Twilit Dancer [Zesa's Maiden Flight]

[Avu]

Purple-tinged, whirling eyes narrowed slightly as they slid across the horizon, lingering on Rukbat's dying rays, the last brilliant shades of deep purple and pink nearly swallowed by the dark, midnight blue shades of night. Each muscle was tense beneath the glowing golden hide that spoke clearly of an upcoming Flight, the gold flitter's wings tucked neatly against her brilliant hide, head cocked slightly to one side as her mouth opened, testing the air, the temperature. A soft wind ruffled through the air, and Zesa lifted her wings, closing her eyes, enjoying the cool breeze against the heat of her skin. A shiver ran through the young queen as she flicked a glance behind her, almost anxiously, where Hers was doing her Infirmary Shift before tucking her tail around her haunches with a quiet hiss, perched upon the sill of one of the windows of the Infirmary. Soon. It would be soon, very soon...the rays of Rukbat slipped into nonexistance, darkness finally draped around the Weyr. As if it was some signal, Zesa's body stiffened, tail lashing, half in anticipation and half in agitation, flicking another glance behind her.

She should warn Meirahers...but no. The time was now; she could wait no longer. Long, narrow wings snapped open on either side of her with surprising speed, but still, Zesa hesitated, teetering on the edge of flight, and then threw up her head, uttering a sharp shriek of challenge, the snap decision clear as her eyes became violet-hued, whirling in excitement. A soft probing wind touched her wings and she used it to her advantage, throwing herself upwards into the wind's grasp with scarcely a beat of her wings. The wind carried her forward, and Zesa took the course the wind chose, until she decided she needed more altitude - yes. Height was good...Pulling herself free of the stream of air, the queen shot almost vertically upwards, ascending swiftly, her golden form illuminating the dark peace of the night below her - and then shattering the idyllic silence with another shrill challenge, her sweet soprano tones rising in a lustful taunt completely uncharacteristic of her.

At the zenith of her ascent, the flitter hesitated, waiting for her males as another sharp bugle rang from her. Where were they? Why so late? So what if it was dark? The bronzes had to adjust themselves to her, not the other way around, and if she chose to Rise at night, so, too, should they choose to Chase at night. Besides, this hardly qualified as night! Rukbat had just barely slipped away and she was plenty bright enough to see without error. If they merely kept near her, they shouldn't have any trouble at all. Thus was the young queen's logic as she whirled mid-sky, uttering another teasing call, wrapping her wings around herself for a brief second before she unfurled them again, hovering expectantly as she cast her gaze around at her males, a soft lustful croon forming in her throat as she narrowed her eyes, squinting through the darkness. Where were they?!


Meira frowned, torn between irritation and pity, as the Weyrbrat shyly presented to her a burned fingertip. "What happened?" she demanded, taking the nine-turn girl's unburned hand and guiding her to a seat. "Sit," she added, gesturing at the chair, and the girl wriggled up on it, her face an almost comical picture of dismay. "Well?" With a sigh, the girl, between sniffles, explained; it took much confusion to decipher, but eventually, the story was out. She'd been trying to steal a slice of roast wherry for one of the Weyr's dragons because it was 'shiny'. The apprentice Healer blinked, and shook her head. "Dragons don't eat cooked meat, dear," she stated sympathetically. "Wait here, all right? Does it still hurt?" An emphatic nod was the response, and Meira clicked her tongue again as she rose to fetch the proper materials, pausing on the way to properly wash her own hands. Her fingers hesitated as they flicked over the salves and lotions available to her, eventually selecting numbweed salve and a redwort solution. The girl had just stood to return to the Weyrbrat when the lust flooded through her bond with Zesa, and she froze, the unopened jar of numbweed falling from numb fingers with a clatter as her pupils dilated, shock and clear horror flickering across her face.

No. No, no, no! It hadn't come as a complete surprise, what with the glow, and in that Zesa, previously independent, had been recently quite clingy - not to mention a lot moodier, more prone to hissing or scolding if something was not to her liking. She'd known, but Meira realized with a sickening pang that she had become very good at blocking out what she didn't want to know, what she didn't want to feel - and she had stifled the growing lust most efficiently. "Zesa!" The cry was moaned through dry lips. "No, come back!" Weyrbrat and salve forgotten, the Bluewherling streaked towards the window, fingers closing on the sill as she stared out, her eyes stricken as she sought out the young queen's glowing form. The lust was radiated strongly through their bond, the emotions momentarily stifling before she managed to control them, watching with bated breath as she watched the queen twirl, her voice clear and piercing.

[Tashe]

His was looking at the things-that-rip again, the chittering-loud-annoyance Dash was sleeping and the Big Gold One refused to talk to him, leaving the Bronze bored and restless. His prettyone would usually stop working to play with him, but the big shinny ball was sinking beyond the lip of the world, and she was very sleepy. Inhaling deeply before letting it out in a puffy sigh, Azaran draped his wings over his body, letting them hang over the sides of the chair top he was laying on. He didn't understand why everyone was tired, it wasn't that late in the sunday, it was only just transitioning into the darkday and he himself didn't feel tired in the least. Shutting his eyes, just to rest them since there wasn't anything better to do, the Bronze Flitter quietly drifted off to sleep.

He wasn't asleep long, that was for certain, for as soon as the alarm tugged at his mind he was awake. Jumping off of the chair and gliding out to the wood thing that was near the Weyrledge, Azaran paused for a moment, just to make sure what he was feeling was real. It was. Turning his little head toward His, the Bronze gave her a little screech, before launching himself out the archway. Pretty Queen was rising! He would catch her and she would be his! They would make healthy children, and there would be many! Wings thundering as he pumped them, Azaran wheeled his way through the dimming sky, his eyes picking out the bobbing form of the glowing Queen. She was the young one, not the Queen he had chase before, but it didn't matter. She was fit, and she was prettier than His. He would catch her since he was big and pretty Bronze, and he was old and wise. He was the only logical choice! Creeling another response as he drew nearer, Azie sent out a tendril of thought to Zesa, letting her know he was there to challenge her challenge. He would follow her and be worthy!

--

Copying the old transcripts was tedious work, but inside, she really did like having the chance to study the old records. Using her title, Kaegan had weaseled permission out of the head Archive keeper to take them to her Weyr to work on them, she felt more comfortable in her own home than in the Archives. She always felt like she stuck out there, even after she was confused for an Archivist herself. In any case, she had spent more than enough time in the Record Room at Benden then was healthy, leading to her mixed feelings about staying in the enclosed space. Rubbing her eyes with the back of her inky hand, Kaegan yawned as she checked her time candle, counting the hours left till then deducting it to figure out the time. Sunset. That and Sunrise happened to be the prettiest times of day, their many colors spreading across the sky reminded the Goldrider of a artist's canvas.

A screech disturbed her thoughts and drew her attention onto her oldest friend, only the brief pause he took and the purple of his eyes informed her of the Chase that was about to begin. "Azzie!" Jumping up as the lust washed over their bond, Kaegan swayed slightly before she could put somewhat of a cap over the feeling, making it into a dull throb. Skittering out onto her Weyr's ledge, the Queenrider looked to Millieth before speaking to her. "Millieth lend me your eyes? Will you watch Azaran's flight?" /But Firelizard flights are boring./ "Yes but Azaran is flying!" Uncapping some of the emotions and feeding them to Millieth through their bond, Kaegan made sure the Gold knew exactly how she was feeling, she needed to watch the Bronze. Slipping easily into the sight sharing, Kaegan watched in her mind's eye as Millieth focused on the fleeting Flitters, rooting for her Azzie.

[reqqy]

The sharp pain of catching breath pulling through his lungs was more than welcome, though he'd started too late this evening. Morning runs with the the other weyrlings was fine, but they didn't run far or fast enough, and it always ended in frustration for the young brownweyrling, so he'd taken to running in the evenings as well. Even this late, the lingering heat had caused him to shed tunic. Behruth was pulling lightly at his mind, urging him faster. M'ta should have been finished by now. Of course, it was a game of tug-of-war with the silly brown that had him starting later tonight, anyway. Behruth had decided that he wanted M'ta's brush, too, which the boy needed to pull back the hair he really should just cut off here soon.

A curious feeling came over him, one that was not so much different than the warmth of well-worked muscles, a mildly pleasant pain. M'ta knew it was different, but could not peg down why precisely, as he wasn't - well, he did not react as most teenagers did, being somewhat psychologically crippled. Shrugging it off, he picked up the pace.

The croon in the darkness was answered by a second croon, a short distance away. He was not hard to see in daylight, but he was little more than an occasional glimmer by the light of the stars, the young brown. His body snaked lithely after her, in no true hurry. She was calling her males. The chase had not yet begun, and he was too old and too canny to think he could make a play for her this early. Still, he looped upwards, doing a barrel roll at the zenith and coming down at an angle, dipping well beneath her before rising on the other side, the croon still trembling in a full throat.

Jabari ignored Azaran's arrival. Had he come when first the lovely sun started to call? Of course, golds liked their bronzes, but that hardly shook his confidence. He was the better choice, the fitter choice. He played upward on the wind, turning slowly so the light would glance off his dark hide, causing a mysterious shimmer - a flitter impression in the air above Zesa. Showing his humanpet her gleaming hide, he crooned again. See? Such a pretty creature. Wouldn't His be happy?

M'ta blinked as the image bubbled in his head, Behruth stirring as well. But the boy reassured him with a thought, only faltering in his run for a step or two. A few more paces and he was out of the trees, strong legs powering him along the riverbank. Glancing upwards, he stopped to watch the faint gleams in the skies, knowing he wouldn't be able to see Jabari. It wasn't so bad. He couldn't recognize Zesa from the picture, but her owner was not around, and otherwise he just felt a tad...odd. Jogging a little further down the beach to cool off his muscles, he felt the need for the cold water and waded in, trousers and all, dipping beneath the surface with a sigh.

Much better. M'ta floated upwards, resting on his back, and watched the cavorting gleams of the chase in the near distance.

[kysseh]

It was likely good for the weyr's sake that Fiona was asleep and incapable of responding to the lust that her flitter emanated. The greenweyrling was not known for her restraint when it came to opportunities for bedplay, and had she not been dead to the world after a long day's work, she probably would have been looking for the nearest person to jump. Thankfully for Ego and everyone else within grabbing range, Fi and her snuggly mindmate were out for the count, and that left a very smug bronze flit to do what he wanted without fear of recall. His humanpet did so get irritated when he fixated on the golds and refused to look at the greens. Oh, he did not mind the greens, Ego did not. But... he was a bronze, of course.

And a creature as magnificent as him deserved nothing less than a queen.

The bronze prided himself on knowing when one of the weyr's few golds of his kind were to go up, and he smugly noted how fit he was for flight. He had perched up on the drumheights during the afternoon to get a better view of the scene below. If she rose, he would see, oh yes. The best view in the weyr had he, and it was-

Ahhh, there she was, and he half-opened his wings at the sound of her shriek of challenge. His eyes whirled a vibrant purple in his copper-hued head, and he offered a throaty flitter bugle in response. Rukbat had slipped beneath the horizon, but enough light remained that he could see her. He posed elegantly, watching her from his superior position so high up. The posing failed, though, for he quickly saw two unworthy males looking to pursue her. The fact that he was the sire of such a lovely beast did not deter him from chasing and certainly did not persuade him from hating those ugly little males who dared to chase his queen. Yes, she was his too, even though he had the other one. They were all his queens.

He let out another bugle and opened his massive wings to the fullest extent before becoming airborne. His coppery-red hide gleamed dully in the dying light, and he fixated on the beautiful creature, accelerating up and toward her with powerful wingstrokes. A hiss echoed from his mouth toward the other pursuers, his gaze briefly landing on them before refocusing on the lovely gold beauty. He was big, he was fit, and he was bronze. What gold wouldn't want him?! He was such a magnificent specimen of bronze, wasn't he?

((Please forgive my aptly-named flitter. XD))

[Avu]

What was that? A gleam, a smudge of bronze, on the Drumheights? The queen paused mid-loop, studying - what was this? One Chaser and - no. Two. Two Chasers, one of which was a brown, dark against the sky. And a bronze, as large as she. Zesa flicked one wing, sending herself into a practiced twirl, offering them a warble of greeting, though her eyes flashed in surprise in response to the bronze actually reaching out to her mentally. Oh, he was bold, wasn't he? The queen hummed encouragingly at him. Good. Good bronze. Worthy? Now perhaps that was going a bit far...he'd come, that was a point in his favor (or rather, a point against any of the latecomers) - but worthy of her? No. Not yet. The bronze gleam on the Drumheights forgotten, the queen turned her attention to her brown Chaser.

Lovely...he was smaller than she, as befitted a queen and her mate, and a lovely one. His aerial acrobatic display elicited a pleased croon. That was the way it should be - them, trying to impress her...Zesa flitted closer daringly, almost tauntingly so, before swiveling away as a bugle split the relatively quiet night - now, at least, that she'd stopped her challenges. Ooh. Wasn't he a pretty one. Was this the flash of bronze she'd seen? Yes, it seemed so...her eyes glowed as she warbled again, greeting the newest comer. Very good.

Was that all? Now there was a flash of anger as the queen bridled, a soft hiss emerging from her as she scanned the landscape. No more flits - why not? Why not? Was she not a prize worth claiming? She was no mere green, Rising merely for pleasure and for a couple dud eggs! No; she was a queen. They should all come - and why were they not coming?! Ridiculous. Well, if they didn't come, they obviously didn't deserve her. And she wasn't going to wait for them, either! Nonetheless, the queen threw up her head in another challenge, though anger was twisted in this call. They would come if they wanted the slightest chance, but that was all that would be offered. She was furious with them. What was wrong with them that they wouldn't come when called? Fools.

With sharp speed, Zesa snapped out her wings, shooting swiftly out of range of any of the three - three! - who had first arrived. Simply because they'd come when she'd called for them - that didn't mean she was going to make it any easier on them. Not at all. Her eyes narrowed, contemplating the darkened grounds...the river, the thick jungle...where? The jungle appealed to her. In the daylight, it shouldn't be too much of a challenge for a flitter - but at night! And if she lost any of them, that wasn't her fault, no; they were merely unworthy of her. They had to keep up to catch her, didn't they?

Trilling in excitement, her rage momentarily forgotten in the face of this new game, Zesa hesitated for a fraction of a second, and then shot towards the trees, diving, wings pinned against her sides, a golden blur. She veered easily around the first trees, plunging ever deeper into the undergrowth, twisting at sharp angles around anything in her way. Vines, foliage, bark; all blurred by as Zesa flicked one wing, sending herself upwards, flicking a brief glance behind her, checking on the progress of her three before she returned her gaze to the front in time to see a tree rushing at her, all too fast. No! The queen dropped her wings instinctively, throwing herself sideways in a barrel roll before her wings snapped out again, caught her; she hissed in irritation.

Silly males. See what they'd made her do! She wasn't supposed to be doing all these silly tricks. She already had their attention. It was their job to make themselves impressive to her, not the other way around. Zesa skimmed lower, twisting suddenly as a gleam of liquid caught her eye and she dropped lower still, the dark leaves, illuminated by the two moons, flickering across her hide as she contemplated the river briefly, following its path as she headed deeper into the jungle.

[dragon]

Out of the thick of the forest jungle came another flit. Sparkling through the bits of light that filtered through the canopy, he sped between the trees with a practiced ease that said he lived there. That he did just that every day.

A wild flitter, the bronze was confident and experienced in the ways of the forest. Ducking and rising almost to a beat, he dodged around every obstacle the trees presented him as he hurried to join the chase.

A queen! He would not pass this up, no. Warbling his greeting, he flipped wing over tail for a moment, as he passed over her. Straightening out, he settled down to just chase her through the woods, occassionally darting around a limb that momentarily blocked his view. He didn't like that, but he could live with it. It was very short term, after all.

Dropping low again, he flared his wings wide and filled them to capacity with all the air they could hold, showing off for the pretty gold that he had never seen before. He was the best in the forest, and he knew it. No weyr pampered flitter was going to out do him for this pretty. This pretty was his!

Crooning lovingly to his shiny queen, he darted back across again, this time over her, before cutting a hard turn and dropping behind. Settling in a few yards behind her lovely tail, he followed her over every log, under every branch, through every vine tangle that she deigned to try.

He was not as large as she was, and easily slid right through the holes she took, his bronze wings flickering in and out in short, sharp beats that kept him speeding ahead and in control of his direction.

[reqqy]

Another bronze. Always bronzes. He coiled around the third to join, flying nearly silent, almost as if he were taking the male's measure - though his purple-hued gaze never once left Zesa. Lovely golden moonlit sun. Dropping away from Ego - whom he did not particularly like, as Jabari had Zesa's attention before the male arrived to steal it - the brown flew low, his wings beating quickly to keep up with the suddenly speeding queen. He crooned to her placatingly. No, there were no others chasing her, but she had three lovely males to choose from, didn't she? Four.

With a hiss, the brown quickly veered aside before the bronze rising from the trees could hit him. Jabari should not fly at night, it seemed; he was nearly invisible. That would make it very difficult to keep her attention. For a moment his confidence wavered, but her allure pulled him on just the same. How could he resist the gleaming sun? The sun that even now decided to dodge amongst the branches and leaves. A thrill of excitement went through Jabari. Here, his size held the advantage.

Such a lovely, supine creature she was! He trilled in awe of her as she danced through the leaves and branches, around vines and trees. The brown flitted below and to one side, playing amongst the leaves and causing them to stir in little patterns by his passage. Ignoring the bronzes who followed, he found the smallest gaps that he could manage, keeping him close on Zesa's tail - even when she made an unexpected turn. Though he wanted her, he found the chase itself exhilarating.

Wait! He touched her mind in panic, the small brown. Tree! Ahead! His wings punched the air, though he hardly knew what he could do if he should reach her in time, but, fortunately, she noticed the tree before it was too late. Or maybe she'd known it was there the entire time? Possibly. The orange cast faded from his eyes, the male more than impressed with how well his sun flew and determined to prove himself a worthy partner. He darted straight up the trunk with a trilling warble, looping over and twisting tightly through a gathering of leaves, flaring his wings just as he cleared the branches and scattering the leaves in all directions (hopefully into the path of one of the other chasers).

Up high, and she was drawing away quickly. Jabari dove almost straight down, using the momentum of gravity to convert vertical speed to horizontal as he skimmed just above the leaf-strewn ground, darting beneath an upraised tree root and around a stump. Only when the speed began to slow did his wings flare again, Jabari rising a little to keep the tips clear of the earth. The brown was only a shadow amongst shadows, silent now as he chased, the purple gleam of his eyes all that marked him.

Deeper, deeper, deeper into shadowed night flew his sun, and Jabari followed her without thought. It was the jungle, after all, and he knew the jungle. Knew it well. Not so well as the wild one, perhaps, but His loved the jungle, and he knew it just the same. The brown darted happily below, finding little to obstruct his path and gaining ground by that alone. He suddenly shot up, off to one side of Zesa, crooning softly as he ran a gauntlet of branches just to the left and ahead of her. See? Did she not want a male who could do that? The others certainly couldn't.

[Tashe]

How dare he! Hissing at the Bronze who erupted from the forest, Azaran barely resisted the urge to snap at the offending flitter's tail. No wild mutt of a Bronze was going to chase Zesa! Nor was he going to win her either, not if this Bronze had any say in it! He had no right! NONE. Hissing again as the Bronze cut in before him, Azaran was forced back a wingspan, lest he run into his smaller counterpart and tangle himself up. Stupid Mongrel! Ignorant, inbred son of a wherrie! He would pay for that! How dare he cut in before him, and get even closer to the young Queen! Dipping into the trees to follow the shining Queen with a growl, the Bronze dove and swooped to avoid the trees and branches that seemed almost alive, like they wanted to keep him from Zesa.

This Brown, the one he had almost dismissed, was beginning to prove more of a threat than he had first expected. Surely a Queen such as the likes of this one, would not think to take a Brown as a mate? Or, would she? Flicking his tail in thought as he spun and danced among the trees, Azaran sped up and slowed down just enough to avoid most of the leaves and little branches that the trees thrust at him. He was close, so close, and yet... he wasn't as close as the Wild Bronze, he was stuck behind him and near the Brown, not at all where he should be. Catching sight of the Queen through the rushing foliage, the Male trilled loudly in concern as she barreled toward a tree. On no! The Pretty One must not get hurt! Twisting his own body in reaction, Azaran watched as Zesa steered away from the tree with a deft movement. Oh how cunning! Oh how smart and wonderful she was!

Streaming through the leaves that the Brown threw into the air, silly Brown, the Bronze dropped down into the open space above the River. No more leaves to obscure the Beauty's glowing form, she was so much more pretty without leaves covering his vision! Each time she dipped or moved, he felt awed, her glowing hide contracting over muscles. He had chased many females in his years, but Queens were just so... much better than Greens, in every way too. More majestic, more lovely, more cunning! He would follow her to the shinning light disk and back if he had to, but for now, he'd streak after her no matter how deep they went into the forest.

Dipping down to fly over the water, Azaran picked up speed at a faster rate now that there were little to no branches to impede him, soon catching up with the two he so far had deemed his biggest rivals. The Wild Mutt, and the Brown. Pushing up from the water's edge, little ripples forming underneath him, the Bronze angled his body up toward the others like an arrow. Folding his wings in slightly as he passed above the other males, Azaran did a spin before furling his wings again with a snap, dropping back into level with the rest of the chasers. He was /not/ going to be out done.

[Avu]

((Sorry, Kyss, but meh, had to end it...<333))

What was this? A late arrival? Oh, but he was a lovely one...and where did he think he was going?! He'd nearly hit her pretty brown one! Zesa uttered a warning hiss for the wild bronze, flicking her tail disdainfully at him. He was a wildling - not from the Weyr. His small size guaranteed that - along with his clear ease of motion in the jungle. (But the rest of her pursuers moved nicely as well, so he had no advantage there.) Nonetheless she welcomed him to the Flight with a soft croon, though she gave no response to his clear flaunting aside from a calculating gleam in her eyes. Her lovelies had no trouble in the jungle, it seemed...what next? What next...another glance was flicked behind as she dropped one wing, spinning in a new direction.

The trees thinned noticeably as she ducked and wove through the foliage, practically radiating sheer delight as she chose the smallest openings to go through. Oh, she knew it was, perhaps, unfair to Ego and Azaran, both larger than she, but they oughtn't to worry. If they dropped behind just a little, she'd forgive them. The wildling was - not as appealing. This was his natural territory. Even in the lust-driven state, Zesa was aware of that. If he couldn't keep up, that would not be forgiven - that was pathetic. If he did, well, that was all right too, she supposed, but she wouldn't be half as impressed with he as with her Weyr-raised lovelies. Jabari's aerial tricks - so graceful even in the confined jungle - elicited an appreciative thrum from the queen. And he was still keeping up fairly well with the larger bronzes, too. Good brown!

The bronzes, now...Zesa cast her eye thoughtfully over them. Had she been human, she would have been smirking. Their desire was terribly clear; she liked it...Wait! What? Why were there only two? Where was the big one, Ego? Had she lost him? A displeased hiss emerged from the queen as she spun on her wingtip, surveying them again. One, two, brown - and that was all? Well...the other bronzes were quite handsome enough to make up for it..she supposed. Snuggly, too, no doubt...the queen thrummed encouragingly to them, flicking her tail lightly. They could come closer; she wouldn't bite them. No, of course not. She wanted them closer...yes, even that wildling was welcome to come a bit closer, too - if they could catch up! She fluted softly to them as she burst from the trees, eyes flickering over the landscape, and then struck out for the ocean - incidentally, where M'ta happened to be, though the queen was unaware of it.

The burning had started in her wings - and she still hadn't made her choice. The queen skimmed low over the waves, occassionally glancing over her shoulder to make sure her males were keeping up, though if they weren't, that was too bad for them. Which of them? The wildling was almost instantly dismissed. He'd simply disappear back to wherever he'd come from - he wouldn't be there to dote on her if she so desired it. No, he wouldn't do. Perhaps he could find a wild queen, but Zesa, born and raised within the Weyr - she was not for him. She crooned, almost apologetically, giving him a gentle mental push away from her Chase. A pity, really, that she'd tired so quickly - it had given him little time to prove himself. But that didn't change her opinion about him.

Jabari or Azaran? The brown or the bronze? Both had showed proper concern when she'd nearly run into the tree - the memory made Zesa twitch her tail irately - and both had nicely showcased their skills in the air. Which...w - a dark blur on the water. The queen's wings faltered as she altered her course, heading for whatever it was, taunting her Chasers. Would they shy away from the unknown? Would they dare? As she drew closer, silently winging at breakneck speeds across the relatively quiet waters, Zesa recognized it - a person. And not just any, either - it was the Brownweyrling that Hers had been with at the Feast, what's-his-name. M'ta. A wicked idea formed in the queen's mind as she flicked another glance over at her males, and though she twitched her tail, enticing them on, she was otherwise simply a glowing golden ghost - headed directly for M'ta, her choice already formed as her wings protested painfully against the sheer speed.

Closer, closer she drew to M'ta, until the moment could no longer be prolonged. The queen whiplashed around the boy, close enough that her tail traced along his cheek lightly as she spun entirely around him, doubling back among her Chasers, almost crashing into her Chosen, crooning softly as she folded her wings, latching onto the male as she twisted herself around him lightly, M'ta's precense forgotten in her elation. Her lovely wouldn't let her fall. Wasn't this what he'd been hoping for? Her lovely brown...her Jabari.

[reqqy]

The wild bronze was certainly getting a lot of hisses, wasn’t he? Jabari allowed himself that brief moment of satisfaction, but otherwise devoted no attention to the wildling. Only Zesa was important. Certainly, the other males may catch her eye, may win her, but that wouldn’t change Jabari’s capabilities one way or another. All he could do was strive to fly his best for the golden moonlit sun. The only sin he might commit was falling short of that mark, for if his best was not good enough…then he had no hope from the start. Best not to overthink it. Best not to watch the other males and wonder how he compared. Best to simply fly for Zesa – and hope that his best was worthy of her.

Oh, but he enjoyed this game! She was picking small little openings – almost as if specifically for him! – and Jabari danced along behind her, occasionally emerging a little ahead and to one side when he could find a more direct path through even smaller openings. If this had been a chase through the open air, with nothing to fly through, and if Zesa had chosen to fly mostly straight, Jabari would have been left hopelessly far behind. He wasn’t small for a brown, but he was still a brown. There was no getting around that. Fortunately, his sun played in a way that he could join in, and her delight was echoed in the brown, who trilled happily to her. If only they could dance forever beneath the stars! Wouldn’t that be fun? But, oh, even with all the shortcuts he could find, the brown’s wings were beginning to strain. He hoped she chose soon! Not only because he worried that he might fall behind if the Chase lasted much longer, but also because he wanted to be strong for her if she Chose him.

Then, as if she somehow knew that he was beginning to grow weary, Zesa emerged from the trees. Oh dear. Not too many obstructions now, were there? If he couldn’t figure out a way to rest his wings, he’d never keep up. The brown swirled higher, knowing that altitude was his greatest friend at this point, and found himself sliding into a nice, swift air current. Oooooohhhhh funnnnn! He trilled with glee, cavorting in the air. No, it didn’t follow the exact same path, but he stayed with it until the angles started diverging enough to be worrisome, dropping down behind again and pushing the altitude into speed for all he was worth. A little break for his wings. It helped quite a bit, though, he thought cheerfully as he flitted through the air. A second wind? Perhaps.

He played in the waves near her, did Jabari, loving the little thermals left over from the day. Oh, yes, he pursued his Zesa, but the brown was enjoying this Chase oh so much, and he wanted her to enjoy it too! She should! She deserved to enjoy what she’d given them, didn’t she? It worked well, too, using the currents and thermals that were already there, or again she would have left him behind with her larger wingspan, and he could not bear that thought! His play was interrupted of a sudden when she quickly banked, though, heading for something he couldn’t quite make out in the near distance. A flicker of familiarity passed through his mind, just as Zesa seemed she couldn’t avoid the collision course for the dark smear. His humanpet!

He let out a little cry, disturbed that Zesa may not have seen and would now hurt them both at once. Not good! His golden moonlit sun and his humanpet were most important to him. Jabari’s concern had him driving himself faster, past the bronze, though he should not have been able to go at such speeds, his hearts skipping so quickly they practically formed one continual beat. Then she had missed him, though, arcing around his humanpet and barreling back towards them. Jabari backwinged, trying to avoid a collision. Of course he wanted her, but he didn’t want her all smushed and hurting. That single move managed to stabilize him, thankfully, when he realized that it was no collision as her claws closed on him. He fluted quietly, almost questioningly, allowing her to reposition herself, then crooned in happiness.

His! His sun! So glad was he that he almost forgot to wing upward, reminded by the ocean spray that caught him lightly across one wingtip. He flew upward, the adrenaline from before powering his wings, twining with his Zesa. His! Soooo haaaappppyyyy!

M’ta sputtered, clutching at his cheek in more shock than actual pain. He felt the wetness there. Just a small cut. It had happened so fast, though, the gleaming gold speeding for him, that he couldn’t react – or perhaps it just hadn’t occurred to him that he should. He could usually separate himself from Jabari easily enough, but his mind hadn’t processed the gold’s path as potentially bad because Jabari wanted her, no doubt. Now he felt more than just a little funny. Giddy and strangely…needy. The brownweyrling sighed. At least it was night and there was no one out. He needed to be doing something though, and the distance back to the weyr provided an excuse. Behruth needed to sleep.

Not that the brown was complaining. He bubbled with curiosity after M’ta assured him that all was well. What was Jabber doing? What is he doing? It’s a warm, hungry feeling…happy. You feel him through me? I always do, but it’s stronger now. You feel a little like him. What is it? You’ve seen dragons chase before. It’s the same thing. Zesa chose Jabari, so they’re Flying now. He must like to Fly a lot. Why don’t you fly? I want to Fly. It seems like fun. You have to learn those wings of yours, first. By this point, M’ta was running at a fast clip back toward the Weyr, trying to keep warm; the water on his skin cooled swiftly in the air, and it was a strange contrast to the heat still surging in his core.

I will. And then I’ll Fly, right? Behruth paused, then. You don’t like to Fly, he stated, surprise in his tone. M’ta’s eyes widened, the boy pushing faster in response. I haven’t. I’m not as brave as you; it makes me nervous. There was a long silence. Why won’t you let me see? It’s the dark place. You never let me in. I will, but I can’t right now. Okay? Don’t be upset. It’s kind of like breaking a rule, to let you see. Behruth sensed the truth in that – even if he knew it wasn’t quite the full truth – and let it go. If Jabber is Flying Zesa, that means there will be little Zesa-Jabbers, doesn’t it?

Something like that. They’ll have a clutch just like Millieth did when you Hatched. Little flutterbyes! Can I have one? M’ta laughed aloud, finally coming to the edge of the forest. He didn’t slow, diving into the river without a pause and stroking for the weyrling barracks. They choose who they want. You can go, though, if you’ll fit. And you can have one if it chooses you. Behruth subsided in quiet elation, even as M’ta pulled himself up onto the bank and shook himself out like a dog, spraying droplets everywhere. He thought maybe he should stay outside for just a little while longer. The heat remained, and he didn’t want to run into anyone entering the barracks. In a minute or two…when the flitters were done…maybe then it would be safe.

(Obscenely long, I know. ^^; Heh, if anyone wants to reply to M'ta's hanging outside the weyrling barracks, I'm game. ^^ -tries to restrain an ecstatic Jabari-)