Whispers in the Dark [Minth's Flight]

[Sheari]

The only benefit to Minth rising now was the time of day. With the sun set and the moon rising, Anusha was quite comfortable in her main room. Despite the warmth of the summer night, her private weyr was rather chilly and wrapped in gloom. She sat in a rather large seat, more a large, under-stuffed cushion of fabric that swallowed her in the most comfortable way, with a mug of evening tea. Her stocking feet were resting next to a small stone cairn arranged around a discarded pot. The pot itself was of a decent size, but otherwise considered unusable for a hole in the bottom. The container had become somewhat of a makeshift stove that the greenrider was rather proud off. The fire within charred the rim black and filled its immediate proximity with warmth and light.

Soon the green in question raised her head from her forepaws and shifted her gaze from the pot to the entrance of their weyr that yawned into the Weyr proper. Unable to fight nature anymore, she slipped out of the weyr and let gravity take her. She dropped toward the lake in the base of the bowl before employing a powerful down-stroke. Waves lapped at the shores and any relaxing whers or 'handlers would want to move to prevent a good soaking. With a deft turn she drifted up and burst out of the mountain into the midnight sky. Like a glorious green star she hung in the air for a moment before altering her course and drifted down toward the feeding grounds. The dragon only then realized how chilly and somber the Weyr was. Life blossomed outside with the chirrups of peepers and the hootings of some distant avian. She might have been able to see its large eyes in her mind but instead she quickly descended upon a herdbeast.

She killed it quickly and without fuss, sending a brush to the minds of her preferred males. She would not turn any of them away unless Her's desired it, though she already knew a few of the males that she would be disappointed to see, and a few she would be equally disappointed if they did not come. Minth took her time blooding the beast, allowing her suitors to come. She'd rather like to see them before she led them on quite the merry chase. She couldn't just turn around mid-Flight to see, no, that just wouldn't do. Neither dragon nor Rider made much noise this eve, not even the dead creature in her jaws had. In her weyr, Anusha huffed and rose, not bothering to change how she looked. Farnath knew she'd look like hell by the end of the night and neither her nor whoever she slept with would really care.

With minimal effort the woman rose from her rather comfortable and warm chair with a twinge of sadness. She would spend this night in a strange bed, no doubt with a strange man, because of ridiculous circumstances. Very little good could come from this. With the right person and without the risk of pregnancy she might not hate it so much. Alas, that was not how things often worked, and it wasn't her lot in life to be sterile. With a sigh she put the lid on her little pot to keep the fire within from torching the few burnable things in her weyr and headed to the flight rooms. She would not have a group of flightlust-filled men in her weyr doing Farnath knows what. The thought of someone jumping off a chair thinking they could fly came to mind and she smiled before continuing on her trek.

~*~

The night had been quiet, mostly uneventful it seemed. R'men was content to let it stay that way. He was tired and really rather ready for bed. Asshat had somehow exhausted himself and lay sprawled upon the clothes that were strewn across the top of the bronzerider's over-sized bed. Much like the weyr, the furniture seemed more befitting couples. Despite his appreciation for having more room to sprawl himself, some days he just really wanted someone to be next to him. The hatchling Salamandyr, however, did not count. With careful, semi-practiced ease, he slipped his hand under the tiny body and moved the sleeping holy terror to a clothes drawer.

You may not be so alone tonight,[/i] Weith commented, amused. R'men left his room and walked out to the main room, his sleeping pants loose about his legs. "Oh?" was all he could respond with. There is a riser.[/i] The dragon's eyes whirled a slow violet. "Who is it?" By now R'men was truly curious. Hopefully it was not Kyrahth. It is Minth...[/i] The colour both drained and rushed to the man's face; this was worse. "What?" he nearly shouted. "But, but she's your sister!" he said, voice rising in pitch. Weith responded with a so...?[/i] "Her rider is Anusha, my sister!! Are you aware of how wrong that is?!" Your point iisssss....?[/i] To dragons, he knew, relation was of little import.

With silence, Weith left his weyr and winged out of the mountain. The night air was fresh and he, too, heard the whisperings of life in the dark. He turned toward the feeding grounds and took a place. He would not Blood, and simply appraised the vibrant green. Perhaps the only green --female dragon, even-- to never hate him. R'men simply stood in his weyr, mouth a-gape, with a disgusted look on his face at the possibility to tonight's outcome. Really?! he thought, REALLY, WEITH?! He huffed and practically stomped out of his weyr. Oh yes, when he got to the flight rooms, he would apologize to his sister for EVERYTHING, and then leave...if he still had enough of his mind to leave. Maybe he could hide in a corner, or find a pretty drudge nearby? He concluded that nothing good could come of this... Nothing.

[Zephyr]

This probably wasn't the best time for Minth to rise. For K'ian at least. He didn't understand women, not at all. Elysia had been doing nothing but sending the bronzer mixed signals, and he was a little sick of it. He knew though, that going along with what the woman wanted would be best, at least for now...but she was a little infuriating, in all the right ways. K'ian was sitting in one of his chairs, his nose buried in a bunch of papers.

K'ian was obviously not having the best luck with women at the moment, in any sense of the word.

Rom, for his part had been silent most of the evening. So silent, that K'ian could swear he was sleeping...but he knew the bronze wasn't. There was something in the air, something that made the hair on his arms prickle, but he refused to acknowledge it, asking Romeoth a few times what he was waiting for, when K'ian well knew. He knew his dragon, knew what it meant when he was completely silent but not sleeping. A dragon would soon rise. Rom wasn't usually picky about which dragon he chased, and his odd actions obviously meant he was going to chase.

Just great.

Maybe, just maybe he would decide that whoever she was wasn't worth it. He knew better though, especially when Romoeth rose to his feet, facing towards the dark sky. K'ian's head rose, eyes firmly on his dragon. "Who?" He deserved to know at least, which dragon tickled Rom's fancy enough for him to decide to chase. The bronze's words came out in a slow rumble, calm and collected. Minth K'ian didn't think he recognized the name, but it wouldn't have helped to ask Rom who the rider was, and he wouldn't have answered. The big bronze slid off his ledge, spreading his wings, catching an updraft and gliding towards where the sparkling green dragon was waiting.

A glance around showed him he had competition already. A bronze dragon Romeoth thought he recognized. Oh yes. This one was at the tithe theft. The scars on his face had been left by Rom's very own claws. The bronze supposed he should apologize...but decided now was not the time. K'ian's influence was rubbing off on him too much. Shifting his attention from the other bronze to the green, Romeoth watched her carefully, brushing her mind affectionately with his own. The moonlight does not do you justice, my dear. He crooned towards Minth, head tilting, eyes whirring happily. You are truly stunning.

K'ian sighed, rising from his papers. With a quick glance at the still sleeping Mouse, he put some proper clothes on. If he had to do this, he might as well look nice. Women liked men who looked nice, did they not? He didn't exactly dress up, but he put on some nicer clothing, and he knew he looked good. Smoothing his hair out, he walked briskly and yet calmly towards the flight room. It was easier than it would have been some for him to push back Romeoth's lust, but it would probably overtake him, in the end. Rather, he would give in. Sometimes, it wasn't worth it to be yourself when you were sleeping with someone whose name you didn't even know.

When he reached the flightrooms, he gaze settled on Anusha almost immediately. His eyes widened " Beautiful..." the tall man breathed, his eyes only on Anusha, ignoring anyone else around. She was the reason he was here, and she would be the only reason he stayed. He wasn't lying. He really did think she was beautiful.

[Ruby]

Three turns ago, there would have been no question. Minth was a pretty green, and Futh liked greens, challenging flights be damned. With maturity, however, came restraint, and Futh had been less prone to throw himself into random flights he was unlikely to have a chance at, especially following particularly agile or speedy little greens. As he grew, he became more aware of his 'style', which was distinctly more steady and steadfast than the style of those males that tended to win. He had Kyrahth, who had chosen him more than once in the past; he had Nuoth, who was fickle but sweet; and he had the still growing Aikelyth, who he was quite close to despite her youth. There was no need to chase random greens, especially not at night. Futh saw no better than any other dragon at night, which was to say he saw very poorly in the dark. This flight would be dangerous if the Green was not smart enough to stay in the open air.

But this wasn't just any green. This was Minth, a clutchsister. He had chased Nuoth for the same reason. Plus, His found Hers attractive, just as His found Nuoth's. At least, M'kai thought she was a compatible mate, which is not something that could be said for Kyrahth's. The Blue glanced back into his weyr (the ledge was his favorite place on these humid summer nights), eyes whirling somewhere between blue and purple. His was busy with a stack of little bits of paper, mixing then up, pulling five, making a face, and trying again. Nothing that couldn't be interrupted. I am chasing her, M'kaiMineLove. What? Who? M'kai demanded. Futh snorted in amusement - His' thoughts had gone straight to Kyrahth's, who had been glowing lately but was not due to rise this soon (Aikelyth was still too young, or doubtless she would have been considered, too). No, not her, sillyMine. Minth. "Oh." M'kai considered that for a minute, then shrugged. "Not like I can stop you, unless I really try; if it was easy, I'd've learned how long before I did. Go ahead."

With His' permission granted, Futh took to the air, eyes shading towards violet as he dipped down momentarily before heading up and out through the mountain. He'd never lost that bad habit from when he first started flying, but it didn't really hurt anything. Once he was outside, he took a spot (slightly self-consciously) near the two bronzes who had appeared. Bronzes. Two bronzes. If he hadn't already committed, Futh might have backed out, but as it was he was in for the long haul. With a rustle of his wings in greeting to Weith, another clutchbrother, Futh crooned at Minth. You look lovely tonight, sister.[/i] He didn't presume to add any more than that in the presence of not one but two kings; the only bronze Futh really felt comfortable around was Mavenath. Well, the blue didn't plan to let that ruin his fun! A night flight would be a novelty, and Minth was a worthy prize.

M'kai dropped the deck of cards after Futh took off, letting them scatter slightly. If A'emi stopped by tonight, he could entertain himself while M'kai was busy, but the Bluerider figured the scattered deck might be a clue to where he was. Straightening, he considered his clothes - worn flightleathers on the bottom, a somewhat wrinkled white button-down on top - and decided it was good enough. Pushing his hair back behind his shoulders, the Bluerider padded out of his weyr on bare feet, heading for the flightrooms. He'd be there momentarily.

[Rei]

Cr'oph should have been entertaining Jazheera tonight. Should have been. The diminutive bluerider was late for one reason or another. It was, the bronzer would admit, bothersome. With nothing to do he took to leaning back in his chair whistling a tune to his razorclaw who was doing his level best to mimic it. One short tune later the pair where really getting into it much to the annoyance of one large bronze who was sprawled across his ledge trying his best to ignore the idiots residing with him. Would you please cease and desist? The large male asked his tail lashing across his ledge once before he turned whirling eyes back to the weyr interior. "Oh quit being such a grump." Cr'oph responded with a snort. "I don't know what has your testicles in a vise but please try to stop pushing your discontent on everyone else in the weyr. Ain't that right Raven?" The bird in question gave a coo in response to his name causing the red head to chuckle. "See he agrees." A soft growl left the bronze. That is because your brains are of equal size. Minuscule. "Oh that was low." Says the man who cannot commit even if the mate he is chasing is a nice one. "Oh we are not starting this again."

But before Mavenath could respond a light brush was given his mind and his head swiveled in that direction. Her glow caught his attention first and rolling to his feet the young bronze titled his head. The brush was slightly familiar but it had been so long that he offered a questioning pulse to his rider. "Huh? What's up?" Moving out to the ledge Cr'oph looked out over the bowl examining the green before grinning. "That's Minth. You caught her back at Selenitas." Pulling the memories in question from his bonded was not hard and the bronze rumbled in response. Intelligent female she was. Even more intriguing was the number of bronzes she was attracting. A green worth his time. Especially considering she had the brains to choose him once already. Obviously she was quite intelligent. Flaring his wings he brushed past his bonded. The man grinned. "You finally chasing?" Cr'oph's answer was a resounding mental yes as the large male shoved off the ledge with a playful trill and winged in that direction. Whirling violet eyes examined the chasers briefly before he spoke to Minth. Hello my lovely evening flier. You look simply stunning tonight.

A friendly brush was given to Weith and Futh before, after a carefully considered minute, he also added Romeoth. Good evening gentlemen. May the best male win yes? Winging up though the tunnel he twirled slowly after breaking into the night air. As he waited for Minth to blood her kill he pulled up next to Futh and crooned. Shall we make this a flight to remember my favorite brother? A friendly bugle was given to the other bronzes as he circled with the other males. His competition was good but he was hardly worried. Come now beauty make this flight worth their time.

Cr'oph chuckled as he watched Mavenath take off. Well that was much better then him grumping. Better yet if Mavenath won he got sex with another woman. If his memory served him Anusha was quite the looker too. Even better. Giving his razorclaw a salute the bronzer whistled as he headed out of his weyr and to the flight rooms. Moving into them he gave K'ian a short nod. Didn't really know the other man at all. He was a former Wastelander if the red head wasn't mistaken. The jury was still out on him. Leaning against the near wall he grinned at Anusha as he waited for his brother and R'men to show up. After all if Weith and Futh were there it stood to reason that their riders would be showing up soon as well.

[Sheari]

Minth rumbled approval at the prompt arrival of her brother Weith. He had most definitely been on her list of preferred males but shifted her gaze to the new coming bronze. Blood dribbled unnoticed down her chin as she eyed Romeoth. He was not Sel-born and the only indication that he was former Wasteland was a memory pulled from Anusha's mind. The sun would have challenged me and I did not feel like fighting,[/i] she replied. Queens do not fight,[/i] because what other greens attracted such worthy bronzes? Her attention, however, diverted to Futh when he landed. The two preceding males dwarfed him in an almost humorous way. She tossed him a wave of affection.

The last vestiges of the blood were draining from the heard beast. Crimson dribbled unnoticed down Minth's chin. As her final suitor swept in she let the carcass fall. Come to play my game again, sweet?[/i] He had true competition this time. The green crooned at Mavenath before launching off without warning and beginning the Flight. In the darkness there were so many obstacles that were out of the question for her. Despite the bright moon and the almost magical light that ghosted over the world she'd see almost nothing in the trees.

Minth shot almost directly up, winging toward the sky. The larger dragons, the three bronzes that had just made this not a bad thing at all, would have a harder time than she imagined the small Futh would. Until she was sure that each one left the ground she would wing skyward. She had no course set out in her mind, she would let her fancies fly...so to speak...with her. As of the moment, the wind was breezing north. Perhaps her heart wanted to take her home, or allow her some nostalgia, if dragons could have such, of flying the turbulent air of a river. The forest winds were so very different from her familiar canyon, but they would just have to do.

Anusha, however, was going to have almost none of this. She sat down on the provided bed and waited. Waited to lose her mind and for the men to come. She hadn't bothered to inquire as to who was Chasing, and she wished she had. R'men walked in first and she just gaped. Quite the definition of awkward and by his expression she knew he felt the same. "I don't think Minth will care if you leave," she said calmly. She knew he would. "You say something...?" she asked distractedly to K'ian. She could feel it as she began to soar. When M'kai and Cr'oph arrived she just sighed and gave up. Well, someone she was familiar with, who she was not related to, was there.

~*~

Weith looked at Romeoth and knew. He knew, with an almost uncharacteristic clarity, that the dragon next to him was the one who's claws had raked his face. You gave me quite the handsome scars. Indeed, I thank you. They add character.[/i] With that, he turned his attention to the next arriving challengers. Futh he was unfamiliar with, but Mavenath he was quite familiar with. May the best win.[/i] Indeed, Weith did feel challenged. He had yet to catch anything and this disheartened him, especially with such handsome bronzes and blue near. He did think, though, that Futh was kind of chubby.

As Minth gave her respective responses, Weith crouched. There was only one way to go; up. When she shot off he followed, large wings propelling him up, his lighter body easy to carry. Females were always unpredictable and greens tended to go for the obstacle course route. He wondered what his clutchsister would do in the dark. There wasn't much to duck or dodge around. For now, he decided, he would stay behind and let someone else take the lead.

R'men was far from as pleased as his dragon seemed to be. He did not contemplate what his sister might do. For the moment she was sitting on the bed and watching everyone come in. He had just gotten there himself and took the time to speak to her before everyone was too far gone. "I am so sorry, Anu. I can't control him, after all, and I'm still myself at the moment." Her comment was expected. He would have done the same were he in her position. To a degree, he was glad he was not. "I wish you luck," and with that he he turned...at the same moment Weith took off. With a cold pit of regret he knew he would not make it out of the room in time. Instead, he decided to walk over to Cr'oph and sit down next to the other bronzerider...near the door. He'd leave the second he was able.

[Ruby]

Another bronze... but this one was Mavenath! Futh crooned an unapologetically enthusiastic welcome to his 'twin', sliding over to make room for the Bronze to land. Nuzzling Mavenath on the shoulder, the small Blue replied, Do we not always, brother? I will follow your lead![/i].

But then the time for talk had ended, and the time for chasing had begun. Minth launched without warning, and Futh immediately thanked his small size. He lumbered off the ground, yes, but even his somewhat labored flight was practically dancing compared to all of the Bronzes, who had larger wings to navigate and much more bulk to move. While the three large males got themselves sorted out, Futh was beating his wings fast, ignoring the treacherous nighttime air currents for now in favor of pure speed. Minth was going up, so Futh did the same, hitting his stride early and maintaining a steady, powerful rise. Futh was not an agile nor a fast flier, but the Blue was one of the steadiest creatures in the Weyr, and if he got in a rhythm not much could stop him. Ignoring the Bronzes (with the exception of Mavenath, a bit of his mind was always dedicated to his 'brother'), the Blue powered upwards without worrying about them, reaching out a sincere little tendril of thought to Minth.

So brave, to fly at night! And so beautiful, like a brighter moon.[/i] From another dragon it might have been sappy, but from Futh it was totally in earnest, a compliment offered without any expectation of something in return. Rolling sideways to add a touch of flash to his statement, Futh attempted to pull forward, coming somewhat more even with Minth's tail without trying to crowd her at all. He'd learned that lesson long ago.

It had been a while since both M'kai and Cr'oph were in a flight, hadn't it? Nuoth's, it must have been. M'kai gave his brother a wave when he came in, taking a position somewhere in between Cr'oph and K'ian. He recognized the Wasteland bronzer, and still held a fairly large grudge against him... but if M'kai knew his brother, not nearly so large a grudge as the one Cr'oph held. A sideways glance and smile at Anusha made M'kai even more pleased with his choice of position - she didn't look entirely comfortable. Let's keep the bloodshed to a minimum, yes boys?

[Rei]

Mavenath’s head tilted so that he could look down upon the smaller blue Futh as he was nuzzled. His ‘twin’ as the other so affectionately called him. Not that the large male minded one bit. He wouldn’t hesitate to say that he liked the other male quite a bit in return. Yes Futh had his uses. Besides Futh’s was a sibling to his own rider and the bronze could understand that affection. The large male was quite fond of all his remaining siblings after all. Especially the females.

A soft rumble vibrated through his chest. Oh always. We will set the skies ablaze tonight my brother. Mavenath’s attention only moved from Futh when Minth bespoke him. Head coming up the bronze arched his neck in a regal pose. Of course my lovely. There is no point in resisting your siren song. Mavenath returned playfully violet eyes taking in her glowing form. As her muscles bunched so did his. And so it begins. Fly my siren of darkness. The large bronze growled softly into her mind as he launched powerfully up after her. It amused him that she called herself a queen when her hide was anything but golden. But he wasn't going to offer that thought to her. Heavens no.

As expected Futh was the first in the air and already had quite a bit of a lead with his smaller form. As thick as the blue was about the middle, Futh was still much faster then the large bronzes also seeking her favor. With a bugle Mavenath swung his bulk into Romeoth’s immediate path, blocking the other male’s take off for a moment and gaining a slight lead in comparison to the other bronzes. Large wings beating powerfully at the air he rose up after Minth. The bronze didn’t rise directly behind her though. He'd chased enough by now to know that that was a stupid idea when chasing a green. Prone to quick direction changes he needed room and time to maneuver lest he lose her. So the male rose up from the green's left making sure to keep a few dragon lengths between them at all times. Whirling violet eyes trained on his objective, though he never quite let the positions of the other males leave his mind either. Futh and Weith he trusted yes. But Romeoth he did not. Not quite yet.

Cr’oph grinned at his brother when he entered grayish colored eyes reflecting amusement as he returned the wave. His brother’s careful insertion between K’ian and him was noted with an small and near imperceptible nod. He knew M’kai would catch it though. Not that the bronzer was in the mind to outright attack K’ian. But nor did he trust the other man as far as he could throw him. A chuckle was given to R’men as he approached and he gave the other bronzer a high five before grinning. Really he couldn’t help the tease. “You know you probably have a better shot then any of us. Considering that sibling bond and all.” What? Cr'oph really couldn’t help it. Taking his attention off of R’men for the moment the bronzer smiled at Anusha. “I have to say though…She obviously got the looks in the family.”

[Zephyr]

Romeoth chuckled at Minth's words, amusement and adoration obvious in his voice. Yes, you are. Fly my Queen. Light up the darkness with your brilliance. The bronze purred. Then she was in the air, her wings beating powerfully without warning. Up the blue shot like a rocket, before Rom even had a chance to rise into the night sky. Followed by Weith (Rom hadn't the chance to speak to the other bronze before Minth spoke). He was about to launch himself upwards when the other bronze cut him off. Romeoth let out a low growl and let his muscles loose as soon as Mavenath was clear of the way. He took his position on Minth's right, almost directly across the way from Mavenath, his wingbeats powerful and sure as he kept up with the green.

K'ian, on the other hand, ignored the other men. They weren't his concern, would never be. He ignored them all. They could call him snotty, but when they didn't particularly like him in the first place, so he didn't really care. None of them would come right out and attack him, he knew, but it was always good to be prepared just in case. Anyway, the bronzer's attention was fully on Anusha. He had eyes for only her at the moment. He could tell by her appearance at the moment that she wasn't completely comfortable at the moment, so he dipped his front end in a bow and took a step backwards, grinning at her charmingly.

[Sheari]

As soon as she saw the last chaser launch, Romeoth, she altered her course. Yes, she decided, she would travel north and play in the churning currents that wafted above the river that lay there. Leveling out, the green powered forward, gathering speed. The night was young, her wings felt fresh, let them come! She was a queen indeed, for how many other greens attracted so many kings in their wake? The thought came to her mind to maybe go easy on them. Futh was small and agile like her, but the other boys would find her twists and turns more difficult.

Oh well.

When Minth saw the silver ribbon that reflected the moon she partially close her wings and turned sharply to the left in a tight circle the put her below Mavenath as she skimmed the tops of the trees and shot out from beneath Romeoth, traveling East. She crooned at the familiar Mavenath as she passed beneath him. It was a more refined version of a trick she used often when deciding on a place to land. To overshoot the spot and then lazily circle back to touch down. Tilting her body to the north she kept her course of travel east but now she was actually over the river. Currents of air warred over how the behave with her wings, pushing and pulling as the water churned. Would the larger males remain above her or would they dare the wings she was on?

Anusha, presently, didn't care what the male dragons did, but through the influence of Minth she was feeling more comfortable. She stood up from her seat and nodded to K'ian's bow. Yes, she saw him. She was leery of him, like so many others. She didn't trust him but at the moment, had to. She shifted her gaze to M'kai and Cr'oph with a slight hint of scrutiny. She was aware that they were twins...now who was whom? She took a step closer to M'kai. As for R'men, she ignored her brother entirely, comfortable in the fact that he would not be offended and that it made this...awkward situation...easier.

~*~

Weith allowed himself to slip to the back. Futh was leading with Mavenath and Romeoth seemingly competing for the spot behind Futh. Some might think that being so far behind the other suitors was a bad place to be. It probably was, but the lean bronze preferred to see everything as it played out. Much like being the black pieces in chess, he liked to make the next move.

When Minth turned down Weith chose instead to close his wings and dive before pulling up. Opening the sails again he glided East after the green. The river cut a narrow path and he would fit in the gap, but it would be close. He decided to fly above the trees to the right, where Minth had been before shifting over the water. It was safer here and he didn't want to crowd his clutchsister or any of the other males. He did, after all, like to observe things as they happened.

R'men remained seated where he was, on the floor, next to the door. He high fived the man when it was offered and gave him a curt "Shut up." Yes, his sister was pretty, and despite the influence of Weith and how much he trusted Cr'oph, it was weird to hear people comment about his sister's looks. He'd heard it before, when they'd been kids and people would call her cute. He'd taken to the roll of big brother like a duck to water. For now though, he would just sit on the floor and ignore her. It prevented the worsening of things rather well.

[Ruby]

Futh was disappointed in his wings. The flight was only just beginning, but he was already feeling twinges of exhaustion - no doubt it had to do with nearly two years of little to no exercise. Burimyu, while hidden, had been an excellent place to hang around and get fat and... not much else. He'd flown occasionally, but nothing like the high-impact flight of, well, Flight. Even chasing Burimyu greens had been easier, since they, too, had lost muscle tone in the long months of waiting. Sure, the Blue had been working steadily to put muscle back on ever since the Weyrs merged, but Futh had always had more of the turtle in him than the hair. Slow and steady. Unfortunately, slow and steady did not often win flights.

Following Minth north over the river, Futh considered. Throw everything he had in to tricks to make himself stand apart, risking tiring and having to drop out before Minth was ready to choose? Or cut back and wait it out, risking blending in to the pack and not being more special than bronzes? It was an unfortunate, and for the Blue, there was no middle ground. He had to fully commit to one course or the other or he would do neither well. They were over the river now, and Minth had dropped low...

Fine.

Futh closed his wings, dipping low - lower than Minth, actually. Futh was a solid flyer, even in high winds, and he used that to his advantage now, keeping his wings just flared enough to keep him aloft. He let the confused currents above the river buffet him wherever they chose to take him, riding them instead of fighting them, and actually managed to pass underneath Minth before breaking sideways and corkscrewing back to a higher altitude. Perhaps it was not so impressive as if a Bronze had done it, but that was it. Futh's atrophied wings wouldn't last much longer.

M'kai, meanwhile, was smiling as Anusha's eyes shifted between himself and Cr'oph. Romeoth's rider didn't seem like he planned to cause problems any time soon - he'd bowed, and his eyes were all for Minth's - so M'kai didn't worry about him for the moment. Instead, he pushed off the wall, taking a step towards Minth's while Cr'oph hung back. Pushing his hair back, the older twin (but then both men swore they were the older one) said, "As my brother so tactfully stated, you got the looks in your family... well, I got the looks in mine. No?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at his identical brother. "Totally."

((Omg I totally didn't see this. Sorry it took me so long!))

[Rei]

Mavenath followed in Minth’s wake with large steady wing beats. She was quick but the bronze was no fool either. Trying to keep up with her would be impossible. He had to be crafty and try and trick her into blundering in a way where he could simply snatch her out of the air and claim her as his own. If she didn’t see reason and choose him first. With that thought in mind the young bronze stayed high, his attention split between Romeoth and Minth. He still didn’t trust the other bronze not to pull something. Especially when it seemed they were both competing for a choice position. Traveling above the green and in her wake the male swung out high over the river and watched Minth perform her little trick. Ah perfect.

A resonating growl sounded in Mavenath’s chest. The green had perhaps just sealed her doom with that first move. The bronze was a child of Millieth and, while from just looking at him you couldn’t tell, he also had a deformity. But his had to do with the way his wing joints were set up. He had the unique ability to fold his wings quickly and in mid flight due to a mutation in his joints. This gave him a turning radius that should be physically impossible for most bronzes his size. It was his trump card if you will and as Minth turned beneath him and crooned her little teasing note, he simply folded his wings and swung his large body after her as quickly as he could. The others could play nice for her if they wanted. He was out to win. She was his once and would be his again. End of story.

Powering quickly after the glowing female Mavenath found a lull in the winds crossing over the river and dove for her in an attempt to grab her and pull her against him. If he succeeded in the force catch he was planning to pull her up with him to a higher altitude before twining with her. But that all hinged on his ability to pull off this maneuver. The bronze was hoping Minth wouldn’t expect it. However he was bound and determined to have her. She was his.

Cr’oph grinned as his high five was returned and then chuckled as the other bronzer told him to shut up. “What? You find it offensive that I think your sister is hot? You clearly think so too right? Or rather Weith thinks his sister is hot.” This was the point were most people would have shut up. But not Cr’oph. He was having too much fun teasing his friend. Over the months at Burimyu he had gotten to know and like R’men a good deal. He figured the other could take a little teasing. With M’kai between him and K’ian anyway Cr’oph didn’t really feel the need to have to broadcast his obvious superiority. “At any rate if she comes for you I’m totally willing to take the bullet for you. Us being friends and all.” Done with teasing R’men for the moment the bronzer fought back a chuckle as he felt Mavenath attempt a force catch. The bronze hadn’t had any tail since Minth and it seemed the male was just a tad bit impatient.

Well, well. This flight might be over quicker then he thought. His attention returned to Anusha even if Mavenath’s overflow was being kept mostly at bay. Cr’oph had become a pro at controlling his flight lust after what had happened with Jiggles. Yeah no way was the bronze getting control. Glancing at M’kai as his twin spoke he laughed. “Confusing us again bro? Suppose you can’t help it. Being tied down and settled is obviously breaking your brain.”

[Sheari]

She'd been flying straight for too long. For some reason that she couldn't understand, tricks in the air allowed her to fly longer, but flying straight just didn't seem to work. Perhaps it was the rush she felt with the forces that implied tricks. Making gravity push or pull you often led to some fun maneuvers. Yes, Minth decided, she had one more trick up her proverbial sleeve. In her mind she knew how she would end this delightful game. There was only one chaser that she wasn't as fond of as the rest. She was suspicious of Romeoth, but didn't outright have too much of a problem with him. She would pull off this last trick with him in mind, to test him in a way.

Minth altered her wings to lift her above the trees, the wings filling he sails and pushing up. She...what?! - no!! The thought roared through her mind but didn't make it beyond her own barriers, the emotion leaking in the slightest to Anusha. This wasn't what she wanted! She hadn't expected Mavenath to dive, despite her being impressed by his pursuit. The green tried to twist away but her wings became fouled and she couldn't sort herself out quickly enough. NO!! She had had it planned out almost! In her mind, Minth saw herself turning back toward the weyr. She saw the mountain and racing up its side until she would be able to pull away and fall. She would have free-fallen with the trust that someone would earn her. That someone would catch her the way she wanted.

As it was, she was small and tiring and the bronze that had forced her hand was large and still full of energy to fly. She would hate him for it for a little while, but for the moment she sighed an apology into the minds of those who had played fair. Mavenath could suffer in silence as she curled into him. She'd make him pay for it later.

Anusha simply stood there, eying M'kai. "Despite your argument with your brother, I can't tell you apart. I have a hunch though...you are M'kai?" It was a question that somewhat answered itself. Her hunch entirely influenced by Minth. Minth, who had suddenly seemed...angry? That didn't seem right but it made the woman step back. "I'm sorry," she whispered, slightly confused. There were twin riders, her brother, and a wastelander that, oddly enough, toward which she bore no ill will. She had been caught, in a way, Anusha felt trapped. Flights were somewhat based on trust, and such, she trusted that the men in the room with her would either claim their "prize" or leave accordingly. She returned to the bed, the game lost.

~*~

From his vantage point Weith knew that he would lose. Mavenath had been quick and the force-catch quite clean. The slight struggle was explained with the brush to his mind. The bronze turned toward the weyr. If you hadn't held back I might have won. She is one of the very few who would allow me to do so.[/i] His voice was calm as he powered through the air. He had a bit to think on tonight in the wake of the Flight. He'd met the bronze who's claws his face was familiar with in a non-violent setting. He also would ponder Mavenath's actions. He'd never competed against him before so he wondered at his motives.

R'men got up and dusted off his pants. "Not offended. In fact you can take the bullet for me anytime you like." Weith could blame him all he wanted. R'men smiled and turned to leave. Yes, well, she may be one of the few but she is not the only /one/. And that was that. Walking to his weyr the gloom of the sleeping Weyr proper made him feel absolutely tiny. He was tired and his very familiar, guest-less bed sounded more appealing than it had for a while.