Requiem
Weyrleader S'rei WM M?ta Rider A'nd Harper/Handler Dmitri Weyrbrat Miguel
Posts: 2,861
|
Post by Requiem on Nov 8, 2007 1:38:09 GMT -5
Aslath asked a hard question. Salenth knew little of lasting bonds in dragons - he'd been raised mostly in Fort and Benden. Baith and Morsrath had a lasting bond, though he wouldn't call it love. Hardly. S'rei's clutchmate - hadn't her dragon spent more than ten turns in the same weyr as brown Tireth, whether he flew her or not? That might be love. He knew only that Aslath was special to him in a way that made it difficult to think of another male having flown her, or ever giving up his place at her side to another. That was out of his control, however, beyond an effort on his part to become still stronger and faster. And when he grew old? Aslath would still be young, and surely be caught by another. What bronze would allow another bronze near his golden mate, even if he had no special feelings for her, when she was the senior queen? None, he thought. Maybe this was why most dragons didn't bother with thoughts of love. Inevitably...things could not remain the same. But Salenth could not destroy her simple hope, just as he could not destroy S'rei's. No Weyrleader was likely to permit the bronzerider who was the father of his mate's children to share space with his mate, not when she happened to be the Weyrwoman. It was a matter of power. With a green it would not matter. But with Aslath and Shmee?
I think they have. They can. They will. Truth, there. He said nothing of his inner thoughts. His golden mate sounded tired. There was so much yet to be done, and still he felt content to merely lie here, next to Aslath, and soak in her presence. An odd reality. So proud of this, her first clutch. At least, he thought to himself, he would always be somewhat special to her, having sired the first of the many clutches she would lay on the sands. It was small consolation. But consolation nonetheless. Such droll thoughts today! There could be, he conceded. Though they'd likely need a clutch of sixty to have so many bronzes to begin with. Imagine how big she would get if she laid so many! Healthy and beautiful, like their dam.
***
S'rei found himself nodding, though he felt he could hold her like this all day and never grow tired, so light she was. He'd have to remember to get her to eat more. For her and the baby. The thought was still strange, running through his head. The baby. His baby. Their baby. Shmee may still be young, but S'rei was nearly twenty-six turns; he'd be thirty-eight before this little one could stand on the sands for the first time. Not too old, of course, but approaching forty nonetheless. It was a time when men began to feel anxious to start bringing little ones into the world, if they had that desire. This was merely the beginning, after all. A small smile graced the man's lips.
He walked off a short distance, into the shade of a tree not far from the waters, and settled into the earth with the trunk at his back. The man rearranged his mate to sit directly before him, his arms wrapped loosely about her waist as he buried his face in her hair and just inhaled the scent of the mother of his unborn child.
The questions, again. Was this simply because she was pregnant? Though, really, this was the Shmee he usually dealt with - and adored - the vulnerable one who turned to him for answers and reassurance as she tried to shoulder the weight of the weyr. Now he could add his shoulders to lighten the load. It was still crushing but maybe, just maybe, the four of them together would be enough to bear up under the pressure. Even with two of the four pregnant. "If they yell at you," he replied, kissing lightly at the base of her neck, "they will have an angry Weyrleader to deal with." Another kiss, higher up this time. "We will make mistakes. Plenty of them. But as long as we've got our love for each other and the babe, it'll turn out just fine." He nibbled at her earlobe, releasing it with a sigh that gently raised the hairs on the back of her neck.
As she moved his hand over where the child was budding inside her, S'rei felt a warmth bubbling up in him. Joy. Unadulterated joy, the like of which he hadn't experienced in a good long time. "Ours." A part of him wanted to make love to her, right there beneath the tree in front of anyone who desired to watch, that she might know for certain how he felt. But he restrained himself. Just the thought of the work that still had to be finished was enough to quell the rising passion. For a time, she would be operating at nearly full capacity, but with the clutching and hatching drawing near, she would become weyrbound as it was, the pregnancy taking a turn toward its latter stages directly after the hatching...
That meant a lot of the duties they shared would have to be taken up by him, while he continued to care for a very pregnant Shmee who was, admittedly, a handful on a normal day. He would be very grateful for any help Laurie and Kali could lend him in this. "Have I told you how much I love you yet today?" he asked his weyrmate quietly.
|
|
|
Post by Administrator on Nov 11, 2007 15:04:58 GMT -5
((This is the mushiest post I have ever written. I apologize if it makes you vomit.))
Aslath closed her golden lids all the way, too naïve to take into consideration Salenth’s unspoken worries. Love seemed like a simple game. Love someone, be loved back. What complications could possibly rise out of that? Certainly nothing that a clutch-heavy dragon like Aslath could see! Good. Can we love each other, then?[/color] the queen asked with a croon, fairly certain that this is how one did things. Twining her long tail with his tightly, she added, Please?[/color] He wouldn’t dare turn down the request of his pregnant mate, right? Aslath couldn’t imagine he would, but if he did, she could easily make his life miserably, she thought, oddly cheerful. It would be sad, though. She didn’t want them to be in a fight.
His compliment was reassuring. She crooned again, nuzzling him gently. She was so weak when it came to compliments, especially when she was in such a state. Compliments didn’t normally win her over so easily, but she decided it was attributed to the eggs. Of course, she knew, all of the compliments would be for them, but she liked to hear them nonetheless. And strong and handsome like their sire,[/color] she replied sweetly. She paused. Can we please sleep?[/color] she asked, suddenly realizing that her body demanded slumber.
--
Shmee smiled almost shyly as S’rei carried her tenderly underneath a tree, and she relaxed as he set her before him. She leaned against him, enjoying the gentleness of his face in her hair. She felt grateful to him, strangely enough. He loved her, and loved her babe, even when coupled with the role of Weyrleader he had accepted without complaint. Her stomach had an eerie warmth to it, unrelated to morning sickness or fear of the months to come. It was simple, yet strong, love that bubbled up inside of her. Moving her head to relax against S’rei’s chest, she looked into space distantly.
It felt even doubled as he kissed her neck, reassuring her that everything would be fine without even needing to speak. She let out a soft sigh of longing, feeling the goosebumps travel up her neck with his lips, almost as if they were chasing him, the skin reaching out to touch S’rei without her even telling them to. Was this the extent of her love for him, where the skin off her body tried to catch the Weyrleader’s warm skin of its own accord? After the Flight, she had tried to test him to see the influence of herself over him. Now their roles were reversed, and she realized that he had just as much power over her as she had over him.
“Ours,” she echoed softly, wondering if the warmth in her belly came from the babe itself. Perhaps it was rejoicing that it had been made with love even if it was the product of passion. Looping her long arms about his waist, she closed her eyes. She loved this feeling, of love and protection and knowing that this babe wasn’t a burden, as she had just thought. It was now the physical proof of their love…
She chuckled slightly, nestling herself further into S’rei. “Not yet today, but I’d like to hear it,” she remarked softly, a smile dancing on her lips. It was little words like this that made her want to melt in the happiness of knowing that she was his. She was lucky, she knew. There were so many people in the Weyr who would dismiss the knowledge of making someone pregnant, as if it were nothing. Not S’rei- not only did he love her, but he was happy to be the father of this child!
“I think,” she told him sweetly, half-sleepily, “that we should stop our working early today so that I can have you all to myself.” She knew it was probably a selfish wish, but who could blame her? They deserved a break! Not to mention that they wouldn’t have such sweet moments like this as she furthered on into her pregnancy… when she would grow larger with the babe. Troubled by that thought, she asked nervously, “You’ll still love me when I’m fat, right?” Whether or not this was a worry brought about by her pregnancy, Shmee didn’t know, but nevertheless, it troubled her enough so that she extracted her head from his chest and looked upon him with a furrowed brow. “You don’t need to lie,” she added mournfully. How could he ever love her when she got so big?! Her body would be so disproportionate that he wouldn’t want to be caught dead with her, would he? Not taking anything less than this answer, she looked into his eyes seriously, letting him know that this was not a joke.[/size]
|
|
Requiem
Weyrleader S'rei WM M?ta Rider A'nd Harper/Handler Dmitri Weyrbrat Miguel
Posts: 2,861
|
Post by Requiem on Nov 11, 2007 21:48:05 GMT -5
Of course she'd had to ask it. Love each other. As if it were something to be turned off and on at whim. In his own way, he supposed he did love Aslath, but Salenth knew it would be easier in the future if they just never went down that direction. Nor was he convinced that the young gold could possibly know what love was. He wasn't even sure he knew. I think we can try, he responded carefully. What else could he say? Why did everyone around him seem so certain of what obviously was a tenuous situation? They seemed to take Salenth's catching Aslath as a sign of destiny, when it had been no more than a chance collision as both dragons dove desperately to keep the gold from Morsrath's clutches. Such luck was unlikely to ever happen again. Nor was Salenth a bronze of hubris; he may or may not fly Aslath again, but there were certainly others who had as good a chance as he, if not better.
At least this next of her questions was easier for him to answer. Yes. Rest. ReiMine and I will need to get back to work, soon, but I'll remain here until you doze off. Aslath and Shmee had very little time to take care of what needed to be seen to, not in their current conditions, and there really wasn't a great amount of time in which to complete all that needed to be completed. Or, rather, things tended to pile on, and if they weren't constantly nibbling at that pile it would soon grow so large as to crush them.
Salenth's tail tightened around Aslath's reassuringly.
***
He chuckled knowingly at her soft sigh, briefly considering tormenting her further. Ah, but S'rei was mischievous, not malevolent, and thus he allowed the Weyrwoman to keep her dignity, settling just for that one exhale of longing. It was nice to verify that the passion hadn't vanished with the morning sickness and pregnancy. He may not have been a particularly insecure man, but when you invest a lot of yourself in a person, it helps to be reassured from time to time.
"We're going to have to remedy that, aren't we?" the bronzerider murmured, his lips tickling her ear. His hands tightened slightly on her still-slim waist, even as he shifted her so that she was sitting half-sideways in his lap and he could look into her eyes. Oh, yes, the romance was young. Many might think it would peter out in time. Perhaps it would, but that wouldn't come from S'rei's direction. "You may not always like me, young lady, and we'll probably have plenty of fights. But know that every night when I close my eyes, and before I open them in the morning, you're the only one I think of. I can't escape you. You've stolen my heart and I have no desire to take it back. Love you? I burn for you." He brushed her nose with a finger, chuckling softly, throwing Shmee a playful wink. "Or something like that."
A brow rose mildly at her comment. She might be able to leave off from what she was doing for an afternoon, but, much as it tempted him, S'rei didn't have that luxury. "You have no idea how good that sounds, love." He stroked that short hair of hers that he liked so much, smiling lightly into her blues. "I have another idea. Why don't I take you back to our quarters where you can get some rest and get cleaned up? Then, tonight, we can closet ourselves inside and you can have your way with me. Whatever you want. Even if it's just to talk until we fall asleep."
Blinking, S'rei stared at her. Why was she asking him this already? He hadn't expected anything on those lines until she was at least showing just a little bit. The bronzerider simply leaned in and kissed her, taking his sweet time, both out of reassurance and to still the stream of insecurity that seemed to be pouring from her. "Now look here," he finally answered breathlessly. "Shmee is the one I love. So how could I not love her when she's heavy with my child? You'll just be getting double the affection, sweetheart. Besides," he added, his hand slipping possessively beneath her tunic, fingers tickling along her ribcage. "You're probably too skinny. A little extra meat would do you good."
And, well, women had a natural way to keep men interested when they were pregnant, didn't they? S'rei decided not to go into that. His hand didn't move upward - a feat of self-control, that - but he didn't remove it either. "Come on, love. They'll be wondering where I got off to." The bronzerider moved to stand, drawing Shmee up by the arm until she was standing beside him.
|
|
|
Post by Administrator on Nov 13, 2007 14:11:19 GMT -5
Aslath grunted in satisfaction. Shmee's mind was full of warm, fuzzy, peaceful feelings, and Aslath liked the idea of having some of those feelings for her own. So, she would give this love thing a try. Awkwardly, the queen shifted in position, having difficulty remaining comfortable. This was the drawback about being pregnant, she grumbled. There was no comfort, only an expanding belly that made it impossible for her to even fly at this stage. She was weighed down by her unlaid children, forced to just walk around irritably.
She looked like pudding, she thought in disgust, her thoughts mirroring Shmee’s own worries about being fat. This was big, lumpy pudding. The couple bumps in her that were the eggs seemed just like clods of some sort of dessert, squishy and stretched over in a sickening way. Craning her neck to look, she was dismayed to find uneven color around the pulled hide. If it wasn’t for the reassuring fact that little Salenths would come out of this mess, she probably would have refused to go along with this. But no, she had to be strong. These were her hatchlings she was talking about.
Placing her massive head underneath Salenth’s, she let her lids close over. He was so warm, and he smelled nice. She wished he wouldn’t have to go work. She accepted the squeeze of his tail gratefully, crooning as he did so. Fine. When I clutch, you will not work,[/color] she told him firmly. You will be with me a lot more than you would work.[/color] With that, she let the warm thoughts of love wash over her, both toward Hers and Salenth. Everything was all right now.
--
Shmee laughed softly, amused by how relaxed S’rei was. He used to be so uptight, she thought with a smile. But now… He seemed to be borrowing her love of theatrics. However, she took his face in her hands, bringing her lips to his gently. It felt good to be able to do this without worrying about throwing up on his face, she thought giddily. That tea really did work. Reminding herself to thank Kalierre later, she let her hands slide back down to his sides as she rested her forehead against his.
“I like that idea,” she replied in a low voice that did support the idea of resting a bit. And a bath did sound like a good plan. She paused, then grinned wickedly. “I’ll take a bath. It would’ve been nicer if you were there to give me a hand, though,” she added, sticking out her lower lip slightly in a mock-pout. However, she couldn’t hold this expression, and she laughed. “I s’pose you’ll live though. You’ve lived till now, I think you can live till tonight.” She winked. Of yes, she did intend to have her way with him. Who needed to talk? That’s what they were doing right now, and they could do it after. As for now, her stomach was feeling better and she wanted to make up for any lost time.
She blinked, startled out of her thoughts by S’rei’s sudden kiss. However, she happily accepted, the worries of getting fat fading with each second. Without thinking, her hands began to run through his hair, her thoughts stayed, S’rei’s idea working. When he stopped, she reluctantly took her lips away, looking at him with something similar to exasperation, but that look faded as he spoke. “I hope you save some of this double affection till after I give birth so I can enjoy it,” she told him sweetly.
Or now was just as good. She squealed slightly as his hand suddenly found its way into her tunic, giggling as he found a ticklish spot. When she had recovered, she looked at him sternly. “Don’t make me get fat on purpose,” she warned him, cozying up to him without any demand to make him move his hand. She liked it where it was, even if it was a little low.
Hesitating, she looked around as S’rei helped her up. Seeing nobody nearby, she grinned wickedly, slouching at the perfect angle to have his hands brush at all the right parts. Smirking, she stood perfectly aware of what she did, and pleased with it. A teaser for now. She sighed, and nodded. He had work.
“Just promise to try and get out as soon as you can,” she told him simply with a wink.[/size]
|
|
Requiem
Weyrleader S'rei WM M?ta Rider A'nd Harper/Handler Dmitri Weyrbrat Miguel
Posts: 2,861
|
Post by Requiem on Nov 13, 2007 18:35:43 GMT -5
He was glad that she accepted his leaving. Not that she'd really know if she were sleeping, anyway, at least until she woke up, but Salenth didn't want to have something silly like that cause strain between them. Aslath had handled this pregnancy extremely well for her first one. The dam of the first clutch he'd sired...well, that was just a disaster, but then again, she had been heavily drugged and was a bit nuts in the head anyway. Sharding dragonlust. He'd never have pursued that thing in his right mind.
I will be there when you clutch, the bronze agreed. He wouldn't have had it any other way. And after you clutch, I will take care of you and our brood. We might have to leave the weyr every once in awhile. But we'll only go if we absolutely have to. He rested his head on top of hers, waiting for the gold to fall asleep, a low croon in his throat.
***
She really was a wicked thing. He'd much rather be in the baths with this syren then in a long line of sweating, smelly men as they hurried to put up more housing. Shaking his head, he felt the wry smirk come back to his face. Yes, he'd live, but she definitely would have him fantasizing all afternoon. Maybe that wasn't so bad. At least the work would go quickly if he was off in his head somewhere.
S'rei chuckled. "I think I can manage that, yes." Faranth knows, after having to keep his hands off her for a few months, it wouldn't be hard. Or rather it would be. Humans and their dirty minds. I thought we were over that turns ago. Nope, the bronzerider responded chirpily. Though, really, he was just generally happy and relieved to find that the sickness he'd been worrying about was something so...wonderful. Talk about a series of pleasant surprises. And of course he just wanted to celebrate a little - tonight. Nodding to himself firmly, he forced his mind back to work.
"Fat on purpose?" He smirked at her. "I have every intention of getting you pregnant a few more times. So suck it up." She didn't seem to mind much. Deliberately brushing against him as she stood, the minx. S'rei 'accidentally' let his hand slip upward with that move of hers. He pulled her into his chest, his other hand lingering teasingly at her waist as he pressed himself against her back. "You can count on it," he murmured, before reluctantly taking his hands off her. Otherwise he was quite certain they wouldn't be leaving this stand of trees anytime soon. And, while he doubted she'd much care now, Shmee would most certainly have words for him if anyone saw...
Slipping an arm about her slim shoulders - it was safer there than at her waist - the bronzerider began to escort the Weyrwoman back to their quarters by the Hatching Grounds. No, he couldn't say he was looking forward to returning to the sweaty men waiting for him. S'rei pulled a face. Oh well. At least he had something to look forward to.
((Heh. I'm fine with that being the last post, unless you want to reply. xP Sorreh it was a bit short.))
|
|