She rose higher and higher, faster and faster. Come and play! she crooned to the world. Surely they would all want to play with her! She longed to fly with them and she intended to have lots of fun. Come and dance with Peppeth!

[Ruby]

M'kai had learned to recognize the tail flip that meant 'upcoming chase'. Even if Futh was trying to hide a Flight from His, that tail tip gave him away: up, flat. Up, flat. This time, though, there was no hiding involved. Although M'kai didn't know Farryl more than recognizing her when he saw her around the Weyr, she had something really important going for her: she was female. And Peppeth is so pretty, I love her stripes, Futh mooned, stretching his neck out past his weyrledge in an attempt to get a glimpse of the Green in question. Her weyr was almost directly above Futh's, making it hard to see her at all, but he'd been trying all day.

With a snort, M'kai put down the lesson plan he'd been working on, shooting a look at his Blue. And what about Kyrahth? What will she think of this digression? Not that you've ever wanted to chase since you caught her, of course, he added, clearly ironic. Although, come to think of it, Futh had tried to go after Eveyth, but had otherwise had been fairly easily convinced not to go up. Even now, M'kai was quite certain he could talk Futh out of chasing, if he wanted. This time, though, he was interested. Wandering over to lean against the wall at the edge of the weyrledge and peering up much like his dragon, M'kai conceded. Alright, alright, go for it. Chase away, Fuffle. See you on the other side.

M'kai's decision was perfectly timed. A tiny explosion of green shot out of the weyr just above and to one side - coupled with the mental summons, that had to be Peppeth. Futh surged to his feet and off the edge of his 'ledge, catching himself with a downstroke nearly a length from the river below. A slow starter, as always, Futh struggled up above the rim of the Weyr before really getting into his 'stride'. Nowhere near as fast as Peppeth and with far more to carry, he was quickly left behind, but he made up for it by catching a thermal that kept him from being too far outstripped. I will dance! he called, matching his words with a trumpet and a flip. He may not be the best dancer, but he would try!

M'kai strolled towards the flightrooms, mostly unconcerned. Futh's mind was like a balloon, attempting to expand into M'kai's, but for now he pushed it out. He would take his time, keep his head... then again, maybe... perhaps he should hurry... as Futh rose higher, M'kai lost more willpower. He was in a full-out sprint by the time he reached Farryl and the Flightroom, grinning like an idiot. It had been a long time since he had looked forward to a Flight.

[Lotty]

Play? Pettahth was un-remorseful in immediately and directly asking the green about this. It was not so much a reprimand as was curiosity - his voice didn't help though, he was always so serious in timbre - which explained the cocking of his head as he padded to the edge of his ledge. He knew the tiny green from being on a wing with her, but there was little activity aside to bring him and her together. Hearing any kind of call for play from her brought him to the incorrect assumption that this was somehow a wing sanctioned recreation time. Pettahth was much more prone to play time if it was actually some how work related.

The tiny little brown was sort of a serious business type dragon, but with gentle (and not so gentle) pushes from the rider he was growing accustomed to accepting invitations to dance and frolic. K'sel did like ample amounts of leisure, and in that way the two had begun to balance each other out, Well I do wonder if she is half as good a dancer as you are... Was that a joke? Even the rider couldn't really tell and he rolled his eyes as he finished up sealing the crack in the makeshift horn he had thrown against the wall not too long ago. He was, as usual, rather indifferent to the entire situation. Weyrlife. It was all just Weyrlife, It won't hurt, nothing else is happening today... He admired his work for the last moments before he began to feel a tug from the flight.

The pale dragon took a leap from his third floor residence and winged his way up, up, up. Easy strokes he took, as spunky as the little green was, he'd need to save something for all of the spectacular sprints and dives and spins and tricks he knew would be coming up. Finally a chance to show off how fast he was, being no bigger than a large blue was finally going to truly pay off he supposed with a bit of pride before crooning sweetly to Peppeth, I dooo like games Peppeth....I'd love to play with you... Seeing that Futh already dazzled her with a flip, he opted instead with a twirl, stretching out both wings wide, but tipping one so that he might swirl round and round and round and stopping only so that he wouldn't get any dizzy fits.

It sort of mimicked the way his rider's mind was, swirling with thought and somewhat quickly getting thrown into flight lust. Sprinting to the rooms he may never do, but, he had other ways of announcing his presence and showing his absolute enthusiasm for the whole thing (even if enthusiasm was relative when talking about the increasing misanthropic K'sel). He had never let go of that trumpet of his, and he fully planned on showing it off instead, busting into the room and greeting Farryl and M'kai both with a, "Bzzzzzzzzz" to coincide with Pettahth's croons. Rather playful he was feeling...as well as generous and his first act was to step forwards towards the greenlady and offer her a chance to play with his beloved toy/instrument from hell, "Play?"

[Tashe]

"Hey, Isma." Nothing. "Hey Isma?" The Rider received no response, making him sigh. "Hey Isma want to take a ride in a wagon pulled by wherries over the sea and have a good time with the Bendenites when we reach the Northern Continent?" Huh? What? "You were ignoring me." Oh, sorry Ermine. I am contemplating something. Arms crossed, the Brownrider walked over to stand next to his Dragon's shoulder looking up at him questioningly. And what, per chance, are you thinking so hard about? There was a drawn out silence before Ismaroth spoke again. Whether or not I am too big to chase the cute little green that is going to go up. The Brownrider quite literally palmed his face. I think I am too big. Although unlike Futh's Rider, E'rro was distinctly against his Dragon flying but had long ago resigned himself to riding the currents. Today was such a day. Even if you are too big which maybe you aren't, I've ridden on Peppeth before and she's not that terribly small, I can tell you still want to chase. And Faranth knows for some reasons you Dragons find the chase fun... you need a little fun, between all the hard-work I put you through. Having said this, E'rro turned and stalked back into his Weyr so he could sprint to the flightrooms. Because he didn't have the ability to exclude Imsa from his mind for even the briefest moment. Once the Brown took off, he'd almost completely under the effects of Lust.

Surprised but extremely greatful for his Rider's words of encouragement, Ismaroth rose to his feet in anticipation. The Brown knew he could be standing for a while but then again the Female could Rise at any moment. Speaking of! A flash of Green and then of Blue erupted from Weyrledges, the voice of Peppeth reaching him with a merry tint. Launching himself into the air, the Brown pumped his wings to catch up with the beautifully spiraling Green. By now he knew most of the Dragons of Selenitas on sight and flicked a wing in greeting to Futh and then to Pettahth before focusing on Peppeth. I too wish to dance with you. Rumbling, Ismaroth rose steadily higher. He knew he wasn't going to be as fast as either Peppeth or the Blue, but it was really all in the sport.

It took a while to get to the flightrooms seeing as he was much further from it than he expected, he might have left at a faster pace but he arrived a minute or more after K'sel. Stepping into the rooms he mimicked his Dragon half by greeting Farryl first with a bow of his head and then acknowledging Futh's and Pettahths with a gesture of his hand. He was a pleasant chaser normally and only aggressive when he had to be. Tossing the hair out of his face with a flick of his head, the Brown smoothed it back with his hand. Although his bangs were fickle things and slide forward. He didn't notice or really cared, as long as the Green though he looked presentable enough for her.

[Requiem]

He didn’t really - really - regret taking Behruth’s burdensome thoughts away, but there were always consequences, and this particular one was…highly…inconvenient. While in his depression, the brown had been reluctant to chase, and not nearly so overpowering as he’d been beforehand, but now there was hardly any warning. Just a simple, Don’t trip and bust your skull, Mine. Checkoth’s would be most annoyed. “Wh-what?” The Flightlust hit him like a storm breaker, and he stumbled, bare feet sliding on the slick surface at the edge of the baths. He caught himself, bracing against the wall and turning his head toward the door dazedly. Where was she? This way, yes. The towel was left in a pile behind him, the man dripping as he moved through his weyr and out into the hallway.

Was it imagination, the low rumble of amusement that left Behruth’s throat as he dropped from his ledge in response to Peppeth’s gleeful call. Futh and Pettath’s acrobatics were watched with a keen eye, but Behruth elected to simply fly straight up for now; Peppeth’s speed was staggering enough that putting too many tricks into it would make it difficult for even the small brown to keep up on a straight ascent. Yes, we would love to dance with you, Peppeth, he responded quietly to her, his affection for his first female more than just simple Flightlust. She was such an adorable little sister. Bursting through a wisp of cloud, he indulged in just one twist to cloak himself in the edges of the misty vapor, bringing it with him for a small distance before the winds dispersed it entirely. A brush of greeting and good will was given the minds of the other chasers. Time to dance with the prettiest lady in the skies.

Sopping wet and utterly nude, M’ta peeked around the edge of the door, startling at the odd sound. He blinked, then bounced into the room upon seeing Peppeth, circling around to stare at the trumpet. M’ta smiled at Farryl. “Music too?”

[Rowana]

Reaching the apex of her climb, Peppeth slowed briefly. She could hear her lovely males, but she wanted to see them too. Ah, there they were! Peppeth purred happily at each of them. Futh was a delightful blue and so willing to follow her. Pettahth was more serious, but he was a handsome fellow. Ismaroth was lovely too, big and strong. And Behruth was here! Peppeth crooned to her first love, pleased that he would chase her again. It didn't mean she would pick him though, where would be the fun in that?

Ah, but waiting was boring. It was time to fly! Let us all dance! she sang with a flirtatious flip of her tail. With a twirl, she tipped onto her noise and dropped. Quick adjustments and she was dancing around each of her males as she fell. A little spin around Futh, a twirl around Pettahth; she spun past Ismaroth, flipped over Behruth. Ah, they were all so handsome. A pity she couldn't pick them all.

Once she was beneath them, she pulled up just short of the jungle. This was a good place to play! Tall trees provided a fun obstacle course for her chasers. Small as was, Peppeth dodged each tree with ease. She even did a few tight circles around one. How close could they follow? She hoped they would have fun!

Farryl beamed at each of her males, humming brightly in her throat. They were all welcome of course, no need to be shy. Spinning delicately, Farryl let her skirt flow around her. No need to be bashful here, not with such good company. Perhaps they could dance too? And look! Pettahth's had brought music and Behruth's had forgetten his clothes! Farryl laughed lightly and beckoned the males forward. They didn't need to stay back. Come and dance with her!

[Tashe]

He crooned with pleasure as Peppeth invited them all to share the skies, although there was little doubt she wouldn't be the spotlight of attention. As she twirled her way through the chasers Ismaroth turned to follow as she spun by him, he snapped his wings half way closed and twisted his body into a dive. The slight adjustment to sails and pinions allowed him to barrel roll although preformed so late in the dive he could only pull off one before having to level out above the trees. Dipping as low as he dared Ismaroth dodged around and skirted over most of the higher tops that made up the jungle canopy. Larger and generally slower than the other chasers, the Brown could only loop or spin around the trees themselves every so often else he would be left behind. Brushing by a particularity tall tree he let his feet and tail disturb the leaves, sending a shower of semi-melted frost downward. Getting an idea he rumbled loudly as he circled the tree quickly, watching as the drops caught the sun as they fell. He thought it was a pretty addition to the cold wind that carried them on.

Pumping his wings so that he could catch up to the back of the pack, Ismaroth clacked his jaws in thought. He hadn't noticed Behruth join until after the first dive, and he never got the chance to greet him as he did the others. He supposed it didn't matter now, no, what mattered was making sure he was even on Peppeth's radar. Swinging left and right he avoided tree tops and because he couldn't follow the Green right on her tail, Ismaroth made sure he made parallel turns instead always keeping the Green in sight. Or at least trying to. She moved so quickly and lithely that she was by one tree one moment and near another the next. Peppeth's stripes helped to identify her when she wasn't obscured by some tree and for that he was glad. The Brown caught a current and used it to augment his speed, what ever little thing he could use to keep in the game was good enough for him. He'd forgotten how amusing and fun flights could really be.

Infested with Ismaroth's playful intrigue, E'rro stared at the thing in K'sel's hands. Was it an instrument? A toy? So interesting! A grin spread across his face when Farryl laughed, feeling as if this was going to be the most festive flight he'd ever been in. Stepping forward at her beckoning, the Brown swept his arms in a mock bow. He might not be the best dancer but he did happen know a few things. Even if they were a bit more of a formal dance, it didn't mean he couldn't intermix the steps!

[Ruby]

Futh flicked a wing back at Ismaroth, including the other chasers in his gesture. What a lovely group of males! Peppeth deserved it, of course, but that didn't stop Futh from being impressed. Usually there was at least one who wanted to make things awful for everyone else. He launched into another heavy-handed barrel roll, this time out of pure delight. It put him behind, but he wasn't fussed - the rest were Browns, and while the were all on the small side, for Browns, Futh was a surprisingly average blue. No advantages, of course - his extra chub took care of that - but the field was at least remotely even. Powering upwards, the Blue kept as close as he could to Peppeth's pace without totally wearing himself out. That little green was fast!

It was a surprise when Peppeth flipped at the top of her ascent, dancing around each of them on her way down. No one Futh had ever chased had been able to do that with such grace and ability. With a draconic smile, he tucked his wings after she passed, tilting into a dive and answering her request, As... you... wish! punctuating each drawn-out word with a wingbeat.

As the forest approached, he pulled up early, aware that while he might fall fast, but he did not stop fast. Once he'd slowed to a reasonable pace, he set to leaping in and out of the bare canopy like a fish in water. He stayed loosely on Peppeth's tail (made possible only because she was spending so much time not flying straight) and clear of the other males, sloughing to one side of the other so he was sure she could see his leaps. Agility was not Futh's strong point, and he didn't want to see such a promising flight end with a broken wing (namely his). He'd stay out of the forest for now, thank you very much.

Although M'kai would try it occasionally, he wasn't really a very good dancer. He could make it work, but he had never been graceful, not the way Cr'oph was. Too many limbs. All of that was forgotten, though, when Farryl/Peppeth beckoned them forward. Deferring to E'rro/Ismaroth as the first to approach, M'kai waited his turn, but offered a hand to Farryl none the less. When she came his way, he would spin her out under his arm, and then do his best to keep her dancing with him, not the others! Futh might be willing to share the spotlight, but some residual M'kai in the bond added a hint of jealousy to the Rider's movements, if not the Dragon's. Just a hint, for now, but it was there. M'kai wanted all of Farryl's attention!

[Lotty]

A much smaller field of males, and nicer ones too in comparison to the races he had been attending as of late. Having known Behruth and Futh from flights before, and receiving a greeting from Ismaroth, he knew that this for once might be a much more pleasant affair all around and although Pettahth wasn't exactly always the most sociable and sweet dragon to grace the skies, he was polite and regarded such etiquette highly enough that he crooned back to the other chasers with a very sort of proper offer of good luck. He was at least better adjusted than his rider in those regards.

A flash of the stripped green twisting right past his nose let him know that it was time to stop loitering and fooling around. He needed to get his butt into gear and give her a taste of his skills, something that the young dragon was trying to subtly throw more and more into his every attempt at catching the greens. It was a general consensus in the little weyr of his that there was a time and place for everything, and in a flight there was no reason to be such a plain bread and butter type. Maybe dancing with Peppeth would teach him a few things?

The brown dove with a slight barrel roll towards the canopy where he knew he could just expect challenge after challenge. He had heard of the dragons that had to fight their way through such a tangled mess of a jungle almost every day just for drills, and they all so often had bruised tips. Ew, he didn't know how much he approved of that, but he also didn't want to be confused for anything less than the hard nosed dragon he was, and so he tried his best to follow the tiny green's path - within reason - and after a few good flaps of his sandy wings, the dragon reached out with his talons at one protruding tree trunk meaning to get a good grip and swing himself around it a few times. Rather fun little maneuver if you asked him, even if it did leave his paws chilled from the frost.

Dancing. She was inviting him forward to dance. Who had done that before? He knew the offer had been on the table with someone, but for the life of him he was too consumed in the here and now to even bother trying to reach too far back into his memories and instead he came that ever so slight distance nearer with the horn in hand - oh he didn't miss everyone looking at it...proud he was of his toy - and decided to play for her as he waited his turn to dance. A rather decent musician the man was from something of a short lived harper education, and he knew to play a little bit softer if only to prevent ear shattering disaster. Nevermind the fact that the instrument literally made one sound. Always. He was just trying to keep the beat with a nice "Bzz, bzz, bzz, bzzzzzz," but oh he hoped she would make his way over to him. K'sel was the jealous type even if Pettahth was not.

[Rowana]

Slowing once more, Peppeth rolled over lazily as she regarded her chasers. What fun they were! She didn't want following her to be easy, but they did rather well. Yes, they were very nice indeed! Ismaroth was the largest, but even he wasn't falling behind. He'd made such a beautiful picture with the leaves too! Futh was right behind and so adorable. The bouncing pattern he flew was certainly different and looked like fun! Pettahth was quite daring, rolling so close to the ground. He'd even used one of the trees to turn faster, how clever! Peppeth couldn't see Behruth at the moment, but she was sure he was there. Possibly he was being sneaky, trying to catch her off guard. Well she hadn't hatched yesterday! She wouldn't let them catch her until she was good and ready.

Break time was over, it was time to fly again. Swift wing beats brought Peppeth up high above the trees. She twirled and spun in the air, delighting in the sun playing off her hide. She looked like a leaf caught in the wind as she tumbled. Then, with a cheerful whistle, she whizzed over the heads of her chasers and back towards the river. Yes, the river was a good place to play! Turning sharply around a watchtower, she banked and dropped down the canyon. Her path took her past the weyrs and their ledges, circling them with ease. Could her males dodge these and still keep up? It was much tighter than the trees!

Farryl's heart leaped for joy. Her males were such lovely people. She was so pleased they were willing to dance with her. Beaming, she took E'rro arm and spun him around. Stepping lightly from his grasp, she took M'kai's hand. She let him spin her, but pulled away before getting too close. Plenty of time for more dancing later! Skipping across the room, she leaned over K'sel's shoulder, humming along with his music. He was a good musician! She clapped happily and stepped back again so she could see them all. The fun was only beginning!

[Requiem]

Behruth was something of an odd dragon at the best of times, and now was no different. He didn’t make a habit of following directly in a female’s path, or even necessarily chasing in such a way as to keep her in sight the entire time. What had captured his attention - perhaps resulting in his suit being weaker, since males liked to play at seeing nothing but the female they chased - was a rack of beautiful icicles on a low-hanging tree branch. He’d never seen anything quite like the pretty rainbow prisms the icicles were capturing.

And, perhaps not surprisingly, the dragon got the impulse to harvest these brand new shinies and share them with the beautiful, playful creature.

Not the easiest thing to do, it turned out, without slowing his speed significantly. The icicle he first attempted for shattered at his touch, Behruth sinking claws into the tree beyond , snapping his body around in a whipping motion and struggling to maintain speed enough to avoid too much flapping (and wing damage as a result) while not going so fast as to break another of the icicles. Circling back through the trees in a wider loop, he approached the one with the rainbow prisms at half the speed, back-winging carefully in the largest pocket the area around the tree offered to carefully grasp one of the largest icicles in his claws.

From there, the brown burst upward through the foliage in a wide scattering of leaves, unable to continue the racing through the forest now that he’d given up all his momentum. He emerged from the canopy of the branches just in time to see Peppeth tumbling back down towards them, the male straining his wings to rise up toward her, spinning around her in a loose corkscrew with a croon of apology - and to show off what he’d found hidden amongst the branches. Wordless, he offered her the pretty gift if she wanted it. She’d have to slow down a little to take it from him, of course, which she may not wish to do, but none of the males here would try to catch her without her permission. They were all quite nice, Peppeth’s chasers.

Dropping of a sudden, he sped along the canyon, flying so low that he was forced to bank around outcroppings growing out of the canyon floor.

Bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet off to one side, the brown rider watched Peppeth dance with the other males wonderingly, knowing he had no clue how to replicate something like that. They were all so pretty. Pettahth was playing the music, and M’ta began humming a joyful little tune that was more enthusiastic than good. It didn’t, at least, clash with the monotonal pitch of the instrument.

[Lotty]

So fast! He swore he'd break a bone or even his neck at the speeds he was hitting (or rather that dear Peppeth was, he despite his best efforts would never be able to match her in a straight sprint) and took a few longer wingbeats here and there to recapture some air and even gain a little distance. He wanted to be able to think out her next move and have enough time to react appropriately to a quick thinking green like the fleet winged nymph he had chosen to dance with.

Breaking some upper canopy leaves with his swishing tail, the dragon burst away from the forest with just that little bit of flair as he followed behind towards the watchtower. Ah yes, he felt like he had scraped the side of the monument a time or two before and easily wrapped around the side of the structure, fitting against it like a glove before taking a turn down along all the ledges that dotted the sides of the caverns. Speeding past another dragon who was lounging on the bluffs, Pettahth fluted a friendly if frantic watch out! and got by with the skin of his teeth. A scary moment it was, but he was willing to take his chances and go a little daredevilish for the sake of impressing Peppeth.

K'sel almost missed a beat. He felt the breath of the female on his neck and although his hairs did raise to alert, and it was her attention he so desired, he was also loathe to stop his winning performance for her. Why ruin a good thing while it was lasting you know... He, while still playing merrily and completely ignorant of any strain on his vocal chords, turned slightly to the woman in a brief attempt to fit in a nuzzle before she could move on to M'ta... M'ta who was humming. Excellent! They were making a little band they were, and K'sel/Pettahth did so much approve that he began swaying and bobbing himself, and trying his best to spread the joie de vive.

[Tashe]

It might not look like it at first glance, but he was indeed falling behind. Ismaroth had only been able to catch one strong current since the last updraft, requiring him to expend more energy on winging himself forward rather than using the aid of the air. Drifting upward in hopes of catching a stay current of wind, the Brown watched the others race below his lofty position. Left, right, left again. Honestly if he hadn't been filled with the urge to Chase, he might have gotten a little tired of the zipping and the zapping. Sudden moves like that were strenuous on his wings when done continuously. Ducking down a few feet he watched his shadow dance across the tops of the trees and was momentarily amused. He'd never really looked at his shadow before, let alone when he was flying. The form was like a black mirror, mimicking everything he did and every turn he took. Shaking his head he put the thoughts out of his mind and searched for Peppeth.

Ah there she was, he adjusted his course to one better suited to follow the strikingly fast Green. You could imagine his surprise when he almost had to backwing when she buzzed by him on her way down from her climb. When did she even get that high up? He considered his last sight of her. Of course she had been starting her climb and given his length behind her... darn small Greens and their fast maneuvers. Flicking his tail and dipping his wing Ismaroth preformed a spin, turning it into a dive within a matter of seconds. He had long ago stopped trying to tail Peppeth, seeing as he physically could not remain that close behind her, but instead chased the vision of her. The Canyon? Much tighter quarters but definitely big enough to fly through. Although... he was not terribly comfortable with the idea of circling and dodging the different Weyrledges, he instead chose to fly a parallel path straight through. He didn't want to risk clipping a wing on the rock-face, and flying over the river itself was all well and fine with him.

E'rro moved his feet appropriately as they spun around, almost not willing to let the lady go. He wanted to be nearer to her than that, much nearer in fact. But he wouldn't grab her or capture her, no he wanted her to want him. That's how it went. She would choose who she wanted. As she left him the Brown was left with more need than he had began with and nothing he could do about it. Tapping his foot to the beat of the, er... 'music', he bounced eagerly. He didn't have anything much to contribute in the way of the band, so he decided to just enjoy the good feelings.

[Rowana]

Peppeth leveled out at the upper edge of the canyon. She twirled and backwinged to see her males. They were keeping up rather well. Here was Behruth and what a lovely present he has brought! It was sparkly and beautiful. Pettehth was doing very well and he wasn't afraid to take risks. It was a daring charm that she adored about him. Ismaroth was a little behind, but he was dancing so nicely for her. Futh was hard to see at the moment, but she was sure he was there too.

Such a tiny green, Peppeth was already growing tired. She would have to choose soon. Not now, though, she wasn't ready yet. They were all so lovely, how could she ever decide. One more test and she would choose. Yes, she only needed a little longer. Rising out of the canyon, Peppeth chose a more open venue for her last display. It would give them all more chances to impress her. Humming her delight, Peppeth twirled her tail alluringly. She spun her body so that the pattern was dizzying to watch. Like a bird she circled higher, caller for her males to dance with her.

Farryl danced on her feet, beaming with her whole body. She caught M'ta up by the arms and spun with him for a moment, just to show that she didn't want him to be left out. He and K'sel made a lovely band! Even E'rro was joining in the fun. She pulled away from the males, and starting twirling on her own. Would they join her? There was still time yet to dance. Time before she decided who her partner would be.

[Ruby]

Futh pulled up sharply when Peppeth flashed over his head, turning the movement into a surprisingly graceful backflip plus spin that put him back on track. It took all of his power to keep up with the tiny green and her chasers, but Futh threw all of his reserves into his wings, acheiving speeds he'd really never dreamed were possible; and he was still losing ground. Peppeth continued to impress. Futh breezed past the watchtower, his turn much wider and less dramatic than those of the other Chasers, but there was really only so much a dragon of his size could do. He skimmed the Weyr ledge instead, then dropped over the edge to avoid a few sunning dragons. He stayed at a higher altitude, hopping over the protruding ledges like he had the trees.

Staying high had its advantages. The ledges obscured Peppeth more often than not, but as soon as she headed up, Futh was ready for her. He shot sideways as she cleared the canyon wall, spinning around the Green in an orbit counter to her own. After a few rotations he peeled out and away, executing a few tricks he'd learned when he'd taken extra flight lessons: a barrel roll, loops and flips in quick(ish) succession, even a figure eight (although it lost him a lot of ground). In between each he had to find a thermal and gain some ground; Peppeth was still flying at an incredible pace. The other chasers weren't forgotten either - Futh wasn't sure which one was closest, but he looped one of the other chasers, too, willing to dance with the others so Peppeth could see. Hopefully she would be watching!

M'kai was elated. He kept the spin in time with K'sel's loose beat and relinquished Farryl's hand when she pulled away, but he couldn't resist following her for a step or two. All that really accomplished was taking him into K'sel's personal space, so M'kai backed off, taking a step or two towards the wall. He started tapping his foot in time, the sole of his boot making a clicking sound that kept time, and left his hands free for Farryl. Wouldn't she come dance with him again?