Wake me up. (Onyth’s Flight)

[Rei]

Elysia tossed and turned in her furs, attempting to get back to sleep. Finally frustrated she rolled off the bed to stalk quietly across the stone floor to the bathing room. Once there she gripped the edge of the stone basin and splashed some cold water on her face. She didn’t have wing drills today so why couldn’t she sleep? Then came the grinding sound of claws against stone, reminding her of the other occupant of her weyr. A occupant that had been growing increasingly moody over the past few days. Onyth. Toweling off her face Elysia pushed herself away from the basin and made her way to the dragon side of the weyr.

Onyth was asleep but it wasn’t by any means a restful slumber. The green’s eyelids fluttered rapidly, her muscles occasionally twitching under well oiled hide. The darkness of her hide meant the pre-flight glow was less noticeable except on the electric green dorsal strip running from her nose to tail as well as the small amount of the same color that ringed her eyes. On those lighter patches the glow was very noticeable. Today then. As soon as she woke more than likely. About time really, the green had been off schedule since coming to Selenitas. Not surprising really, change messed a lot of things up. Elysia smiled before approaching her dragon and leaning down to kiss the beast’s soft muzzle. Her darling Onyth would give them all a good run she was sure.

With a final pat to the green’s head the rider made her way to her bedchambers to put something on. Really clothes were not needed, but there was something about the tearing of fabric that she really liked. Finally she settled for a sheer black nightdress that was really pointless as far as clothing went. That done she woke Baron and commanded him to stay put until she got back. He would be fine in the weyr, she had drawn some cold water for him to bathe in and a drudge would bring food later. Making one final check she exited her weyr and made for the flight rooms. It would be soon, she could feel it. In fact as soon as she entered the empty flight rooms Onyth stirred.

Lids peeled back to revel whirling lavender eyes. Rising from her couch Onyth stretched and yawned, claws dragging against stone to make a squealing sound not unlike nails on a chalkboard. With a flick of her tail she made for her ledge. Flinging her wings open the female scanned the lightening sky before launching herself into a glide and banking down to the feeding pens. Once there the green swept towards the still drowsy beasts like a vengeful shadow. Striking down the first with ease she spun and grabbed another with her hooked fore claws. She drug that one to it’s demise as well. Their death’s where swift and probably relatively painless. Her head snaked over her prey, tongue flicking against the open wounds to get the first taste of warm blood. Blood that she didn’t need but wanted.

Fastening her maw on the neck of the first beast Onyth sucked greedily, reveling in the sensation of the warm blood running down her throat. First victim drained she flung it’s body aside to pull the second close. Licking the rivulets of blood dripping from her muzzle the green caught movement out of the corner of one eye and crooned softly. Who it was she wasn’t yet sure, but she gave a greeting nonetheless. Smart he was to keep his distance. Mantling her wings and hunching over the second beast in a protective stance the dragon drained that one as well. Raising her bloodied head as she finished she crooned to her chasers. How kind of them to wait. Flinging the final beast aside as well Onyth gave a cry of challenge. Where they all ready? They better be, because now it was their turn to chase and she was not easy to please. Bunching her muscles she flung herself into the morning sky in a flurry of wing strokes. She poured on the speed as she climbed. Once she had suitable altitude the tests would begin.

Elysia sat on the bed in the middle of the room, eyes closed, as she tried to keep herself partially separated from the dragon in the sky. She never let herself get totally lost in the flight until Onyth caught. It was a safety measure. Footsteps clued her into the presence of her first chaser and she opened her eyes to give a welcoming smile. Let the games begin.

[Ember]

Ioth was restless. This was usually nothing of note for the blue was always restless, however he was more restless than usual. It had an anticipatory edge to it that the blue didn't often have. He hadn't asked to go practice flying or to go hunting for felines in the jungle. He had done nothing but sit on his ledge and stretch since he'd woken up well before the sun rose. Eventually his emotions had awoken his rider and she sat on her bed looking at him curiously. The only answer that came to mind was that a green was due to rise and that was why he was waiting. She got up and approached the blue, placing a hand on his hide to get his attention.

"Who's rising Ioth?" The blue looked down at her and suddenly his thoughts were anxious. He could only chase if both she and the green allowed him to. Usually His was the harder one to convince. It is surely Onyth's day today. May I present myself to her? Iskierka had known since the Fort attack that the green had somehow endeared herself to the blue. She wasn't sure what the green had done besides fight along side her dragon and she wasn't about to ask. She was not interested in having Ioth chase that day. She was about to say no when he added, Please?

The blue was not a manipulative dragon. The plea that normally made Iskierka grant him permission to do something was made out of desperation and had no concious thought behind it. She clenched her teeth in annoyance until she decided not to let it bother her. "Fine, you may go. You better not mope around if you don't win." The fact that she didn't automatically assume her dragon would lose was testament to how well a "please" from Ioth worked on her. She was still skeptical that he'd win but normally she just dismissed his chances outright.

Ioth had not been wrong about Onyth. As she awoke and flew down to the feeding grounds the blue stretched his wings one last time before leaping off his ledge and gliding down towards the green. He didn't approach too closely, instead he circled widely around her and watched her blood the herdbeasts. So pretty, so dangerous! At her croon he gently brushed her mind with an appeal. May I chase after you, lovely Onyth? There were many types of greens. Some hated having a a male dependant on permission in their flight. Others liked the deference he showed them. He was uncertain which category Onyth would fall into.

Iskierka took the time to pull a shirt and a pair of pants over her light blue undergarments. Ioth still needed to receive the green's permission and he never overwhelmed her with his emotions so she needn't worry about time. She checked on her salamandyr briefly.The little brat had made his bed on one of the two pillows on her bed and he refused to sleep anywhere else. He was lucky she didn't roll much in her sleep or else he could have been crushed. Rhino remained sound asleep so she strapped on her thigh sheathes and slipped the blades in them before heading out the door of her weyr.

The woman hadn't bothered to tie her hair into the usual runner tails and she brushed the foremost strands of hair behind her ears as she walked purposefully towards the flight rooms. Ioth may not overwhelm her with his lust but she was affected all the same. Besides, if Elysia proved unable to resist her green then it would be better to be where she was then have her potentially come looking for Iskierka in her own weyr. She didn't rush to the flight rooms but neither did she walk slowly. As she entered the room she realized she had still managed to be the first one there. Perhaps it was because of how early it was? She nodded at Elysia in greeting; Ioth's influence wouldn't be strong enough to induce any smiling or flirting until he'd been granted permission to join the chase.

[rii]

Not your usual preference in greens..

Saboth offered no reply as he remained aloft in the air and drifted in a lazy circle around the feeding pen – going counter clockwise so that his one good eye was always on Onyth's glowing hide. The right eye, now absent of any actual eye, had been sewn shut during healing so that the empty socket wouldn't collect any sort of dirt. All down that half of his face, neck and shoulder were an array of white flame scars; acquired during the attack from Fort but not from the enemy. The fact that it had come from a fellow wingmember had stirred an anger within Saboth that the blue had no means of expressing (as sinking his claws into Frosstyth's hide was frown upon..).

So here he was, energy focusing on the bloody green. The challenge was heard and Saboth acknowledged her cry with the bass rumble roar of an answer. Enough show. Fly fast, fly hard. Ioth went completely ignored as Saboth turned on wing tip to follow in Onyth's wake. At least she was one of the older ones, not the young ones that filled Selenitas weyr. He couldn't remember her, no, but it really didn't matter in the end if their origins were the same.

Repressing a sigh, F'lix decided it was best to unarmed himself before moving on. Saboth's lack of .. control of his ire.. was something of an alarm. The pale blue had never been friendly dragon, as least in mind, but he had never out right broadcast his hostility toward others. Shaking the troubling thoughts from his mind, F'lix re-tied his dark hair back in the short runnertail as he finished the walk to the flightroom.

Golden eyes darted over Onyth's rider, recognizing her quickly, and upon so a flicker of a smile crossed F'lix's features. Good to know some people didn't change..

[Ruby]

Others might be restless, but Futh was dead asleep. The pale blue was sprawled out on his back in his favorite sleeping position, wings and legs splayed, over-large belly protruding like a small hill and eclipsing whatever light was filtering in from the ledge. Reina was curled up precisely in the center of the blue mound, clearly claiming what was hers. As Onyth was waking, Futh's leg started twitching, kicking out at thin air as if the Blue were trying to run. Twitch, twitch. Reina's foot started moving, too, an unconscious mirror of Futh despite her regular scoldings of the Blue. The twitch moved from Futh’s legs into his tail, causing it to whip wildly, but the weyr remained quiet, all its occupants still asleep.

M'kai smiled in his sleep, sprawled carelessly on his stomach, furs kicked halfway off. Weyrling Training didn't start until long after Wing Training, so the Blueweyrling was used to sleeping much later than this, even with his morning run. Cr’oph was supposed to join him this morning- the twins had been running together two or three times a week recently, whenever their lesson and chore schedules lined up right. Both Weyrlings preferred running in the mornings, especially in this kind of heat- they could jump in the river right after, then go have a quick scrub in the baths before they had to be anywhere. Maybe M’kai was dreaming of running, but in just about a minute it wouldn’t matter.

SMACK. Still mostly asleep, Futh had struggled to his feet and hopped backwards into the weyr’s wall. Surprised awake, the Blue leapt forward with a bellow, dislodging a screeching Reina. All of the noise woke M’kai, who scrambled up and out of his bed, immediately tangling himself up in his furs. Amidst the chaos, a green shape left the ledge of a nearby weyr, catching Futh’s eye. Without even a by your leave, the Blue swept off his ledge, chattering Reina in his wake, and caught up with Onyth and the other chasers just as she finished off her second beast. “Futh? Futh! Shard it, FUUUUUTH!” M’kai called, the last shout echoing through the Weyr’s canyon, no doubt waking other riders and dragons. Oops.

M’kai quickly gave up the losing battle against flightlust, knowing when he was beaten. Caught off-guard and half asleep, he had no chance. Good thing he slept in his clout. Gathering one of the furs around his shoulders, he headed for the flightrooms, sending a mental tirade in Futh’s direction. Onyth, Futh said, then offered an image of the Rider and the name Elysia. M’kai’s mental mouth gaped- he recognized her. Elysia wasn’t anyone he’d actually spoken to, but she was absolutely 100% better than K’lir, even without the incredibly uncomfortable addition of R’ahre. This was a flight M’kai would enjoy, he could tell. Allowing the fur to slide down off his shoulders, he entered the flightroom, eyes already fixed on Elysia.

Futh touched down only long enough to get a good push off the ground, tailing Onyth into the air.

[Rei]

Onyth felt the wind whistling past her and did a swift barrel roll before evening out to get a look at her chasers. Three and all blue. She gave a happy croon. Oh very pleased was she with her choices. The soft mental brush against her mind was surprising and she faltered for a stroke or two. Ioth? Rumbling she brushed against this mind as well. Feather light the touch was. The green wasn’t one for speaking in her flights but he seemed to want permission to pursue. That touched her somehow. No one had ever asked her for permission for anything before. Of course you may Ioth. Silly thing you better hurry or I will leave you behind. That done she considered her other two chasers.

Saboth and Futh. The former she recognized or rather her other half did. The latter was unknown and young. He had more to prove than anyone. If he couldn’t keep up she would leave him behind. There would be no concessions for him even if he was young.

Initial impressions done Onyth suddenly swung around back towards her chasers. Time to see what they where capable of. Speeding past Saboth she corkscrewed around Futh before tucking her wings and plummeting downwards. Not to far mind you, just far enough to keep her lovely males guessing. Opening one wing she suddenly jerked around in a turn and then straightened her flight. Checking back to see their reactions she noted them before climbing swiftly again. Her climb wasn’t straight however. It was punctuated with twists and turns. If they wanted to be contenders they had to show her that they to could perform in her aerial ballet. Finally she broke into cloud cover and used it as a playground, twirling through it before breaking out into clear air again. Had she lost anyone?

Elysia actually purred as her first chaser entered. Just a nod? How boring was that? Maybe she just needed and invitation? No need to be so rigid. This was time to play, she needed to loosen up~. Iskierka was perhaps saved by the entrance of her next chaser. Dark eyes met golden and a genuine smile flitted across her feature. F’lix! Oh she remembered him. Silly boy. This was where he had disappeared to? She briefly wondered if he was as standoffish as she remembered. Pushing herself off the bed she flitted towards her chasers just as the third entered. His appraisal of her won her approval. Yes that was what she wanted. Smart man.

To reward the boy she drew closer and drew a finger down his chin. Tilting is head up she crooned softly before spinning away and towards F’lix. She put and arm around him and drew him close pressing her body shamelessly against him in a way that would make some people blush. “Darling F’lix it has been too long since I have seen you last. You needn’t be so reserved darling.” She whispered in his ear before suddenly shoving him back to stalk towards Iskierka.

Circling her much like a feline considering the right way to pounce, she purred. “Love you needn’t be so uptight. Loosen up.” Striding forward she actually grabbed the woman’s backside and squeezed before dancing away. Come now loves, this was the fun part. The play before the action. No need to fight it so. Watching her chasers from beneath long lashes she made a come hither gesture to Iskierka, perhaps solely to see the woman’s reaction. Who could really tell?

[Ember]

Ioth had followed Onyth upwards, though he reserved himself until she gave him permission. If she did allow him in her flight he didn't want to be left behind. He was perhaps slightly pessimistic so he was pleasantly surprised when the green brushed his mind and told him that he may chase. Oh how grand! As he put on a small burst of speed to gain what he would have had he took a moment to examine the other two blues chasing after his Onyth. One was recognized through His and the other he knew was a youngling. He remembered Onyth well enough on his own. He concluded he was the oldest present. Interesting.

Ioth was at a slight advantage when Onyth dived down a bit. She had just put herself closer to him than the other males. He was well practiced in the air and so he was quite agile in the air. He was also a small blue, though he had a long, whippy body. This made him almost on par with greens. He twisted downwards and followed her dive until she turned and broke it off. He flared his wings when he saw what she'd done and took a purposefully wider turn than her on his side to fully display his length to her. Along his mottled body there were many battle scars, even a couple recent ones from the Fort attack. The message? He was an experienced blue.

He pulled out of his turn and climbed after her. He watched her many tricks with admiration. He even matched some of them with his own quick loops and spins but he was reserving his energy so that he could last the flight. She broke into the clouds and he didn't hesitiate to follow her. He watched the movement of the cloud matter to see where she had gone and he appeared from the cloud in almost exactly the same place as Onyth. He crooned to her pleasantly. He was still here~

Iskierka felt Ioth's lust wash over her suddenly as he was given full permission to be a part of Onyth's flight. It was unusually strong and she made a low, thoughtful sound in the back of her throat. The flight was getting more interesting. She looked over at the other two chasers and was surprised to learn she recognized one of them. She'd long since assumed he was dead, but it seemed F'lix had come to Selenitas weyr. She was beginning to wonder how many had actually defected to Selenitas from Benden. The other rider she didn't recognize and didn't care to.

The bluerider watched idly as the greenrider flirted with the other two and was more than happy to be left alone. She didn't need any more encouragement to partake in such activities. Elysia seemed to have other thoughts though. Iskierka watched her circling before she was groped. She let out a low growl that was a mix of annoyance and...was that playfulness? She noticed the gesture and Iskierka gave in. Fine. Between Ioth and Elysia she would end up with little choice in the end. She'd prefer it be her own choice to join in. Iskierka approached Elysia with a gentle sway to her hips that she normally kept out of her walking.

[rii]

As Onyth turned back toward him, Saboth felt the desire to flip around with her and try and catch her right there in then to end the chase – much to her displeasure. Alas, he had energy to expend and Onyth looked to be willing to push them to the limits. He growled appreciatively to her as she passed, folding in one wing to make a sharp turn after her glowing hide.

With passion he pursued her, each sweep of his long wings strong to keep up with her impressive speed. He weaved around Futh in opposite spin of wings in hopes of disorienting the young blue in being left behind. The pale Benden dragon didn't way to see the result of his actions, merely tightly tucking his wings to his slender body and dropping down after Onyth.

He pulled out of the sharp dive beneath her zig-zagging path, unable to match every twist and turn of her path, but putting enough zeal into each move to show her he was in the chase entirely. Aside which, he didn't want to tire himself out before she slowed and chose her suitor. Skimming the bottom mist of the clouds, Saboth opted to remain out the disorienting haze that would blind what sight he still possessed. He waited until she showed herself before making his move..

Putting his large wings to use, Saboth slipped up into the clouds and powered forward through the gray mist. Timing his speed and where he had last seen the green and Ioth – that blue was too close to her – Saboth sharply cut out of the gloom to cut between Ioth and Onyth. His move closer to Ioth to swipe his long tail at the other blue and let the other's experience help him avoid being smacked.

"I'm flattered, Elysia, you remember my name," He purred back at her playful demeanor. His hands were kept to himself as she pressed against him, and the only outwardly reaction were his golden eyes half-lidding in a challenging amusement. As she pushed, F'lix grabbed her elbow not to halt her movements, but to use the brace to swing himself around and keep his balance from her rough action.

F'lix let out a low growl, amused as she slipped away from his touch and Saboth's influence trickle more strongly into his mind. His eyes following her smooth motions as she teased the other chasers. Something of a dark beauty, she was, and F'lix didn't wait for an invitation before pursuing. Circling around her, F'lix gave her a chance to beckon her other chasers before he snaked around in front of her, not one to be ignored over the other two.

[Ruby]

Had Futh been a less magnanimous dragon, he would have been angry. Onyth's corkscrew could be considered playful, even flirtatious, but Saboth's was just unnecessary. Just because Futh was younger and bigger didn't mean he was worth any less! Luckily, though, Futh wasn't a fighter, and he didn't get upset. The Blue simply steeled himself. Baoth and Nuoth were both challenging in their own ways (although with a Dragon's typical poor memory, Futh had already forgotten the specifics), but from what he could see, Onyth was a different story. An experienced green, and he was up against two much older blues. This would be a very different flight, that was for sure.

So, instead of flipping over, already behind, and sticking with the pack only to be overlooked because he wasn't as agile as the other two (which he certainly wasn't), Futh... kept going. That's right, he kept flying, away from where Onyth twisted down before spinning up into the sky, trying to throw her chasers off with her unmatchable spins and turns. Instead of watching Saboth and Ioth from behind, striving to reach their tail tips before he could even think of Onyth's and losing ground with each trick, Futh made a wide, banking turn so he could keep the rest of them in sight, and found a thermal.

If there was something Futh had learned from his previous flights, it was that greens always went for the clouds, and Futh was not a fast climber. Dropping he could do, but climbing took a long time. So while Ioth and Saboth followed Onyth turn for turn, Futh swirled up towards the clouds, using the thermal's inherent rotation to help compensate for his lack of agility and spin him in a corkscrew through the clouds. Because he hadn't wasted time with dipping and tricks, he broke through the clouds even with Ioth, but on the far side of Onyth. He wasn't directly in her path, but he was in her line of sight, and more importantly he was still in contention. Dipping back into the clouds for a moment, he cocked his wingsails so that the grey mist trailed out behind him, leaving a streak in his wake as he shot after Onyth.

M'kai was doing a little better than his dragon, he thought, and their bond was so open that that confidence, in turn, gave Futh strength. The other chasers were ignored, M'kai literally had eyes only for Elysia. Shards, it was rare enough these days that he was in a room with only one woman (Iskierka didn't count, in this situation) much less one dressed like Elysia was. It would have taken Iskierka dancing with no clothes on to distract M'kai at this point, and F'lix certainly didn't have a chance. He drank her in, leaning into her touch and allowing his eyes to flutter closed, humming slightly.

And then she left. M'kai let her go with a sigh, aware that he couldn't hold her unless she wanted it. His eyes still followed her every movement, his long form in the now-customary ready stance he would have expected from a Cr'oph prepared to fight. Quick steps on the balls of his feet kept M'kai in Elysia's range without crowding, making it clear that he was hers to command. For now, at least.

[Rei]

As Ioth exploded out from the cloud to her left Onyth gave an answering croon. Oh it seemed that she had been found. Silly male did he…further thoughts where thrown from her head as a second blue body thrust itself in the space between them. Saboth. There was the unmistakable thwap of a tail strike. A bit of violence wasn’t frowned upon as long as they did not take it too far or show it towards her. Still in an effort to prevent such further behavior she snarled at both.

Rumbling the green twisted around just in time to see Futh heading for her. To crowded. With a flip of her tail the dragon did a neat little flip before tucking her wings and plummeting back through the cloud. Hopefully Futh could stop before he accidentally collided with the other two. If not it wasn’t her problem anymore.

With any luck she would throw them off a tad with her sudden drop.
Instead of dropping too far she merely waited until she was just under the cover of clouds before turning to the right and speeding off underneath them. With any luck her males would fall a bit further than her, again giving her the advantage of altitude. If not she would just have to outrun them before climbing again. Either way Onyth was confident.

Flicking her gaze upwards the green soon discovered she had run out of cloud cover. No matter. Barrel rolling she angled upwards putting quite a bit of effort into climbing fast and hard. For a few moments she just concentrated on climbing, offering her chasers not so much as a backwards glance. Then she twisted neatly and leveled out. Her flight path became a bit erratic as she began another series of loops and circles. Come dance pretty blues. She called back tantalizingly to them. This was their last chance to impress her and they had better show a little flare.

Elysia opened her arms in an invitation to Iskierka as she approached, noting the subtle swing of hips no doubt added just for her. Truly she was a bit surprised that the woman accepted her invitation. A wicked grin lit her features. Then promptly there was another figure blocking the way. The greenrider growled playfully. F’lix. It was amusing to Elysia how unconsciously they where all mirroring their own dragons.

Dear F’lix. Did he feel left out? Oh no need for that. With a toss of her head she stalked towards him in much the way he stalked towards her and brushed herself against him. Before he could reach out to grab her the greenrider pivoted back to Iskierka and ran her fingertips lightly up the woman’s back. She didn’t linger there long either dancing over to M’kai to wrap her arms around him from behind. Pressing into his back she smoothed her fingers over his chest and crooned softly into his ear. “Now darling you needn’t keep such distance.” Suddenly she pushed him from behind towards F’lix. He would have to think fast to avoid crashing into the other rider. No one said she always played nice.

Backing up towards the bed her dark eyes flitted from chaser to chaser examining them in much the way Onyth was currently considering her own dancers.

[Ember]

Ioth was wholly surprised to have Saboth direct any attention on him at all. Why should another blue get angry at him when there was such a beautiful green in the skies with them? He wasn't about to sacrifice his good position to avoid a mere tail whack and perhaps if the other blue got some anger out of his system he would pay attention to the one who was actually important. The older blue twisted slightly so that the blow landed on the back of his neck rather than on his face. Involuntarily a hiss escaped him, mostly out of annoyance than pain.

Onyth made her opinion clear and he doubted Saboth would make another attempt to injure him. If he did he'd be very disrespectful to the green. Ioth watched with mild surprise as Onyth dropped again and he twisted to follow her. He noticed Futh's bulk rather close and he was forced to take climb up before he could go down. More time consuming but remaining in the flight was the most important detail. The herdbeast blood was evidentally doing Onyth good, for she seemed to still have quite a bit of energy.

The blue slipped under the cloud cover and noticed Onyth before he had fallen too far. She was higher than him but it didn't matter too much in the long run. He rose to match her level and enjoyed the easy straight flying for as long as it lasted, despite the speed with which he had to move to keep up.The clouds above them disappeared and suddenly Onyth was going up swiftly. Ioth was willing to bank on the fact that she would choose someone soon and so he threw a great deal of the energy he'd been reserving into his climb as well.

Onyth began to dance across the skies and he performed his own tricks. One of his better tricks was displayed for her, along with a couple of other basic ones. He performed a normal loop before flipping onto his back and doing another one, then another followed during which he twisted during the loop to end up upright. It took quite a bit of energy and lots of practice to be able to do three loops in rather quick succession. His didn't really approve of the maneouvre as it wasn't really practical for combat but he still liked it. Ioth hoped Onyth liked it as well.

Contrary to popular belief, Iskierka did have emotions and she did occasionally feel willing to play a little during flights. It was rare though, and it needed Ioth to open her up to the idea. She was somewhat dreading what would happen to her when Rhino chased. His emotions effected her more that Ioth's did and the idea of losing control did not appeal to her. At all. She was saved from having to figure what to do when she got to Elysia when F'lix cut her off.

The bluerider's eyes narrowed slightly as annoyance from Ioth crossed over the bond along with a sting of pain. Oh? F'lix wanted to get all the attention, hm? She let him have his moment. She didn't care to compete that way. Even if Ioth had felt the need to challenge Saboth, Iskierka wouldn't have been influenced enough to be all that troubled. Elysia played with F'lix for a moment before coming over to her. Figer's trailed up her back and then the greenrider was gone. She watched the other Benden woman shove the weyrling boy at F'lix and barely supressed an amused smirk. This was an interesting flight.

[rii]

Saboth's lips pulled back to briefly flash teeth before he was snapping his wings shut, twisting sharply off to the side to avoid both Ioth and Futh before dropping through the mist in pursuit of the green. And – no, where did she go. Saboth leveled his flight and swung his head to and fro to take in a full view of the skies (at a clear disadvantage in sight, a reason why he tried following her winding path so closely). Where, where..

There.

At least being small in body and having long wings made it easier to climb back up into the sky. Still Saboth felt the strain begin to pull on his muscles, but the sensation only fueled him to press harder. Part of him had to prove it to himself that he could still manage this despite his injury. He refused to allow it to hinder him. He was just as good, better even than the other blues that lack anything more than a hopeful enthusiasm.

While the other two busied themselves with a show of tricks, Saboth closed the distance to the green that had sped away from him. It was a dance, and he wasn't here to solo an aerial ballet. That pale Benden blue relaxed as he neared Onyth, even giving her a playful croon as he spread his wing and made a loop around her glowing form. A beauty like her need not dance alone any longer. Flipping on his back beneath her, Saboth briefly matched her speed, swaying side to side before the position dragged at his wings, the air resistance slowing his momentum down..

Golden eyes remained slitted, watching Elysia's form as she flitted across the room. He was never far behind, a near predatory stalk to his step as he slowly pursued – biding his time before the opportune pounce. An actual growl sounded as M'kais' form came at him. His hand shot out, catching the other male's shoulder – but not to slow him. Oh no, F'lix stepped forward into the rush, pivot around and shoving M'kai over his extended leg and side of hip in attempt to throw the young blue to the floor.

Enough of this play. F'lix stepped around M'kai's form and made a more noticable stalk for Elysia.

[Ruby]

Onyth disappeared into the clouds, and suddenly all Futh saw was Ioth and Saboth. Not who he wanted to see at all. As Ioth went up and Saboth went off to one side, Futh went... well, down, sillies! It was very nice of them to clear the way, even though Futh couldn't figure out the reasoning behind it. Dropping through the clouds like a stone, he flicked his wings out as soon as he spotted Onyth again, dropping a few more feet before his average-sized wings took on his over-average form. Canting one wingsail to give himself a little twist, he streaked off after Onyth, climbing with all the determination he possessed.

He could see Ioth out of the corner of his eye, also focusing on the climb before straightening out and launching into tricks Futh knew he could never match. Still, the Blue had been practicing- he knew, now, that if he ever flew against Thread or other Dragons, tricks could very well save his life. So he spun sideways and turned on a wingtip, taking a full 360 degree turn before spinning back into his slow barrel roll, seeking to make up ground lost to the trick. Then he tucked himself into a mid-air somersault, using his smaller wings and bulk to shoot himself forward before he started to loose altitude. He only allowed himself to fall a length or two before snapping his wings out again and straightening (after the signature few foot drop that always accompanied Futh getting out of a fall of any kind).

Saboth was right there, now, and Ioth not far behind, but Futh knew that this was one flight that wouldn't end in a premature catch. Onyth was too good for that, too agile. In fact, he was surprised that she let Saboth get so close, although the skinny Benden blue seemed to be polite about it, at least. Futh approved, and trilled a little- this was a good Flight, no matter the winner. Good flights made him happy, always. A good-humored loop made him work hard to catch up again, but stamina was never a problem for Futh. Sure, he'd never match a brown, but he'd also keep going until he died, if someone told him to. And Onyth was telling him to.

When the green wrapped her arms around him, M'kai had to catch his breath. He thought he'd been forgotten, but of course not. "I won't," he murmured in her direction, so the push caught him off guard. He'd been ready to stay there in her arms for days. With flightlust in him, though, training came back. This was a fight, after all, and whether or not he needed his skills often at Selenitas, they hadn't gone away. So no stumble, and no crash. M'kai was ready to pivot around F'lix when he felt a hand on his shoulder. While M'kai's brain was busy going "whaaaa?", his body was already moving. Time to prepare, tuck his head, and yes, there was F'lix's hip, the momentum, the floor.

M'kai tucked into a roll and came up on one knee, one fist planted on the floor. Cr'oph would have been proud, but M'kai didn't care. He realized now that he knew F'lix- Felix, a boy just a year older who Impressed at the first clutch M'kai and Cr'oph stood for. When M'kai and Cr'oph failed to impress, year after year, it was Felix that their teachers had held up as an example. Of course, there was no reason for F'lix to remember to two redheaded twins, but you never knew. Shards. At least R'ahre had had a reason to keep his mouth shut about a Benden upbringing, although now that all three of them had impressed, it wasn't as big a worry. Shaking red hair out of his face, M'kai got up and headed for Elysia, refusing to let F'lix distract him from the flight. And refusing to lose to the Bluerider once again.

[Rei]

Onyth watched with amusement as her chasers went to various lengths to impress her. Ioth was very good at the flips and loops. Quite impressive, especially the last trick, and she crooned in appreciation. Good blue. Futh earned a amused look. Despite his obvious disadvantages he was doing better than she expected. Not the most aerodynamic blue she had met by a long shot. But he had his charms. His persistence impressed her more than anything. Yes she would allow him to stay until the end. All that left was Saboth. Darling Saboth. Despite his injury he still commanded the skies. His ability to judge distance had not suffered apparently and his speed was very impressive. He had even caught up to her which was no small feat. The dark green was impressed. The question remained however. Which one of her wonderful blues did she want?

Elysia watched in amusement as F’lix preformed his little trick and neatly flipped the chubby blue. No that wasn’t right. The red head, he flipped the red head. The lines between dragon and rider where starting to blur, which told her that Onyth was starting to strongly consider a suitor. The flight would be ending soon. Pity she wanted to play a bit more. Dark eyes again met golden, noting the predatory gleam in them. Purring Elysia stalked forward as well deliberately tempting him to make a move. For the moment M’kai and Iskierka where forgotten. Silly blue thought to challenge her?

In the sky above Onyth faltered for a moment, her wing muscle twitching in slight pain. Hissing in annoyance at it she pushed herself a bit harder and started a barrel roll only to find herself drawn to the blue figure below her. Of course. How silly of her. She needed a partner to complete this dance. Reaching out Onyth locked claws with Saboth before pulling him close violently. She was tired, tired of flying alone. She needed a partner and he was her choice. Crooning she tucked her wings and fell against him twining neck and tail closely with his. Her impressive partner would not let them fall.

Halfway to F’lix the feral smile on Elysia’s face changed slightly and she ran the last few strides towards the blue. Literally leaping onto him, she wrapped her legs around his waist and placed her hands on his shoulders. Growling she bit his bottom lip before taking it into her mouth and sucking on it. Her partner. She would show him the right way to complete their dance. Growling low in her throat the greenrider tightened her grip on his midsection. He had better not let her fall.