Inner Fire {Eriannath's Flight}

[kysseh]

She was showing off for them all, and Dohulth watched with an appreciative croon, flaring his wings and angling them, one first and then the other, to slip left and right in a curious wiggling motion through the air currents. It was a trick he had mastered as a young thing, learning to feel out the air currents and use them to maximize motion whilst minimizing energy usage. It was a neat little stunt, and while it lacked the agility of Eriannath's loops, it demonstrated his practice... his ease... with the air he now moved through, around, and over. He was not the focus of her attention at first, he noted, and the brown slipped further to the right , trying to get at a level altitude with her to make sure that she could see him tacking back and forth. He was not falling behind, oh no!

His spirits sank a bit as she rumbled at the bronze Chaser, but he refused to give in, dipping one wing and inclining his body to get a better look at her, crooning softly as she acknowledged him. She liked his moves, did she? He rumbled again, proud that this graceful and agile beauty took it upon herself to mimic his trick. She made it look so much more grateful, though. The lovely green turned it into a dive, and his wings suddenly and sharply tucked in, his body plummeting toward the ground with almost alarming speed as he gave a cry of delight. A dive! He could do this! He vaguely noted that none of the other larger, heavier males had any problems with following, but he was moving just as quickly as they, he thought, with his wings tucked in close and tensed in preparation.

He was too much in her blind spot behind her... where she could not see him! He adjusted the angle of his dive to make it far more severe so he could pass beneath her when they eventually levelled, tucking his legs in very close to make sure that he was moving at his greatest speed. Opening his wings to flap them would only create drag. He knew how to pull himself out of a controlled fall like this, and he made sure to keep his gaze on Eriannath and his awareness on the rapidly-approaching ground beneath him. Crashing was bad, but losing sight of Eriannath would be nearly equally so. Dangerous, yes, but Dohulth could manage this danger, most certainly.

She danced, K'von noted with a joyous thrill! Oh, she danced oddly, but she danced. His face split into a boyishly gleeful grin at that note, and he made a little sashay that would have had him almost hiding in humiliation had he been in his right mind. Dancing! He loved to dance, and he followed after her at a respectable distance, doing what could best have been described as a bastardized version of a waltz, a quickstep, and just some random twirling and handwaving. K'von, for all that he was normally not so free about silliness with dancing, had cut loose and was demonstrating his masculinity in an odd sort of way. His dance moves were not strictly effeminate, besides the initial sashay, but any onlookers would probably have cracked a few ribs from laughing at his little poses and twirls.

He was oblivious to how ridiculous he looked, mostly because he was having fun moving his shirtless, shoeless form around and showing off for the pretty green. Oh, he could do proper dance too, but this was just so much more fun, and her formless dance set a precedent for his. She leapt up onto the table, and he made a crooning sound of concern, dark eyes turned upward to watch her as he came to the table edge to watch her. Crowd her beautiful movements, he would not, but he refused to stop dancing, even though the other males were making it difficult to move anywhere without putting distance between himself and the green. So many in such a little space! But he was in lust, and she was performing for them, waiting for one of them to join her, and he held his hands up, palms upward, as if waiting for her to take them and invite her up as he continued to do an odd sort of footwork near the edge of the table.

[glamourie]

Who was he? This blue who showed up late to her flight. A glance back caught him in her view, his light hide recognizable to some degree and she realized fleetingly that he, like Rosilinth, was from where she and Juliya had come from. His name returned to her from memories not her own; blue wings painted harper blue from memories that were more Juliya's than anything Eriannath had laid witness to. He was late arriving; did he think that would give him an advantage? Pretty, pretty blue, was he trying to be tactical by coming after she was in the air for so long? Was he so creative? -- But tardiness won Kindrith no points with her. Whether it was an attempt at strategy or not, she recognized that he had come later. He did not answer her first call, and that made her angry with him. Pretty, pretty blue - but she would settle for nothing but the best among her many-splendored suiters, and he had proven he was not it. He was too late. The look she spared him was half apologetic, half teasing.

The land-bound half of the greenpair abruptly froze, blinking in confusion; her expression was timed near perfectly with Eriannath's. Toward the end of the table she edged, away from the newcomer, before she turned back and --

What was he doing? Her gaze lingered on R'non and her movements stilled, head cocking to the side slightly. Her gaze flicked between R'non and Z'hin, questioning; one was clearly following her movements, the other challenging with his own dance. But she was center stage, not him. She climbed off the end of the table and circled the chair that the bronzerider had jumped off of, her introspect evident. One hand reached out to swat just in front of his face, teasing, playful, and then she was moving again. She was the brightest of the lot; she would not be outmatched. But she was impressed, and it took a lot to impress Juliya, even when her feelings were over-run by Eriannath.

Around Z'hin she danced again, spinning casually with her arms above her head. The brownrider was circled before she stepped away from him. Her gaze looked over him once more, up and down --

Eriannath looked back at the trail of dragons chasing her before pulling out of her dive - abrupt and sudden. Her wings spread, and a slight burning sensation coursed through them. Too fast, and soon, too long. But she was not out of her tricks yet. She noted, with interest, who followed her which way. Rath, with his sudden and abrupt plummet; Rosilinth who was not quite as graceful as the rest but surely trying. So familiar was he, but he hadn't dove exactly after her. Steady and confident, but so big was he, as Fort browns were won't to be. And Jessereth with his tight, quick barrel roll was noted with a hint of fascination and interest --- but he was too close. She would not be caught before she was ready. With a slightly apologetic croon, she veered away from the brown, putting more distance between herself and her chasers, her speed picking up to the fastest she could go. Her gaze lingered on the third and smallest of the chasers. He was built similar to Jessereth, but his dive was different, more graceful, and fearless. With his big wings, would he be able to pull out of that fall?

K'von's movements caught Juliya's attention at the same time that Dohulth's caught Eriannath's, and a slight, quiet giggle escaped her; she couldn't help it. One hand came up to clamp over her mouth and she moved toward him as Eriannath snapped her wings close to her sides and fell rapidly toward the ground. The entire way she spun, like a meteor falling from the sky to the ground. It was quick, rapid movements, powered as much by her weight as the speed she was flying. The ground was coming closer rapidly, and then she spread her wings and turned. Right on her tail, and sudden. Whether any of the males could keep up remained to be seen, but she did not turn back to look. It would have crushed her for any of them to crash into the forest below, but she was growing tired - tired of her game.

The quick turn on her tail brought her close enough to Dohulth that as she passed him, she grabbed him. At the exact same moment, Juliya grabbed K'von mid-twirl and jerked him close to her, her fingers clenching into his forearms with bruising force. Her knees weakened and she held onto him more to keep herself balanced than anything else, as the knowledge that she was moving way, way too fast, and her wings hurt so much was nearly overwhelming. But when she spoke, it was as much her as it was Eriannath: "Please don't let us fall."

[kysseh]

The dancing Juliya-Eriannath had stopped dancing, and K'von was momentarily deflated, slowing his antics as she climbed off the other edge of the table to go investigate what the bronze and the bulky brown were up to. He crooned a bit sadly but resumed his odd dancing, edging in her direction in the hopes that she would resume paying attention to him. Seeeeeee, he was dancing too! Granted, his dancing lacked her own grace and pattern and purpose, but at least he was trying! He executed a complicated series of moves that were probably something like a five-step promenade, but it looked hilariously dramatic when done with only one body.

Wait.... wait! He heard a little bit of a giggle, and he paused, well-muscled and scarred back to her, glancing over his shoulder to see what she was giggling at. Oh, oh, oh! She was giggling at him! He should have been ashamed, but the brownrider instead puffed up a bit and went through a series of dramatic dance steps as Juliya approached, unashamedly flaunting himself and leaving his arms open between moves for her to hop right into if she felt so inclined. Ohh, pretty green! She was looking, and he wanted to just bugle--or yodel, whichever--with pride at having impressed her with his... skills.

Dohulth saw Eriannath suddenly open her wings to halt her downward momentum, and his own wings snapped fully open, reducing his speed to almost nothing as he levelled his flight out beneath and to the right of the green lovely. His muscles protested the sudden movement, but it was not out of exhaustion. It was only the suddenness and violence of the movement that his body disliked, and though he had to slip back and forth a bit to get himself back on an even course, he was up to speed again soon, pursuing her with as much energy as he could put forth without snapping his own wings off. His violet gaze was locked on her. What now, what now?

She was diving again, and he tucked in his wings again to speedily follow, heedless of the other males and how they chose to follow her. Only she mattered, and she was dropping so, so fast! His instincts told him that this was dangerous, but he followed anyway, rumbling softly as she turned suddenly again, and his wings half-opened to try to break his momentum to follow. She would pass him by, and then he would have to-

Clawed forefeet grabbed him, and he crooned in surprise, throwing her head up as it was made clear that she had chosen. K'von was simultaneously freezing as hands seized his arms hard enough to leave marks, the nude greenrider looking unbalanced as she clung to him. Both brown and rider reached for their respective half of the greenpair to steady them, twin croons of comfort and adoration uttered to soothe. They cared... they would keep them safe. They knew how to take care of such lovely females and not let them fall, no.

"We will not fall." both males promised the female in their grasp, and Dohulth took hold of his new mate firmly to keep her safe, twining neck and tail around her and using his massive wings to steady their flight. Then the massive wings spread to their fullest extent as they caught a thermal, and the brown took his mate upward toward the clouds and away... away from the other males and the weyr behind them. It was just to be himself and his darling, clever Eriannath, whom he crooned to as he swept them both along. She had chosen him, and he would not fail to disappoint. A long flight, this would be.

K'von was pulling Juliya into his chest and crooning repeatedly to reassure her. He would not let her fall, and he twisted his arms in her grasp to hold her wrists, lifting her arms to put them around his neck before his hands sought her rump and lifted her up against him. He held her tightly and carried her to the bed, nuzzling affectionately at her hair and laying her down gently on the bed. His trousers were flung aside, and then he joined her, kissing her with boundless enthusiasm, the other dancers forgotten in favor of the one, the most beautiful, dancer that lay stretched beneath him.

[neeuqtar]

She was ready! She would Choose him! And then... not him. Another dragon, a brown, Caught the green in his claws. Rath hissed and snapped at the pair, but did not attack, instead peeling off from the duo as His-R'non stalked outside. The great bronze landed heavily on a stone outcropping, watching the pair in the skies with red eyes, full of anger at his defeat. He had never lost a greenFlight before. Nevermind that he had only ever Chased Elianoreth, who was his and his alone. The defeat in the skies was painful, and pain made Rath angry.

R'non had no thoughts but to slake, to make the turmoil of emotion go away. He grabbed the first person he saw outside the Flight Rooms. Presumably said person was a Flightmoth. If not, they would still suffice to make his needs go away...

[dragon]

Kindrith slacked off on his heavily energetic pursuit. She'd chosen already. He hadn't even been able to catch up to her at all. That hurt worse than losing the flight... losing the flight was actually normal. Kindrith had never won one, and thus never knew the other end of the stick.

But not even making it TO the flight before it ended ... that hurt. He chided himself harshly, as he turned and glided away from the twined pair. Next time, he would do better. he would not be so tardy! Next time...

Thankfully there was always a next time. At least, so far. He dropped low near the flight chambers, his own regrets bleeding over heavily to his as he stopped ever so breifly to pick up his rider and carry him away.

"Don't beat yourself up, so, Kin. It's not that fatal." E'yan consoled, as the two left the general section of the weyr. Kindrith plainly wanted to be away from this particular flight, and so he left, finding a nice dark section of the jungle to wallow in.