The skies are mine, and mine alone (GOLDFLIGHT)

[ShadowReine]

This time, Yselka well knew what was about to happen. So sensitive was she to her queen's moods, that she turned from the dining cavern, making it back to her Weyr before...

ROAR! Lyeth's sudden challenge was quite audible and her flight from the ledge abrupt. Yet, equally sensitive, Ista's bronzes and browns would already have sensed the readiness of their queen, their mate, to take to the skies.

Her route to the feeding grounds was quite direct. She wasted no time selecting a healthy, fat beast and dropping.

"Blood!" Yselka called, although her voice, from the weyr, could not be heard by the gold, the force of the Weyrwoman's will would echo, entwined with that of the great beast she partnered.

And blood she did, jaws closing around the beast's throat to drink that which would give her the strength to fly without weighing her down.

Now. Where were her suitors?

[phlysolo]

If Yselka knew what was going on with her gold, Erusth knew it better. For days, he'd felt it growing inside of her, felt his own needs churning up in him as well in dire anticipation of what was to come. Erusth could sense it as she moved about him, becoming more and more irritated, responding with more and more vigor every time he dotted affection on her and flirted with her. Again, he had taken steps to prepare himself, feeding quite well in the days before, blooding kills early, early in the morning.

This time, the bronze pair was prepared, H'zu already half dressed in his Weyrwoman's weyr, waiting, waiting...When Lyeth had moved to the ledge, Erusth had been prepared in the feeding grounds, when the great golden queen roared her challenge, he lifted his head and roared right back, asserting proudly that her first mate would be after her again!

H'zu was right behind his Weyrwoman when she cried for her queen to blood and felt a surge of Erusth's lust erupt in him. He yearned to touch her, but it was too soon, not yet...not yet.

On the feeding ground, Erusth watched hungrily as Lyeth came down on a beast with the fury of a thousand golds, her maw crushing its throat. Almost...it was almost time and she would be his again. What he was not expecting was the second trumpet that followed his own.

A dragon much larger, much bigger, much more powerful had decended down on the feeding grounds a few dragonlengths away from the bronze who had claimed Lyeth before. His bulk and size was easily greater than Erusth and the Weyrleader's dragon felt wild explosion of rage and alarm as he and H'zu realized simultaneously who this new challenger was.

S'koin, the coined 'temporary" Weyrling Master, and his massive brown Kirith had decided to enter the fight for Lyeth. The man entered the room silently, respectful of H'zu's place in the Weyrwoman's chambers It was far too early to get over confident, the brownrider knew, but Yselka had shown him so much favor and perhaps H'zu had fallen out of it. Now was his chance to truly see if that were true. Perhaps it was time for a brownrider to take the place of a bronze.

Erusth hissed a warning to the larger brown, but knew he wouldn't be able to contest the massive dragon with straight endurance: He'd have to out maneuver this brute and use his guile to win Lyeth once more. Kirith would not be intimidated and he growled insolently right back at the bronze before settling his whirling purple gaze on Lyeth at the same time the lust filled S'koin gazed up on the Weyrwoman.

[zenith]

Sebeth had been perched on the rim of the Weyr, waiting and watching attentatively. She was glowing, she was ready, she was so beautiful! Sebeth had no visions of granduer ... he knew he was only a brown. And not a particularly large brown, at that. But he did have something else that mattered quite a lot ... determination. There would not be much in the way of a competition for her, if she rose sooner rather than later. And Sebeth hoped she'd rise sooner ... he didn't want all those big bronzes from all those other Weyrs showing up again. They were so many that they clouded the skies!

No ... don't let that happen! Rocking from front foot to front foot, and rustling his wings with impatience, Sebeth crooned ever so softly in the depths of his throat. The sound was so low and so soft that there was no way that any other dragon in the Weyr could have heard him, but his heart boiled over such that he could not stay silent, either.

And then she was awake! And off, down to the feeding grounds. Sebeth leapt into the air, and landed on the grounds, as well, though off in a far corner. He selected his own beast to blood - he would need all the energy he could get if he was going to be any kind of contender in this flight! Draining the beast of any vestiges of the life giving fluid, Sebeth tossed the carcass aside with a flick of his head. He might return to it later, and eat it properly like. But for now, it was just so much flotsam. When she bellowed her challenge, Sebeth jumped forward two hops, and dropped his own head and opened his own maw for a return bellow, accepting her challenge. Just as soon as she would leap into the air, he would be after her.

Sebeth was not delusional at all ... he knew that the other two males on the grounds were going to push him beyond his limits. The both of them were larger than he was ... one a giant brown, the other a bronze. But it would not stop Sebeth from trying.

Lust mounted within the dragon, joining with the overpouring of his heart that drove him to try anyway. His eyes turned a vivid violet color as they swirled ever faster, adrenaline pumping through his system even now, before they ever reached the sky.

~~~

T'ron had been expecting this ... he had noted the distracted nature of his dragon ... and could feel the determination that came from him. The wingsecond knew that his lifemate was going to try for the Queen this time, good chances of winning or not. It had been nigh on impossible to get any kind of comprehensive reply out of the dragon at all, the few times that T'ron had tried to talk to him.

And so, when the moment came, T'ron was not far from where he would need to be. He set down everything he had been working on, and moved off, headed toward where he knew he could find Yselka and all her suitors. He became enwrapped in his dragon's mind completely before he had gone ten paces, and by the time he reached the place, T'ron had shed his heavier second shirt simply for he amount of heat his own body was already putting out. He stood there, in complete and total awe of the woman before him, burning to reach out to her.

But he didn't. T'ron/Sebeth knew better, as much as he wanted to, it was not time. Even so, T'ron/Sebeth was completely oblivious to anyone else in the world. All he could see was Yselka/Lyeth. She was the whole world, right then.

[bookworm]

((I'm borrowing B'toc. B'toc is injured, but Kylth isn't, so I thought he should be able to chase. Let me know if this isn't okay.))

There was no doubt in Kylth's mind that Lyeth would rise soon, and he planned to chase her when she did. He wanted to win back the position of senior bronze for himself and his rider. Such success would be ample revenge for the injury B'toc had sustained in the first Flight. The large bronze had been perched on his ledge all day, pretending to sun but really on the lookout for the Gold.

Finally, her bugle echoed through the Weyr. Kylth answered with an echoing roar, launching himself off of his ledge and descending into the feeding grounds. He snagged a beast and snapped its neck, carrying the carcass off to the side to blood. He eyed the other males. Two browns and Erusth, the bronze who had won last time. Kylth snarled at the larger brown, drawing himself up to his full height. Kylth was the definition of massive, and was even a little bigger than the huge brown. Ignoring the smaller of the two browns, Kylth turned his attention to Lyeth, tensed for her takeoff, his eyes already swirling with violet.

In the infirmary, B'toc sat up, Flightlust clouding his mind. He longed to be at Yselka's side, but he wasn't sure if he could make it. At least Yselka knew where he was. If Kylth claimed his prize, she could come find him.

[ShadowReine]

As the bronzes leapt after her, Lyeth went for height and distance. She did not remember her last flight the way humans did, she just felt it.

She knew what she needed. Height, distance, away! Away until the Weyr was toylike beneath her, something a child might form out of the black sand of Ista's beaches. She knew they were good bronzes, strong bronzes. Her bronzes....and maybe a brown or two.

Would the browns get a look in? Instinct told her the strongest male, the most powerful. But not yet, no, she could not choose until her wings burned and her entire body was sore from exhaustion and lust.

She called to them. Come! Come, if you are worthy, the wind above the ocean catching her wings. Higher, further. She knew she had to do better than twenty eggs, had to fly high and choose well for Pern and for Ista.

Yselka kept her distance from the human suitors, regarding them. Her eyes showed favor for none, as yet.

[zenith]

Sebeth strained forward, pouring on all the speed his body possessed. There were so many bronzes! His heart quailed to think that he was even delusional to think he had a chance. But ... for the moment, anyway ... the delusion held. And the brown stubbornly persisted in the chase, beating his wings as fast as his heart pounded.

Lyeth ... lovely Lyeth. He ached to be closer to her lithe, glowing form. Sebeth tried with all the might his brown frame possessed. No one could say he had failed for want of trying hard enough!

[bookworm]

Kylth launched himself into the air with a powerful leap from his hindquarters, then beat his wings steadily as he rose after Lyeth. He wasn't too concerned about getting to the front of the pack right away. He would save his energy for now, and then put on a final burst of speed near the end.

The breeze from the ocean cooled his wings, and he caught a thermal, allowing himself to glide for a moment. He ignored the other suitors, his sights set entirely on Lyeth. His eyes whirled a vibrant purple as he focused on her golden form, and a croon slipped out of his throat.

B'toc groaned, fingers clenching around the sheets. The lust and need to be with Yselka was unbearable. A Healer approached him, wondering if he could do anything, and he grabbed onto her arm painfully. "Please...help me get to the weyr..." he gasped out.

"But sir, you're not strong enough..."
His fingers tightened around her arm, and she let out a little yelp. "Please!"
"If you insist..." She helped him out of the cot and handed him the cane he used to walk short distances. Almost immediately, he felt weak and tired, but he drew on his dragon's strength and walked as fast as he dared outside to the weyrbowl, leaning heavily on the cane and Healer alike but still moving towards the feeding grounds.

[ShadowReine]

OOC: Phly? I do need to end this flight so we can have eggsies

[phlysolo]

His old weyrmate. He must win her again! He must have her once more! He must be the one to proudly say that it was he, Erusth, who sired her next grand Clutch! Only he could make her bear more than twenty Eggs this time! Only he could offer her more golden - and perhaps white gold - daughters! It was he who sired the first new gold on Pern! Erusth was strong, was fast, was cunning and it could only be him to capture Lyeth once more!

Trumpeting a mighty call, insisting that he was the only bronze worthy of her, that no brown could ever amount to Erusth, the bronze vaulted into the air after her. His wings fanning high and proud. He must get higher than his challengers, he must outfly them from the very start! Sebreth! That foolish brown! He was nothing, nothing compared to Erusth! Hardly noticing the weak bronze who had dropped out of Lyeth's Flight the last time, Erusth pummeled his wings hard and fast, gaining altitude faster than the other males, though his burst of power might befoul him later. All that mattered was that he was almost wing tip to wing tip next to his Lyeth!

From just behind him, the brown bulk of Kirith shook with fervent anticipation. Erusth was over confident and foolish! He didn't have Kirith's endurance! He might be quicker, but Kirith had the staying power! On the ground, S'koin was burning with lust that only drove Kirith harder. Perhaps it was H'zu that was equally driving Erusth on, but it was S'koin's savage desire to take what he wanted that would make Kirith a formidable opponent indeed.

He blasted off from the ground, strong toned wings taking him aloft perhaps a bit slower, but just as powerfully as the Weyrleader's bronze. He deftly manuevered around Kylth's bulking form, dodging around him easily. He might be a large brown, but he was able enough to swerve easily around an even larger form when he must.

Kirith stayed pace with the golden queen as she went up, up, up into the sky. Not yet. He would not impose on her yet, as Erusth was doing...

H'zu strode to his Weyrwoman, the beautiful lady whom he'd shared a bed with for so many months now. She wouldn't trade him for a lesser male! In his mind, he was Erusth and he saw them both equally before him.

[ShadowReine]

It was a long flight, a bright one, Lyeth determined to produce more than twenty eggs for the Weyr and at least one more queen...gold or platinum...for Pern. Over the ocean, she flew until her wings burned and her vision flickered from sheer exhaustion.

High above the ocean, she stalled, almost seeming to stop in the air. She only had a few suitors left. A stray Benden bronze was dismissed, for her rider's memory still held Lorisette's crime. She would have nothing of Benden!

Sebeth? A brown, and she honored him for his attempt, for coming so close, but she could not allow a brown to fly her, for then there could be no golden queen. Perhaps if they had more dragons, perhaps when Allirth was mature. Kirith, too, dismissed for his color, although she might not forget him...no.

That left the two bronzes. Kylth? Yselka-Lyeth considered him, but the weyrwoman had her own influence.

B'toc could not lead the wings. The Weyr knew that, the Weyrwoman knew that, the gold knew that. Six months from now, perhaps. But the flight of the senior queen is not determined by the strength of the males alone, but also by the wil of the Weyr.

And Ista was happy with the leadership of H'zu, for all his youth, and Lyeth happy with the queens he had sired...and with a sigh, the great gold allowed herself to fall into Erusth's embrace, reasserting the order of things.

And Yselka reached out to claim the man who had been sharing her bed and her life once more. He would do. For now, at least, he would do.