In the Jungle... (Kysseh)

[randi]

Since their settlement into the Weyr, it had taken a lot of willpower from the weyrling-age dragon to keep Hers where she was. She almost always had a constant plea to run back to Benden, to take whatever fate would rest there rather than live one more day in the relative safety that Selenitas offered. Aorath had become most displeased with these pleas, but only moreso when she refused to leave her weyr except to go to lessons and eat, occasionally. Mine. Aorath had taken notice of a few subtle things around the Weyr as of late, things that her groundborn compatriot had no idea of. The small glow of the senior queen's hide had begun to hatch a devilish plan in the green's mind. Maybe, just maybe...

"What?" Aorath was snapped out of her thoughts, to be greeted with Alaid's small form sitting on her bed, her head turned down, dark locks falling like a veil, hiding her, lamentably. She was such a pretty girl. Her voice was no louder than the whisper on the wind. She was little more than a ghost in her current state.

We're going out for a bit. Aorath informed Hers, watching as the girl's head jerked up, pale eyes wide, fearful. We'll go to the jungle. No other people, and it'll get you out into the sun for a small bit. Come on. Her voice did not offer an ultimatum. She'd just have to hope that someone else would wander that way as well. Alaid climbed up with familiarity onto the dark marking on the green's back, unconcerned with riding equipment. She did not fear the sky, or falling for that matter, only the idea that some bronze or brownrider had hidden a sack of firestone, waiting for the fearful weyrling to show her face...

As Aorath took to the sky, Alaid held to the green, burying her head. If she couldn't see the other riders who may have been in the sky, they couldn't see her, which was for the better. With a small look behind her, Aorath could spot the glowing spectrum. Today would be the day, and good for the queen. Now it was just a matter of who and when.

The jungle foliage hid Alaid from the sun as she slid off, patterns of green light dancing over her pale skin. She truly was beautiful, and now green like her own dragon. With an amused rumble, Aorath looked skyward, waiting to see if someone would have seen them and followed. Just one person, and, by her own internal figuring, a gut instinct, she suspected that she didn't have too long with which to wait.

[kysseh]

Are you sure you don't want to Chase? K'von asked his dragon urgently, insistently prodding the brown's mind. Far off in the distance, he could hear the sounds of the ongoing Flight, but circling where they were above the jungle, a fair distance from the weyr, they were far enough that they were relatively alone. The brown dragon had shown some interest in the rising queen, albeit not enough to prompt him to chase. Unlike the bronzes, he felt no unbearable urge to fly the queens. Frankly, Dohulth tended to prefer greens anyway. He had not met a queen yet that was especially good-natured toward him.

I am very, very sure, Mine. Dohulth reassured his rider as they executed an elegant spiral over the treetops. I will return you to the weyr, though. You are in need of company. You are far worse off than I. the brown added with no lack of amusement in his mental voice. He made a soft rumbling noise that K'von normally interpreted as the draconic version of a laugh, which made the young man snort in response. Don't you remember what Queen Flights do to people?

Oh, K'von remembered quite clearly, had known about it since he was a mere child, in fact. Being weyrborn, he was largely immune to Flightlust, though young queens chased by ardent followers tended to affect even him. He shook his head as the brown executed a neat turn on a wingtip back toward the weyr, roughly patting the neck he was currently astride. Overgrown wherry. Have it your way, then... for whatever good it'll do the both of us. he replied.

Unfortunately, something small, green, and accompanied had caught the brown's attention and with a cryptic I will..., Dohulth beat his massive wings and spiralled closer. He flipped and dove, flaring out his massive wings at the last moment and then backwinging to land in a large clearing, much to K'von's amusement. The brown let out a snort and turned his head to eye his rider for a moment and then turned his head to take a look where the green lure had gone. With most of the weyr suitably occupied, he wanted someone with wings to talk to, and His needed a suitable distraction from brooding.

K'von just rolled his eyes and unstrapped himself, leaping off the brown's neck to land neatly on the ground. "Pretty jungle. You can't still be hungry, you greedy weyrling," he chided the brown, unaware of his dragon's intentions. When no explanation was forthcoming, he planted his hands on his hips and simply mock-glared, a weapon of complete ineffectiveness against the unmovable brown mountain. "Wherry face."

[randi]

Alaid looked around her immediate area, feeling exposed, afraid that someone was going to show up out of nowhere and hurt her. She walked close to Aorath, tempted to beg to go back to the weyr, since there was no way for her to get back without a dragon's help. However, before she could even utter a thought or word, a feeling rushed over her, cleansing her of most other things, a sudden change. The feeling made her eyes widen, conflicting emotions raging through her. All at once, she wanted to be held, to feel contact with someone else against her, but the deepest fear of being raped or killed twined with it; she wanted to be around someone, to be able to trust someone, but her basic instinct was to trust no one; she wanted to open up, to be exposed, and yet she wished to hide.

The conflicts made her lip tremble, her eyes turning towards Aorath. Alaid hadn't been paying attention, and now a queen was Flying, and here she was, out in the middle of nowhere, bound to run into one of them, one of the hunters seeking anyone they could grasp, anyone... female. "Please... Please," she begged of her dragon, who was looking towards a different part of the jungle. Something had landed. Someone?

"Aorath..." She didn't want a man to be near her, but she did. She was so confused, clinging to her dragon, only to find her skin rejecting the hide. That wasn't what she wanted at all. At Benden, she could hide, she could be prepared, but without any knowledge beforehand... She wanted to cry, but the tears wouldn't come. Whatever her mind wanted, her body seemed to be completely different.

Aorath looked at Alaid, knowing that this would be for the girl's betterment. She just hoped the girl would be able to forgive her. Hello? she inquired of whatever, whoever, had landed nearby. The girl whimpered quietly, but the young dragon forced herself to ignore it. She knew she was right.

[kysseh]

Dohulth's head came up, and he seemed considerably more cheerful to K'von's eyes. That alone made the rider suspicious, and the sudden flaring and then settling of the brown's wings confirmed his suspicions. "Dohulth..." the young man said warningly, glaring up at the amused and contented dragon, truly annoyed now. "What female are you sniffing out this time? None of the greens are near to rising, not with the queen in the air."

Who says I'm "sniffing out" a female? was the dragon's almost-prim response, and then the dragon moved off, following his nose to seek out the other dragon and human pair in the jungle. Hello. I do hope we're not intruding, but I believe I saw you in the air. he responded to the greeting by way of friendly overture. Few normally took to the skies with a queen Flying nearby, so he assumed that the green was seeking to escape the weyr for the moment as well. He nosed his way through the foliage, careful to not get stuck between trees.

Bemused and more than a little wary--albeit quite curious--, K'von followed behind his dragon, feeling the usual pull in his gut that signified the effects of Flightlust. He sincerely hoped that whomever he met was not male and a greenrider. The last thing he wanted at the moment was a potentially awkward situation. He shivered slightly at the thought

[randi]

Alaid ever heard a man's voice now, retreating to hide behind Aorath. She would not run to him when he entered her sight. She would run away... even as she thought it, her riding boots wiggled into the ground. If she would not obey her own needs, then she would not move at all. Despairing, she glanced up, awaiting to see what kind of hunter would be heading her way.

Aorath was pleased to hear a male's voice, and could only hope that his bonded was male as well. While it would suffice for it to be a female, she supposed, it would be much more preferable if it was the opposite to Alaid. You're not intruding at all. We were just out for some air. She had been about to say 'peace', but there was no reason to lie to the male. Aorath did not want peace, not for the moment.

[kysseh]

Dohulth poked his way through the foliage until he caught sight of the green he had heard. He rumbled a greeting, making his way into the opening in the trees to join her. She was a young green, a weyrling, he could see now. So... where was her human? I am glad to hear that we are not bothering you. Yet... you say 'we' when I see only one. Do you have a human in hiding? he inquired curiously, curiously twitching his tail back and forth.

"Sharding fat wherry face. You snapped that branch back in my face," K'von grumbled in remarkably good humor, giving the dragon a half-affectionate, half-recriminating smack on the shoulder as he made his way forward, squinting in the green-ish light. So, Dohulth had found himself a nice little green, 'little' being the vital word. The green was a very young one, which made K'von raise an eyebrow. What was Dohulth up to?! He shuddered a bit at the feelings the Flight incited in him. Shards, this was going to be an interesting Flight.

Dohulth gave a sudden snort and tossed his head. Forgive me. My manners are lacking. I am Dohulth, and the Fat One is Mine. I beg forgiveness for anything stupid he says. The brown's mental voice was tinged with amusement, despite the situation of obvious confusion in K'von's mind.

[randi]

Aorath spotted the male she had been speaking to, her eyes whirling pleasantly when she spotted his color. Browns were no better than anyone else, in her experience, but she had high hopes. Realizing that Hers was hiding effeciently, the green rumbled, stepping back to reveal the young girl who sent a stream of curses at the dragon, who promptly ignored them. I did, Aorath added as almost an afterthought, looking at the girl who, for once, did not stare at the ground.

Alaid had cursed the moment she had seen the brown emerge, though the sight of the man had let loose a string of profanities she could neither remember nor repeat. Aorath had listened without protest, Alaid peering at him. She was suspicious of him but, as much as she was, she felt part of her really not care. He was here, and to that small bit, that was all that mattered for the moment.

A pleasure. I am Aorath and she is Alaidmine. She is... a bit odd, Aorath concluded, though she found herself doubting if any human didn't clear the 'bit odd' rating.

[kysseh]

Dohulth let out a low rumble, the draconic version of a chuckle, at the stream of curses the revealed weyrling let loose. It appeared that the human did not want the company, though Dohulth guessed that her dragon had outsmarted her to get her here. Poor thing; he almost felt sorry for her, though he, a bit selfishly, wanted His to have someone to talk to. I see that. She does not seem to like us very much. the brown noted, not bothered in the least by the girl's dislike. He moved forward to give the green and her bonded a curious look over, leaving K'von to catch up behind him.

K'von, upon seeing the green move to reveal her rider, had opened his mouth to introduce himself when his brown informed him that introductions had already been made. The man snorted. Well, you may have gotten on friendly terms with them already, but I have yet to meet them. He threw the amused brown a promise of future teasing and then returned his attention to the female pair. "Aorath, Alaid, a pleasure to meet you both," he said, giving them both an affable grin and a polite half-bow. "Ignore anything that Wherry Face says," he began, earning himself a snort and nudge from his winged companion. "I'm K'von." May I make the introductions next time, please?!

Tossing his head, Dohulth moved to peer down at his rider for a moment. Silly humans. Aren't they all a bit odd? he pointed out pleasantly to Aorath, turning his contented gaze to her once he was satisfied that K'von was not really angry with him. The pair took great entertainment from teasing, but since the fiasco at Benden, it had been more difficult to tell when K'von was feigning or actually upset. Right now, he was merely amusingly exasperated, which suited Dohulth just fine. Very excitable. And quite whiny at times too.

[randi]

Aorath thought about what Dohulth said, shrugging with her wings while nosing her human up from her slightly crouched position. The girl's eyes were cold, and yet a flicker of something else was still alive. The green felt positively devious as she examined her bonded before looking over at Dohulth. Don't worry. Mine does not get out often. She is not often fond of company. I, on the other hand, believe she should socialize more. Alaid was given the males' names as she stood up, finally turning her head to meet those that shared the jungle with her.

At K'von's half-bow, she remained stiff, suspicion clearly written on her face, as though he might suddenly sprout fur and lunge for her. She said nothing, keeping her eyes on him, her heartbeat faster than she cared to think about. Aorath... please...

We're not leaving. Aorath replied to her, watching Hers without any concern for the two males standing across from her. She could feel it, the urge in Alaid to go to K'von, but years of fear held her in place, though not with her head tilted down.

No, Alaid refused to look down, both out of fear and out of a need writhing slightly in her stomach that told her he would either attack or vanish completely. "A pleasure," she agreed quietly, watching him carefully.

They are. So silly, so odd. Poor things only have us for direction. She reached with her tail and gave Alaid a gentle push forward, silently encouraging socialization.

[kysseh]

Rumbling with amusement at the green's statement and the fact that Dohulth was of similar mindset about K'von's lack of socializing as of late, the brown dragon used his muzzle to nudge at his rider, nearly knocking the man over in the process. Mine is similarly reluctant to socialize as of late. He used to be a very... active converser. Dohulth replied to Aorath, judiciously editing what he had first had an instinct to say. K'von had been more than a bit of a flirt before, but he felt that sharing that tiny tidbit of data with the two females was not the way to make a good first impression.

Alaid's cold stare was more than a little unnerving to K'von, who could not help but notice that the girl was more than a little attractive. He had a feeling that Flightlust played a part in that emotion, but she would have been interesting to him regardless of a queen being in the air or not. He felt a thump in the vicinity of his chest that he didn't think was purely from nerves at her quiet greeting. Well, that was progress. The brownrider grinned a bit and stepped towards the other human, careful to maintain a good buffer between himself and the girl, as well as Aorath. He did not want to scare Alaid or alarm the weyrling into attacking. "Guess you're being manipulated too, hmm? Dohulth is quite forceful when he wants something," he said, stumbling when Dohulth nudged him. "Sharding fat wherry! You're going to flatten me one of these days!" he exclaimed, pretending to growl up at the brown.

Dohulth was completely unaffected by K'von's feigned anger and, thus, ignored it. The brown lowered his head for a better look at the weyrling pair, his whirling eyes focused more on Aorath than her rider. Can you imagine Mine and Yours without our help? They would never leave the weyrs. I told Mine that if he did not socialize soon, I would Fly the next green to Rise, whether her rider was male or female. The threat worked. the brown commented lazily, a faint hint of smugness in his tone. Yes, that had been just a bit clever of him. So, here we are.

[randi]

Delighted that she had found someone, and so fast too, who would talk to her, Aorath rumbled merrily. Overly glad that her human was not the only one messed up, though Pern itself forbid that anyone should be worse off than Alaid in the odd department, Aorath gave Alaid just the tiniest tap again, enough to make her budge slightly. Then they are both lucky they have us to make them talk to others. She wasn't sure if it was such a show of force she had to use with Alaid, but, nonetheless, she had the feeling that it had taken both draconic creatures to get the humans to interact, which was all that really mattered.

Alaid wanted to be immovable as stone, rooted to the ground, forced to move by a team of bronze dragons if anyone dared to try and budge her even the slightest inch. However, no matter how much she could look like a statue, it didn't prevent her any more than anything else from being forced forward at Aorath's nudges. She didn't dare turn her head away to glare at the green, out of fear of the attack, out of fear of his vanishing. Steadily, the latter was taking precedence over the former, though it did not, in any way, diminish the amount of the first fear.

She had been born and raised Benden; she knew to keep on her toes. Especially during Rises. Shards, she hated Rises with more stress on her heart than anything else she'd ever known. Rises were dangerous. Flightlust was dangerous. No one was supposed to be held accountable, if they ever were, for what happened when even a green took to the sky. She hated it. She knew her fate eventually, being bonded to Aorath, but until then, she could hide, right? Even though hiding seemed less appealing at the moment.

At the pseudo-anger shown to his dragon, Alaid was thouroughly confused. Whether the pair meant it or not, they seemed to be trying to get her to feel comfortable. It was meant to let her guard down... or was it? Shardit, the Benden rules didn't apply here. There were hardly any of them smart enough to try and act nice in the first place.

Realizing she hadn't answered his question she nodded slightly, reaching up to push her hair behind her ears despite a few rebel hairs staying out, stark against her pale skin. "Manipulated fits. Aorath is tricky. She always gets her way." Alaid had quit fighting so long ago. She lacked the will to struggle, even against her bonded who looked over at her, tenderly crooning, assuring her that all would be well.

At Dohulth's plan, the young dragon rumbled quietly. Very clever. Mine simply... doesn't fight. There was a certain tone of despair in Aorath's voice, her head and wings drooping slightly as she felt Alaid's need to look down, to hide her face, her eyes, her fear, to veil the emotions she felt to keep from being hurt. The girl remained stiff, her head lifted, eyes on K'von, fingers clenching and unclenching in a motion to keep any other part of her from moving.

Alaid was strong. Deep down, Aorath had always felt it. However, the strength, mostly inner if she was the guess, was only used when it was necessary to keep the weyrling alive. Hers was brave, strong, but never used them for anything other than defense. Even now, she felt the girl retreating silently, word by word, step by step, into a world where nothing could hurt her, only to find the way blockaded as Aorath lifted her tail, which she had kept behind Alaid, giving the girl a hard enough nudge to make her lose her balance.

Panic fleeted over the girl when she felt Aorath's tap. She was fine where she was. She didn't want to move. She didn't want to look away, and yet the green's tail had nudged her hard enough to make her topple, her arms thrust out in a mad attempt to regain a balance that was lost.

[kysseh]

Dohulth let out a quiet rumble, watching Aorath tap her bonded to make her budge. Alaid did not seem to want to come nearer, but she did not appear to be fleeing either, for which the brown was grateful. His needed the company badly. //Indeed, they are. I only wish they'd agree more easily. Resorting to threats is tiresome. It requires constant rethinking of strategies.// the brown added mildly, swishing his tail back and forth. The dragon tilted his head to look more closely at his rider, reading in the man's expression his indecision.

K'von was surprised at her reticence. Was she dimwitted? No, she didn't seem to be. He could see that she was alive somewhere in that body of hers. She was not running for him, but she was not approaching him either. Surely, she was not immune to Flightlust! Even he, raised in the weyr as he was, still felt that undeniable pull, albeit without the same lack of control that characterized the unfamiliar. His confusion turned to delight as she responded, and certain parts of his anatomy told him to move just a little closer. So he did, if only a step or two. "Yes, dragons can be conniving little beasts. Or... big beasts. What can we do though, besides live with them?" he said, shrugging his wide shoulders lightly.

//She will learn. The fight comes back.// Dohulth reassured the weyrling, crooning softly in comfort and encouragement. He had seen broken riders before, at Benden, and he knew how they could be. He faintly remembered one in particular and wondered what had become of her. Hmmm... that was a thought and investigation for some other time, when he remembered it next. //This place is good for those who have suffered under Benden's rule.//

K'von knew what Dohulth was saying to Aorath, and though he could not hear the other side of the conversation, he could guess at what the green was saying. The dragon seemed far more social and far less afraid than the girl who stood staring at him. It was beginning to make him curious, as well as a bit unnerved. He had just opened his mouth to ask her what was wrong when he saw her dragon nudge her again, and he immediately took a few steps forward, arms extended in an effort to catch her before she hit the ground. Of course, the part of him reacting to Flightlust reminded him that if he did catch her, he would be holding a nice attractive girl for the first time in... well, over a Turn. Shards, but this could turn out awkward.

[randi]

Nodding slightly, Aorath's eyes turned to K'von, watching him. As he inched forward, she expected Hers to bolt like a frightened herdbeast, but she didn't. It wasn't possible that Alaid hadn't noticed his movements. I would suggest plain trickery, but I thinks Yours would not fall for it as easily as Mine. Even that didn't rile Hers. Alaid didn't even glance at her. Somewhere in her mind, she was offended; it just didn't take precedence.

Aorath could only hope that Dohulth was right. She had never seen Alaid in a fighting mood. That had been taken from her long before she had shown up, and yet she had no serious doubts that the girl would have it restored. She thrummed merrily for she had chosen well. Alaid would get better. Alaid would quit being afraid. What they might find when she finally surfaced out of her shell was a complete curiosity to the dragon.

I haven't seen her fight before, inside or out. It would be interesting. Aorath admitted as she made Hers lose her balance. She wasn't being a bully, though that seemed to be the singular thought that shot through Alaid's mind. She was just trying to help.

No pushing! Alaid fell, unable to keep her balance. Her eyes closed instinctively, protecting from the floor below, only to find that collision never happened. Snapping her eyes opened, she peered up at her rescuer, only too aware that her heart beat louder than Harper drums and that they were touching. It seemed such a marvellous thing, even to brush someone and not be yelled at, not hurt. Not yet, anyways.

As much as her instinct called for her to shove him away, she didn't want to. She didn't want him to leave at all. "Th-thank you," Alaid whispered, as though Aorath might hear her talking to him, or as though someone else might. She reached up with her hand and pushed gently at his arm to help her right herself, though she didn't take her hand off of him, watching him carefully.

[kysseh]

Dohulth let out a soft rumble, tossing his head a bit as he watched Theirs with a great deal of amusement. Silly humans. Sometimes, it took intervention to fix things. //You would be surprised what Mine will fall for. He is male, after all, besides being human. It makes him even more gullible to certain tricks.// The brown dragon let out a soft snort as K'von gave him a suitably exasperated feeling. //He doesn't want me saying that.// Dohulth added, highly amused by the whole situation. The brown let out a gentle croon as the weyrling took an off-balance tumble, hoping His had enough sense to catch the little thing. It would not be courteous to let her fall, after all!

Dohulth need not have concerned himself--though K'von doubted his dragon's intentions--for K'von easily caught the weyrling, not the least bit bothered by her barely-present weight. He arched one eybrow upon seeing that her eyes were closed, sorely tempted to lean in for a kiss since she was not staring at him any longer. Fearing what her response might be, however, he simply held her, waiting and hoping she didn't push him away upon finding that she was not facedown on the leaf-covered ground. He felt his heart lurch, as well as something deep in his gut that told him that just letting her go was not going to be a very viable option. It had been a long time since he had been near a woman, and his body--and his dragon--were subtly reminding him of that fact, much as he'd like to blame it on the sharding Flightlust.

He was so absorbed in arguing with himself that he almost missed what she said, registering it a split second later and smiling down at her in response. "You're welcome, Alaid of Aorath. It's no trouble." It was not, really, unless one counted the fact that she was becoming more attractive to him by the minute. Even outside of Flightlust, he would have been interested in this withdrawn little weyrling, but with dragon-incited emotions in consideration, he found himself in a different sort of mood. He was disappointed when her hand landed on his arm as if to push away and let her go very reluctantly, hope renewing instantly when she did not take her hand off him. He tilted his head to one side. "You like looking at me..."

[randi]

Admitting that his own gender was succeptable to the wiles of females made the young green rumble louder, hey eyes whirling quickly in a vibrant shade of green, the color almost appearing glowing against her hide. You have an extraordinary perception. For a male. Aorath teased lightly, though deep within, she was tense.

She had known that nudging Alaid down the slippery slope was going to cause her to feel like she had lost her bonded, and, despite being prepared for that, there was a slight bit of alarm deep within her, crying out for the girl to stop before she was lost forever, but the dragon squished it, her eyes only momentarily narrowing, two small flashes of yellow and orange marring her contented color for only a second. All would be well. The green dragon was fine.

In her momentary confusion, her head had tilted down, in an effort to not show Dohulth her eyes, lest they betray the tiny emotion dwelling deep down. She was not a child. She was fine. Only when she was sure she had quelled the enemy brain cells did she look back up at the brown and His.

He didn't shake her off, didn't slap, didn't hurt, didn't even yell. In all of her life, Alaid had to put K'von at the top of the list containing all the confusing things in her life. No trouble? Really? She wasn't sure for what she was more thankful of, his lack of anger at her clumsiness, his catching of her, or the fact that he hadn't shaken her off. The latter was becoming increasingly more important.

At his comment, a light rosy color lit up her face, but her eyes couldn't go elsewhere. She couldn't ever bring herself to take her hand off his arm, not even the slightest bit. Her hand, suddenly seeming to grow a mind of its own, strengthened its grip slightly, her eyes meeting his in a gesture she seldom used. "I'm s-sorry..." Her voice remained in its quieted tone. Her feet seemed to join the revolution led by the hand making contact, shifting to bring her closer to him, just a few inches it seemed.

"Do you want me to stop?" The question was dumb. Her eyes couldn't leave him now. Not when he might leave her. If she hadn't grown up in the cold grip of Benden, she might have already thrown herself against him, but, as she was, she could not help that her instincts included caution.