once upon a time (kaiusk's run)

[Zephyr]

Kaius hadn’t missed the signs, had gone through this five times already. It wasn’t quite the same as when King chased, because the salamandyr could just run off at any time with the least provocation…but since there wasn’t a gold salamandyr in the weyr, he hadn’t had to worry about it for a while. When Kaiusk got ready to run, it was much more obvious, and not only because of the brilliant glow she took on, the gold of her hide lighting up a room better than any candle. He could also tell because of the shift in her demeanor, no matter how slight. Kaiusk had always been nice to everyone, it was a wonder how she actually came from Eikask. Still, when she got ready to run, she got even nicer if that were possible, and not even to the males, like most females ready to run.

Kaiusk got nauseatingly sweet to greens, too.

Which Kaius thought was pretty weird, actually. Not that…he was any judge of what was weird.

When she’d started glowing, Kaius had gotten off of nightwatch early. He’d even dragged Sena along with him each and every night. Because, hello…hold born? Even though he’d been at the weyr for a while now, he was still vaguely uncomfortable with the idea of sleeping with someone other than his weyrmate. Of course, that probably had something to do with his family and how his father and brothers treated women like shit and how he was nothing like them and would never be and was determined to tread Sena with respect because he loved her and she deserved it.

But he chose not to psychoanalyze it, because it kinda hurt his head a little to even try.

It was like she’d been waiting for the most inconvenient time to actually run.

Kaius liked to sleep in, even if Sena didn’t. She was always awake before he was so she could visit with her aunt before she went to bed. So when Kaiusk finally rose, stretched out her length, muscles rippling under shining golden glow and padded over to nudge Kaius lightly, he wasn’t at all prepared for the rush of want that washed over him. It’s time love. She projected into his mind, like the forewarning made this any better. Though, he supposed things could be worse…if he’d gotten a gold that didn’t even warn him before she ran.

The tall boy grunted lightly, clinging to his pillow for dear life. “Could you at least let Sena know please. She needs to get over here now. Kaiusk laughed lightly, brushing her tail affectionately across her handler’s thigh before she reached out for Sena’s mind, wherever the blonde was. When she found her, she inserted a picture of Kaius writhing with the runlust into her mind, and a summons. I run, my love’s love. He would appreciate your presence in the apartment as soon as possible if it isn’t too much trouble. The gold then brushed Sena’s mind affectionately, and then Sensk’s and disappeared into the night.

She made her way out into the jungle effortlessly, even her overly long wings seeming to not bother her as she stalked out, glow trailing in her wake like the tail end of a comet. She found the males of the weyr with little problem; didn’t bother cutting any out of the message she broadcasted. Kaiusk was known for favoring browns and blues, but as Vivask had proved in the past, she wasn’t completely against choosing a bronze. Even if she hadn’t, she wouldn’t cut the bronzes out. That wouldn’t be nice, or fun.

After her summons, she hovered in a small clearing, abuzz with a restless energy that screamed at her to run…but she wanted to wait for her males. They deserved that courtesy.

~

Kaius, on the other hand, wasn’t at all at ease with this. Even though he’d been through it before, he nearly tripped in his rush to make sure there was no way any chaser could get in. He actually did fall, when he got to the door, righted himself quickly and hovered on the threshold, waiting for Sena and hoped she got home before the runlust took him over completely. She knew the drill though, even if she didn’t let him live these runs down the next morning…ever.

[Avu]

Right.

Sena hadn’t been unaware of Kaiusk getting ready to Run, because a) she lived with her and b) it was really hard to not notice the way she was glowing, regardless of which actual in the wherhandlers’ apartment you lived in, and c) Kaius was inevitably sort of (and she thought this in the most loving way possible, really) twitchy when it came to Kaiusk Running. So yeah, she’d known, but it didn’t really worry her the same it obviously did Kaius; she’d grown up in a Weyr, okay, she wasn’t planning on throwing a fit of epic proportions if Kaius slept with someone else once because of Kaiusk. Particularly since, last she checked, his sexuality was pretty much on the straight and narrow, with the exception of maybe C’loy, which still just sort of amused her a lot.

And Kallandrith wasn’t a wher, last she checked, even if it did spontaneously make her jealous.

But on the other hand, she was hardly averse to playing ‘moth for Kaius, and he was always adorably awkward about it the following nights, and Sena was just not giving up that kind of teasing material. Ever.

She was, conveniently, already on her way back to the Apartments when Kaiusk suddenly brushed against her mind and she stopped so abruptly that Sensk, who’d been snuffling contentedly at her heels, ran into her knees, and really, Sena thought a moment later from the ground, rolling her eyes affectionately at Sensk as he chirruped innocently and nosed at her cheek, only Kaiusk would be that sweet. She cupped a hand around Sensk’s jaw, pulled him in to press a kiss against the tip of his muzzle, and was promptly rewarded with a slobbery swipe of his tongue over her jaw.

“Ew,” Sena sighed, wrinkling her nose at him playfully. “Kaiusk’s Runnin’. You gonna Chase? No? Didn’t think so. S’okay, sweetheart, but I gotta go be a good weyrmate now, yeah?” She pulled herself up on Sensk’s shoulder, and obligingly picked up the pace back towards the Apartments, because knowing Kaius, he was probably not going to be so thrilled if she turned up after all the actual suitors did. In which scenario, ‘not so thrilled’ probably meant ‘slightly panicked,’ and while it was kind of endearing in its own way, coping with a Kaius who was not panicked was infinitely easier than coping with one that was, especially during Runs.

Sensk tagged along doggedly at her heels as she swept into the Apartments, paused a moment to shyly brush against Kaiusk’s mind; he’d never Chased her, but that didn’t mean he could wish her well. The unobtrusive touch faded after a moment, and the blue took off down the hall again to slip by Kaius’s legs with a quiet croon and…wormed himself under the bed, contentedly plopping his muzzle onto his forepaws. His spot. It was safe and warm and cozy, thanks much, and Sensk may or may not also be protecting Gabriel’s hoard of candy there.

“Hi,” was Sena’s cheerful announcement to Kaius, as she neatly waltzed up to him and wound her arms around his neck, fluttering her eyelashes in melodramatic seductiveness at him. “You doin’ okay so far?”

[/blockquote]

[Ruby]

"Again?" Again, Pidesk confirmed, brushing his Handler's mind gently as he nosed out the door. Piden was upstairs with Saphor and Phai tonight, but he caught the Bluerider's eye and glanced after Pidesk significantly, then rolled his eyes. Not that Piden was one to complain about Runs or anything, but Kaius was notoriously weyrmated, and as far as Piden knew no one had cracked that nut yet, which meant Piden himself would be stuck with whoever. Maybe he could catch Roi if Roisk was chasing, too. Of course, Pidesk wasn't much luckier: he prefered greens, Kaiusk preferred blues and browns, so honestly this was just a formality for both whers involved. Not that Pidesk wouldn't give his all, but Piden always felt bad for the small Bronze when Pidesk was rejected, and at least with Eikask he had a chance. Ah well, he had to do his duty as a male handler, and this was not the place.

Gathering his daughter in a brisk hug, he kissed her on the head and excused himself. "Sorry, lovely ladies, but I've got some Handler business to attend to. Red, you want to stay here?" Piden's frail green shivered a bit closer to Saphor, which he took for an affirmative. Three was in Piden's other room with Puddleglum, but he stuck his arm out for Shells, raising an eyebrow at the bronze. "No way I'm letting you stay here and teach my daughter bad words. Get on." SHELLS GOOD, no teach Fey bat tings! Neeevvvveeerr.... "You're a bad liar, Shells. On."

Piden, feeling more urgency as Pidesk searched out Kaiusk, gave Shells about two seconds of hesitation before grabbing the Bronze and bustling out the door, slamming it on accident on the way out. Running fingers through his hair to settle it, he headed straight for the apartments, rounding the corner in just a minute or two and shoving Shells into his room. Kaius was standing in his own doorway, tentatively blocking it, so Piden stopped in the hall, crossing his arms and leaning against a wall as he raised an eyebrow at the Goldhandler. "Hey, Kaius. The usual?" he asked, precisely when Sena arrived. The usual indeed. Piden let out a breath, glancing briefly towards the ceiling. He was holdbred too, and you didn't see HIM acting like an idiot around runs, now did you?

Pidesk was significantly happier than his handler. He met Kaiusk in the clearing, offering the kindly gold the sort of gentle bow that he generally gave running queens. Brushing her mind softly, he let her know how beautiful she was in full glow, then backed off to let the other males have their chance. When she was ready to run, he was ready to chase.

[Rei]

He didn’t often travel away from his home territory in the Old Selenitas Ruins. The wild wher had made a nice place for himself there. This territory was large, and even the wild bronzes hardly ever bothered him anymore. His time as resident wildling guardian of the old weyr had taught him many things. Hard not to pick up some tricks when you had worked with one of the most intelligent and violent blue’s possibly ever hatched. The tiger striped brown still sometimes moved away from his home territory to visit the whers in New Selenitas but it wasn’t often. Even then it was solely for Yosk. He was quite fond of the other green and would rip into her frail blue mate to reclaim her if the green herself didn’t seem so fond of the blue. Right shame that was really and it didn’t stop him from trying to be around when she ran in the off chance that she would pick another.

Having heavily marked his territory before he left, the male was at ease with things as he lounged in the jungle of New Selenitas. If anyone sought to take over part of what was his he had no doubts that he could easily wrest it back if needed. Or maybe he would just move here permanently. He had already taken out a pair of kymans a few moments ago and was cleaning off the bloodstains on his talons and muzzle. The creatures, in his opinion, really were not all that hard to kill if they didn’t get a jump on you. Hardly sporting prey really. He sometimes had more trouble with the encroaching felines at home. Pausing in his talon cleaning as he caught a whiff of scent the Tiger striped brown raised his head and tilted it, his maw parting slightly so he could get a better read on the scent.

Female in mating heat. The wildling remembered this particular scent. It was the young gold. He had always chased Eikask then he could. (With Dmisk’s blessing of course). Eikask’s daughter he had never tried for, mostly because he had never been around when she was in mating glow. Now however? He was around and didn’t see one reason why he should not try for her affections. Turning back to the mess he made of the kymans the scarred and stripped brown pulled the liver out of one of the mangled corpses and loped off in the direction of the scent.

The tiger stripped wildling stepped out of his cover proudly and his ragged wings flared outwards in an attempt to catch Kaiusk’s attention. Pidesk was ignored for the moment. Of course he wouldn’t forget the bronze was there but the domestic was not the one he was there for clearly. Striding forward proudly the wild male dipped his head in respect to the golden queen and dropped his gift about a wher’s length in front of her, his head remained lowered in a show of respect before he crooned softly to her and stepped back. It was an attempt to prove without words that he was more than willing to provide for her and their unborn children should he be chosen. The brown was old enough to know how to flatter and catch a female’s attention. But that didn’t mean that he was ever any less sincere. The queen could be assured that if he was picked the tiger marked wildling would perform his duties as sire admirably. No he did not love the human’s but his time at Selenitas had made him far less shy around them and he would happily put up with their presence for her.

His entrance and promise made the male straightened and stood ready for action, every muscle in his large body tense and at least part of his attention being given to the other chaser and any arriving. It would be stupid to forget them after all.

[Aftershock]

Cainsk moved carefully through the jungle undergrowth, his pale blue hide highly visible against the rich dark greenery of his surroundings. He had been informed that his golden clutchsister was Running soon, and so he had gotten permission (as it is) from His to leave Blossom Hold and make his way to Selenitas Weyr once again. He had spent some time after his arrival visiting with (and, of course, playfully teasing) his favored clutchmates who still dwelt at the Weyr (or were, like him, visiting for Kaiusk's Run), but now Kaiusk had moved out into the jungles to begin her Run, and so Cainsk had followed after, his eyes shifting to the purple swirl of Runlust.

Each step calculated to show ultimate control, Cainsk strolled out into the clearing, noting both Kaiusk and the two males who had arrived before him, though not acknowledging his fellow Chasers' presence... he was here for Kaiusk, not them. Moving towards the gold, he deposited the gift he had been carrying in his mouth... a large, though rough and uncut, chrysoberyl that he had found while mining with Cainith and kept to himself rather than turn in with the rest of the mined material. He had keeping an eye out for (and saving) a gemstone that shared the color of each of his favored clutchsiblings, and now the opportunity had arrived for him to present his Kaiusk-colored gem to the wher that made him think to steal it.

Stepping back once more, he crooned at Kaiusk, sending her an image of a golden star flying through a dark green sky, followed by a pale blue star, as well as some other colorful stars... though the pale blue star was obviously the only star in the foreground, the rest being incidental followers of the golden star that, in the end, did not matter.