Flight 25
Gold Nynaeveth(Written by TyGryph)
Jazrae knew her lovely Lasair gold was due to rise any day, and when she saw the flight list had filled, she was immensely pleased. Nynaeveth would need adequate suitors if she were to have a good clutch. As the flight neared, she had a moment to speak to the brown and bronzes' riders, and their partners. One of the pairs was completely unknown to her, Bronze Iryntesalth's rider K'teric, and Danza. She was somehow not surprised to see that Apollo had found a willing female, a pretty thing named Sevti. Dareon, who'd impressed from Ainchisth's clutch was there, with a lovely lady named Calca - who was, by appearances, an angel. This might have been disturbing to the folk of Ryslen, if they'd not already seen stranger things. Ilya, an offworlder who rode a very pale Gallimim bronze was there with Raanatani, who was a pleasant, if striped, feline. She was also a greenrider, and her dragoness had no problem with sharing her mate. What shocked Jazrae most was Bronzerider Vaero's partner - Mara. Silvin, who stood with his arms around his love, wondered if Naeodin knew where her daughter was.
"I'm glad to see that my request was followed." Jazrae said with a smile. "It will make Nynaeveth's flight better for all involved."
Four of five of the riders smiled at her, but Apollo spoke. "Why did you want it this way? Why not do it..."
Jazrae diplomatically cut him off. "You may be willing to take whoever your dragon brings you, but I'd rather let love control my side of things when my dragon has in irresistable need to procreate." Her words probably made one or two of the couples uncomfortable, but that would give the other dragons an edge.
* * *
Nynaeveth dozed on her ledge, listening to the wind. Suddenly, she awoke, as if an alarm had begun ringing. Springing from her ledge, she soared across the bowl with no apparent effort and dropped right down next to a large steer. It took one look at the huge glowing dragon, and panicked. Before it could bolt off, Nynaeveth grabbed it, Jazrae's calm mental voice reminding her in a traditional, ceremonial sort of way to blood only. But Nynaeveth knew. That's why she let the beast's adrenaline get going before she killed it...
She sprang from the ground like a lightning bolt in reverse, leaving the four bronzes and the sunset-winged brown to give chase.
High in the sky she taunted them, as they fought against the wind that buoyed her so lovingly. As they neared, she let out a challenging roar and soared off into the sky, flying as effortlessly as the white clouds caught in the wind. She led them around for quite some time, testing their reaction times before anything really happened.
Are you wimps ever going to start trying? Nynaeveth growled as she turned back towards that and dive bombed into the middle of the pack. Light Bronze Vainith and the Tiamat Bronze Iryntesalth quickly pivoted and dove after her.
It's not like I'm insisting you love me. The gold said as she shot upwards. Vainith and Ityntesalth faltered, and that left three.
"That was decidedly cruel..." Apollo muttered to Sevti in the privacy of their rooms.
Nynaeveth didn't care. She soared up towards the clouds with two bronzes and a brown vying for her. A misty cloud passed over her, chilling her metallic hide, and bringing a percentage more clarity to a flight-addled mind. She dropped from the cloud and dropped right past the young bronze Thineziv, startling him out of the chase. Nynaeveth bugled, because she could. He'd be more experienced for the next gold he chased.
That left two. The sunset winged brown, and the pale bronze. Knowing that height was essential, Nynaeveth began to ascend again, and when her back was turned, one of the two claimed her. As they spiralled towards the ground, Nynaeveth was glad it was Vajrath. He was a proper bronze.