Unintended Intervention (Shanza's Flight)

[4horseshowgirl4]

Tucked away out of sight, hiding on top of the infirmaries's cabinets, her wings brushing the ceiling if she cared to raise them, a Copper firelizard was fast asleep. She was curled into a tight ball, draping her long wings over herself to nearly obscure herself from view. In what little light reached her hiding spot, it was just possible to tell that the bright sheen of her hide went past what would be expected of a Copper. Had B'nyur bothered to put glows up there, it would have been quite apparent that she had taken on the glow of a female about to Fly. But since he had not, and she had been hiding and resting for most of the day, and he was too preoccupied with how depressed he was, there was no chance of him caring enough to find her.

Then, suddenly, her eyes snapped open, peering out between the gap in her wings, revealing that tell-tale furious purple. And then, her wings flared, trying to show off their impressive size. However, there wasn't enough room above the cabinets for her to do so. She must show off elsewhere! Shanza scuttled two steps and leapt off of the cabinets, throwing out her wings and gracefully catching the air, soaring not inches above B'nyur's head before she flew out of the infirmary. His head turned sharply to watch her, his mouth gaping open in surprise.

Shanza reached the Weyrbowl and rocketed skyward, twirling in the air as she did. She bugled in her high, piercing voice, summoning all the males. No longer would they have to settle for chasing Pinks or Greens... now they had her for which to compete, Dalibor's Queen! And while she was not as vain as many Queens, Shanza, in her lust, was fully aware of the fact that she was their only Queen. She was special. Now, where were those males?

She hovered in the air for a second or two before losing her patience and flying out of the Weyrbowl and heading towards the forest. Maybe wild flitters would be a little more prompt! She bugled again, more aggressively, demanding that they come for her. She did not give them the courtesy of waiting for them to appear like she had the Dalibor males, but shot into the air again, flying up, straight up. There was no time for niceties. She would test them from the first second.

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[Nia]

Phareon was growing rather restless. R'ori didn't want to do anything except sleep on his days off, which were starting to grow more frequent as they began to grow out of Weyrlinghood. Vediameth was pretty much full grown, and as R'ori had figured, she wasn't all that big of a dragon. But that didn't matter, because she was his dragon and that made her perfect. The black haired boy rolled over and stared at Vediameth watching the Weyr from where she sat on her ledge.

But anyway, this made Phareon grow restless and uneasy. He sometimes would leave R'ori for days at a time, only to come back and tangle himself in the boy's black hair again. The Bronze hadn't actually chased anyone yet, which R'ori found rather odd. Was he waiting for something? Was he just not mature enough? There had been a lot of firelizard flights, but Phareon hadn't rose for a single one. Well, maybe he had and R'ori just hadn't noticed? Surely he'd notice something like that.

Like now, for instance, as he felt the firelizard's unfamiliar lust. He must be... wait, did firelizards have some sort of sense where they knew when a female was about to rise? Probably, as Phareon quickly blinked between and out of R'ori's hair. He is flying for the first time,

[/i] Vediameth commented after Phareon disappeared. That was pretty obvious, R'ori responded warily, rolling over again to try and get comfortable. His head felt strangely light without the Bronze firelizard's weight. You should give him some encouragement,[/i] Vediameth added, as though that had been what she was implying and R'ori just didn't get it. Uh, right... I should.... R'ori sat up and stretched.

Phareon recieved R'ori's rather half-hearted encouragement and it made him twirl a bit in the air. He was a Bronze! She was a Copper! They were meant for each other! There weren't any Iron firelizards, or at least not any owned by people in the Weyr, so Phareon was her best shot at getting a real King to chase her. He arrived just as Shanza was flying off, and with a shrill chirp he followed her, twirling around again. Flights were fun! This was fun! And it wasn't just fun, because he was going to win!

Shanza was his only Queen, and he was going to win her. Phareon followed her with quite a bit of distance as she flew over the forests, and gave a soft little attempting-to-challenge bugle of his own, and then he made his presence really known. As the Copper flew up, Phareon was right behind her, spinning off to the side a bit so she could get a good view of him in all his glory. He could fly straight up, easy! Surely Shanza was going to give him a bit more of a challenge.[/blockquote][/size]

[kyrillion]

Phareon was not to be the only 'lizard chasing in this flight. Moments after the copper queen and her first suitor rose above the forests, another form darted above the trees, wheeling and dancing recklessly as he let loose a challenging bugle. Another bronze - this one wild and daring and sure to win the queen's heart!

Sailing easily after Shanza and Phareon, the sunshine winked playfully off his bright, metallic hide. He ignored that other suitor for the most part, spinning after the copper and giving her his undivided attention, as she well deserved. He was boisterous and self-assured, wasting no opportunities to show off for this lovely, if human-bound, queen. She was sparing no niceties for her males, but that was quite all-right - this wasn't the bronze's first flight, and he relished the challenge.

OOC. Shorter than I'd have liked, but I've never actually roleplayed in a Flight before. So... this is all pretty new to me. x)

[Kila]

The number of Bronzes, first a cherished rarity in Shanza's flight, was now becoming deplorably unoriginal. When the Copper flit grew tired of luring suitors from Dalibor, she shot off into the wild West Continent and demanded the following of any wild flitters within earshot. From these she received an immediate result. Y'nis and Yusriyath were bathing some distance away, an activity which his trio of flits had found interesting and worthwhile enough to participate in, when they heard Shanza's demanding call. "Hullo hullo- what's that, now?" Y'nis asked curiously, pausing in his splashing. His flitters, however, knew exactly what it was. The trio was immediately thrown into a frenzy. Flit and Cocori began to streak around at once in excitement, followed by a screaming, huffy Hen. Y'nis had to duck underwater to avoid nearly being hit in the head by the swooping, screeching, creatures, and was overwhelmingly glad when the Blue and Bronze winked between. "Incorrigible creatures..."

And so yet another Bronze and a Blue entered the chase. Flit was quite pleased with himself when he saw that he was the only creature of his shade. How clever he was. The fact that his similarly-colored opponents were all Kings- stronger and faster than he- did not occur to him at all. Cocori vaguely made the connection and cawed with laughter. For the most part, though, Shanza's newest contenders had a one track mind. The chase was their main focus- with her as the prize. Flit and Cocori thrilled in speeding after her, twirling and trilling and diving through the air. They were bonded, yes, but they were the most terribly behaved on Pern.

[4horseshowgirl4]

Shanza called out to Phareon, the first to have the decency to come after her, in her powerful, but high-pitched, distinctly female voice. She gave an appreciative flick of her tail before shooting onward. She would give the Bronze just enough encouragement that she kept his utmost interest (though she could do that without taking the slightest notice of him!) without misleading him to think that she had singled him out especially. But would he be the only Dalibor King in attendance? It appeared so! What a pity! She would have to teach them a lesson when she returned with her victorious mate.

Phareon's chirping and weak-sounding bugling were not impressing Shanza, but Phareon's call was returned by another, more formidable sound. A wild Bronze emerged from the trees suddenly, and Shanza put on another burst of speed to evade this one's advances. She would not put it past a lawless wildling to sneak up on her and catch her before she had made her decision! She turned her head slightly to take a look at him. He, like Phareon, was a fine King, but there were only two of them! Shanza bugled again, tone so distinct from that of the males, giving all the Kings a final announcement that she was up for grabs! And, finally, a third firelizard, and then a fourth, emerged from between. They bore that intangible mark of having a bonded, yet she did not recognize them as Dalibor's, and as the only Queen, she took it upon herself to know every flitter in her domain.

The Bronze received an approving croon, but Shanza completely ignored the Blue. Obviously the lowly male was only along for the ride; he had no chance of winning her! And now that she had a fair selection of suitors (this was the Western Continent, after all, and she could hardly expect the whole flock of Bronzes she had gotten up at the populous Fort Weyr!), her Flight could begin in earnest. She crooned to the three (that Blue didn't count), the wind stealing the sound from her mouth and letting it fall back to them.

She continued to soar almost straight up until her lungs were beginning to burn with the exertion, but she was far from spent. She leveled out suddenly and turned sharply, shooting off back towards the hulking silhouette of the Weyr in the distance. They were dozens of dragonlengths above its rim, but as they began to pass over it, she couldn't resist using it to test the Bronzes that were so eagerly chasing her. She wrenched herself out of the air and dived, almost having to double back slightly to avoid hitting the outer rocky walls. She plummeted towards the ground, snapping open her wings a good dragonlength above the ground, but cranking her head and neck around to see how her Kings would perform, how daring they were.

She leveled out for a few seconds, skimming over the ground, and noticed a withering stand of some plant Hers used to cure achy heads-- she would have to tell him about it so he could bring it up to his garden and let it have some sun-- but her attention did not turn from her males for long. She tipped her nose back into the air and began another long climb, hugging the wall, weaving in and out of the irregularities in the cliffs. Then, she burst above the Weyr again, straining her wings to wring that last bit of stamina out of them, hearts beating a mile a minute as she pushed forward, but making vertical progress slower and slower. It was nearing the end of her long flight, and she was nearly at the altitude where she could claim her mate... if any were strong enough to still be following.

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[Nia]

Another Bronze! And he sounded stronger than Phareon. Looked it, too. But Phareon wasn't going to give up just because of a stupid wild! He had his own wild Queens to chase, Shanza was Dalibor's Queen, so she was his to win! He bugled as loudly and strongly as he could, flapping his wings once to gain more speed and glide past the wild king. This was his first flight and Phareon was determined and full of youthful energy. He crooned a strange sounding song/tribute to Shanza. There were so many Bronzes, he had to find a way to stand out from all the bugles! Uniqueness was good, right? Right?

Shanza's croon pushed him forward, and he blocked the other Bronzes (and Blue) from his mind, focusing solely on her. The others didn't matter, they were unimportant. He pushed himself forward and straight up, loyally following Shanza, no matter where she was planning on taking him. It grew harder and harder to keep up the higher they got, but he managed, not willing to surrender this early in the flight. His focus began to waver as he was beginning to pain, but Shanza suddenly turned around and darted back towards them.

Without missing a beat Phareon formed a rather graceful arc in the air to turn around, finishing off with a twirl so he was upright again. They were flying back towards the Weyr, towards territory that Phareon was very familiar with, which was good! That meant he had an advantage! Maybe, um, probably not. Phareon made the mistake of hesitating a bit as Shanza fell from the sky, but then he quickly caught on and dropped as well. She ended up opening her wings about a dragonlength from the ground, but figuring this was a good time to "show off", Phareon waited until it looked like he was going to crash before shooting back up to follow her again. He'd pulled it off the best he could, but there was still a wobble of dizziness from the thought of nearly smashing into the ground.

He was relieved for the short rest when shanza decided to level out, but knew it wasn't going to last long. And he was right, pretty soon the beautiful Copper was flying up the wall, and Phareon followed, bursting throught the wall behind her. He was tiring. Shanza was fast and strong, and this was only his first flight, but Phareon could do it. He bugled to let her know that he wasn't done, that he was still in it and that he completely and utterly adored her. It took a bit of his strength in order to call out to her, but it was worth it to alert her of his existence. His heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst. There couldn't be much longer now. But even if there was, Phareon would follow her until his heart exploded.

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[Kila]

Unlike his larger Blue relatives who were known to be sensitive and kind, Flit, the lone Blue chaser, was not at all abashed by the blatant cold shoulder he received from Shanza. She could ignore him or curse him all she liked (his bonded did it often, the wherry-brained human) but the tenacious little Blue flit was still there and would be until he tired or crashed into something in his excitement.

Cocori, however, was not ignored. The telling, teasing call brightened his eyes and sent a thrill through his body. This female was a Queen! She was already fast and surely strong. For the most part he flew after Greens and whatever other lowly females flew, for he rose to all challenges indiscriminately, so this was an exciting change. And Shanza did not disappoint him. Cocori screeched with pleasure when she brought the chase to a dangerous rock face, shooting up at a dangerous altitude and weaving amongst the dangerous outcroppings. Here he and Flit had a definite advantage over domesticated/ bonded flits. They were always in the wild- careening in flight in the most dangerous of places just for the thrill of it.

The steep climb upwards taxed Flit heavily. Once they began to weave among the rocks his wings were undeniably heavy. And shards were the Kings and the Queen they followed fast! He slowly fell behind and at last had to pull out with a disgruntled screech. He chattered angrily after the retreating Bronzes and sulking disappeared between.

But Cocori was hot on Shanza's tail. He was enthralled in the flight, taking dangerous plunges and swerves through the obstacles and thin air with reckless abandon and a keen eye on his prize. The wind rushing past him electrified him and his adrenaline pulsed with each beat of his wings. He would not be tired until after the flight was over, as caught up in it as he was. He dove after her without hesitation, folding his wings tight to his body so he fell like a star, and snapped back up after her as she went. The others were close, but they could not compete for his attention if they tried. It was all up to the lovely Queen.

[kyrillion]

The wild bronze was a fit one; used to hunting for himself and fighting off the competition, he was in prime condition. Even so, this copper was testing his endurance. He could feel every muscle straining as he mimicked her vertical ascent, the bright blue sky spinning dizzyingly as he tried to keep her in his sights. When she leveled off, he overshot her, and had to execute a quick mid-air flip to get back on course. Still, now that she was below him, keeping up with her was a much simpler matter. He needed only glide, and occasionally dive to pick up some speed.

But then she was diving, and he trumpeted defiantly, pulling his wings in to meet that challenge. He let his momentum carry him down, down, down, the unfamiliar Weyr rising to meet him, to swallow him whole. Again he roared, as if to ward off this human-infested place that he was flying so recklessly into. He would fight any human in pursuit of this queen! He would win her! None of these tame bronzes could possibly outmatch him! Baring his teeth at the human-place, he pulled his wings in closer and settled in for the long haul. He would not pull out of the dive until Shanza did!

She leveled off sharply a few dragonlengths from the ground, and only then did he stretch his brightly-shining wings, sails taught as they grabbed at the air. He slowed his descent in a level arc, smooth and graceful if not particularly daring, but he was trying to conserve his strength. Pumping his wings, he darted after her, hugging the wall tightly, still ignoring those other bronzes chasing her. They did not matter - only she mattered.

His heart thumped painfully in his chest, his vision tunneled as the rock face fell beneath him. Not a moment too soon, the wall disappeared, and he shot out into the open with a joyous bugle. Free! Free of that place that wreaked of human, a stench he instinctually loathed - and yet, this human-bound queen, tame but beautiful, was testing his endurance as surely if she were wild, herself! Straining, his breath coming in short gasps, he pursued her into the sky. His strength was waning quickly; if she did not choose a suitor soon, he might very well succumb to exhaustion. Still, he would not let the others see his weakness. Eyes whirling, filled to the brim with untamed and wild emotion, he trumpeted loudly, trying to win her attention. His voice was strong, and did not betray the trembling that had set into his wings, or the pain that screamed in his muscles as he pushed himself higher.

[4horseshowgirl4]

Shanza was reaching the point where her wings were clawing at the air just to keep from falling out of it prematurely; it was past time to choose. She had mere seconds to select her victor, or, undoubtedly, her strength would fail and she would be the prize of whoever happened to be in her fall's trajectory, or her beautiful Bronzes would fall themselves. Neither could happen! She would only give herself to the most worthy, not the luckiest, but she couldn't do that if her suitors had reached the limit of their own endurance!

She considered them. Phareon was the youngest and least experienced, she remembered when he had hatched! But he had grown into a fine Bronze, and he had performed well. He'd been the most daring on the dive, which made up for the few mistakes he'd made-- his weak bugle, his hesitation about following her when she had dived. In addition, he was the only one from Dalibor, so she knew for a fact he'd be a fine clutchsire... but should he deserve to be one so soon, after a bit of a sloppy Chase?

Then, there was the wild Bronze. He was the most impressive of the bunch, certainly, with his experienced ways and easy grace in the air. However, he was wild, and that was as distasteful to her as her having a bonded probably was to him. He also wasn't as daring as Phareon had been; sure, his swoop out of the dive had been graceful and pretty, but he'd pulled out earlier than he was supposed to, and could she really pick him, superior as he was, if he wasn't willing to risk it all to impress her, win her? Could she rely on him to be a good father to her eggs?

And then there was the mystery Bronze, who had a bonded, but wasn't from Dalibor, the one that had come with the Blue that was long gone. Honestly, he had done little to show himself off, and while he had been a good, solid performer, the fact that he wasn't of Dalibor, loyal to one of the Holds instead, most likely, was almost as offputting as him being wild. The wild Bronze had performed better, but perhaps it was better to put this Bronze's experience over Phareon's, and having a bonded, even outside of Dalibor, was better than having no bonded at all?

However, Shanza did not have candlemarks to agonize over her decision. She tucked her wings to her sides and fell, timing her fall precisely. She went with her instincts of who to choose; her B'nyur was not himself, so she longed for the support of a solid clutchsire, and she was going to land in the talons of the one Bronze she trusted to provide her with just that.

She send Phareon an image, a split-second warning, before she barreled into him, pulling him out of the air and twining her neck and tail with his. They were falling, falling... but Shanza had given them more than enough height, and she had faith that her lovely Bronze, her wonderful winner, would catch them before they hit the ground.

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