Queen of the Endless Sky

Writers: Emma, Estelle, Heather, Suzee
Date Posted: 7th December 2020

Characters: Ashela, R'enh, K'reyel, L'cor, Saibra, D'kere
Description: Aglayath rises
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 5, day 3 of Turn 10

Ashela

Aglayath woke suddenly from a restless sleep, her thoughts chaotic and
burning with hunger and desire. She uncoiled her body from the couch and
crept, sinuously, out to her ledge. Her eyes fixed at once on the
feeding pens and the unsuspecting grazing beasts, her hide glowing
burnished gold in the morning sunlight.

Her harsh cry echoed from the cliffs of the Weyr, demanding the
attention of the other dragons. Then, she leapt from the ledge and dived
down towards her prey. The herd lowed in alarm and scattered, but not
fast enough to escape her talons, ripping deep into the flesh of one
terrified beast. Aglayath screamed again and sank her teeth into its
neck, sucking greedily at the hot blood. Blood only...

Ashela ran up to the edge of the pens, her heart racing, but keeping a
tight control on her lifemate. After what had happened before she knew
this flight would be under close scrutiny and she couldn't make a single
mistake. She already felt the seductive pull of the golden dragon's urge
to fly, banishing all other thoughts, and the lust of the bronzes who
emerged from weyrs and cliff heights and gathered, watching for the
moment when she would take to the skies.

R'enh startled awake as Mnoranth's bugle woke him. A moment later he
shook Saibra's shoulder. He knew Chioneth was almost ready to rise
soon too. "Crackdust," he snarled. "Aglayath is rising, Get Chioneth
out of here," He swung his legs off the bed and pulled on trousers
before jamming his feet into his boots. "it's winter out there for
Faranth's sake." He didn't pause any longer than to grab his warmest
jacket and head to the heights.

The call was enough to wake Erdenth, and his rider. There was a moment
of incomprehension, then K'reyel realised what was happening. Pulling
himself out from the nest of covers, and tossing some clothes on, he
knew he needed to leave, and leave now. As he moved into the living area
of the weyr he shared with his weyrmate and child to pull some boots on
and grab straps he heard a voice.

"Wa's happening?" The sleep tousled head of his son appeared from behind
the door of his small room.

Mayel was old enough to understand some things about weyr life. "There's
a flight happening, and I need to take Erdenth away."

"Can I come?" asked the boy.

"No, not you can't, because I have an important job for you," K'reyel
said as he tied his boots. "You need to tell mama what's happening when
she wakes up, and make sure she knows that I'll be back soon."

Mayel nodded. "I can do that."

"Good," K'reyel said, ruffling the boys hair as he got to his feet. "Go
and snuggle up with her now, so she's not on her own," he said as he
headed out to take Erdenth out of the area.

Saibra met the Weyrleader outside of his weyr. She could not explain why
exactly, but she was very pleased with K'reyel's decision to take
Erdenth away from Aglayath's flight. Chioneth was also very pleases that
"her" bronze mate would be accompanying her out of the Weyr.

"You want to go find a warm beach?" she offered with a smile, slipping
her arm around his.

"That sounds like a plan," he said returning her smile. "And perhaps a
tavern on the way to get a picnic?"

"I like the way you think, Weyrleader." Saibra said, as they were
greeted by their dragons.

As the other gold dragons departed, Aglayath pounced on another beast,
her jaws dripping with gore and her hide glowing ever brighter, but
still under the tight control of her rider. She sucked it dry, feeling
the burst of energy from the hot blood that ran down her throat. Then
she raised her head, bugled her challenge to the males and leapt into
the air, her strong wingbeats pushing her up and away from the Weyr.

Mnoranth flung himself into the sky behind her along with quite a few
other bronzes and browns. They jockeyed for position as in any flight
with the faster browns taking the lead. But he knew this was an
experienced gold. She wouldn't make mistakes nor would she likely be
diverted by outrageous compliments. Not that he wouldn't do that when
the flight was nearing it's end. He settled in for a long flight.

Kenirath liked the looks of this gold, who seemed fierce and
independent. He didn't want to tame her, only to convince her that he
could give her what she wanted. Leaping into the sky, and immediately
bumping a brown dragon aside, the bronze focused himself completely on
Aglayath.

Tonuth too leaped into the sky behind the gold. Jockeying for
position among the pack following her. He was one of the larger
bronzes but not as experienced at only 3 turns. Yet hope springs
eternal in the bronze heart and his croon was added to the others
around him.

Aglayath soared, leaving the bronzes far behind as she flew up, up into
the empty skies above the Weyr. Cold air filled her lungs, refreshing
her without cooling the heat in her blood. Above her was endless blue,
with only a few wisps of clouds to hide in. This chase would be about
endurance and strength, and she knew she was strong, golden,
magnificent. None could match her.

She banked in a wide circle and flew south, up into the mountains,
dipping, then rising again on air currents. Her taunting cries echoed
from the cliffs, drawing the chasing males onward, confusing a few of
the younger ones into losing her trail. Others began to fall behind,
unable to keep the pace. But the strongest, the most worthy... they
remained. Aglayath glanced teasingly back at them, and then with a flick
of her tail she led them on into another tree-lined valley.

Kenirath banked hard against a brown competitor, catching a talon
across his wingsail in the process. Grunting, the bronze hissed at the
brown as he moved ahead of him, skimming above treetops in the hunt
for Aglayath.

Her wide wings were molten in the sun as Mnoranth tracked her through
the valley. He sang out in his full bass bugle of desire and
admiration as he strained ever closer to prove himself worthy.

As the pack thinned out, Aglayath caught a rising air current and turned
gradually back towards the lowlands. Even as she reveled in her power
and majesty, she felt the pull and ache in her muscles and knew, as if
by instinct, that she'd need to gain height. She turned her head back to
examine the bronzes, some young and eager, others experienced and wily,
and her cries took on an enticing note. One of the young ones surged
forward, but she evaded his grasp easily, taunting him as he fell
behind. The gap was closing, but not yet...

Now the others were making their move, and her path twisted and turned
among them so that she could admire her chasers, drawing nearer to one,
then another, never quite within reach. On the ground, her rider turned
seductively from one man to the next, her fingers lightly brushing a
chest here, a cheek there. Until, at last, as the hot blood that had
carried her so far began to fade, the gold slipped from the talons of
one and swung a little closer than she'd intended to Mnoranth, her
wingtip brushing his.

His strength was flagging when she finally turned and began to tease
the bronzes who'd remained with her. Her close pass on his left was
all it took. Mnoranth roared as he veered and grabbed her entwining
his neck and tail with hers. He flipped her on her back and held on as
they began to fall and he claimed his glowing golden prize with wide
spread wings.

R'enh reflected his lifemate's actions in the Weyr below and swept
Ashela up in his arms to carry her into the mating cot.

Last updated on the December 7th 2020

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Queen of the Endless Sky