Avu
Weyrleader Ce'thian Rider A'emi Handler Sena Harper Matteo Weyrbrat Riaren
Posts: 2,439
|
Post by Avu on Feb 7, 2009 12:29:44 GMT -5
It was time.
The small gold fire lizard had been curled up, sleeping soundly on the ledge; it was just past dawn, and the Weyr was still stirring, so that Zesa was asleep was not, in itself, at all disturbing. However, what was disturbing was the brilliant golden glow that emanated from the queen's hide. She was bright, normally, yes, but not this bright, this brilliant. The glow meant only one thing, and Meira had been dreading it - her second Flight. Not that her first had been too bad - as long as she kept her mind away from the flitter's, it hadn't been particularly horrible, but - she was feeling more than a bit depressed; did Zesa have to Rise, so soon after Aslath's passing - ? But instinct, desire, and nature could not be suppressed, and she was certain that when the queen woke, she would Fly - and Meira fully intended to be asleep when it happened.
However, Zesa didn't wait for sleep to overcome Hers when her eyes opened, sudden hunger - a hunger to soar, to play on the currents and taunt those who followed - gripped the golden fire lizard. Her neck snaked up, violet hues overtaking her eyes and presenting a striking contrast to the bright, vivid glowing gold of her hide as she threw back her head in a sharp cry of defiance to the sun that dared try to outshine her. Eyes narrowing, the queen's head whipped around, scanning the room behind her - she had been perched on the ledge of the roof, and could see the horror in Hers' eyes, but even that couldn't stop her. This was the time, and she was going to take it and outwit and outpace every single other fire lizard in this Weyr - and maybe even the jungle ones - until she decided to play a different game. For she was the queen now, the only queen that they should obey.
Nostrils flaring slightly as she sprang into the air, snaking her head around to call defiance at the stifling quarters in which Hers was perched, Zesa swiftly shot into the air, swinging on a wingtip to examine to the Weyr she had left behind her. As she did so, she was briefly silhouetted in the sun, and with a hiss of displeasure, the queen shot higher still, until it would seemed from the perspective of those below her that she was indeed higher than the sun, floating on the wind as her defiant calls turned into demands. She wanted Chasers, wanted males struggling and failing to prove their prowess against her, bronzes and browns to be putting themselves forward to do her bidding, wanting to do her bidding, begging to do it! Zesa snuck a quick look around, searching for her bronze and brown suitors. Where were they? She was outshining the sun, calling for them, waiting for them. They should be here!
This wouldn't be the short Flight that had occured last time. Last time, she had flown as hard as she could, but she had been young and incapable, and this time there would be no faltering. No, there would only be a dance, a primal dance, in which these males - where were they? - would seek to impress her, until she chose her dance partner for the day.
((I'm sorry it sucks, but I just wanted to get it up~))
|
|
Kisha-Ra
Rider Mo?rya Rider Darya Rider K?fuzzi Rider J?on Handler Vivano Handler Yoalla
Happier'n a pig in mud ABOUT WHERBABIES!
Posts: 1,109
|
Post by Kisha-Ra on Feb 7, 2009 17:23:07 GMT -5
Almost time…
Imp perched on a tree branch, his long tail twitching slightly, his body tense, the sneaky little bronze had his eye on Zesa ever since the firelizard began to glow, discreetly of course. He was no flitter true, and had yet to win even a green flight, but he was determined to be first on the scene when this gold Rose. No amount of failures would ever make the salamandyr give up on his beautiful firelizard females, and winning a flight would never make him faithful either, he was just too good for only one female.
Time! Imp sprinted along his branch and hurled himself into the air, angling his wings to soar on the breeze while his neck whipped around, looking for his lovely gold. There she was, already high above him and getting higher yet, he would need to be very clever indeed to catch this queen. Imp angled himself into the nearest updraft and spread his wings as far as they would stretch to get the maximum lift for the minimum effort, he didn’t want to exhaust himself this early. I come! I chase pretty one! Imp called as he rose above the Weyr on his updraft, letting her know she had a devoted chaser ready to do her bidding.
Darya stirred restlessly in her furs, twitching in her tangled dreams. Suddenly the bluerider sat up with an inarticulate cry, comprised mostly of rage. By the sudden flush of heat through her veins and the kind of dream she’d woken from she could conclude pretty much instantly that Imp was out chasing some flitter again. He never won, Darya thought with frustration, and he never gave up. It was so sharding embarrassing, and frustrating, and infuriating. At least the drudges were learning to knock before they came into her weyr…
|
|
Rei
Administrator
Rider Cr'oph Rider Er'ani Rider Elysia Rider/Healer Erilena Wherhandler Sydney Holdbrat Emitre Holdbrat Dileina Weyrbrat Elias Weyrbrat Terilyn
Woooo~ I am a fox!
Posts: 3,021
|
Post by Rei on Feb 8, 2009 12:04:26 GMT -5
The wild bronze lifted his head from his meal of wherrie eggs. The queens call was greater than his hunger and his eyes immediately switched from red to a deep violet hue. The bronze explodes from the undergrowth and winged towards Zesa crooning to her as he caught an updraft and spiraled around her.
Yes she was very pretty. Worth chasing. He purred deep in his throat and gave a hiss to the strange bronze creature that suddenly appeared. What was that? It was unlike any flitter he had ever seen. No matter let the odd thing chase. A queen such as this would never choose the likes of it. He fell in place behind her concentrating on her great golden form. Such beauty.
|
|
Avu
Weyrleader Ce'thian Rider A'emi Handler Sena Harper Matteo Weyrbrat Riaren
Posts: 2,439
|
Post by Avu on Feb 8, 2009 13:12:50 GMT -5
((Feel free to pop in late; Zesa wants more Chasers, and people without bronzes and browns, feel free to join as a wildling like Rei did. <3))
Zesa opened her mouth in another call, the sound ringing across the Weyr, carried by the wind as her soprano tones sounded sharply. They had to come, these silly flitters - bronzes and browns; they had to come to Chase her and to win her. How could they possibly, if they didn't attend to her the few times that she did call? Silly. She wanted to dance with them, wanted to spiral and twirl and play with them, and they weren't here for her! The queen hovered on the wind, and backflipped, idly, in a show of exuberance. Slender, golden wings snapped open to catch her, and Zesa spun, her keen glance spinning around the skies, searching for bronze and brown forms in pursuit. None? None? Distress was replaced by irritation, and - oh!
She faltered in her wingbeats in surprise as her gleaming, violet, jewel-faceted eyes snagged on a small form, distinctly bronze, but with odd, far too small wings. A 'mandyr? A Salamandyr! Yes, it was; this was emphasized by the sound of its voice in her mind; I come! I chase pretty one! Zesa blinked, surprised, and uttering a curious fluting croon. Why was a 'mandyr flying in pursuit of her? It was simply off; 'mandyrs were small, far too small, to have the endurance of a flitter, surely? And how could he hope to fly, with wings as small as he had - ? It was - just strange. However, he had been first to answer her call, and he thought himself capable of dancing with her, so dance with her he could. She would allow it; though Zesa was not particularly fond of 'mandyrs, this one was a nice one, a pretty, shiny one!
And here, another one! Her eyes glowed triumphantly at the sight of the wild bronze bursting from the jungle, and Zesa flared her wings as he spiraled around her, arching her neck proudly. Even if the Weyr-bronzes didn't deign to come when she called, she had two lovely Chasers all to herself nonetheless, a strange little one and a wild bronze. Very good! But wait! The wild bronze shouldn't hiss at her other suitor, no. Strange he may be, small and odd-looking, but she was the leader of this dance, and she was the only one who could hiss and be picky among them. Zesa hissed back at the bronze in warning. No fighting! This was her Flight and if he wanted to pick a fight in it, she simply wouldn't stand for it. And, simply because she could, and to make her point, she crooned encouragingly to the bronze 'mandyr who was on his way up.
The queen waited, hovering briefly, while he ascended, and then the surge of adrenaline, of hunger to fly, overwhelmed her and she fell into a headlong, nearly vertical dive towards the jungle, the branches waiting to tangle unsuspecting wings. Here was the ultimate obstacle course, designed to catch out the unlikelies and let only the best through, and here Zesa would fly. Naturally, she would have to leave the jungle near the end, so as to choose her dance partner, but for now, the jungle would host the dance. The queen dropped among the branches, twirling and throwing back her head to make sure her Chasers had made it this far, calling enticingly. They mustn't be frightened off because of the jungle, or there would be absolutely no way she would ever choose them. Naturally, the wild bronze would have the advantage of being in his home setting, but that didn't register on the queen.
Zesa wove through the trees at breakneck speed, her wings outstretched, body taut with excitement as she slipped through the smallest openings she could find, whipping around huge trees. After a distance, she abruptly doubled back among the males, shooting between them with a delighted crow and then, flaring her wings, shot vertically upwards among the thick leaves of the trees, bursting into the open and then turning on one wing, heading towards the Falls. The jungle was a lovely place, the queen decided, but it wore her down too quickly and besides, she could never get a good look at her pursuers. So, to the Falls it was...
|
|
Rei
Administrator
Rider Cr'oph Rider Er'ani Rider Elysia Rider/Healer Erilena Wherhandler Sydney Holdbrat Emitre Holdbrat Dileina Weyrbrat Elias Weyrbrat Terilyn
Woooo~ I am a fox!
Posts: 3,021
|
Post by Rei on Feb 8, 2009 14:22:11 GMT -5
The wild bronze gave a soft croon of apology to his lovely queen. If she deemed the odd one worthy of chasing it was not his place to interferer. He shot into the jungle after her dipping and weaving through the vines and the underbrush. He obediently followed her through the smallest of openings, the bronze knew this stretch of jungle well. He lived close to the weyr where he could dine on wherrie chicks and eggs. The wherries ate from refuse piles and so were more plentiful here than deeper in the jungle.
The bronze wove with Zesa, keeping her glowing golden form close enough, but also keeping a respectful distance. This was her dance he was merely the follower. He crooned low to her as she shot past. Such speed she had. It only made her more desirable and he gave a bugle before doubling back and shooting out of the trees after her. Catching an updraft on their way to the falls, he let it carry him for a bit decorating his flight with rolls and twists for her benefit.
|
|
|
Post by antinanco on Feb 8, 2009 16:01:21 GMT -5
((*salutes* Yes ma'am, Avu ma'am!))
Another feral bronze figure burst from the canopy behind Zesa as she exited the leafy maze. This was not the same one as before, though. No, this flitter was much, much smaller than his jungle brethren, almost mistaken for a brown if not for his brilliant amber hue. The life of a free flitter was evident on his scared hide with marks crisscrossing at haphazard angles across his slender figure, but his color still shone in the glory of the rising sun. Though he was small and scarred, he was bronze! He was certain it was his destiny to take the queen and voiced his opinion through a deep-throated trumpet, challenging the others to disagree.
Now, as he pumped his tense wings to catch up with the other suitors, the bronze softly creeled to the queen, apologizing from the depths of his lust-filled heart that he had been late. He had been slumbering deep, deep within the jungle, far enough that his life was one of solitude. In fact, he had never even seen a human, but his queen’s call had coaxed him from his hermit ways. Only for his queen! As they neared the Falls he let loose another brassy bugle, expressing his joy, his excitement, his confidence, and, most importantly, his desire.
This bronze was a noisy one, that was for sure. The only question was would the golden beauty notice him and appreciate his vocal skills? Or would she reject him as an obnoxious runt? Either way, his body barrel-rolled into place behind the mutated ‘mandyr, snapping his wings taunt to stop his sideways spiral directly in the thing's draft. If he had not been completely enveloped in flight-lust, the bronze would have certainly tried eating the bronze ‘mandyr. One less competitor, after all. Subconsciously the fire lizard began drooling out of the corner of his mouth, but whether it was from hunger or yearning, it was uncertain.
[/font]
|
|
|
Post by hseru on Feb 8, 2009 16:14:57 GMT -5
What's this? An unknown queen was rising?
A small, wild brown flitt missing half his tail raised his scarred, triangular head, peering into the skies in the direction the wild cries of summoning were coming from. He spotted her after a moment of searching, a bright spark of brilliant fire in the sky, and his instincts to follow began to grow. She was such a lovely gold! She approached his location, and it was as if she was asking him to join her personally when she dove straight down towards his fair's territory. His heart leapt in joy, and he jumped from branch to branch, angling in on the spot she seemed to be heading for, quick flights from longer distances closing the gap until he finally caught sight of her flashing in and out of the trees.
The small brown officially joined in on the chase then, leaping from a particularly high branch to angle down towards the glittering queen and gain some speed to follow effectively. He only partially realized that he was not alone, but then, he was certain there were many who would wish to join in the chase for this queen. He would merely have to outshine them!
Weaving between trunks and over and under thick branches, the small brown followed the gold's breakneck speeds as close as he could, warbling to her all the while. She was the most beautiful gold he'd ever seen! He would outperform all the bronzes who shadowed her, just for her sake. She should have the strongest, most agile male, and he would be it!
When she threw herself backwards, he zoomed past for a second before completing a quick wingover, darting close to the bronzes in his attempts to follow, though he subconsciously avoided the salamandyr. His aversion proved unknowingly helpful, as he dodged upwards to avoid the creature nearly at the same time the wonderful queen arrowed sky high, and he was able to follow with little trouble as she headed for the falls. He crooned to her, congratulating her cleverness and wisdom in being so unpredictable. He would prove himself though, and he flew a quick horizontal loop without loosing stride, still fresh to the chase.
|
|
Kisha-Ra
Rider Mo?rya Rider Darya Rider K?fuzzi Rider J?on Handler Vivano Handler Yoalla
Happier'n a pig in mud ABOUT WHERBABIES!
Posts: 1,109
|
Post by Kisha-Ra on Feb 8, 2009 16:52:58 GMT -5
Imp trilled happily, using his voice to express pleasure rather than his mind. She had noticed him! True it wasn’t exactly the admiration he hoped for but she didn’t deride his efforts. For a moment, one brief moment he was alone in the sky with Zesa, then a winged bronze burst out of the jungle and upward with a speed that Imp envied.
He was tempted to display at this smug other bronze when it hissed at him but he dared not, his frill wasn’t aerodynamic at all. Ah but there! His pretty was hissing back at the nasty bronze. She was master here, not that one and only if she dismissed him would he drop. Wise pretty one. exactly who the comment was intended for would remain an unanswered question as Zesa dived for the jungle.
Imp reversed course along his own length and side slipped out of his updraft, folding his wings and losing altitude much faster than he gained it. He loved it when his pretties took their Flights through the jungle, it was really the kind of habitat he was hatched for and this gold would be much easier to track through the branches than a green by her glowing hide. He dropped through the branches and bounced off a couple into glides, answering her calls with enthusiasm. He wasn’t scared, he was brave and clever.
Imp bounded and leapt and glided after Zesa, determined to save his energy for later in the Flight yet unwilling to lose sight of her. She spun and shot back, Imp spun on his back legs, dropping all the speed he’d been gain for another glide after her and charged back, leaping into the air elsewhere, only to have another wild winged bronze arrive in the chase and nearly knock him out of the air. As Imp recovered himself and bounded up a few more levels another male joined the chase. He was tense, following the gold’s direction but steadily climbing higher, she couldn’t stay down here forever, no she might lead a chase through the branches but a Flight had to be won above.
His hunch was correct, shortly after the new winged ones joined the chase his pretty zoomed upward and Imp was ready. He dashed up the highest branch in reach and pushed off with all the strength he could muster, leaving the springy branch bouncing up and down. With small wings compared to the others (though in truth they were large for his species) Imp was forced to rely on air currents to help him along.
|
|
|
Post by dragon on Feb 8, 2009 17:54:04 GMT -5
He was late to the game ... oh, was he so late to the game. But not from any lack of awareness, or any tardiness or disrespect, oh no. Storm was waiting, biding his time, waiting, waiting.
NOW!! Storm exploded from his tree top perch as the lovely gold zipped past. Warbling, he beat his wings harder and faster. He had a lot of momentum to pick up in a hurry, but at least he wasn't having to stall, turn, and then pick it up, like he would have had to do had he launched earlier on!
He crooned his apologies to Zessa, afraid she might see him as late. No ... no ... no distrespect intended!! Storm beat his wings quickly, picking up speed. Though an adult, he was still young, and would be hard pressed by all those other, older flitters just to stay a contender. But he was going to give her his very best, anyway!
|
|
Avu
Weyrleader Ce'thian Rider A'emi Handler Sena Harper Matteo Weyrbrat Riaren
Posts: 2,439
|
Post by Avu on Feb 8, 2009 18:31:35 GMT -5
As soon as she was fully in the open, gliding swiftly, Zesa threw a glance behind her to check on her pursuers, and was immensely satisfied to see not two, but one - two - three - four competitors. They all wanted to dance with her, did they? The queen crooned encitingly, urging them forward as she ran a quick gaze over the newest hopefuls. There was the little bronze 'mandyr, of course...her gaze skipped over him to the brown fire lizard. Oh, she liked browns, she did. They were lovely and more in proportion to her size than the actual bronzes - typically a queen's preferred mate - were; and besides, she had been caught by a brown on her maiden Flight. Which reminded her...why was he not there? Her gaze flicked over the others. No...that was the only brown, that scarred wild one, and handsome though he must be considered, he wasn't her brown. Had her brown lost interest...? Nevertheless, if only to soothe her own distress, Zesa fluted encouragement to the brown; like the 'mandyr, he was the underdog here, and she was pleased that he still had the bravery to compete.
Then another wild bronze - oh, how lovely and small he was, and such a lovely, lovely color, too. But loud; the trumpeting, the creeling and the bugling. Zesa, normally disapproving of such unnecessary noise, though - now she liked the attention, liked how open he was in his desire for her. However...her croon for the Noisy Bronze - and that was how she would always consider him, from now till the end of her Flight, no doubt - was tinged with a slight warning note. He mustn't waste all his breath trying to impress her so soon, not when she had yet to falter and truly consider her options. No; now she simply wanted to fly, to fly as far and fast as her wings could carry he, away from these males. She would remember, naturally, who had done what, but the real tricks should come later.
And then her two previous ones; the little 'mandyr who was still in this, still pursuing her - Zesa cooed softly to him, almost pitying his size. He was so nice; had he been bigger, or his wings bigger, he would have made a lovely, true competitor, but while Zesa liked smaller males, she still didn't want such a small one. Nonetheless, she added a flute, encouraging him to stay with her. If he thought he could keep up, then by all means! The bronze flitter, too, the not-Noisy, was rolling and twisting in the air. For her? Zesa puffed up, delighted by the extent of his attentions, and warbled to him. Like the Noisy Bronze, he mustn't waste all his energy. Not yet, not when she had another obstacle planned f -
Oh!
As Storm burst from nearly under her, Zesa threw herself automatically to one side, letting herself fall back towards the jungle as she glanced at the young bronze. His warbling earned him a surprised chirp as she caught herself, and then shot forward again, neatly flipping herself forward to catch another glimpse of the youngest of her pursuers. Handsome, she supposed, but - late? Was he late? And if he was, why had he been perched in the trees? Zesa flicked her tail thoughtfully. It would require thought later on, when her mind wasn't clouded by the desire to fly and to eventually mate when she was worn down. The queen answered the croon with an encouraging warble, though, to make sure he was aware that he was forgiven - as long as he could keep pace with her throughout the Flight.
The Falls drew near, and Zesa shot directly towards the roaring water - it had been notably depleted, the gold flitter recognized, not as much water spilling over the sheer, slippy rocks - and showed no intention of turning until the last moment. She spun herself backwards from the waterfall in a backflip, arching her back as she closed her wings and dove towards the frothing pool of water below, narrowing her eyes, momentarily forgetting her Chasers in the thrill. The water drew closer, closer, and Zesa flared open her wings, dipping her hind legs into the water and sending up a spray of water as she skimmed low across the surface. The drag slowed her, and, displeased, the queen flipped herself out of the water, shooting skyward again and flicking a glance behind her again to check on the progress of her Chasers.
She hadn't lost any, had she?
|
|
Rei
Administrator
Rider Cr'oph Rider Er'ani Rider Elysia Rider/Healer Erilena Wherhandler Sydney Holdbrat Emitre Holdbrat Dileina Weyrbrat Elias Weyrbrat Terilyn
Woooo~ I am a fox!
Posts: 3,021
|
Post by Rei on Feb 8, 2009 19:07:22 GMT -5
He followed her diligently not even missing a beat as a couple of other chasers joined in. He spared them not a glance, his entire undivided attention on the beauty before him. He warbled back to her and leveled out as she fell. What was she falling for? Ah a new bronze had joined the chase. Was he late? He didn’t seem very tired. The wild bronze banished the other flitter from his mind. He should be paying attention to the golden one.
A thrill started to build in his body as she headed straight for the falls. What did the clever beauty intend to do? As she began her flip, the bronze winged higher and folded his wings to dip into a elegant controlled swan dive. He pressed his wings tight against his body and added a corkscrew before snapping them open and dragging his back legs and fore claws in the river. Shooting sprays of water to either side. The droplets clung to his hide glittering in the morning sunlight.
When his momentum slowed, he gave a couple of hard beats to rise after his queen again. He warbled encouragingly to her. This was by far the best chase he had been a part of. His muscles were beginning to burn but he was not done yet. No he wanted to dance with this lovely dancer some more.
|
|
|
Post by dragon on Feb 8, 2009 20:27:43 GMT -5
While he might have been young, and this was his very first Goldflight, but he made up for that with bucketloads of the youthful energy that he was bursting with. Catching up with the flight finally, he turned and tucked his wings to follow the lovely gold over the falls. Zipping down quickly, his youthful sleek form aiding him in gaining speed in the dive. He snapped out of the dive when he saw Zessa pull out, even though he was still higher. He didn't get low enough to play in the water. Beating his wings quickly, he tried to pull ahead of some of the other bronzes. (sorry for the shortness of my posts. I am having to squeak them in between guest activites. )
|
|
Kisha-Ra
Rider Mo?rya Rider Darya Rider K?fuzzi Rider J?on Handler Vivano Handler Yoalla
Happier'n a pig in mud ABOUT WHERBABIES!
Posts: 1,109
|
Post by Kisha-Ra on Feb 9, 2009 4:17:55 GMT -5
Imp was not pleased by the extra firelizards Zesa had picked up in the jungle, aside from the normal rivalry of chasing males Imp vaguely understood that these extra firelizards exponentially decreased his chance of winning the queen. But she called to him despite these others appearing, Imp ventured a few rapid strokes of his wings to gather some speed and dared a barrel roll for her, he needed to take some of her attention from the others. Alas her attention had already wandered.
Yet another bronze appeared, shooting up from the jungle, taking Zesa’s attention again. Annoying. That was all the thought Imp spared for the newcomer, as Zesa sped off, heading for the falls, and he was forced to put all his effort into keeping with her. What trick would she play now?
Imp once again dropped after his pretty queen, using the length of his tail to give his fall a bit of direction and keep him away from the wall of water. Imp flared his wings out at the same point Zesa did but they didn’t do enough to stop his fall. Into the water the salamandyr went, but that didn’t stop him, he could swim fast, and swim he did until he could climb out and up another conveniently situated tree as fast as his legs would carry him. Hurling himself back into the air, once again behind the other males, Imp let out a triumphant bugle. Wasn’t he amazing?
|
|
|
Post by hseru on Feb 9, 2009 14:06:04 GMT -5
Ah, she spoke directly to him! The wild brown turned a flip for joy, showing he'd heard her. That lovely warble, the encouragement, it all goaded him to further speed and higher attempts to catch her eye and impress upon her that he was better than all the bronzes combined. He chirped back, cooing his adoration as his flight pattern straightened, arrowing in on the bright form fleeing ahead.
He felt a flash of anger as the younger bronze shot out of the trees straight for the bright queen, happy to see that she was too clever for him as she slipped by. He sang to her beauty and cleverness, weaving back and forth in her wake, doing slow barrel rolls to try and catch her direct attention again while still conserving strength. He was keeping up as she neared the falls, suspecting something of the kind when she veered quickly, and he marveled at her grace as she back -flipped into a steep dive. Singing again, he attempted to follow her moves exactly, a few steps behind as he swung upwards into an arch, completing the move at its apex by snapping his wings shut and plummeting through the rest of the flip into a fast dive after her.
His slim form slid through the air like a wisp of wind, his prematurely short tail a rudder behind that seemed to hold him on a steady course. In reality, the missing piece of his tail meant he had less control, and he veered to the side unintentionally once or twice, flapping a quick wingtip out to correct his course. Nothing was going to deter him. Each flash of wing lost him downwards momentum though, and by the time the golden queen flared to stop her fall, he had lost ground. At once attempting to turn quickly and show himself off to her, he aimed for a part of the waterfall that was no more than a good trickle, slipping through the water to latch onto the stone for the briefest moment before launching backwards and up through the falls as she passed, sending spray glittering in all directions to continue its placid fall to the pool below.
Sending water droplets flying with each wing beat, he worked to make up the momentum he'd lost, warbling to her all the while. Look, he was willing to risk himself for her! He wanted nothing more than to please her, and he would be certain to try anything he could to do so.
|
|
Avu
Weyrleader Ce'thian Rider A'emi Handler Sena Harper Matteo Weyrbrat Riaren
Posts: 2,439
|
Post by Avu on Feb 9, 2009 16:17:08 GMT -5
One - two - three - four - four? Had she overlooked one? Or had her tricks dropped made the Noisy Bronze give up? Zesa didn't know, for the glance she spared her Chasers was only a fleeting one before she whipped her head forward again, eyes flushed with excitement and lust as the queen trilled encouragement to the pursuers still behind her. They had done very well, they had, even if the little bronze Salamandyr had been drenched - she'd seen the splash, she had, and the tiny form swimming - and the lovely brown - the brown that wasn't hers - had done a lovely little trick, too. She singled out both, touching their minds lightly. The queen approved, and she wanted to make sure they knew. The smallest by far, they were, and she very much approved of their tricks, especially since the first wild bronze had done very little. Oh, yes, he'd done fancy turns and flips and whatnot, but they weren't very impressive compared to their tricks; and the younger bronze hadn't done anything creative.
Nevertheless, they were all to stay, yes? She didn't want any of them to drop out; how could she fairly choose a dance partner if she only had so many choices? No, no, the more the better, and those who did not deign to Chase would merely miss out on the opportunity to dance with her. Zesa threw another quick glance behind her, but this one was speedy, barely slow enough to catch sight of the blur of bronze and brown behind her, before she closed her wings, streaking along the edge of the jungle, calling enticingly to make sure none had lost track of her. She wanted them all to be with her, in this final stretch, for it wouldn't last much longer. The tricks had been tests, yes, but they had also pushed her nearly to the end of her endurance, and still she hadn't picked yet - so they ought to try to impress her, now. They must, if they wanted to be Chosen!
The queen's eyes narrowed in brief concentration before she decided on the next test. Whirling mid-air for them, she cooed sweetly, hovering to let them approach her. As soon as she decided they'd gotten close enough, she dropped her wings, falling downwards with a triumphant cry, and, as the jungle and its trees rushed closer, she snagged a branch in her claws, using it to propel her around the trunk in a whiplashing motion, wings still tight against her sides to prevent the fragile membrane from being scratched by the twigs that trailed against her hide. Hind claws dug into the bark, and then Zesa leapt off of it, wings extending in flight again as she pushed herself off as hard as she could, the momentum carrying her in an arc through the air, eyes sparkling with excitement as she pumped her wings as hard as she could, ignoring the slight burn that started in the appendages.
To the beach she headed, and to the beach she fully expected to be followed; as the sandy dunes, the waves licking against the beach, approached, Zesa flicked another glance behind her, crooning to those who had managed to follow her this far, and then angled herself into a steep dive towards the water. The sparkling blue came closer, closer...and abruptly, her flight path went from nearly vertical to horizontal in a massive effort, the gold flitter streaking along the beach before she realized to her horror that she could fly no more. She pumped her wings as they protested the motion, but no; there would be no more whiplashing tricks, no more tests. The adrenaline that had fueled her thus far no longer held her up, and Zesa hissed in quiet dismay. This flight had far outstripped her maiden one, but still she was displeased.
But she would push herself...one last test. One more, and then perhaps she would consider prospective dance partners...the queen struggled upwards, driven by instinct to take her Flight upwards. Angered by the lack of speed, she hissed at the males, warning them not to attempt taking her until she gave permission, and pressed on wearily.
|
|