Something new; Katearath's Maiden Flight

[Zephyr]

Of course it was just like Kate to choose the most inconvenient time to rise. Lani was sound asleep when the dragon rose from her bed, glowing like a brilliant emerald. Lani hadn’t noticed too much change in Kate’s personality. The green had been more demanding than usual, which wasn’t too odd in and of itself. She was always demanding as of late. Come to think of it, it was probably because she was close to rising. Whatever the reason, it didn’t much matter. The sleeping girl suddenly felt a green nose shove roughly against her side. She briefly wondered how the dragon got into the weyrling barracks without awaking anyone but herself. A groan was the only acknowledgement Katarath got from her rider, causing the green to growl roughly into her rider’s mind. Time to get up, Lanilove! What is going to happen to you will be most unpleasant if you are asleep. That got the girl up in a hurry. A glare was cast at the green briefly before she noticed the brilliant glow of the dragon’s hide. Near black brown eyes widened at the sight and she rose quickly, hurrying to change her clothes into something more fitting. “ You could have warned me!”

Of course Katarath was gone by now and likely wouldn’t have answered even if she had been there.

The dragon was already outside, staring at the sky with wings half outstretched as the dawn colors stretched across the sky. Reds and oranges danced with blues and yellows. The green’s eyes were also multi-colored as she stared at the sky with purples and green whirling in harmony. After what seemed like ages, she suddenly threw her wings out, catching air and thrusting once, causing her to shoot nearly vertically into the air. She didn’t announce herself to the weyr’s males at large. Instead, she enjoyed flying in nearly a straight line in the air, twirling around in a spring pattern as she got higher in altitude. Suddenly, without warning, she angled downwards, flying straight for a random ledge, not caring if there was a male dragon there or not.

At the last possible second, she folded her wings in tightly to her body and flew up the weyr, inches from the building. Finally, her voice pounded in the thoughts of every male dragon in the weyr. Wake up now. Come fly with me. It was more of an order than a request. She needed to have as many suitors as possible. That was all the warning she gave before she shot off into the air, flying away from the weyr, enjoying her flight for the time being.

Below, Lani was frantically getting her things together. She was nervous, to tell the truth. She was a virgin, and what she had learned from lessons had told her that this was going to possibly be an unpleasant experience for her. Her stomach did backflips as she felt Kate rise into the sky. Suddenly, she knew she couldn’t wait anymore and after ensuring she was at least presentable, she made her way to the flightrooms, not at all ready for this. Why couldn’t Kate just not rise? Anxiety overtook her as she arrived, falling onto one of the beds. By this time, Kate had made her proclamation to the males and Lani knew it was only a matter of time.

Dark eyes watched the doors with uncertainty and worry…and a growing hint of anticipation as Kate started taking over her mind.

[Ruby]

Why is it, mine,[/i] Quarth mused, tail flipping against the edge of the cliff. The mottled Bronze was curled on his ledge, head tucked around backwards so he was actually looking along his body out towards the river and the falls. When he straightened his neck to a normal position, he was looking directly at H'nes, who was already awake and doing something unintelligible with sheaths of hides an stacks of records. Quarth did that now, twisting his head sideways so he saw H'nes at an angle. Because... why not. When he didn't get the attention he wanted, the Bronze tried again. I have a question for you, H'nes.[/i]

The Weyrleader slammed his stylus down on to the tablet in irritation, marking the wax and obscuring his notes. What? the man snapped, in a rare display of true feeling. He'd been up all night trying to figure out what Mi'rah had been looking at in the archives, and that left him grumpy and short... with Quarth, anyway. Quarth was the only one that saw this side of H'nes. Of course, the Bronze wasn't even remotely phased. He wasn't looking for a fight, oh no. He was looking for a Flight.

Why is it that virgin Greens feel the need to rise at dawn? Is it their underdeveloped sense of poetry, or their overdeveloped sense of romanticism? Honestly, sunset makes infinitely more sense, you humans seem to prefer having your Flights at night.[/i] H'nes slumped forward, resting his forehead in the palm of one hand. How am I supposed to know, Quarth? And anyway, where did you get that statistic from? I can't remember the last green that rose at dawn. Quarth yawned ponderously, prompting the same response from his Rider. It just seemed like something they would do. Are doing.[/i] H'nes laid his head on the papers. Someone's rising, virgin flight, and you want her for your collection. You want permission to chase.

Oh no,[/i] Quarth purred, slipping off the ledge into the pre-dawn light. I must have her, and I will. Just giving you a touch of advance warning so you may prepare yourself. Her rider is... quite young.[/i] "Wonderful," H'nes muttered aloud, standing to pull his riding leathers straight. Even after a night hunched over his desk, the Weyrleader was still the picture of crisp, precise gentlemanly perfection. The clicking of bootheels followed him down the corridor, and heralded his arrival at the flightrooms. Quarth hadn't lied, H'nes saw - she was young. Just what he needed, stories of the Weyrleader bedding girls a third his age. Adjusting a sleeve that had never been out of place, H'nes met Leilani's eyes and leaned back against the wall near the door, silent. The man really did look good in flightleathers.

Quarth had taken to the sky before Katearath called, although his ledge was not the one she'd flown at. No; H'nes couldn't work through the night while Quarth was sleeping, the two were too tightly bonded. So Quarth would keep himself awake by watching the other dragons sleeping on their ledges, coming and going, even the Whers going to and from their apartments. He had almost certainly been the first to see the Green awake, heading for the Weyrling Barracks, and then taking to the sky. He let her fly for a second, admiring her, before sliding off his ledge to dip towards the river before beginning a lazy climb. Who are these layabouts, who are just waking? My sun has been up for near half an hour,[/i] Quarth crooned - an obvious reference to Katearath's glowing hide. Age, and H'nes' age, might be to Quarth's detriment, here, but with age came experience, and that the Bronze and his Rider had in spades.

[Rei]

Lketh had been watching his sister since she had first begun to glow. He remembered her he did. Mostly only because he had spent over a turn with her in classes and because his still liked to visit Leilani. But whatever the reason the pale dragon was showing interest. Er’ani let him. Originally he had been worried that the albino’s emotions were too disconnected. That the male would never chase a female. It seemed that Lketh would chase. He was just going to be choosy about it. The young male liked all his sisters very much thus Katearath would be his first attempt. Crimson eyes whirled in deeper shades as he watched her and shifted on his ledge, near transparent wings flicking open. Lketh was awake most of the night because his sensitive eyes couldn’t handle the light well at all without goggles. But this was dawn. Still plenty of shadow to use.

Then Katearath was off and airborne. Without even so much as a word to his Lketh exploded from his ledge after her. Er’ani jerked awake and blinked at the sudden shift in mood from Lketh. As always it came across as muted and a bit fuzzy but in a few moments it was easily distinguishable. Well you could have told me she’d finally gone up. He grumbled to his dragon before kicking the covers off and running a hand through sleep tousled hair. Well sheesh. This wasn’t so bad. Weren’t dragon flights supposed to like claim your mind or something? Were was underlying lust and emotion there yes but with the detached way Lketh viewed the world it was an easy thing to completely ignore the feelings. Huh. Glancing back at his bed Er’ani momentarily decided just slipping back into it and trying to go back to sleep. Then he remembered something. Leilani was a virgin.

Well shit. No way in Faranth’s green Pern was he going to let her get basically raped by some flight crazed maniac. With that in mind the albinorider quickly pulled on a pair of pants and half ran for the flight rooms even as Lketh began to draw closer to the green in the sky. The albino ignored the bronze that had also joined the flight. He didn’t know him and wouldn’t have remembered him anyway even had he met him. A light brush was given to his sister’s mind to let her know he was there and that he wanted her. Lketh was not a dragon who spoke much at all preferring to use body language and croons and chirps to get his moods across unless he had something that absolutely needed to be said.

Finally approaching the flight rooms Er’ani froze and his eyes narrowed at the back of H’nes’ head. The albinorider still hated Wasteland with a passion and so the sight of the leader of them if you would was almost enough to make his stomach turn. Suddenly the rider was wishing he had brought a belt knife. Stealing his expression into something near devoid of emotion the teenager simply slipped past H’nes without so much as a word. Though his smart mouth really wanted to make a grandpa comment. Moving to block the bronzer from Leilani’s line of sight he offered his friend and former classmate a smile. “Hey Lei. She got you yet or are you still in there somewhere? Just try to relax alright. I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you.” Only then did he finally glance at H’nes fixing the bronzer with an unwelcome look. “I swear.”

[archenstone]

M'ze walked out from his bath, stopping to stare at Tenloceth. The brown was sitting on the ledge looking into the sky. His eyes slowly rotated in bright red with a touch of yellow. He was so unsure, but she had told them all to fly right? His nervousness and lust trickled over their bond and M'ze could feel how much it would mean to his Brown if he was wanted. He draped the towel over his shoulder and walked over to Tenloceth. "Well, what are you waiting for? She told you to get up there right?" Tenloceth rumbled while saying, I'm not good enough for a green. She'd be disappointed. M'ze looked at Tenloceth for a moment. He had nothing against flying, though it would be his first. He had known what would happen for turns before bonding with his Brown. But he'd never seen a dragon hesitate with flight lust. "Just go Ten." The dragon shivered in anxiety as he watched the glowing Katearath fly free in the air and others rise up to be with her. She has a bronze flying for her.

He went to back up but as he did so he felt a sudden smack on his rear.Fly![/b] He leaped forward in surprise, spreading his wings out to rise up. The smack hadn't hurt really but he hadn't expected it. Now that he was in the air he couldn't go back, and as he resigned himself he relaxed, letting his instincts guide him toward the glowing beacon of light; Katearath.

M'ze stood there for a moment, not caring if someone spotted him nude on his own weyr ledge. He smiled, pleased that his Tenloceth was finally doing something for himself. It took a moment to get his thoughts in the right direction as he turned to get dressed in a pair of comfortable pants and low cut boots. He almost put on a shirt then decided against it, after all he'd probably be taking it off soon anyhow. What he did do before leaving is belt his knife. He never went anywhere with out it these days. Even if he'd rather use his hands, it was better to be prepared.

He made his way into the flight rooms and noticed the weyr leader leaning back against the wall and Er' ani in front of Leilani. He walked to both of them, seeing Leilani's wide eyes filled with...fear? Uncertainty? This was new to both of them but surely sex was just sex right? He glanced at Er'ani who was giving the Weyr Leader daggers from his eyes from the look on his face. "Don't be afraid Lei." He said softly.

Tenloceth flapped his wings, rising up to follow Katearath. He recognized Lketh, who he felt closer to than most of his clutchmates. He simply sent the Albino a mental greeting then reached out to his sister. I am here for you Sister. You are so beautiful. The yellow was gone from his eyes, now swirling in excitement and hunger for green hide.

[Zephyr]

Katearath was enjoying her flight. She hadn’t yet turned around to see who was following her as of yet, if anyone was. Finally the green twisted in midair, moving her body around effortlessly without losing any speed to where she was almost flying on her back, looking behind her to see which males she had attracted. The green was almost disappointed when she saw only one dragon, that disappointment was nearly wiped away when she realized which dragon it was. A bronze! And his was the weyrleader too! The thought that a bronze thought her worthy of chasing made a happy green. It didn’t seem to matter to her that Lani was tugging at the fibers of her mind. THIS was not what her rider wanted. The green was too wrapped up in her momentary ego to let that bother her. She crooned her excitement, flipping back around to barrel straight forward, calling back to Quarth. Lucky you… Her voice was husky, seductive even. Well, if he was the only one coming to chase her, she’d give him the chase of his life.

Nearly running into another building, Kate angled her body upwards at the last second, effortlessly skimming herself inches from the building in a straight flight up. She knew it would be difficult for the bronze at her rear to make the same move. That was what made this fun.

Suddenly, the presence of another made itself known in a gentle brush to her mind. She recognized her albino brother immediately and found his mind back, giving it the same type of recognition. Then she heard Tenloceth, and she was excited once more. Three dragons were now chasing her, a brown, a bronze, and her favored albino brother. No way this could get any better. Spiraling upwards, Kate decided that she was going to have to make this worth their while. Turning sharply when she was as high as she was going to get, she took the chase towards the river, skimming the surface of the water expertly. Whoever’s worthy, follow me up! She trilled with excitement, flying straight up in the air after she got a certain length down the river. Eyes always watchful, she would gaze upon her suitors critically. It would take a feat of aerial acrobatics to win this spunky green’s heart.

Back in her flightroom, Lani was perched on a bed, fighting with Kate’s subconscious. Her head was angled upward, eyes wide. She noted the presence of the bronze as soon as Kate did. Lani didn’t grasp the implications of this, not until she heard the tapping of boots on the floor. Eyes shot towards the door as H’nes strode in. No, no, no. She didn’t want him. He might have been the weyrleader, but he was a wastelander! She plead with Kate not to choose Quarth, but the dragon had long since stopped listening to her rider. Lust would win out after all, but Lani still struggled to hang onto a part of herself, the part that knew this was wrong. She nearly sighed with relief when Er’ani came in. She knew then that things would be alright. “ Er’ani.” Lani squeaked, the only words she managed to get out, as Kate was pulling hard at the strings of their bond. Leilani wasn’t as strong as Er’ani. She would give into the lust, she had to or it would drive her up the wall. Head lifted again and dark eyes closed. For a moment, she was frozen that way, until her eyes finally open and her head lowered.

Lani had given in.

Her face suddenly took on something completely different from the stark fear that filled her eyes before. There was playfulness there, a longing so deep it could only be from her dragon. Rising from the bed gracefully, the petite greenrider stood there a moment, looking over her suitors carefully. Grinning, she moved towards Er’ani, brushing his jawline with her hand as she passed and running a finger along M’ze’s chest, flashing him a brilliant smile. As she walked with a seductive bounce, she finally came to stand before H’nes. She stood on her tiptoes and gave the weyrleader a kiss on the cheek, running her lips over his skin briefly before pulling away, chuckling playfully. Turning her back to him sharply, she glanced over at her two weyrlingclassmates. Leilani was fully enveloped by her dragon’s desire at this point and she pouted lightly.

“ Don’t any of you want me?” None of her suitors seemed to want to be near her. “ Aren’t you worthy of me?”

[Ruby]

H'nes just raised an eyebrow at the back of Er'ani's head, relaxing against the wall with his arms crossed. He'd had his eye on that one since he became Weyrleader, and was honestly of the opinion that Ja'kin might had made a mistake, letting that dragon live. The rider was more trouble than he was worth, and the dragon was a huge drain on the Healers' resources, what with having to make that special salve in such enormous batches. Too late for that now, of course, and H'nes wasn't about to bring it up at the moment. He accepted the Albinorider's pointed glare with bemusement, which he didn't bother to hide. Who said he'd be the cause of anything bad, after all? He'd won enough virgin flights to remember how to be careful; it was much better, after all, if the girl DIDN'T hate you the next morning. At least the Brownrider wasn't glaring at him quite yet, although he had brought a knife. Well, that was just plain stupid, bringing a knife to the sort of thing where people weren't themselves, but H'nes wasn't going to point that out either. He also had enough experience to avoid a clumsy knife strike, flightlust or no.

Quarth was somewhat more pleased with his competition. Babies and little dragons; Katearath was small, yes, but Quarth chased greens all the time, and many of them were small. He was used to this, and small and agile for a Bronze. Lucky indeed,[/i] he purred, changing directions impressively fast for such a big dragon so he could continue tracking the green, several lengths behind. He couldn't pull off the sort of tight brushes with ledges that Kate managed, so he needed all the warning he could get... for now, anyway. Until they reached open sky. He tried his best anyway, though, coming as close as he could without putting himself in danger. The river was easier, and he managed to drag a foot in the water, sending up a plume of spray (that would hopefully drench Lketh and Tenloceth- there was one advantage to being really big and it was that the Blue and Brown would have a much harder time getting around Quarth, especially since he had been the quickest on the uptake and still held the lead).

That was where the tough part ended, though. Katearath turned straight up towards the sky, and Quarth's big wings stood him in good stead. Each beat of his was even with nearly two of Kate's, freeing him up to launch into an altitude-eating spin that would have quickly made a rider ill. Soon, he was even with her tail, and Quarth realized that if he played his cards right, he could force the catch and end this, and hopefully get some sleep. So, in a tone that was a seductive as it was matter of fact, the Bronze asked, And who,lovely Katearath, is more worthy than the Weyrleader's dragon, Gold Millieth's mate?[/i] Yeah, that would be creepy for a human, but dragons didn't count family ties the same way. Come now, we can end this farce and let the other gentlemen get back to their beds. Believe me, I am a... satisfying choice.[/i] Without waiting for Kate's approval - of course she would say yes, who wouldn't? - Quarth spun deftly, sliding towards her belly, forearms grasping for her shoulders....

Below, H'nes straightened at Leilani's approach, lending Quarth his strength (whatever decision the Bronze made was fine with him) but sacrificing most of his brain. M'ze and Er'ani no longer mattered; only Leilani. Soon she had come to him, as he knew she must, and was reaching up to kiss his cheek. He reached up to gently touch her elbow - accepting the kiss, nothing more - but when Quarth spoke, H'nes echoed the bronze's sentiments with a tight "Who but the Weyrleader?" and he stepped forward, one hand closing on her shoulder to turn the Greenweyrling back towards him, the other landing at her waist to pull her close as H'nes shifted his head so the next kiss she gave him wouldn't be on the cheek. He was remarkably gentle about all of this - gentle but firm. Quite firm.