Dirty Dancing in the Moonlight ~ Fey’s Flight

[Rei]

Erilena’s whole life had been nearly solely revolving around her twins, her family, and her duties at the hold. Especially lately. Both Emitre and Dileina were growing like weeds and being quite the troublemakers, her family was being nitpicky, and everyone at the hold seemed to be coming down with something or other. (Heaven forbid they ask Kyr'n for help. He had such the attitude that they’d rather wait to be treated by someone pleasant.) Dmitri seemed just as exhausted if not more so then herself lately as well. A sudden tip in the feline population had kept him and Dmisk very busy these past nights. Would Erilena trade her life for anything though? Not in a million turns. But still despite her best intentions some things got neglected. One of which was her dragon.

Now Feyrianth never complained. She loved hers and adored the littles and Dancer and besides. She had the whers talk to and the kids and occasional visiting dragon to play with. Behruth’s was even nice enough to come and just visit solely with her sometimes. All the hold kids even helped to oil her when hers was too busy to do it alone. Erilena tried to make time and she did her best. But sometimes the woman was just too exhausted to do much more then spend a few minutes leaning against the green and scratching her ridges while apologizing profusely. To which the dragon had the same answer every time. I Love you. You do your best Lenamine. You are such a good dam and mate. I am proud of you. And Feyrianth was. Hers was an amazing woman. Hence why she had picked her.

But tonight. Tonight was all about Feyrianth. Not about Erilena. Not about Dancer or the littles. Not about anyone else. All about her. She was briefly concerned about having such selfish thoughts. But really one night all to herself wasn’t a bad thing yes? She hadn’t risen for quite awhile and had also held off for these last months because she didn’t want to burden hers with an extra trip to the weyr. It all made for a raging storm of pent up hormones. The green really couldn’t hold back any longer, not with so many different males present around her. Her glow had been almost completely unnoticeable up until this point. (Not that many really took note of her lately anyway seeing as she was at the hold.) Feyrianth lay curled up near a large snow bank, her glow growing brighter and brighter as the evening wore on. Sometime just after dinner, and when most of the gather patrons were winding down, she stirred from her doze. Vivid violet eyes gazed upon the moonlight sky as she uncoiled from her curled position and arched her back in a long and through stretch. Two sets of bright glimmering wings followed suit as she stretched them to make sure they were limber. Only then did Feyrianth move with poised grace, her wings slowly flaring like a butterfly preparing for flight.

Now was the time. When the full moon bathed the snowy scenery in eerie light. When the world was highlighted with liquid silver against a backdrop of brilliant midnight blue. The skies speckled with twinkling diamond stars like a handful of glittering gems cast up into the sky. Now was perfect. A soft musical trill pierced the quiet night. Come dance with me tonight. Feyrianth broadcasted caressingly to any who cared to hear her and leapt into the sky. Her four wings easily caught the still air and cast up a flurry of glittering snow as she gracefully winged up into the moonlit night.

Banking, to let the silver light reflect off the near metallic spots speckled over her hide, Feyrianth turned her head to take a quick peek at the mostly silent world below. Only once she noticed the stirring of a male or two did she turn on her wingtips and wing further up into the sky. She offered no more words nor noise after that first call. If they desired her they would come. If not that was their right. Though she hoped she did the beautiful night justice.

Oh dear. Of all the sharding… Erilena paused in the middle of speaking to Emitre. She had been trying to explain for the fourth time why she was not sticking him out on skates in the middle of the frozen river. But her words died on her lips, her face turning a pale shade as her hand blindly reached out for Elysia’s arm. The other greenrider blinked for a moment, her mouth opening to ask what was wrong. But the teasing trill that carried over the still air and the obvious form of Feyrianth ascending into the sky answered it for her. There was really no time to scold the other woman, or ask why the hell she had brought Feyrianth if the female had been that close to rising. Instead Elysia merely shushed both twins and started to usher them away from their mother, making a quick excuse for her as Erilena slipped off as quickly as possible and before Feyrianth’s lust overtook her completely. Now what the heck was she supposed to do?

The greenrider paused in her flight somewhere near the edge of the gather her head turning towards the few people still milling about in the night. Now where was everyone? Didn’t anyone want to dance with her? No wait…that was not her own thought…was it? Erilena struggled to keep some sort of barrier as she hovered there uncertainly. Unfortunately holding Feyrianth back never worked for long.

[Ember]

Nephele had left Nuoth behind for the night, determined to enjoy a night to herself and K'sel without a moody green looming over her - in two ways. Not only had Nuoth begun to glow of late and therefore develop a bit of the typical green pre-flight moodiness but not even half an hour before Nephele and her weyrmate wanted to go to the Gather the green had slipped into one of her funks. So Nephele had caught a ride on Pettahth and gone to the Gather without the green. She felt decidedly naked without her dragon within mental reach. It was like straining to get anything through the crackle of a radio just out of range of your favourite station.

To say that Nuoth felt the same once she came out of her emotional overload mood was a huge understatement. It was upsetting enough that even with the moons full in the sky and no rider to guide her the green was circling the Inverness weyrbowl and debating going to Fort Hold on her own. The green's agitation was in part due to her impending Flight but most of it was the irrationality that came so easily to dragons whose riders were incapable of keeping them calm. O green of Mine's sister, a smooth voice called from his ledge, You are rather upset, are you not? Can the great Sfelyth provide any assistance?

Sfelyth had it well understood that Nuoth was Off Limits but flirting with the intention of being allowed to simply cuddle later would do no harm and the blue was fond of the green much like Ae'on was fond of his sister. I...would appreciate it if you could help me, Sfelyth. Nephelemine left me here because I was not in a pleasant mood and she wanted to go to the Gather. I have calmed down now but she is out of range. The strained tone to her mindvoice spoke well enough of just how disturbed she was and Sfelyth crooned understandingly. Come land here then, darling, and I will fetch Mine so that we may go fetch Yours.

In short order the blue had explained to Ae'on what Nuoth needed and the Weyrhealer agreed to help Nuoth get to the Gather. The man took a double-take when he noticed the green's glow and sighed. "Nephele, what are you doing?" Don't you dare- "chase Nuoth." I know, I know. She is upset and I merely wish to help her. It took considerably longer to get to Fort Hold by straight flight than to get Ae'on to agree to help. Once they all got there though Sfelyth noticed something rather interesting. Two flighty greens in one Gather! This might be trouble, he commented cheerfully.

Nephele noticed immediately when Nuoth was in range and nearly panicked. She muttered something likely uninteligble to K'sel before practically running out of the ice maze and heading to the edge of the Gather to avoid catching people up in...something. Nuoth was two parts panic and one part lust and it was a dangerous situation all around. What she noticed there was Erilena hovering uncertaintly and it was then she noticed Feyrianth Rising in the night as well. "Lena..." She said, gaze frightened as Nuoth swooped in by Feyrianth, winding tightly around the other green.

[Sebz]

Kallandrith did not usually deem greens important enough to waste energy chasing. Usually. Feyrianth was perhaps one of the only green dragon's on Pern that would cause the bronze to bat an eye. All in all, he was probably influenced just a tad but his rider's absolute obsession with the four winged green. So naturally when the green rose to mate during the gather, the bronze nudged C'loy awake with his mind. His rider had been taking a quick nap after becoming sleep deprived. It was a gather after all. Feyrianth rises, and would like to dance. C'loy, who had been rather cranky at being woken up, paused and looked up at his dragon, a slow smile beginning to spread over his face. “Well, we are some pretty sharding good dancers, aren't we Kal.” The bronze bulged in amusement before pushing himself to his feet, giving him self a little shake, and then leaping into the air.

As the bronze raced to join the green's dance through the sky, likewise, C'loy searched out Erilena on the ground. It had been a long time, to long, since he had visited the his lovely Fey, he missed the shiny dragon, but now he wanted to see her and hers for a completely different reason. Kallandrith didn't chase often, but when he did, he was protective of the female. C'loy seemed to fall into a similar patern, he would protect the rider from the other's who would have her.

From the beginning C'loy knew that the lovely green had an... aversion to bronze dragons in general. The one time Kallandrith and Feyrianth had been introduced when the bronze was still a weyrling, the green had kept her distance. Not that C'loy blamed her, Kallandrith was a handsome dragon, but something seemed not quite right when he met your eyes. But maybe that wouldn't matter, flight lust seemed to wipe preconceived notions from one's thoughts. All that mattered was the flight, and impressing Feyrianth.

C'loy found Erilena near the edge of the gather, away from the main stalls and booths. There was already another person there, and C'loy was not nearly lost enough in Kallandrith's mine to recognize who she was. Nuoth's rider, Even Kallandrith sounded less sure of himself, as he approached the two greens in the sky. “Watch them,” C'loy muttered under his breath, aproaching the pair. Kallandrith buldged in greeting, vearing left of the greens and turning sharply to face them. Feyrianth, Nuoth, you must distance yourself. The bronze new that he was strong enough to intercede if there was a conflict, but he would rather it not come to that.

[Aftershock]

Samael didn't even realize he had dozed off, face lying sideways on his folded arms, as the Gather had moved into the evening and he had not seen a customer in a long while. The realization came when Freyr was suddenly sending gentle pulses into his mind to jostle it from it's somnolent state, and he blinked his cloudy blue eyes at the blurred, darkened world as he moved to wipe a bit of slushy drool from the corner of his mouth. "What's up, Freyr?" he asked, his voice groggy.

He was answered by a visual... a four-winged green angel glowing in the darkening winter skies. Raising an eyebrow in confusion, Samael replied, "Fey is Rising? That's nice, but what do you care? You're not even a dragon!" Freyr puffed his red chest out proudly at that remark, reminding His that he was still a male, and that Feyrianth liked him... she was a beautiful dragon, and she deserved representatives from all draconic species, and Freyr was the best representative of the firelizards, in his own opinion.

Shaking his head and smirking, Samael nodded and said, "Enjoy, then... just don't get hurt, please," he added as Freyr sent a pulse of thanks and took off, winging into the cold evening air in pursuit of the glowing four-winged form winging through the skies. Finally reaching the proper height, Freyr flew a circuit around Feyrianth, sending compliments to the green on her beauty and stating that though he was small compared to her, her gorgeousness would surely push him beyond the limits of his species and allow him to follow her wherever she may Fly.

[Sheari]

Kormath had chosen to curl himself into a snow bank like a sled-dog bedding down for the night. He had wrapped himself completely in his wings and a layer of snow covered him. He was happily out of the way and he was able to nap in peace. Morrigan and chosen to curl up into his cocoon of warmth, while the aging Cleric chose to follow K’nale through the Gather. The canine wasn’t exactly old, but her face was beginning to gray and the cold North didn’t agree with her as it had done in the South. The Journeyman harper/dragonrider had gotten her fitted for a special jacket for her, saving every mark he could to afford it.

But no, tonight was not Kormath’s night for napping, though his dreams had been pleasantly of flying (his most favourite thing to do). A call beaconed him, an invitation to dance, an opening into another adventure. The blue roused, unable to resist. Slowly, and with practiced ease, Kormath unwrapped himself from his wings, loosened the tight curl of his tail, and raised his head high. The pile of snow he had done so well imitating fell away, and his overlarge wings opened.

The thinner hide on the underside of his body stung a bit from the sudden transition from warmth to chill. If anyone was watching they might find the scene majestic and equally befitting a tribute to a Rising female. At least, that was how things were to be in Kormath’s mind. Morrigan, however, had fallen from her previous perch, nestled in the wing joint just under the wing. The tiny green had shrieked her indignation (how dare he treat a queen like that!) and flew away, deeply insulted by the blue’s misbehaviour. She would punish him soundly, but only later when she’d time to plan out how he would just suffer for his crime. Kormath paid no heed, powering up and after Feyrianth with even strokes. As so we shall dance.[/I]

K’nale, on the other hand, had long since realized that his dragon’s contrasting blue shades fit rather well with an eerie winter’s night. However, he hadn’t had a moment to truly appreciate it this eve until just now, when Kormath had made the morph from snow bank to dragon. Even then, perhaps it was a manifestation of a thought of a thought? The man finish the last of the song he was playing, excused himself from the other harpers (grabbing another piper to replace him), and began to walk…where? Usually if Kormath had an interest in Chasing, they were at Inverness, and K’nale knew to go to the Flightrooms. At a Hold it was different…at a Gather…?

Morrigan flew up to him, chattered irritably, and the garbled message seemed to be along the lines of “follow me you fool,” since she was already forming a “list”. The green winged away, needing her assistance when he found the green…er, Erilena. He’d been in Flights before. They had been in weyrs, in flightrooms. He’d follow her lead.

[Lotty]

Let's go and enjoy the gather he said. They would have a good night he said. Idiot. While he thought that leaving the green behind would be a mostly innocuous action that would have little to no result, he was quickly being proven wrong. One moment he had a hand hovering gently along Nephele's lower back as they strolled along the icy halls, and the next she was stricken… mumbling some words he couldn't make out and worse yet - darting away from him back towards the entrance. That wasn't all that was amiss however, there was a stirring in his mind and in the very throbbing of his heart. Something was downright wrong and even Pettahth was suddenly on the move. K'sel feared that if he stopped to think about it though, he'd never catch up with his mate, and he yelled after her frantically, "Neph!" It wasn't even a nano second before he sprung into action, pushing couples out of the way to rush out into the snow after her.

The jigsaw started to come together, hooks and notches linking in his thoughts. There was Nuoth yes, but they had left her. She was supposed to be at Inverness. Driving his boots through the drifts he thought again, Pettahth matching together pieces the other hadn't considered. Feyrianth was a constant repeated note, ringing in his brain and throwing his senses asunder when in so many words the brown dragon was able to make this confusion very clear, 'Sellamine. I do not know what to do. Should I chase?

The dragon had broken the icy silence, having not dared to talk before for fear that the cold would freeze his words in place between their minds. His wings had begun working already, beating against the thick Fortian air and warming as the primal instinct to chase curled through his ichor. The sensation was at odds however with his brain, with something akin to emotion as Nuoth spun onto the scene, twisting around the already rising Feyrianth. He wanted to bugle his alarm, his wishes for his two favorites to separate, but in the lustful tension he feared that nothing could be done and his flight nearly failed right then and there as a stutter entered normally steadfast muscles. With a frustrated huff he veered around and up to circle the perimeter whispering in the mind's ear, K'sel… They are both rising. I know not what to do…

After all, even Petta could be greedy. He wanted both of them when it really came down to it, but that was a perfectly illogical idea. He knew that he couldn't and where his loyalties should lie, but for a stubborn and dogged dragon sometimes "can't" simply wasn't in the vocabulary.

Consider him momentarily stumped.

As the dragon waited, K'sel broke out into the clearing, skidding to a stop, and slipping to fall on his ass. Luckily there was plenty of the soft, fluffy, white stuff to break his fall, and looking up, he saw for himself the circumstances, fully realized in the twining of the two greens up in the sky. He wanted to scream at them. Wanted to let out a roar something awful and bust a artery or shred a lung in the process. His vocal chords proved to be muted, and pulling himself up he could only stare at the two women who were meeting with a certain stunned look on his face. He'd never imagined such a day would come. Never.

[Avu]

There’s a butterfly green who’s gotten the bright idea to Rise, yawned in Sparath’s perpetually amused drawl, the bronze lifting his head from somewhere on the edges of the Gather—he’d frankly lost track of where Ce’thian was wandering to; the man had met up with Millieth’s and Sparath had indulged himself by shamelessly flirting with the gold for a while before the desire to sleep had become greater than the desire to see how wound up he could get Millieth, and after he’d drifted off to help himself to a stretch of sunlit grass, which had become gradually not-so-sunlit anymore. Even so, Sparath had absolutely no desire to move again, instead plopping his head on his forepaws and yawning wider. Chaos in the Gather, Minething! Save goldilocks! Save her spawn! Run for the hills!

You are insufferable, was Ce’thian’s reply. Kaegan is not Millieth; you can’t call her ‘goldilocks,’ that’s weird. And since you’ve given me absolutely no information whatsoever, it’s frankly safer to stay with her than to stash her in a closet and lock the door. Don’t you have anything better to do than bother me? He was maybe a little bit distracted—with an armful of Inanae, how could he not be. Considering that he was trying to juggle his attention between the two-year-old, her brother, and her mother, Ce’thian was understandably unwilling to filter his attention to a fourth and considerably less novel direction.

Sparath sighed loudly at him, and seemed briefly content to shut up, until.

Oh.

His head lifted from his paws at the sight of Nuoth. She was one of his—not, strictly speaking, that she belonged to him, but she was Inverness and for as long as Sparath was one half of the Weyrleadership, then he’d give a damn about Nuoth. And she was Rising, right alongside that other green, and that was never good news.

Buckle up, Minething, Sparath purred softly, You know me, don’t you, can’t sit out a scene like this. The bronze twisted nimbly into flight, flaring his wings wide and coiling around an updraft to propel himself towards the two greens, his voice still a calm drawl as he bespoke Nuoth, Easy, sweetheart, don’t get yourself all tangled up so fast, a warm rumbling consolation. There was no question of whom he was there for—Feyrianth was unique, yes, but Nuoth was Inverness, and between the two of them, Nuoth was the one he was bound to protect.

If necessary.

Which, who knew.

It might not be.

Sparath flicked out his tail, looping in an extravagant flare of wings as he skipped from one wind to another, flashing a quick, appraising glance at Kallandrith and Pettahth—they seemed to actually comprehend what was happening, too, and knowing who else had their brains working would be useful.

There was no real lust yet, but the shock of a Flight and Sparath flying it struck Ce’thian abruptly nonetheless; the bronzerider stopped halfway through cheerfully promising Inanae all sorts of things and blinked in bewildered betrayal—what did Sparath think he was doing—before the comprehension of it, the need to protect and the possessiveness, struck him, and he threw a regretful glance at Kaegan. “Kae,” urgent enough to hopefully catch her attention despite the loud babble of the Gather around them. “Kae, I’m so sorry, I’ve got to—Nuoth and another green are Rising, Sparath wants me to—I don’t even know, be there, in case anything happens, Ina? I am going to buy you a stuffed dragon that looks exactly like Millieth once I’m done with Sparath being a dork business, okay?”

He handed off the girl to her mother hastily, and then turned to Kai to press a twenty-mark piece into the boy’s palm. “Do me a favor and don’t buy anything for yourself that I wouldn’t, yeah?” A crooked grin and a wave, and Ce’thian didn’t flee, but his pace was still decidedly urgent for the Gather. Without Sparath’s full commitment to the Flight, he was kind of wandering blind to find the Riders—and he had a hell of a lot of ground to cover, unless something dramatic went down, and while he didn’t want it to…well, it’d be really useful. Purely for location purposes, that was.

*

Greens are annoying.

So I’ve heard.

Why was there a K’sel sitting flat on his ass in the snow like a star-struck little kid? A’emi threw a swift glance upward at Kyrahth’s pointed mental nudge, and oh. That would explain it. And maybe detouring to the King of Hobos was not the best plan A’emi had ever had in his life, but the guy looked like he seriously needed some input that was not draconic in nature. A’emi threw a narrowed glance in the direction of the other assembled people, and then slipped away from the horde of the Gather to nudge up beside K’sel, one hand ruffling his hair in pleasantly annoying greeting.

“Hey. Get the fuck up, dude, seducing the hell out of people is not gonna be easy with a numb ass.”

He paused, and then added, “And fix your face, you look like you’re about to have a mental breakdown.”

With which words of true encouragement, A’emi squeezed his shoulder and then peeled himself away before any greens could get jealous or anything, because a Flight was not something he wanted to be caught in the middle of, thanks very much.

[/blockquote]

[Tashe]

Technically he wasn't supposed to be at the Gather right now, he had business in Inverness and he normally hated being late for meetings... but Dorava could wait just a little. As soon as he'd touched down with Isma at Fort, he'd sent word a head to his Northern counter part telling her of a delay. Not specifically what was delaying him, just that he had been caught up in something and to expect him a little later in the night. But all fun distractions couldn't last. Crunching his way through the snow and back over to where his Brown was waiting patiently for him, E'rro popped a candy into his mouth as he gave his old partner a pat on the head. Sure you don't want anything? No reply. Isma? Are you still annoyed with me that I had to pull you away from your daily chat with Quixoth? Still no reply. Its not like you can't talk with her when we - Hush Mine. Look. Stepping back as the sandy male pointed with his nose, the Brownrider turned to see what had him so distracted.

Its Feyrianth so wha- And that was when he was hit with want. Ismaroth had a way of picking the absolute most inopportune times to decide to chase. Recently the Brown had only been chasing Quixoth as a pleasantry for E'rro, which there was nothing wrong with, but it wasn't in Isma's nature to settle for a single female. Not yet anyway. Maybe when he was much older and the allure of chasing dwindled some. Go ahead and what have you... He waved his hand at the Brown as he turned to go locate Erilena. He kept his pace even when Isma saw that Nuoth had joined the fray just as shiny as Feyrianth, both human and dragon momentarily flashed back to Aointh and Phremath had risen in tandem.

As he drifted over to where the other chasers were gathering Ismaroth noted that he recognized every one of them, and that it was quite an interesting collection of personalities to be sure. He was also sure that he would be chasing Feyrianth that day, and while Nuoth was one of close friends and equally attractive in her own right, it had been so very long since he had shown Feyrianth his favor. He circled once over the Greens so as to greet them with a rumble before pulling back and giving them space. He knew what types of take offs Nuoth could do, they'd learned them together, and he didn't want to be in the way if he could help it. Once he had achieved the height he desired, he brushed Fey's mind letting her know that she was the one he was here for.

By the time he had managed to get to the meeting point, E'rro was far gone enough to be thinking in names of Dragons instead of people, but not far enough to recognize Petta and Kyr as his old wingmates. But where he was mentally was as far as he was going to go. It had been a long time since he and Isma had became completely one. The Brownrider trotted by them with a lift of his eye brow and a quirk of a grin, quite amused that they would be there. Especially Kyr, seeing as she was a Green. Either way he didn't mind and would enjoy at the very least, competing alongside Petta if he chose to follow Feyrianth. He was also amused at some of the confusion that the two Greens were causing by rising together. They were both certainly beautiful, but look how the moon shone on Fey's pretty gold hair. Happily he gave his greeting to the Greens with a little bow, then chose to remain where he had stopped, waiting to see what his Green did next. Ah wasn't the night nice tonight? Even if it was a bit chilly.

[Requiem]

Exquisitely content. Truly, though, this was not at all unusual for M'ta. He knew the complaints. He saw the older riders - his age and older - struggling to fit into a world that consisted only of Thread and felines and the occasional disaster. Call it PTSD or simply not knowing anything else and finding little to interest them in something as mundane as big clumps of carnivorous weed falling from the stars. But Behruth was perpetually happy with his army of students and former students (most of which he could surprisingly remember) and M'ta (though unlikely to admit it) was quite near equally proud and fond of them. They loved their job. They loved their family. Apart from the occasional annoyance or scare there was nothing for the pair to complain about. This was especially true at this Gather, walking together with an arm around Ruliana's waist and Terilyn's hand in his on the other side. Cold made an excellent excuse for walking close.

Behruth was equally content at this Gather. He'd found the largest concentration of dragons available who would indulge the small brown in lying in what amounted to a small mountain of dragon bodies, and was curled somewhere in the middle of it all. Not only was he pleasantly warm and dozing, but they were in the midst of a lively conversation. To say that he was following it all that closely would have been a lie; he was more interested in the way the others were interacting with each other and hearing the underlying excitement behind it all. The dragons all seemed to know that this was something special, this Gather...well, those that remembered much of the world before Inverness. A lot of them did, at least through their riders, which really was only to be expected.

Feyrianth.

Behruth had been aware that she was here, and probably would have gone immediately to seek her out had he not already been half-buried in other dragon bodies, but he couldn't say that he'd expected her to Rise right this second. Glow or not...most dragonpairs avoided Gathers when they were this close. Most. And then there went a Nuoth as well. The brown was a bit thunderstruck really. Gathers...Holds...were not the place for Flights or Runs, and yet here there were two greens (two older greens with older riders) who should know better. Now the mahogany-hued brown was rather accustomed to ignoring the pull of Rising greens by now, given that he didn't feel most would be that flattered by a half-crippled brown giving chase. Feyrianth was one of the few exceptions. She didn't choose him, but he knew that she appreciated the attempt. He was quite fond of her. (Also, ignoring Rising greens meant the pull got stronger, and he had to Chase some.) M'ta was displeased. Displeased displeased. And Behruth did try, he really did, but some of the dragons were shifting, if only to get a better view of all the ones taking to wing over the Hold, and then the brown figured that His could deal with it this once.

He wasn't as flashy as some of the other males, nor was he as worried about the two greens so near one another. Nuoth and Feyrianth weren't likely to attack one another...or Fly in the same direction once they got going. Nevertheless, it was the fact that both greens had Risen that decided Behruth in favor of Chasing. He blamed it on M'ta's protective streak rubbing off on him over the turns. Nothing should happen, but just in case... Crooning, he greeted both greens calmly as the wind buoyed the small brown higher, the male making casual figure eights above the two.

"Sometimes he acts like he has the brain of a wherry," M'ta muttered, half to himself. He'd thrust as much of his awareness as he could into Devon...despite the nearly 12 turns since Impressing Behruth, the brown still could dominate him easily in Flight. A squeeze was given Ruliana's waste in silent indication to slow up, and he turned to Terilyn, half-crouching. "Stay with Ruliana." Not that he could have stopped her if she chose to follow anyway, but she was sure to hear about it later when he found out. He tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, straightened her jacket, then left the pair to head in Erilena's general direction. The sense was enough to tell him where she was, the man slipping easily through the crowd. Shortness had its advantages at times.

[Rei]

Her wings beat in rapid succession, causing her to climb higher and higher into the clear sky. Once Feyrianth had gained a bit of altitude she risked a quick glance back. The sight of the males just beginning to climb into the sky after her caused her blood to burn just that much hotter. She couldn’t quite resist the pleased trill she sent to them, the teasing way her tail flicked behind her. Just as the four winged green started to level out a flash of color that was decidedly glowing green caught her eye and her wings flared to their fullest, stopping her dead midair. The whirling violet of her gaze colored with first a thread of anxious yellow until the other female neared enough to recognize and then wind tightly about her. The yellow then faded to make way for an influx of bright cyan blue, Feyrianth crooning a note of clear welcome to the other female as her tail trailed caressingly over Nuoth’s hide. Her friend’s slight panic was not lost on the other green and the touch was meant to inspire a feeling of calm in the other female. You come to dance as well Nuoth? Feyrianth’s private words were soft and hopeful. She wouldn’t have to feel so selfish or greedy now.

As her mental words to the other female finished, a distinctly commanding and masculine voice then hailed her and Feyrianth’s head whipped around to face the bronze who had spoken. Distance themselves? A coy chirp left Feyrianth’s throat and she shared her amusement with Nuoth before turning to brush the length of her body caressingly against the other green’s. Her words solely for her friend. Do you hear the silly one Nuoth? Distance he says. If he desires such who are we to deny him? Shall we show them how to really dance? A thread of playful blue again whirled through eyes that were predominantly a deep violet.

Seven of them. Feyrianth was not a greedy or possessive creature, she would have been happy with two but seven made her want to perform. Give them no regrets about their choice. There were plenty to share as well.

The four winged green hovered in place a moment longer to give greetings to each male in turn. Ismaroth and Behruth were given especially affectionate brushes of her mind. Where as Pettahth was also given an affectionate brush with just a touch of soothing added to the end of it. His concern and confusion had not escaped her. The little flit as well did not escape her notice and the fact that he was there just for her flattered her immensely. It also brought a bit of concern for him to the surface. Thus Freyr was given a private mind brush as well. You honor me with your praise and attention little cousin. Do be careful. I would be most upset if something happened to you.

With that she flicked her tail teasingly and with a brush to Nuoth’s mind, to bespeak her intentions, lunged at the other female, talons extended. Feyrianth's claws did not meet with Nuoth’s hide but instead locked with the green’s own. Snapping her wings completely shut the female plummeted towards the earth with the other green. Just as they reached the danger zone for most dives she disengaged with Nuoth, the other green twisting to the side as Feyrianth allowed gravity to tug her just a bit further. Only then did she suddenly snap open her wings, arresting her own fall and using the momentum to wheel around in the other direction. A tentative connection was still kept with Nuoth. A dancer needed a partner after all. Let these males try and out dance them both.

~~~

Her breath caught in her throat as another wave of lust from Feyrianth hit her and Erilena stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes squeezing shut as she struggled to dominate Feyrianth’s consciousness. Not good. How could she have not noticed? A hold of all places? Before she could wrest her mind from her dragon’s though she heard her name nervously uttered and the blonde spun around to meet eyes just as equally frightened as her own. Nephele? Why was she? And then Feyrianth’s emotions finally broke the fragile dam she had tried to erect between them and Nephele ceased to be Nephele and instead became Nuoth.

With a joyous exclamation Erilena bounced towards the other woman and threw her arms around her neck, a chaste kiss finding the corner of her friend’s mouth. “Nuoth? Have you come to dance with me?” Her words mirrored her dragon’s, her gaze both hopeful and excited. A wide smile was offered the other woman when she responded with an affirmative and the Erilena’s hands lowered to rest gently on the other woman’s hips. It was then that she noticed the males starting to arrive and the blonde smiled brightly to them all. Such handsome males. Some were missing as of yet but it was no small matter. She knew they’d be here soon.

Leaning forward she whispered in Nephele’s ear. “I think poor Pettahth is confused. We should help him out.” Her hands fell from the other woman’s hips then and she twirled around Nephele, breaking away from the other woman to approach K’sel with a subtle sway to her hips. Her fingertips barely caressed over the brownrider’s shoulders as she passed him to continue towards her other males. “Up then love. We can’t dance with you on the ground.” With that she moved towards the others.

A playful yet slightly wicked smile was offered them all in greeting before she raised a hand, her finger curling back into a come hither signal clearly directed to E’rro.

[Ember]

Nuoth hadn't meant to startle Feyrianth so she crooned to the green until she noticed the yellow fade out of her friend's eyes. The question had the older green giving pause. She hadn't intended to Rise at the Gather, really she hadn't, but now that she was here it was quite clear she didn't have time to get back to Inverness before her body burned up with the need to mate. I do, Feyrianth. And there's no better partner to share the skies with like this than you, my friend, Nuoth finally answered, her emotions calming and yet intensifying all at once. She was committed to this dance now.

Which just made the concern of the males touching but amusing as well. Kallandrith and Sparath, in particular, were funny. Bronzes apparently had a hidden penchant for the dramatic. Those that knew either her or Feyrianth well would have already realized they were incapable of harming each other, even with flightlust present. Nuoth brushed both bronzes with a quietly amused thought - no worries, males, there would be no ichor drawn that night - before responding to Feyrianth. Silly indeed. It's almost unfair for us to pair up and outshow them all but perhaps we should show them that they are right to be here. Her tone was equally playful and completely devoid of any arrogance. Feyrianth would understand her talking them up as nothing more than jest.

Nuoth brushed the minds of those she knew affectionately. Those she didn't know likely weren't there for her anyway, though she still acknowledged them if only to thank them for sticking around for such an odd occurrence. There were some she could guess were there for her and others that she guessed were for Feyrianth, though it was hard to tell because she didn't know which of them that announced themselves to her did the same with Feyrianth. Pettahth, at least, was likely to chase his own mate. Right? Nuoth was never one to count her wherries before they hatched though so she focused instead on Feyrianth's plan.

The Legatus trained green subtly readied herself to catch Feyrianth by her claws, lining her own talons up effortlessly with the four-winged green's. Together they dropped, gravity pulling them towards the snowy surface. Nuoth and Feyrianth disengaged and the older green put a little distance between them for safety. The ground rushed up to meet her but Nuoth didn't fear it. She was naturally agile and had pinpoint control after her time on Legatus, even if she never had been very good at fighting with others. Her wings snapped out at the last possible moment and she let her wing tips brush away snow. Nuoth drifted along the floor of the earth, swerving side to side a little at a predictable rhythm. Nuoth liked to lure her males into false senses of security sometimes.

Nephele was not so easily lost when she needed to keep things together. Ten turns was plenty of time to develop a resistance to flightlust in emergency situations - Nuoth rising at a Gather certainly counted in the greenrider's mind. Still, she didn't complain when Erilena suddenly clicked into Fey-mode and glomped her. In fact she returned the hug tightly, laughing a little into her best friend's ear. "It seems so," she said, not the least bit phased by being called Nuoth even if she wasn't quite all the way there yet. The woman noticed Erilena's gaze and glanced in the same direction to note the males gathering.

She blinked at the sight of her weyrmate on the ground looking decidedly troubled and smirked a little at Erilena's words. She drifted after the other green - oh, there she went, off into dragon-land - to her mate more sedately. Nuoth always had been the more calm of the two greens and it was definitely showing in the demeanor of the riders. Pettahth was given a kiss on the cheek in passing, even though it meant bending down to do so, before she drifted past him as well. "Don't lag behind now or the dance will go on without you," she teased even as she winked at the rest of the males.

[Requiem]

He knew a fair number of the males giving chase, as well as both females. Some of them were his students once upon a time. Others were friends. Nuoth and Pettath he knew through Feyrianth, though not as well as some of the other dragons he knew. Behruth climbed as the females winged toward one another, climbed high directly above them and looped almost lazily up and into a dive. Dancing.

There was a time when Behruth could have danced with the best of them.

He wasn't completely without his tricks, however. Amalath had been the last dragon he'd Flown...quite some time ago. Long enough back that he'd need His to say the correct counting words. Behruth hardly expected to be chosen this time. Rare it was that he'd missed a flight of Feyrianth's, but she'd never taken him as her mate. Not once. He didn't mind so much, but he'd caught so seldom that this didn't mean he didn't want to impress her this time. (Nevermind that it was quite unlikely given he never seemed to have managed it before.)

No, not completely without his tricks. He corkscrewed downward in a plunge that sped him along due to gravity and the sudden suction of air behind the two greens, such that he was nearly on top of them when they parted. The brown flicked out a wing, going into an awkward-seeming diagonal tumble before the second wing extended and the first was retracted, bringing him into a tight horizontal turn just a few feet above the ground and shooting after Feyrianth, at a slightly higher elevation. (It hardly could be surprising that he chose his friend of many turns, even if he did brush Nuoth's mind regretfully. Shame that choosing one inevitably meant rejecting the other.)

M'ta was well above the age of playing dragon on the ground with arms extended. (Not that he'd ever really been that bad.) Nevertheless, the close bond between Behruth and his rider was not something that had weakened with time by any stretch of the imagination. In many ways it had only strengthened. Of course, the brown wasn't the same dragon he'd been, either, and the eager playfulness - eccentricity, really - that had defined him was replaced by a more sedate cynicism. He was just as loving, patient and playful as ever, but when it came to his wings and Flights he found much to be embarrassed about, knowing most greens wouldn't look at him twice except out of pity and some might well be insulted that he chose to chase them at all.

Feyrianth wasn't one of these, but she'd given him no more attention than what a friend deserved, yet he could not see himself passing up her Flights. It was one of the few ways he could acknowledge their close relationship.

M'ta's behavior reflected Behruth's feelings quite clearly, the brownrider coming upon a Flight already begun and slipping around closer to Erilena than Nephele in clear indication of where his attention lay. Just as clearly, he didn't seem to be pursuing her with any real intent, lingering there at a distance and simply watching. Was there jealousy in that expression? No, probably not. Or if it was, it was subtle, and probably had more to do with the healthy males around him than anything specifically regarding Feyrianth. But there was a definite longing there that betrayed the seed of bitterness that had never quite been fully buried in the brown.

[Tashe]

It was almost too easy to keep his attention focused on the Greens, they glowed brightly in contrast to the darkened sky. His wings beat in a rhythm as he kept himself aloft, drifting away only to return again, waiting for the females to make a move. And it came in the form of Feyrianth. Maneuvering so that he began to climb after them, Ismaroth chose to fall back. If the intention seemed as though they would drop together what use was it to climb quickly? He could just as well follow their lead, let the younger ones take the fast and eager approach. Flipping his tail and closing his wings, the Brown happily dove after the two as they free fell, he made sure that in the process he didn't hit Behruth who was close on their tails. For him, the fall was shorter and perhaps smoother though not equally as fast. Breaking his decent he rolled to the side and swept low over the ground pulling up only to make a tight turn, one that brought him around to Feyrianth's left.

Gaining lift, Ismaroth rose higher than Behruth and drifted towards him so that their wings almost touched. He bobbed his head in greeting then rolled to his open side, banking so that he gathered more room between them. And of course, so he could correct his position to more accurately follow Feyrianth. Scanning the skies, he allowed himself a moment to judge who the other chasers were and where they had managed to appear after the dive. He wondered to himself as he swept through the air, how many had experienced a duel fight before.

E'rro greeted the others with nods and small waves of his fingers as the chasers began grouping together, figuring out who was going to dance with who and so forth. Behruth's was given a happier greeting with a large smile to accompany a wave, but each was short so as not to perhaps ensue jealousy. He had been in flights were that had happened. Rubbing his hands as he turned his attention fully on the two women, they had just separated though he had a feeling it would not be the last time they were at each others side. Scrunching his nose slightly as he returned her grin, E'rro obediently made his way over to Feyrianth's. Once he got close enough he extended his right hand and placed the left slightly behind his hip. "The first dance, may I?" He'd be more than happy to kick things off. He did love to dance, and knew how to as well, though he normally didn't admit it. He'd danced with Nuoth's once or twice, but now... he wanted the chance to be Feyrianth's partner.

[Sebz]

Kallandrith circled the greens in silence. There seemed not to be any imminent danger, but he did not like the fact that they were rising simltantiously, the bronze could not reconcile the idea. His tail whipped in uncertainty as Feyrianth dove towards Nuoth, but relaxed slightly as they playfully plummeted the ground, and pulled away. Neither seemed to be hurried away. He would ignore the implications of the situation for now, and instead concentrate on pleasing Feyrianth. After all, she was the real prize in his mind, and that wasn't changed by Nuoth's sudden appearance.

So she wished for them to dance, that was fine. Kallandrith understood the need to obey her wishes, defying them would surely not bode well with the rising greens. For the first time, he decided to look at the other males who had come to pay their respects to the two females. Five dragons and... one small flitter. Kallandrith snaked his way through the air towards Freyr. Hello little brother, have you come to pay respects? The dragon's tone was smooth and silky, trying to gain the little firelizards trust. If you wish, come perch on my back. It's very brave of you to chase a dragon, but Feyrianth is special, I understand why you try. Let me help you, Kallandrith was a master at worming his way into one's hearts, and he confident as he was that Freyr wouldn't detect his ulterior motives, he let out a small buldge. Perhaps the butterfly green would take notice of his actions.

He may have acquired Freyr as an accessory, but there was still that matter of a dance partner. Of the remaining dragon's, only one was anywhere near his size, making for a possible match. Sparath, shall we dance?, Kallandrith asked, wheeling towards the other bronze, brushing his wingtips against the male's flank. Motioning towards the greens who had just plummeted, he said, Anything they can do, we can do better, giving an equivalent of a draconic laugh.

C'loy kept his distance as more riders joined the small circle around the greenriders, watching as they greeted each on with a varying degree of enthusiasm. No matter, let the others bask in the beautiful green's attentions for now, because he would be the one walking away with the prize if things went his way. He nodded to each of the new comers, and shot a tentitive smile towards the greens. They wished to dance? Well he would much rather have partnered one of them, but seeing as that wasn't really an option...

In the same manner that Kallandrith approached Sparath's, C'loy glided towards Ce’thian and offered him a hand, lowering himself into a bow. “Would you like to dance,” the bronzerider murmured, pointedly keeping his back towards the greenriders. Oh yes, he wanted them, but he had time to impress them. But now was dancing time.

[Lotty]

It was an opiate for the senses, deadening the world and pulling his eyesight into narrowed, bleary, tunnel vision. He was growing numb, even as the seconds ticked by, to the bite of the cold and the edge of a sharp Fortian breeze. Maybe that was the Northern exposure taking hold of him, there was snow melting through into his woolen coat and winter wear after all. Or maybe it was his mind.. how hard did he sink his head there into the ice with that fall? Or perhaps it was another bad trip, and he'd be stuck with that age old fight, forced to wring in the amorous urges of flightlust and construct himself as far more constrained; a feral canine bound only with a recalcitrant glare. To think that it had become so easy lately - a reliable pattern - but the confusion, the fork in the road left him reeling in place and looking much more orphaned than anything.

His breath hitched and there was a hand mussing his hair, wiping him from his daze. The words pinged on some lingering sensibilities in his head, and looking up with a vaguely eased countenance mumbled something of a thank you, in so many words, saying the last human name that he would know for the flight's length, "A'emi…. bro…" He supposed he should wonder why it was that the greenrider was even there, but it didn't matter regardless. He was right on both points - nobody liked a numb ass, and one should keep their damn mental break downs to themselves.

Nobody had time to waffle over the details. After all, they were coming. One right after another, hands gazing, cooing promises of dance. The eternal pessimist hadn't checked out yet, and mulishly muttered, "Why not?" In response to the first green. He cooled for the second, recognizing the intimate familiarity and accepted the peck on the cheek despite the fact that it further cemented his status as some wayward child. He had to kick the image, and with a sigh and a bit of resolve, flicked his legs up and out to lift himself onto boot clad feet. With something more like an instinct than a concise thought he tried to float over into the crowd. Despite his best attempts at melding in quietly, K'sel's - if not Pettahth's - bias still showed in the shift towards Nuoth.

--

A soothing touch - and that was all he needed. The pair it seemed, as he glided and watched them trade moves in their intricate dance, were in-cahoots with one another, and though that did not all solve the entirety of his dilemma he was thankful enough that the most pressing matter was addressed. Even in their rising glow, they were agreeable and close friends. A couple of regular girls out on the town so to speak, and any of the males were there for the taking. The race was a misnomer, and it was never chasing so much as following and the greens called the shots. The question still was who to follow. Who… the answer was never as clear cut as usual. Since his Fey-one went to the hold he had missed out too many times on her flights… when would the opportunity arise again? Yet… Nuothfriend was his mate… his constant challenge that thrilled him much too much. He didn't want to reject anybody… he hated the sensation too much himself.

What if he could have his cake and eat it too?

Pettahth, seemingly mired in mediocrity with his nondescript ashen brown hide was anything but. His wings by now could be called tried and true, and his size was well offset by a warrior's pride that consumed him, defying the constraints of normal endurance. Most importantly however, he recognized that not matter which way you cut it, this was a greenflight, yes, despite the fact that there was two of them. He could spread his energies a little bit… a little bit… and bide his time. With a flicker of his wings he tried in earnest to shake off any residual hesitance from the beginning and pushed forward through the air after both Feyrianth and Nuoth, though he made no dramatic charges or dives. Instead he opted for efficiency, with a much more conservative route than he was accustomed to.

A moment's attention was given to the other chasers, Ismaroth getting a special nod, and the strange little bronze flit hardly escaped his observation. If the firelizard thought he could chase one green, why not he two? It was enough motivation, but regardless the brown eventually snaked out to the side, splitting from the straight and narrow path and erring along the air that fell in the wake of Nuoth. There was more room here, sitting back at a safe distance.