Ladies Night [Mifth's "Flight"]

[lee]

It was cold.

It was sharding cold.

Grumbling irritably to himself, F'dren wrapped himself even more tightly in the bundle furs stolen from his bed, snatching Harpsiklahd off his shoulders to plonk the firelizard into his lap in an attempt to more evenly distribute the large brown's not-inconsiderable warmth. It backfired, of course, seeing as Harpsiklahd was in fact a living creature and not the oversized hot water bottle he was being treated as, and with an indignant squawk, he swiped at F'dren's overlarge nose and blinked between. Rebuffed, and now even colder, F'dren quickly offered a meek apology through their bond and, disgruntled but pleased with the admission of guilt, Harpsiklahd reappeared and obligingly settled into a comfortable heap on the man's stomach. Grateful, F'dren stroked the little creature with a blanket wrapped hand, sipping his scalding hot klah and blinking sleepily in finally warm contentment at the fireplace flickering before his feet. For one blissfully warm, satisfied moment, he considered a long, well-earned nap.

Mine? I'm bored.

F'dren's eyes flew open in abject panic and he soared to his feet and would have sent Harpsiklahd flying (again), but the brown had heard too and was already awing, vibrating with palpable alarm and eyes swirling a terrified yellow. With a sympathetic cheep that wasn't the least bit apologetic, the brown vanished to somewhere far, far away leaving the bluerider shaking his fist in the air at the cowardly act abandonment even as he charged to the ledge where blue Mifth had last been spotted, tripping over the furs in the process and tumbling into a scrambling heap.

Laying on the floor, he came to the miserably fatalistic decision that it didn't matter. Nothing mattered. He was helpless. Idly, he wondered whether it would be his eyebrows or his toenails this time, and how long either would take to grow back. His eyes fluttered close in resignation as the woosh! of displaced air from a dragon taking off filled the cavern and caused the fire to flicker dangerously.

At least, he thought with a sigh, unscrewing his flask of klah to take another long swallow, at least whatever it would be this time, it wasn't a Flight.

It's Flight time! I'm Flying! Come chase me!

F'dren choked.

Mifth swooped, diving into the unfrozen lake with a sploosh and rising up, up, over the Weyr, slick with quickly freezing water that almost, if one ignored that he was blue and was inclined to be generous with their adjectives, almost appeared to make his hide glow in the sullen, cold sunlight. At the very least, the tiny formig ice crystals gave the dragon a certain sort of blindingly reflective sparkle, which gave at least one bemused onlooker a terrible headache. Mifth barrel rolled, bugling a cheerful bellow of an invitation booming against the cavern walls, to the lady and menfolk dragons alike as he strained his wings to soar high, higher, and off like a shot towards the storm-swollen ocean. Catch me if you can! A mischievous trill accompanied the deep rumble of a challenge, I bet you caaaaaaaaaan't!

F'dren graspingly clawed his way back to life, wheezing the last of the ill-fated klah out from his lungs and not the least bit surprised that his lifebonded blue wherry wasn't at all perturbed by his rider's perilous brush with klah-induced death. For the moment, he was too oxygen-deprived to scold, panicking to himself as he tried to determine whether or not it was possible for Mifth to have secretly been a cyan all these years, but...but no. Taking stock of himself, there was a complete absence of the flightlust that would accompany a cyan rising. No, no this wasn't a Flight, not in truth. This was a possibly delusional bored blue dragon with an apparently fluid attitude about traditional gender roles instigating a glorified game of tag. That was all.

Huddling in his furs, F'dren scowled blankly at the pot of klah still by the fireplace, doing his best to will it into materializing next to him so he wouldn't have to go through the bothersome nonsense of getting up and walking over to it.

Ain't you supposed to blood a herdbest first, ya dingbat?

Sorry! I can't hear you. I'm flyyyyyying!

No, F'dren decided. He couldn't get the pot to teleport. Bother. Begrudgingly, he stood up. Drudged over to the pot. Poured a mug.

And drank his klah.

[RavenSong]

NaraevhynMine! Simhath crowed from her perch on the ledge of her weyr. Mifth's Flying! I'm going to go chase now, bye! You should get over to Baihujinth's! OH! I should take you first.

Wait, what? Naraevhyn looked over to her Green from where she was oiling Ainikki. Mifth is a Blue. Blues do not Fly. They Chase. Do not be silly.

But he says he's Flying! And says it's Flight time, and we need to chase him, and that we can't catch him! I gotta try! Simhath responded, creeling at Nara as she spoke. Nara blinked several times at the Green, then shook her head.

It is Tag, she said simply.

I knoooooow!

There is not a Flight. It is merely a game of tag, executed by a wherrybrained Blue. Enjoy yourself, my heart. Please do not fight anyone.

I never do! That's mean! With a trill, Simhath flew off, chasing after Mifth. I can catch you! she said to him. I'm a good tag-player! Watch! WHEEEEEE!


Meanwhile, down on the ground, K'var was working with Mi'mir in light hand-to-hand combat drills. He enjoyed the fact the Sparkstarters was a five-weyrling class, it enabled him to give each weyrling a candlemark of his time for one-on-one lessons each day. The group had overview lessons as a class once every sevenday, for either refreshers or testing.

Mifth almost instantly drew his notice as he dove into the lake, leaving an opening a dragonlength wide for Mi'mir to land a strike.

"What the shells?" K'var demanded of no one in particular. Argotath emitted an amused noise from where he was lounging, sunning himself as best he could.

Mifth Flies, he said simply, his words audible to Mi'mir.

"Mifth's a sharding BLUE. He's bluer than you, Lizard!"

That isn't stopping Simhath. And I'm quite blue, thank you! K'var facepalmed, shaking his head.

"That wherrybrained blue..." Simhath caught his eye next. K'var watched bemusedly as the green chased Mifth. "Well that isn't unexpected at all. Are they playing tag or something?"

No, Mifth says he's Flying. But I feel nothing in any way. No warning to stay away, like I understand the female dragons feel. I think he's playing, maybe. MIFTH! What're you doing?

K'var facepalmed again, shaking his head.

"Dragons," he muttered. "Come on, back to the hand-to-hand."

[Azhdarchid]

Spotted wingsails, already stretched open to soak up what pitiful winter sun was available, needed only to cup the air and push down to grant her flight.

One wingbeat. She lifted her legs up against her body, sediment from her ledge dripping off her toes, a stack of steam flowing out of her nose as she took her first heightened breath. Her eyes widened, greening over to a Spring-like intensity. Her tail unspooled behind her, the broad flukes at the end fanning out in the icy air.

Two wingbeats. Her giant heart caught up with the excitement in her lungs, and her hide turned rich as flushes of bluey-green dragon ichor filled her veins. Preludes to a bugle- growls, groans, simmering rumbles -moved in her chest and up her throat, passing the bare part of her jaws, slipping between the white winks of her fangs. The atmosphere surrounding her wings tumbled and broiled, turning into a wake of turbulence that swirled a few unwary firelizards around in circles.

Three wingbeats. A roar, right under Mifth, almost hot enough to singe his blue toes. The kind of Weyr-wakening thunder most dragons reserved for expressions of significance. But this beast had little time (or talent) for nuance. She turned onto one side in the course of her ascent, and there was nothing that suggested the maneuver was intentional. She did not avoid air pockets or nose out currents to enhance her maneuvering. She powered through, seeking the blue on her own power.

She was not all that much bigger than him, a petite forty feet to his thirty, but her wings were broader, thicker, and each of those sweeping beats ate the same distance as three of his. She nearly floated after him, the exertion of the race shown in no fiber of her dark brown-grey presence.

I AM THE DRAGON! she bellowed at him, in a voice of such concrete ambition that it could have been taken as her rider's corrupting communication. But that man was fast asleep, despite the hour. Keeping Samael happy and warm, as well as maintaining his various other lines of work, could be very exhausting. He turned from his back over onto his stomach, biting his pillow, and that was the extent of his input. Meanwhile, I AM THE DRAGON! Unath blasted the sky with another quaking bugle, and her jaw remained hanging open as she neared Mifth, tongue flapping in the breeze, teeth shining in the better sun of the frozen heaven.

[Chek]

Curled up on her weyr ledge, Mith snorted in her sleep when her sister took off after Mifth; her wings shuddered and her legs twitched convulsively like an oversized canine lost in dreams, but she didn’t wake to pursue the “Flyjng” blue.

Valha was going to sigh in relief until Meili shot past her and out of the weyr, straining himself to catch up with the much larger and faster dragons.

<3! <3! <3333! He projected after Mifth.

Meili was not the only completely unsuitable individual joining the unorthodox “Flight.” Mi’mir didn’t take the opening his startled Weyrlingmaster had given him when the elder rider was reacting to Mifth’s antics because Kinnisoth was squealing and taking to the air, She burst from under a light layer of snow near the lake, the refracting light from the ice crystals and her blazingly pink, sparkly hide turning her immediate area into a wonderland of pink ridiculousness.

Mi’mir let out a wheezing sound that could have been a long, drawn out “Noooooooooo” as he turned back to K’var, his face a picture of abject despair, “I can’t stop her, she’s making that “squee” noise too loud.”

Miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiifth. Miiiiiiiiiiffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffth! Oh my goodness this is amazing you are giving me all the FEELS oh hey little guy are you wanting to engage in an epic romance with Mifth that is SO CUTE let me help you. The last part of that was directed towards tiny Meili, laboring behind the crowd – Kinnisoth did not discriminate against love! She gently brought her head up under the little blue and flew faster! It wasn’t just her depending on her wings now! Meili clung in excitement and offered a thankful little <3 burst of feelings to the giant pink. We will catch him together and YOUR LOVE WILL BE SUNG OF FOR AGES EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Agile and speedy like her color, but with a stamina and wingspan unlike any other pink ever clutched, Kinnisoth was soon closing the distance, worming her way in beside Simhath and letting out another ear-piercing squeal practically atop Mifth’s tail.

[Birdy]

"Do not puff your chest out like some common runnerbeast Herath, do I have to tell you every single time?" Avna snapped at the red, attempting the tighten the straps on the saddle that would hold her in place for their short ride down to the bowl. She would not ride bareback like those riders who wanted to simply get where they needed as quickly as possible. There was a way to saddle a dragon and she was going to do it right. The red was silent and stared out at the lake, making no effort at letting out the air she'd sucked into her stomach.

" I will not have you behaving this way, you're a dragon. I've saddled you every single day since you were old enough to be ridden, this is no different," the brunette gave the red a sharp smack on the shoulder causing the Red to let out a hiss of annoyance. This was a perfect opportunity for Avna to tighten the straps and she did much to Herath's displeasure.

That's too tight! Herath growled, snaking her head around to nudge her rider with a bit more force than was necessary. Do you think I cannot handle you on my back. Like you said, every single day. I would not let you fall. The red blew air at Avna's face and turned back towards the bowl waiting for her rider to climb aboard.

When the pair had returned from their errands, hands full of oil and other cleaning supplies, the Red lifted her head at some noise unheard to her rider. Unsaddle me, unsaddle me I want to win this glorified game of tag, I will catch this loud blue, I will catch him, the red stared back at her rider and lashed her tail.

"But I need to oil you, why do you think I brought these things up here, " Avna said frustration creeping into her voice. She stared at the red for a moment then sighed, walking out the opening of their weyr and looking up at the dragons flitting around above the lake. Herath did need her exercise, but she'd planned that for this evening. Groaning to herself, she carefully undid the straps and pulled the saddle off of the red's back. The instant she was free Herath bounded towards the entrance but stopped as Avna held her back. They struggled with each other mentally for a few moments before Herath relented and sat on her haunches.

"There are rules Herath, I won't have you flying crazily around the weyr like a wherry, if I tell you to come back you will return do you understand. And you will be gentle with anyone else that may join you, I want no injuries. You will behave yourself as well, you're representing Dalibor even among our own. You never know who could be watching," Avna gave the red a long hard look and then turned towards her firelizards who were perched on a high ledge. Snapping her fingers at the oil the five greens flitted down happily to begin their oiling.

Herath perched at the edge of her ledge, wings spread in anticipation of the chase. She watched the blue for a few moments, tracing his movements with her eyes until launching herself off of the ledge and after the dragons in the sky. She made no announcement that she had joined them. Instead she choose to sneak up behind them like some giant red shark. With a few flaps of her wings she was a few dragonlengths behind them and there she would stay, biding her time.

SPOILER: Click to show

[lee]

Simhath had joined his Flight! Mifth bugled a welcome, ending in a high-pitched, pleased trill. Now it was a proper Flight indeed! He ha a chaser! And one of his favorites, yes. Pretty Simhath! You can tryyyyy. He darted upwards, caught a draft and began to circle even higher, up to where dark, puffed clouds sparkled. It looked warm up there, in a way the gray sky did not, and the sweat on his hide chilled him so he sought out the sun, rising higher.

Mifth huffed, and a snort blew through his nostrils and turned to fog, I am flying, Argotath! he responded to his fellow blue, a mix of cheeriness and petulance. You can chase me too, but you better fly faaaa-aaast! The last was punctuated by a singsongy dragon-laugh, erupting as a rumble from the bright blue's belly, and he tucked his wings and rolled on it, hitting the low clouds at last and bursting through them with a bugle. It was quiet, and almost instinctively, Mifth slowed his pace, humming happily to himself before glancing around to see his followers. A tan burst through the clouds below him and Mifth squeaked in surprise, rolling to the side with an awkward flap of his wings. But he was pleased, and he trilled hello and strained his wings to return, looping once around the larger dragon to bring himself closer, bonking his snout against hers in greeting before darting into a dive back below the clouds. Catch me, pretty Unath! he responded from below the misty gray clouds, circling a draft ad following it low, catching another and following it along the coast where gray, angry water tossed in sullen winter displeasure against darkened sands.

A...sound? A feeling? A thing arrived in Mifth's mind and he was fascinated by it. He spun, flapping backwards to get a better look a the deliverer of the message and crooned something like a whistling giggle. Eye ridges scrunching in concentration, wings bunched as he turned himself back away to launch himself upwards once more, Mifth kept his head turned backwards and concentrated. Very hard. With all the effort he could muster, Mifth focused. He could do this! He could--

:D!

Success! Mifth's aim was a bit off, and Meili was a small target, so the response washed over Kinnisoth as well, and, pleased with himself, Mifth rolled into a loop and cackled, which ended in a surprised squawk as the pretty pink--the large pink--squealed right on his tail . He swooped out of reach with a chortle,
What do you feel, Kinnisoth-hatchling? I feel swoopy![/i] To emphasize this, he did indeed swoop, and began to tuck in his wings and wriggle like a dolphin in the sky, swooping into humped arches, up and down and up and down, calling out in glee to those who chased, Follow meeee!!

Eyes forward at last, the bouncy blue did not notice the silent, sky-soaring red enter the chase, but F'dren, silent himself on his way to the dining hall, did. Thinking of the last red Flight Mifth had been in, he swallowed slightly but offered only Don't sing at her to the blue who, not knowing what he meant, just hummed back at the man and pretended he couldn't hear him.

F’dren sat himself in a nice, dark, shadowy corner of the kitchens where he hopefully wouldn’t be recognized and poured himself another pot of klah, thinking wistfully of sun-soaked herds. He could have been a herder, you know. Herdbeasts, he mused with a regretful sigh, didn’t hum.

[Rappu]

Mifth! You are pretty like me and we could be pretty together!
Minanth's wings, well-oiled to the point of shiny, flashed in front of the blue dragon. She had carefully climbed the sky so that light streamed from behind her, so that her grand entrance would be grand. She let her tail swish from side in a dramatic fashion and cranes her neck to show the blue just how big she was.

Calmera knocked on F'dren's door. "Hey, need any help in there? My dragon's chasing yours for some reason," she continued and leaned on the wall. There was no response, but she decided to wait there anyway.
If Minanth - and Mifth - wanted to have some harmless fun, she wasn't going to get in the way. The orange wasn't going to clutch, in any case.
Have fun, Minanth.
Always! Can you see me? Us? You should have fun, too!

Minanth giggled, joining the chase with glee. She flew after Mifth with grace, slower than the smaller dragons as she showed off her glitzy orange hide. The cold suited her well, and this was very enjoyable. The cold and tragic winter needed fun in it.

[Chek]

Mifth’s response the Meili had the little blue flitter more excited than ever, bouncing in place wildly where he’d crawling to the very end on Kinnisoth’s massive, sparkly pink snout. <3! <3! <3! The flitter replied to Mifth, before leaping straight from Kinni’s snout to the tip of Mifth’s tail; just before the blue moved beyond his jumping range.

It was a terrible idea! As limited as he was, Meili still recognized this face. D: he “muttered” as he started the dangerous climb along Mifth’s back spines, clinging desperately when Mifth started wiggling and swooping about in a manner that did nearly dislodge his tiny flit passenger.

Kinni, though no longer serving as chariot of love, still was more than happy to plead the flit’s case, Miiifth! Oh, Mifth, think of it! I am large, and you would not squish me, and our little friend could sit upon you! We would be…a tower of love! EeeeeEEEEEEEEEEeeeeee! A blue and pink tower of loooooove! The mental squeals were accompanied by the dulcet, ear-piercing audible version of the noise as Kinnisoth eagerly swooped after Mifth, coming up under him and daringly flipping over to fly upside down, making a grab for Mifth’s forepaws before she was forced to right herself.

Meili, meanwhile, had, with great effort, managed to wrap himself around one of Mifth’s head knobs after the dangerous trek up the blue’s spine. He took a long moment, his little brain working overtime as he tried to come up with the most romantic, most convincingly expressive expression of his desire to woo Mifth that he could. Finally, the perfect expression occurred to him, and he projected with clear, precise focus:

>:3
> :3
>:3
> :3
>:3

He cheeped, pleased with himself, and clung tighter.

[Azhdarchid]

[ Unath only. ]

Unath slowed up as Mifth took to winging a halo around her, and shut her eyes as Mifth's nose booped against hers. Rumbling at his request, it occurred to her to open her eyes and seek him again a good half-minute later. Mifth had gone down into the clouds by then. Unath turned on the airy pillar built by the sweeps of her own wings. Her thick, tough lips twitched around the brims of her fangs. She could see the rosy pink impressions of Kinnisoth and Herath on the horizon, but they did not have anything to do with the blue who had called her out.

The tan hovered all the way around till she faced the Weyr again, and boggled at it, nostrils flaring. She could not quite recognize it at this distance, being so small and differently shaped from when she was sitting in it. It could not be home, nor where Mifth had gone. Despite her bewilderment, the small queen spun to face the sea and flew off in a random direction. Not back to Dalibor, nor after the other dragons. She cruised off into the empty distance, just as pleased with this outcome as any. She could easily continue flying in the landless wilderness for a full day, seeking Mifth. Or, when she inevitably forgot him, seeking home. Or maybe it was just that Unath never minded being off alone, her own creature. The dragon.

[lee]

ooc; words cannot describe how much I adore you all for playing with me and Mifth <33333

Pretty Minanth! Mifth cooed in delight as the sun lit up the stunning orange, and he did a barrel roll into a swoopy curve, so delighted was he to see the sunlit orange. You look like sunshine!

F’dren, surprised to hear someone knocking on his door, opened it and blinked in surprise to see Calmera. He flushed deep a shade of red in embarrassment, mumbling, "Ah, yes…he….well he’s …" F’dren failed to find words to describe his blue, and held out his hands in helpless defeat, a shrug all he oculd offer before finally adding, "It was kind of Minanth to indulge him.D’you…want some klah or something?"

Mifth bugled. How lucky he was! Such smart, pretty, shiny, wonderful lady dragons (and flit) joining his chase! I DO like pink! he called back to Kinnisoth, curving his head around to glance at his chasers and noticed a silent, sharklike competitor he hadn't seen before. With a startled gaek he flailed in the air for a moment. A red! A shiny, beautiful, wonderful, sparkling, vaguely terrifying red had joined his Flight. Tentatively he turned his head to bugle a merry greeting to Herath. but his temporary flail in the air had caused a very small, very blue tail to flop into his vision.

Oh!

He'd been caught!

Obligingly.Mifth raised a forearm to gently hold Meili in place as he did what dragons DID when they were caught in a Flight—plummet cheerfully from the sky in a controlled dive, except he didn't want poor little Meili to go flying off iinto oblivion.

I HAVE BEEN CAUGHT! Pretty Simhath. Pretty Kinnisoth, Pretty Un— Mifth paused, suddenly realizing the tan was no longer visible in the sky. Baffled, he swung his head this way and that, and finally came to the absurd completely reasonable conclusion that she was somehow hiding, in the sky, and continued, -ath. Pretty Herath. Pretty Minanth. the blue continued regretfully. I am sorry, but you will have to find other dragons to catch!

Deciding he had probably dropped far enough from the sky to complete his Flight—this being prior to Pink Dalahirath’s rising, Mifth’s knowledge of what constituted a proper end to a flight was extremely limited—Mifth spread his wings, dipping to skim the ocean surface before heading back to the Weyr in a lazy, pleasant fashion.

Concentrating, he directed his thoughts towards Meili, trying again to master the flitter-speech he used, to ask if the little flitter would like a ride home to the Weyr.