Flight 12
Dark Teal Aderynth(Written by Efellai)
Brown, brown, blue, blue-black-oh, that's interesting!, blue… Aescha, these fellows are laughable! Aderynth arched her neck scornfully, flailing her silver-green wings in challenge. Three of the idiots don't even care if they catch me or not, and of the remaining two, one babbles like a brook, and the other is an insufferable showoff. The dark teal green snorted, and scratched her cheek absently on a foreleg. Why /are/ blues such show-offs, Aes?
"They're seeking to impress you, Aderyn-bach," Aescha replied lightly, limping to her lifemate's side.
/You/ Impressed me. They annoy me. Aderynth turned a malevolent gaze upon the watching blanket of males. And what is your preference? I glow like fire. It's itchy.
The ex-drudge rubbed the dark green's shoulder comfortingly. "Well, F'rin, R'tin, and L'rin seem to have little interest, as you said. P'ng is…too focused, too righteous. I don't know if he notices anything beyond his Leetoth and his starcharts."
Even a drudge can wish for the stars, Aes.
Aescha glowered at her lifemate. "I thought you said you didn't like any of them?" He loves heights. Leetoth told me. He tells me everything, Aderynth replied smugly. I'm not making suggestions, just helping you toward a better-informed decision. Go on.
"The only one left is D'ari. He's a trip." You're not helping, Aderynth fumed. How can I make the proper choice if nothing looks appealing?
Aescha gave her dragoness a long, slow, sardonic look. "So Myth's slim leggy build doesn't matter to you any more? And you don't care about that 'gorgeous two-tone blue' either?"
Aderynth turned up her nose and forbore to comment. Restlessly, she paced back and forth over the long promontory to the east of the feeding grounds. I don't know, she shrilled, rearing a little, tail lashing, wingtips tearing at the air. I don't want…I don't understand…I cannot decide!
Startled, Aescha reached toward her lifemate just as Aderynth launched herself from the rock. "Deri!" Silver-red eyes glared back at her as the dark teal green circled the tongue of stone, just once.
I am going! Batlike, the dark dragon dove toward the hapless beasts below, snapping a neck cleanly.
"Aderynth!" Aescha's voice was chipped flint. Hissing and shaking her head, the green latched onto the beast's throat instead of its belly. Tongue flicking over her teeth,
Aderynth spat out the bloodless herdbeast, and screamed hoarsely at her lifemate.
Browns and blues sprang to life at that, rushing in like vultures to hover over the feeding grounds. Browns Parzivalth and Eirith, and blue Natith, moved like one beast, striking and wheeling systematically. Blue Leetoth smashed his beast across the pen with an over-enthusiastic strike. As usual, blue-black Myth was different, leaping upon a wherry like a big feline. There was a brief scramble of riders up the promontory.
Aescha glared at her erstwhile companions: grim F'rin, dark-haired, clumsy R'tin, quiet L'rin. Blond D'ari was juddering with nervous energy, while P'ng's orange-crowned head scarcely moved.
Aderynth snatched at her consciousness as she ascended in Valkyrie-fashion toward the clouds. Aderynth gloried in her flight. Long-winged and agile, she /knew/ she could beat the pants off these silly outWeyr dragons. She coasted, turning on a wingtip. To her delight, Natith had just put on a burst of speed, and shot past his 'easy target'.
Overconfident, she dubbed him as he spiraled unhappily down. One gone already! It was as simple as catching penned wherries. The cloud layer stood like a wall before her; disdainfully, she shot through it. As quickly as panic and rage had caught her aground, euphoria lifted her up. She was queen of the sky, unbeatable, untamable, dauntless and swift! She played with her prey a little before she dispatched two more chasers-she led Parzivalth and Eirith in a collision course, and daintily pulled up. Her eyes glowed as she followed their descent with her gaze.
Such a pity. The dark teal green ran a straight course for a while, sprinting, waiting for her remaining chasers to tire before teasing them again. But the blues were faster than the browns, and not as easily left behind. Lazily, she wheeled about and struck at Leetoth's smaller form. The pale two-tone squealed his irritation as he dodged, trying to latch onto her.
You cling like leeches, Aderynth said distastefully, a wingbeat lifting her out of the way. The blue wobbled. It was only a moment's work to entice him into moving so… Leetoth fell. She glanced around, head bobbing in anticipation. Where was the next to be fooled and sent home? No one was behind her… A blue-black bolt impacted with her back, and she screamed in surprise.
Tag! You're it, Myth sang, his cloud-wet dark body wrapped around hers, fouling her wings. Aderynth bit him softly on the neck.
"Pride goeth before a fall," Aescha quoted at her unseen lifemate, but was cut off by a more-than-warm kiss from her partner. Grinning, she lost herself in D'ari's green eyes.