Avu
Weyrleader Ce'thian Rider A'emi Handler Sena Harper Matteo Weyrbrat Riaren
Posts: 2,439
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Post by Avu on Jul 10, 2009 22:14:54 GMT -5
Is it time? Mine says it is time. You know what to do? There is no room for mistakes. We know what to do. You need not to worry, Vikoranth. That has yet to stop me. You remember the coordinates? Of course. We go. Esaorith-sister, remember to call me when you need me.
Green and bronze watched as the smaller of the two greens that were crowded into the jungle clearing bent, muscles rippling as she launched herself into flight. Barely after she had cleared the ground did the young green go between, her Rider’s gaze flickering towards the ground once more: R’trez was pale, his hands clasping the straps, but his dragon showed none of his hesitancy as she vanished, leaving her clutchsister and a bronze dragon crouched below the trees. The green, Tsarith, had only her Rider, Saena, astride her; she, like Esaorith, was built long and lean and small – agility would be no problem for either her or the green that had just vanished into the gold and pink of the Southern sunset. Vikoranth was quite the opposite: Huge, muscled, experienced, the bronze had three people stride: His A’risen, D’rayr, and Cr’yn. All were silent, tense, expectant, awaiting Esaorith’s call.
Esaorith appeared between above the Hatching Sands, the green’s gaze flickering through the Sands thoroughly. Only one dragon occupied the area, and the slender green allowed herself some smugness. It seemed that Tsarith would not be needed after all! Hepaticath is not here, the green reported to Tsarith and Vikoranth. Ciceroth is alone. Tsarith-sister, your presence is unneeded for the moment.
Understood, Esaorith-sister. Proceed with care, Esaorith.
Sniffing indignantly at the bronze’s unnecessary warning, Esaorith descended slowly. Her flight path was intended to take her to the Stands, but as the Sands drew nearer, the green’s path altered – and she landed on the Sands themselves, a blatant display of audacity and defiance, pausing to send the mental image to both Vikoranth and Tsarith. R’trez looked to be shaking slightly in fear, but Esaorith herself was fearless as she drifted closer to Ciceroth, her sinuous body moving effortlessly over the hot Sands towards both clutch and bronze. The small green’s head tilted, and she glanced over what she could see of the clutch; her gaze snagged momentarily on the Rooster Egg, and then moved back to Ciceroth. Big, he was. Vikoranth was big, but Ciceroth bigger. But no matter: It was not Vikoranth that was face-to-face with the bronze in question, was it now?
Why, Ciceroth, she practically purred, pleased with herself as she slunk closer, until she was only three dragonlengths from the bronze. Such a lovely clutch! You must be proud. Our compliments to your queen whenever she returns from her – feeding? bathing? The question was not meant to be answered, however; Esaorith continued without a pause, eyes focused not on the bronze she addressed, but the clutch; R’trez, meanwhile, stared at Ciceroth, the young man’s fear hidden behind an emotionless mask – only his hands shook slightly. Surely such a /large/ clutch…you would not mind to spare an egg? Specifically, /that/ egg? Her head bowed towards the Rooster Egg; the green’s tail flicked slightly as she crooned pleasantly to Ciceroth, eyes whirling in pleasant shades. I can only assure you that we need it…quite a good deal more than Selenitas does…and we intend to get it.
((Okay, so – if you can figure out a VIABLE excuse for your character to be on the Sands, go ahead and throw them in – and Candidates, especially, are encouraged!))
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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
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Post by Kisha-Ra on Jul 11, 2009 16:36:55 GMT -5
Curiosity killed the cat, or so Yoalla’s mother used to aver, it had certainly put Yoalla in danger more than a few times as a child, and now that she was no longer a pampered high class doxie it was sure to do so again. Certainly Yoalla had the freedom to indulge her curiosity as she hadn’t since she was a child. Currently her curiosity was burning for a look at the dragon eggs that had recently been laid on the sands. No one had actually said she couldn’t look (no one had said she could either but that was hardly a justification), and having heard the word that gold Hepaticath was away from her eggs at the moment Yoalla had decided to go and have a quick look.
She had dressed in plain workaday clothes for this little expedition and moved with the purposeful kind of walk that suggested it was her duty and her right to carry out her current task, as she had observed on many occasions before it worked. In some ways the south was not so different to the north.
With a confident step Yoalla made her way into the stands, even without a queen there she wasn’t that bold, she might be scented and would certainly leave footprints. It was really quite a shame there were none of the tunnels N’nam had mentioned when he spoke of sneaking peeks at dragon eggs in Benden Weyr, no dragon would be able to…
Yoalla’s thought and confident gait both evaporated rather suddenly. Someone had been misinformed, and as a result of that so was Yoalla. There was a huge dragon on the sands, she couldn’t clearly see the colour from this angle, but the pale shade and metallic sheen argued for gold. This must be Hepaticath, or some other queen who was looking after the eggs for her. Dragons could do that, right? Whichever. Yoalla was probably in trouble. Run, hide, or pretend to be stupid? The eternal conundrum.
When a green landed almost silently a few moments later Yoalla began to breathe again surely the gold would pay another dragon more mind than a human. Yoalla turned to leave but something about the green’s behaviour caught her attention. Was she flirting? Why would a green flirt with a gold? It made no sense. Yoalla withdrew a little, hopefully out of the sight of the dragons and waited silently.
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Rowana
Hive Mind
Handler Roivao Rider G'tor Rider Merridan Rider T'ke Rider N'rik Handler Porita Rider Farryl Rider Kyr'n[/color
Posts: 1,550
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Post by Rowana on Jul 11, 2009 16:44:34 GMT -5
Merridan hated being cooped up inside. Which was why she spent every moment of her free time outdoors instead of in the barrack common room. She already had chores and classes inside and she didn't see any reason to waste away under the glows anymore than she had to. Usually these escapades involved sword practice, exploring, or fishing, a new found passion inspired by D'nar. She also collected flowers, though she was careful that people didn't see this hobby. She couldn't have people remember she was a girl.
Lately, however, her outdoor romps had taken her to see the hatching grounds. As if visiting them everyday would make them hatch faster, which it wouldn't, she came to check on the thirteen new eggs just to be sure. She couldn't help but hope that one would contain a dragon for her, and she found her self examining each one from afar and trying to decide if it was hers or not. She couldn't get close of course, only sit on the sands for a couple minutes and then move on. The Touching was still a ways away.
Today was looking to be quite different. Hepaticath was not on the sands as she usually was, for whatever reason, and Ciceroth was alone. What was more, a strange green was on the sands. Mer frowned and stopped in her tracks. She didn't know all the greens in Selenitas, so it wasn't necessarily an enemy. But it seem awfully rude of her to be so near the clutch. She doubted Hepaticath would have allowed it. Why was she there? Maybe to see Ciceroth? Some amused part of her mind wondered if the bronze was having some kind of dragon affair with the green, but she doubted that was the case. The strange green was paying far more attention to the eggs than seemed right.
Auran puffed up on her shoulder and moved to her head to get a better view. She could feel him tense with anger. Should he attack the green? That would teach her to disrespect the eggs! Mer rolled her eyes at the little blue's fool hardy bravery. "Stay," she whispered. "It might be nothing." Even so, she slipped quietly into the back of the sands to watch, ready if action was called for. Not that she would be much help against a full grown dragon. But if the green was here to cause trouble, Mer was going to have something to say about it.
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Post by subtlemystery on Jul 11, 2009 23:28:25 GMT -5
The clutch had been laid. This, was common knowledge. What Kaerlin wanted to know, was what they looked like. And he figured, if he just walked casually past the hatching grounds a couple of times, he was bound to get a glimpse of the eggs without being eaten by a nasty gold... Because he was just walking casually. Yes, it was a brilliant plan and Kaerlin was positive it was going to work. Absolutely positive. At least until he spotted the green near the sands. Greens shouldn't be on the sands, only the clutch mother and her mate should be anywhere near the eggs. Why was she there?
Curiousity drove his next few movements, in seeing the others and moving to wards them. Why was the dragon there? Were they doing something awful? Why was the green flirting with the clutch sire? Surely she was aware that wouldn't work, Ciceroth would have been told, or at least want, to guard the eggs, and having some green drop in while the queen was away... It couldn't be good, no green was... Well, that stupid. Still, moving closer to the other candidates meant he could see the eggs at a closer view too! Two birds, one stone.
"What's going on?" Whispering this as he leant closer to the other girls, he nearly had a heart attack when a hand grasped his shoulder. Turning and relaxing as he saw it was only a fellow candidate, he went back to watching the hatching grounds. "No good. Obviously." Kalia's voice was just as soft, though it held a note of suspicion as she gazed at the green. Why would they bother being here? The unusual dragons that she didn't know had been the ones to catch her attention and bring her from the usual exploring and trying to find her way around to the hatching grounds. She hadn't been overly concerned about seeing the eggs, she would have seen them eventually.
"How long have they been there?" Kalia asked quietly, eyes darting around the sands from the green to the bronze, the clutch sire, Ciceroth. What could they want on the hatching sands? Why was the green showing all the signs of flirt, but with an edge, there was something about her movements, more like a predator stalking their prey than enticing. What the shards was going on? "This isn't right. Look, there's even someone on the sands, they shouldn't be. The only people usually allowed on the sands are the weyrleaders at this point..." Murmuring this as she continued to try and piece together what was going on, she frowned when Kaerlin shrugged at her, "Maybe they're just visiting and don't realise." "How can you miss those eggs?" "You shouldn't just assume they're here to do something bad.." "And you shouldn't just assume they're here to do good either."
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Post by glamourie on Jul 12, 2009 2:01:36 GMT -5
Movement drew his attention. Ciceroth twitched one wing and turned, fully expecting to be greeted with the face of his mate, having returned to reclaim her clutch (and he’d be relegated back to guarding the entrance). She was gone to hunt, and she’d be back at any time. But when he lifted his head, the form he saw was far too small (easily the first indication) to be Hepaticath… and much too pale. Golden glory, she was, like a honeycomb, covered in shades of light and dazzling to behold. The figure before him was… boring. Simply boring. Greens could be interesting, but the pale ones of that place weren’t, and she was recognized for either of Grenostith’s brood or her line instantly. That one thought caused him to tense and he flipped his wings before a steady, low growl started in his throat, loud enough to be menacing but deep enough in pitch to indicate his irritation. The casual blues of his eyes (so cheerful at the chance to nose around at the eggs he’d sired, such large and glorious eggs they were!) suddenly seeped away into first orange, and then the red of rage. The whirl was rapid. Everything in his posture screamed danger and when presented with a creature of Ciceroth’s size, it could be alarming to behold. He was hard to make angry but this one - this one had accomplished it with ease.
His tail lashed and he uncurled only enough to stand, claws digging into the sand. His body hid most of the eggs from view, at least from that particular angle. The location of the clutch made it hard for him to hide all of it and make for an imposing figure, though the flaring of his wings was certainly an efficient message to any who knew him. Ciceroth was a dragon with a very good demeanor. Simply put, he was personable. Most dragons got along with him, and he usually got along very well with greens. Shows of temper were almost unheard of, but the red in his eyes was undeniable and the casual viewer might have even picked up on the fact that the scarlet hues brought out the red tones to his hide perfectly. The posture spoke for itself. Angry dragon. Back away.
Get off the sands.
Hostility was evident in his posture, but not his words, as he stared down the green, snarling. The tone was… sweet. Pleasant even. But his body language didn’t match at all. Teeth were bared and his mind brushed his unconscious mindmate; Ka’rys had a very rough sevenday. Being asleep was problematic. That meant he couldn’t sound an alarm. The ‘compliments’ went ignored as Ciceroth curled around the eggs, undeniably protective. The more she spoke, the worse the whirling in his eyes got, until it became so frantic and so dark a shade of red as to be murderous. Those who knew him would have been running for the hills. Hepaticath was eating, or she’d no doubt have dealt with the little monster… or guarded the clutch so that he could. He wanted to dig his claws into pale green flesh.
I will give you the time it takes the dragons of Selenitas to respond to leave. I recommend doing so. Now. Such silky words, Ciceroth’s. And he meant it. He couldn’t recall Fort, but he remembered his teachings; guard his wings, guard his underbelly, go for the sensitive spots, cripple and leave the riders alive for selling. He remembered having it drilled into his head as a weyrling, and he was very, very angry. The loud roar that escaped him was his alert, and the sound carried all through the canyon; only the deaf or the asleep would fail to hear it. Hepaticath no doubt would be able to tell something was wrong, even from the feeding grounds, and when she came back, he had no doubt that she’d be enraged that any mere green threatened her clutch. Enraged. Just like he was. Who did she think she was, asking for one of their eggs? They did not deserve it, and they would not get it.
To emphasize his call, though, Ciceroth added a mental address -- to all of Selenitas, not just the dragons, though he did hate to contact riders that were not RysHis mind-to-mind. Necessity took precedence over preference. There is a foreign green on the Sands asking for one of Hepaticath’s eggs. She is not from Selenitas, and she is not Benden-bred. The edge of demand touched his tone, the first hint of his anger in his words. He would not leave the clutch, but she needed to be removed. If he had to step away from the eggs for a second, there would be a nightmare to pay. No matter how nice he usually was… Ciceroth did have a mean streak inside, and it was about to manifest for everyone to see.
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Avu
Weyrleader Ce'thian Rider A'emi Handler Sena Harper Matteo Weyrbrat Riaren
Posts: 2,439
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Post by Avu on Jul 12, 2009 10:30:02 GMT -5
Oh, she had expected that, she had. It would have been best if Ciceroth had just chased her: Much simpler had that been the case, but – Esaorith would take what she’d get: He was angry. The green actually purred, flicking her tail. Ciceroth’s eyes might have been the deepest shade of red imaginable, but Esaorith’s were still a bright blue, swirling with green hues beneath. There was a reason that she had been chosen to go; Esaorith was not easily frightened (perhaps to her detriment), and her pace as she slunk just out of easy reach was not tense in the least. Ciceroth, my dear, and still her voice held the same purr, as if she was doing nothing more than flirting with the bronze, You must learn to listen better, really – I /said/ we intended to get them. Surely you don’t think I mean to leave simply because you offer resistance? That would be so silly, and such a waste of both of our time, don’t you think? She crooned, mock-pleasantly, and then privately reached for Vikoranth and Tsarith. Firestone, Tsarith-sister. Come. Ciceroth has called for Selenitas.
We come, Esaorith.
As one, the two other dragons arrived; Vikoranth’s gaze snagged immediately on the Candidates present and he rumbled low in his throat even as Tsarith hit the Sands with a bouncing gait, and sprawled in front of the dragon entrance before she turned her head back to her Rider, who produced and offered to her a familiar stone from a small sack that had previously been tucked beneath her jacket: Firestone. Dear Ciceroth, you couldn’t possibly have thought that only Esaorith was sent? she questioned, her voice as light as her sister’s as the green sent a warning lick of flame outwards: Any dragons who wished to go through the dragon entrance would also have to go through Tsarith, her Rider, and the green’s flame.
Vikoranth’s passengers – D’rayr and Cr’yn – dropped from the bronze’s back onto the Sands. Both were young; possibly the same age as some of the Candidates, and they looked very obviously scared. Still, they blocked off the stairs that offered entrance from the Stands to the Hatching Sands. Technically, the Candidates, if they desired to do so, could simply jump over the railing, but it was a long drop, and Vikoranth and Esaorith would offer protest to being attacked by a Candidate. D’rayr and Cr’yn were there to make sure they didn’t get hurt more than necessary; likely the bronze or green would only knock them away with their tail, but the force of such could easily break ribs. Cr’yn, the higher ranking of the two, as spoken by his brownrider’s knots while D’rayr wore blue, spoke, keeping his voice as level and calm as he could manage. while both Riders had their hands on the hilt of their dirks.
“Stay put, please. We don’t want to hurt you, but – duty to the Weyr comes first, and we need a queen egg.”
Given, the Rooster Egg did not necessarily have to shell a queen, since it wasn’t pure gold, but – it was the largest, and if any egg did, surely it would be that one.
Vikoranth deliberately stopped as close to being directly opposite from Esaorith as the bronze could manage without putting himself against a wall; they formed a kind of triangle, with Ciceroth and the clutch of egg at the point, Vikoranth at the other, and Esaorith at the last. They’d been hoping to put Ciceroth directly between them, but – the positioning made such impossible. Either way, if Ciceroth decided to charge one of them, it’d leave the clutch – if only momentarily – open to the other. A’risen was silent, stroking Vikoranth’s neck vaguely, and when the bronze spoke, his voice was calm, level, almost soothing. He did not purr; nor did Vikoranth slink, as Esaorith was doing (though the green had stopped, and was still as well, by then); he simply stood, choosing his words deliberately.
We do not wish to harm you, your eggs, nor any of your Candidates, Riders, or dragons, Ciceroth. Our Weyr is in dire need of a queen, however, and if necessary, we /will/. His head bowed slightly, tongue flicking out and then in. Dragons seeking to gain entrance will be flamed; if those on the Stands attempt to come down here, they will, too, be hurt. Our Weyr will die without a queen. We will do whatever it takes to get that queen.
Tsarith is not the only one with firestone, was Esaorith’s input, the green’s gaze still blue. They wouldn’t use it, though. Not with Ciceroth so close to the eggs; if they hurt them – specifically, the Rooster Egg – then their attempts would have been for nothing, and their goal was not to inflict pain or cause death.
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Rowana
Hive Mind
Handler Roivao Rider G'tor Rider Merridan Rider T'ke Rider N'rik Handler Porita Rider Farryl Rider Kyr'n[/color
Posts: 1,550
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Post by Rowana on Jul 12, 2009 11:51:31 GMT -5
Merridan's frown of confusion turned to one of anger as soon as the other dragons arrived. There was no doubt in her mind now. These strangers definitely did not mean well. Shards! If only Hepaticath were here. They wouldn't dare approach if the queen had been on the sands. Mer's eyes blazed at the two men guarding the entrance to the Sands. They needed a queen? And that gave them the right to steal eggs?! What were they playing at?
Mer glanced at the other candidates present. Two girls and a boy she didn't know well. And they were practically cut off from the rest of the Weyr. Even if help did come, she doubted they could break through in time. An all out fight would also put the clutch in danger. Mer drew her long dagger and let it sit loosely in her hand, trying to decide what to do. The men weren't too much older than her, but they were doubtless well trained and she had lost the element of surprise. She could go over the rail. It was a long drop, but what worried her more was the dragons waiting at the bottom. Men she might be able to handle. Full grown dragons were a whole other kettle of klah. Shards she felt so useless!
Auran shifted with an angry growl and Mer will him to be still. She turned to the others, keeping her voice low. "We can't let them take the eggs," she said fiercely. "Can any of you fight?" Maybe if they could cause a distraction, then reinforcements would have time to arrive. She wasn't fooling herself though. Even with Ciceroth, they didn't stand much of a chance. Expression serious, she added. "I won't ask any of you to help me, if you don't want to get hurt." Or killed, she thought, but pushed it away. She wasn't going to admit that thought left her terrified.
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Ember
Administrator
T'san Iskierka Dy'shi Jazheera Ae'on Nephele Qaena K'dem Eikane
FLAME GURU OF THE UNDERWORLD
Posts: 1,832
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Post by Ember on Jul 12, 2009 13:43:42 GMT -5
Nephele hadn't been free at the time the clutch was laid. She was genuinely disappointed. The rumors about the clutch made her very curious. So far her curiosity had given her two brown flitters for her troubles. The two were currently following her towards the Hatching Grounds. Just a peak and then I'll head back, she promised herself. To keep her little friends out of trouble the candidate girl had brought some crackers for Misfit and a spoon for Charming. The spoon, however, may not work. Charming was very clever for a flitt and may be too interested in the eggs.
Upon reaching her destination Nephele realized there was a disturbance. She sped up slightly, both concerned and amused. Did other candidates come to take a look too? As she got even closer she lost her amusement. There were more dragons than she thought there ought to be in the grounds...and none of them were Golds. There were indeed other candidates there and a couple riders. She recognized a couple of the candidates and wandered over to them. She was a bit late for the announcement but heard the question about fighting.
They couldn't fight! Especially not so close to the clutch. With a slightly pained expression she asked, "What's going on? None of those dragons are Hepaticath." She kept her voice quiet and even Charming seemed to sense the situation was serious. He chirped questioningly while Misfit simply watched on curiously. No doubt the younger flitt was trying to think of a way to cause trouble.
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Post by ace on Jul 12, 2009 14:36:59 GMT -5
Mina had been cleaning the kitchen at the time the clutch had been laid, so she was not able to see the eggs right away. She rushed through sweeping the floor, so that she could escape, but alass, she had been told to replenish the glow baskets. The apprentice agreed, grudgingly, but decided to make a slight detour and rushed off towards to Hatching Sands at top speed, so she could catch a glimpse of the eggs before she was went back to work.
A she reached the sands, Mina caught a glimpse of a green dragon she could not make out. Running forward, she made her way towards a group of candidates not far from her, arriving just in time to hear Nephele's comment. Mina instinctively searched out for the large Mother of the Clutch, but failed to find her.
The candidate did not spare a glance for the eggs, but instead, watched the strange dragons. They seemed to be.. demanding something. What was happening. "What are they.. fighting about," Mina said in a caring whisper.
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Post by archenstone on Jul 12, 2009 16:07:37 GMT -5
Vraelnîr had decided to visit the sands. Sure, no one had mentioned any regulations about the candidates visiting the eggs, so he figured he could play by ear. As he neared the entrance that would lead to the sands....and thus the stands he heard a roar.
There is a foreign green on the Sands asking for one of Hepaticath’s eggs. She is not from Selenitas, and she is not Benden-bred.
Vraelnîr froze in his footsteps. Was that a dragon's voice? It was definitely not human and logic only pointed to a dragon. Part of him said to avoid the conflict but mostly he was thinking that this was wrong. It felt dishonorable to steal an egg. No intelligent creature should have its young taken. It reminded him of the time a young dolphin was caught in his nets, the pod had cried and whistled and circled until his men could get it out.
Figuring that if he heard the call then others had heard it too he advanced into the hatching grounds with caution. What he saw shocked him. It looked like a large one...probably the bronze...was being circled by three others. If they are really after the eggs will they risk damaging them through fighting? He wasn't sure if they would. He looked around, sticking to the wall where the walkway lead up to the stands. Glancing around for any other dangers he spotted the two men. He barely heard their speech to those he could not see in front of them.
Hostages won't do... He slunk up the stairs, pulling free his dagger. Seeing Nephele near him he motioned her for silence. This had to be fast. He eyed the two young men, seeing hands held upon sheathed blades. He picked out Cr'yn as the more dangerous target and when close enough he attacked.
Placing his left hand over the dirk to prevent the man from drawing he snaked his right arm around the boy's neck, yanking him back. The dagger in his hand pressed up against the boy's jugular. Vraelnîr didn't want to kill the lad but he needed the strange rider to think he would.
"Be still or meet death, Rider" Vraelnîr's forearm was tightly pressed against the lad's neck. Years of fishing made his arms thick and strong. Definitely bad news for people in his way.
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Requiem
Weyrleader S'rei WM M?ta Rider A'nd Harper/Handler Dmitri Weyrbrat Miguel
Posts: 2,861
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Post by Requiem on Jul 12, 2009 16:59:12 GMT -5
A low rumble issued from above, angry enough to set even the eggs to shaking a little in their place in the sands. The oldest of Selenitas's bronzes eyed the standoff, his heft weight slamming into the rock above, claws screeching as they punctured it and he clung to the lip of one of the openings. Firestone? Dangerous, in such a confined space. They were very desperate.
Are suicide missions common fare with northern weyrs these days, or are you just the idiots of the bunch? he commented sibilantly. Maybe the distraction would be enough to give Ciceroth a brief opening. Not that he was going to bank on that. Coming in. Back me up as you're able, he commented abruptly to Ciceroth. It was too dangerous for a straight drop down onto the sands. Large as he was, he couldn't really expect to take flame head-on without taking serious damage, and there wasn't much room to dodge without jeopardizing eggs.
However, there was a reason he'd made his presence known in so strange a fashion. S'rei, barefoot and newly wakened, was riding bareback, obscured from view by the arch of Salenth's neck. His view was quite good, though. Good enough for a dragonpair who'd been together a quarter-century to attempt the risky manuever, anyway.
Salenth leapt, backwinging a few seconds, and then the pair went Between. Blinking into the open space on the other side of the Sands, they lingered just long enough to draw any flame the dragons might send their way, the large bronze banking as tightly as possible just above the eggs, before they winked Between a second time, but not before S'rei made a show of giving Salenth firestone. They settled into empty space directly beside Ciceroth, the older of the bronzes angling himself slightly in front of the other as S'rei scrambled over Salenth's back and made a flying leap for the rail separating the stands from the sands, dropping the bag of firestone near Ciceroth in passing.
That was...about as much as they'd managed to plan during that brief amount of time. Salenth wasn't about to make it easy on the other dragons by exposing his rider, who pulled himself over into the stands and paused to get his bearings before jogging in the direction of the riders and candidates knotting up near the stairs.
Sorry to make it uneven. I don't suppose you have any more friends lingering around here to improve your chances? I'm sure Ciceroth would be willing to let you leave if you suddenly grew a few brain cells. Salenth didn't like the idea of a battle on the sands. Too many things could go wrong. Hoping that the prospect of taking on two veteran, flaming bronzes would change their minds, he flexed his claws in the sands.
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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
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Post by Kisha-Ra on Jul 12, 2009 17:03:02 GMT -5
Yoalla breathed a little easier as she realised she wasn’t the only candidate peering at the clutch from the stands, but how much trouble she was going to be in was dropping to a secondary consideration compared to the action of the dragons. The green moved sharply as well as gracefully, was she insulting the gold or her clutch by being on the sands with her rider? Well he certainly seemed to be doing nothing to control his dragon! The largest egg seemed to be a point of interest to the green, though why Yoalla couldn’t imagine.
The gold, wait was that a queen? Well, the dragon had to be a gold surely, she spun around and tensed, taking up a defensive stance, or so Yoalla interpreted it, over the clutch. A low growl reverberated around the hatching grounds as the dragon’s eyes changed shade to orange, and then rapidly to red. Though Yoalla wasn’t much of a student of dragons as yet even she could clearly see that the green was unwelcome.
Evidently the green had more to say, and more than likely it was offensive, because the original dragon, whom Yoalla was no longer quite certain of the colour of (could it be a light bronze?), curled around the eggs, those eyes whirling yet deeper shades of red. Even if Yoalla was as big as a dragon she wouldn’t have wanted to be on the sands then. Were she the green she would have fled, were she the rider she would have stopped this foolishness by now. Maybe he was scared stiff, or just very stupid, his dragon still showed bright blue shades as her eye colour so maybe she was stupid too. That was starting to seem like a very good explanation to Yoalla; dragons could go cracked in the head too right?
It certainly looked like the green dragon was cracked; she wasn’t cowed at all by the larger dragon’s ire, or even the roar, which surely called other dragons to arms. But the green only moved away a little, with the same easy gait she’d started out with. The sound the green dragon made wasn’t human but Yoalla had enough experience with that sort of sound to pick out a slight mocking note, as if the green were a customer with a taste for pain. The candidate’s body tensed subtlety and she slid a little further forward, unsure of what to do for the best.
Another two dragons arrived, another green and a bronze. The bronze rumbled as he landed. N’nam had said that sound was a dragon’s laugh, Yoalla marked it as an unpleasant laugh and held it against the bronze. The green endeavoured to fill the large entrance, clearly meant for dragons, and though she was small she had firestone, Yoalla clearly saw a lick of flame spill from the green’s muzzle.
At some point, while Yoalla was watching the dragons, the bronze’s passangers had dropped to the ground and moved to block off the stairs as if any candidate wanted to get embroiled in a battle with dragons. Oh they needed a queen? The north had queens a plenty. Benden or Fort these riders were just plain greedy to want another gold. Come to think of it that egg wasn’t completely gold.
‘I can fight a little, well enough to defend myself until help comes anyway, but I’m not qualifed for a pitched battle. I hope you have a good plan and don’t think I’ll rush in stupidly.’ Yoalla muttered an answer to the girl with the blue firelizard, as she spoke she looked at the ground so that it wouldn’t be obvious that she was speaking.
Yoalla sniffed and looked up at the two new arrivals, she kept her face impassive and spoke as quietly as she could, hoping the guards wouldn’t hear her. ‘I don’t quite know the cause but the two greens and that bronze seem to want to take that big egg. They think it holds a queen, which they claim they need.’ She attempted to summarise events into a few sentences. Then someone else appeared and Yoalla very nearly told the moron exactly what she thought. What an idiot! Was he too blind to see the dragons and the other riders or just too sharding sure of himself! ‘And I think that adequately digs us a hole to lie in.’ She added.
Idith roared and mantled his wings, posturing for a brief moment before taking action. Invaders on the sands! No one can have Hepaticath’s eggs. R’aro, you must give firestone so that we can scare away this impudent green! The bronze demanded of his rider, lashing his tail impatiently.
R’aro snorted and shook his head. Idith, I don’t have firestone, I know you know that. We don’t keep it up here because it would stink up the weyr. So the only flame there is is whatever residue you have in your second stomach. Besides that, I do not intend to leap on your neck and ride off into battle with an unknown number of dragons as we are. ‘Get your fat head down here dragon.’ R’aro finished his speech verbally, holding out Idith’s fighting straps. He let the bronze shove his head into the harness and shake it down his neck while R’aro pulled snatched up his riding gear. If he was with Idith at least they’d be able to escape between in the face of anything unexpected.
The bronze fairly twitched with impatience as R’aro buckled up his harness and sorted his own stuff out. His eyes glowed bright red with unfamiliar fury at the thought of some strage dragon taking Hepaticath’s eggs. Well he was going out to defend his clutchsister’s eggs, just as soon as his rider managed to climb aboard!
Idith was running for the ledge and airborne before R’aro had clipped himself to Idith’s fighting straps. The bronze turned automatically for the hatching grounds and put on his top speed. Ciceroth, I am on my way. I have no fire to teach this foreigner her place though. Idith sent the information and a little scorn as he headed to the dragon entrance. He hoped Hepaticath would forgive him this insult.
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Post by glamourie on Jul 13, 2009 0:04:02 GMT -5
The level of familiarity she addressed him with was irritating. He did not know this hatchling; she was not old enough to have been at that place with him, though it was likely that she was from there. He'd been at Selenitas nearly half his life, and she was not from the South. In other words, this hatchling was from either that place or High Reaches… possibly Benden, but it was unlikely they’d come proclaiming need of a queen, with Baith there. So Fort or High Reaches. His tail twitched and he stared at Esaorith, eyes burning scarlet, his body still sinuously curled around the clutch in an undeniable show of possessiveness. His wings gave a slight twitch. His head bowed. He growled. So arrogant, she was… He would have to teach her manners. His eyes whirled and he stood up slightly, though he circled in front of the clutch, his pale bulk hiding the majority of it from prying eyes. His tail gave a melodious swish, however, rather than the agitated lashing, and the whirling in his eyes slowed to a normal, steady red. Steady and calm. His posture also transformed to a most leisurely one, almost as if a switch was hit inside of him. And one was. Though it had been turns since he’d had a real fight (he considered sneak-attacking at the infirmary as something different), he remembered how it went… and he was not going to be baited into lashing in temper.
Very well, Ciceroth said as the two new dragons came into his sight. His mind was racing. Three on one. He couldn’t take out two greens and a bronze. A green and a bronze, if he was in open air, yes. But two greens would be dangerous, even with the air as his ally. The ground though -- so near to his unhatched babies -- was too dangerous. The chance of a flame brushing one of the eggs… the thought made him furious. If he thought he could away with it, he’d have thrown himself forward onto Esaorith, torn her throat clear out by the work of his claws. But not with two more there. He had to be clever. So he backed up, and gave the outsiders a clear view of the eggs for the first time… but it was definitely plotting. Plotting. If they came closer, if she came close enough for his claws to work their magic on her skin, he’d rip her apart. Tsarith’s words, and then actions, made him growl again, though. He curled slightly and then growled loud enough to be heard by anyone nearby. Firestone on the Hatching Sands - is your intention to steal an egg or roast it, silly fool? The almost mocking ‘laughter’ in his voice was clear. Did she really intend to flame him on the Sands? She’d run the risk of harming the eggs. Surely she knew that?
Vikoranth’s words drew Ciceroth’s attention, though his eyes remained on both. His tail twirled absently through the air before he snorted, kicking up sand. The words were acknowledged, but he did not move. Instead he spoke, almost softly --
The egg that Esaorith indicated is not solid gold. What reason have you to believe that it will hatch a queen? Perhaps it will hatch a bronze. Every egg here is large, he reasoned, and it was good logic in his opinion. You claim you mean no harm yet you are here trying to steal. If your goals were motivated by anything less than greed, you could have approached the Weyrleaders with a specific request for a gold flight to be thrown open for your Weyr, or asked to transfer - should a gold been in this clutch - the new queen. Showing up with demands does nothing but earn our temper, and even if there is a queen in this clutch, you will not have it. Rysmine will see to that, and so will I. You are, of course, going to try regardless… and for that I pity you.
And he did, too, for at that moment another growl rattled from above. He recognized that growl and was… relieved. There were very few dragons that Ciceroth deemed even close to being his equal but Salenth was one of them. He twitched his wings and mentally noted the bronze’s comment, but did not pass along the threats; Salenth was northern enough to know what sort of claims the foreigners were making. The instructions had Ciceroth turning and right as Salenth leapt from the weyrledge, he moved. Not far - but enough to give the foreigners a very good eyeful of the clutch they seemed to want to steal from so badly. Not enough to let anyone close enough to it - but he was hoping that movement would distract them, that they’d turn to see where he went and what he was doing. He was close enough to be dangerous and if they didn’t, it might mean their demise. That slight hesitation might keep them from being able to aim enough to attack Salenth, if they tried. Which would have been very, very foolish.
He backed up, growling louder still. Salenth’s presence next to him was rewarded with a slight hint of blue coloring into the red - only briefly - before being replaced. The bag dropping next to him made him swing his head and he stopped growling long enough to croon toward S’rei in gratitude; one claw came up to knock the bag over. It was harder to get the firestone without Ka’rys to feed it to him, but as it spilled over the sands, he managed well enough to snap up a piece. He also flared his wings wide, intentionally, in the same movement, as though to block S’rei from view. As far as appearances, it could have looked like he was trying to be intimidating… but no; he just didn’t want Vikoranth or Esaorith to see S’rei and he hoped that behind the railing, the bronze rider would be able to avoid being seen. He was so much bigger than RysHis that he didn’t know how good he was at hiding.
They want the big egg near my tail. They think it is a queen egg. It is not gold; I do not know why they think it is, Ciceroth told Salenth privately, Hepaticath is hunting, and I do not know if she heard my call. If she is far enough away she might not have heard it. She hasn’t fed in a while, because she was fussing over the eggs and Hers. It was explanation: Hepaticath wouldn’t be coming to their rescue any time soon. Possibly not at all. Theoretically they could have called her directly but that ran the risk of putting one of their queens in danger, something that Ciceroth was uneager to do. Not Hepaticath, anyway…
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Avu
Weyrleader Ce'thian Rider A'emi Handler Sena Harper Matteo Weyrbrat Riaren
Posts: 2,439
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Post by Avu on Jul 13, 2009 0:51:28 GMT -5
Esaorith did not deign to move, her head tilted almost innocently as she eyed the eggs. All large, but that was the largest. Not gold, but none of them were, and – wouldn’t it Hatch queen if none others did? Sometimes bronzes Hatched from supposed queen eggs; surely it could work the other way ‘round, too? Esaorith crooned, almost to herself, settling down as Tsarith’s amused huff came from the edge of the Sands; the small green was seated at the mouth of the entrance, head bowed, tail flicking idly; there was nothing to challenge her as of yet. Saena, meanwhile, was looking around on her back, eyes wary and hooded, making sure nobody decided to charge her dragon from the back (decidedly suicidal, they would be, but whatever – it wasn’t as if what they were doing was entirely logical either). Why would you presume that I intend to flame /you/? came the green’s almost amused reply. I will, should it come down to that…but you are not my intended target. If anyone flamed the eggs, it would be his fault, since neither Vikoranth nor Esaorith intended to flame Ciceroth anyway.
Vikoranth’s head lowered slightly, and the bronze flicked his tail thoughtfully before he turned his head slightly to eye A’risen – who withdrew a handful of firestone, cupping his fingers loosely around the stone, though he did not yet feed Vikoranth even as Ciceroth spoke. The bronze’s words, however, made Vikoranth rumble in low amusement, his tail flicking in a mixture of anger and amusement. Since when had Selenitas ever helped any of the Northern Weyrs? They had, before. They had asked the Weyrleaders, once upon a time. Politely. They had. (The actual details had gotten mixed up and blurred, but Vikoranth knew that they had.) The request had not been for a queen egg, or anything so valuable, and the necessity had not been so great – and they had been denied. What were the chances doing so again would produce a different result? They would have been denied, sent away, the protection on the egg in question doubled if not trebled. This way…this way, they had a chance. A fighting chance. And quite honestly, if they couldn’t manage a queen egg, then there was no use; they might as well go out trying. With no queen, the Weyr would not survive.
He didn’t get a chance to say as much when Salenth appeared; Tsarith hissed from the dragon entrance, while neither Esaorith nor Vikoranth moved, though both tensed should the bronze choose to attack either of them. It was seeing Salenth’s Rider feed him firestone, however, that made A’risen do the same for Vikoranth, and R’trez leaned forward on Esaorith’s neck to offer the green firestone as well; the green, younger and unable to contain her flame as well as Vikoranth, uttered a little puff of flame before she crooned, her tone still light, pleasant, though she did not speak mentally. It was Vikoranth that did, after Salenth spoke for the second time, the bronze’s tone still calm. If we did not have reinforcements, it’s unlikely I would tell you. But then, I would not tell you if we did, he pointed out, almost drolly. If we did leave, where would we go? A Weyr without a queen; a dying Weyr. There is no need for pity for the fact that we intend to try, Ciceroth – but we do. Vikoranth was easily the oldest of the three; the scars running over his hide made it clear that he, of the three, was the one with the most fighting experience. A quick existence is, ultimately, better than a slow one, and to the death we /will/ fight, if you force us to. As for its not being a queen egg…it is a chance we have to take, I’m afraid.
Bronze, came Tsarith’s distinctly amused private report to the bronze and to Esaorith. Soon-to-be-roasted bronze, that is. Her head rose; the pale, grayish-tinted green rose gracefully from her almost languid pose by the dragon entrance to watch Idith’s approach, eyes whirling slowly. She made no move to stop him, and then – just as he came within a dragonlength of her, Tsarith flamed. The distance was great enough that Idith could pull out of the way in time – it wouldn’t be too difficult, truthfully, but it was hopefully enough to scare him, and then did Tsarith speak, crooning pleasantly at the bronze as if flaming dragons was no more than a form of greeting. Well, it’s lovely to see you rush so quickly to the rescue of such a clutch, but really…there is no need for such a lovely bronze as yourself to be unnecessarily hurt. Indeed, I would hate for it to happen, absolutely hate it…do be kind to both of us, cease to waste both of our time, and do not attempt entrance.
Cr’yn barely resisted as Vraelnir attacked from the back. Perhaps he was too stunned; perhaps he simply wasn’t stupid. Whatever it was, the brownrider barely moved, though he did turn his head towards D’rayr, who had frozen, staring expectantly at him, before he sighed, rolling his eyes towards the ceiling of the Hatching stadium. “Wasn’t planning on moving,” he replied drolly. Every one of that mission had been picked by A’risen for a reason; they didn’t panic in the face of death – they were okay with the idea of it. “Tell me, please. We’ve warned you not to get between the dragons. What were you hoping to do, really? They all have firestone. They’ll use it; you’ll burn. If you avoid the fire, you’ll be stepped on, hit by their tails – you’ll be mauled. We’re trying to keep you from getting hurt. We don’t want you to be killed.” It was the truth, and it was clear from the resignation in Cr’yn’s tone. “Warning delivered, anyway. My job is done. Don’t do anything stupid.”
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Post by subtlemystery on Jul 13, 2009 1:36:48 GMT -5
"Are you guys nuts?" The words were out before Kalia could stop them, moving forward to grab the girl with the knife's arm. They couldn't be serious? If anything was certain at this point, these were northern dragons, and Kalia wasn't sure what these guys could do, but she knew what Fort riders could do. She might not know these candidates well, but she wasn't as hard-hearted to just let them run in agfainst fully fledged riders, she might not know them, but she didn't want them dead either.
"These are northern riders. They know how to fight, if they're Fort, or anything like Fort, then they know what they're doing and will do everything they can to finish what they came to do." Hoenstly, Kalia hoped it wasn't Fort, she couldn't recognise any of the riders from this distance, but she didn't want to go up against her home anyday. She might not be willing to let these twits die, or race in unprepared, but she wasn't willing to defy Fort - if it was them. Shaking her head at the other girl's offer, Kalia turned her attention to her, "A little won't be enough. Help might not come, you can't go racing in without a plan!" "What do you suggest then? We're willing to defend the clutch, I for one can't fight at all, but-" "But nothing! They're hostile, they're angry, and apprently desperate! Lesson number one, don't fight someone who has nothing to lose. If anything I'd say stick together, if you must fight at least pair or go in one large group, then everyone can watch everyone's back... But..." She paused, biting down on her lip. Really, these candidates didn't have to listen to her, Kalia was impulsive at the best of times but she wasn't so impulsive as to charge into battle. "At least make a tally, that's what, three of us that know basic fighting skills at the least? Kaerlin?" "Pfft, I can't fight." "Great, well, what're your names, we best know each otehr if we're going in there?"
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