Hot Sands in a Hot Flight
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Aaron, Avery, Heather, Len
Date Posted: 26th September 2019
Characters: Jeyme, R'nar, V'rel, A'kades, S'kand, Sh'del
Description: Quinneth's flight
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 13, day 1 of Turn 9
It was a cloudy day at Dolphin Cove, but the clouds glowed a luminescent white. The sands on the beach were scalding to bare feet, which became a problem for Jeyme when Quinneth, who had been proddy for days, finally launched herself from the hot sand she had been wallowed in, her trebly scream piercing the skies.
Still in her swimming clothes, Jeyme tossed her towel over her shoulder, snatched up her sandals in her left hand, and then proceeded to jog across the hot sand, hissing each time her heels came down on the scalding ground.
Iorath leaped immediately at the chance to chase after the glowing green dragon. The young bronze scrambled out of his weyrcouch and flung himself off of his weyrledge to follow after her in the skies.
An older bronze sprung into the air. }:Lovely Quinneth, I will chase you far,:{ he promised. A young blue dragon, new to this exciting world of chasing, threw himself up into the pack of chasers not long after.
There was a brief awkward moment at the flight cots as A'kades and V'rel spotted each other. V'rel had no idea how to handle his father also chasing in the same flight. It was one thing to know your father participated in mating flights by being aware of the fact that he had won gold before, and another to think about it, now that he himself was in a flight, knowing how it was making him feel, all tight and tense with Rymeth's lust for the green...well, who would want to think about a family member feeling that? So he turned his back so he could look for the green's rider instead.
}:I will chase,:{ said Jagobroth, and S'kand sighed. He often viewed flights as a nuisance, as Jagobroth had never spent much time wooing female dragons outside of flights. This was not always strictly necessary to winning, but it would have helped if the female he was chasing actually wanted him to catch her ahead of time. As it was Jagobroth's successful catches were perhaps a bit rarer than other males. And this often left S'kand in an annoying predicament.
**Do you have to?**
}:Yes. She is lovely, and I would have her.:{
**Her rider is my boss, you know,** S'kand grumbled.
}:That is yours to deal with, not mine.:{
S'kand had no idea why he was arguing. Jagobroth had already been in the air since he first spoke, anyway.
Sh'del had no such problems. Loranth chased so infrequently that it was like a slightly amusing holiday just to be in a Flight for once. Such was the life of a Weyrlingmaster staff, either teaching or hoping like Faranth that his lithe brown didn't chase one of his former students. But Quinneth was a beautiful green and a perfect match to her rider. Already the burly man was one with his dragon, gracefully flying behind the small green, emotions a mix of admiration and want.
Quinneth was already leading a merry chase overhead when Jeyme jogged into the flight room, thankful for the cooling touch of the hard stones against her bare feet. She had a brief moment to gaze around the room, taking in the men that were standing there, and smiling at a few of them with interest. She knew A'kades, they had been together before, and that was a pairing that she would not mind. The rest of the men were a blur as she allowed her consciousness to fully join with Quinneth's in the skies.
It was only when Jagobroth chased that S'kand knew what it was like to be lithe and sleek, as the bronze somehow managed to stalk like a feline even in the sky. His was a hunter's chase, and Quinneth was both his quarry and his prize. He would have her, or she would get away, but then he would simply give chase again the next time. He would never relent, never give up.
Iorath jostled by Jagobroth's side to try and gain a position closer to Quinneth, but the older bronze certainly seemed to know what he was doing. The young bronze decided to try a different tactic and changed his elevation to hopefully snag the green when she changed directions.
Volaith had also gone high to get out of the crowding of the pack and snarled at the younger Iorath who was in his way. Blue Rymeth hadn't learned these tricks yet, and he flung himself closer to her, thinking maybe he could keep up with her turns and catch her at a quick turn better than the bigger browns and bronzes who would be slower to react and were trying to anticipate.
Quinneth sensed the dragons above her and she could see from her periphery a blue edging in on her left. Swerving to the right, the wily green dropped her wings and plummeted quickly beneath the clouds. As she dropped from the sky she barreled out of her drop by tucking her wings tightly against her sleek, lithe body. }:One last time boys,:{ she called tantalizingly as she whipped her tail downwards, opened up her wings to their fullest extent, and began a quick climb in altitude.
Here it was. The final stretch. Jagobroth was sleek for a bronze, but he had been wary of dropping beneath the clouds to follow after Quinneth. He was no agile blue. That skepticism could pay off, then, as she rose up again. He only had to be more nimble than the most nimble bronze and more powerful than the most powerful brown or blue. Simple, but not easy. Still, he would not give up until she was caught.
Loranth wasn't far off the mark when she began her climb. All he had to do was stay as close to her as possible. And out-power the bronzes and out-nimble the blues. But that was besides the point.
Quinneth broke away from him and dropped down, and Rymeth followed. Only she suddenly switched from her drop to go upwards. He couldn't counter, his wings were tired and aching. The young blue fell away from the pack, tired and aching, and on the ground V'rel turned away and reached out for comfort from willing hands nearby.
Volaith saw the green drop *downwards*, saw a couple dragons break away to dive down after her, and resisted the temptation - a smart green wouldn't get caught so low - and instead find a point above the falling green and was rewarded when she began to rise back upwards. He put a few last surges of effort in to power forward past his last challenger, and dive down just enough to intercept and reach out to seize her with his talons, tail and neck twining with hers to complete the claim.
A'kades picked up Jeyme in his arms, carrying her into the nearest flight cot. He got to the bed and then pulled her against him, crushing his lips against her own as hands fumbled at clothing and he savored the feeling of _winning_.
Last updated on the October 14th 2019