(13.12) Leadership Changes?(GOLD Flight!)

[Katlyn]

Zar, come to me, Fraith called the bronze who was arguing with his rider. She knew that this was arranged. Hers was already with Josiath's. His was not yet with Hers. That wasn't how it was arranged, and she needed to make sure that it got that way.

~~~

Salmalinth had waited patiently, perched where he would watch the gold carefully, almost methodically. He'd paid careful to which bronzes responded to the call as well, and wasn't at all suprised to see Oreath waiting. A part of him felt that he ought to give way to Oreath's senority, having always seen the bronze as the more senior of the two, but he knew that that was a foolish thought to have with a gold rising. And he wasn't about to play out foolish thoughts.

Instead, he waited, springing quickly into the air when Josiath took to the sky. He would have to play this game she was about to weave carefully if he wanted to stand a chance against some of the other males that were rising. This, after all, would be his first gold flight. These other males had played this game before, perhaps knew the rules, but not him. He would observed, play his moves carefully, and win.

Theory and strategy didn't keep him from flirting though. After all, it was quite the lovely lady in front of him. Ah, but lovely Josiath, he said after some of the other males had called out replies to the gold. Which of us is young and strong enough to follow you wherever you go? A wonderful jewel such as yourself must surely desire only the strongest and the smartest amongst us. Perhaps playing a card which was meant to uplift his own standing wasn't the best plan in the book, but he didn't want to rely mainly on words. Watch, you'll see! he finished, falling silent finally as she dove near the water and created quite the misty splash as her wingtip grazed the ocean's surface. He banked and followed her there, though he let his opposite wing-tip do the same. See, he could match her move for move, compliment her. If only she would give him the chance.

[sorra]

Zarepheth threw his head up at Fraith's words. I'm coming! he said, quickly stretching his wings and gliding down to the Hatching Sands. With Fraith's call he forgot about Josiath. He had his own gold to watch over.

K'ryn breathed a sigh of relief and took off for Shayna's weyr. He just hoped that he wouldn't be too late. He had a feeling Ardalae was already there and he didn't want to let his weyrmate down.

~~~

Shayna stood in the middle of her weyr, arms wrapped protectively around her baby. She ignored the looks and advances of the men in the room with her. Right now Josiath and her baby were the only things that mattered. Her breath caught when Josiath dove for the water. She had never tried that trick before and it took Shayna's breath away.

Josiath looked over her shoulder with a laugh as she heard splashing behind her. She had known that little trick would lose some of the less experienced and hence the ones that weren't worthy of her. She turned her attention to Salmalinth. We shall see, she crooned to him. Young and strong you may be, but can you fly with me?

The gold was going to enjoy this. The males seemed to hanging in there alright. Josiath found another thermal and shot straight into the sky. Alright, now to see who was on their toes or wingtips. This would give them a perfect change to catch if they were smart enough. Once she was high in the clouds she folded her wings and started to plummet toward the ocean. She had another trick in mind if no one took advantage here and caught her. The gold was enjoying herself and enjoying pushing the males to the limit.

{{OOC:Feel free to catch her here if you like}}

[kendrall]

Oreath thought he could detect at least two other Bronzes within striking distance in his immediate proximity, and at least one Brown. He knew this would be a fight to the finish. Already three of the dragons were out of the Chase, their inexperience showing as Josiath had pulled up from her dive towards the ocean. He also knew his bonded was getting into a bit of a pushing match with some of the other Riders, trying to woo the soon-to-be-crowned Weyrwoman. The Gold crooned to one of the younger Bronzes, daring him to fly with her, but Oreath spread his wings and started to push them against the air, steadily closing in on his prize. He knew it would only be a matter of time before Josiath would make a miscalculation on her part, and that would be when the Bronze from the future would make his move.

He watched as the Gold caught a thermal, shooting straight up into the sky; but the Bronze held his current course, slowing down a little and started to circle in a counterclockwise position around the thermal. Oreath watched as Josiath disappeared into the clouds, then shot back down again like a missile towards the water. The Bronze waited...waited...

...and caught a downdraft to boost him past the diving Gold, then spread his wings out to catch a cross-current of air that pushed him directly on an intercept course straight at his prize. Oreath shifted in mid-flight, reaching out with his claws to catch Josiath's before she could slip past him. Caught you![/i] he victoriously crooned to his new mate.

****************************

M'riel heard the cries of three of the other suitors in their room, but chose to tune them out as he continued to focus on Shayna, still shoving some of the other suitors back a little and even growled at them menacingly. He noted that the acting Weyrwoman's hand was still protectively covering her belly, and Arda was standing near her as a tempting alternative. It didn't matter to the former Wingleader; if Oreath happened to win this Flight, then both women would be his for the night. The Junior Goldrider should have known what she was getting herself involved in, coming in like this and offering herself as a stand-in, but she would soon know what it would be like to be bedded by M'riel. The same was going to be said for Shayna. He wanted them both, but now wasn't the time yet. Oreath was still in the chase, and his mental link with his dragon showed Josiath catching a thermal and shooting into the air, then the sky began to slowly rotate in his vision.

M'riel knew what that meant. Oreath had caught on to Josiath's trick, and was simply waiting for her to come back down again. No sooner than the Gold started her rapid descent, Oreath took advantage of a downdraft, then spread his wings to catch the next rush of air pushing him towards Josiath. M'riel felt a surge of adrenaline rush through his veins, and he knew Oreath had outsmarted the Gold. As soon as he felt his Bronze catch Josiath, M'riel took one step forward and looked Shayna in the eye.

"All you had to do was open your heart, Shay," he whispered huskily to her. "Tonight, I'll show you how." He didn't wait for her to form a response, but instead took one step back and uttered only one word.

"Mine."

He didn't care who else in that room heard him say the word, but M'riel knew it was all over for everyone else.

Sent from my Nexus S 4G using ProBoards

[sorra]

Josiath kept a close eye on her suitors. She wasn't going to let them out of her sight and she was curious just who would be brave enough to follow her or see if they could outsmart her. There were a couple that she was thinking about, she would just have to see how they reacted now.

The gold angled her wings just in case no one reacted to her sudden descent. No sense in harming herself in this little fun and games. She saw Oreath too late and wasn't able to pull up soon enough, bellowed in surprise and anger before her bellow turned into a croon for the bronze as she wrapped her neck around his and twined her tail with his. You'll do fine, she crooned, quite happy now.

~~~

Shayna stood quietly in the middle of the room. She barely even noticed the pushing and shoving going on around her although she did gasp when her gold plummeted toward the ocean. She wasn't real pleased with Josiath's trick there. It scared her and she clenched her left fist at her side, her right hand still protectively around her baby. Even full of flight lust she thought about her baby.

The new Weyrwoman shivered as she felt Josiath be caught and slowly opened her eyes to find the winner. She watched through her lashes as M'riel stepped toward her, the victor and new Weyrleader.

"Then fly with me," she whispered to him.

~~~

K'ryn felt the catch happen through his link with Zarepheth. It had been a good flight and would hopefully mean a good clutch. He left his bronze contentedly curled up with Fraith and dashed toward the Weyrwoman's weyr. He knew he had needed to be there sooner, but Zarepheth wasn't allowing him and he had only now be able to get away thanks to some help from Fraith.

[Katlyn]

Salmalinth had been about to respond when Oreath came in out of now where and took his place with the queen. The bronze let out a frusterated rumbled before swing and turning away from the pair, heading back to the weyr. He was young still yet, so perhaps next time.

Il'ran managed to keep from grumbling at the loss, leaving the room quietly to go burn off his frusterations at a lost flight elsewhere.

~~~

Ardalae could tell the moment that Josiath had been caught, and who the winner was. What concerned her most was K'ryn wasn't there yet. She would hold back as much as possible, but in the end, she was there as stand-in for Shayna, and that's what she would do.

[kitllwynog]

Realtath watched Josiath carefully as well as Oreath. He was inexperienced but quick and he hope he might be able to outshoot the bigger dragon at last. Josiath tried to trick them, but Oreath was no fool, he waited for her below, and Realtath decided to do the same, hovering just above and behind the elder dragon. His plan was to try to catch the Gold before Oreath could get there. Desire made him fairly hum with energy as he waited for Josiath to reappear. He saw her as she emerged from the clouds, bright as the sun, and he waited for her to get close. Just as he put on a burst of speed, Oreath zoomed past him, much faster than Realtath had figured. And then it was over.

With a moaning croon of dejection, Realtath circled slowly back into the Weyrbowl and settled heavily onto his ledge. N'reus felt himself almost deflate. Of course he hadn't expected to win really, but that didn't mean it wasn't disappointing. He felt his bronze's sadness, and then of course, the lust of the flight was still raging through him and he had no one with which to spend. He turned and left the room as fast as he could, not wanting to know what was going on in there, not wanting to look anyone in the eye, especially not Shayna.

Arkadian, meanwhile, had been hiding in a closet during the Flight, shaking with barely suppressed desire and hoping no oe else decided this was a good hiding spot. But now he could tell that it was over. His blood still burned, but perhaps now it would be safe to go back to his quarters where Arkadiask was waiting and partake of the full wine skin he had waiting there. He opened the door cautiously, and seeing the way was clear he began to walk briskly down the corridor, head down, too jangled in his nerves to hear the approaching footsteps.

[sorra]

Hya had been on her way to see Arkadian and Arkadiask when Josiath rose. The green rider had chosen to stay in the shadows so that no one would bump into her. Not that she didn't know what could happen with a gold flight, but her mind was still set on finding Arkadian. She managed to catch sight of a familiar figure slinking away when the flight ended. She hurried to catch up to him. "Arkadian?" she asked, not wanting to scare him as he looked like he was trying to disappear.

[Mik]

When Josiath turned and dove for the surface of Pern again, Rislockith followed suit and chased her downward, pumping his smeared wings as hard as he could to catch up with her. Yet it was the older, bigger bronze from the Future that beat him to the catch having remained in a wider pattern in the thermal than the young bronze had. When claws entwined, the young bronze knew that he had lost this flight and he spread his wings to soften his drop before gliding away from the others and flying to his old lonely ledge, Josiath’s ledge soon to be occupied by her and Oreath.

L’ret felt his bronze’s rejection throughout his being and knew that they had lost this flight, but there was always the next one as the young bronzerider exited the room carefully, his dragon’s lust already waning enough for him to think about where he was going. His route when losing a flight was always for a cold dip in the water and the bathing chambers were the place of choice with the weather having turned cold now.
~~~

As Oreath made his catch, Seminth crooned dejectedly and banked out of the Chase to work his way back to the Weyr and his ledge. So much for that big chance!

As Swift felt the rejection from his bronze, he noted through the last fading bits of his double-imaged eyes that the victor was the huge bronze Oreath of the future. Now things were going to get stirred up, he was certain! The former Raider carefully shouldered his way out of the room, hoping to either make it to his own weyr and Seleti or a splash of cold water or snow from outside along the way to clear the lust from his loins.
~~~

Squalith’s energy was fading fast but he was determined to keep up with the bronzes and he did well enough, gaining another position or two before Oreath snagged Josiath from the fast-paced Chase. With a soft croon of defeat, the brown headed back to the Weyr to curl up on his ledge for a long well deserved nap.

K’lar headed out of the room, hoping to find some lucky girl to roll in the furs with before his lust was cleared of his veins. Maybe he could woo her more so after they had woken, too…
~~~

R’bao saw the catch happen in the room, most of the Riders heading out with looks of rejection and upset, but one Rider closed in on Shayna and R’bao sadly exited the room to give them some privacy for their roll in the furs. He skillfully avoided any gold-induced folks while he lingered in the corridor outside the weyr, waiting in worry over how his lover would fare and their baby-yet-to-come.
~~~

When M’cleod saw dragons returning in masses and heard a distant triumphant roar, he knew that the Chase was over. There was now an official Weyrwoman again and a new Weyrleader. After a moment’s conversation with his dark dragon, he found that Oreath had won. Sure the fact bothered him somewhat, but it was the way of a Rider’s life. He just hoped that M’riel would not destroy the delicate balance he had finally managed for the last of dragon kind and its allies. The now official brownrider sat beside his dragon for a while longer until he saw the new pair return to the Weyr, then headed inside to snuggle with Taenia for a while, though sleep would probably evade him that night.
~~~

((ooc: Just realized that I never sent this posty!))