Flight 52
Gold Rayalith(Written by Naeodin)
"Flights are not meant to be held so early in the morning." rubbing the sleep from her eyes and still feeling slightly peeved that it was five thirty and the sun was not due for a couple of hours, Riawan barely managed to brush her teeth successfully.
Then go back to sleep. Feeling just as cranky, it was the outraged wail of a field beast that had the great queen trumpet her own cry of frustration. If it was up to me, I'd do this when everyone was awake...
"Can't you hold it in for a couple of more hours?" walking over to the mirror and brushing out her hair, she looked over. "A couple more?"
It's not like going to the bathroom, Riawan. the Queen was circling lazily over the pen Go to sleep.
"No dammit." her voice came out stronger than she had expected it to. "I'm not missing out on good sex!"
Who said it was going to be? This is supposed to be business...
Riawan snorted. "Heh." smirking, and reaching for the white robe she kept by the bed she smiled. The banter was enough to wake her up, long enough that as she walked to the ledge and sat down, peering over like a child caught peeking. A yawn was about to steal through her when the challenging cry ripped through sleep. It was the cry of a great gold rising, the ancient days of Pern when dragons were meant to fight.
"Shut up!"
That didn't mean everyone appreciated it. As the few who could -and should... if that rider didn't come up here when he was expected, she was going to kill him- roused themselves long, they watched as the gold flung a herd beast into the air before catching it with silver claws.
She should know. She had been forced to polish every inch of that stubborn mule until she seemed to be neon gold.
"Rayalith!" remembering something, she got up, catching the attention of others when the gold looked over, irritated.
Are you going to warn me not to feed? the queen sounded almost insulted.
"I was going to tell you not to play with your food." she smiled wryly. Actually... I was going to remind you... the rest of the words seemed to fade as her breathing hitched, and color rushed to her cheeks as the mind slowly began to bond with dragon. There was such a frantic ache, such anger that blood merely seemed to enflame the thirst. As the queen sank fangs into an elder beast, sharp shoots of bronze dragons found themselves pacing, watching as other dragons abandoned their riders to scatter.
She was a Pernese dragon, after all. Who knew when instinct would take over rational, and if she would attack the uninvited females.
She was a sadistic one this queen, and as she tossed the meat as if it were nothing but a sliver, she clamped jaws, a growl rising as she watched the bronze dragons. Four... five? She couldn't tell, for she was turning, protecting herself even as they moved, dancing about her like gnats.
Not gnats love, men
Fools Rayalith snorted, and as minds melded, she tossed her head back before pushing off into the air, the crippled beast forgotten on the ground.
* * *
I think she just insulted us. Me, a bronze with pedigree. Radhith muttered to himself, causing his rider to let out a choking laugh.
"We're supposed to be focused on catching her, not discussing her manners."
Talk any longer and you'll both lose. the very calm sentence seemed to drift as Chevalath was already launching to feed on the remaining beasts, moving with the quick pace of someone who knew his endurance would last. Muttering under his breath, Z'thon was watching with something close to a smirk on his face.
"We'll win, you know." the two bronze riders were together, in control for that small moment when sanity seemed to return, and they smiled at each other.
"Both of us can't." K'ran stated, letting out a gasp when he could distinctly feel the lust ripping through that smaller bronze.
"'course not." from the side, they watched the streak of light bronze, of Ryslen heritage cast off into the air. Chycanth was the first bronze to chase the queen, having not fed as long. While he was not exactly impatient, there was too much fire running in his veins for him to wait. "Because we will." they turned, slightly annoyed to see Aerv, watching with a slight tic forming over one eye.
"Show off." growling slightly for not all could truly resist such emotion, A'tor leaned forewords, subconciously following the bronze as he hurriedly tore through meat, and flesh.
El'thuli was ignoring the talk, knowing it to be nervous babble to fill up the time as he watched Gilondeth pitch into the sky, flying higher to a point where he seemed invisible against the dark pitch. This was his first, but that didn't mean he was so nervous. He knew what to do, what, would happen. Watching, calmly and staking out the others with a slightly predatory eye he was surprised when something blue pitched into the air after the gold.
* * *
A blue?! the screech caused Riawan to tear her mind away from her dragons, wincing as it brought her back to Nidus Ryslen. She could feel the outrage, as well as the insult as the flurry marked white blue doggedly followed the queen. She didn't know exactly where he had come from, and didn't recognize who might be his rider. Leaning over to watch the male riders below, her eyes widened as someone rushed to join them, slightly out of breath. A small smile curved at her lips, amused for the sake of her dragon for having her flight disrupted, but also slightly annoyed. It was supposed to be all business...
Rayalith was Pernese, but that didn't mean she didn't know how to fight. Flying forewords because now all six dragons were pitched after her in a feverish race, a large bronze seemed to be gaining slowly, steadily while another, a slightly smaller one seemed to be created more chaos with quick moves putting the others off balance. As if... they were working together. Snorting, because Rayalith found team work to be useless she kept on, having the endurance of a larger creature.
Get away from me! it was more of a scream really, and while a part of her wondered if she was supposed to think of his genetics, of whether he was good breeding material, another was pissed off that a blue would dare think... she was a queen! Dammit! Tracking the blues stubborn moves, she almost missed the streak of marked bronze as it flew into her face, paws intent on grabbing her and ending this as a short flight. Paws, which were no real match for sharpened claws that extended like a mad cat and scratched furiously. Hissing, and seeming more demonic by the second Rayalith lunged at the presumtuous light bronze and snapped her jaws inches away from his neck.
Riawan winced, wondering if she was supposed to pay for damages as she watched crimson bleed across the light bronze who fell to the ground, determined to get away from the psychopath. With five after her, Riawan was caught in the stir when Rayalith lit out a roar, climbing and testing endurance -or so she said- and she found herself dipping into the raw emotion.
It was so... heady.
Annoyed that her concentration had been broken, that the flight would have ended so quickly Rayalith kept all eyes out, and watched as the bronze dragons slowed, wondering if it was a good idea. Pernese queens weren't supposed to be too violent... but it was enticing, and as the four bronze dragons sped up, she almost missed that one bronze fly higher, lower and the other make quick darts against sky.
It was however, a large distinctly marked bronze who interested her. He was older as well, of the old age and she watched, eyes widening as he snapped at the blue, causing the blue to pause, hesitate. She refused to think of him as a white blue. Now, he was nothing more than a...
Rayalith Riawan chided, knowing the queen was broadcasting her thoughts to all, and that she wasn't making any friends.
Brynth snapped at the white blue, and the blue snapped back. A Jerdan dragon by mark, he was not pleased to see someone go against tradition, even if the world was changing. An old fashion hearted dragon, his snarl of Blues have no business here was not ignored by the blue.
Get with the time, gramps. it was such a odd saying, that from below A'tor blinked out of his daze to turn to watch the other, frowning. What the-- Still, he was distracted again when with a hiss, and abandoning the race the Jerdan launched himself at the white blue.
"Brynth! The gold!" he cried, but it was lost as two males battled it out in the skies.
T'mael was shaking his head, wincing. It had been a bad idea...
* * *
The flight had been on for long enough that the first touch of pink had appeared in the skies, or she had been holding herself off long enough that even with the passion, she had timed it just right. Dragons could be like that, at times. With three bronze dragons pitched against her, Rayalith let out a crow of burgles, glad to have the real men fighting.
The gloves are off she proclaimed proudly, and by then the three riders were ascending the stairs to the room that marked the rider.
From the sky, Rayalith preformed the dips and curves people always seemed to expect, and watched as the smallest bronze -okay, that wasn't fair to state- followed expertly with moves that surprised her. Bronzes weren't supposed to be so... sneaky.
We're other things as well. It was filled with such lewd humaness, that Rayalith could only snort. The first beginnings of the anger and rage had died out, leaving her with the more calculating mind that studied. All three had the distinct mark of bronze dragons, they had endurance and yet... she flickered, almost hesitating as if she was to go between when getting ahead of himself, Radhith neatly flew over her, diving in a twisted turn that would ultimately have him over and in front of her.
No! enraged, and feeling rather satisfied that someone had finally made a go for her -one couldn't expect the female to do all the work, could they?- she changed course and flew up just the same time he flew down, knocking into him and tucking her wings into her side so that they narrowly clipped his sails. Hissing, Radhith lost control at the near miss when with a neat buffer, Chavaleth knocked him with his tail.
Leave it to the rest of us with this rather arrogant note, for Chavaleth was tiring slightly he watched, amused as Gilondeth slowed down, slightly. This flight had not been tricky. It had never been meant to be tricky. A test of endurance more like it, and a test of mental will power. While considering this, the bronze hesitated when Rayalith ducked and turned, heading for him with such speed, that Chavaleth...
Whumph.
The sun was not rising, but that it was that moment when night sky bled to dawn, and as he watched, Gilondeth seemed to extend his wings, as Rayalith found herself caught in a net of sails. Hissing, Rayalith clawed and Chavaleth circled, looking for an opening as the wing sails ripped from his view. From below El'thuli cursed as he felt the pain, but also the stubborn persistance. Being marginally young, but with the blood of ancestors who had known the life that Rayalith descended from, he watched the old fashioned move as bronze tail sought gold, and wings wrapped into the glowing coccoon.
It was something, that as they somehow pitched higher into the sky, to a point where it seemed to still be night, that some had seen on Pern. Chavaleth, rather bemused settled back to day, getting ready to hear it from the enraged bronze who had a fight all set out for them. It had been a long while since the Jerdan bronze and the white blue had settled onto a respectful truce, and it was then, when the sky was empty of dragons that the two fell, not a lazy spiral but something swift, something as if they would crash to the ground and splinter it, leaving a burning trail in their wake..
Below, as Riawan opened to find El'thuli standing there expectantly, her lips curled into a smile as she thought of another kind of fire that would burn the sheets. Pulling him in with a laugh, and closing off his prepared words with heat she shoved the door closed, and smiled, dreamy.
Yes, everything had been perfect and perhaps buisness could be mixed with pleasure, after all.