Winter Wonderland {Noyth's Flight!}

[Serah]

The day had gone by so quickly that A'mor hardly had time to notice. His day hadn't been too busy, just some straightening out of materials and medicines in the Infirmary. Then an injured person or two to see to. It was strange that his Gray had stayed in their weyr, but he hadn't contested her decision. Noyth's snappish mood was nothing he wanted to contend with right then. Her normal moods were nothing to laugh at. But her mood before this Flight, as he knew the Gray well enough to know that she was going to have one soon, was far worse. When he and his four flits arrived back at the weyr, they found Noyth asleep.

A'mor left the Gray alone. He knew that she wouldn't enjoy an interruption, and he was in no hurry to wake the sleeping dragon. The inevitable snow had started to fall by the time his dragon woke up. There was a light layer on the ground already, and more coming down in a light flurry. Noyth seemed to watch the flakes as they fell, but only for a moment. Within a moment, she was in the air and headed for the pens. Her aim this time were the Wherries. She circled in the air a few times before diving at the first one. A'mor's voice cut into her consciousness at that moment. BLOOD IT! The man's voice said.

The Gray hissed, and exited her dive to eat the wherry. She eyed another and dove for that one. The same command came into her mind once again. She hissed once again, and once again began to look for another wherry. She entered a dive for a third time, and for a third time, was told to blood it. This time, rather than try to fight the voice in her mind, she listened to it. She blooded the wherry and was in the air almost at once. She hissed at the snow, as if challenging it to stop her.

Noyth looked back to the Weyr only once. I Fly. She called to the males of the Weyr. She knew they would come. Not all of them, but there would be some. Some who knew just how grand she was. They would come, and they would chase. But she would be the true winner of this Flight, and she would make sure of this.

[Kiran]

Kelsira had finally at last slept late. It was a rare occurrence for the bluerider, but enforced by several late-night projects in her forge. She had finally passed out in the wee hours of the morning, not even realizing that snow had begun to fall as she drifted off to dreamland.

Her blue watched over her silently, contemplating her recent spate of work. Ever since the last flight with Naireth, and then with Enciath, the bluerider had thrown herself into work. It was sulking at its truest form and Divith didn't approve. His rider needed to be out and about, and hiding away in the lower caverns wasn't the way to do it. Even the brief physical release she found meant interacting with someone else... But Kelsira was awkward even at that, rushing out of bed to gather her clothes and leave witht barely a word to her partner.

No, this wouldn't do at all. But she was stubborn and insistent and refusing to listen to him.

Divith moved back to the ledge, overlooking the Weyr. The sun was up but didn't warm him. Instead, he lay still and let a soft layer of snow cover him. Though it didn't hide him entirely, he felt at one with the world. At one except for one little, niggling little bit. This rider. Kelsira, his dearest rider. She needed balance, and he would do this until she opened up to someone!

The call of a gray caught his attention. Another flight. He glanced back at Kelsira, knowing she needed her sleep.... By perhaps being tired would loosen her up a bit, let down her walls. It was worth a shot. Looking back up at the sky, Divith leapt into the air and beat his wings. The layer of snow sifted off of him in a soft trail as though he were a blue star rising into the air, a tail behind him.

I follow. The words were simple, a gentle call in response to Noyth's cry.

Kelsira tumbled out of bed, wide-eyed and wild as the lust hit her. Divith! The blue had taken wing once more for a Flying female. Through his eyes she could see the gray nearly blending in with the snow-laden clouds. Groaning, the bluerider stumbled through the hallways in pursuit of the dragon. Rider. Whatever. She flew walked flew in pursuit, hoping that she was chosen. Wanting to catch them. Didn't matter which, just as long as she caught them.... Kelsira stumbled into the Weyr, taking her place against the wall close to the door, just in case she they lost.

[Kila]

Winter, 6th Turn, 11th Pass

Y'nis was in his bed, tangled in the furs and snoring happily. The
PurpleRider had latched onto the idea of hibernation and was sleeping
through the snowfall like the majority of Dalibor's Riders. The cold
eased the onslaught of thread, so there was a sort of relaxed feel
throughout the Weyr. Locking himself away also kept him safe from the
sudden interest that the Weyrleadership was showing in him. All he had
wanted to do for turns was to disappear back into the wilderness, yet
now that it was winter and he wanted to stay and sleep they were trying
to force him out on some sort of expedition. It was aggravating, to say
the least, so he slept on.

The cold did not bother Yusriyath the way it did His, his hide being
much thicker and weather-resistant. The Purple lay just inside their
weyr, watching the snowflakes fall curiously. His had told him that they
all had a different shape, if you got near enough, but his body heat
melted them when he got close so he could only wonder at the idea. He
was uncharacteristically still as he pondered, an odd sense of waiting
overwhelming his usual rambunctiousness. The snowfall made everything
silent and white, which in a way only added to his anticipation.

Yusriyath knew what he had been waiting for the moment Noyth appeared in
the sky, all silent fury. He rose to his feet in excitement, tail
lashing back and forth as she dove at the helpless creatures below and
stole their strength. Y'nis woke with a start, startled from his sleep
by the sudden surge of emotions from his lifemate. She
flies! he hummed, echoing Noyth's own decree in explanation.
"Ah," was all Y'nis said, but he wished Yu well as the Purple
launched himself into the air. Well, sleeping would be even better
with a cuddlebuddy, he thought with a smirk, feeling his dragon's
lust rise up in his body. He set out for A'mor's weyr with a skip in his
step. With any luck the man would have a big, comfy bed and they could
wait out the winter weather there together.

Noyth! Yusriyath trumpeted as he took off after
her, weaving complex patterns in the frosty sky. He admired her slender
frame, much like his own, and how she could almost hide herself in the
snow and sky. It was like playing hide and seek! Equating the flight to
a game solidified Yusriyath's interest. Pretty Noyth, I
will not lose you! he declared. Nor could she lose him even if
she wanted to. Even in a gray blanket of snow that obscured all other
things Yusriyath's flamboyant hide shone like a dazzling beacon.

[RhiaBlack]

Sleek. Smooth. Like water over the stones at the top of the bowl's waterfall, Sintharith was a shadow against the stone of the weyr he shared with N'tharon.

You're restless. What is it.
Noyth.
What of her?
She rises.

N'tharon groaned, unwrapping himself from the furs in his warm-and-too-comfortable-to-leave bed. A slow grunt, before N'tharon pressed his Black to give him answers. Images. Anything.

Who does she keep.

Images of A'mor briefly flashed into his thoughts, and N'tharon instantly growled. Sintharith answered the aggression with a curl of his own lip, revealing his fangs.

If you're getting me up for a man, of all things, you had better win this. I will not be humiliated.
You have taken men before, MineLove. He will not be your first.

N'tharon was aggressive. He was a control freak, after all, and the prospect of losing wasn't something effectively on his radar. Sintharith flew hard, he chased hard, he always had; and the last several sevendays of restricted...activities...by the Black had served to rouse N'tharon's desires to a fever pitch. He hungered for companionship almost as much as he hungered for a proper end to this period of celebacy, and Sintharith knew it more than anyone else ever had. His conversation with Sol had sparked more than a few thoughts as to what the old Nel would have done in that situation, and it wasn't kind to his body to continue to provoke himself in such a fashion. Of all those he could potentially catch and keep, Sol and Fyris were the only ones who knew anything about him. Lyr, he had never spoken to - Avalle was a long-shot, so much that he didn't dare hope.

You need this as much as I do, MineLoveDearestOwn.
You're sucking up to me. You know I hate that.
Please, MineOwn. We both need this. Even though I might lose, at least let me try. There are Drudges--
I will not touch a Drudge. I should throttle you for suggesting.

Sintharith's soft croon echoed in their alcove, though his whirling purple eyes never lapsed from the gray form getting farther and farther away. N'tharon could feel the sense of urgency in his Black's movements, the way Sin's tail lashed across the stone, the way his silence otherwise predominated their home. There would be no talking him out of this one.

It had to be male.
You are not picky, NelMine.

N'tharon threw on his pants, shoved his feet into his boots and jerked the straps to at least keep them on, before he threw the heavy fur-lined coat across his shoulders. It was sharding cold, but adrenaline and arousal would more than keep him warm.

Sintharith's sleek black form dropped like ink from a quill from the ledge, gliding and sailing across to A'mor and Noyth's ledge. Wordlessly, Nel slid from his Black's back, and Sintharith silently swept back his wings to lunge from the edge and pursue his newest conquest. N'tharon turned to watch him; the outcome in the sky was far more important to him than the outcome here in the Weyr. He had no problems with luring anything beneath the furs. There was a Blue and a Purple after her, too - both larger males, both more powerful than his Sintharith, but what Sin lacked in size he made up for in stamina and dedication.

Your shadow is here, Noyth, Sintharith whispered, Let the light shine upon you, so that I never fade away.

[Rii]

It was her beloved black’s restless stirring that drew Reylia out of her concentration, reviewing her work to help keep Horizon Wing running smoothly beneath her wingleader’s expert hand. Recath, usually oh-so-reserved, quiet and patient, content to follow another’s leadership so long as it was carried out effectively. Recath? What’s wrong?

Noyth rises, he explained. Others chase.

They’d gone through this a few times before. It was a rare occurrence; oddly enough, Recath didn’t often view it as desirable. And when he did, he almost seemed apologetic. “You want to chase? Dearest, you don’t have to ask, you know that. I’ll be fine. You go right ahead.”

No. I will take you to their weyr first, ReyliaMine. Then I will fly far and fast. He was certain of this. They’d trained hard, as befitted a wingsecond pair, to have the strength and stamina to keep up with the larger dragons that they led. He could catch up with those who had the head start on him. As soon as she’d run and mounted, the black took off, winging his way to A’mor and Noyth’s weyr to deposit her at the entrance.

Then he launched back into the air, oversized wings sweeping strongly through the air, swallowing the distance between him and the grey lady of the skies in great gulps. It would be a challenge to track her grey hide against the grey, snow-blurred air, but he would persevere. I will follow where you lead, Noyth, he told her firmly, only a flicker of attention spared for his competition. That they existed, that was all he needed to know. They didn’t matter. Noyth did.

There were no flashy aerial acrobatics to offer the grey. His wingbeats were steady and sure, much like he was - a calm certainty of his abilities, offered without hesitation for her to accept or reject as she chose. Recath was there, striving his very best for her pleasure. It was all he could give. He hoped it was enough.

[Serah]

The Gray had heard all four of her suitor's calls. The Blue came first, then the Purple, and last came the two Blacks. Each seemed like they would be good. But she would need to put them through their paces. She would not make this easy for any of them, especially when she was determined to be the only winner in this Flight. She flew on, into the gray clouds. Let them see if they could find her among the gray that the clouds had become.

She cut through the sea of gray, nearly blending in. If any of the males were good enough, they would be able to keep up with her. Noyth emerged from the clouds a few dragonlengths from the Weyr. She flew just as fast as she could. The Gray wanted to go as far as she could from the place she lived. She felt as if she needed to get away. Get away from the problems, get away from everything. She flew on hard and fast through the snow.

Noyth kept close to the clouds, close enough to where her wings were in the clouds whenever she moved them in an upward direction. The cold clouds would be a welcome refuge when she started feeling any heat. But as for that moment, the clouds were just her well placed camouflage. She looked back to see if any of them had been able to keep up. Not that it mattered to her in that moment, but she would have to narrow her options sometime or another.

Back in the Weyr, A'mor was nodding greeting to the riders of the dragons who were chasing Noyth. They were all younger than he was, some by much more than others. There seemed to be an even split between male and female riders. He would be surprised to see who won this Flight, seeing as to how neither he nor his dragon knew many of these people or dragons well. It would definitely be one big surprise.

[Kiran]

Divith watched as the gray took wing towards the clouds. She was as gray as them, nearly blending into the cover. The blue rode the currents of wind that promised snow. He would not - could not - fall into the small crowd of males that followed. She was too like the sky. If he lost sight of her, he lost the flight. He had lost enough, now the blue was determined to win. Balance.

What kept the gray in his sight was the swift motion that stirred the clouds as the water and almost-frozen droplets were cut through by the delicate, lithe body. Divith's eyes focused on them as he kept below, seeing her blend in and nearly disappear. The sky. Yes, he would make an appeal to her if she would listen. Delicate Noyth, you are as like the winter sky as I am the summer one. Yet I do not believe you would be as cold as the clouds that you resemble, as heavy with snow as you are light. Perhaps I am cooler than the summer sky, a match to your heat? Summer and winter would never meet, except in us.

A touch nonsensical, but got his point across. They were balance. Gray and blue, summer and winter, heat and cold, for his hide would prove to be as cool to the touch as the snow that threatened though his insides burned with fire. Yes. She would balance him nicely, as would he her. If she accepted him. If this did not destroy his chances of catching her. His beautiful Noyth....

Kelsira's cheek twitched with mixed amusement and annoyance at Divith's plea. She was fairly far gone in the lust to scold her dragon but couldn't help a few choice curses drifting across her mind. If the bluerider were to be truthful there was a certain poetry to it. Kelsira had never been one to admit that to her dragon, though. She snorted softly and turned her head to eye her competition. A purplerider and two blackriders, huh? Well. All of them would be tough competition. The gray was small, so it was more probable she would choose another small dragon, but one could always be surprised. What she couldn't even guess at was if Divith had a chance....

[Kila]

Other males appeared, two Blacks in addition to the Blue, but
Yusriyath paid them little mind. They meant nothing. All that mattered
was Noyth, who was at that precise moment disappearing into the fluffy
gray snow clouds that lined the sky. The Purple trilled and plunged in
after her with gusto. She would be nearly impossible to follow, but
Yusriyath was a dragon of action; he could not hang back while she
winged away, even with the hope that she would reappear and he could
again resume his chase.

Finding her in the gray was a folly though. Yu followed her movements
the best he could, but eventually he had to drop below the cloud
coverage. He skimmed along just below it, going in the direction he had
last seen her and hoping that she would re-emerge nearby. His gamble and
pursuit paid off, for when Noyth reappeared he was not far away.
Yusriyath roared to her, applauding her feat. She was very good at hide
and seek- and he was an excellent seeker! But the game was changing
gears. Yu still had to keep his eyes on her so as not to lose her among
the clouds, but hide and go seek was giving way to tag. She ran, he
pursued. He wanted to see her snowy hide against his electric one
desperately. We could complement each other so! he
sang, possessed by the idea. She would look pure, like the perfect
canvas, and he would look amazing!

Even gripped with flightlust Y'nis smiled at the thoughts and wiles of
his lifemate. Yusriyath was well suited for fighter flights- much more
so than for chasing queens. As a subking he had some of the stamina of a
great King dragon, but he was small and lithe enough that he matched the
speed of the other male fighter colors. Smaller females were kinder to
him as well. The thing that usually made him lose was his own vanity. It
was hard for him to focus solely on another dragon for a long period of
time, and sometimes he just got distracted. When he turned a flight into
a game though... that was when he was really able to focus. Today seemed
to be one of those rare occurrences. Yu did not often win flights, but
even if he failed there was a room full of other lusty Riders for Y'nis.
Having risen from his bed in such cold, the man did not plan on leaving
A'mor's weyr without a cuddlebuddy.

[RhiaBlack]

Do not lose your focus.

N'tharon's control over his own resolve was quickly waning, but like everything else he'd ever garnered in his life, he clawed and fought for every bit of it. Everything, every moment, every breath, every piece of ground.

Sintharith shared His' sentiment. He could feel the wanton need that passed through the bond with N'tharon, borne of several weeks of limited chases. It had been cruel to them both. Nel's hands balled into fists, and he crossed his arms as his weight shifted. Cold logic prepared him for loss. Sintharith was all heart, quick and sleek, soundless among the clouds unless he made the effort to say something to either one of the other dragons - which wouldn't happen unless it was Noyth - or unless he expressed his frustrations in a roar. Which also didn't happen.

Beyond his initial greeting, Sintharith was a shadow amidst the much lighter clouds. His hide shone in the broken light, glinting slightly as he banked through the clouds only to sweep down below them. Save his energy, ride the currents. She was pacing them, he had flown enough females to read her. Tire them out, then see who had the reserves left. Sintharith knew the tricks. He knew the ways. So did Nel.

N'tharon's eyes narrowed, as Sintharith shot upwards off a thermal updraft, banked, and dove down to increase his speed and distance without more than a handful of wingbeats. Paws and legs tucked up under him, he was streamlined as he slithered through the clouds after his sought-after treasure. Nel's pitch black gaze shifted, and he turned to face the rest of the room, though his eyes were only on A'mor. Nobody else mattered. Nobody else ever mattered, not to him, not during Flightlust. All that mattered was winning.

Nel crossed his arms; like his Black, he retained absolute silence. He didn't need to talk to get his point across. Neither did Sintharith.

They could do that well enough when Noyth made her decision.

[Rii]

Reylia could feel the boundary between Reylia and Recath beginning to blur. She stepped into the weyr, nodding to A’mor but hanging back. He wasn’t hers. Not yet. Perhaps after, but until Recath won or lost, she assumed nothing. She simply waited, rocking slowly from foot to foot, her eyes drifting closed. Rather than fight the growing connection, she rode with it, feeling the wind beneath her/Recath’s wings.

Recath’s wings had always been a little large for the size of his body. It didn’t bother him; what had been an encumberance as a growing-but-still-tiny dragonet had become an advantage as a full-grown dragon, keeping him aloft longer and with less effort than others of his small size. He would follow Noyth wherever she went, as far as she chose to go. And when it came time for her to decide which of her suitors she wanted, he would be there. He would not tire so easily.

Divath and Yusriyath chose to fly below the clouds in those first moments, to watch where Noyth might emerge; Sintharith chose to lift high before diving for speed, a maneuver Recath approved of, a tactic for another day that he had now learned by observing. The two below the cloudline were being cautious. The other black was being clever. Like his rider, then, he would be bold. Fearless. He dared to soar straight into the clouds after Noyth, wasting not a moment on hesitation. It was true, he could not see her perfectly. None of them could.

But he could follow her. While the clouds around them obscured Noyth’s soft grey hide, they tumbled and whirled in the turbulence of her passage. Cold moisture beaded on his hide, trailing over the matte black expanse to tremble and flick off the tips of his wings. Recath burst out of the clouds behind the grey, banking a little to one side as they teased the lower reaches of that which so recently they’d flown through directly with their wingbeats. Once more, his world narrowed down to the graceful dragon he chased. The one that for the moment, he desired more than anything to catch.

[Serah]

Noyth was more than pleased that her suitors did not all do the same thing. It would have been boring for her if they had all just done the exact same thing, whether it be following her into the clouds or staying below them. Yusriyath and Divith called out to her, drawing her attention to the two of them as they called to her. The two Black chasers remained silent.

One of the Blacks, Sintharith, had caught a thermal and dove to gain some speed. A smart idea, and one that conserved his energy a little. He would need that energy, the Gray would make sure of that. The other Black did follow her into the clouds. Recath was a brave one, to follow her where he could barely see her. Though he did manage to keep up with her. So far, none were able to be singled out as the best. She was quietly glad for that. For if none were better than her, she would definitely be the only true winner!

But somewhere in the back of the Gray's mind, she knew that she would eventually have to choose one of her four suitors. She was determined to keep that as far from now as she could get it. Noyth quickly cut into the clouds again. However, she did not come back down this time. She stayed inside the clouds for several dragon lengths, zipping from left to right as quickly as she could. When she was finished, she came out above the first layer of clouds, but below the second. Find me. Noyth called to her suitors, slipping in among the higher layer of clouds.

[Kiran]

Divith wasn't blind or unobservant. Even as he and the purple had kept beneath the clouds, he had caught the silent black catching a thermal up. That was an excelent plan, indeed. Very intelligent, especially as their gray cloud was going to stay in the sky. Where she belonged, really. Divith was amused as she called out to them. Hide-and-seek. Play. That was good. A balance to the seriousness of a Flight. The blue studied the clouds for a moment before taking his own thermal up, buoyed by the wind.

Kelsira found herself feeling lighter as she stood against the wall. She swayed softly in place, feeling lost in the room, unable to see the others for the momentary darkness surrounding her. No, surrounding Divith. She could see the others there. Four of them. There were four in the room. Only two would win the flight, the other two to deal with losing as they so desired. Would she won or lose? Kelsira didn't know. She wanted to win. Divith wanted to win. But for that they had to find the gray.

But how could he find his snow-cloud in the grayness around him? Divith kept lifting upwards. There was no clue below the clouds but perhaps there would be some clue above. Below would be useless if she wished to be found. She wouldn't show herself there. He didn't bother with searching the cloud, he wouldn't see anything there. Instead he sliced upwards towards the sun and open sky just above, hoping for a glimpse of her, a fish in a gray sea. The cloud split around him and he rose into the thin layer of blue that separated the two cloud layers. Here he stayed for a moment, seeing nothing. As he began to rise once more, thinking to search the second layer, a movement caught his eye.

Noyth! She was in a slightly different direction than the one he had been headed in and slightly below. Divith adjusted his position so that he was still flying high but keeping on her trail. I have found you, snow-cloud, silver-fish-in-the-sky. Now to wait, and see what she did now. The gray seemed determined for a long flight, so he was in no hurry.

[Kila]

Oh how clever she was! A storm could not hide better among the
clouds than Noyth! Yusriyath followed her as she skimmed just below the
bottommost layer of gray, twisting and letting various parts of his body
dip into the dense mist and disappear, just as the Gray dragoness had
done. She was small and fast but the Purple kept up, the thrill of the
chase banishing any hint of fatigue from his mind.

With no warning Noyth vanished again, melting into the clouds above her.
Yusriyath trilled at the challenge and plunged in after her, blind but
determined. This time she was much harder to follow; her zigzagging back
and forth left a track that was elusive at best. He called out to her,
but the sound was muffled. Don't just look with your eyes, Y'nis
suggested as he stared at A'mor, his own vision obscured by the mist
around Yusriyath. The Purple slowed his wild, reckless chase and reached
out, trying to feel Noyth rather than see her.

Yes!  Rather than diving back down she had
emerged above the clouds- Yu could sense it. With a dramatic flap he
burst out after her. Y'nis smiled as the GrayRider came into focus
before him. I have found you, he sang in response
to her call. He and Divith fell in behind her, full of admiration and as
many sweet nothings as she could desire. Yusriyath would follow wherever
she chose to go.

[RhiaBlack]

Sintharith swept his wings back, shooting into the clouds to follow Noyth. She was clever. She was so very clever, but he was clever, too.

I need your eyes, NelMine.
Feel her out, Sintharith. She hides in the clouds to mask her scent, her sight, but not her sound or her trail. What passes through the clouds like rain, cuts through the sky like wind, and beats like a heart in your ears?
The wings of my stormcloud, my Noyth, NelMine.

N'tharon closed his eyes, drawing a staggered breath. It was as much Nel's fight as it was his Black's, and he wasn't inclined to ever leave his bonded alone to sort something out on his own. They were in this together, after all, and N'tharon would not accept anything but his Black's best attempts.

Sweet as cake, and twice as rich,
So many clouds, but which is which?
I seek, I find, suffice to say...

He focused on her sounds. All the sounds, and picked out the wingbeats and breaths of his competition. There was Yusriyath. There, Divith. She was somewhere, but they had apparently found her first...so he followed the careless trails they left behind, making the effort to mask his own so that Recath could not follow him, as he had followed the other two.

Sintharith sliced through the cloudcover, erupted into the first layer and between them to fall in behind the Purple and Blue ahead of him, long lengths of vapor still streaming off the leading edge of his lightless wings. He said nothing to Noyth - still that ever-silent shadow, pursuing the other pair of males closely, but seemingly content to let Noyth decide who won and who lost. He bespoke only His.

I will not be left behind today.

N'tharon's smile was beaming, a flash of bone-white in an otherwise dark-bronze jawline.

No, my Sintharith, we will not.

Sintharith swept his wings back a second time, picking up speed as he tucked his forelimbs up beneath him. They were bigger, but he was quicker. He didn't have to beat them at reaching her first, they had come close to that before. No, this one, she would choose her suitor. She would choose her winner, and all he had to do was look better than the other three.

N'tharon uncrossed then recrossed his arms, leaning his weight into one leg as he soared among the clouds with Sintharith. This what what he liked the most - being so absolutely lost to the thoughts and efforts of his Black. Nothing else mattered but winning. No Thread, no Forgework, no rumors or malicious whispers behind his back. There was only Sintharith, the sky, and the female he chased.

[Rii]

I cannot see her anymore, Recath admitted privately to his rider. Was that a failure? He could not bear it, if it was. His Reylia always strove to be the best. He wished only to emulate her, to be the best he could be, as well. Here, he knew already, the time for boldness was past. He had proven that, proven that he was brave enough in pursuit. Now, it was time to be clever.

We don’t have to see her. We can see the others, she answered. Indeed, against the grey sky Yusriyath was a bright beacon. With all of them in the clouds, following anyone’s wake was difficult, if not impossible, but the purple’s almost neon hide was impossible to disguise for long. Quick beats of his wings closed the small distance that had opened in his moment of uncertainty, and as he drew near he caught the gleam of blue hide as well. Somewhere there was another hide of black, too, but he would not expend the time on hunting for it. It was the grey that mattered.

Closer, the Reylia-half of him urged.

To Yusriyath? he queried in surprise. She was always the one with the plans, but this was an unexpected one for him.

Yes. Close enough that you could almost nip his tail. Let him break the air for you. Recath hummed his pleasure at his rider’s idea and edged closer, closer, closing formation until a good lunge might have let him catch the twin tips of Yusriyath’s tail. Now he was not battling the wind resistance for himself, but letting the purple do it for him. Drafting behind his opponent, the black could devote less time to muscular exertion and more to the competition - and most importantly, to seeking Noyth amidst the clouds. A roil of mist, a call of challenge, a flash of her pearly hide - any and all of these things he sought, to tip him off on where she might be.

There! A glimpse of silver a hundred, a thousand, a million times more welcome than Thread, passing from one bank of clouds to the next. It was all he needed. There you are, he hummed. A thrilling chase - but it turned out that it was a challenge he was equal to, after all. Maybe - maybe - she would find him worthy. He rolled gracefully out of Yusriyath’s wake, winging above the purple to fly in his own right once more. I am here.

[Serah]

This time was not supposed to come as soon as it did. The time for the Gray to choose one of the four males who came to chase her. They were all, in their own ways, good. Divith with his sweet words, and being the first to find her up in the clouds. Yusriyath was a Purple, which boosted her ego quite a bit. Sintharith was rather nice, she did enjoy the fact that he stayed rather quiet all throughout the Flight. Then there was Recath. The other Black to have joined her Flight. Like herself, he had oversized wings. Plus he was closer to her size than the rest of the males.

Noyth decided that she would drag out the decision as long as she could, going as long without announcing the decision that she had made as she thought she could. She went below the layer of clouds she was in, the male she chose would definitely need to see for this. It was rather unfortunate, she believed, that she had to end this now. She had actually been enjoying herself quite a bit. She looped around to get a view of the four males who had been chasing her.

The Gray nodded to each one of them before finally making the announcement of a winner. Divith, come. She called to the Blue. She would wait until the Blue came to catch her, then she would start heading back with him. But not a moment before then.

Back in the Weyr, A'mor nodded his head toward Y'nis, N'tharon, and Reylia. "Well, it's been a wonderful Flight. Hope everyone's enjoyed themselves." He said, turning to Kelsira. "Kelsira?" He questioned, extending an arm to the Bluerider. He also gave her a questioning look, as if asking her if she would accept his gesture.

[Kiran]

Divith wasn't surprised when he was called to Catch the gray. One of them had to be picked, after all. That was the Balance of Flight. Win or lose, there would be Balance. The blue gave a swift pump of his wings to catch up to the smaller dragon and gently extended his paws around her. It was official. He had Caught the gray. A small feeling of triumph and contentedness ran through his Bond with his Rider. I come, Noyth. And he did. Divith spread his wings wide to guide them to the ground.

Up until then Kelsira had been gritting her teeth and wishing it to be over. A sigh escaped her when she heard through Divith's hearing that Noyth had chosen a winner. The proper dismissal had her tense and ready to extend an invitation to one of the other losers. The identity of the winner was escaped her for a few moments until A'mor turned to her and said her name. Her name. Not anyone else's. For a moment she stood, wavering, startled, but then relaxing and taking his hand as Divith took Noyth. As her dragon held Noyth as the fell through the air, Kelsira held A'mor as they fell to his bed.

Maybe her blue wouldn't get a scolding this time around....

[Kila]

Noyth flew on for as long as she could, but as all the other
dragonesses that had ever flown before her she eventually had to make a
choice. Yusriyath anticipated the moment eagerly, hovering behind her
with the others as she looked back to survey them. First in the air,
Divith was also her first choice. Yu keened as the Blue wrapped around
her and they fell out of sight. He threw himself poutily into the clouds
and vanished, not wanting to be in the company of the similarily
regected Blacks (especially the one that had been on his tail when the
visibility was tough). He would bounce back quickly though, as he always
did.

Y'nis, though also a loser, had other options. He sidle closer to the
Riders of the two Blacks, as eager to get to them as Yusriyath was to
get away from Theirs. He quirked an eyebrow and looked at N'tharon and
Reylia suggestively. He had left his bed and come through the cold to
get here- he didn't plan on weathering the rest of the storm alone.
Flightlust did not just disappear if you lost. Man or woman or both, he
didn't care so long as he was not left alone. "My bed is big enough
for everyone," he offered with a charming smile.

[RhiaBlack]

Nel's fingers flexed against his palms. He was frustrated - with himself, with Sintharith, with everything. His Black had been on a losing run ever since that two-win streak several weeks prior, and try as he might, N'tharon couldn't give up the prospect that perhaps something larger loomed the cause of his misfortune.

This Weyr's Riders certainly seemed more understanding than most, at any rate. Regardless, however, he wasn't inclined to be the proverbial third wheel. His teeth grit sternly within his mouth, before Sintharith arrived on the ledge to take His' home.

I am sorry, NelMine.
You did your best, Sin. That's all I can ask.

The lean-bodied Black didn't bespeak any of the others, as N'tharon slid aboard the space in Sintharith's neck ridges. Like a lightless shadow, Dragon and Rider slipped off the ledge of A'mor's weyr, and fell out of sight.