Who dares? (Phremath's Flight)

[reqqy]

The end of the shift. Kalierre paused long enough to check in with each of her apprentices and journeymen, running down a list of things she wanted done in the next several candlemarks while she slept. A bone-deep weariness had become so common for the dragonhealer that she hardly noticed it save when she fell instantly asleep upon hitting the furs. Nodding to the last of her apprentices, she stepped through the doorway and out into the growing dusk. A little sleep would help. Just thinking of it...ah. Phremath slept, which was unusual, but Kalierre thought nothing of the odd behavior of the green, truly. It always threw her lovely mindmate off whenever shifts changed around, as they had after the Hatching.

It took longer than she would have wished to return to her weyr. Thoughts of K'von flitted through her mind, but...she simply had no time for anything anymore. Over half the hours of the day and night she spent in the infirmary, with the rest going to drills and taking care of Phremath. Kalierre sighed quietly. Three turns here, now, and things hardly seemed to have changed at all. At least there were more healers on shift.

Undressing by the dimming light that was half-obscured by Phremath's prone form, she looked at her dragon wistfully. The green shone so brilliantly after the oiling of the day before, with the sunset's rays glinting off her. Kalierre knew how hard it was on Phremath, that she was always so busy, had so little time for her mindmate. For the green who loved nothing more than to fly, it was grinding the young dragon down. But she was a loss as to what to do. A complete loss.

Curling up in the furs with only the necklace that she rarely removed for clothing, the dragonhealer fell instantly asleep.

Until the howl.

Jolting awake, Kalierre sat up, eyes wide as she stared at Phremath. The light had only faded a little since she fell asleep, but it made it clear that the green's glowing hide was no reflection. Her head turned back toward Kalierre, eyes whirling a purple-red. Today, we will Fly, Mine. The dragonhealer tripped over herself, struggling to untangle her legs from the furs. By the time she reached the weyrledge, though, Phremath was already plummeting down the steep face of the canyon wall, the hunting howl blasting through the half-asleep Weyr.

Suddenly shivering as the cold lashed her bare skin, Kalierre shrunk back from the open air, a tremble in her limbs. Her heart already raced, the woman shaking her head with a muted growl. Away from the weyrledge. Yes, that was what she needed to do. But she didn't move away, instead pacing the length of it as Phremath shot back up past her with a primal scream, riding the evening thermals with joy. Kalierre's hair blasted around her face at the green's passage.

Twirling up higher - how she loved the thermals created by the warm earth and the cool air - the green cried out her challenge. Who dared? Who dared?! Who dared to attempt to claim the Twilight Queen, the Queen of neither night nor day, neither land nor air, but some combination of all? Twisting, she lashed out at the empty air with her hind legs, diving low, lower, her legs trailing along the river until she dipped over the falls. Her wings jockeyed with the air, such that she went from vertical to horizontal in less than a second, skimming along the river for a few yards before dipping beneath and leaping from the water like a great fish.

Phremath landed on the bank - and ran. Her agile, serpentine form slid through the sparse trees lining the banks, swerved around outcropings of rock, another earth-shattering howl calling her males to her. Above, a voice neither human nor inhuman joined Phremath's, the small figure high on the weyrledge darting partway down the stairs and back, wanting so desperately to run.

Who dared?

[Ruby]

Enouth and His were up, as usual, just before dark. The pair wouldn't sleep until two or three hours after sunset, usually, C'le loath to put down whatever he was doing. This evening, it was straps- he'd eavesdroppd on rumours in the Dining Hall that the Candidatemaster had had a bad fall due to improperly maintained straps, and obviously had not missed her green's broadcast on the subject. So, despite the fact that C'le often spent more time than necessary cleaning and maintaining his straps, he had decided earlier that it was time for a new set, and was about three quarters of the way through the whole project. Enouth was lounging happily on his ledge, soaking up the last rays of sun, watching his rider work.

Realizing he was squinting, C'le got up to uncover the glows, not bothering to put down the knife he was using to cut the leather. This was a mistake. As he drew up the cover in the closest glowbasket, he heard a shriek that could only mean one thing- flight. Enouth confirmed his analysis by adding his own whine to the green's call, the blue's version of a bellow, and dropping over the ledge as C'le saw the green in question launch vertically from where she'd dropped to the lower levels. Funny little wings that Green had... it reminded C'le of Enouth's bag-of-bones physique...

That was about as far as C'le's mind got before flightlust hit. The knife fell from his hand, missing C'le's unshod foot by milimeters before clattering away into a corner. He was raised up, blended with Enouth in the familiar pattern of Flight... and Phremath was beautiful, her small, half-useless wings perfection embodied. Enouth despaired at his large ones, now that he'd been shown the right way that wings should be, but he kept silent for now. He needed all his concentration to survive the first obstacle- the falls. The thermals and gusts coming off that body of water were nearly impossible for Enouth to negotiate without beign blown away, but rashly, he decided to try. Twisting into shapes any dragon would envy, the Blue wound around and through air currents, letting them blow him as they willed but turning their power to his use, until finally he was at the level of the river, already feeling the strain in his wings. Still, he was ready to follow Phremath to the ends of Pern- oh the irony. She'd landed, and was running on Pern's surface, like a Wher to mate. This was an interesting turn of events...

Pleased to give his wings a rest for a moment, Enouth, too, hit the ground, although his transition from flight to run was nowhere as smooth as Phremath's. He churned up quite a bit of the sandy deposit at the edge of the river, but dashed through it with a chirp of apology, trying to catch up with the Green. He was not nearly so fast, as he wasn't used to running on land, but where in the air he constantly had to fight for position, Enouth realized that on land, nothing tried to blow him away. He just went. This must be what flying was like for regularly-sized Dragons, he realized. It was a liberating feeling.

C'le-Enouth, meanwhile, was confused. He could not find human-Phremath, she was not in the Flightweyrs. As Enouth tracked her to the ground, C'le-Enouth too headed up to the ground level of the Weyr, unsure. Maybe if he found other males who were chasing, he could find Her? He heard her calling, and roared in return, his sound much fuller than that of his Dragon. But now he knew where she was hiding! Returning to the passages inside the Weyr, C'le-Enouth tangled out the maze of corridors, seeing her dissapear back up a flight of stairs. The man followed her up, ready to chase her wherever she would go.

[Avu]

"What's up with the little brown thing?" T'rid scowled as Stupid skittered across his chest and frilled at Mir, sending the blue flitter soaring upwards with a sharp scold as the brown 'mandyr hissed defiantly, excitement coursing through their mental link. They did just mature, I think. Maybe a green is gettting ready to Run. Pretty! Stupid love! The Bronzerider eyed Stupid warily. "As long as it's not S'rei's Worm, I guess I'll live with that." Knowing your luck... "You're not very encouraging, are you?" I'm being realistic. "What are the chances of that?" Quite high, really... "...just shut up..." A pause. "You're laughing." Mmhmm. I'm half-tempted to encourage Stupid to Chase - "Don't - "

Further conversation was effectively ceased when a howl split the air. Stupid's frill straightened as he stiffened, his beady eyes flicking to the Weyrledge as Phremath's glowing form was visible for a brief instant. Prettyrun, Chase! he cooed delightedly, streaking out of the Weyr at top speed, leaving both T'rid and Corinth stunned behind him. "Tell me he's not Chasing Phremath." I - Shardit, what's /wrong/ with you? The bronze's voice broke off, sounding puzzled, as the lust flashed through T'rid, causing him to sit upright where he'd been sprawled in his bed curled in the furs, his eyes narrowing as he hissed, trying to fight the desire down. T'ridmine? THAT STUPID LITTLE...!

The surge of overpowering lust as Stupid reached the ground so far, far below Phremath as the green rode on the thermals, and he bared his teeth as Stupid shrilled happily to Phremath. Pretty love beauty, he cooed to her, blissfully oblivious to the difference in species (not to mention intelligence). Love? He kept his frill flared, all the better to be seen, as he scampered below Phremath, legs blurring in his attempt to keep up with her. Ah, the river? The river. Lovely! She was actually Running, like a real 'mandyr should. Such a smart pretty. Stupid purred, the sound drowned out by Phremath's howl, skittering after her as fast as his legs could go, his dark brown form shooting across the ground.

'Ridmine, 'mandyr lust, go find Phremath's before you hurt yourself! Corinth's voice was anxious as it brushed across T'rid's mind, three-fourths Stupid and one-fourth human. With a frustrated growl, T'rid shook his head, confusion and desire at war in his mind. Closing his eyes did not help; that merely made the images of Stupid, bobbing hurriedly after Phremath, more vivid, the sounds, even the smells, more realistic...No good. No good; he'd have to find Phremath's...logically, perhaps it was not the most sound of arguments, but the desire...Go! T'rid needed no second bidding; throwing back the furs, he darted towards the door of the weyr. Unlike most Riders, he preferred sleeping in pants, although he didn't bother with a shirt - at least he didn't flash everyone as he trotted down the stairs. Flightrooms? Yes. Flightrooms, that was good...

Stairs. Green. His eyes narrowed in confusion. He was not in the Flightrooms, but his green was here, darting down the stairs, and then back up again. Why? Did it matter? T'rid followed silently, his eyes narrowing as another Chaser, a blue - Enouth? Enouth. Yes - approached and followed Phremath, too. Enouth - was he mistaken? No. He recognized that annoying blue; he'd been in Reysalth's Flight, and in Calistoth's...or so T'rid thought. Pah, he was better. Stupid blue.

Far below, Stupid didn't pause as he realized (all too late) that he was not Phremath's only pursuer, but an irritating blue dragon thought himself better than the brown 'mandyr. Ha! STUPID! he spat in displeasure at the blue, loathe as he was to exclude Phremath from any exchange. She didn't need to know, after all. Or so Stupid thought as he skittered determinedly after the green.

[archenstone]

X'vier and Mirazeth appeared from between above Selenitas. It was twilight and everything seemed peaceful. X'vier was glad to be back. Hyphen had found a fresh vein of Firestone. Now they could continue to mine it and keep it stored. His Father had been proud of the new find, as it lead deeper towards some other minerals he's been after.

A bugle pierced the evening sky. Mirazeth locked his wings and glided down, his eyes searching for the female. Ummm...Mirazeth, I know you haven't had anything in awhile but..we just got back. I'd like my feet on the ground for a bit before we go chasing greens. X'vier really wasn't in the mood...
There she is!Mirazeth continued down to the Flight rooms. Once you've touched your feet on the ground you'll have had your bit. I want the Green. X'vier couldn't help but smile. So who is this Green Mirazeth? Do I at least know her? He felt his ears pop as they decended. Mirazeth seemed rather eager.

It is the Green Phremath. And she is shimmering lovely green indeed. He kept an eye on her as she descended to the jungle. That's...Kalierre. Mirazeth I've never been close to her. DO you have to? He wasn't against it but their where others who'd he prefer. The feeling of lust growing in him and dragon brushed his concerns aside. Phremath would be his! It had been too long since either of them had flown.

He had his straps unbuckled and his pack ready when Mirazeth landed. He slid down the leg his dragon had provided and didn't watch as Mirazeth took off again. Instead, he dropped his pack and looked around. Where was his green? His Phremath? Realizing she wasn't there he tried to remember where her Weyr was. Receiving an image of it from Mirazeth he hurried in the direction of her Weyr.

Pumping his wings to hurry Mirazeth bugled his declaration. He would find his Phremath and claim her. He watched she exploded up from the water and entered the forest. There was a Blue not far behind her. What agility! He swooped down to the river bank and back winged to land. With feet on the ground he had barely tucked his wings before dashing into the jungle after her.

Meanwhile X'vier-Mirazeth found a Weyr with two men outside it. He recognized them as T'rid and C'le. This must be it. He hissed in displeasure as Mirazeth spotted the Blue Enouth. The Blue was smaller than him and might get through the jungle quicker. He walked up to the Weyr entrance and saw her. His Green! He took a deep breath as he fought to control his desire. He would not rush her...

[neeuqtar]

Will you hurry up, Mine? She could Rise at any minute![/i] Uu'n rolled his eyes, but didn't complain. Adith's affection for Phremath was... infectious. The dragon shifted nervously as Uu'n finished fastening the strange goggles he wore. They would be useless in a few hours or so, but during twilight? Completely invaluable to the dragon, who would require them if he was not to be painfully blinded. Any race would be lost in such a state.

A howl rang through the canyon, and Adith trembled. That's her! MOVE![/i] Uu'n threw himself out of the way as the dragon shouldered past the furway that kept out all but the dimmest of light, especially in the eventide. Uu'n followed afterwards, getting blasted with noise as the dragon cried out his own silver hunting cry. It was the answer to Phremath's. She had called the hunt, and he now joined her, with all the intensity of a howler running down a whersport. Toryth he had Chased for Uu'n, but Phremath he would Chase for himself.

Ears ringing, Uu'n dashed along the outer paths connecting the weyr to a stairway, making his way as rapidly as possible to Kalierre's weyr. Having expected the Flight (hooray for Adith), Uu'n was dressed as lightly as he dared: breeches. The chill wind of the night gave him goosebumps but did not deter him as the heat of lust washed over his body, a familiar sensation. Willingly, he threw himself into it, his own eagerness for this particular Flight only serving to spur Adith on.

The blue powered up alongside the waterfall, falling into a corkscrew reverse as Phremath dropped past him, joining the other Chasers she had picked up. They did not deserve her! Nobody deserved her! He belled the hunt-call again. The Chase was joined! He was the hunter, she his marvelous prey! Adith skimmed above the water behind her, wingtips dragging at the surface and leaving twin sprays of water behind him. He peeled to the side in a roll and sprung off a rock to land on the ground behind the brilliant green he adored.

Not nearly as agile as her, but practiced, Adith bounded behind her, from rock to rock, slipping between two trees before leaping after her. Greatly daring, he leapt onto a tree, shimmying up once, twice, thrice... then flinging himself off and into the air with a spray of leaves and twigs, listing to the right and landing on the other bank before springing off of a boulder and soaring to land back among the pack. He would distinguish himself in this hunt!

[ravenmane]

There had been nothing that day to cause any wariness or suspicion on Sk’ler’s part, but Triniath had been glancing at His out of the corner of his eye constantly that day. Because his rider had forbade him to see his lovely Phremath, his only time ever to see the Green was while His was eating or the pair were going for a flight together. When the lovely Green’s hide had begun to glow, Triniath had watched his carefully and warily. If Sk’ler had known that Phremath was going to Rise soon, he would have packed a traveling pack and gone on a small trip to avoid the Flight. Luckily, the Brownrider had been too busy dealing with his flit’s stealing habits to notice the change in the Green Triniath had Caught. Triniath pretended to sleep as he kept an eye and an ear out for Phremath while Sk’ler began to slip into some light fabric trousers and shirt. Like always, the rider’s Brown flit was close by and his Green sibling was missing, probably stealing something that Sk’ler would have to return eventually

“I’m going for a run, Trin. Is there anything you need first?” No. Triniath’s reply with quiet, quiet and distant. The Brown was always quiet, but he never sounded distracted. Shrugging nonchalantly, Sk’ler patted his Brown’s flank lovingly as he passed Trin on his way out of his weyr. As soon as his foot crossed the threshold, a draconic howl brought him to a sudden stop. That and the spontaneous interest that clouded Triniath’s mind. With a violent 180 degree turn, the Brownrider rushed back into his weyr in time to see his life-mate heave himself to his feet and launch himself into the air with a violent sweep of his wings. “No…” Sk’ler had known in the back of his mind that Triniath would Chase again, but he had been unwilling to accept it. All he could think about now was what was to come.

With the undeniable lust surging through his body, Triniath joined Phremath’s Chasers in the sky. He knew in the back of his mind that there was very little chance of Phremath choosing him, but the Brown desperately pushed the thoughts from his mind. No matter what happened, he would do his best for Phremath. She deserved it even if he was unworthy of her attentions. Pulling his focus out of his thoughts, Triniath landed heavily on the ground a moment after Phremath’s Blue suitors, Adith, and stumbled for a moment before he too was running with as much skill as he could muster from a body meant for flying. In the distance, Sk’ler was fighting desperately to keep his hold on his sanity, but even as he half-walked/half-ran, the Brownrider felt his control slipping out of his grasp like water. An invisible force guided him toward one of the weyrs nearby. Already, four other males had arrived. Wait—Four? There were only three other males besides him Chasing so why was there an extra? A confused whine rose in Sk’ler’s voice as he finally succumbed to the lust and followed after Kalierre. It didn’t matter if there was an extra Chaser. All that mattered was Phremath-Kalierre, no one else.

[reqqy]

The first. Much larger than her, she noted, but oh so very light - the wind buffeted him! Oh, but how prettily he danced (she saw it in her periferals). Such lovely twists and turns made her happy. No dragons did she respect more than those who knew how to use their wings, and this one, slight though he was, created art in the skies.

Phremath twitched in her run, instinctively lashing deeper into the forest to avoid a tree trunk, then whipping about so quickly she nearly wrapped her body around the offending flora like a tunnelsnake. What? Chancing a glance backwards, she saw the dark streak skittering after her, a confused sound rumbling in her throat. What was that? Why - it was a Lustbrother! What was a Lustbrother doing dashing through the trees?

Quite suddenly the trees were populated by dragons. A large, reddish brown she didn't know so well. Mirazeth. Impressed she was, that he could find a path through the trees so well with his large bulk. Adith. Adith! Her packmate, warbling the cry of the hunter. She growled at him. Phremath would be no easy quarry! He'd have to work just as hard as the rest - if not harder. Oh, and dear Triniath, whose His did not like her. Phremath's chocolate brown. The green crooned a greeting to him, but did not slow.

Dirt kicked up in great clouds of filth, dead leaves stirred and trampled, flying in her wake. None could match her on land. Not even the blues, though they kept up admirably. Except for the Lustbrother. A spike of envy gripped Phremath at Adith's show of agility at her back, immediately replaced by concern; he'd landed so close to that little brown crazy. The green suddenly coiled around the tree, slashing back through the body of her chasers, her tail whipping about to clear room. Lustbrother! she called to the little 'mandyr, extending her leg for him. Come and let us fly together.

Though she didn't wait to see if he chose that. She didn't want the Lustbrother squished, but she wouldn't wait for him...this was her Flight. The green veered for the river, bursting from the edge of the trees and hop-flying across a series of rocks she often played on during the day. Reveling in the spray, she launched herself toward a tree, springing off it to another and working her way higher with each jump, until she cleared the top of the trees a short distance into the jungle, arcing into a slipstream just above the canopy line. Riding it a short distance to an updraft, she cavorted through the air currents, twisting in sheer delight as she bugled another challenge to the males.

Them and their great, powerful wings. If they could not keep up with her, they hardly deserved the little green who had to struggle for every ounce of flight granted her. Even Phremath knew not what she would do from one moment to the next, twisting into a somersault only to skip sideways as another current caught her, rolling happily in the stream.

So many crowding her. Too close, too close. Phremathwoman growled low in her throat, half-crouching, the feral gleam in her eyes matching perfectly the picture of a naked woman, golden hair flying about her face, feline teeth about her neck. The quartz gleamed faintly between her breasts. The Stupid might get squished. She shook her head, not understanding why it was so dangerous for the tall creature before her, but determined to protect him from being flattened just the same. Pushing past the other men, she caught up his wrist and dashed down the twisting stairs carved into the face of the canyon, pulling him after her.

On a sudden whim, she turned and leapt, landing on a nearby weyrledge in a sprawling heap of limbs. Phremath growled at the Stupid. Keep up! The silly thing had almost made her fall by not responding quick enough. She tugged him to his feet and continued her mad dash down the canyon, dispensing with stairs altogether and skittering down the sheer face of rock a couple dozen feet. There! That should keep him safe for now. Aggravatingly slow creature.

Releasing his wrist, she skittered up a tree trunk, ignoring the scratching of the bark against her bare skin. Leaves. Pretty leaves. No, run, run! Fly! The woman leapt to a nearby branch, darting through the canopy in an awkward series of swings and hops and jumps. One such jump met with open air and she hit the ground of a glade with a roll, never slowing. She tossed her head and growled in sheer ecstasy.

[Avu]

More! More idiotic, ugly big winged ones competing for the pretty that was so obviously Stupid's. The brown 'mandyr frilled in fury (or rather, extended his already displayed frill), hissing as he hurled at all of them one word, uttered in a poisonous tone: STUPID! Now that they were taken care of, Stupid turned his attention back to the pretty darting in front of him, cooing to her again, a mental croon, since he so obviously could not be heard above the rustling of these big, fat stupids. Except - another shriek, nearer panic now, and aloud, rang out as a stupid blue came terribly close to squashing him. DID HE NOT SEE THAT STUPID WAS SO CLEARLY OCCUPYING THIS AREA? The stupid! KILL, Stupid warned hotly, but the rage drained out of him as Phremath dropped near him, offering him a foreleg. The brown 'mandyr took a skittering jump, latching onto her happily as she took off again, rubbing his head against her hide and cooing. Pretty, he offered quietly, his eyes clearly delighted at the proximity of his pretty green. But quite obviously he had not been Chosen. A pity, really...but this proximity had not been offered to any of the big uglies. He was special!

He clung tightly to her as she leapt, high - higher - the wind soared, whipped past Stupid as he hung on, frilling in defiant delight at the Chasers behind him. Ha! HA. They were not the ones allowed to cuddle with Phremath (or rather, Phremath's leg). They were merely idiots, left far, far behind...and then they were flying. Or rather, gliding...Stupid was highly tempted to see if his own wings could hold him up in the thermal, and had it been Corinth, or any dragon but the lovely Phremath, holding him up, he would have. But now? He was not going to give up his spot with Phremath for the world. Yesyesyes. Funfunfun. Love pretty, he murmured to Phremath, snuggling against her.

Wait, what? After the initial shock of lust, T'rid had been trying to fight it off - this was aided by Corinth, who seemed to be slightly anxious as he kept speaking to T'rid, a vague babble in the back of his mind that never really registered. And then all of that hard work - wasted, the instant Kalierre's - no, no. Not Kalierre; Phremath's talons closed around his arm, jerking him forward. Well, sure. Yes, let's go. That sounded just fine. Bewildered (albeit thrilled), T'rid allowed himself to be pulled, and after awhile he managed a slightly graceful appearance, although the insane urge to frill kept rising. His rather baggy pants made him stumble a few times, but so what? Phremath was lovely and she was touching him. Pretty Phremath.

And then - jerk. T'rid stumbled a second too late after Phremath as she abruptly changed directions, landing on a weyrledge; he blinked dazedly, but before anything could register, much less Corinth's amused rumble, he was already being pulled again. Down a cliff face. And then her touch was gone; she was gone. His pretty Phremath, gone? Why? A confused noise rose in his throat as he jerked himself after her automatically, so accustomed to the Flightlust that it seemed second nature. (Well, what did you expect with a green-happy bronze and now Stupid?) Her obstacle course was distracting; T'rid hissed through his teeth several times as he stumbled after her, erring often as he tried to follow her course.

[neeuqtar]

Phremath's turn was entirely unexpected. Blindly, the blue leapt, flipping tail-over-wingtip and a bit wide to the left, over the river. A single beat of his wings sent him into a wingover, arcing over the dragon nearest to Phremath before landing again, going immediately into a bounding run. The mast was slick from a previous rain, the footing unsure. Adith had trouble keeping track of all of his limbs on the slippery ground, often losing his footing one moment to catch it again the next. With a thrumming growl, he leapt onto a rock, no longer running, but jumping from stone to stone, taking him in a jigzag path.

Her path across the river was not unknown to him; Adith would do just about anything to keep from getting immersed in water, and hopping across the rocks delicately had been a favorite trick for a long time, for though he could easily fly across, it was more amusing for His to chase him around like a headless wherry. But there was no time for playing now. He leapt freely, almost carelessly; a foolish move. One stone, slippery from spray, shifted as his bulk hit it, sending him careening into the river. A moment of panic, and then he struck bottom. Powerful hind legs kicked off from the bottom, sending him back into blessed air in a massive spray of water.

The dragon swirled back, then dropped, following Phremath on the ground as she scaled the trees. Her form above him excited him, both for the sake of the hunt itself and because she was such a beautiful, amazing creature. Then she was in the air, and Adith leapt upwards, tic-tacing between two trees before kicking off into the skies. His talons left gouges in the trees and sent twigs, leaves, and a good-sized branch flying. He didn't care. The blue spread his wings, glad to be off the ground and feeling as if he had done... if not well, at least passable. He had run since she taught him.

And the air was his domain.

The evening currents were his forte, though this early in the night he was rarely flying. Though he wanted to win Phremath's Choice, he also wanted to fly, to prove that he was good enough to challenge the males who were usually considered better, normal. Crying his signature call, Adith slid into an updraft, gaining a bit of altitude before twisting to the left to follow Phremath's approximate path. She followed a different path than he, but like the green, he let the wind take him and just danced. A twist, a stall drop, a vertical climb; helix turns and sideslips, dives into clover reverses. Adith let the wind decide what path to take him on, but dancing, always dancing, for the favor of the green.

---

Adith/Uu'n ran after Phremath/Kalierre, keeping out of the main pack of Chasers. Her leap was easy to match for one who spent most of his hours training for war; he did not fall or slip. The roll was automatic, but he was up and running after her moments later, careening down the canyon wall with no thought to his own care. Luckily the ground was sturdy enough to take the pounding feet as he ran after Phremath and the silly salamandyr-thing which had Run for the beautiful green.

Man-Adith had never run through the canopy before, but altitude felt right. As Phremath clambered up a tree, he leapt onto another nearby, shimmying up as Uu'n would shimmy up after the golden pest. Feet were sure enough that he did not fall, but the bark cut even his calloused feet as he leapt, treehopper-like, into the next tree. The weaving paths of the branches took him close and infuriatingly far from the lovely green, and he growled his desire for her, flashing through the trees to her left.

She leapt through the air and back to the ground, but Adith did not give up his altitude, merely shifting his path to be slightly behind her, many feet above her in the boughs of the jungle trees.

[Ruby]

Enouth did not sense Phremath's eyes on him as he turned in the sky- and most likely for the better. The Blue was pretty convinced he was fabulous on a regular basis, so why give him more fodder? As it was, he did not know how he fared versus the other dragons that had entered the forest just behind him- brown, blue, brown. Enouth did not know them, but it was of no matter. Enouth tracked her through the trees without even a second thought for the others, even when the other blue pulled ahead, clearly more used to running that Enouth himself as. The blue stretched his neck, snapping around trees and tearing up the underbrush, not even noticing the tiny nicks and scratches that were collecting on his hide.

All seemed to be going well- and then Enough sw something leap to Phremath's leg. Something little, like a flitter, but why would one be running on the ground? Maybe, like the incomprable Phremath, it had little wings? Still, his beautiful creature had been attacked, although she didn't seem to know. With a lunge towards the dark spot on her leg, Enouth roared as strongly as he could, warning her of the intruder... but then the blue made the connection. This was the little slime that had produced the inexplicable word "stupid" in Enouth's mind before. At the time, Enouth had known it wasn't Phremath and so had ignored it, but now he understood... in a way. This tiny thing was chasing Phremath too, putting in his bid for the Green. And... he had won? Phremath had chosen him? No, she was still running, the little one just riding along. Enouth had to make a last second swerve to avoid a tree, so distracted was his thinking. So the flight continued, and he would ignore the little w-

SPLASH. Enouth had plowed directly into the river as Phremath leapt over it, shooting spray in every direction and potentially soaking the unwary. The Blue floundered for only a second before planting his feet on the riverbed and exploding in a wave of water, ignoring the rock-hop alltogether and striving upwards to make up the ground he had lost. His waterlogged hide was actually a benefit here- he was heavier, and so could follow Phremath where she rode the currents, only buffeted a little. He followed, pouring on the speed to pass hers, but not to pass her- he would catch up, but the final choice, as always, was her own. The other blue was dancing for her favor, something Enouth must do naturally- He would impress her now with his stamina, his strength, although he knew as the water dried in the blasts of evening air that soon the currents would be his enemies again, throwing him off course. Even as he tried to hold a straight path, to do as he'd decided and impress with strength, he felt himself rolling and twisting, almost unconciously, to keep moving forward and not be blown away from the beauty before him.

C'le-Enouth was having troubles too. Phremath had jumped, to C'le-Enouth it looked like straight off the ledge! But no, upon closer inspection the Blue realized she had simply hit another ledge and contnued down the cliff. He darted back to the door, looking for the stairs- but no, they would take too long. As athletic as any Rider was, C'le did not consider himself to be extremely so- but for her, he would try anything. Could do anything. Taking a running leap to make up lost time, C'le-Enouth spread his wings and landed, rolling awkwardly as he had seen others do in an attempt to redirect the power of the fall. The cliff face was better- he shimmied down, mainly falling but catching himself every once in a while to slow his momentum, and miraculously reached the bottom of the Weyr cliff uninjured (although he, too, had gathered nicks and slices galore, in addition to totally shredding his shirt).

He was hopelessly behind now, and following her into the trees seemed like a useless idea- especially since Woman-Phremath had hit the ground moments after C'le-Enouth himself had. He approached as she growled, and growled in return, tearing the final shreads of shirt off and stalking towards her, allowing her her space without being left in the dust. He did not run fast, or long, but for her- anything she asked. Just not trees.

[reqqy]

(Sorry Archenstone and Momo...not really fair to keep everyone else waiting, so...feel free to post again though! They're not out of the running. )

Phremath slid lithely through the air currents, glad that the Lustbrother was safe with her. She hated to see little creatures hurt. Wings folded, the green twisted into a tight corkscrew that took her between the two blues. It seemed she had lost her browns in the run - the poor things. They'd have to work really hard to gain her attention again! Especially with her blues dancing around her. Adith and his deliberate, practiced beauty held a different allure than Enouth's natural grace and ability. Her admiration for both was so profound she could hardly compare them. The green had a heart for dragons like her, dragons who had hatched at a disadvantage. Both Enouth and Adith were such. And both had overcome, in their own ways. Her chest swelled with such gratitude that these thought her worthy, though she would never be so adept at flight as either.

That didn't stop her from trying.

Her wings snapped open, the green skidding through one current to another, listing to one side and up, toward Enouth, before throwing herself into a flip directly below him and out of the thermal, into another current. Playing in the wind. She twisted around Adith with the arch of her back and a lash of her tail, missing him by a hairsbreadth, and tacked into the wind at an angle, blasting out toward the ocean in the distance. A sudden reverse into the air current momentarily stalled her before she plunged back toward the earth in a steep dive.

A brilliant green star falling to earth in the fading light, she seemed. So, so very close before she finally flared, backwinged, arced into a tight turn that left the edge of her small wingtip trailing through the high grasses of a vast meadow in the midst of the jungle trees. Then, in a bold move, wings snapped tight against her body in a barrel roll so close above the ground she could have easily stripped the hide right from her bones had she been any lower, her legs striking the ground at a speed that had her slashing through the meadow impossibly fast. She threw herself to her stomach, lost in the grasses, and crept silently over the ground, hardly disturbing a stalk. Hide and seek!

Be quiet, little Lustbrother, or they may find us, she told her tiny passenger softly. Oh, she wanted them to find her. They should find her. But not with the Lustbrother's help. A test! As the wind rustled the grasses, she crept quickly, inching toward the place where an updraft could send her swirling back into the air.

Phremath-Kali giggled and skipped away from Enouth, ducking behind a tree and tossing her head, a calculating gleam in her eyes. Pretty, lovely blue. Where was her other blue? She cast about, confused, but she seemed to have lost him, too. Just the Stupid and Enouth. A brief flash of disappointment, but there were still her other playmates, even if only one of them could be chosen. The Stupid was too small - or - something. She frowned at him. Then, with a laugh, scampered into the trees, darting around trunks, switching back on herself to make it more challenging. Wasn't tag fun? Then they could play a different type of tag, with the winner!

The greenwoman slunk low amidst the brush after one swift turn into heavier foliage, creeping as a feline might, and nearly as quietly. She slid through the rustling leaves, using the wind as cover. Quietly, quietly. A feral grin. Who would find her?

[archenstone]

Mirazeth had been doing pretty well... or so he thought. He quickly realized that she had turned and was moving back towards the river. Oh dear... Halting in his tracks he twisted around to chase again. He just had to reach her! He raced his way back through, aggravated that he had not foreseen this. She lured me here then took off! Finally he made it back to the river. He had become tangled though at the edge and could only watch as his lovely agile green bounded away through the spray. Eager to reach her with a great need he struggled to free himself.

Finally free of his binding he leaped into the air and unfurled his wings. Pumping to gain altitude as he searched for Phremath. He easily saw where the blues where and sped up. It was then that he saw her as she pulled from a dive. How close she was! A glance at the opposition...naw they where irrelevant. It was long enough for Phremath to hide. Hide and seek was it? Well he was game. When he was close to the grasses he began back winging hard, making the grass bend where gusts of wind blew them. I will find the grass that doesn't bend and then I will pounce upon her. It was difficult to do. If it didn't work then he'd stalk her.

~

X'vier-Mirazeth chased after Phremath. Coming to a halt at a ledge. Did she jump off? He saw her running down below. He backed up, was he tangled? No...Mirazeth tangled. The confusion made him delay though. Realizing he needed to get to her he ran...and jumped. The impact of landing was absorbed in a forward roll. He followed with dogged determination. He'd get to her.

He caught up to the rest of them as they where rushing through the trees. As fun as that would be he ran along the ground, searching for her. He stopped as noticed she had disappeared. She was tricky! He smiled...finding footsteps in the ground and the pushed aside branches was easy until he reached the placed where she had become stealthy. Of course....right into the thickest patch of foliage she could find. He doubted she would back trail out of it with the males coming behind her. So he entered from the side, eyes open for this elusive crazy green he had to thank for one of the most interesting chases he's had.

[Avu]

His pretty had little wings like him - how was it possible that she could fly? With such grace as she displayed now? Stupid hummed softly, appreciatively - what with the wind blasting by, almost deafening to him, it was highly doubtful Phremath could hear, but he was still here. Good. He shrilled in delight at the pursuers - it seemed those ugly fatter, bigger brown ones had dropped from the Flight for a time, had been left behind? Ha! He was the best brown here. Surely his pretty would see that? (It didn't really register upon the 'mandyr that he wasn't doing anything but clinging to the green; it was only the proximity to her that mattered.) As Phremath threw herself into the different currents, flipping, taunting the other males, Stupid shrieked happily at them as he whirled by, still latching himself to Phremath's leg. HA! STUPID! he spat at Enouth - he was not stupid, despite his name and anything anyone might say. He hadn't missed the blue roaring at him, lunging at him - he deserved to be yelled at.

Adith recieved a sharp mental squall as well, wordless, the sound rising in pitch in the 'mandyr's lustful wrath. Perhaps Stupid might have spoken, too, except Phremath chose that instant to dive. The 'mandyr's frill flattened instinctively against the sharp winds fluttering at it, tail lashing more protectively around the limb that supported him, narrowing his bulging eyes as the ground rushed up frighteningly fast. Stubbornly keeping himself from exposing his fear of the drop to anyone - lest Phremath take his surprise (yes, surprise; he'd managed to deceive himself into thinking the fright was merely surprise) for fear and declare him unworthy. No, no, that mustn't happen! His pretty Phremath mustn't think him frightened of heights or drops.

Running! Stupid trilled in delight as he felt the movement of Phremath's legs, brushing his tail against her talons appreciatively. She knew how things worked, yes. His lovely was a very smart pretty. She was going so fast! The brown skittered up her leg slightly, and then back down - he'd learned by experience that dragons preferred to keep their wings unhindered, and besides her leg, there was really nowhere he could cling very well. A neck ridge, perhaps, but Stupid still felt more secure where his tail could lash around and he could cling. Which he preceded to do as the green tore across the fields. And then - the brown 'mandyr was grateful he'd already lashed his tail securely around Phremath's leg, his head extended in the wind and foreclaws pushing himself forward at an angle that matched Phremath's; he jerked forward, a sharp trill of surprise rising in his throat, as Phremath stopped, flinging herself onto her belly, and hid in the grasses.

Ooh, she was a very smart pretty! Hiding from those fat stupids. Stupid purred reassuringly at her words. Quiet, he agreed solemnly to her alone, pressing himself closer against her leg, flattening his frill even more, as if that alone might perhaps be a key factor in whether or not they were found.


He shook his head, a slightly confused growl lifting his lip as the shining green wove behind a tree, disappearing from view. Never had clinging to someone's hand seemed so appealing (hand? No. Leg. Foreleg, to be exact...). Sure. Hide-and-seek would work...he squinted, a frown tugging the corner of his mouth as he moved restlessly forward, struggling to keep his pretty in sight. Unlike Stupid, the man didn't bother snarling at Enouth, curiously the only one there; he didn't matter. Had he been touched by the lovely Phremath? No. He wasn't important; he didn't matter. He hissed in quiet irritation as his pants snagged on a branch, tempted to simply peel them off - but that would mean he'd have to momentarily take his eyes off of Phremath and that was a huge not-going-there.

A pause. Briefly stumped, a frown formed between his eyes, brows drawing together in confusion. Where had his lovely green one gone? There? No; that was merely light from whatever celestial body happened to be above - he had lost track and didn't care - streaming down between the leaves and illuminating some leaf. So where was she? The man stopped, head cocked to one side as his eyes swept the undergrowth, a frustrated whine emerging from his lips. Was that her? Without thinking twice, he darted forward, oblivious in his excitement to the branches snagging on his pants. He thought it was her. Of course he might be mistaken, but if he wasn't, then he was running no risks in letting her get away while he contemplated.

[Ruby]

Enouth trilled his pleasure at Phremath's sustained flight- with wings like that, it was an amazing feat to be in the air so long! She must be skilled in the knowledge of air currents, perhaps more knowledgeable than Enouth himself. He was impressed, and it only heightened his lust, spurring him to new heights- literally. As Phremath looped beneath him, Enouth (ignoring the self-proclaimed Stupid) used her updraft instead of fighting it, winging up into the sky so that his day-blue hide stood out brightly against the falling dusk like one of the first stars. Reaching the top of his climb, he tucked his wings, cocking one out slightly so that his plunging dive sent him out into a spiral, chasing her down to the meadow. He had to pull up, though, before he too could land and stalk her through the grass- one of the lagging Browns had appeared seemingly from nowhere, backwinging to send waves of deadly wind across the meadow's surface. Clever, Enouth thought, but he wished he had been able to track her through the grass, instead of having to pull up sharp and circle, avoiding the other dragons and their dangerous, sometimes unpredictable winds. It had nearly tossed him into a tree in a previous flight, but he would be more careful this time.

So he circled above Mirazeth and, theoretically, Phremath, although she had hidden herself well. Enouth's eyes were sharp, but he could not pick her out from his high vantage point- she must be moving very carefully, although Enouth privately thought that perhaps Mirazeth's gusts were making their green-queen harder to find, rather than easier. Close to the surface of the meadow, the Blue felt like he might have had a chance, but no luck for the moment. Either Mirazeth or another chaser would duck into the grasses, spot her and perhaps catch her on the ground- Enouth wasn't sure how that one would work, but his passion-crazed mind didn't really care- or she would ascend back into the sky, and he would be waiting. He could catch her and take her higher, if they needed, he was confident in that. Enouth was not weak, just feather-light. Or, perhaps she would choose someone else, but that thought did not please the blue, and he banished it from his mind. Now was the time for Phremath, and nothing else. But where was she?

Pern-bound, C'le-Enouth was having similar problems. She darted in and out of the trees, and it seemed that he could only catch glimpses of her long enough to make a move before she turned out to be on the other side of him entirely. False starts were the name of C'le-Enouth's game, and he was becoming more and more frustrated (in several ways) as she darted deeper into the grove, and he could not even figure out where to being to follow. At least she was staying out of the canopy, now. Finally, as Enouth shot into the sky, C'le-Enouth gave up and plunged blindly into the patch of trees, aiming himself vaguely at where he had seen Her last.

He was not aware of the lack of other males, although if he had been, he would have wondered where they had gone. Even he, thin and unathletic, had made the descent to the base of the Weyrcliff to follow Her. How could they have resisted, those other more fit chasers? The browns, for instance, who unlike Adith and himself had no deformity. C'le-Enouth heard a sound to his back, and turned to see if he had indeed triumphed and found Her- but ran smack into the Stupid-creature instead. Jumping back, C'le-Enouth growled not in challenge but in surprise- what was the thing still doing here? He was much too... small? He did not seem small, but then he did. Spinning on one heel, C'le-Enouth turned his back to the other and sprinted off the way he had come, trying to put distance between himself and the other, still looking for woman-Phremath. The chase was not over, and C'le-Enouth did not want to be distracted by others in the least. He needed all his wits about him (wits, wants, same difference?) to find the woman-Green, and to catch her if she would be caught. Darting off after another slight noise, he waited in the darkness for her to show herself.

[reqqy]

(It's been over a week since my last post. Sorry to everyone who couldn't seem to get here, for whatever reason. Last Flight-post for Phremath!)

Ah, her lovely Stupid! Phremath crooned to him, almost regretfully. She knew what he wanted, but the poor thing couldn't twine with her in the skies! The green needed that now more than anything, needed him. Him? Which him? Only two had descended to within sight of her blind. Phremath hunkered down, moving with the wind of the brown's wings when he drew near. A clever beast he was, quite clever. It might have been better to take to the ground and follow the broken stalks, except if others did, too, they'd likely be tracking each other. Very clever to make the stalks bend.

But where was her sweet brown? Her mate? Had he given up, or had she lost him somewhere? That no longer mattered. Much as it pained her, he clearly could not keep up. And her glorious blues, her day-Enouth and night-Adith. Such lovely dancers they were, but one was gone. Upon the ground, hunkered down, she almost felt like mourning the nightbeast. Why had he not pursued her? Something stirred in memory, something elusive. This time, he did not follow her to the ground, and the last? He hadn't chased at all. Did he think her, the groundrunner, too beneath him to Chase? Mourning turned to anger, a rare emotion for the green.

It was with that sudden flare of anger that she bounded forward, springing through the grasses while Mirazeth's back was turned. Her slender form speared into the air, swirling through an updraft and arcing out, a new element of desperation and fury in her movements. The brown, clever as he was, had not kept up, could not dance on the winds like her blues. Phremath growled at the thought. Time to pick her partner. Who did she want to take her across the skies as the day waned? For the twilit green, it should have been the night. Night follows day, but the night had abandoned her. Phremath spun, pulling out of the spin mid-revolution.

Right beside Enouth. With him, she would stave off the night forever...or at least long enough for one last dance. Come, Skydancer, she crooned quietly, brushing her belly up against her lovely blue. Her blue. The one that didn't think himself too good for a flightless green, who would dance with her just the same. Phremath's hurt was overwhelmed by her need for him, by her admiration for his beauty. She dropped into a lazy dive, half-buoyed on a thermal. I fall for you. Catch me? A plaintive note, in her mindvoice, as if she thought...that Enouth would reject her, too.

Confusion escaped the woman-Phremath in a growl. Near her, the brown, but he was not her Chosen. Suddenly bursting into a sprint, she found one, yes, yes, but again not the right one! He should be close, though. Frowning in confusion, the female caught up his wrist, but she turned a snarl on him to warn...not now. Not yet. He was not the one she wished to twine with. Dragging the Stupid on several paces, she saw him. There, there! Her thin, barely bigger dance partner. Yes. An anger and fear burned in her breast. Stupid was half-forgotten as she flung herself at her Chosen. "Enouth...Enouth..." Pleading. Desperation. Wouldn't he twine with her? Wasn't she good enough? Couldn't he ignore her small wings?

The Stupid's wrist released, Phremath knelt at Enouth's feet as if her legs could no longer support her, head bowing in clear supplication. She trembled. Fearing the rejection, but needing him so desperately. Reaching out a hand, her fingers curled in the fabric that covered his legs, that shouldn't be there. With her other hand, she caught the Stupid again before he could leave. No, no, he was hers, he was with her. Enouth would not mind to share with the poor little thing who pursued her so devoutly. But Enouth was her choice. Please?