Prove your words

Writers: Chelle, Clancey, Eimi, Emma, Paula, Suzee
Date Posted: 29th April 2011

Characters: Teseada, P'nal, G'nir, J'darin, U'kaiah, T'mahl, D'ale
Description: Onnyth rises...
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 1, day 25 of Turn 6
Notes: ... and is caught by Hasaarth

Teseada

G'nir

J'darin

D'ale

It might be a pleasantly warm day, but to Teseada it felt a good few
degrees warmer, enough to make her irritable. She'd snapped at the
poor apprentice harper who'd been unlucky enough to be sorting records
in the records room, then immediately apologized to her as it dawned
what the cause of her mood was on her way back to her office.

Reaching out with her mind she could sense Onnyth was sleeping, but
not sleeping easily. There was something, and that something could
only be a coming flight. Grabbing a hide she scrawled two notes. The
first to the Weyrwoman, informing her that a flight was imminent, and
the second to her half brother, suggesting that he might want to leave
the area, and to tell his Wingleader the reason he needed immediate
duties outside of the Weyr.

With a passing candidate tasked with taking the notes, she then headed
to the feeding pens, Onnyth was beginning to stir...

She was just in time, the Gold arrived as she did. **Blood only,** she
told her, hoping that she would listen. **Just blood, so you can fly
high and well.**

Onnyth's only response was a bugle that could be heard across the
Weyr. }:My turn to fly, my turn to be chased, but will you catch me?:{

Most browns wouldn't try for a gold, but a junior gold wasn't the same
as the senior queen. It had been done. Jodeth, buoyed by his new
status as Wingsecond, decided that he would put himself into the
chase. If he won, it would be glorious, though he wasn't as certain
about it as a bronze would be. He opened his dark mahogany wings,
stretching them for the coming contest. }:I will try for her:{ he
alerted
his rider.

P'nal's head came up during the wing meeting. He gave the other riders
a look, seeing some of them react similarly. "Ah well, looks like the
meeting is cut short. Clear skies and high flying, everyone." Walking
through the tunnels to where he needed to be, he couldn't help but
thinking about the conversation with J'darin. D'nev's little girl...
Shaking away from those thoughts, he put his head into the game.

}: Onnyth Rises, I'm going chase her, :{ Nirreth told his rider.

**What? Aren't we a greedy one, you already have a gold as a mate,**
G'nir was mostly amused. Nirreth had chased Onnyth before but that had
been before Genith. Well, that didn't stop him trying to win others
too, obviously. He and Nirreth started to hurry towards the feeding
pens.

Hasaarth had bugled before Onnyth even took the skies, knowing she was
about to Rise. He launched himself from the rim, leaving J'darin to
run out from the weyrling class he was teaching, shaking with
anticipation. It was overcast and gray, but that mattered little to
a gold. Or to the bronzes chasing her. Teseada was young, but oh,
to have another gold for a mate! Oh how he wanted that for his
lifemate.

He had hurriedly dismissed the class and raced for the pens. He
almost growled at the other riders as he closed in on Teseada with the
rest, pushing them aside. He became even more determined when he saw
that Nirreth was going to try for her. Wasn't the senior gold
enough for him?

His pulse racing and his voice rough, he sent to Hasaarth, **Make her
ours beloved! Make her OURS**

And then he let it all go, to focus on his bronze. They would win.
They _deserved_ to win. Even scarred.

U'kaiah had been among the first in the circle. His bronze had been
paying very close attention to the color of the young gold, having
flown
her once before in her first mating Flight. She had chosen another
the last time, but it was both their hopes that she would be wooed by
Kalamath again.

T'mahl had a different motivation for wanting to claim the young gold.
He had been disposed as Weyrleader, but he wanted to believe that he
and Uluruth had it in them to fly a gold once again. He silently
encouraged his bronze on as he stepped up next to the Wingleader who
now outranked him.

First one luckless herdbeast was dispatched and drained, then another.
"Blood only," Teseada said aloud as well as with her mind.

The gold fixed her with a look, then took down a third, scattering
some of the herdbeasts who had perhaps thought that two would be
enough for the young gold. The third was the last, and with that
Onnyth bugled; a cry to inform those who hadn't heard yet of the
coming events. Then she took to the air. }:Follow me if you dare!:{

D'ale was out the door of the wing meeting almost before the words
left P'nal's lips. Torerath was tense as he blooded his own kill near
the young gold. They had never won a gold flight yet but he had been
flying particularly well of late and was in his prime. He ran only a
few steps before he launched after her with a cry of desire.

He waited, watching the others take off after her. Until the last
possible
moment, Jodeth stayed back to conserve his energy. Then, the brown
exploded in a frenzy of activity, heading after the others and _her_. He
was like an inkblot against the sky, his dark form hurtling towards her.
Inevitably, he hoped they would collide and burst into flaming passion.

Nirreth leaped after the glowing young queen, growling a challenge to
the other males. }: Mine! :{

Hasaarth was hard on Nirreth's tail, chasing after the fast flying
gold. Oh, he wanted her! His lifemate was seething with desire for
him to win. And he was _Hasaarth_. He was worthy of a queen. }:I
will fly you well, pretty. Our hatchlings will be many and strong!
Choose me. :{ He crooned toward Onnyth, keeping pace with her so far.
She was beautiful!

}:Pretty words,:{ the gold told them all. }:But you need to show me more
than that.:{ She found a thermal and used it to rise high above the
Weyr, before taking a fast turn in the direction of Opal Cove Hold.

Jodeth hadn't spoken. The brown wasn't garrulous. All he wanted to do
was fly. He didn't have real hope that he would catch. He just saw it as
a fine opportunity to flex his wings, watch a beautiful queen take the
sky in all her glory, and to ensure the other males had competition.

Torerath }:I will follow you lovely Onnyth:{ he bellowed as he turned
inside her curve catching the same thermal and rising almost close
enough to brush her tail. He crooned as he swept after her striving
with every erg of effort he could put forth.

}:Watch me and I will show you what I can do,:{ Uluruth bellowed after
her. He had flown a gold before. He knew he was worthy.

Kalamath decided to save his energy for the Flight and remained silent.
Instead of trying to impress her with words, he focused on keeping up
with her and one step ahead of the dragons around him. He was not in
the lead yet, but he could outlast them all if he had to!

}: You know I'm the best, Onnyth,:{ Nirreth boasted, soaring easily with
the thermal. He was staying after her, but not attempting anything fancy
yet. He was going to follow her and observe her first. Sometimes the
patience
brought the reward.

Onnyth didn't respond, she was too busy enjoying the attention as she
narrowly avoided a brown wing. They would have to work harder than that
to catch her.

Not today, not a brown for her. Bronze was what she wanted, but which
one.
Onnyth looked again, there was one that appealed. }:Give me those strong
hatchlings Hasaarth, prove your words to me!:{

Jodeth roared, but then he accepted the gold's choice. The brown
spiralled
back to the Weyr, ready to lie down and sleep off his exertions. P'nal
left
the room in search of a suitable replacement for the feelings that were
still
roiling in his belly.

Stamina and strength paid off for Hasaarth. He saw her move toward
him and reacted quickly, calling on all the speed and strength he had
left to catch her deftly, twine his neck around hers and keep them in
the air for a long time. With steady wingbeats, and soaring grace,
they stayed in the air and stayed in the air, as the large bronze made
good on his promise. His roar of triumph shattered the sky, echoed by
his rider on the ground below.

J'darin spent one heartbeat in stunned exultation then he slipped both
arms around Teseada and lifted her off the ground completely for a
short moment, claiming her just as Hasaarth had claimed Onnyth.

Torerath screamed his disappointment, so very close! He shot skyward
with almost the same effort as if the golden beauty flew the skies
still. Finally he turned and glided back toward the Weyr. D'ale
turned from the gold rider toward a waiting moth. He swept her up,
into one of the prepared rooms and lost himself to the flightlust.

}: She was too young anyway, :{ Nirreth said when he turned back home,
but his tone betrayed a deep disappointment.
G'nir just laughed at his comment and pulled one of the women around the
flight to his embrace.

Last updated on the April 29th 2011

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